Moving into Tsunade's House

"From today on, you will move in with me."

After leaving Mito, Tsunade said with a serious tone, "Although we are not in a time of war, assassinations of geniuses are not uncommon. You should be clear about your own importance."

"I understand."

Minato nodded. He did not want to reveal his trump card, the elementalization of the Glint-Glint Fruit, so carelessly because of such matters.

"As for the rent or whatever, just pay for it with the food you cook~"

Seeing Minato agree, Tsunade smiled triumphantly. Then, seemingly feeling her behavior was a bit excessive, she thought for a moment and added, "Of course, I'll have Nawaki help you. Besides, if you have any questions about your training, feel free to ask me!"

Minato smiled amusedly, "Does Teacher have any dietary restrictions?"

Tsunade thought about it, "Hmm... no restrictions, but I don't really like sweets, like dango or things like that."

"Then what does Teacher like to eat?" Minato asked again.

"Well, tender chicken, like the mouth-watering chicken you just made..."

As Tsunade spoke, she gave a hearty laugh, "But if it's your level of cooking, I think I'll like whatever you make."

"Chicken..."

Minato was lost in thought. The vast majority of boys were carnivores, and as a common ingredient, he knew quite a few chicken dishes.

Moreover, looking at Tsunade, although she couldn't handle spicy food very well, she didn't seem to reject chili peppers.

After picking up some daily necessities, Minato followed her to Tsunade's house.

As soon as the two entered, a brown-haired, spiky-headed boy with a round face rushed out barefoot, his feet thumping loudly on the floor.

"Big Sis, you're back!"

The boy looked two or three years older than Minato and appeared full of energy.

"I'm back~"

Seeing the boy, a soft smile appeared on the corner of Tsunade's mouth. She introduced him to Minato, "This is my younger brother, Nawaki. Nawaki, this is my disciple, Minato Namikaze. You two should get along well."

"Eh? Unbelievable. Even a sister who can't get out of bed would have the leisure to take on a disciple..."

Hearing Tsunade's words, Nawaki couldn't help but retort, then curiously sized up Minato, "This kid... he looks younger than me?"

And he looks so handsome; he must be very popular with girls...

Damn it, it's really enviable!

"Mm, Minato is a first-year student this year."

Tsunade changed into slippers and then found a pair for Minato, "And he's a super genius, too!"

"Eh? A genius, huh..."

Nawaki didn't take it too seriously; after all, his sister was also a genius.

"Nice to meet you, please take care of me." Minato smiled gently.

"Ah, well, nice to meet you too."

Nawaki nodded, trying hard to put on a mature posture, "Since you're my big sister's disciple, you're my little brother! I'll cover for you at school from now on!"

Hearing this, Minato smiled politely.

Tsunade couldn't help but roll her eyes at this. Although Nawaki was two years older than Minato, judging by the strength Minato had shown so far, he was fully capable of pinning her foolish little brother to the ground and rubbing his face in the dirt.

Tsunade's house was large, a traditional Japanese-style residence.

Minato's room was arranged next to Nawaki's, and the lighting in the room was quite good.

After setting up the room and looking at the sky outside, Minato went to sleep.

However, perhaps because he had suddenly changed environments, he couldn't fall asleep for a while, his mind filled with chaotic thoughts.

His contact with Tsunade meant that he had begun to get involved with the characters from the original plot.

This inevitably included some people with ulterior motives, such as Shimura Danzō and his ilk.

Minato wasn't too worried about this; his sense of belonging to Konoha wasn't strong. If they really pushed him too far, he could just leave.

With the ability of the Glint-Glint Fruit, no one could stop him if he wanted to leave Konoha. As for the Wood Release ninjutsu, he could just come back and take it in a few years once he had unlocked the Susanoo.

Of course, this was just the worst-case scenario.

Now he was Tsunade's disciple and was being looked after by Mito Uzumaki. Counting it up, he was also the grand-disciple of the Third Hokage, belonging to the direct line of the Hokage.

With this political background, combined with the uniqueness of Wood Release, as long as he didn't jump up and slap Hiruzen Sarutobi in the face, no one would do anything to him, even if he were a bit out of line.

It was just that, given his personality, he wouldn't do anything like bullying others by relying on his status.

