Eat Your Fill and Take Some Home

Uchiha Nagi thought it over, then answered seriously:

"If Sister Tsunade agrees, then I'm not joking. If she doesn't... then I am."

"So no matter what, you're right, huh?" Tsunade feigned annoyance and tapped Uchiha Nagi on the forehead.

"Are you repaying my kindness or getting revenge?"

"Of course I'm repaying you," Uchiha Nagi muttered, then glanced at Tsunade's figure.

Well, looking at it that way, he really was getting to eat his fill and take some home.

"Okay, enough joking around." Tsunade shook her head, looking a little helpless.

Uchiha Nagi didn't say anything more. He knew that Tsunade had probably done this on impulse, out of sympathy.

He wasn't like those proud protagonists who would get angry and storm out over something like this.

So, yes, he really had been trying to lighten the mood. It was just that...

Actually, he might not have been joking!

All he could say was, Kushina, your older sister really is irresistible.

Then another round of barbecue arrived, and Tsunade called the restaurant's owner over to tell him about Uchiha Nagi's idea.

At first, the owner from the Akimichi Clan was hesitant. In principle, they didn't take on children so young as waiters.

But Tsunade's status gave him pause, and he didn't feel comfortable refusing.

Once he'd tasted Uchiha Nagi's cooking for himself, though, he agreed right away.

With skills like that, it seemed like a waste to have him working as nothing more than a waiter who helped grill meat.

What was even more of a shame was that Uchiha Nagi was only available to come in at night.

Otherwise, given his skills, the owner thought the restaurant's business could reach an even higher level.

In truth, Uchiha Nagi's grilling skills were good, but merely excellent. There were people at the restaurant who were even better.

However, to pass the owner's test, he had quietly activated his Sharingan.

That was why he'd been so precise this time, both in grilling the meat evenly and in judging when to add the seasonings. That was what made Boss Akimichi look at him in a new light.

Uchiha Nagi figured that if other Uchiha found out he'd activated his Sharingan just to do this, they'd probably curse him for insulting it.

"If you have an ability and don't use it, aren't you just an idiot?"

Uchiha Nagi merely muttered that to himself. He didn't feel the least bit ashamed; in fact, he was rather pleased with himself.

At that moment, he was looking over the contract in his hands.

He had to admit, with Tsunade acting as the middlewoman, the contract was quite generous, and the terms were excellent. It was the kind of contract he'd dreamed of getting in his previous life.

But one clause stated that...

Whenever he worked, he would need to set aside some time to grill meat for a specific customer.

Uchiha Nagi looked at the way Boss Akimichi was eyeing the food. The man didn't seem to have had enough.

But since Tsunade was there, he didn't dare ask Uchiha Nagi to keep grilling for him. Uchiha Nagi could more or less guess who the "specific customer" was.

All he could say was, as expected of the Akimichi Clan. Their dedication to barbecue was beyond ordinary people's understanding.

Uchiha Nagi had no objections, of course. He'd be serving someone either way, and if the owner enjoyed his food, maybe he'd even get a raise!

After Boss Akimichi finally left, reluctant to go, Uchiha Nagi once again became Tsunade and Kushina's personal waiter.

This time, though, perhaps because they'd already eaten quite a lot during the previous round, or because they knew Uchiha Nagi had been busy this whole time without getting to eat a single bite, they slowed down considerably.

At last, Uchiha Nagi got to eat the meat he'd grilled himself.

"Hm?"

He bit into it, and the crisp exterior and juicy interior made his eyes widen.

"This is delicious! The meat is unbelievably good!"

He'd eaten barbecue in his previous life, but nothing had come close to this.

If his skills hadn't improved, or had only improved a little, then the biggest difference had to be the quality of the meat.

Soon, they finished another round of barbecue. After a few more rounds, all three finally leaned back, rubbing their overfull stomachs with satisfaction.

"I think this is the most I've eaten in years." Tsunade glanced at the stack of barbecue plates piled up like a little mountain and was startled. It looked like she was going to take a huge hit to her wallet.

Still, after eating barbecue this delicious, so be it. It was worth it!

"Me too!" Kushina said, looking at Uchiha Nagi.

"Sleepyhead, next time we come, will you grill for us again?"

"Of course. But you'll have to tell me in advance, or I'll probably be pretty busy." Uchiha Nagi naturally didn't refuse.

"Then it's a promise!" Kushina was excited. From now on, she'd be able to eat such delicious barbecue whenever they came.

"Sure, but you'll have to pay for it yourself. Even I can't afford to eat like this all the time." Tsunade glanced at the bill and rolled her eyes.

"Hmph, I'll pay, then! I'll ask Grandma for money!" Kushina wasn't worried in the slightest.

Tsunade looked helpless. Wasn't Kushina's grandmother her grandmother too?

Still, she couldn't very well ask her own grandmother for money again, but Kushina could.

The three of them left the barbecue restaurant. By then, night had fully fallen.

"Sister Tsunade, Kushina, I should head home now." Uchiha Nagi glanced at the sky and began to say his goodbyes.

"All right. Be careful on the way."

Tsunade and Kushina waved to Uchiha Nagi. Then Tsunade watched his small figure and her gaze flickered.

She didn't think everything Uchiha Nagi had told her about himself today was false, but she still needed to find someone to confirm it.

If it was true, then given his character, conduct, and talent, perhaps they could draw him away from the Uchiha Clan.

With that in mind, Tsunade headed toward the old house with Kushina.

Back at Uchiha Nagi's place, he stared at the lights shining inside and paused.

His first thought wasn't that someone had broken in. What burglar would turn on the lights in the home they'd broken into?

Besides, there wasn't anything in his house that a thief would want.

"Did Eri come back from her mission today?"

Uchiha Nagi opened the front door.

"I'm home!"

"Well, look who's back. It's our little Lord Nagi!" Uchiha Eri saw him and visibly relaxed, then teased him.

"Yeah, I went out to eat with a friend." Uchiha Nagi answered calmly, without letting on that he'd gone to see a doctor.

"Hm? Little Nagi has a friend?" Uchiha Eri was surprised.

Not because she thought Uchiha Nagi had a bad personality, but because...

When Uchiha children went to school, they hardly ever had friends. At most, they had lackeys.

That was the reputation they carried!