Dinner Gathering

That evening.

After Hyuga Kazuya and Kakashi parted ways with Minato Namikaze that afternoon, they sparred and trained in Taijutsu, working up a sweat.

So, as the sky began to darken, Hyuga Kazuya parted ways with Kakashi early and told him to go home, take a shower, change clothes, and then head to the dinner gathering.

When Hyuga Kazuya returned home, he ran into Hyuga Momona and invited her to join the team's dinner gathering that evening.

As for whether Teacher Minato would mind?

Hyuga Kazuya could guarantee that Teacher Minato would definitely bring Uzumaki Kushina to the gathering. There was no reason for it—just call it love.

So there was nothing wrong with bringing Hyuga Momona along.

Although Hyuga Momona had spent the entire day doing low-level missions and was exhausted, she naturally could not refuse Hyuga Kazuya's invitation—especially when it involved barbecue.

After Hyuga Kazuya waited for Hyuga Momona to go home and freshen up, he looked at her renewed, radiant appearance. She had changed into clothes that highlighted her youthful energy even more. Though she looked adorable, Hyuga Kazuya could not help inwardly grumbling, Women are troublesome in every world.

"Does it look good, Big Brother?" Momona asked, rising onto her tiptoes and spinning once in front of Hyuga Kazuya.

"Looks good, looks good. The clothes look good, and you look even better." Having long mastered the art of brushing people off, Hyuga Kazuya immediately smiled and answered with complete sincerity.

The two then headed toward Akimichi BBQ Restaurant together, chatting and laughing along the way.

Because of someone, the two of them were late.

Still, it was only a team dinner gathering, so it was not a big deal. Even so, Hyuga Kazuya felt rather embarrassed.

Just as Hyuga Kazuya had expected, Teacher Minato had brought Uzumaki Kushina. She had long, beautiful red hair, with a hairpin tucked into the bun on the left side of her head.

She was Uzumaki Kushina, the "Crimson Chili Pepper," and the current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Of course, ordinary people would not know she was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

When Minato Namikaze saw Hyuga Kazuya and Hyuga Momona arrive, he hurriedly greeted them.

"Why are you two so late today?"

"Sorry, Teacher Minato. We were delayed for some reasons," Hyuga Kazuya said somewhat sheepishly.

"It's fine. This is just an ordinary dinner gathering, not a mission. I hope—" Minato Namikaze was about to say a few more words to establish his authority as their teacher when Uzumaki Kushina cut him off.

"Alright, alright, Minato. We're on break, so stop talking about that stuff," Uzumaki Kushina said impatiently.

Then, Uzumaki Kushina repeatedly looked Hyuga Kazuya and Hyuga Momona over, teasing, "What's wrong with a young couple having something to do?"

Upon hearing Uzumaki Kushina's words, Minato Namikaze and Kakashi, who was seated nearby, both curiously looked Hyuga Kazuya and Hyuga Momona over.

Hyuga Momona, seated beside Hyuga Kazuya, instantly blushed. She looked like a bright red apple, lowering her head in embarrassment and not daring to meet anyone's eyes.

Hyuga Kazuya, meanwhile, was rather awkward and could only change the subject.

"Waiter, another ten plates of meat."

"Kazuya, you ordered that much? Can you finish it?" Minato Namikaze asked in surprise.

"It's fine. With Momona and me here, ten plates of meat won't be nearly enough."

"Momona? Hyuga Momona?" Uzumaki Kushina asked Hyuga Momona beside her.

Hyuga Momona was still blushing. With her head lowered, she softly replied, "Mm."

"Oh, right, I haven't introduced her yet." Minato Namikaze suddenly remembered and quickly pointed to Uzumaki Kushina beside him.

"She's my girlfriend, Uzumaki Kushina." Smiling broadly, Minato Namikaze tried to put an arm around Uzumaki Kushina.

But Uzumaki Kushina directly pushed him away instead.

"The kids are watching. Watch your image in front of children." Uzumaki Kushina glanced at Kakashi, who was eating barbecue beside them. "And there's even a seven-year-old child here."