As his mind wandered, Minato finally drifted into a drowsy sleep.

It wasn't until early the next morning that his biological clock, developed from recent training, forced him to open his eyes. Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, he paused for two seconds before remembering that he had moved into Tsunade's house.

He got up and washed up.

Passing by Nawaki and Tsunade's rooms, the house was quiet; it seemed both of them were still asleep.

After washing up, Minato went to the kitchen and looked around, finding the kitchenware and seasonings to be quite well-stocked.

He checked the cabinets one by one and found the rice, flour, and oil were almost full.

Next, he opened the refrigerator, which contained only a bag with two slices of toast, canned fruit, some sauces, eggs, green onions, tomatoes, and some wilted spinach...

"Hmm... it seems breakfast used to be bread."

Minato scratched his head; he still preferred hot food.

He took a look at the freezer, which was mostly filled with fast food: chicken patties, chicken drumstick fillets, pork chops, hamburger patties...

After a moment of thought, Minato took out a hamburger patty and used the microwave to defrost it.

Then, pouring flour into a bowl, Minato condensed a mini Rasengan in his hand, stirring as he added water, quickly bringing the flour to the consistency he wanted.

After clattering about for half an hour, a rich, fragrant aroma began to drift through the air.

In her room, Tsunade opened her eyes wide, her stomach growling like crazy.

She smelled the scent of food—it was practically demonic, actually pulling her straight out of her sleep!

Stunned for two seconds, she remembered that she had brought home a cook... a disciple yesterday, so she hurriedly put on her clothes and rushed out of the room.

"What smells so good?!"

Just as Tsunade stepped out of her room, Nawaki rushed out of his own, pulling on his shirt as he went.

The two arrived in the living room just as Minato was walking out of the kitchen carrying a large bowl.

"If you're awake, let's eat. I made some dough drop soup, there's plenty more in the pot..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the siblings turned into a gust of wind and rushed into the kitchen.

"Hey, Sis, don't push me!"

"Shut up, I'm serving you first, aren't I!"

"Hehe, Sis is the best~"

"The rest is mine."

"..."

Soon, the siblings walked out of the kitchen carrying large bowls.

Too busy to talk, they sat down next to Minato and impatiently scooped up the soup with their spoons, blowing on the steam before taking small, careful sips.

"Hoo—"

"Ha—"

With the first mouthful of soup down, the siblings let out a simultaneous sigh of satisfaction.

Minato couldn't help but smile as he watched their reaction.

He had always found dough drop soup to be magical; it had a warm, healing quality to it—simply put: warm and comforting.

It was also a very versatile dish. He had made tomato and egg dough drop soup, and adding spinach and diced hamburger patty didn't clash with the flavor at all. The tomato, in particular, easily triggered one's appetite, especially for those who liked the taste and were trying it for the first time.

"Slurp, slurp..."

The siblings ate like two little pigs, finishing every last drop of the soup in their bowls.

"Ah, my stomach feels so warm, I feel so satisfied~"

After finishing her soup, Tsunade braced one hand against the tatami mat and gently patted her slightly rounded belly, licking her lips in lingering enjoyment.

What a suggestive thing to say...

Minato's mouth twitched: "I added a hamburger patty. Since the main ingredients are beef and onion, you might break a sweat after eating it. Besides, dough drop soup is naturally good for warming the stomach."

Nawaki put down his bowl with reluctance: "So good, this is what a real breakfast should be like..."

Tsunade's gaze sharpened: "Oh?"

"Of course, I still like Sis's cooking the best!"

Nawaki gave a start and quickly waved his hands: "But I didn't expect Minato to be able to cook. Say, Sis, you didn't take him on as a disciple just because he's a good cook, did you?"

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes: "Didn't I tell you? This kid is a super genius; he might just become the biggest rival on your path to becoming Hokage!"

Nawaki looked unconvinced: "No way, Minato just started school."

"Oh—?"

Tsunade sat up straight. She suddenly remembered that her younger brother didn't seem to have experienced many setbacks.

Thinking of this, her expression turned playful: "Then do you want to try? As it happens, I need to test Minato's strength. How about I hand this task over to you, the upperclassman who's two years ahead of him?"

"Oh! Then just watch!"

Nawaki was full of enthusiasm: "I definitely won't lose!"