I could have sworn I saw Kaen's Sharingan activate, rotate, and almost merge into a Mangekyou Sharingan right then and there from how intense his emotions were upon seeing Sena and Itachi together. Once I blinked, his eyes returned to normal. Maybe I imagined the whole thing, but the incredibly intense aura emitting from him told me otherwise.
Once they got closer, Shizuru shot over to Sena for a quick hug. She then pulled her friend to the side, chuckling as Sena gave an apologetic wave to Itachi. He just smiled at her and approached me.
"Hi Noa, it is so nice of you to invite me to this outing."
Off to the side, I saw Sena giving him a thumbs up for nailing that small social interaction. I understood right then that she brought him here to break through the Itachi wall of grimness and stoicism.
"It is nice to see you, Itachi. I was worried you would not show up after what I did to you in our last spar."
His hand suddenly tightened over mine as he narrowed his eyes. "I remember pushing you into a corner and almost winning if it wasn't for Shisui intervening."
I started to squeeze back and the intensity between us increased. "He only intervened to save you from my counterattack, which would have crushed your ribcage in one hit."
Our contest was interrupted by Kaen's almost shrieking voice.
"What are you doing being with Sena, Itachi-san?!"
Itachi gave up on our handshake strength challenge just as he was losing it and answered him calmly. "Sena and I have been doing missions together for some time now. Once she told me that Noa invited us to a meal, I thought I would accept the invitation. I hope I am not intruding."
I waved my hand dismissively. "Not at all, it is great to see you outside of training and assignments. You should do this more often."
Itachi nodded, thankful for my words. Kaen then turned to me, his voice now dripping with poison and disbelief. "Noa, did you really invite Itachi-san?"
Before I could answer, Genta leaned in and asked in a hushed tone. "Why is Kaen angry at Itachi coming with Sena? More friends is always good."
I shook my head, already giving up on Genta ever saving the Senju bloodline since he could not see the obvious connection playing out right in front of him.
That interruption ignited the fire inside Kaen even further. He practically leaked bloodlust while pushing Genta to the side, completely ignoring the protests about not getting an answer to his question. Kaen looked me directly in the eyes.
I leaned in and answered in a whisper. "Technically, I promised that you and Sena would be here, and we did not specify anything else, so... good luck."
With that, I grabbed a completely lost Naruto and ran inside the restaurant. Genta followed us after.
Kaen grunted as Shizuru and Sena walked in behind Genta while laughing. Itachi and Kaen ended up walking side-by-side, and given my extreme sensitivity to electricity, I could swear I sensed literal sparks clashing between them, although no words were spoken.
The moment me and Naruto walked in, some of the restaurant customers clicked their tongues. I heard someone whisper, "What is the homeless-looking boy doing with the demon blonde kid?"
A tick mark instantly appeared on my forehead. My patience was wearing as thin as my wallet. I was already incredibly short on funds thanks to the constant expenses of my seal and puppet research. Add to that the daily financial nightmare of feeding bottomless pits like Genta and Naruto, alongside a summon who had somehow developed a ridiculously expensive sweet tooth. Between the three of them, they were rapidly eating through almost every single ryo of the Hokage's allocated funds and my mission pay.
Furthermore, I had paid quite a hefty sum for my current outfit at the local thrift shop! Sure, the clothes originally came with three prominent kunai holes, but I had meticulously stitched them up to the point of looking absolutely brand new. People simply had no eye for a good bargain or hard work.
However, the moment the restaurant staff saw Sena, it was like the Hokage had just walked in. Multiple servers grouped around us, guiding us with extra care toward a private booth. They were treating me like absolute royalty now, which only made my head drop in despair.
Once we walked into the room, I sat down. Naruto sat next to me, Genta next to him, and Shizuru next to Genta. Sena, noticing the sparks still flying between Itachi and Kaen, decided to sit right in the middle. She placed Itachi on one side and Kaen on the other, effectively blocking their view of each other.
