"All right, Kiba, that's Uncle Black Maru's bowl!"
Hana Inuzuka pulled her little brother away from Black Maru's food bowl.
Black Maru breathed a sigh of relief.
"I may be a dog myself, but I still think Tsume is far too rough about raising her kids."
As a talking ninja dog, Black Maru occasionally complained about some of Tsume Inuzuka's habits.
She had left them to raise her daughter back then, and now she had left them to raise her son, too.
Hana had grown a little older, so she was fine, but Kiba was already two and still ate on the floor like a puppy. Tsume never did anything about it.
"We can't help it. Dad went far away on a long-term mission, and Mom's too busy."
Hana Inuzuka carried her brother over to the dining table and sat him down.
Black Maru fell silent.
Hana Inuzuka's father hadn't gone on a mission. He had died fighting at the border.
The supposed long-term mission was merely Hana Inuzuka's excuse.
Black Maru lowered his head and began eating.
Hana Inuzuka held the restless Kiba still and wiped his mouth so he could eat.
Kiba Inuzuka wouldn't sit still at the table and began squirming.
"Ah-pfft!"
Before long, he knocked over the bowl in front of him, leaving miso soup and rice scattered across the table.
Hana hurried to wipe it up, but the wooden dining table was already smeared with food.
Tsume Inuzuka had just come home when she saw the mess. Without even taking off her ninja vest, she charged over, scooped up Kiba Inuzuka, and tossed him beside a large gray dog.
"If you won't eat properly at the table, eat on the floor!"
Kiba Inuzuka neither cried nor fussed when he landed on the floor. Instead, he