Konoha: Starting by giving Hinata the Tenseigan!

"Natsuki, I'm going on a mission for the next two days. Be good and stay home, don't run around," Kurenai said hurriedly, rushing out the door early the next morning.

She was currently a Chunin. 

Konoha, having just experienced the Nine-Tails' Rampage, desperately needed the contributions of this new generation of ninja.

Moreover, missions not only improved one's skills but also provided income to supplement the household.

And, if the timeline hadn't changed drastically, Kurenai wouldn't encounter any danger during her mission. 

In a few years, when their batch of Konoha rookies became Genin, Kurenai should even be promoted to Jonin.

Well, with Big Sister gone, he could work on his grand inventions again.

The last Ultraman puppet was quite a success. This time, he would create a few more puppets with different designs, just in case.

...

"Choji, is there really someone who can out-eat you?"

"Yes, he eats so much. I've never seen anyone eat like that. I'll take you to meet him today."

"Troublesome. One glutton is enough to deal with. I can't imagine what it'd be like with two."

"Shut up! I'm not eating your family's rice."

"Well, looking at Choji, I can imagine his size."

"Haha, then you're dead wrong."

The new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho: Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino, were heading to Natsuki's house, led by Choji.

Choji had made plans to visit his new friend and decided to bring his two best friends along.

Shikamaru and Ino were purely curious.

Knock, knock, knock!

Natsuki had just finished building a small puppet in the small warehouse in the courtyard when he heard a knock on the door.

"Natsuki, is Natsuki home? It's Choji."

"Coming, you're quite early."

Opening the door, three little figures came into view. 

"What are you busy..." Choji didn't even finish his sentence before Ino, her eyes sparkling, shoved him aside.

"H-hello. My name is Yamanaka Ino. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Ino, a true lover of beauty, was instantly captivated by this handsome and adorable person.

"Hello, I'm Yuhi Natsuki. It's a pleasure to meet you too," Natsuki said with a gentle smile, welcoming them into the courtyard and leading them towards his small warehouse.

"Hey, Choji, is this the friend you were talking about? The one who can eat even more than you?" Even Shikamaru was surprised. In their minds, being a big eater was synonymous with being fat, wasn't it?

Well, they hadn't seen Hinata's appetite yet. Of course, even that couldn't compare to Natsuki's performance at the barbecue restaurant.

"Yeah, surprised, right? Not just you guys, even my dad couldn't believe it," Choji said, puffing out his chest as if he was the one who had surprised them. 

Still, he was happy that his new friend was being acknowledged by his best friends.

"As expected, the one who eats the most is definitely the most handsome," Ino said, her eyes glued to Natsuki.

Choji's face darkened. "That's not what you said to me."

"I said the one who eats the most. Can you out-eat Natsuki?"

"You..."

"Alright, welcome to my secret base," Natsuki interrupted their bickering at just the right moment, opening the warehouse door.

A giant hexagram magic circle was drawn in the center of the floor.

The surrounding shelves were filled with various tools, models, and materials.

Near the entrance, four large objects, at least, large to children, were placed on either side:

A small tank, a small airplane, a small car, and a rocking horse.

"Whoa, so...so cool!"

"Natsuki, what are all these? Did you make them all? That's amazing!"

"Yes, but most of them are unfinished. They still lack a power source. The rocking horse over there is working though," Natsuki explained, pointing to the rocking horse on the right.

"What's this rocking horse for?"

"Well, it's a fun toy...though it looks a bit...silly."

"What do you mean? How do you play with it? Can I try?" Choji asked curiously, inching closer.

"Sure, go ahead and sit on it."

Having never seen such a toy in Konoha before, Choji excitedly climbed on. "Then what?"

"There's a button on your right. Press it."

"Oh, oh, I see it."

Choji fumbled around for a bit and found a raised button.

He pressed it down hard with his chubby little hand.

The rocking horse immediately started rocking, accompanied by cheerful music:

"Twinkle Twinkle little star ..."

Ino and Shikamaru stared wide-eyed at this magical scene.

It seemed...fun!

"Hee hee hee..."

Just as they were getting eager to try it themselves, Choji, on the rocking horse, let out joyful laughter.

He swayed his head back and forth, looking a bit silly.

No wonder Natsuki said it looked a bit silly.

Soon, the song ended, and the rocking horse stopped.

Choji reluctantly got off. "Fun, that was so much fun. Do you guys want to play?"

"No way!" Shikamaru took a step back in fright.

"I, I think I'll pass. Maybe next time," Ino responded hesitantly. 

She actually wanted to try it, but seeing Choji's silly appearance just now, she immediately dismissed the idea.

She couldn't leave a bad impression on Natsuki.

"Tch, you guys have no taste," Choji said, curling his lip.

Next, the four of them gathered around the magic circle.

"What's this for? It looks cool."

"This is used to seal great demons and summon otherworldly creatures."

"This is how the Meat Mountain Demon Lord came into our worls. So, do you want to try it together?" Natsuki explained, turning around, a strange glint in his eyes.

A chill ran down the spines of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio….