A while later, Ryoko walked leisurely back to the Akimichi Clan's residential area, still holding an unfinished stick of tri-color dango in his hand.
From a distance, he saw a carriage parked in front of his house, loaded with the rice, grains, and ingredients he had ordered at the warehouse.
Because of the large purchase, Uncle Koji had specially arranged for the carriage to deliver the goods directly to his door, saving him the trouble of carrying them.
"Just bring the things inside and leave them here," Ryoko said as he opened the door and gestured to the open space next to the kitchen.
The delivery staff didn't say much and efficiently carried the bags of food and vegetables into the house.
Before long, the gunny sacks were stacked layer upon layer, quickly forming a small mountain in the open space.
Looking at this "mountain of food," Ryoko nodded in satisfaction. "With this much food, if I eat sparingly, it should last me for a while."
He calculated, "A total of eighteen bags of coarse grains... let's plan for one bag a day for now."
Thinking of the bland seasonings in the Naruto world, he couldn't help but feel a bit regretful. "It's a pity there are so few seasonings here. The flavors are always a bit underwhelming; otherwise, I could perfectly recreate some delicacies from my previous life."
Just as he was planning to start a fire and cook, a familiar shouting came from outside the door:
"Akimichi Ryoko, come out and fight us!"
Hearing the voice, Ryoko put down the poker in his hand, his eyes lighting up as he happily walked outside.
Perfect timing; he was just worrying about having no one to help with the chores when two suckers delivered themselves to his door.
The newcomers were none other than The two Uchiha brothers.
Outside the door stood Uchiha Tekka and Uchiha Inabi; both were drenched in sweat, as if they had just finished some intense exercise.
As soon as they saw Ryoko come out, they immediately struck a pose, regaining their usual arrogant demeanor.
"Akimichi Ryoko, were you afraid of our challenge, so you specifically hid until now to come back?" Uchiha Tekka was the first to attack.
"Hiding is useless; we found you anyway!" Uchiha Inabi added immediately.
Ryoko listened with a look of confusion, completely bewildered.
However, from their back-and-forth, Ryoko roughly pieced together what had happened.
These two fellows were still brooding over the events of noon. Feeling confident they could defeat him after their special training, they had rushed to his house after school to challenge him.
But he had gone to buy food and wasn't home, making them come all this way for nothing.
To find him, they had searched all over and only hurried over after discovering he had returned.
Hearing how much trouble they had gone through to find him, Ryoko was almost moved by their persistence.
He looked at the two and praised them sincerely, "As expected of the Uchiha, such perseverance is truly admirable."
"Since you want to duel with me so badly, it's not out of the question. I'm willing to give you a chance."
Hearing this, Uchiha Tekka and Uchiha Inabi's faces immediately lit up with joy.
This was exactly the day they had been waiting for.
To defeat Akimichi Ryoko, wash away the humiliation of their defeat, and prove that the Uchiha were the strongest.
But then, Ryoko continued, "However, a simple fight is boring. Let's make a bet: whoever loses must agree to one request from the other."
The two looked at each other and then nodded in agreement without hesitation.
It was just a bet; it wasn't like they couldn't afford to lose.
Moreover, the idea of the loser granting a request made the two brothers' hearts stir.
They had been delivering lunch boxes all this time and were holding in a lot of frustration.
If they defeated Akimichi Ryoko, they would have to think of a good way to get their revenge.
The two even began to fantasize about how they would harshly humiliate him after defeating Akimichi Ryoko.
Seeing their smug expressions, Ryoko was utterly speechless.
He finally understood that these two guys were indeed not quite right in the head.
Or rather, the entire Uchiha Clan shared this trait—overconfidence to a near-pathological degree.
In his previous life, this level of narcissism could easily rival that of the Indian brothers.
But there was a difference: the Uchiha Clan actually had strength, while the Indian brothers just had a high opinion of themselves.
However, they had one thing in common: neither was very well-liked, acting like troublemakers wherever they went.
Thinking this, Ryoko's gaze toward the two Uchihas carried a hint of pity.
Forget it, one shouldn't argue with fools.
"Who's first? Or are you coming at me together?" Ryoko asked lazily.
Tekka took a step forward first and shouted, "I'll go first, of course! I'll be the first to defeat you and wash away the shame!"
Seeing Tekka take the lead, a flash of displeasure crossed Inaho's eyes, but he still stepped aside to watch.
In his view, it didn't matter who went first; after all, an Uchiha would never lose.
After all, during this time, they had been training hard in Ninjutsu under Big Brother Fugaku's strict guidance, and their strength had improved by leaps and bounds.
Ryoko raised his hand toward Tekka and curled his fingers casually, as if beckoning a kitten.
"Come, come. Let me see the results of your special training."
This nonchalant attitude completely infuriated Tekka.
The boy's eyes widened, and he charged forward, filled with rage.
Tekka's body flickered, instantly creating two clones. Before long, all three were clutching Kunai, fiercely attacking Ryoko from different angles.
Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "You've made some progress, but this level of strength is still not quite enough in front of me."
Tekka snorted. "Stop talking big. When you're defeated by my hand, you'll realize how foolish those words were."
As he spoke, his right hand wasn't idle either.
Following his pre-designed tactic, he had the two clones attack from the left and right while his real body feigned an attack while quickly forming hand signs behind his back.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
The moment he neared Ryoko, Tekka finished the hand signs. Placing his hands before his lips, he violently spat out a mass of scorching flames.
A half-man-tall orange-red fireball came whistling toward him, the scorching heat wave hitting him full in the face.
Yet Ryoko remained motionless, as if he had expected it all along.
He took a deep breath, his chest swelling high, and then suddenly opened his mouth to spit out a powerful current of air.
The air current spun rapidly in the air, turning into a small tornado that not only blew the Great Fireball off course but also swept up the flames and lunged back at Tekka.
"What?"
Tekka hadn't expected his Ninjutsu to be blown back by a mere breath; he was instantly dumbfounded and stood frozen on the spot.
In the next moment, he was scorched black by the residual flames, looking like he had just come out of a steamer.
"Tekka, are you okay?"
Inaho, watching from the side, was startled and cried out.
Although the Great Fireball Technique was a basic Uchiha Ninjutsu, its burning effect was extremely strong; getting hit head-on was definitely unpleasant.
At that instant, the scorched figure exploded into a cloud of white smoke with a "bang"—it was actually just a clone.
"Hahaha, didn't expect that, did you?" The real Tekka suddenly flickered into existence behind Ryoko, his face filled with the excitement of a narrow escape. "That was just a clone."
It turned out that the moment he spat the fireball, he had already used the Substitution Technique to slip away like a cicada shedding its skin, avoiding the flames.
Now, he was clutching a Kunai and stabbing toward the center of Ryoko's back.
Ãdvåñçé çhàptêr àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn (Gk31)