Chapter 177: The Ninjas Who Had Never Enjoyed A Proper Meal

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Ren analyzed the food meticulously, taking each bite with careful attention. The rich flavors mixed together wonderfully on his tongue, a complex dance of spices, tender meat, and creamy sauce that he had never experienced before. He had never eaten any other meals besides special, highly nutritional quick rations — usually in the form of small dry pills that had no flavor at all, or plain rice balls wrapped in simple seaweed.

After all, the life of a ninja was harsh from the very moment they were born into such a clan. They were taught to live with the bare minimum while remaining capable of turning almost anything into a weapon. They existed only for cold efficiency and nothing more. Pleasure, comfort, and indulgence were considered weaknesses that could dull the edge of a true shinobi.

However, tasting such flavorful and carefully prepared food was something he had never grown used to, unlike his master. It left him completely speechless. The warmth of the curry spread through his chest, and for a brief moment the constant tension he carried on his shoulders seemed to ease. Yet he continued eating because both Riven and Elisa insisted.

Most of his life had been spent testing poisons rather than enjoying meals he actually liked. His tongue had long grown accustomed to bitterness, numbness, and the metallic taste of toxins. This simple plate of curry and rice felt almost overwhelming in comparison.

"This is... so many flavors," the young black-haired ninja muttered after tasting the delightful curry, his voice quieter than usual.

"Is it good, kid?" Elisa asked with a kind smile, watching him carefully. "What’s your name again?"

"R-Ren," he answered quietly, lowering his gaze for a second. "Arigatou." He answered by saying "Thank You" in Japanese, which made Elisa find him a little adorable. To her eyes he was just a kid, despite the serious aura he usually carried.

"What are you thanking me for?" Elisa wondered, chuckling softly as she rested her chin on one hand.

"The food... umai," he muttered with a slightly warm smile, even shedding a single quiet tear that he quickly wiped away with the back of his hand before anyone else could comment on it.

Noticing Ren’s expression, Hinata was surprised. "Ren..." she whispered, staring at him as if seeing a completely different person. She had never seen him make such gentle expressions before. In the village he was always the quietest and most disciplined of them, rarely showing any emotion.

Goki shook his head as he noticed Ren’s sudden words and the faint tear. "Seriously, this guy starves himself and only eats small ration meals that are just dry pills and plain water," he sighed, though there was a hint of fondness in his voice. "I’ve been telling him for years that he needs to eat real food once in a while."

Kagehisa smiled lightly, though his eyes remained sharp. "Both of you, shut up and eat in silence. Don’t you dare disrespect this sacred meal. This is the beginning of a new bond."

The two younger ninjas nodded quickly and continued eating together, making soft expressions that clearly showed they had never eaten anything so delicious in their entire lives. The warmth of the room, the rich smell of spices, and the unexpected kindness of their hosts seemed to slowly chip away at the rigid discipline they had lived with since childhood.

"Hey, are you starving your kids or something?" Riven glared at Kagehisa with genuine annoyance, his voice low but firm.

"T-That’s not it!" Kagehisa panicked, nearly dropping his spoon. "Don’t look at me like you want to kill me. They’re just... well, they grew up in a harsh village. Me too. Though as the young master I was still often given more luxurious meals, they mostly just ate the bare minimum to survive. It’s how we were raised. The elders always said comfort makes a ninja weak."

"...I see," Riven nodded after a moment, his expression softening slightly. "Starting today you’re all going to eat properly, understood? There’s no need to torture yourselves and starve just to continue following the old ’ninja way’ if it can be avoided. You’re only going to become truly strong if you’re healthy. A half-starved body can’t protect anyone."

All three of the young ninjas nodded firmly while Kagehisa smiled and patted their shoulders with a rare look of pride. "Guess we’re in good hands, huh?"

Elisa looked at Riven from the side and began to admire him even more. Seeing how he was such a natural leader, someone capable of taking care of other people so easily, felt incredibly attractive and alluring to her, truth be told. The way he spoke with quiet authority, the way the younger ninjas listened without argument, and the way he balanced kindness with firmness stirred something deep in her chest.

Something Elisa had always sought in a man was someone capable of taking charge and making certain they could build a real future together. She wanted a natural-born leader, and of course someone with clear goals who did not simply "go with the flow" but instead created his own path through life. She had grown tired of men who waited for opportunity to fall into their laps.

She had never really been able to find such a type of man before. Everyone around her had always been spoiled brats who only knew how to talk about how rich they were, misusing their powers and abusing their authority instead of accomplishing anything meaningful. They relied completely on their parents to build their futures for them, living off inheritance and connections rather than their own strength.

To her, those kinds of people could not even be called real people. They were little more than rats scurrying around for scraps of status and approval.

Riven, even before he awakened any power, had always been quite different. Although she still remembered that the peer pressure from everyone else who bullied him had once made her do things she deeply regretted now. The memory of that particular day still stung whenever it surfaced.

"He was always different, I guess... He was... strong, despite how they abused him. He never stayed on the ground for long. He always stood back up... even when I humiliated him by pouring wine on his head, he still smiled and greeted me kindly, holding no grudges at all. I don’t remember ever seeing him cry either... Perhaps that strong resolve, in someone who was so physically weak at the time... made his siblings, who were much stronger than him yet full of insecurities, feel inferior in comparison," she thought for a moment, a faint smile appearing on her face as she watched him serve more food to the younger ones. Then she shook her head and sighed quietly to herself. "Ugh, what am I thinking right now? I should just enjoy the meal..."

Label was sitting in the seat between Daniela and Carlos, nervously tasting the curry for the first time. The moment the rich flavor hit her tongue she suddenly made a cute little sound of surprise. "Hmm! Oohhhh..." She began eating it quickly with almost no manners at all, as if afraid the food might disappear if she slowed down. "Ahm, nom, nom!" Her face ended up completely covered in curry and grains of rice, a small smear of sauce even reaching the tip of her nose.

"Clean yourself," Elisa sighed, though there was no real harshness in her voice. "Girl, you seriously lack proper manners!"

"Uwaaaha?!" Label let out a hilarious cry of panic, her eyes widening. "S-Shorry...!" she mumbled while quickly clearing her mouth with the back of her hand. "Uuhhh..."

"Is it good?" Elisa asked with a soft smile, watching the younger girl with growing interest.

Label nodded timidly, still slightly embarrassed. "It... is..."

Elisa then suddenly reached out, grabbed her chin gently, and lifted her face a little, turning it from side to side to examine her features more carefully. She brushed Label’s long hair to the side with her other hand, fully revealing her face and making the girl extremely embarrassed. The soft light of the room caught the natural shape of her features, the clear skin, and the expressive eyes that usually stayed half-hidden.

"Hmmm, you’re really pretty. You’ve got a perfect face too."

"E-Ehhhh?!" Label cried out, her cheeks growing red like a tomato as she tried to pull back slightly.

"Why do you even hide your face with your hair all the time?" Elisa reprimanded her gently, though a spark of amusement danced in her eyes. "This seems kind of fun...! Daniela already had most things figured out, so I couldn’t really teach her much, but you’re a diamond in the rough! This will be enjoyable. I’m going to turn you into a proper young lady."

"HUUUUH?!" Label panicked even more, her voice rising in pure alarm. "W-What does... that even mean?"

The rest of the table watched the exchange with varying degrees of amusement.

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