"You want to become ninja, right? I can teach you a few things besides ninjutsu..."
"Our Military Police Force once caught a spy disguised as a refugee. Do you know how we spotted him?"
"It was because we noticed he was actually picky about his food!"
"One look told us he wasn't an ordinary refugee. We had to crack down hard!"
"Sure enough, after seven days of interrogation, they finally stopped denying they were spies..."
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan: ...
Akaseki stood menacingly beside the dining table, teaching the three youngsters table manners.
The three felt that when someone ruined food this badly, accusing people of being "picky" was hardly fair. Even ingredients cooked without the slightest skill would have tasted delicious to them, but the food before them had been rendered utterly inedible through sheer talent!
Still...
Under Akaseki's very vocal threats, the three youngsters eventually finished his three dishes and soup.
Although Nonō felt sorry for the children, she... didn't dare interrupt at a time like this. Otherwise, Akaseki would only get more carried away.
As for Jiraiya... perhaps he had already grown used to Orochimaru's egg dishes. He said nothing, merely watching his three new students undergo their "senior" Akaseki's training. ...
After dinner, Akaseki called Nonō aside.
"Have you noticed anything strange about these three children?" Akaseki asked Nonō.
Although Nonō couldn't hold a candle to Jiraiya in strength or experience as a ninja, she was a member of Root, after all. She ought to be good at this sort of observation.
"Nothing strange, apart from how talented they are." Nonō shook her head.
Still, Nonō hesitated slightly. If she had to name something, Konan had seemed to want to tell her something over the past few days, but kept hesitating and never said it... Nonō