The afternoon sun was merciless.
Thankfully, the jujube tree in the courtyard gave Drake a thick umbrella of shade.
By his usual standards, a proper nap had to last until nightfall to be considered successful.
Unfortunately, Minato-sensei's invitation to a вечер barbecue gathering ruined that perfect plan.
"Since it's a dinner party, I don't even have to cook," Drake muttered.
After washing his face, he decided to skip both lunch and dinner and just eat properly at night.
After all, this was his teacher's treat.
BBQ Restaurant
The place was packed with diners, loud and bustling.
Honestly, Drake had hardly ever eaten here before — mainly because it was expensive.
Just like how low-income people rarely walked into Western restaurants, this place felt equally distant.
"Drake, sit here!"
Rin pointed happily at the spot beside her.
"Hey! Why don't you let me sit there?" Obito immediately protested.
Why did she invite Drake and not him? That guy was clearly a pervert who'd even dared to sleep while hugging the client!
Ignoring the whining, Drake calmly sat down.
"Hey, switch seats with me," Obito whispered.
"No," Drake replied without hesitation.
"Then Kakashi, you switch with Rin!"
"Heh." Kakashi responded with a cold laugh.
Obito felt thoroughly isolated, though he had no solid proof.
"Where's Minato-sensei?"
"Not here yet."
Since the one paying hadn't arrived, no one dared to start eating.
Just as they waited—
"Oh my, is this Team Nine? Everyone's here?"
A sarcastic voice drifted over from a nearby table.
All four turned their heads.
Anko Mitarashi.
"So it's you, Green Bean," Drake grinned.
"Little Green Bean," Obito echoed.
"I feel like she's hostile toward us," Rin whispered.
And she was.
The reason? Back at the academy, she'd tried to join Drake's elite "dead-last club" — and got rejected.
"Three dead-lasts and one guy who only cares about completing missions without regard for his teammates. Your team's pretty tragic," Anko sneered.
That insult swept Kakashi in as well.
Of course, Anko wasn't afraid. Her teacher was Orochimaru — one of the legendary Sannin.
"Clown," Kakashi said coolly.
Then paused, adjusting his tone.
"Green Bean Clown."
"Hey, dead-fish eyes!" Anko snapped back.
Seeing his teammate under fire, Obito jumped in too.
"Green Bean Fly!"
"Dead-last!"
"Big-headed Green Bean Fly!"
"Dead-last!"
Listening to this back-and-forth, Drake felt his brain buzzing.
As the de facto soul of Team Nine, he knew he had to end this nonsense fast.
"Your mo—"
He cut himself off mid-word.
Because he saw Minato standing at the entrance.
"Forget it, Obito. Endure a bit, and the storm passes," Drake said wisely, giving a subtle look.
The legendary Dead-Last Signal.
Obito instantly understood:
Teacher's here.
Team Nine powered down instantly.
Anko, however, grew even bolder and stood up with her hands on her hips.
"Not only are you dead-lasts, even your sensei isn't as strong as mine! You bunch of usele—"
Before she could finish the word "dead-last," she froze.
Because she saw who had just walked in.
Minato Namikaze smiled gently at her.
"Send my regards to Orochimaru-sama."
"Y-Yes!"
Anko bowed hurriedly, paid her bill, and fled.
She knew very well —
This man was considered even more terrifyingly talented than her own teacher.
After sitting down, Minato ordered several plates of grilled meat and announced:
"I have two pieces of good news. One for the team, and one specifically for Drake."
"Which one first?" he asked with a smile.
Obito didn't hesitate.
"Team first!"
"Alright. Due to the exceptional difficulty of your escort mission, the Third Hokage has upgraded it to a B-rank mission. In other words, you've successfully completed a B-rank escort."
"Yes!"
Obito and Rin cheered.
Drake? Completely unbothered.
To him, that didn't sound particularly exciting.
"What about the second one?" Kakashi asked.
Minato smiled knowingly and looked at Drake.
"And the second good news—
Minako has officially transferred ownership of Joyful Hot Springs to Drake."
Clatter.
The piece of meat slipped straight from Drake's chopsticks.
Joyful Hot Springs…
That massive bathhouse in the most prosperous district?!
"JOYFUL HOT SPRINGS?!" Rin gasped in disbelief.
"That thing is worth a fortune!"
It was prime real estate — a gold mine.
"Why him?!" Obito's jealousy skyrocketed.
"Why is he always the lucky one?!"
"I get it! It's because he slept wh—"
"Cough! Don't talk nonsense," Drake quickly cut him off.
The empress had just granted him an enormous gift — Obito trying to slander him now was suicidal behavior.
"And there's more," Minato added.
"You may not know this yet, but Minako is now the official Daimyō of the Land of Hot Water."
The entire table went silent.
They clearly remembered her profile saying she was just the daughter of the largest bathhouse owner.
How did that turn into the ruler of an entire nation?!
So what now?
He hugged her once…
and she handed him a billion-worth property?
"If that's all it takes, I could've done it too…" Obito silently screamed inside.
"Drake owns a bathhouse now… so when I go to bathe…"
Rin's thoughts began drifting dangerously.
"Tonight's on you, then."
Kakashi pulled down his mask and devoured seven or eight slices of meat in one go.
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