"Here, this is for you."
Kakashi raised his hand and offered Yugito Nii the three-colored dango he had bought at the dessert shop.
"Huh, there's even a pale yellow one?"
Yugito Nii was a little surprised.
Three-colored dango were usually pink, white, and green.
"Uh... probably thanks to someone's creativity."
Kakashi scratched the back of his head. Remembering Izumi, who had prepared lemon-flavored dango when he once visited Root, the corner of his mouth twitched.
"It's lemon-flavored. Nice and light. Delicious."
Yugito Nii gently bit a dumpling off the skewer and chewed it, the fresh fragrance of lemon blooming across her taste buds.
Her eyes lit up at how good it tasted.
"Mm-hmm. They've improved it, after all."
Kakashi nodded. Anything put up for sale now had definitely been refined by the shop owner.
Otherwise, with Izumi's original version, people would probably only have bought it for pranks.
"I think a friend of mine came up with it, actually. But her first batch was so sour, it nearly killed the lot of us."
Kakashi added.
Yugito Nii was a little surprised, then held the skewer of three-colored dango, with one dumpling left, up to Kakashi.
"Say ah-"
Kakashi's eyelid twitched.
"I'm not a little kid..."
"Oh, come on, play along. Open up."
Helplessly, Kakashi opened his mouth and ate the dumpling.
Mm, it really did taste much better.
Just then, a bush not far away rustled, and a fist nearly thrust out of it.
"Izumi, don't let your temper get the better of you!"
"That bastard Kakashi actually insulted my dessert-making skills!"
Izumi's voice rang out, stifled with anger, but Karin and Hinata still held her back.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Kakashi suddenly turn his head toward somewhere nearby, Yugito Nii asked curiously.
"Nothing."
Kakashi shook his head.
*Must have imagined