Kushina, Don't Cry!

He was going to eat his fill, then go home and sleep.

When it came to food, the Akimichi knew what they were doing!

With nothing but their special grilled meat, they could easily rake in mountains of cash. Such a lucrative business made many families drool with envy.

Unfortunately, they did not have the Akimichi's talent.

They could only watch helplessly.

"Not bad."

Jingyi picked up a piece of grilled meat, dipped it in a little sauce, and put it into his mouth. He gave it a fair assessment.

Fresh ingredients, premium dipping sauce, and crisp, refreshing side dishes.

With such a combination, it was impossible for the Akimichi not to make money.

There were plenty of barbecue restaurants in Konoha, but only the ones run by the Akimichi remained packed year-round. Their prices were also the highest.

Jingyi picked up a piece of cooked meat and was about to put it into his mouth when a small figure suddenly pounced at him.

How bold!

She actually wanted to snatch food from him midway!

Jingyi raised his hand to stop her, only to see a head of long red hair first.

Kushina?

Jingyi moved the hand blocking him aside and wrapped his arms around the little one who had thrown herself into his embrace.

"Waaah... Jingyi, Grandma Mito is gone."

Kushina buried herself in Jingyi's arms and began sobbing.

"How did you all—"

Before Jingyi could finish, the grilled meat on his chopsticks was snatched away by Tsunade. She ate it in one bite, then raised her brows at him. "Tastes pretty good."

"Hehe, long time no see."

Nawaki grinned, pulled over a small stool, and sat beside them.

"There, there. Don't cry."

Holding Kushina in his arms, Jingyi helplessly began coaxing her like a child.

Go on, comfort her properly. Kushina had been talking about you for an entire year.

Giving Jingyi a look that told him to fend for himself, Tsunade sat next to Nawaki and used her chopsticks to place meat on the grill.

After not seeing Jingyi for a whole year, Kushina's tightly suppressed emotions finally erupted.

The little girl cried miserably. The clothes Jingyi had just changed into were soaked across the chest.

But all he could do was keep comforting her, hoping she would calm down soon.

"Kushina, how did you know I was back?"

Seeing that comforting her was not doing much, Jingyi could only resort to changing the subject.

"S-Sister Tsunade said... said you would get back to the village today."

Kushina answered between sobs. She was crying so hard that her words came out in fragments.

After taking a bite of grilled meat, Tsunade huffed. "You came back and didn't even come to see us. You went off to soak in hot springs by yourself, then came here for barbecue."

"Don't mention it."

Jingyi looked up at the sky speechlessly. "Life at the camp was terrible. Even taking a bath was a hassle, let alone eating well."

"Lord Hokage is the worst. He was the one who sent you to the border camp."

As her attention shifted, Kushina's mood gradually stabilized. She sniffled as she blamed the Third Hokage.

Fortunately, the barbecue restaurant was crowded, and the tables were spaced fairly far apart. No one heard Kushina's words, or someone might have jumped up to criticize them.

They might even have gone to the Police Force to report them.

At this time, the Third Hokage was known as the Shinobi Hero. His prestige in the village was extraordinarily high.

"Look how thin you've gotten. You haven't been eating properly lately, have you? Smell how good this barbecue is. Hey! Nawaki, don't eat so fast! You're going to finish it all!!!"

Jingyi decisively dragged Nawaki out to draw the aggro and shift Kushina's attention.

"Brother Nawaki!!"

Sure enough, Kushina, who had been crying moments ago, instantly got angry when she heard that. How could he eat all the barbecue by himself?

Tsunade, who had been stuffing her face, immediately set down her chopsticks. Nawaki, holding a piece of meat between his chopsticks, looked utterly confused.

No... this was only my second piece. My sister ate all the rest. It had nothing to do with me.

Kushina's hot-tempered little-chili personality had already begun to show itself. As she grew older, she became more and more like Tsunade, which made Nawaki a little afraid of her.

"Not me, I didn't, I..."

Nawaki hurriedly tried to explain. He raised his hand to point at Tsunade, only to notice her staring at him warningly. For a moment, he wanted to die.

You're all horrible people. Every last one of you bullies me.

"Alright, Nawaki is just hungry. Let's order more meat. I'm hungry too, so let's all have a good meal."

After soothing Kushina, Jingyi winked at Nawaki, raised his hand to call over a server, and ordered quite a few more dishes.

With Jingyi there, Tsunade interrupting from time to time, and Nawaki drawing the aggro, Kushina's mood quickly settled down.

Jingyi also told them about some amusing things that had happened at the camp.

"By the way, Nawaki, you're about to graduate, right?"

As they chatted, the topic turned to that.

"That's right. Once I finish my graduation exams, I won't be a student anymore. I'll be a real ninja!!"

Nawaki looked smug beyond belief, as if he were one step away from standing up, planting his hands on his hips, and leaning back dramatically.

"You'll still be a rookie even after graduating!"

Tsunade showed no mercy as she shot him down. "Your sister graduated from the Ninja Academy at six."

"How am I supposed to compare with you?"

Nawaki shouted, "Jingyi didn't graduate until he was ten either! Why don't you call him a weakling?"

Nawaki was not actually weak. He only seemed weak compared to Tsunade.

Among the children about to graduate, aside from his academic grades, Nawaki ranked among the best in every other subject.

Jingyi watched the siblings argue with amusement.

A smile also appeared on Kushina's face, though it carried a hint of schadenfreude.

"Jingyi."

While Tsunade was lecturing Nawaki, Kushina leaned against him and whispered, "Can I invite some friends to your house tomorrow? I want to treat them to barbecue."

"Of course. I guarantee our little princess won't be disappointed."

"Hehe, Jingyi, you're so nice."

"By the way, who do you want to invite?"

"Um~~~"

Kushina counted on her fingers. "There's Sister Mikoto, and Little Blondie. Oh, and Mie..."

"Pfft~~~~"

Jingyi happened to be drinking tea, and he sprayed it straight out.

This Little Blondie... was he the one I knew?

"Is Little Blondie Minato Namikaze?"

"Yep."

Kushina narrowed her eyes with a happy smile.

"In class, he's the only one willing to be friends with me. Oh, and Mie too, but Mie doesn't talk much. You said before that Little Blondie always attracted girls' attention, so I think calling him Little Blondie is right."

When Minato Namikaze was young, he had been a sunny boy who loved to smile. He had good looks, a bright smile, and excellent grades in every subject.

Because of that, he attracted the attention of quite a few girls in class.

What a sin.

I was only describing him. I never told you to call him Little Blondie...

But there was no Little Blondie joke in the ninja world. Since Minato Namikaze already had golden hair, after Kushina had called him that for some time, he helplessly accepted the name.

"Jingyi... when Mie comes, you won't be angry with her, will you? She's a very timid girl."

Kushina looked up at Jingyi pleadingly.

[It's Children's Day today, so Qianqian has decided to post an extra chapter for you all~]