An Important Person

At dusk, just as Nawaki returned home, he caught the scent of an enticing aroma wafting through the house.

He rushed inside impatiently to find Minato cooking in the kitchen while Tsunade cleaned up the scraps, the atmosphere remarkably harmonious.

For some reason, Nawaki felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as if he had walked in on his parents cooking dinner; he shook his head vigorously, trying to cast the absurd thought from his mind.

Tsunade was one thing—an elder sister was like a mother, and over the years, she had given him all the tenderness she possessed, taking excellent care of him.

But what the hell was up with Minato?!

That guy was two years younger than him!

"Hm? Nawaki, you're back?"

Noticing his arrival, Tsunade looked him over. "Go wash your hands, dinner is almost ready."

"Oh..."

Suppressing the ridiculous thought, Nawaki replied with an "oh," then looked curiously at Minato. "What are you making, Minato? It smells so good."

"Chicken stewed with mushrooms."

Minato didn't turn around, tilting his head to watch the chicken in the pot. "It's a pity I couldn't find the right mushrooms; the flavor might be a bit lacking..."

"You call this lacking? It smells amazing..."

Nawaki sniffed the air, and his stomach immediately let out a loud growl.

Minato shook his head without a word; chicken stewed with mushrooms really required hazel mushrooms, but unfortunately, he hadn't seen any for sale.

Those mushrooms were mostly found in the northeast; they looked ordinary, but their flavor was incredibly savory and their nutritional value was extremely high.

Perhaps he could try using Wood Release to cultivate fungi later, along with various vegetables and fruits—no wonder the First Hokage had recorded so many planting techniques in his scrolls...

With Wood Release, he could grow whatever vegetables or fruits he wanted on the spot, and he could even try breeding new varieties!

Theoretically, he could complete dozens or even hundreds of generations of cross-breeding in a single day, cultivating rice stalks several meters tall, pumpkins the size of washbasins, or even watermelons that tasted like strawberries; he could single-handedly rid the entire ninja world of famine!

At this thought, Minato couldn't help but chuckle.

It seemed some genes were already carved deep into his soul...

"What are you laughing at?"

Tsunade noticed the smile on Minato's face and asked curiously.

"I was just thinking about how I could cultivate high-yield crops or more delicious vegetables and fruits later."

The broth in the pot had thickened, so Minato turned up the heat to reduce the sauce before taking it off the stove.

"Cultivating crops, huh..."

Tsunade was slightly stunned, a flash of tenderness in her eyes.

"It really seems like you people who possess Wood Release all enjoy this kind of thing. My grandfather liked tending to his bonsai trees even more, though. Come to think of it, you two have very similar personalities—both so gentle and sunny."

Hearing this, Minato froze for two seconds, and after thinking of something, he suddenly burst into laughter.

Tsunade was immediately puzzled. "What are you laughing at?"

Minato quickly shook his head. "No, it's nothing..."

"Really?"

"Really!"

Seeing Minato nodding like a chick pecking at rice, Tsunade instinctively felt something was off.

She raised an eyebrow and clenched her fist, causing her knuckles to crack. "Wrong. Tell me the truth, right now!"

"Well..."

Noticing Tsunade's movements, Minato's face turned slightly pale. "If I tell you, you can't hit me, okay!"

"I'll try..."

Tsunade kept a straight face, arms crossed over her chest, her figure prominent, while she tapped her left foot impatiently on the floor, looking like she would make him regret it if he didn't speak up.

"Well... Teacher Tsunade."

Minato swallowed hard; as he considered the suicidal act he was about to commit, he felt a strange, tingling sense of excitement.

"Do I look like your grandfather?"

Thud!

The moment the words left his lips, Tsunade slammed her fist into Minato's head.

Then, with a poof, the Minato in front of her transformed into a wooden carving.

Substitution Technique!

"You brat..."

A vein pulsed on Tsunade's forehead as she turned to look at Minato standing by the kitchen door, who was still holding the pot of chicken soup and smiling sheepishly.

"You're lucky you're fast!"

Tsunade snorted coldly, served the rice, and sat down at the dining table.

Nawaki finished washing his hands, sat down beside Tsunade, picked up his chopsticks, and eagerly grabbed a piece of chicken.

"Delicious! Hoo, hoo..."

"Eat slowly, watch out for the heat."

Tsunade picked up a piece of chicken and ate it in a slow, measured manner.

"Minato's cooking is amazing!"

Nawaki exclaimed while eating.

"It's alright."

Minato smiled; he was quite happy to hear his culinary skills being recognized.

The head chef at the hotel where he worked in his past life had once said that he was sensitive to seasoning and heat control, making him a natural for the trade, though it was a pity he never pursued it as a career.

Minato had some interest in cooking, but it was limited to making things he liked to eat himself.

His taste overlapped somewhat with the siblings, though relatively speaking, he actually preferred spicy food.

"I'm so envious... It's one thing to have talent for ninjutsu, but to have such culinary talent too—and the key is that you're handsome to boot."

Nawaki suddenly sighed with emotion: "Big sister was right; you really are the strongest rival on my path to becoming Hokage."

Seeing him put on that look of a man meeting his match, pretending to be mature, Tsunade couldn't help but smile.

Minato also let out a laugh: "Don't worry, I actually have no interest in being Hokage."

"Eh--?"

Nawaki widened his eyes, looking as if to say, "Really? I don't believe you!"

"That's the Hokage we're talking about!"

"Mm... I know."

Minato nodded: "Actually, I don't have any grand life ambitions, nor do I have any reason that forces me to become stronger."

In truth, he did—the future Obito, Madara Uchiha, Kaguya Otsutsuki, and even the Otsutsuki Clan—but these were things he could not speak of.

"Then what is your ideal?"

Hearing this, Tsunade couldn't help but feel curious.

In Konoha, it wasn't that there were no boys who didn't want to be Hokage, but they were definitely a rare breed.

"An ideal..."

Minato pondered for a few seconds: "Hmm... perhaps living a peaceful and happy life, and protecting the people important to me?"

"Eh--"

Nawaki was speechless: "How boring! And does that even count as an ideal? It's such a waste for you to have Wood Release..."

"No, you're wrong, Nawaki. When Grandfather founded Konoha, it was because he hoped that future children could live exactly that kind of life."

Tsunade smiled slightly and flicked Nawaki on the forehead: "There is a kind of greatness in the ordinary. Perhaps it is because Minato possesses a certain quality that others lack that he was able to awaken Wood Release?"

"A quality..."

Does a cheat count?

Minato couldn't help but retort internally.

"But then again... protecting the people important to you, don't tell me you've taken a liking to some young girl, kid?"

Having just finished lecturing Nawaki, Tsunade turned her head and raised an eyebrow at Minato, her eyes carrying a hint of playful amusement.

"Not at all."

Minato shook his head: "Right now, the people closest to me are you, Teacher, and Nawaki. How could you not be considered important people?"

"Eh..."

The siblings paused upon hearing this, a flush appearing on both their faces. They exchanged a glance, both seeing the uncontrollable upturn of the other's lips.

"Ah, sou ka... Haha, sou desu ne~"

Tsunade let out a dry laugh, though inside, she was squirming with delight.

This child said such embarrassing things, but she loved it!