The Legendary Sannin Gather

After Konoha entered April, the temperature rose considerably.

On a sunny Saturday, the izakaya jointly opened by Natsuki and Zhenyou officially opened for business.

Though they called it a partnership, Zhenyou was responsible for everything at the izakaya.

Natsuki's circumstances were unusual; he had classes and training to attend.

Fortunately, barring any surprises, the high-end approach he had chosen would become the izakaya's backbone.

Countless marketing cases from his previous life had proven one thing: as long as one was famous enough, money would keep flowing in.

Besides, his cooking skills were the real deal.

[Congratulations, Host. You have unlocked Zeff Template Ability II: Chef's Flying Kick.]

Natsuki glanced at it, then heard Nawaki's voice.

He immediately closed the system and looked into the distance.

Natsuki could not help but pause in surprise.

He had assumed Nawaki had come with Tsunade, but the person beside him was not Tsunade. It was a young man.

Shoulder-length hair, pale skin, purple eyeshadow, golden slit pupils, and a cold, gloomy aura.

With all those traits combined, although it was Natsuki's first time seeing him, he could guess who he was: Orochimaru.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's student, Tsunade and Jiraiya's teammate, and one of the future Legendary Sannin.

In the original story, Nawaki's death drove him to pursue immortality, setting him down the path of a mad scientist.

In the end, Hiruzen Sarutobi discovered him, and he became a rogue ninja of Konoha. Later, he even worked with Sunagakure to carry out the Konoha Collapse Plan.

But at this point, he had not yet fallen into darkness.

He looked gloomy, but he was still a fairly normal ninja.

"Natsuki!"

Nawaki said excitedly, "Let me introduce you. This is my teacher, Orochimaru."

His teacher?

Natsuki was somewhat surprised, but it made sense after thinking about it.

After all, Orochimaru and Tsunade had been teammates since childhood.

It was no exaggeration to say that even if Orochimaru had not been Nawaki's teacher, he would still have guided him as though he were his student.

"Lord Orochimaru."

Natsuki immediately greeted him.

Orochimaru nodded expressionlessly without saying a word.

"Please, come in."

Natsuki raised a hand as he spoke.

Orochimaru and Nawaki entered the izakaya.

"Senior Nawaki, why didn't your sister come with you?"

Natsuki led the way, taking them to a luxurious private room he had prepared in advance.

"She asked me to notify Lord Orochimaru. She's with Kushina, and they'll be here soon."

Nawaki explained.

"I see."

Natsuki nodded and pushed open the private room's door.

Yakushi Nonō instinctively rose to her feet.

"Nonō, good evening."

Nawaki greeted her with a smile.

"You can talk first. I'll wait at the entrance for Lady Tsunade."

After saying that, Natsuki returned to the izakaya's entrance.

He did not have to wait long before he saw Tsunade.

But besides her and Uzumaki Kushina, Namikaze Minato and Jiraiya were also there.

Were the future Legendary Sannin all gathered here?

This was also Natsuki's first time meeting Jiraiya.

His features were even more distinctive than Orochimaru's: a head of white hair and a forehead protector engraved with the character for Oil.

"Lady Tsunade."

Natsuki walked up to them. "Lord Jiraiya."

"You know me?"

Jiraiya asked curiously.

"I've heard quite a few stories about you, Lord Jiraiya."

Natsuki replied.

"Tonight, I want Tender Chicken."

Tsunade smiled faintly. "Natsuki, don't disappoint me."

"You're really the one cooking?"

Jiraiya said, "Then you'd better bring out every bit of your skill. As an old hand at eating, I've eaten my way across the Ninja World."

By this time, he had already become Mount Myoboku's contractor.

For the Great Toad Sage's so-called prophecy, he had been taking missions while traveling throughout the Ninja World, so his claim of having eaten everywhere was no lie.

"Natsuki will definitely satisfy all of you!"

Uzumaki Kushina said confidently.

"Wait for me in the private room. The dishes will be ready soon."

Natsuki spoke as he walked.

They soon entered the private room.

After exchanging pleasantries, Natsuki headed to the kitchen.

Namikaze Minato and Yakushi Nonō exchanged a glance, both feeling nervous.

After all, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru were all present.

To them, these were truly top-tier figures.

"Minato, do you know why I brought you along?"

Jiraiya took the initiative to ask.

Namikaze Minato shook his head.

He had been about to eat dinner when Jiraiya suddenly appeared before him.

Then Jiraiya had brought him to this izakaya.

As for Tsunade and Uzumaki Kushina, they had run into them on the way.

"Sensei said you're very talented and could become my student."

Jiraiya did not hide it and said so directly.

Namikaze Minato's eyes widened, his face filled with shock.

Become Jiraiya's student? What had he done to deserve that?

But surprise quickly gave way to delight.

If he became Jiraiya's student, his future achievements would be limitless.

Tsunade had known about it already, so she was not surprised.

Orochimaru was also calm, because he had vaguely guessed as much when he first met Namikaze Minato.

"But whether you can become my student will depend on your performance."

Jiraiya smiled. "I'll teach you for a while. If you don't measure up, don't blame me."

"I understand!"

Namikaze Minato immediately replied.

For a civilian genius like him, this was undoubtedly a chance at transformation.

But whether he could seize it remained unknown.

No matter what, he had to give it everything he had.

"Nonō, the same goes for you."

Tsunade suddenly said, "Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you personally."

Yakushi Nonō froze in confusion.

"What about Natsuki?"

Nawaki asked instinctively.

"Who do you want Natsuki to become the student of?"

Tsunade asked teasingly.

"Me?"

Nawaki scratched his head and said, "I hope he can be my teammate."

"What a pity."

Tsunade shook her head, her tone regretful.

"It's fine even if he can't."

Nawaki was a little disappointed, but he did not press the matter.

"Your sister is fooling you."

Jiraiya exposed her. "Natsuki excels at Sword Technique. The teacher best suited for him is Orochimaru."

Nawaki instinctively looked at Tsunade.

"Don't you know? The prettier a woman is, the better she is at lying."

Tsunade blinked and smiled happily.

"Damn it!"

Nawaki said through gritted teeth.

"Nawaki, learn more from your teacher, so you won't be deceived when you grow up."

Jiraiya laughed heartily and patted his shoulder.

Orochimaru also smiled, though not as openly as Jiraiya and Tsunade.

The private room was instantly filled with cheerful laughter.

The group chatted as they waited.

After an unknown amount of time, the door opened, and Zhenyou entered carrying dishes.

She set them down and said, "This is the first dish: Chirashizushi."

Natsuki had received Emiya Shirou's template.

There happened to be an anime from his previous life called Today's Menu for the Emiya Family.

Thus, he planned to choose several dishes that had appeared in it.

Time slowly passed.

Before long, the dining table was filled with dishes.

Assorted Hot Pot, Cream Stewed Bamboo Shoots, Fried Chicken, Salmon Foil Yaki, and more.

Naturally, there was also Tsunade's favorite Tender Chicken.

"It smells delicious already."

Jiraiya inhaled the aroma and revealed an expectant expression.

Tsunade, on the other hand, showed no restraint and immediately picked up her chopsticks, taking a piece of chicken.

She tossed it into her mouth and chewed a few times, her face instantly filling with surprise.

"This is the best Tender Chicken I've ever eaten."

Tsunade looked at Natsuki and gave her assessment.

Orochimaru glanced around before taking a bite of Fried Egg.

His brow lifted, and he felt satisfied.

Natsuki's cooking really was better than he had expected.

In that case, taking him on as a student would not be a loss.