Takeshi and the others were already on their way back to the Village.
A few days ago, Tsunade received an order from the Third Hokage to return to the Village, and Takeshi was also brought along by Tsunade.
Of course, Minato and Mikoto were not left behind either, which meant they could keep Nawaki company.
When Nawaki saw that he wasn't the only one returning, he immediately stopped crying and fussing, becoming incredibly joyful.
However, Takeshi still felt worried because of Danzo's arrival.
Before leaving, he had instructed his father, Genna Uchiha, to be careful.
He always felt that Danzo coming to the front lines had a high probability of being aimed at the Uchiha.
In the original story, this guy was very eager for the Uchiha's Sharingan, and although Takeshi had warned him before, it was clear from the current situation that it had no effect.
He was obviously looking for trouble!
Although Genna listened to Takeshi speak the entire time, he didn't seem to take it seriously, wearing an expression that suggested the Uchiha were invincible.
Takeshi felt quite helpless about this.
The Uchiha Clan members generally had quite arrogant personalities, and his father, Xuan Nai, was arguably the purest example of that.
He was the type who wouldn't shed tears until he saw the coffin.
"Sigh, I just hope I'm overthinking this."
A few days later, they returned to the Village.
Tsunade and her group were commanders on the front lines, so upon their return, they needed to report some matters to the Hokage first.
As for Takeshi and the others, due to the exhaustion from their long journey, the first thing they did upon arriving was to go home and rest properly.
By the next day, everyone's condition had fully recovered.
Because they hadn't seen Kushina in a long time, they once again held a long-awaited picnic.
However, this time there was one more person—Nawaki.
Perhaps it was due to their shared experience on the front lines, but this guy integrated very quickly.
"Gulp, as expected, Takeshi's is still the best tasting!"
Nawaki picked up a skewer of grilled fish and immediately stuffed it into his mouth.
Ever since he tasted it on the front lines, he had been craving it.
But ever since Kushina left, Takeshi hadn't made it again, which had made him hungry for a long time.
"Hmph, of course! You don't even need to ask who made it!"
Kushina looked proud, holding her head high.
"It's not like you made it, why are you so proud…"
Nawaki muttered softly.
"I… I was responsible for catching the fish, so how can I not have any credit?"
Kushina instinctively panicked for a moment, then quickly added, trying to cover up.
Heh heh… Don't think I don't know you like Takeshi!
Nawaki mumbled in his heart.
Kushina had talked about Takeshi non-stop at the Senju Clan Grounds, to the point where his ears were practically calloused; how could he not know her feelings?
In his opinion, these two liked each other, and the only reason they hadn't openly gotten together was simply that they couldn't bring themselves to say it.
He knew Kushina's tsundere personality all too well.
And the Uchiha were also famously a tsundere clan, so getting Takeshi to speak up would probably also be a difficult task.
These two really were a match.
But it was only a matter of time; once that thin barrier was broken, the two would naturally be together.
Nawaki's eyes darted between Takeshi and Kushina.
Takeshi noticed this and couldn't help but shake his head.
He knew Nawaki was thinking in a strange direction, and he didn't blame him, after all, his relationship with Kushina was indeed a bit special.
Takeshi's mission target was Kushina, so it was inevitable that he would show her a bit too much concern.
For example, the reason this grilled fish tasted so good was because Kushina wanted to have a picnic, so Takeshi specifically used his connections within the Uchiha to find substitutes with flavors similar to seasonings from his previous life, and then used the cooking skills he learned in his previous life to grill it.
But his purpose in doing all this was merely to ensure the physical and mental well-being of his mission target.
The two of them were completely innocent!
"Why aren't you eating? Don't you like it?"
At this moment, Minato, who had already finished his portion of grilled fish, saw Nawaki spacing out and immediately snatched his portion: "Then I'll help you finish it!"
He had also been craving Takeshi's grilled fish for a long time, and this time, it was a rare opportunity thanks to Kushina, so of course, he wanted to eat more.
"Hey, no, I'm still eating! Give it back to me!"
Nawaki immediately got anxious when his food was gone; this was the grilled fish he had been looking forward to for so long, and he absolutely couldn't let that guy snatch it away.
"Haha… it's really lively, isn't it?"
Mikoto covered her mouth and smiled sweetly, quietly observing the beautiful scene before her.
Soon, everyone ate their fill and lay back on the grass, enjoying a moment of quiet afternoon peace.
But this tranquility, of course, couldn't last, as there was one boisterous character among them whose energy was comparable to Naruto's in the original story—Nawaki.
He quickly grew restless and began to burn with youth and fighting spirit.
"What are your dreams?"
"?"
What, are you Wang Feng?
Takeshi's mouth twitched.
"My dream is to become the Hokage of Konoha like my grandfather, to protect the Village, and to protect my family and the villagers!"
Nawaki showed no embarrassment and spoke on his own.
"Idiot, I'm the one who will become Hokage!"
It's true that they're just kids; as soon as Kushina heard that the other person's dream clashed with hers, she immediately retaliated.
Through the commotion of these two, the atmosphere quickly became lively.
Minato couldn't help but join in.
"Hmph hmph."
He adjusted his sunglasses and said profoundly:
"My dream is to become a Ninja even stronger than Takeshi, and then have him make grilled fish for me every day!"
"Wow, damn it, you're cheating too much!"
Nawaki seemed very interested in this dream as well, wearing an annoyed expression as if wondering why he hadn't thought of it.
"No, Takeshi won't make it for you!"
Kushina immediately protested when she heard that.
No, this isn't even possible, why are you guys taking it so seriously?
These dreams are really getting more and more ridiculous… Takeshi's eye muscles twitched slightly.
"As for my dream…"
At this moment, Mikoto's voice rang out. She tilted her head slightly, looked at Takeshi, and then said:
"I hope I can become someone useful to the Clan."
If nothing unexpected happened, given Takeshi's current prestige within the Uchiha, he would be the next Clan Head.
So Mikoto's dream clearly had a hidden meaning.
Of course, she had no intention of interfering in the relationship between Kushina and Takeshi; she just wanted to quietly guard by his side.
"Your dream doesn't sound too difficult to achieve," Nawaki said, stroking his chin.
"Hmph, dreams should, of course, be achievable ones!"
Kushina sided with her good friend.
"Hmm, Sister Mikoto's dream sounds very good!"
Minato said, adjusting his sunglasses.
"Actually, it's nothing much."
Mikoto shyly waved her hand.
Now everyone had stated their dreams, and only Takeshi remained.
So they all looked at him in unison.
"Uh…"
Seeing them look at him, Takeshi couldn't help but feel awkward.
If I don't say anything, I'll seem out of place.
Facing the gazes cast upon him, Takeshi thought for a moment and said:
"If possible, I want to live."
"???"