Hoshiryu Uchiha's Proposal

Seeing Hoshiryu Uchiha accept the apology, the atmosphere among the three eased.

"Was what the pretty lady said just now true? Can I come here without paying from now on?"

Mito Uzumaki naturally would not make empty promises. She nodded and said:

"Of course it's true, but you can't come every day. Eating barbecue every day would lead to an unbalanced diet."

Such a good thing had suddenly fallen into his lap, and Hoshiryu Uchiha was naturally delighted.

However, a plan came to mind—an event he had seen in his previous life stirred his Thoughts.

Hoshiryu Uchiha first put on a conflicted expression. After quite a while, he reluctantly said:

"Although the unlimited meal pass you promised me is very tempting, I have a suggestion. I hope you can agree to it."

His words piqued Mito Uzumaki's curiosity. She wanted to know what Hoshiryu Uchiha's proposal was, so she asked:

"What kind of suggestion do you have, little one? Tell me, and I'll see whether it can be done."

"Here's the thing. Although I'm not well-off, I can still come to Barbecue Q once in a while."

"But the Orphanage Children aren't as lucky as I am. How about giving this opportunity to them instead, and converting the money into resources to donate to them?"

Hearing this, Mito Uzumaki froze for a moment before becoming deeply moved. She clearly had not expected Hoshiryu Uchiha to make such a suggestion.

"How did you come up with this idea? Did something happen that made you think this way?"

Although touched, Mito Uzumaki was still somewhat puzzled. How could such a young child have thoughts like these?

Hoshiryu Uchiha had long prepared an explanation. Seeing Mito Uzumaki ask, he put on a sorrowful expression and said:

"After my parents passed away some time ago, I actually wanted to go to the Orphanage for a while."

"But when I really went there and learned about the place, I gave up on that idea."

"Life there was terrible. The shortage of supplies left the children malnourished and painfully thin."

"There were hardly any smiles on anyone's faces. The whole Orphanage was filled with a stifling atmosphere that made me uncomfortable, so I didn't go there."

"I thought that if the people at the Orphanage could all gather for a meal and have some fun, perhaps it could ease that oppressive atmosphere. The children could also eat something good and improve their nutrition."

"I've experienced the pain of losing family myself, so I understand how hard it is for those orphans. Losing their families is already pitiful enough. Misfortune shouldn't keep falling on one person, so that was how I came up with the idea."

At this point, Mito Uzumaki could no longer restrain her emotions. She stood up and looked intently at Hoshiryu Uchiha.

Tsunade beside her also silently looked at him, feeling a trace of guilt for her earlier prejudice.

After some time, Mito Uzumaki, who had been watching him, walked over to his side.

She rubbed Hoshiryu Uchiha's head, her face full of a gentle smile.

"What a good child. Big sister agrees to your proposal."

"And I won't take back what I promised you earlier. Come eat whenever you want from now on. You deserve it."

Mito Uzumaki was truly deeply moved at that moment. Hoshiryu Uchiha's proposal gave her a different idea.

Originally, there had simply been no empty seats, and Hoshiryu Uchiha's appearance had seemed quite endearing.

That was why she had come over to share a table and have a meal with him. She had never expected to encounter such an unusual and kind-hearted Uchiha here.

He was only a child who had just entered school, and both his parents were gone. His family certainly could not be well-off.

Yet even in such hardship, he could still offer his kindness to strangers. Only a very small number of people could do that anywhere.

It was precisely the truth, goodness, and beauty of that small minority that moved people's hearts the most.

Even Mito Uzumaki, a woman who had lived through war, was captivated by such beautiful humanity.

If Hoshiryu Uchiha had not made that proposal, the three of them might have become familiar strangers after the meal.

But after hearing it, Mito Uzumaki even had the urge to take Hoshiryu Uchiha in as her grandson.

For a moment, the way Mito Uzumaki looked at Hoshiryu Uchiha changed completely. The more she looked at him, the more pleasing he seemed.

Just then, the Dishes Hoshiryu Uchiha had ordered arrived at the table.

Waiters bustled back and forth, carrying dish after dish to their table.

As more and more barbecue was brought over, Mito Uzumaki and Tsunade grew increasingly curious.

When the final dish was served, the entire table was covered in barbecue.

The tableful of barbecue gave off an enticing aroma, while the crystal-clear Fruit Platter made one want to take a bite.

Seeing so much food laid out before her, Tsunade swallowed. Unable to resist wondering whether Hoshiryu Uchiha could finish it all, she asked aloud:

"Can you finish all that? Do you want me to help you eat some? Wasting food isn't good, you know."

Hoshiryu Uchiha heard her and calmly said something that surprised both of them.

"Don't misunderstand. I ordered all this for myself. I have a big appetite, so I can finish it."

He then glanced at Tsunade and continued:

"But if you want some, you can eat with me."

Tsunade blushed slightly after her little thoughts were exposed. But as she watched the food rapidly disappear into Hoshiryu Uchiha's mouth, she set aside her embarrassment and joined the battle for food.

Mito Uzumaki was also somewhat surprised as she watched Hoshiryu Uchiha quickly devour the food.

He eats so much... Could this boy have Akimichi Clan blood in him?

But the sight of the two children playing around also left her briefly lost in thought.

Looking at Hoshiryu Uchiha's Clan Crest and the smile on Tsunade's face, she seemed to remember something.

After quite a while, Mito Uzumaki came back to her senses. She then said to Tsunade, who was fighting Hoshiryu Uchiha over the barbecue:

"Little Tsunade, how about I adopt this child and let him live with us?"

Mito Uzumaki's purpose in saying this was simple. She wanted to use the adoption of an Uchiha orphan to send a signal through her actions that the Uchiha Clan was accepted, so the village would no longer reject them.

As for why she had chosen Hoshiryu Uchiha, one reason was that his earlier proposal had made Mito Uzumaki feel that he was kind-hearted, an Uchiha unlike the others.

The other was that she did not care what talents the child she adopted possessed. Even if he did not have exceptional ninja talent, it would only mean raising an idle person.

Who exactly the Uchiha orphan was did not matter. What mattered most was the stance conveyed by the adoption.

So, she might as well choose someone she liked, someone more suited to her own wishes.