The Senju's Dining Table

"That aside, why are you here?"

Yueshu watched the blond figure using his chopsticks, his face full of confusion.

"Ahaha, I was originally planning to head home, but, well, I got injured, didn't I? So I thought I'd stop by to see you, and while I was at it, have Lady Tsunade treat me."

Minato Namikaze swallowed the food in his mouth in one gulp, then scratched his head and gave a sheepish laugh.

No, no, no, there is definitely something wrong here.

Yueshu stared at Minato Namikaze.

As for why he thought that, it was naturally because Minato Namikaze was acting strange.

Minato Namikaze, known as the Yellow Flash, was not the type to go around mooching meals, and he wasn't close with Tsunade; there was no reason for him to seek her out on his own initiative.

"You're injured? I'll take a look at you in a moment."

Before Yueshu could even open his mouth, Tsunade had already cleared up his confusion.

"Wait!"

Yueshu looked at Minato Namikaze and Tsunade with a bewildered expression.

"You two know each other?"

"Need you ask?"

Tsunade glanced at Yueshu.

"That guy Jiraiya has been telling me all day about the excellent student he took in; he introduced us a long time ago."

"Though, Minato is indeed outstanding."

Tsunade nodded, expressing her agreement.

"Um, Lady Tsunade, you're too kind."

Minato Namikaze raised a hand, feeling a bit embarrassed, especially since Yueshu, who had soundly defeated him, was sitting right there.

"Oh~ you don't need to worry about this guy; he's not human."

Tsunade seemed to know what Minato Namikaze was thinking and spoke up immediately.

"Hey, hey, what do you mean I'm not human? I would very, very much like to hear the reasoning behind that."

Yueshu gave a dry laugh as he looked at Tsunade.

"What normal person is this lazy and yet still has their strength steadily rising?"

Tsunade gave him a look as if he were an idiot.

"Try considering other people's feelings for once; you've made a genius look like an ordinary person just like that."

"Um—even I can get injured, you know."

Minato Namikaze had caught a stray bullet for no reason and felt extremely depressed.

"What right do you have to talk to me like that—"

Yueshu retorted, but when it came to considering others, Tsunade wasn't necessarily any better than Yueshu.

"What did you say? I didn't quite hear you just now."

As she set down her chopsticks and raised a fist, Yueshu immediately shut his mouth upon seeing Tsunade's posture.

Just kidding, that monstrous strength was not something an ordinary person could withstand.

Jiraiya had a wealth of experience regarding that point.

"Both Yueshu and Lady Tsunade need to learn to be more considerate of others, honestly."

"Minato, eat up, there's plenty more."

The conversation at the dining table ended, and Shizune, who was off to the side, spoke softly.

"Thank you."

Minato Namikaze had a strong mentality and didn't pay too much mind to the teasing.

After all, it was the truth; Minato Namikaze wouldn't make any excuses for his lack of strength. That was his way of doing things.

He just needed to work harder and harder to surpass Yueshu.

"Did you hear that? Even Shizune is talking about you."

Yueshu cast a sidelong glance at Tsunade.

"Oh? How did I hear your name in there too?"

Tsunade and Yueshu glared at each other again.

The two of them, one big and one small, were acting just like children. Shizune, off to the side, finally couldn't take it anymore and gave each of them a sharp rap on the head.

Two wisps of steam rose up, mingling with the steam from the food, as Tsunade and Yueshu each sported a bump on their heads.

"Honestly, it's always so rowdy whenever we eat."

Before anyone realized it, Shizune's status had been steadily rising within the Senju Residence, and now even Tsunade was being kept in line by her.

Yueshu could only say that was unrealistic.

After all, in the original story, Shizune was always following behind Tsunade with a helpless expression, appearing quite passive.

Perhaps it was the influence Yueshu brought, but Shizune had almost turned into the mother of the Senju Residence.

Look at this, even Minato Namikaze's personality had changed quite a bit, gaining a few more notes of masculine vigor.

"Sister Shizune."

"Truly impressive."

Watching the two people who had been beaten up before him, Minato Namikaze couldn't help but offer a compliment.

One of these two was one of the Sannin, famous throughout the ninja world, and the other was his rival—a rival he had never managed to defeat even once.

Although Shizune was a bit older than him, there was absolutely no way she should have possessed such immense strength, yet she had managed to subdue both of them. Minato Namikaze couldn't help but admire her.

"You flatter me; these two are just like children."

"It's just like a sister and brother, isn't it?"

