Senju at the Dinner Table

"By the way, why are you here?"

Yueshu watched the blond figure picking up his chopsticks, looking puzzled.

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

Minato Namikaze swallowed the food in his mouth in one gulp, then rubbed the back of his head with an awkward grin.

No, no, something's definitely off here.

Yueshu watched Minato Namikaze.

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

The Minato Namikaze known as the Yellow Flash wouldn't mooch a meal, and he wasn't close to Tsunade either. There was no reason for him to seek her out.

"Are you injured? I'll take a look in a bit."

Before Yueshu could say anything, Tsunade cleared up his confusion.

"Wait!"

Yueshu stared at Minato Namikaze and Tsunade, completely dumbfounded.

"You two know each other?"

"Of course we do."

Tsunade glanced at Yueshu.

"That guy Jiraiya keeps telling me he's got a good student. He introduced us ages ago."

"But Minato really is outstanding."

Tsunade nodded in agreement.

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

Minato Namikaze raised a hand, a little embarrassed. After all, Yueshu, who had thoroughly beaten him, was sitting right there.

"Oh, don't mind this guy. He's not human."

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

"Hey, hey. What do you mean I'm not human? I'd really, really like to hear your reasoning."

Yueshu gave an awkward laugh as he looked at Tsunade...

"What normal person could be that lazy and still steadily get stronger?"

Tsunade looked at him as if he were an idiot.

"Have a little consideration for how other people feel. You've made a genius seem like an ordinary person."

"Um—even I get hurt sometimes."

Minato Namikaze got caught in the crossfire for no reason again, and he was utterly dejected.

"What right do you have to say that about me—"

Yueshu shot back. When it came to considering other people, Tsunade wasn't necessarily any better than he was.

"What did you say? I didn't quite catch that."

She set down her chopsticks and raised a fist. The moment Yueshu saw her like that, he clamped his mouth shut.

No joke. Not many people could withstand that monstrous strength.

Jiraiya had plenty of experience with that.

"Yueshu and Lady Tsunade, you both need to learn to be more considerate of others. Honestly."

"Minato, eat as much as you like. There's plenty more."

The conversation at the table came to an end. Shizune, sitting nearby, spoke gently.

"Thank you."

Minato Namikaze was thick-skinned, and didn't take their teasing to heart.

After all, it was true. Minato Namikaze would never make excuses for being weak. That was just how he was.

He only needed to work even harder and surpass Yueshu.

"See? Even Shizune said something to you."

Yueshu shot Tsunade a sidelong glance.

"Oh? Didn't I hear you in there too?"

Tsunade and Yueshu stared each other down again.

The grown woman and the little kid looked just like children. At last, Shizune couldn't take it anymore and bonked them each on the head.

Two wisps of steam rose up and mingled with the steam from the food. Tsunade and Yueshu each had a bump on their head.

"Honestly, every meal turns into such a racket."

Without anyone noticing, Shizune's standing in the Senju Residence had been steadily rising. Now, even Tsunade was under her thumb.

Yueshu could only say it was unreal.

After all, in the original story, Shizune was always following behind Tsunade with a helpless look, completely passive.

Maybe it was the influence Yueshu had brought. Shizune was practically turning into the mom of the Senju Residence.

Look, even Minato Namikaze's personality had changed quite a bit. He'd become a little more manly.

"Shizune-nee."

"Impressive."

Minato Namikaze looked at the two people who'd been bonked and couldn't help praising her.

One of them was one of the Sannin, famous throughout the Ninja World. The other was his opponent—the one he'd never once managed to beat.

Shizune was a little older than him, but there was no way she could be that powerful. Yet she'd managed to subdue both of them. Minato Namikaze couldn't help but admire her.

"You flatter me. These two are just like children."

"You two really are like siblings."

Shizune chatted and laughed with Minato Namikaze. Beside them, Yueshu and Tsunade were bickering again, having learned nothing from their punishment.

