"Xia Mu, you scoundrel, you got a girlfriend and didn't even tell your friends."
Shikamaru played a card and took the opportunity to complain.
Xia Mu smiled and said, "It just happened a while ago. Didn't everyone meet her today? I'll formally introduce her during dinner. You guys keep playing for now."
Tenten also quickly came over to help.
Seeing this, Shino also wanted to help, but was pushed back by Xia Mu and Tenten.
Today was meant for friends to play games. Cooking would naturally be handled by the hosts, so Shino's help wasn't needed.
Before long, everyone was familiar with the rules and decisively started the Village Defense battle, beginning by selecting identity cards. However, the result made everyone's expressions change.
Shikamaru was the Hokage!
Inuzuka Kiba immediately complained: "How are we supposed to play now? With Shikamaru's intelligence, can we win?"
Sasuke reminded him: "Kiba, your complaint has revealed your identity. The game starts as soon as the identity cards are confirmed. Only the Hokage's identity is public; the identities of others are unknown. Now is the information gathering phase. Where did you learn your basic Ninja lessons?"
Inuzuka Kiba immediately shut up, knowing that he had indeed exposed himself and would definitely be targeted by Shikamaru next.
And the Hokage's partners would also work together to eliminate him first.
Seeing this, the others all had blank expressions. However, what kind of person was Shikamaru? He had already scanned everyone with a single glance and determined the identities of several people, immediately smiling sinisterly.
He usually found things troublesome, but when it came to playing this kind of intellectual game, he was the most skilled.
Next was his hunting time!
Everyone drew character cards, then distributed life cards, and then each drew ten cards in order. Starting with Shikamaru, the Hokage, the Village Defense battle officially began.
Shikamaru: "First equip the Fire Release Ninjutsu, then hit Kiba with a Great Fireball!"
Inuzuka Kiba: "Hehe! Body Replacement Technique!"
Sasuke: "Naruto must be a spy. I'll hit him with Lightning Release: Ground Running first!"
Naruto: "Sasuke, what nonsense are you talking about? You're the spy! No, you must be a rogue ninja! I dodge, dodge! Then I activate Byakugan, Sasuke, show me five cards from your hand!"
Sakura: "Naruto, Shuriken - Kill you!"
Ino: "Everyone, don't act rashly. Otherwise, it will be troublesome if you kill your own people. I pass!"
Choji crunched away: "Why think so much? Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique!"
Shikamaru: "Choji, you scoundrel, this move is area damage, everyone has to dodge. You're an enemy ninja, right!"
Shino was right beside Shikamaru and played a "Third Uncle Fixes the Door" card, blocking the Water Release attack for Shikamaru. However, Shikamaru didn't think Shino was a partner; he might be a usurper.
Everyone was playing lively, while Xia Mu was being affectionate with Tenten in the kitchen.
Fortunately, it didn't delay the cooking. Around noon, Xia Mu brought the dishes to the table one by one.
However, the courtyard was in utter chaos. Xia Mu quietly listened in for a moment and then laughed unkindly. It turned out that Naruto had mistakenly thought Shino was a usurper and was frantically attacking Shino. But Shino was a partner, while Sakura, whom he was trying hard to save, was a rogue ninja, almost causing Shikamaru to be eliminated.
If it weren't for Choji's timely finishing blows, occasionally throwing out an area damage move and accidentally eliminating Naruto, Shikamaru would probably have been dragged down by his idiotic teammate.
Sasuke, as a usurper, was still pretending to help Shikamaru, but was seen through by Shikamaru.
The rogue ninjas and enemy ninjas who teamed up ultimately couldn't outplay Shikamaru. In the end, Shikamaru, the Hokage, survived, and the Village Defense battle was won.
In summary, it was lively and full of laughter.
However, this game also truly tested a ninja's skills, such as information gathering, Ninjutsu and Taijutsu coordination, and the rapport between teammates. It seemed like all of these could be found in this game.
Naturally, everyone fell in love with this game.
"Alright, alright, let's eat first. After the meal, I'll give each person a deck of cards. You can play however you want."
Xia Mu and Tenten called everyone to the table and served rice to everyone one by one. However, the next second, Xia Mu made a confusing move because he served two large bowls of rice, one for Choji, and the other for Hinata. Furthermore, he placed the pot of rice that should have been next to Choji next to Hinata.
Naruto asked confusedly: "Xia Mu, what's wrong? Why did you serve Hinata so much rice? How can someone so small eat so much?"
Xia Mu smiled mysteriously: "It's precisely because Hinata is so small that she needs to eat more. You should take care of yourself first. You're quite short too, so you can't not eat a lot!"
Naruto choked up and didn't say much more.
With everyone saying "Let's eat," they all started eating. The next second, they were all praising the food.
"Wow! Xia Mu, your cooking is really amazing! This is the first time I've eaten such delicious food!"
"How is that possible? There's actually food more delicious than Ichiraku Ramen? This world is baffling, you know!"
"Xia Mu, are you a cooking god?"
"Delicious, delicious! Another serving!"
However, those speaking were all the first-time eaters. As for Shino, Shikamaru, Choji, and the others, they were focused on eating their rice and didn't have time to talk.
However, soon, something that shocked everyone happened.
They saw that Hinata, who was clearly very small, actually swept through the dining table by herself, eating even more than Choji. No wonder Xia Mu gave Hinata a large bowl and placed the large pot of rice next to Hinata. She really could eat a lot!
The key was, even though she ate so much, her stomach didn't bulge at all, nor did she look fat, as if her stomach was a bottomless pit.
Scary! Too scary!
"Hinata, you're amazing! How did you do that!" Everyone was surprised.
"Well, I, I don't know either..."
Hinata was extremely shy, her head started heating up again, and she also secretly peeked at Naruto, fearing that Naruto would find out she could eat so much and dislike her. If that happened, she would cry to death.
Fortunately, Naruto praised: "Hinata, you're amazing, you know! Since you can eat so much, you'll definitely be very strong in the future, you know!"
Hinata's eyes lit up: "Naruto-kun..."
Then Naruto turned his head to fawn over Sakura again, immediately making Hinata's heart break. This drama was so captivating one couldn't look away.
After the meal, everyone lay sprawled on the table, not wanting to move, and then started playing the game again. Xia Mu also put down his chopsticks and pulled Tenten to join in. For a while, it was very lively.
It wasn't until the sky began to darken that everyone reluctantly ended the game.
Seeing this, Xia Mu smiled and said, "Playing all day today was fun enough. There will be plenty of time to play in the future, but don't just focus on playing and forget about training."
Saying this, he and Tenten distributed the cards together. Naturally, they wouldn't break their promise of giving everyone a deck of cards.
Everyone happily accepted them, thinking about who they should play with at the Academy tomorrow. Seeing that it was getting late, they all said goodbye and left one after another. The courtyard became quiet for a while.
Tenten held Xia Mu's hand and smiled, saying, "Your friends are really nice."
Xia Mu squeezed back: "Now they are your friends too."