Shizune and Minato Namikaze chatted with smiles, while Yueshu and Tsunade were bickering off to the side, having learned absolutely nothing from the lesson.

"You two, we have a guest here. Can't you settle down? And Lady Tsunade, why must you argue with Yueshu?"

Shizune stepped in once again to stop the pair.

"She's right."

Yueshu nodded.

"You're at fault too!"

Minato Namikaze watched the three of them with a smile from the side.

This scene caused constant ripples in Minato Namikaze's heart.

Alone as he was, he felt that kind of warmth.

It was the thing he craved the most.

"What's wrong, Minato?"

"Huh?"

Yueshu suddenly spoke up, and Minato Namikaze didn't react in time.

"Eat up, have some more."

"Don't worry."

Yueshu pointed to the food on the table, and Minato Namikaze gave him a look that said, "Leave it to me."

Tsunade stopped arguing as well, settling down with Shizune to watch Yueshu.

"Minato."

Yueshu spoke again, and Minato Namikaze didn't know what was going on.

"How are your cooking skills?"

"Hmm—they should be pretty good."

Yueshu asked and answered himself, resting his chin on his hand before smiling.

"Good, it's decided. Minato, from now on, you'll come here to eat. Morning, noon, or night—any time is fine."

"Wait a minute."

Yueshu's sudden decision left Minato Namikaze at a loss, and he instantly began to panic.

"Of course, you'll be the one cooking the meals, and we'll be responsible for eating them. As for the ingredients, we'll leave that to Shizune to handle."

Yueshu clearly hadn't listened to a word Minato Namikaze said, continuing on his own.

"Wait! Then what about you?"

Shizune chimed in from the side. Tsunade just smiled and said nothing; as long as she had food to eat, she didn't care about doing any work.

"What are you talking about? Does that even need to be asked? Naturally, I'll be doing something very important."

Yueshu wore an expression that suggested Shizune was thinking of something terrible, expressing his strong condemnation.

Then, one could clearly see black lines appearing on Shizune's head.

"Then may I ask if the 'important thing' you're referring to is just lying around like you usually do?"

"Lying around is a skill, you know. If it were an ordinary person, they would have been bored to death by now."

As Yueshu spoke, the black lines on Shizune's head grew more numerous, while Tsunade nodded along, clearly in agreement with Yueshu's words.

Thump!

Yueshu received another bump on his head.

"Wait! Why is this so sudden? Me coming here to eat and all that..."

Minato Namikaze finally managed to get a word in; no one had been paying any attention to him just a moment ago.

Yueshu, sporting two bumps on his head, glanced at Minato Namikaze.

"Just a whim."

"Well, Yueshu is Yueshu, after all. We don't mind."

The three people before him all appeared calm, though Minato Namikaze's heart was in constant turmoil; he still spoke rationally.

"However, me suddenly showing up like this, it's going to be a troub—"

"Not at all."

Before Minato Namikaze could finish his sentence, Yueshu cut him off directly.

"If anything, you're a huge help. With one more person to rotate shifts, we can have longer breaks. Oh, right, since you're the newcomer, why don't you work three days for every one day we work? That's a great idea."

Yueshu was being rather unreliable, and Minato Namikaze looked at him, not knowing what to say.

Ever since he had met Yueshu, Minato Namikaze's impression of him had been that he was powerful, lazy, and unreliable—different from everyone else around him. Yueshu was the only person Minato Namikaze had ever met like this.

"Well, you might as well just give in."

Tsunade took a sip of sake, her cheeks flushed.

"Just for this moment, you can think of him as me. In the Senju household, his word is law."

"Lady Tsunade."

Minato Namikaze murmured, looking at Yueshu, who was watching him.

For some reason, he felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to cry.

It was a different feeling from being around Jiraiya, yet it was just as warm.

"Are you going to cry?"

"I am not!"

Faced with Yueshu's teasing, the golden-haired boy known as a genius acted tsundere for the first time.

"Lady Tsunade, you're drinking on the sly again."

"Today is a good day, after all. How could I not have a drink?"

The table was noisy and boisterous, and Minato Namikaze couldn't help but laugh.

An inexplicable brat and a genius? And that person's...

This home has become a little bit livelier, hasn't it?

Tsunade took another gulp of sake, her cheeks rosy, her peripheral vision sweeping across the three people before her.

Is it the alcohol?

The corners of Tsunade's mouth curled upward involuntarily, without her even realizing it.