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

Shizune stepped in to stop them again.

"She's right."

Yueshu nodded.

"You're in the wrong too!"

Minato Namikaze watched the three with a smile.

The scene stirred something inside Minato Namikaze.

Alone as he was, he could feel that warmth.

It was what he longed for most.

"What's wrong, Minato?"

"Huh?"

Yueshu spoke to him suddenly, and Minato Namikaze hadn't even realized it.

"Eat up. Have some more."

"Don't worry."

Yueshu pointed at the food on the table. Minato Namikaze gave him a look that said he'd take care of it.

Tsunade had stopped arguing too. She and Shizune quietly watched Yueshu.

"Minato."

Yueshu spoke again, and Minato Namikaze wasn't sure why.

"How's your cooking?"

"Um—I think it's pretty good."

Yueshu asked himself, resting a finger against his chin, then smiled.

"Good, it's settled. Minato, from now on, you can come eat here. In the morning, at noon, or in the evening."

"Wait."

Yueshu's sudden decision left Minato Namikaze at a loss. He immediately started to panic.

"Of course, you'll be the one making the meals. We'll be in charge of eating, and Shizune can handle the ingredients."

Yueshu clearly hadn't listened to a word Minato Namikaze said. He just kept talking to himself.

"Wait! What about you?"

Shizune cut in. Tsunade just smiled without saying anything. She didn't have to do any work anyway. As long as there was food, she was happy.

"What are you talking about? Isn't it obvious? I'll be doing something very important."

Yueshu looked at her as though she were thinking something improper, his expression full of reproach.

Then Shizune's forehead visibly darkened.

"And what exactly is this important thing you're talking about? Lying around like usual?"

"Lying around is a skill, you know. An ordinary person would've been bored to death by now."

As Yueshu spoke, more and more dark lines appeared on Shizune's forehead. Tsunade nodded along, clearly agreeing with him.

Bonk!

Yueshu got another bump on his head.

"Wait! Why was this decided so suddenly? I came here to eat or something—"

Minato Namikaze finally got a chance to speak. Until then, no one had paid him any attention.

With two bumps on his head, Yueshu looked at Minato Namikaze.

"I felt like it."

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

The three people in front of him all looked perfectly calm. Minato Namikaze's heart was in turmoil, but he still managed to respond sensibly.

"But if I suddenly show up, I'll be a bother—"

Minato Namikaze couldn't finish his sentence. Yueshu cut him off outright.

"Not at all."

"If anything, it'll be a huge help. With one more person taking turns, we'll get more days off. Oh, you're the newcomer, so how about you cook for three days and we cook for one? That sounds like a great idea."

Yueshu was being as unreasonable as ever. Minato Namikaze looked at him, unsure what to say.

Ever since meeting Yueshu, Minato Namikaze's impression of him had been that he was powerful, lazy, and unreasonable. He was unlike everyone else around him. Minato Namikaze had only ever met one person like that: Yueshu, sitting right in front of him.

"Well, you might as well give in."

Tsunade took a sip of sake, her cheeks a little flushed.

"Just this once, you can think of him as me. He's the one in charge of the Senju Clan."

"Lady Tsunade."

Minato Namikaze murmured, looking toward Yueshu, who was watching him from the side.

For some reason, he suddenly felt like crying.

It wasn't like the way he felt with Jiraiya, but it was just as warm.

"Are you going to cry?"

"I am not!"

Faced with Yueshu's teasing, the blond boy hailed as a genius turned bashful for the first time.

"Lady Tsunade, you've been drinking again without telling anyone."

"Today's a special occasion. How could I not have a drink?"

The table was noisy with chatter, and Minato Namikaze smiled.

What a strange kid, and a genius too? And that person's...

This home has gotten a little livelier.

Tsunade took another swig of sake, her cheeks rosy as she glanced at the three people in front of her.

Was it the alcohol?

The corners of Tsunade's mouth lifted of their own accord, and she didn't even notice.