There were many prisoners now, so they needed to secure enough food to keep up with demand.
It looked like they would have to gather enough food before they could set off back to the Land of Whirlpools.
"Father, keep a close watch on the Mist Ninja with the others. Our people are already exhausted. I'll head out to sea and catch fish myself. Once we've gathered enough food, we can set off."
Everyone had just been through a battle, and the others were worn out.
He was the only one who still had plenty of energy. Uzumaki Ashina nodded, indicating that he would keep a close watch on the Mist Ninja.
Then he exchanged a few words with the others. Several Jonin said they still had enough energy.
They went with the First Uzukage to where the Mist Ninja were being held on the island.
He looked over at Orochimaru, who had come from Konoha to help.
"I'm terribly sorry. Conditions are rather primitive at the moment. Once we're back in the Land of Whirlpools, we'll be sure to thank you properly."
The Three-Tails was restlessly roaming around, while Orochimaru followed behind, studying the runes used to seal it.
Too busy to reply, Orochimaru could only wave his hand to indicate that it was fine.
Watching Orochimaru hard at work studying the Sealing Jutsu,
Uzumaki Shori thought, If you're studying the seal on the Three-Tails, you could just ask me.
I'm the one who used this Sealing Jutsu.
He really couldn't understand it.
Uzumaki Shori turned and headed for the shore. He gazed out at the vast sea. He had no experience catching fish.
How was he supposed to catch fish in the ocean? It had become a tricky problem.
He looked rather awkward. He'd confidently promised to catch fish, but was he really going to return empty-handed?
He looked around, then turned to the people nearby and silently asked for help with his eyes.
Tsunade immediately noticed Uzumaki Shori's silent plea. She calmly walked over.
It looked like she was going to bail him out. She gathered chakra and walked up to a boulder.
"Strength of a Hundred!"
She lifted the boulder and hurled it straight into the sea.
"Boom!"
The boulder struck the surface, sending up a huge wave.
Uzumaki Shori got splashed from head to toe. He was just about to demand an explanation from Tsunade
when, moments later, a whole mass of fish floated to the surface,
their eyes gleaming. They looked as if the boulder had knocked them out.
One boulder wasn't enough, so she hurled several more into the sea.
Tsunade dusted off her hands and paced in front of him.
She was clearly waiting for praise. He hadn't realized a boulder could be used like that, though without the Strength of a Hundred, this method wouldn't work.
The awkward look on Uzumaki Shori's face gave way to a faint smile. At least the problem was solved.
"That's an amazing method. Otherwise, we'd have no fishing gear and might have to swim out into the sea to catch fish. Who knows how long that would take?"
To avoid anyone realizing he hadn't come up with a solution himself, he put on an authoritative air and ordered the Genin to go gather the fish.
Just as the Genin were collecting the fish, a chorus of shocked cries broke out, and everything descended into chaos.
Uzumaki Shori hurried over to see what was going on and discovered the mini Three-Tails gulping down fish one after another, thoroughly enjoying itself.
At this rate, it would eat the whole catch. He rushed over, grabbed the Three-Tails by the tail, and lifted it up.
"Damn brat, put me down! I haven't had fish this fresh in over a decade!"
The mini Three-Tails, Isobu, cursed as he stuck out his head, trying to bite the hand gripping his tail.
Grinning, Uzumaki Shori held the Three-Tails up.
"If I let you keep eating, you wouldn't stop even after a few days and nights. Once we're back in the Land of Whirlpools, I'll make sure you eat your fill."
Tsunade saw that he'd stopped helping collect fish and came over to tease Isobu instead.
After a long while, they finally finished processing the mountain of fish.
"Second Uzukage, we've gathered enough food."
Uzumaki Shori's eyes lit up at the towering pile of fish. It looked like they had enough food to get back to the Land of Whirlpools.
He ordered the Genin to take the meat they had cut from the fish
and carry it aboard the warships. Turning around, he found himself surrounded by bones.
He saw that Tsunade was still playing with the Three-Tails.
"Isobu, come take a look. Don't say I didn't look after you. There's food all over the place."
Hearing there was food, Isobu stopped arguing with Tsunade and hurried over on his little feet, eager to see where it was.
He turned and realized it was the fish he'd just eaten, but now the meat had been stripped away, leaving nothing but piles of skeletons.
He leaped up and rammed the other person's knee with his head, then ran over to the remains and opened his mouth to eat.
"Damn it! If I hadn't gone over a decade without food, I'd never have been tempted by scraps. And that despicable human!"
Tsunade walked over and covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.
"Is this really all right? No matter what, he's still a Tailed Beast with a fearsome reputation."
Uzumaki Shori watched the Three-Tails happily eating.
"Even if we defeated the Three-Tails, he wouldn't submit. We need to make friends with him instead. A few harmless jokes now and then can bring us closer."
With that, he called everyone over. The food was ready, so they would eat their fill before setting off for the Land of Whirlpools.
Just then, the patrol returned to the shore and quickly spoke up.
"Father, call everyone to gather at the shore. We're all here already, so there's no need to keep patrolling."
Uzumaki Ashina had been walking around for a long time, and his stomach was starting to protest, too.
He hurried off to gather everyone.
The Uzushio Ninja escorted the Mist Ninja over in groups.
Uzumaki Shori decided to show everyone what he could do. He took out a large iron pot.
Boiled fish, steamed fish, fried fish.
He saw everyone sitting together, packed shoulder to shoulder.
He quickly carried the dishes over.
A hot meal really was a treat.
Seeing Tsunade eat with grease shining around her mouth, he found himself walking over to her.
"If it's that delicious, how about I cook for you every day from now on?"
Everyone else was wolfing down their food and didn't hear their conversation.
Tsunade froze when she heard him. She hadn't expected Uzumaki Shori to say that. Was he confessing his feelings? She murmured a quiet reply.
"I wouldn't be against that. What happens next depends on how you behave."
Hearing Tsunade's reply, his heart leaped with joy. He hurriedly sat down beside her.
"Why wait until later? Let's start today."
"What?"
Tsunade froze at his words.
She'd thought they would slowly get to know each other and let their feelings grow. She hadn't expected Uzumaki Shori to be so impatient!
Her face gradually turned red. She stood up and shouted,
"You idiot!"
Then she ran elsewhere to keep eating.
Everyone around them turned to look at them in unison. When Uzumaki Shori glanced around, they all silently turned their heads away again.
It was as if a basin of cold water had been poured over him. His heart sank.
He had no idea what he'd said wrong. He'd only told Tsunade to eat more. Why had she reacted so strongly?
Realizing he might have embarrassed her, he looked at her pitifully.
Tsunade sighed inwardly and sat back down.
"Don't look so pitiful. This is what you get for saying things like that."
Before you continue