"We're finally back!"
The red-haired girl, Kushina, stood in front of Konoha's gates with her arms spread wide, looking delighted.
"Haah~"
Yueshu yawned. He had no idea what Kushina was so excited about.
They'd been gone for nearly twenty days, but Yueshu didn't feel much of anything. If he had to say, he was just glad he could finally eat something decent again. He'd kind of missed Shizune's cooking.
Yueshu thought about how he wanted to get back to the Senju Residence right away and lie down.
Yueshu was the odd one out. The other three were more or less excited, while all he could think about was sleeping.
"Quest triggered:"
—Oh, come on!
Yueshu immediately came to his senses. That voice was never a good sign. It definitely meant another troublesome quest.
—We just got back! Can't you give me a break?
"Return to the Senju Residence within five minutes. Quest reward: one draw."
Yueshu had been bracing himself for yet another difficult quest, so he hadn't expected the system to give him a freebie.
As soon as the electronic voice finished speaking, the corners of Yueshu's mouth lifted against his will.
He couldn't help it. The system was giving out free rewards. He loved it.
"All right, the mission's complete. Everyone can—"
Whoosh!
A gust of wind swept past before Jiraiya could finish speaking.
"—get some good rest."
His words came too late. Jiraiya looked around.
One, two, three.
Someone was missing.
Yueshu had already disappeared.
"......"
Jiraiya's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Minato Namikaze and the other two were just as stunned.
This was the first time they'd ever seen Yueshu so enthusiastic.
"Could it be that the sun rose in the west today?"
Jiraiya glanced up at the blazing sun.
"I don't think that's possible, Jiraiya-sensei."
Minato Namikaze watched Jiraiya and replied helplessly.
Jiraiya scratched his head and smiled.
"Mikoto, let's go get some Ichiraku Ramen. It's been ages."
Yueshu had already left, and Kushina couldn't be bothered to go after him. She called to Mikoto and headed toward Ichiraku Ramen.
"Wait for me, Kushina."
Mikoto hurried after her.
The two girls walked off together, leaving only Minato Namikaze and his teacher, Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya-sensei."
Minato Namikaze watched Kushina and Mikoto head to the ramen shop. He'd been thinking of going somewhere to eat with Jiraiya, but when he turned around, the white-haired figure had already vanished.
"I'm off to do some research, Minato! Get some rest. You're still not healed yet."
Jiraiya was already a tiny figure in the distance, but his voice rode the wind back to Minato.
Minato Namikaze sighed.
"Jiraiya-sensei is injured too."
After a quiet grumble, Minato Namikaze still set off.
He planned to wander around, eat some dango, and then go home to rest.
As he walked,
Minato Namikaze suddenly had an idea, and put his plans to go home and rest out of his mind.
Wasn't there a medical ninja in Konoha who was highly skilled? He could stop by and check on them while he was out. Two birds with one stone.
Thinking this, Minato Namikaze set off.
Meanwhile, Yueshu had made it back to the Senju Residence.
There wasn't a soul in the house, and the electronic voice in his head sounded again.
"Quest complete: Return to the Senju Residence within five minutes. Reward: one draw."
The reward was safely in hand, and Yueshu smiled.
A girl's clear voice came from the yard. Yueshu immediately knew what Shizune and Tsunade were doing.
It was nothing more than Shizune's regular Medical Ninjutsu practice.
Shizune wasn't particularly gifted at Medical Ninjutsu, and she hadn't made any terrifyingly rapid progress that was visible to the naked eye. Even so, master and pupil kept up their daily training.
Part of it was perseverance, and part of it was probably a sense of responsibility and guilt.
"System, draw."
Never mind all that. Yueshu just wanted to do a proper draw.
After getting unlucky twice before, Yueshu refused to believe he'd be that unlucky again.
That was what he thought.
But reality was cruel. The system's voice rang out and immediately gave him the result.
Would it be bad luck or good luck?
"Congratulations, host. You have obtained—"
"Master Chef (S-rank)"
"Pfft!"
Yueshu spat out a mouthful of blood—at least, in his imagination.
"You've gotta be kidding me! I can draw cooking skills? And it's S-rank, no less! What does that say about those A-rank ninjutsu?"
Yueshu blurted out his complaint.
He kept spouting one line after another, but the system completely ignored him.
Only Yueshu was left talking to himself like an idiot.
"What are you doing?"
"Uh—"
A woman's voice came from nearby, and Yueshu immediately fell silent.
He turned around.
Tsunade was looking at him with a strange expression. Behind her, Shizune had the same look in her eyes.
