I was broadcast live while taking the Chunin Exam!

"Hello, Karui. Please take a seat, and also Chocho," Kitahara Kaede said gently.

"Choji, didn't you say you were just going out to relax?" Karui said with a hint of reproach.

Karui did not show any irritability in front of Kitahara Kaede.

Although she has an impatient personality, she still considers her husband's feelings in front of others.

"I just happened to run into Kitahara Kaede, and I happened to have something I wanted to talk to him about," Choji said somewhat helplessly.

Choji and Karui's life was actually very happy and fulfilling. Although they would occasionally quarrel, neither of them took it to heart.

More importantly, Choji never got angry with his wife.

Chapter 940 Autumn Road

"Uncle Kitahara Kaede, was my dad really handsome when he was young?" Akimichi Chocho asked.

Chocho Akimichi is a complete aesthetics enthusiast, and even believes that her father shouldn't look the way he does now.

"Ah, Choji was really handsome when he was young, especially when he used the Akimichi family's secret techniques. He was a very reassuring partner," Kitahara Kaede said with a smile.

Because of Ino, Kitahara Kaede and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio are quite familiar with each other.

Although Kitahara Kaede didn't need Choji to use the Butterfly Transformation Technique to do anything for him back then, at this moment, of course, he would say the nicest things.

Being a ninja is a fascinating profession, and their appearance is even more fascinating.

Take Shimura Danzo, for example. He was a top-tier handsome man in the ninja world when he was young.

The encounters between people are truly hard to explain.

"Lord Kitahara Kaede, my husband may have caused you trouble," Karui said apologetically.

Karui isn't the type to back down easily, but her respect for the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee is genuine.

During this time, the Fourth Hokage, Rei, stayed temporarily in Konoha and also took on the responsibility of training the elite Jonin.

Although Karui retired from the front lines after marrying Choji, her strength was still outstanding among Jonin.

Karui and Omoi, as Killer Bee's disciples, were considered the next generation of pillars carefully cultivated by the Hidden Cloud Village.

As for whether Karui's marriage to Choji involved a power struggle between the two ninja villages, Kitahara Kaede wasn't interested at all.

But right now, Karui and Choji have a good relationship, which is better than anything else, so there's no need to delve into other matters.

“Choji and I are good friends who go to school together, so there’s nothing to worry about,” Kitahara Kaede said.

"Honey, I'll be home right away, but could you please let me finish the food you prepared? The food has already been served, it would be a waste if I didn't eat it." Choji asked cautiously.

Karui rolled her eyes at Choji, then nodded.

The Akimichi family's fighting style dictates that they must have enormous physiques, a fact that Karui is well aware of.

Although she also hoped that Choji could control his food intake a little, such as eating fewer snacks.

But I never take these kinds of things too seriously.

Consuming large amounts of snacks like potato chips is indeed bad for your health, and the Akimichi family's secret techniques rely on burning fat.

Faced with this contradiction, Karui's task for Dingci was to prepare more healthy dietary options.

Although she sometimes gets angry when Choji sneaks snacks, she has genuinely cared for him.

"It's not that I don't want you to go out with your friends, but you have to tell me before you go out. Otherwise, I'll worry at home." Karui frowned.

Ding Ci nodded hastily, as if he had received a royal decree.

Kitahara Kaede suddenly felt a bittersweet taste deep inside.

When we were in school, he was always the one showing off his love to others, but now he's the one being fed a mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection). It's a really strange feeling.

"Alright, hurry up and eat, or Butterfly will eat all the food," Kitahara Kaede said.

Chocho Akimichi's appetite is typical of the Akimichi family; it would be nice if this child could be a little quieter.

Kitahara Kaede is patient with children, but not very patient.

"Eat up, honey," Karui said, placing a piece of grilled meat on Choji's plate.

She leaned against Choji, feeling somewhat weary.

This behavior made Kitahara Kaede's eyebrows twitch, and he even considered moving up his wedding date.

"I sent some methods for refining spiritual power to the Yamanaka family as a gift, and as for the Akimichi family, I plan to give you a secret technique for compressing body size," Kitahara Kaede said casually.

Compressing one's physique can greatly enhance the foundation of the Akita family!

In the past, the larger the Akimichi family members were, the more violently they would unleash their power.

With this secret technique of compressing body size, the Akimichi family's strength cannot be discerned from their appearance.

Moreover, it can also improve the image of the Akimichi family quite a bit.

The skin and diaphragm are made more resilient, and then the fat is compressed without affecting its quality, making them look like a normal person.

This will not weaken the Akimichi family's strength at all; in fact, it will enhance it considerably.

After all, due to their size, Akimichi ninjas are not suited for secret and stealthy missions.

They are like war chariots on the battlefield, irreplaceable in direct combat, but become the enemy's primary target as soon as they enter the battlefield.

"Compress body size?" Choji was somewhat puzzled. Before seeing this secret technique, he hadn't imagined its effect on the Akimichi family.

Kitahara Kaede said that this was a gift for the Akimichi family, not a gift for him.

So Choji didn't have any particular thoughts.

Kitahara Kaede never mistreats her comrades, and Choji is completely at ease about that.

"...It will allow you to eat as much food as you want and accumulate as much fat as you want without anyone noticing from your appearance," Kitahara Kaede said with a smile.

Akimichi Chocho was stunned for a moment.

This is the best gift for the Akimichi family!

Even someone as easygoing as Choji has felt inferior about his body shape, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten angry when others said he was fat.

