I Want My Allowance!

"Well, people of the Shimura Clan are always so mysterious, it's rare to see them like this," Anko Mitarashi said, taking large bites of dango while chatting with Kazashiro.

Looking at the young fellow beside him, who was called Anko when young and Sweet Potato in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Kazashiro felt a pang of pity in his heart.

Well, even if I don't remember many details, her appearance during the Chunin Exams is still etched in my mind.

Especially the big lightning under that chainmail...

No, no, Kazashiro, you're too degenerate. Right now, you should be thinking about how to survive in this man-eating world by stepping on Danzo's corpse, not worrying about that big lightning or this big lightning.

Dispelling all the wicked thoughts from his mind, Kazashiro focused his attention on the dango the shop owner had just served and placed in front of him.

Ahem, proper dango, indeed.

Three-colored dango skewered on bamboo sticks, then drizzled with the owner's secret sauce glistening with golden light, made up Konoha's famous Three-Colored Dango.

"Try it quickly," Anko Mitarashi squeezed next to Kazashiro, nudging him with her elbow, urging him to eat.

"I think you're the one who wants to eat it," Kazashiro said, looking at Anko, whose mouth was practically watering, with a dark expression. He picked up a skewer and handed it to her first.

"Hey, you! You know I'm already full!" Wiping the drool from the corner of her mouth, Anko's eyes lit up as she took the dango. While devouring it, she didn't forget to pat Kazashiro's shoulder:

"But, you've got good taste. I'll cover this area for you from now on."

She ate her fill and grabbed another one so quickly.

Watching the dango disappear from his hand in an instant, Kazashiro rolled his eyes internally, then picked up a skewer and brought it to his lips.

So sweet.

The sauce was sweet, and the dango was sweet. The two sweetnesses intertwined. No wonder this girl got so fat later on.

Kazashiro, who didn't particularly like sweets, slowly chewed the soft, sticky dango in his mouth, while glancing sideways at Anko.

"Hey, Anko, you! I was the one who treated Kazashiro!" Asuma, standing nearby, noticed the situation. Seeing that Anko, who should have been full, had another skewer of dango in her hand, Asuma, who knew her well, immediately understood what was happening.

"Don't be so stingy, Asuma. You're the Third Hokage's son, you should be as generous as the Hokage," Anko quickly swallowed the dango in her mouth, made a face at Asuma, and ran back to Kurenai's side.

"You! Bringing up the old man again!" Asuma helplessly put his hand to his forehead and then looked at Kazashiro, who was quietly eating dango: "Do you need another skewer?"

Putting down the bamboo skewer, Kazashiro shook his head: "No, thank you. I don't really like sweets."

Before he could finish speaking, the proprietress had already brought a bowl of red bean soup to Kazashiro: "Here's your fragrant and sweet red bean soup."

Kazashiro: ...

Asuma: ...

Oh no, does this shop only sell sweets?!

Kazashiro looked speechlessly at the red bean soup in front of him. In his previous life, he didn't even put sugar in his fermented bean curd. In this life, he was afraid he would fail because of sweets.

After all, anyone who has watched Naruto should know that those who like sweets don't have a good ending in Naruto.

"If you don't like sweet, then try the soy sauce flavor," Asuma said understandingly.

"There's that flavor too?" Kazashiro, completely unaware that such a thing existed, widened his eyes.

"Uh, everyone in the village should know?" Asuma scratched his head. Although people from the Shimura Clan didn't interact much with outsiders, they shouldn't be so isolated that they didn't even know the flavor of dango.

Could it be that they are actually very poor?

Recalling Danzo's clothes that never changed throughout the year, Asuma solidified his guess in his heart.

Anko and Kurenai beside them also started whispering.

Only Kakashi, with his back to everyone, took off his mask and ate the dango in his hand while they were making all sorts of guesses.

Five days passed without anyone noticing.

Following the chance encounter at the dango shop last time, and after spending these few days together, Kazashiro had officially integrated into this circle.

At the same time, he also learned what a "culinary desert" meant.

During these five days, they either had meals at the dango shop or at Ichiraku Ramen.

It was always one of these two options.

What about barbecue?

Sorry, insufficient budget.

Most of the time, it was the generous Asuma who paid the bill, occasionally Kakashi would pay, and as for Kazashiro, he was just a freeloader.

Of course, Kazashiro had his own reasons. Perhaps it was because it was his first time being a father, but although Danzo told him to make more friends, Kazashiro hadn't seen a single cent of allowance.

Kazashiro himself didn't dare to ask, for fear that if the old man got unhappy, he would send him to Orochimaru for experiments.

But if things continued like this, his reputation among his peers would probably be the same as Ebisu's...

No, no, this absolutely cannot happen.

Returning home and seeing Danzo sitting at the dinner table as usual, Kazashiro decided to take a gamble and ask the old man for some allowance!

Looking at Danzo, who seemed to be in a good mood and had a smile on his lips, Kazashiro narrowed his eyes, preparing to deliver the speech he had already rehearsed.

"Sit down quickly," Danzo, who had been waiting for a long time, couldn't help but say as he saw his son just standing there without sitting down.

"Okay, Dad." What kind of crap line is that? Listening to Dad is the most important thing.

Kazashiro nimbly sat down in his seat.

Mmm, good, I could smell it as soon as I walked in. The same familiar three dishes and one soup.

Looking at the same dishes served for days without change, Kazashiro strongly suspected the cook only knew these few dishes.

But when he thought about how these dishes were most likely made by Danzo himself, Kazashiro could only pretend to enjoy them, picking up food and putting it in his mouth.

Danzo, sitting opposite him, saw Kazashiro eating heartily and nodded silently in his heart.

It seems his son really likes these dishes. If that's the case, he'll make them for him again tomorrow.

However, I'm a bit tired of these things myself. I'll find an opportunity to go out for a late-night snack to change things up.

After eating most of his meal, Danzo put down his chopsticks. "How has your interaction with that Asuma kid been lately?"

"It's been great, he's a very generous person." Kazashiro said offhandedly, picking up a napkin to wipe his mouth.

"Generous?" Danzo frowned slightly, having thought of many adjectives but not this one.

"Yeah, he always pays when we go out." Kazashiro's eyes lit up as he quickly added, This is a good time to ask for allowance. Thanks, old man, for giving me an excuse.

"Hmph, just like his weak father, only knows how to buy people's favor with such petty tricks." Danzo scoffed at Asuma's actions.