"Tsunade, what delicious food are you planning to treat us to?" Jiraiya swallowed unconsciously, his eyes already sparkling with anticipation.
Even Orochimaru glanced over curiously.
Tsunade came from a wealthy clan; there was nothing in the world she hadn't eaten before.
If she was calling it "delicious," then it had to be something extraordinary.
It seemed like they were in for a feast today.
Noticing the expectant looks in their eyes, Tsunade proudly placed her hands on her hips and said,
"My Renya-san's cooking is the most delicious food in the whole world!"
Renya's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
As he thought…
This brat was once again scheming to make him cook for her.
What a cunning little girl!
"Renya-sama?" Jiraiya looked up at him in surprise.
He only knew about Renya-sama's legendary exploits on the battlefield, but he had never heard anything about him being able to cook.
Judging by Tsunade's confidence, Renya-sama's culinary skills had to be exceptional.
For a moment, Jiraiya even wanted to taste Renya-sama's cooking himself.
But… would Renya-sama really agree to cook for them?
Having the great hero of the village cook for someone like him—it was something he wouldn't even dare dream of.
After all, he was just an orphan without any background, barely scraping by at the bottom of his class rankings.
Orochimaru discreetly glanced at Renya. Seeing no hint of displeasure on his face, he secretly sighed in relief.
Tsunade was Renya's niece, but he and Jiraiya weren't.
It was better not to get caught up in this.
"Tsunade, Jiraiya and I won't be going," Orochimaru suddenly said.
"Why—" Jiraiya began, but one cold glance from Orochimaru instantly shut him up.
He didn't know why, but when it came to Orochimaru, following his lead was usually the safest bet.
"Why not?" Tsunade tilted her head in confusion. "Why wouldn't you come?"
She had been planning to let them witness her Renya-san's amazing cooking skills.
Grandma always said that when you have something good, you should share it with your companions.
Renya turned his gaze toward Orochimaru. Of course, he understood what the boy was thinking.
No wonder this kid would one day become the shinobi world's greatest scientist.
Such meticulous reasoning at such a young age—his future prospects were limitless.
Renya found himself admiring Orochimaru more and more.
If possible, after these three graduated, he was thinking of applying to become their team's jōnin-sensei.
What did Sarutobi Hiruzen know about guiding children, anyway?
His "guidance" had ultimately led to all three of them leaving the village.
If it hadn't been for Konoha needing someone to serve as Hokage—and Naruto's stubborn "talk no jutsu"—Tsunade wouldn't have returned at all.
Clearly, he'd be better suited as their sensei.
As for Hiruzen?
He should just stay home and focus on making babies with Biwako.
Renya was confident Senju Tobirama wouldn't object to such a proposal.
With his teaching, all three would definitely become much stronger!
You had to start guiding geniuses when they were still kids.
Especially Orochimaru. With proper direction, his genius could accelerate the entire village's development.
That was the value of a true shinobi scientist.
Jiraiya, too, was a rare talent. Sure, he might be near the bottom of the class now, but in the future, he'd become one of the most famous figures in the shinobi world.
It only proved one thing: grades didn't determine capability.
Uchiha Obito and Uzumaki Naruto were also considered dead-last in class, yet both grew tremendously later on.
Renya himself was proof of that.
His academic performance back then wasn't particularly outstanding, yet he carved his name into history through his feats on the battlefield.
It seemed like he needed to have a chat with Senju Tobirama about possibly lowering the weight of cultural studies in academy evaluations.
They couldn't let classroom grades bury the real geniuses of the shinobi world.
In the end, this was a world where fists spoke louder than exams.
Maybe they should just make cultural classes an elective.
Of course… if Tobirama really followed that advice, Konoha would probably meet its doom sooner or later.
...
"You two are coming with us," Renya finally said.
Since Tsunade had already dragged him into this, cooking was inevitable anyway.
Whether he cooked for one or three made no difference.
He wasn't about to let Jiraiya and Orochimaru just walk away.
"Renya-sama, really?!" Jiraiya's face lit up, clenching his fists with excitement.
Getting to eat a meal cooked by his idol—it felt like a dream come true.
Orochimaru, too, was visibly surprised. He hadn't expected Renya to extend an invitation to them.
Renya-sama was so different from the cold, intimidating rumors; in reality, he was surprisingly approachable.
"Thank you, Renya-sama," Orochimaru said softly.
"Thank you, Renya-sama!" Jiraiya quickly echoed.
"You don't have to be so polite." Renya waved his hand with a faint smile.
After all, these two were his intended disciples. Sharing a meal was nothing.
As long as it didn't turn into another situation like Senju Tobirama constantly demanding he cook, it was fine.
An occasional private meal? No problem at all.
Renya then led the three little kids to the marketplace to buy ingredients.
Along the way, once Jiraiya realized that Renya wasn't nearly as cold-blooded as the rumors made him out to be, he transformed into a little curiosity machine, bombarding him with questions.
"Renya-sama, is it true that on the battlefield you killed a lot of enemies with poison?"
"More or less," Renya nodded slightly.
In truth, most of his opponents had fallen to his blade.
But he did coat the edge with pre-prepared poison beforehand.
So technically, saying they'd died to poison wasn't wrong.
"Whoa! That's amazing!" Jiraiya's eyes sparkled with awe. "One day, I'm going to develop poisons just as powerful as yours!"
Renya: "???"
He turned to stare at Jiraiya in surprise, completely taken aback.
Shouldn't Orochimaru be the one saying that?
What the hell was this kid thinking?
He hadn't even become his disciple yet, and he was already "learning bad habits."
"Do your best," Renya said finally, deciding not to crush the boy's enthusiasm.
"Renya-sama, I'll work hard to become just as skilled with poisons as you!" Jiraiya clenched his fists, his expression deadly serious.
To become a shinobi as strong as Renya—that was his dream.
"Idiot," Orochimaru muttered, shooting him a sidelong glance.
This dead-last had no business fantasizing like that. He should focus on passing cultural studies first.
"Hey! Orochimaru, you bastard, what's that supposed to mean?!" Jiraiya exploded, bristling instantly.
How dare he insult him right in front of Renya-sama!
Did he not care about saving reputation at all?
One day, during practical combat training, he'd defeat him for sure!
Orochimaru didn't bother responding. He merely gave Jiraiya a disdainful look.
Jiraiya fumed, trembling with suppressed anger. If he wasn't so outmatched right now, he'd have beaten Orochimaru up already.
"They're at it again," Tsunade sighed, pressing a palm to her forehead.
Renya, however, just chuckled as he watched the two bicker.
So these two had been forging their bond since childhood, huh?
No wonder that when Orochimaru defected from the village, Jiraiya had chased after him without hesitation.
Spending decades searching for his lost friend, trying to bring him back home…
This was the true meaning of Konoha's bonds.