The servers came in with multiple appetizers, and I started to dig in while watching Kaen, Sena, and Itachi as if I were viewing an entertaining show. Meanwhile, Genta was explaining to Naruto that he should not fill up on the appetizers because the real food had yet to come. This revelation absolutely blew poor Naruto's mind.
I nodded in agreement and muttered, "Rookie mistake."
I watched Sena nudging Itachi to be more social until he finally spoke. "Noa, how was your..." He stayed silent for a moment before continuing. "...your recent mission?"
Shizuru facepalmed at people constantly bringing up my last assignment.
I replied with a voice tinged with sadness, "It was intense."
Itachi nodded as he ate some edamame. "Things have indeed been chaotic in the lands neighboring the Land of Fire. Most of our tasks are getting more and more dangerous lately."
A curious look appeared on Kaen's face as he looked at Sena and said, "The village is probably making moves."
Shizuru nodded, agreeing with him, as Sena continued. "From what I have observed, this is just the setup stage. Something huge must be coming, so none of you should slack on your training."
She then looked directly at me and Genta.
Genta asked with a genuinely puzzled tone, "Really?" as he completely contradicted his own advice to Naruto by actively stuffing his face with snacks, while I muttered, "I am busy with research," with food falling from my mouth.
Shortly after, the servers walked in line, laying the food on the huge table like a proper feast. Naruto's mouth started watering, and so did mine and Genta's. There was meat cooked with different methods, fish as well, and a lot of noodle and rice plates spread between them.
Naruto shouted, "I did not know there were all these different types of food!"
Genta, Naruto, and I extended our chopsticks toward the largest fish as we eyed each other, ready for battle.
I said, "You need to be more considerate to someone like me who just came back from a difficult mission."
Genta grunted as he tried to wrestle the fish out of my iron chopstick technique. "Your stomach must not have set in yet after eating so little for such a long time, so take it easy."
Naruto grunted, trying his best to stay in the competition as he said, "Big brother Genta, Noa, let me have this one, and I will clean the house for a week!"
Shizuru almost exploded with anger as she looked at Sena to try and ask for help, only to freeze.
Itachi and Kaen were fighting their own battle. Kaen placed a piece of steak on Sena's rice plate, while Itachi slowly drank some water and ate tofu before asking Sena if she wanted some. This enraged Kaen, even as Sena gave his offering a grateful smile before turning to Itachi.
"You should eat more meat, Itachi-kun, it would do you good," Sena said. She then gave the piece Kaen had provided her, to his absolute horror, to Itachi.
Itachi shook his head. "I dislike heavy food. Vegetables will be enough for me."
Kaen spoke with barely hidden rage. "How about we spar with each other for training after this, Itachi-san? Maybe I can give you some woun... I mean, pointers?"
Itachi gave him a dismissive look that almost froze the table.
On the other side of the table, chaos reigned as Naruto, Genta, and I fought over the feast. We wiped our side of the table clean and then moved on to Shizuru's side. She ate very little and gave up her share without a fight. Naruto called her weak, so she hit him on the back of the head, leaving him crying, but he never stopped eating while his tears fell.
After that, we moved to Kaen, who looked at our shamelessness with total disbelief. We asked him only once if he intended to finish what was left, which was most of his meal, since he had barely touched it while trying to make a good impression on Sena, and then promptly cleared his side without waiting for an answer. Sena and Itachi gave up their portions without a fight as well.
The dinner was a proper mess and so much fun. Kaen was already depressed because he expected me to deliver Sena and leave them be. Instead, I brought the whole gang, and Sena brought company as well. He had also failed in all his advancements toward Sena and his provocations toward the cool and collected Itachi. This put him in a defeated, almost endless despair.
That despair increased even more, which I was not sure was possible, after the bill arrived and he realized what he had promised. His hand shook while viewing the total.
Genta patted his shoulder sympathetically and asked, "First time?"