Shimura Residence.
Danzo upright at the dining table, looking at the cold food on the table and then at the empty chair in front of him, his face gradually turning cold.
As if to match Danzo's mindset, Ding, who was standing behind Danzo, suddenly shivered, feeling as if there was a block of ice around him that was constantly emitting cold air.
"Click."
As the floorboards inside Danzo's house were lifted, Shisui, who had been busy all day, grabbed the broken light bulb and hurriedly left Shimura Residence, not even bothering to wipe the sweat from his brow.
"Shisui."
Danzo suddenly called out to Shisui.
"Danzo"
Shisui, who had been Danzo, stood obediently in place.
Danzo glanced at the boy who was diligently working as a light bulb repairman at Root, Danzo slightly, and gestured for him to come forward.
Shisui obediently went to the dining table, while Ding, standing behind Danzo, stared intently at Shisui, fearing that he might do something detrimental to Danzo.
Both Yi and Bing died at the hands of the evil Uchiha; they must take necessary precautions.
"Sit down and eat."
Danzo's next words surprised everyone present.
Ignoring the stunned Ding and Shisui, Danzo his rice bowl and started eating first.
"Yes, Danzo."
Seeing this, Shisui dared not be negligent. He removed his equipment and placed it aside, washed his hands, and then sat respectfully to Danzo's left.
"You should eat too."
Danzo had already prepared enough for three people, put the now-cold grilled meat into his mouth and then ordered Ding to come to the table and eat as well.
The three of them ate their dinner in silence.
On the other side, at the Namikaze Residence.
After handing over the mission, Minato eagerly pushed open the door and saw several unfamiliar figures in his home.
While helping Kushina in the kitchen, Kazashiro peeked out and briefly introduced the three little ones to Minato before throwing himself back into the lively dinner preparations.
Seeing the lively atmosphere at home, Minato naturally couldn't express his longing for Kushina. He could only smile and shake his head, watching the three little ones with Kakashi and Rin.
"Rin, how's work at Konoha Hospital?"
Stroking Itachi's little head, Minato his gaze to Rin sitting beside him. "I heard your headmaster is a very serious person."
"Although the dean is a bit strict, his medical skills are very high. I've learned a lot from working under him," Lin replied obediently from the side.
Seeing Minato join in comforting the child, Kakashi's expression relaxed under his mask, and he quickly made an excuse to slip away.
Honestly, these three little devils are all so hard to please. They're either staring at me with their big black eyes or asking me "What is the meaning of life?" They're completely unlike children their age.
Kakashi ran to Minato's study, gently closed the door, and after confirming that no one was around, he eagerly pulled out the fourth volume of "The Story of the Snow Woman" from his pocket.
The yellowed pages show that this is not the first time Kakashi has read this book, but each time he reads it, he experiences a new feeling.
Snow Woman...
Even from the brief description in the book, Kakashi could imagine the beautiful face of the Snow Woman.
But why does the Snow Woman I'm imagining look so familiar?
Kakashi pondered for a long time but still couldn't come up with an answer.
"Hey everyone, dinner's ready! Wait, where's Kakashi?"
Kazashiro's voice rang out.
"It seems he went to the study."
Rin thoughtfully pointed out the direction where Kakashi was.
Footsteps reached his ears. At that moment, Kakashi was still pondering the appearance of the Snow Woman. Only when Kazashiro's hand touched the doorknob did Kakashi belatedly realize that he wanted to hide the book in his hand.
"Kakashi, what are you doing here?"
Pushing open the door, Kazashiro, wearing a blue apron, saw Kakashi standing helplessly in front of the desk, and immediately became curious.
"Nothing, I was just curious about what books Captain Minato usually reads."
Kakashi, having composed himself, tried his best to control his tone.
"Is that so?"
Tilting his head, Kazashiro scrutinized Kakashi, his face filled with disbelief.
Stepping over to Kakashi and circling him, Kazashiro, finding nothing amiss, gave up his inquiries and invited Kakashi to the restaurant for a meal.
While Kazashiro wasn't looking, Kakashi glanced at the bookshelf behind him, trying to think of an excuse to stall for time. Suddenly, Kazashiro grabbed his right hand and forcibly dragged him to the dining room.
There's nothing we can do.
We can only recycle it after we finish eating.
Kakashi glanced at the books he had shoved into Minato's bookshelf with a look of utter despair, trying to remind himself not to forget to take them back.
"Let's treat today as a welcome-back feast for Kazashiro! Celebrating Kazashiro's return home after a year away from the village!"
Seeing that everyone was seated, Kushina raised her glass and invited everyone to clink glasses.
Of course, it's filled with juice.
"Cheers!"
Everyone present, including the little ones, smiled genuinely and clinked glasses with Kazashiro.
After finishing her juice in one gulp, Kushina began to promote her cooking skills. "Try it, my braised fish and this stewed meat are just as good as Kazashiro's!"
"Hmph, Kushina- neechan, while I respect you a lot, I'm still very confident in my cooking skills, aren't I, Yamato?"
Kazashiro picked up his chopsticks Yamato's plate, not to be outdone.
"Oh? Is that so, Kazashiro? I'm improving too, right, Minato?" Kushina said, picking up a piece of fish and putting it in her mouth. Before she could even chew it twice, she made an uncomfortable expression.
"What's wrong, Kushina?"
Minato, whose mind was entirely focused on Kushina, was the first to notice her unusual behavior and immediately asked her about it with concern.
Kushina waved her hand, signaling the other person not to be nervous, and forced down the fish. "This has been happening a lot lately, it should be nothing serious. I was just planning to ask Mikoto to go to the hospital with me tomorrow."
Kakashi's hand holding the chopsticks suddenly trembled.
Having spent his days reading Jiraiya's novels, he quickly connected a possibility to Kushina's words.
No way, Captain Minato, you've only been married a short time!
"Really? We need to investigate that thoroughly!"
Only then did Kazashiro realize what was happening, and before he knew it, he choked on a fish bone, spraying all the rice in his mouth onto Kakashi's face, who was sitting opposite him.
"Crack, crack, crack!" Kazashiro, clutching his neck and unable to speak, was so anxious that tears were almost streaming down his face.
Seeing this, Kakashi, whose face was covered in scum, forgot about getting angry and rushed to Kazashiro's side.
Minato, Kushina, and the others also sprang into action, preparing to help Kazashiro escape his current predicament.
After a flurry of activity, Lin finally removed the fishbone from Kazashiro's throat, and he collapsed weakly onto the sofa beside her.
Damn it, I almost became the first Jonin in the Hokage world to Jonin from a fishbone stuck in his throat!
Burying his face in the sofa, Kazashiro just wanted to disappear into the ground.