Meals at the Uzumaki Home

Inside the Hokage Building.

The Third Hokage, burdened with countless affairs every day, had found himself with a new problem.

Having cultivated an approachable image among the villagers, he had no choice but to accept complaints from the parents of troublesome children and personally clean up after Naruto beat them.

"Third Lord, please do something about that wild child! Look at what he did to my kid!"

"If that wild child isn't strictly disciplined, he might cause even bigger trouble. He's already thrown the village into chaos."

"Third Lord, you should exile Naruto from the village. His existence is a disaster for the village..."

Faced with the endlessly chattering parents, even the mighty Third Hokage found them difficult to handle. He kept a smile on his face as he said:

"I understand all of your concerns, but children are bound to get hurt while playing together. Doesn't that simply prove how lively they are by nature?"

"Besides, as far as I know, your children were the ones who provoked them first. They started the trouble and ganged up on another little girl. Naruto only retaliated in self-defense because he couldn't stand by and watch. That was legitimate self-defense."

Legitimate self-defense?

The parents did not want to hear that. Frowning, they said, "My child is so well-behaved at home. How could he possibly bully someone first? He was only playing with that little girl."

"Exactly! Naruto was the one who ran over without knowing what was going on and hit my child."

With the parents continuing to pester him, the Third Hokage was growing impatient. He reminded them, "Children fighting and roughhousing is normal. I understand that, and I do not object to it."

"But that little girl is a member of the Hyuga Clan. Her father is the Hyuga Family Head."

The Hyuga Family Head's daughter... The parents immediately fell silent. Their previous arrogance vanished as though it had been doused with cold water.

The Demon Fox had no parents, so there would be no consequences no matter how much malice they vented upon him. But the Hyuga Clan was one of the village's great noble families. They could easily decide the course of their future lives and were people they absolutely could not afford to provoke.

Now, they began to worry whether their children bullying Hinata would invite retaliation from the Hyuga Clan.

A smile curled at the Third Hokage's lips, and his voice sounded like heavenly music. "Don't worry. I'll make sure the Hyuga Family Head does not pursue this matter. But you should also discipline your children more carefully. Everyone living in the village is a companion. Getting along peacefully is best."

The parents came to their senses and quickly echoed him. "Lord Hokage is right. It's better to be peaceful. Thank you so much, Lord Hokage. We caused you trouble just now."

The Third Hokage smiled. "Mediating conflicts among the villagers is part of my work as Hokage. Old branches like us must be more tolerant of the tender new shoots."

"Lord Hokage is right!"

The parents nodded as they left the Hokage Building. Before leaving, they did not forget to glare fiercely at their own children, who had nearly caused them enormous trouble.

It was easy to imagine that the little boys would receive a double beating of paternal and maternal love once they got home.

Watching the villagers leave, the Third Hokage returned to his office and lit his pipe before the portraits of the past Hokage.

He believed he had handled the parents' visit perfectly.

Not only had he sent away the troublesome parents, but he had also maintained his own image and demonstrated Konoha's tolerance in the process.

Exhaling smoke, the Third Hokage began to consider Naruto's conduct in this matter.

Although Naruto called himself the Demon Fox and had used the Third Hokage's orders to throw his weight around, he had only retaliated against villagers who bullied him and had not actively sought trouble.

Combined with the intelligence sent by the Anbu, Naruto had even taken the initiative to save the bullied Hinata, which greatly pleased him.

Children Naruto's age might claim to hate this and that, but they had still been influenced by the Will of Fire.

Opening the window, the Third Hokage glanced at the not-so-large pile of paperwork on his desk and called to the attendant in the neighboring office, "Help me deal with the documents first. I'm going to take a walk around the village."

"Yes, Third Lord," the attendant replied respectfully.

Taking off his Hokage Robe, the Third Hokage vanished in a Body Flicker. The next moment, he appeared on the street as a kindly old grandfather next door.

Naruto had grasped the true essence of the Will of Fire. Naturally, he had to strike while the iron was hot and help Naruto advance quickly along the right path, becoming an outstanding Jinchuriki who would shine for the village.

Before he even arrived, the Third Hokage smelled the aroma of food and thought that he had not come too late.

Naruto's cooking was delicious. Eating together would better cultivate their relationship and let the Jinchuriki feel warmth like that of a family. That was also part of the Hokage's work.

"Naruto, I came to see you."

The Third Hokage pushed open the door and saw Naruto standing on a stool, cooking.

Naruto noticed the Third Hokage too. He was a little surprised, but he still put on a smile. "Hokage Grandpa, you're here. Are you eating at my place this time? I still have plenty of ingredients."

"How could I possibly impose?" the Third Hokage said, looking embarrassed.

You really have no shame... Naruto grumbled inwardly. He quietly added several brightly colored mushrooms to the side ingredients and kept stirring the pot.

Over ten minutes later, Naruto finished making lunch: grilled fish, steamed egg custard, and mushroom soup.

After serving the food, the Third Hokage could not wait to dig in. He did not spare the grilled fish, steamed egg custard, or mushroom soup, as though he had never eaten a meal in his life.

After eating until he was half full, the Third Hokage suddenly felt unwell. The world began to spin around him.

"Could someone have set up a genjutsu trap in the room?" The Third Hokage immediately became alert. Then he spotted several flashes of bright color in the mushroom soup and instantly understood everything.

"Naruto, do you feel a little dizzy? And there's something wrong with those mushrooms, isn't there?"

Naruto glanced at the Third Hokage and held his forehead. "A little. Maybe the mushrooms weren't cooked through, or maybe we ate poisonous mushrooms. But it's fine. Our stomachs will hurt for a few hours, then we'll be okay. I'm used to it."

"You can get used to that? Can't you tell them apart?"

Naruto said seriously, "Why would you ask that, Hokage Grandpa? Isn't this how you tell whether mushrooms are poisonous? I've always relied on this method to find out if mushrooms are toxic. We were just unlucky today."

The Third Hokage was speechless, but his stomach was already churning violently.

For the next two hours, the Third Hokage and Naruto took turns rushing into the bathroom.

Only after their faces had turned somewhat pale did they finally recover. They stared at the pot of mushroom soup with lingering fear.

Naruto cautiously asked, "Hokage Grandpa, are we still eating it? This mushroom soup is really delicious."

The Third Hokage shook his head. As he used the Mystical Palm Technique to treat himself, he said, "Naruto, I'll send you a book on wild plants in the future. Don't go around eating random things anymore. It's far too dangerous."

"You were lucky before that you didn't encounter any highly poisonous plants, but you can't keep relying on luck."

Naruto nodded, seeming to remember something. "Then can Hokage Grandpa send me some books about ninja? Once I become a ninja, I won't have to worry about getting an upset stomach anymore."

The Third Hokage looked at the mushroom soup, then at Naruto. "Fine. But don't tell anyone else about me getting an upset stomach."

A Jinchuriki would definitely become a ninja in the future, so it was good for him to encounter things related to training early. Besides, training could wear little Naruto out and keep him from running into the wilderness whenever he pleased.

He had really nearly been taken down by that mushroom soup just now.

If the other four Kage found out that he had been poisoned by a child who was not even a genin, he would lose all dignity in his old age.

Fun fact: Sometimes mushrooms are poisonous not because they are undercooked, but because they are inherently poisonous. Cooking them thoroughly will not help, so buy mushrooms from proper markets.