Children raised in the Akimichi family generally went through this process when they were young.

The malice between children can sometimes be far worse than we imagine.

"Is that so? That's wonderful." Choji simply smiled gently.

He no longer cared much about his physique, or rather, his many years as a ninja had made him used to it all.

Choji had long understood that ability was far more important than looks.

However, it's a good thing that Akimichi's appearance is no longer subject to criticism.

Choji was well aware of his family's situation; what child would want to be called fat?

Even his daughter has a love for beauty.

Although Chocho Akimichi always appears exceptionally narcissistic, Choji knows that it's just to demonstrate his inner inferiority complex about his body shape.

Choosing between strength and aesthetics is inherently difficult.

Especially now that the ninja world has been at peace for quite some time, many of the Akimichi family's children are unwilling to practice the family's secret techniques.

Because they are unaware of the importance of strength for ninjas.

However, members of the Akimichi family need to have enough fat to become powerful.

Building up fat reserves isn't something that can be done overnight; once attacked by the enemy, there won't be time for them to fatten up.

Chapter 941 Asma

After having dinner with Choji's family, Kitahara Kaede handed over the secret technique she had prepared to Choji.

"This is a secret technique for the Akimichi family. The gift for you will take some time to prepare," Kitahara Kaede said to Choji.

Gifts for friends are not something you can just throw together; it's perfectly normal to need some time to prepare them.

"Kitahara Kaede, I can only thank you on behalf of the Akimichi family. As a friend, I will definitely be there for you whenever you need me," Choji said seriously.

The fact that Choji spoke of this in such a serious tone signifies a promise he made to Kitahara Kaede.

Choji is a person who values ​​friendship and relationships above all else; beneath his gentle and honest exterior lies a strong will that can transform into a butterfly at any moment.

Kitahara Kaede waved goodbye, and Choji, along with Karui and Chocho, bowed in farewell.

It was another quiet night.

……

The next day, Kitahara Kaede sat at home, waiting for the person who was supposed to come and visit.

The only people who could put Choji in a difficult position were the Sarutobi clan. However, Kitahara Kaede was curious about who the Sarutobi clan would send to visit him.

If I had to say, Kitahara Kaede wasn't actually that familiar with the Sarutobi clan.

In fact, only Konohamaru could be considered to have a decent relationship with Kitahara Kaede.

As for the elite Jonin Sarutobi Asuma, Kitahara Kaede's relationship with him was merely that of a familiar face.

"Is Kitahara Kaede home?" A voice came from outside the door, sounding weak and aged.

Upon hearing this voice, Kitahara Kaede immediately understood the identity of the representative from the Sarutobi clan.

Asuma Sarutobi.

"Please come in, Asuma-sensei," Kitahara Kaede said gently.

He didn't particularly like the Third Hokage, but he had no problem with Sarutobi Asuma.

"Then I'll have to bother you," Asuma said, before pushing open the door.

Asuma was no longer wearing his old Konoha ninja outfit, but instead a kimono.

He looked somewhat similar to Hiashi, except that his face bore a hint of bitterness.

Although his beard was still neatly trimmed, it had turned gray.

The headband was no longer tied around her head, and her hair was combed back.

"Asuma-sensei, the person I wanted to make things difficult for Choji, 777, wasn't you, was he?" Kitahara Kaede asked after gesturing for Asuma to sit down.

Asuma is a member of the Sarutobi clan, but he has always been on the periphery from the very beginning.

The fact that the Hokage's son went to protect the Daimyo was somewhat strange in itself, so from that moment on, he was destined to be ineligible for the position of head of the Sarutobi clan.

Even though his father, the Third Hokage, was the head of the Sarutobi clan, he had no chance of becoming the next head of the clan.

His presence here as a representative to Kitahara Kaede at this moment already speaks volumes about his status.

The Sarutobi clan knew that Kitahara Kaede was not friendly towards the Third Hokage.

Asuma was the only one in their clan who could speak with Kitahara Kaede.

"I should apologize to Choji first, but I can no longer control the Sarutobi clan at this point," Asuma said bitterly.

His hand trembled slightly as he took out a cigarette, then cast a questioning look at Kitahara Kaede.

Kitahara Kaede nodded; he didn't particularly dislike the smell of smoke.

Asuma slowly lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

"If I had to say, the Sarutobi clan doesn't have any ambitions. After all, we can only be described as a decent ninja clan, but we're not anything special," Asuma said slowly.

Yes, although the Sarutobi, Shimura, Mito, and Utatane families are all considered ninja clans, they have never been very famous.

Even within the ninja world, these ninja clans are not as well-known as the alliance of medium-sized clans like the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

Even after the emergence of Hiruzen Sarutobi as Hokage, the Sarutobi clan did not possess any noteworthy secret techniques.

At most, one can only say that the number of ninjutsu collected is quite large; as long as one puts in the effort, there will definitely be no ninjutsu that cannot be learned.

"So you're worried that the Fourth and Second Hokage will hold a grudge against you because of the Third Hokage?" Kitahara Kaede asked.

Regardless of what benefits the Third Hokage's actions brought to Konoha in the grand scheme of things, he handled the Senju and Minato families' affairs terribly.

If a small number of people can be sacrificed for the greater good, then when the avengers come before us, we should accept them with equanimity.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was aware of this, but the Sarutobi family members probably didn't think so.

Asuma's name wasn't among those who truly benefited from Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, but the Sarutobi clan definitely did!

“I don’t care. My father did a lot of things that hurt others, so seeking revenge is only natural.” Asma shook his head.