At dusk, as soon as Nawaki returned home, he smelled an enticing aroma filling the room.
He rushed into the house impatiently.
In the kitchen, Minato was cooking while Tsunade was cleaning up nearby; the atmosphere was very harmonious.
For some reason, Nawaki had a strange sense of déjà vu, as if his parents were cooking after he came home.
He quickly shook his head, tossing the absurd thought out of his mind.
Tsunade was one thing; an elder sister is like a mother, and over the years, she had given him all her rare tenderness and taken great care of him.
But what the hell was with Minato?!
This guy is two years younger than me!
"Hm? Nawaki, you're back?"
Noticing Nawaki's return, Tsunade looked him over.
"Go wash your hands quickly; dinner is almost ready."
"Oh..."
Suppressing the absurd thought, Nawaki responded and looked curiously at Minato.
"Minato, what are you making? Why does it smell so good?"
"Stewed Chicken with Mushrooms."
Minato didn't look back, tilting his head as he watched the chicken in the pot.
"Unfortunately, there weren't any suitable mushrooms, so the taste might be a bit off..."
"This taste is off? It clearly smells so good..."
Nawaki sniffed the air, and his stomach immediately began to growl.
Minato shook his head without speaking.
Stewed Chicken with Mushrooms should use hazel mushrooms, but unfortunately, he hadn't seen any for sale.
This type of mushroom is mostly found in the northeastern regions.
They look ordinary, but their flavor is extremely delicious, and their nutritional value is very high.
Later, he could try using Wood Release to cultivate some fungi, as well as vegetables and fruits.
No wonder the First Hokage recorded so many planting techniques in the scrolls...
With Wood Release, he could grow whatever vegetables or fruits he wanted on the spot, and even try to breed new varieties!
Theoretically, he could complete dozens or hundreds of generations of crossbreeding in a single day.
Cultivating rice several meters high, pumpkins as big as washbasins, and even strawberry-flavored watermelons wouldn't be impossible.
He could even rid the entire ninja world of famine single-handedly!
Thinking of this, Minato couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
Sure enough, some genes are already carved deep into the soul...
"What are you laughing at?"
Tsunade noticed the smile on Minato's face and asked curiously.
"I was thinking that I could cultivate some high-yield crops or more delicious vegetables and fruits later on."
The soup in the pot had already thickened.
Minato turned up the heat, preparing to reduce the sauce and serve it.
"Cultivating crops..."
Tsunade was slightly stunned, a flash of tenderness crossing her eyes.
"As expected, you people who master Wood Release all seem to enjoy this kind of thing."
"However, my grandfather preferred raising bonsai."
"Speaking of which, your personalities are quite similar—equally gentle and sunny."
Hearing this, Minato froze for two seconds.
Not knowing what crossed his mind, he suddenly burst out laughing.
Tsunade was immediately puzzled.
"What are you laughing at?"
Minato quickly shook his head.
"No, nothing..."
"Really?"
"Really!"
Seeing Minato nodding furiously, Tsunade instinctively felt something was wrong.
Immediately, she raised an eyebrow and clenched her fist, making her knuckles crack.
"No, out with it! Tell the truth!"
"Well..."
Noticing Tsunade's movement, Minato's face turned slightly pale.
"Then if I say it, you can't hit me!"
"I'll try..."
Tsunade kept a straight face, arms crossed, emphasizing her impressive chest.
Her left foot tapped the floor impatiently, looking like she'd give him a piece of her mind if he didn't speak up.
"Um... Tsunade-sensei."
Minato swallowed hard.
Thinking about the reckless act he was about to commit, he actually felt a strange, death-seeking thrill.
"Do you think I look like your grandfather?"
Thump!
As soon as the words left his mouth, Tsunade punched Minato on the head.
Then, with a poof, the Minato in front of her turned into a wooden dummy.
Wood Substitution Technique!
"You little brat..."
A vein popped on Tsunade's forehead.
She turned to look at Minato at the kitchen door, who was holding the freshly served chicken soup and smiling sheepishly.
"Consider yourself lucky you're fast!"
Tsunade snorted coldly, served the rice, and sat down at the dining table.
Nawaki also finished washing his hands and sat down beside Tsunade, picking up his chopsticks and impatiently grabbing a piece of chicken.
"Delicious! Huff, huff..."
"Eat slowly, be careful not to burn yourself."
Tsunade picked up a piece of chicken and ate it unhurriedly.
"Minato's cooking is amazing!"
Nawaki praised while eating.
"It's alright."
Minato smiled; he was still very happy to hear his cooking skills being recognized.
The head chef at the hotel where he worked in his previous life had said that he was very sensitive to seasoning and heat control, and was naturally suited for this profession.
It was a pity he didn't go into the culinary field.
Minato was somewhat interested in cooking, but was limited to making things he liked to eat.
His tastes overlapped somewhat with the two siblings, but relatively speaking, he actually preferred spicy food.
"I'm so envious... Not only is your Ninjutsu talent great, but your cooking talent is also so good, and the key is that you're even handsome."
Nawaki suddenly felt a bit emotional.
"Sister was right; you really are the strongest rival on my path to becoming Hokage."
Seeing his "worthy rival" expression and his attempt at acting mature, Tsunade couldn't help but smile.
Minato also laughed.
"Don't worry, I'm actually not very interested in being Hokage."
"Eh—?"
Nawaki's eyes widened, looking like he was saying, 'Really? I don't believe it!'
"That's the Hokage we're talking about!"
"Yeah... I know."
Minato nodded.
"Actually, I don't have any grand life ambitions, nor do I have a reason that I must become strong."
Actually, he did—the future Obito, Madara Uchiha, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, and even the Ōtsutsuki Clan—but these were things he couldn't say.
"Then what is your ambition?"
Hearing this, Tsunade couldn't help but feel curious as well.
In Konoha, boys who don't want to be Hokage aren't non-existent, but they are definitely rare creatures.
"Ambition..."
Minato thought for a few seconds.
"Well... for example, living a peaceful and happy life, protecting important people, things like that?"
"Eh—"
Nawaki was speechless for a moment.
"How boring! And does that even count as an ambition?"
"It's really a waste for Wood Release to be on you..."
"No, you're wrong, Nawaki. When Grandfather founded Konoha, he hoped the children of the future could live such lives."
Tsunade smiled and flicked Nawaki's forehead.
"Ordinariness is also a kind of greatness."
"Perhaps it's because Minato possesses a quality that ordinary people don't have that he was able to awaken Wood Release?"
"Quality..."
Does a cheat count?
Minato couldn't help but retort inwardly.
"But speaking of which... 'protecting important people,' could you have fallen for some little girl?"
Just after lecturing Nawaki, Tsunade turned and raised an eyebrow at Minato, a playful smile in her eyes.
"No."
Minato shook his head.
"Right now, the people I'm closest to are you, Sensei, and Nawaki. How could you not be considered important people?"
"Eh..."
The two siblings both paused upon hearing this, their faces flushing slightly at the same time.
They glanced at each other, both seeing the corners of the other's mouth curling up uncontrollably.
"Ah, I see... Haha, so that's how it is~"
Tsunade gave a hollow laugh, but inside, she was squirming with delight.
This child's words are so embarrassing, but she loved it!