Seeing that these fellows had become much more honest, Ryoko nodded with satisfaction.
He thought for a moment and announced his class: "I am Akimichi Ryoko from Class 1-A of the Ninja Academy. Remember to deliver the lunch boxes at noon. If I find out you're being duplicitous..."
He deliberately left the sentence hanging, filled with a strong sense of threat.
After speaking, he turned and left slowly, without asking Yakushi Nono for a lunch box.
After all, she was living such a miserable life; it would be truly excessive to ask her for a lunch box as well.
It wasn't until Ryoko's round figure disappeared at the end of the street that the oppressive atmosphere suddenly relaxed.
"Class 1-A?" Sarutobi Oishi clutched his still-aching arm and cried out in disbelief, "He's actually a year below us? A freshman?"
"Are you kidding me? How can a freshman be this strong? We were like toys in his hands."
"I... I think I remember now. I heard before that a freshman joined Class A and defeated people from the Hyuga and Uchiha Clans..."
"So it was him! This guy is simply a monster!"
The survivors of the ordeal chattered away, their faces filled with lingering fear and shock.
They helped each other up and left in a hurry, not even glancing at Yakushi Nono, as if what had just happened was a shame they didn't want to recall.
The alley returned to silence.
Yakushi Nono stood there alone, her gaze fixed for a long time on the street corner where Ryoko had disappeared.
In those eyes, which had been somewhat dull due to long-term bullying, a complex and inexplicable glimmer now flickered.
This Akimichi Clan youth, who had suddenly appeared and protected her with absolute power, was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples in her heart.
The next day at noon, a spectacle occurred at the entrance of the Class A classroom.
Led by Sarutobi Oishi, several upperclassmen, each with a face full of reluctance yet not daring to resist, walked into the Class A classroom in a line, holding lunch boxes.
They looked around and then walked straight toward the round figure they least wanted to see—Akimichi Ryoko.
Several people approached Ryoko, respectfully placed the lunch boxes on the table, and shouted loudly, "This is our lunch, please accept it!"
At this, the entire Class A erupted, and all the students were dumbfounded.
"Uh... what's going on?"
"Isn't that Senior Sarutobi from the Second Year? Why is he delivering lunch too?"
"And those from the Aburame and Kurama families... could they all be under Akimichi Ryoko's Genjutsu?"
"It's terrifying. The lunch delivery team is getting bigger and bigger. Will it be my turn next?"
...
The students watching the scene, unaware of the truth, discussed among themselves, their gazes toward Ryoko filled with awe, curiosity, and a hint of fear.
This new classmate's strength and appetite were simply unfathomable; so many people were actually delivering lunch boxes for him to eat.
As for the groups delivering the lunch boxes, their moods were even more complex.
They sized each other up, their eyes full of inquiry and speculation.
Uchiha Tekka and Inaho's expressions were grave, and alarm bells rang in their hearts.
Were these upperclassmen also opponents who had failed to challenge Akimichi Ryoko and were defeated by him?
Facing Akimichi Ryoko, who already had the strength to sweep through upperclassmen, a strong sense of urgency surged in their hearts again.
Meanwhile, Sarutobi Oishi and the others were wondering: Why are so many people delivering lunch boxes? It's really strange. And can this guy even finish all of this?
Especially seeing two Uchihas also delivering lunch, this strange feeling reached its peak.
That's one of Konoha's top noble families, the Uchiha, known for being the most arrogant and unyielding, yet they actually ran over here obediently to deliver lunch.
Could they be like us, caught red-handed by this guy while bullying others and then threatened into delivering lunch?
Thinking this way, their gazes toward the Uchiha Brothers even carried a subtle emotion of "fellow sufferers at the ends of the earth."
After all, with others being punished alongside them—and famous Uchihas at that—their sense of humiliation lessened considerably.
Standing to the side, Ueno Mori felt a secret joy seeing the lunch delivery army expand.
After all, the more people delivering lunch, the less noticeable he would be among them.
He silently shrank toward the back of the line, trying to further reduce his presence.
Thus, several groups of people, each with their own thoughts and ideas, gathered in front of Ryoko's desk. Their eyes met with mutual suspicion, forming an extremely bizarre yet harmonious scene.
At the center of the storm, Ryoko was like a wealthy landlord, smilingly counting today's harvest, feeling that life was full of hope.
"Ooh, Three-color dango, my favorite!"
"Tsk tsk, this meat broth is brewed with such flavor. Delicious!"
"This chicken cutlet tastes okay, but the heat was a bit too high, making it a bit tough. Remember to simmer it longer next time to make it more flavorful."
Ryoko was like a master sitting on a food review panel, commenting on the numerous lunch boxes before him.
He ate heroically, like clouds driven by the wind. Accompanied by the sound of chewing, it was a live-action version of a Hokage big eater broadcast.
The rich aroma of the food, combined with his hearty eating performance, constantly assaulted the surrounding crowd of hungry onlookers.
Especially the students who delivered the lunch; they had empty stomachs and watched helplessly as their lunch boxes were devoured by Ryoko. Smelling the aroma of food in the air, their stomachs began to protest unhelpfully.
"Gurgle~~~~"
It was unknown whose stomach was the first to let out a long and clear wail, which, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly triggered a chain reaction.
"Gurgle gurgle..."
"Growl..."
One stomach growl after another sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet classroom, rising and falling like an awkward symphony.
The faces of the students who delivered the lunch turned red and blue; they wished they could find a hole to crawl into and could only desperately swallow their saliva, trying to suppress their stomachs' rebellion.
Hearing this accompaniment, Ryoko didn't hold back at all; instead, he ate even more heartily and faster.
His cheeks were stuffed full, and he ate extremely fast, soon finishing the entire table of lunch boxes.
This astonishing and terrifying appetite once again refreshed everyone's perception.
They never expected that someone could eat so much; the height of the stacked lunch boxes was even taller than Akimichi Ryoko himself.
Not far away, Uzumaki Kushina covered her mouth in surprise and said, "Eating so many lunch boxes at once, Ryoko-kun is truly incredible."
Minato Namikaze stood aside and said, "Eating so many lunch boxes is one thing, but I always feel like there will be a problem."
So many students running to deliver lunch boxes to Akimichi Ryoko didn't look voluntary at all.
If their families found out, they would surely come to the school to make a scene, and then it would be troublesome.
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