Tsunade-neechan, will you accept me offering myself to you?

Tsunade and Kushina finally snapped out of it, their faces flushing red, especially when they realized Uchiha Nagi hadn't even eaten a single piece of the barbecue himself.

Even Tsunade, the Princess of Konoha who had seen so much, reacted the same way.

"Um, well... Nagi's skills are truly incredible. Did you learn this from someone?"

"That's right, Sleepyhead! The meat you grilled is just too delicious!" Kushina quickly nodded in agreement.

"No one taught me. I suppose it's just natural talent."

Uchiha Nagi thought about Uchiha Eri's mediocre cooking skills; if he claimed he learned it from her, it would be exposed sooner or later, so he could only attribute it to talent.

Tsunade nodded, then called over the actual waiter to order several more servings of meat.

During the lull that followed:

"Sleepyhead, I feel like you grill better than the waiters who are actually paid to do it here," Kushina remarked, looking around.

"They are indeed better than the staff," Tsunade agreed firmly. Unlike Kushina, she had been to this barbecue restaurant many times.

Yet, never before had she eaten to such an extent.

"Wow! Sleepyhead, you're amazing! If you worked here as a waiter, business would definitely be even better!" Kushina's voice was filled with admiration.

"That would be child labor," Uchiha Nagi retorted, though he then hesitated.

There didn't seem to be any rules against child labor here, and if it were a barbecue joint, they usually stayed open until the early hours of the morning.

After finishing his daily training, he could certainly find the time to work.

This way, I could relieve some of the pressure on Eri.

Uchiha Nagi thought silently to himself; he was very uncomfortable letting a thirteen-year-old girl take care of everything for him.

Before, he had no choice, but now that he saw a possibility, he naturally wanted to seize it.

However, if he just showed up on his own, the manager of the shop would likely turn him away, so...

Uchiha Nagi looked up and stared earnestly at Tsunade. "Sister Tsunade, could I ask you for a favor?"

"Hmm? Go ahead." Tsunade was a bit surprised, but she didn't refuse.

"I want to work part-time at this shop, but given my age, it'll be hard to get hired. Could you please help me talk to the owner?"

Kushina was stunned. She had only been making a casual comment; she hadn't expected Uchiha Nagi to take it to heart and actually plan to act on it.

"Um, I was just saying that for fun."

Tsunade frowned, looking at the serious Uchiha Nagi. Although it felt strange for her to be lecturing an Uchiha, she spoke up anyway:

"Nagi, you're still young. Your priority right now should be your studies and training."

"I've already calculated it. If I only work the night shift, it won't interfere with my studies or training," Uchiha Nagi replied.

Tsunade watched Uchiha Nagi in silence for a moment, seemingly sensing something.

"Nagi, can you tell me about your family situation?"

The maturity he displayed, which far exceeded his age, made her doubt he was acting out of self-interest. If that was the case, there was only one explanation.

Uchiha Nagi needed this job to help support his household.

Uchiha Nagi remained silent for a long time. He didn't really want to reveal his circumstances, but it seemed clear that if he didn't, Tsunade wouldn't help him.

In the end, Uchiha Nagi explained that his parents had died when he was five, and that his only family was his older sister, a genin who struggled to make ends meet by taking on missions.

Kushina looked at Uchiha Nagi in shock, never imagining he had such a history.

And yet, under such conditions, he was still able to be so strong...

For some reason, Kushina began to admire Uchiha Nagi.

Tsunade stared at Uchiha Nagi.

"If I'm not mistaken, you haven't told your sister about the problems with your body yet."

Uchiha Nagi was left speechless.

His silence confirmed the answer for both Tsunade and Kushina.

Tsunade rubbed the back of her head; she could understand Uchiha Nagi's approach, even if she didn't approve of it.

But if she put herself in his shoes, she wasn't sure she would have done any better.

"How about this: come to the hospital the day after tomorrow after school," Tsunade decided after a moment of thought.

Uchiha Nagi froze. How did the conversation get back to his own issues?

"Sister Tsunade, is there a way to fix Sleepyhead's problem?" Kushina asked, pleasantly surprised.

"There is a method, though it might not necessarily solve the problem, so it's best not to get your hopes up too high," Tsunade replied.

"Regardless of the outcome, thank you very much for your help, Sister Tsunade."

Uchiha Nagi thanked her sincerely. He could roughly guess what Tsunade's method was.

What was certain for now was that he likely had a genuine mental issue, and the most direct way to address that in Konoha would involve the secret techniques of the Yamanaka Clan.

It was just that their secret techniques were not focused on medical applications, which was why Tsunade had told him not to get his hopes up too high.

"Hmm, you really are quite different from those other Uchiha."

Tsunade spoke bluntly, eyeing Uchiha Nagi as she sensed that his gratitude was indeed sincere.

Furthermore, after spending the day together, she had not felt a trace of the "arrogance" she usually encountered in those other Uchiha from him.

Uchiha Nagi remained noncommittal; he was, of course, different from those fellows who valued the glory of the Uchiha clan more than their own lives.

That in itself would have been fine, as everyone had their own approach to life.

But it was inexcusable for some Uchiha to claim the clan's past glory as their own without having accomplished anything themselves.

To be honest, Uchiha Nagi felt that such people were not the pride of the Uchiha, but rather their disgrace.

"Also, regarding working here, I agree to it. With your skills, it won't be difficult for you to stay." Tsunade spoke up again.

Uchiha Nagi opened his mouth, staring blankly at Tsunade.

"What, cat got your tongue? Let's get one thing straight: agreeing is one thing, but you must plan your own studies and training. You cannot let this interfere with them."

Tsunade found Uchiha Nagi's expression amusing; she picked up the tea on the table and teased him while taking a sip.

Uchiha Nagi remained silent for a long while before looking at Tsunade earnestly, saying every word clearly:

"Sister Tsunade, would you accept a proposal of marriage?"

"Pfft!"

Instantly, Tsunade sprayed out all the tea she had just sipped, breaking into a violent fit of coughing.

Kushina also stared at Uchiha Nagi in shock.

"Sleepyhead, you aren't joking, are you?!"