"Sasuke, let's have a match—let me see if you've grown."
Neji, sitting across the barbecue table, ignored everyone else as he looked at Sasuke.
"No. Exams are coming up soon; it would affect my grades."
Sasuke continued picking up the grilled meat and placing it in front of Naruto, then glanced disdainfully at Neji and flatly declined his challenge.
With graduation approaching, Sasuke didn't want to be seen as a fool by fighting someone who was, at least on the surface, an equal.
"Then after the exams, you promised—you can't back out."
Neji wasn't bothered by the refusal; he just wanted to remind Sasuke of their post-graduation duel.
He had recently developed a new ninjutsu that could definitely block Sasuke's attacks and was waiting to perfect it before defeating him.
Most importantly, he absolutely refused to get kicked in the face again!
"I promised. I haven't forgotten. Now, eat and don't bother us."
Sasuke shot Neji a glare and went back to grilling meat for Naruto, occasionally eating some himself.
Usually, Naruto cooked or Kakashi did, but at barbecue gatherings, Sasuke enjoyed watching Naruto's cheeks puff out as he ate, his big bright blue eyes wide open—adorable and innocent.
To make Naruto happy while eating, Sasuke was unusually attentive, constantly feeding him without pause.
When everyone else was full but Naruto kept eating, Maito was worried—not just about his wallet, but about Naruto overeating.
That amount of food was probably twice what Maito himself would eat.
"Kakashi, is this okay?"
Maito looked at the rapidly disappearing grilled meat and couldn't help but ask Kakashi.
He didn't mind spending money—just worried that if Naruto got sick from overeating, he couldn't afford the consequences.
"No worries, Naruto's appetite — just keep an eye on him."
Kakashi didn't really know how much Naruto could eat, but he was certain Sasuke wouldn't let Naruto overdo it.
By the time the barbecue restaurant was about to close, Sasuke grilled the last plate of meat and finally stopped ordering.
"Sasuke, this is delicious."
Naruto happily ate, his eyes fixed on Sasuke without letting go.
At this point, with no more food coming, he was starting to feel pretty full.
"We'll eat again next time. It's late now; we need to go home and rest."
Sasuke was in a good mood tonight, and his tone was unusually gentle.
"Hmph, if you keep spoiling him like this, you might as well just stay with him all the time!"
Hinata Neji had been watching from across the table and still felt a bit uncomfortable seeing Sasuke pamper Naruto so much.
He actually spoiled Hinata Hyuga too, but some things shouldn't go too far.
In situations like this, if it were Hyuga Hinata, Neji would be the first to defend her reputation.
From Neji's perspective, that way of thinking was the normal one.
Not like Sasuke, who put Naruto in the spotlight for everyone to see, without preserving any good image.
"We're family. We're supposed to be together."
Naruto took a sip of water and glared directly at Neji with his big eyes.
He was determined to be with Sasuke, so even if Neji could spar with Sasuke, he absolutely had to keep his distance.
Every time Neji sparred with Sasuke, he hit him hard. Sooner or later, Naruto was going to find a chance to give him a good beating!