Buddha's Smile Wine

After Qingyun spent some time playing around with Kushina, Minato Namikaze, and Nawaki, the four finally returned to the River at dusk to enjoy their delicious bear paws.

Qingyun had marinated the bear paws and kept brushing them with honey as they roasted. Soon, a sweet aroma filled the air. Kushina, Minato Namikaze, and Nawaki swallowed hard, their eyes fixed on the four bear paws in Qingyun's hands.

"Qingyun, how much longer? I'm starving!"

Kushina spoke to Qingyun with an adorably innocent expression, her eyes never leaving the bear paws even as she talked.

"No rush. One more coat of honey, and once its sweetness has soaked into the bear paws, we can eat."

Seeing the three of them constantly swallowing their saliva, Qingyun answered with a smile.

Before long, after several layers of honey and barbecue seasoning, Qingyun had roasted the bear paws to a golden brown. Their rich aroma had all four of them, Qingyun included, greedily breathing it in.

"They're ready."

The moment Qingyun finished speaking, the other three eagerly grabbed their bear paws and bit into them, ignoring the heat. Even though the meat was scorching hot, fresh off the fire, they couldn't bear to spit it out.

Qingyun shook his head with an amused smile at their impatience. Rather than following their example, he took out a small knife, sliced off pieces of bear paw meat, and let them cool before eating at a leisurely pace.

Marinated, roasted with several layers of honey, and seasoned with his special barbecue mix, every piece of bear paw meat gave off a tantalizing aroma.

The meat was crisp outside and tender within. The moment it entered Qingyun's mouth, an exquisite savory flavor burst across his tongue. Now he understood how the other three felt, and he unconsciously began eating faster.

"Mmm~ It's so good! I've never eaten anything this delicious."

Kushina mumbled her praise through a mouthful of food, her face filled with bliss.

"Is it really that good?"

A gentle voice suddenly sounded behind Kushina. All four froze and turned toward the newcomer. "Grandmother Mito?"

"Grandmother, what brings you here?"

Nawaki swallowed his food and looked at Mito Uzumaki curiously.

Mito Uzumaki rarely left the Senju Clan's compound, so Nawaki and Kushina were naturally surprised to see her here.

"You were taking so long to come home that I came out to look for you."

Mito Uzumaki offered a casual excuse, then affectionately stroked Nawaki's and Kushina's heads.

"Sorry, Grandma. I was training with Qingyun today and forgot to tell you. It won't happen again."

Nawaki scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

"Grandmother Mito, Qingyun's roasted bear paws are really delicious. You should try some too!"

Kushina gave half of her bear paw to Mito Uzumaki.

The bear paw was so large that she wasn't worried about having enough to eat.

Mito Uzumaki accepted the bear paw Kushina offered with a smile, then began eating daintily.

Mito Uzumaki's arrival left Minato Namikaze, Nawaki, and Kushina feeling a little restrained, and each ate in silence.

Only Qingyun remained unchanged. After politely greeting Mito Uzumaki, he continued enjoying his food at his usual leisurely pace.

Mito Uzumaki took in all four of their expressions. Qingyun's maturity was nothing like that of a child his age. Moreover, the other three subtly treated him as their leader, telling her that he had already become their mainstay.

As she ate her bear paw, Mito Uzumaki observed Qingyun. After a while, she finished first and looked at him. "I heard you defeated Uchiha Fugaku today, the most talented member of the Uchiha Clan's younger generation?"

Before Qingyun could reply, Nawaki jumped up beside him, looking as proud as if he had defeated Uchiha Fugaku himself. He loudly told Mito Uzumaki, "Grandma, you have no idea how amazing Qingyun is! He beat Uchiha Fugaku in just a few quick moves! I admire him so much. Someday, I'm going to be just as strong as him!"

Nawaki's exaggerated expression was exactly like her husband's when he was young. Exasperated, Mito Uzumaki cut his performance short with a sharp rap on the head.

Nawaki cried out in pain and covered his forehead, looking at Mito Uzumaki with an aggrieved expression.

Mito Uzumaki rolled her eyes at him. "Grandmother is talking to Qingyun. Why are you interrupting? Where are your manners?"

Seeing Nawaki's aggrieved expression, Qingyun smiled faintly. "It wasn't as exaggerated as Nawaki makes it sound. Uchiha Fugaku really is quite skilled. I only defeated him after a tough fight.