The look people gave an idiot.
Yueshu seemed to understand what they meant, and his fragile heart took another hit.
"Farewell, wonderful world."
He flopped down on the floor. Somehow, a blanket appeared in his hands, and he promptly went to sleep.
Bam!
A cry of pain rang out from the Senju Residence.
"You just got back, and you're already up to something. Acting like an idiot again?"
Smoke still rose from Tsunade's fist. She wore a kindly expression, while Yueshu lay face-down on the floor, smoke rising from his head.
"Nothing. I just felt the call of the African continent."
Yueshu lay sprawled on the floor, speaking in a weak voice.
"Honestly, you went away for once, but you haven't changed at all."
Tsunade sighed.
"You're still the same little weirdo. I worry about what you'll be like when you grow up."
"I don't think you're in any position to say that."
Yueshu glanced at Tsunade, who had suddenly lain down.
For some reason, ever since Yueshu moved into the Senju Residence, Tsunade had gotten lazier and lazier.
"Honestly, Yueshu and Lady Tsunade are both so shameless."
Shizune sighed, exasperated with the two of them.
The big one and the little one did nothing but slack off and sleep all day.
Tsunade only got up to teach Shizune during training, and Yueshu only got up to cook when it was his turn.
Aside from that, Shizune had never seen either of them do anything else.
"Don't you ever get tired?"
Shizune asked curiously, looking at Yueshu. Compared to Tsunade, Yueshu was the worst of the two. His level of laziness was far beyond hers.
"It can't be helped. There are no phones or computers, no novels or manga, no anime to watch, and no games to play. I used to spend all my free time doing those things. Now that I can't, I don't know what to do. Working out is too tiring. I'll pass, even with the assistance this time."
Yueshu looked as if there was nothing he could do about it. As he spoke, a wistful expression crossed his face, and he sighed again, looking dejected.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Shizune couldn't understand a word Yueshu was saying. She'd never even heard of the computers and other things he mentioned.
"Those are the supreme products of modern civilization. You don't need to understand. Just let me be for now."
Yueshu rolled over and right off to the side, where he started mourning by himself.
"Suit yourself. Since you're finally back, I'll cook dinner tonight. I'm going out to buy some groceries."
"Shizune, bring me a few portions of Five-Color Dango, okay?"
Tsunade waved. Shizune sighed and said she would.
The sunlight outside the window was at its brightest. Yueshu and Tsunade lay side by side on the tatami.
"So, how was the mission?"
"If we're talking about that, there's something I have to say first."
Tsunade looked at Yueshu, breathing a little heavily, as if she could barely contain herself.
"What?"
"Do me a favor and tell the Third Hokage to check those C-rank missions properly. My poor heart can't take this."
Yueshu looked as if his heart was about to give out. Tsunade burst out laughing.
"So your first C-rank mission turned into a different kind of mission too, huh? I bet it turned into an A-rank mission."
Tsunade's laughter echoed through the house. Yueshu was speechless.
"Konoha's C-rank missions really are a crime."
"Hahaha, it only happens now and then. Our first C-rank mission was like that too. It was supposed to be a normal escort mission, but somehow it turned into an A-rank mission. Luckily, our teacher and the rest of us were pretty strong. Otherwise, you wouldn't be seeing me now."
"No, no. We're both victims right now. Do you really think I'll believe it was just a coincidence?"
"Truth is, aren't all of Konoha's C-rank missions actually A-rank, or even S-rank?"
Yueshu grumbled.
These C-rank missions really did cause people no end of trouble.
"Well, we made it back alive, didn't we?"
Tsunade was very easygoing about it. She laughed, and that was that.
But she was only saying that. Yueshu knew all too well that this lazy woman was actually very concerned about other people.
"True."
That was just how Yueshu was. He didn't dwell on things that were already over.
"All right, time to sleep. I had a bit to drink last night, and my head still hurts. Good night."
Tsunade snatched Yueshu's cup and went straight to sleep.
"Fine. Ladies first."
Yueshu had no choice but to find another cup.
He was used to covering himself with something when he slept. Even without a blanket, it was nice to hold one.
The air was quiet. A little sunlight filtered in through the window, and Yueshu and Tsunade breathed evenly, their breaths rising and falling in turn.
"I'm back. We have a guest for dinner tonight."
"Sorry to intrude."
Shizune's voice came from outside, and a blond figure stepped into the Senju Residence, looking a little hesitant.
It looked like dinner at the Senju Residence would be lively again tonight.
Before you continue