Hearing his Master's Wife, Uzumaki Kushina, call him that, Kakashi's face darkened, and he retorted, "I'm a Chunin."

"You're a Chunin, so you're no longer seven?"

Uzumaki Kushina pressed down hard on Kakashi's sticking-up white hair and asked in return.

Kakashi, whose head was being pressed down, could only lower his head helplessly and continue eating the barbecue.

Seeing Kakashi's expression, the others could not help smiling happily.

At that moment, Hyuga Kazuya introduced Hyuga Momona beside him. "Her name is Hyuga Momona, and she's also my girlfriend."

When Hyuga Momona heard Hyuga Kazuya introduce her like that, she lowered the head she had just raised because of Kakashi. Too shy to look at anyone, she could only nod.

"My name is Hatake Kakashi. Just call me Kakashi," the little white-haired boy said, introducing himself to Hyuga Momona as well.

Hyuga Momona merely nodded and smiled in acknowledgment.

The blazing charcoal fire roasted the specially prepared cuts of meat until they were tender and juicy. Oil sizzled from the grilling meat, and when it was about seventy percent cooked, cumin and other seasonings were sprinkled over it. The fragrance immediately filled the entire room.

It made everyone's mouths water, saliva flooding their mouths as their bodies relentlessly urged them to take a bite of the delicacy.

As everyone waited for the next batch of barbecue to finish cooking, Uzumaki Kushina suddenly pulled Hyuga Momona to her side and mysteriously asked, "Have you and Hyuga Kazuya done that?"

"What?"

Hyuga Momona looked at Uzumaki Kushina in confusion.

Uzumaki Kushina was about to explain what she meant when Minato Namikaze immediately stuffed a freshly grilled piece of meat into her mouth.

"Ahem, ahem." Minato Namikaze coughed twice, pretending to clear his throat.

"Come on, keep eating." He then distributed the freshly grilled meat to Hyuga Kazuya, Hyuga Momona, Uzumaki Kushina, and Kakashi.

Hyuga Kazuya, meanwhile, had black lines all over his face. Although Uzumaki Kushina and Hyuga Momona had deliberately lowered their voices during their conversation, the other three people in the private room were all elite ninja with sharp eyes and ears.

So the other three in the room had heard every word clearly.

As expected of Uzumaki Kushina, the "Crimson Chili Pepper." She really dares to ask anything, Hyuga Kazuya inwardly grumbled.

Probably only seven-year-old Kakashi had no idea what Uzumaki Kushina meant.

Fortunately, Teacher Minato had interrupted Uzumaki Kushina's whispering. Otherwise, who knew what shocking things she might have said.

Once Hyuga Momona understood, her face flushed crimson. She no longer dared to look directly at Hyuga Kazuya, and even the way she ate became as refined as that of a proper young lady, chewing in small bites.

Time passed quickly. The group chatted, laughed, and talked about everything under the sun, from the prosperity of the Capital of the Land of Fire to small applications of chakra.

Even Kakashi, who had been exceptionally cold lately due to the matter involving his father, Hatake Sakumo, though he had improved somewhat in recent days, smiled several times that night.

Once everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Minato Namikaze looked at the stack upon stack of plates on the table when it came time to pay the bill.

He could not help revealing a wry smile. He truly had not expected this meal to cost so much.

Though this amount of money was nothing compared to his savings.

He had never expected that, with two big eaters like Hyuga Kazuya and Hyuga Momona, the cost of one meal would equal a month's food expenses for himself and Uzumaki Kushina.

Though his heart ached, he was their teacher after all, so he could only pay the bill himself.

Wiping the grease from his mouth with a napkin, Hyuga Kazuya looked at Minato Namikaze's pained expression and could only laugh it off. "Teacher Minato, Master's Wife Kushina, thank you for the meal. If there's another dinner gathering next time—"

"I'll come again."

As he spoke, Hyuga Kazuya could not help bursting into laughter.

"I'll come too," Kakashi echoed from the side.

The teacher and his two students exchanged glances and smiled at the same time.