"Besides, that was partly because he didn't know how strong I was. Now that he's seen my unusual taijutsu, he'll definitely be prepared next time. Fighting him again probably won't be easy."

"You're two years younger than him. Doing this well is already impressive. Besides, he may have learned how you fight, but haven't you learned how he fights too? I imagine you'll still beat him easily the next time you face him!"

After hearing Qingyun's words, Mito Uzumaki smiled faintly and stated the truth.

Qingyun shrugged at that, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Mito Uzumaki was right. He was growing stronger at a tremendous pace. If he had another chance to fight Uchiha Fugaku, he would certainly defeat him more easily than he had this time.

"If the Uchiha Clan's higher-ups give you trouble, you can come to me for help."

Seeing Qingyun's mature expression, Mito Uzumaki said no more. She rose to her feet and led away Kushina and Nawaki, both reluctant to leave.

Watching Mito Uzumaki walk away, Qingyun replied gratefully, "Thank you!"

He had now drawn the attention of the Uchiha Clan's higher-ups, and trouble was sure to follow. That Rat in the Gutter would probably emerge at any moment too.

Mito Uzumaki might not appear to have much power in Konoha, but her influence was actually greater than Hiruzen Sarutobi's. As long as she was around, Qingyun could focus on growing stronger without worrying about threats from the various factions for the time being.

"Big brother, is that Grandmother really powerful?"

Minato Namikaze looked at Qingyun in confusion. He had noticed a trace of relief on Qingyun's face. Clearly, Mito Uzumaki's final words had put him completely at ease.

"She's the First Hokage's wife. What do you think?"

Qingyun smiled faintly at Minato Namikaze's question and told him who Mito Uzumaki was.

"But she looks so..."

Hearing that, Minato Namikaze stared at Qingyun in disbelief.

"Didn't you notice the diamond-shaped mark between her eyebrows?

"That's the Uzumaki Clan's secret technique, the Yin Seal. Not only does it store chakra, but as long as the chakra inside it doesn't run out, she can use it to stay young forever."

Qingyun explained it to Minato Namikaze.

Tsunade had mentioned the Yin Seal to Qingyun before, so he wasn't worried that Minato Namikaze would wonder where he had learned about it.

"Then doesn't it work the same way as the internal arts we practice?"

The internal arts created a dantian within the body, which served to store chakra, making it very similar to the Yin Seal.

The dantian simply didn't have as many functions as the Yin Seal.

After sharing his conjecture with Minato Namikaze, Qingyun tidied up and brought their things back home.

A month passed in the blink of an eye. The day after eating the bear paw meat, Hiruzen Sarutobi had come to Qingyun to trade for the Lingbo Micro-Step and the Six Meridian Divine Sword.

Qingyun hadn't demanded an exorbitant price. In exchange for the Body Flicker Technique and the Shadow Clone technique, he handed over the training methods for the Lingbo Micro-Step and the Six Meridian Divine Sword.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was very pleased with Qingyun's attitude and valued him even more highly. He even took the initiative to pay Qingyun a salary that Qingyun had never asked for.

Qingyun had previously treated the wounded at the Ninja Hospital. Although he no longer went every day, whenever the chunin there was too busy to manage alone, Qingyun would still be asked to help.

Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi simply gave Qingyun the same salary as a chunin, and Qingyun accepted it without hesitation.

After all, he had earned it. Besides, the money would let him improve life for himself and Minato Namikaze. Why not take it?

After Hiruzen Sarutobi left, Qingyun bought a large quantity of supplies. Not only did he repair the wooden house and make it sturdier, but he also added all kinds of furniture, making it feel more like a home.

Today marked the final day of that month. Qingyun got up early and dragged a bleary-eyed Minato Namikaze out to dig with all their might. Soon, the two had unearthed dozens of wine jars.

Qingyun broke the clay seal on one of the jars and removed the final airtight lid. At once, the fragrance of wine mingled with medicinal herbs reached his nose.

"This Buddha's Smile Wine really lives up to its reputation as a medicinal wine from a martial arts world. Just smelling it tells me how extraordinary it is."

Qingyun greedily inhaled the wine's aroma, then eagerly poured himself a cup and drained it in one gulp.

At once, medicinal power erupted within Qingyun's body. With no time to marvel at it, he hurriedly sat cross-legged and began refining the medicinal power of the Buddha's Smile Wine.