"Karot?"
Jiraiya spotted Karot as soon as he entered the restaurant. After all, only a blind man wouldn't notice such a large, conspicuous bag. White hair, orange martial arts uniform, and most importantly, that mountain-high bowl.
This was the first time Huahua had ever seen someone who could eat so much.
"Uncle, is there no food at your house?"
As the saying goes, children speak without restraint. When Huahua opened her mouth, Karot almost couldn't hold back and spat out the food in her mouth.
"Hahaha."
Sanada wasn't about to miss this opportunity to tease Karot, saying, "No wonder she's my daughter!" Karot was speechless.
"Yes, it's all your father's fault. He borrowed money from me back then. He and I are best friends, and I lent him all the money, so we have no money for food."
Karot put on a pitiful act, and the child immediately believed him.
"Uncle, you're so pitiful. Come to my house for a meal whenever you want."
"Huahua is the best."
Karot grinned triumphantly at Sanada. Sanada, on the other hand, felt as if the sky had fallen; Karot really would shamelessly come to freeload.
"Karot, is it really okay for you to lie to a little girl like this?"
As Jiraiya approached, he overheard Karot and Huahua's conversation and said...
"Jiraiya- senpai, are you and Tsunade- senpai married? Why are you having dinner together?"
Karot's words astonished everyone, who inwardly marveled at Karot audacity.
Jiraiya quickly covered Karot's mouth with his hand and said...
"You can't say things like that, it could kill someone."
Jiraiya thought this way, but he wouldn't dare say it out loud even if he had a hundred lives.
Jiraiya finished speaking, he felt a murderous aura behind him. Immediately afterward, a heavy punch landed on his head. "Bang!" Jiraiya felt as if he saw the Grim Reaper coming to take his soul.
"Karot, it's been a long time!"
After defeating Jiraiya, Tsunade gritted her teeth and said to Karot, "That brat started spreading rumors about me as soon as he got back. I really want to teach him a lesson, but unfortunately, I can't even hurt him. What bad luck!"
"Tsunade- senpai, it's been a long time! You've become even more beautiful."
Complimenting a woman's beauty upon first meeting her is a trick Karot learned from books. Paired with a sincere expression, no woman will be angry with you.
This is something only Karot can utilize, given his strength and the fact that he'll always be given some leeway.
"Waiter, bring me all the good food and drinks, and put the bill on his tab."
Tsunade a chair and sat down. Since she couldn't defeat Karot by force, she would make him bleed.
The waiter was also considerate; he glanced at Karot, Karot nodded at him.
"Alright, Tsunade-sama, please wait a moment."
Karot wouldn't care about such a small amount of money; he's not the same person he used to be, and he has more than enough to spend.
"Karot, I've got something good for you."
Jiraiya took a book out of his bag, and Karot, seeing the word "intimate" on the cover, quickly snatched it away. This book was Jiraiya's masterpiece, which Jiraiya made him a bestselling novelist.
"Karot, why are you collecting this so quickly? Let me see it too!"
Sanada had naturally seen the cover, and as a man who was secretly passionate, he was naturally aware of it.
"You're too young to handle it. Only a strong person like me can protect something like this."
Jiraiya knew that Karot wasn't as serious as he seemed on the surface.
"Pah. You can talk a good game, but that doesn't change the fact that you're a little pervert."
Tsunade naturally knew what Jiraiya had given to Karot, but Kazumi and Sanada's wife didn't know, and Tsunade wouldn't say it aloud, only thinking it to herself.
"Karot, where have you been all these years? We haven't heard a thing from you."
Jiraiya asked, "How come I'm a big shot in Konoha, and Karot is the pillar of Konoha? I haven't heard from Karot for years. I even asked Orochimaru about it, but Orochimaru avoided the question. This made Jiraiya feel uneasy, like an itch. Now that I'm back, I naturally want to know the reason."
"I went out to find a few opponents to train against, but it didn't meet my expectations. I'm a bit disappointed."
These are the words that Karot said; anyone else would have been silenced by those gods long ago.
"Just how strong do you want to become?!"
Jiraiya couldn't understand Karot's thoughts because Karot was Saiyan with active fighting genes within him, and his training never stopped as long as he lived.
"It's alright, I'm just a little bit better than others."
Karot said with a smile.
"Is this even human language? It's clearly Versailles."
This was the sentiment of the people present, but they also greatly admired Karot, a person who could integrate cultivation into his life, which was truly admirable.
Karot thoroughly enjoyed the meal, reuniting with his old friend. They even made a promise to meet again after their next fight.
Is he the person you've always been thinking about?
"Sanada's wife asked Kazumi."
"Ah... no... that's not it."
After Kazumi thoughts were exposed, Kazuko stammered.
"I noticed it at the dinner table just now; your eyes never left Karot. It was so obvious, who else but the person involved, Lord Jiraiya, and my wife could have missed it?"
What's wrong with me?
Upon hearing his wife mention his name, Sanada, holding his daughter, asked...
"I wasn't talking about you. Keep an eye on our daughter."
"Just look! Don't speak so loudly."
Sanada complained quietly, but he dared not say it out loud, after all, his wife was at home.
Is it really that obvious?
"My dear sister, your eyes are practically glued to him! How come that blockhead Karot hasn't noticed anything? Wasn't he supposed to have excellent perception?"
This is absolutely slander against Karot! Karot just didn't think of it that way because Kazumi has always appeared as a caring older sister figure, taking care of Karot's life since the team was formed.
"Him? After he finishes fighting, all he thinks about is cultivation. He wouldn't have any thoughts of love or romance."
Kazumi also complained. She knew perfectly well what Karot Kazumi thinking.
"When did you start liking him? You're so pretty, there must have been quite a few guys chasing after you, right?!"
"I don't know when I started liking him. When he first joined our team, he was a little kid carrying a big package, and I kindly helped him put it into a scroll."
"From then on, we spent more and more time together, and I took care of Karot's daily life like an older sister."
"I want to be with him every day; just seeing him makes me incredibly happy."
"Little sister, you're raising her like this, your husband has been cultivating her since she was a child."
"You're making fun of me."
Kazumi said, blushing.
"Kazumi, why is your face so red!"
Damn it, that useless husband of mine is always causing trouble; he got punished according to family rules.
I'm leaving now.
Seeing Sanada and his wife playfully bickering, Kazumi didn't want to be a third wheel.