I Practice True Several Thousand Hands

To welcome Kushina, Minato planned to make some hearty dishes that would appeal to young people.

As the saying went, the way to a man's heart was through his stomach. The same was true for women, really.

On the way to buy groceries, Minato also picked up some water balloons for Nawaki to use while training in the Rasengan.

"These are the tools you were talking about?"

Nawaki stared at the water balloon in his hand, unable to believe his eyes. "You said you were buying tools to help me train, so I thought they'd be something really advanced!"

Minato smiled. "There are more advanced tools, but we'll use those in the next stage."

"What are they?"

Nawaki asked eagerly. He could hardly wait to start training.

"An ordinary ball."

"..."

A while later, the two returned home.

In the living room, Tsunade was chatting softly with Kushina, taking care to soothe the girl's nerves as she settled into her new surroundings.

Seeing this, Minato smiled faintly.

Tsunade at this point in her life was much gentler than the Tsunade in the story.

"Big Sis, remember to call me when it's time to eat!"

Nawaki called out, then hurried back to his room.

Tsunade looked surprised. "What's gotten into him?"

Minato carried the groceries toward the kitchen. With a chuckle, he said, "He's busy training. He's planning to surprise you later."

On the way back, he'd already taught Nawaki the first stage of Rasengan training.

Rasengan training could roughly be divided into three stages.

Stage One: Rotation!

Continuously release chakra and make it spin chaotically inside a water balloon until the balloon bursts.

Stage Two: Power!

Increase the chakra output until the ordinary ball bursts.

Stage Three: Control!

Maintain the chakra output without letting any escape. The goal is to form a Rasengan inside a fragile balloon without popping it. This is also the hardest stage.

"A surprise?"

Tsunade gave a little chuckle. "All right, then. I'll look forward to it~"

When Minato went into the kitchen, Kushina looked cautiously at Tsunade. "Does he usually do the cooking?"

"Yes."

Tsunade nodded, sounding rather proud. "Minato's an amazing cook! I guarantee it'll be so delicious you'll want to swallow your tongue!"

Kushina giggled. "That's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it?"

Tsunade looked completely serious. "It's true! You'll see in a minute!"

"Really?"

Seeing that Tsunade didn't seem to be joking, Kushina looked surprised. "This is the first time I've met a boy who can cook."

"Heh heh. You might not believe this, but compared to Minato's strength and talent, his cooking is just the icing on the cake. That boy's perfect in every way!"

Tsunade had started boasting about her student without thinking. Then she suddenly remembered his bizarre talent for naming things and gave an awkward little cough.

"Ahem... That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it's true."

"I see..."

Kushina nodded politely, without questioning Tsunade's words.

Suddenly, an enticing aroma drifted out of the kitchen. Kushina sniffed delicately, and her stomach began to rumble.

Hearing it, Kushina's cheeks flushed. She felt a little embarrassed.

"See? I told you I wasn't lying."

Tsunade chuckled and patted Kushina's head. "Just wait a little longer. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Mm..."

Kushina nodded. Her obedient manner softened Tsunade's heart.

Before this, Tsunade had worried that Kushina might have a bad temper.

After all, the Shinobi World had a reputation for the Uzumaki Clan being hot-tempered. They said Tsunade's grandmother had been the same way when she was young.

But now it seemed Kushina had a very sweet personality.

Soon, all kinds of delicious aromas filled the house. Even Nawaki, who'd been hiding in his room to train, was lured out by the smell.

"Dinner's ready!"

Minato came out of the kitchen carrying a pot of chicken stew. "Chicken soup's here~"

"Dinner!"

Nawaki ran to the kitchen to help Minato carry out the dishes.

"Tonight's menu is cola chicken wings, spicy chicken, crispy fried pork tenderloin, grilled pork belly, chicken stew, and a sashimi platter with salmon and tuna."

Minato pointed to each dish on the table as he introduced them.

"What a feast!"

Nawaki swallowed hard and sat beside Minato. "And I've never had any of these before. You were keeping this up your sleeve... No, all these tricks up your sleeves?"

Of course, I practice True Several Thousand Hands!

Minato smiled and poured juice for everyone.

Kushina stared at the dishes on the table. Aside from the sashimi, she'd never seen any of them before, and they all looked delicious.

"Cola chicken wings..."

Tsunade leaned toward the plate, sounding a little uncertain. "Does that mean they're made with cola?"

Minato nodded. "You could use sugar, too."

"They smell great. I just wonder how they taste..."

As she spoke, Tsunade picked up her glass. "Well, there's only one way to find out. But first, let's welcome Kushina! Cheers!"

"Cheers!" ×3

After clinking their glasses, Tsunade, Nawaki, and Kushina eagerly picked up their chopsticks and each reached for a dish they wanted to try. In unison, they said, "Let's eat!"

Kushina started with a piece of crispy fried pork tenderloin. She took a small bite, and the faint aroma of meat rose from its crunchy coating. Her eyes lit up at once.

"It's... It's so good!" she exclaimed.

"Told you, didn't I? Minato's cooking never disappoints."

Tsunade tried a cola chicken wing. "I never imagined you could cook with cola, let alone make something this delicious."

Nawaki didn't say a word. He just wolfed down the spicy chicken, panting from the heat but refusing to stop.

"I'm glad you like it."

Minato smiled as he refilled everyone's glasses with juice. Seeing Kushina enjoy his cooking made him feel quietly pleased.

Unfortunately, he'd made a little too much food tonight, and most of it was greasy or spicy. He'd already had his fill just from breathing in the cooking fumes.

"Thank you..."

Kushina spoke shyly when Minato poured her some juice.

"You're welcome."

Minato's warm tone and sunny smile made Kushina's cheeks turn faintly red.

This guy... He didn't really seem like a sissy, after all?

Maybe he was the gentle, considerate type?

Kushina thought to herself, sneaking a glance at Nawaki, who was tearing into the chicken beside Minato.

He was the rabid-dog type...

Nobody said much during the meal.

They all kept their heads down and ate, but the atmosphere wasn't awkward. Everyone was absorbed in the delicious food.

At last, Nawaki was the first to give in. He clutched his stomach and collapsed onto the tatami.

Tsunade put down her chopsticks and took a deep breath. Kushina pursed her lips and stayed silent.

After a long silence, all three were too stuffed to speak.

Then Nawaki suddenly sat bolt upright.

"Burp—"

Laughter filled the room.