As evening fell, Nawaki stepped into his home and was immediately greeted by an alluring aroma that filled the air.
He rushed into the kitchen, where Minato was cooking and Tsunade was clearing away kitchen scraps. The atmosphere was warm and harmonious.
For some reason, Nawaki felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu, as if he'd come home to find his parents cooking. The unsettling thought startled him, and he quickly shook his head to banish the absurd notion.
Tsunade's presence made sense. As an older sister, she'd always been like a mother to him, offering him her limited tenderness and caring for him well over the years.
But Minato? What the hell was he doing here?!
This guy was two years younger than him!
"Hmm? Nawaki's back?" Tsunade noticed his return and scanned him with her gaze. "Go wash your hands and get ready to eat."
"Right..."
Suppressing the ridiculous thought, Nawaki mumbled his agreement and then curiously turned to Minato. "What are you making, Minato? It smells amazing!"
"Chicken Stewed with Mushrooms."
Minato didn't turn around, tilting his head to watch the chicken simmering in the pot. "Too bad there aren't any suitable mushrooms. The flavor might not be quite right..."
"Does it really taste that bad? It smells absolutely delicious!"
Nawaki sniffed the air, his stomach growling audibly.
Minato shook his head without replying. Chicken Stewed with Mushrooms should ideally use hazelnut mushrooms, but he hadn't been able to find any for sale.
These mushrooms are primarily found in the northeastern regions. Though unremarkable in appearance, they possess an exceptionally rich flavor and are highly nutritious.
Later, he could try using Wood Release to cultivate mushrooms, as well as vegetables and fruits. No wonder the First Hokage recorded so many cultivation techniques in his scrolls...
With mastery of Wood Release, one could instantly grow any desired vegetable or fruit on the spot, even experiment with creating new varieties!
Theoretically, he could complete dozens or even hundreds of generations of hybridization in a single day, cultivating rice plants several meters tall, pumpkins as large as washbasins, and watermelons that tasted like strawberries—none of this was beyond possibility. He could even single-handedly end famine throughout the entire Shinobi World!
At this thought, Minato couldn't help but chuckle.
Some genes are truly ingrained deep in the soul...
"What's so funny?" Tsunade asked, noticing the smile on Minato's face.
"I was thinking about how we could cultivate high-yield crops or even more delicious fruits and vegetables in the future."
The soup in the pot had thickened. Minato turned up the heat to reduce the broth and prepare it for serving.
"Cultivating crops, huh..."
Tsunade paused, a warm glint flickering in her eyes.
"You Wood Release users always seem to have a fondness for these things. My grandfather loved growing potted plants, though. Come to think of it, you two share a lot in common—both so gentle and sunny."
Minato froze for a moment, as if struck by a sudden realization. Then he burst into laughter.
Tsunade looked at him quizzically. "What's so funny?"
Minato shook his head quickly. "Nothing, nothing at all..."
"Really?"
"Really!"
Seeing Minato nod rapidly like a pecking chick, Tsunade instinctively sensed something was off.
Her brow furrowed, she clenched her fists, knuckles cracking. "Something's off. Spill the truth, now!"
"Uh..."
Noticing Tsunade's movements, Minato's face paled slightly. "If I tell you, you can't hit me, okay?"
"I'll try..."
Tsunade crossed her arms, her imposing figure framed by her broad shoulders and the way her chest puffed out. Her left foot tapped impatiently against the floor, radiating a clear threat: If you don't talk, I'll make you regret it.
"Um... Teacher Tsunade."
Minato swallowed hard, considering the reckless move he was about to make. Strangely, a thrill of excitement stirred within him.
"Do I look like your grandfather?"
Wham!
The moment the words left his lips, Tsunade's fist crashed into his head.
Then came a thud as the Minato before her transformed into a wooden statue.
Wood Clone Technique!
"You little brat..."
A vein pulsed on Tsunade's forehead as she whirled to face Minato, who stood by the kitchen door with a freshly cooked pot of chicken soup, grinning sheepishly.
"You got away this time!"
Tsunade snorted coldly, served herself some rice, and sat down at the table.
Nawaki, having washed his hands, sat next to Tsunade. He picked up his chopsticks and eagerly grabbed a piece of chicken.
"Delicious! Mmm..."
"Slow down. Be careful, it's hot."
Tsunade picked up a piece of chicken and ate it leisurely.
"Minato, your cooking is amazing!" Nawaki exclaimed, still chewing.
"It's alright," Minato replied with a smile. The praise for his culinary skills still made him happy.
In his previous life, the head chef at the restaurant where he worked part-time had said he had a natural talent for seasoning and timing—someone born to be a chef. It was a pity he hadn't pursued a career in cooking.
Minato had some interest in cooking, but it was limited to making dishes he liked. He shared some tastes with Tsunade, his adoptive sister, but he generally preferred spicier foods.
"I'm so jealous... Not only are you a prodigy in ninjutsu, but you're also a culinary genius. And on top of that, you're handsome too," Nawaki suddenly sighed. "Sis was right. You really are my strongest rival on the path to becoming Hokage."
Watching Minato's mock-mature demeanor, as if he'd finally met his match, Tsunade couldn't help but smile.
Minato chuckled. "Don't worry, I actually have no interest in becoming Hokage."
"Huh—?!"
Nawaki's eyes widened, his expression clearly saying, "Really? I don't believe you!"
"But that's the Hokage we're talking about!"
"Yeah... I know," Minato nodded. "To be honest, I don't have any grand ambitions or burning desire to become stronger."
Actually, I do—future Madara, Uchiha Madara, the Otsutsuki clan, even the Otsutsuki clan itself—but none of that can be said.
"So what is your dream?" Tsunade asked, genuinely curious.
In Konoha, it was rare to find a boy who didn't aspire to become Hokage. Minato was practically a unicorn.
"Dream..." Minato pondered for a moment. "Hmm... maybe just living a peaceful, happy life and protecting the people who matter to me?"
"Huh—"
Nawaki was speechless. "How boring! And can that even be called a dream? It's a waste that Wood Release is tied to someone like you..."
"No, you're wrong, Nawaki. When Grandfather founded Konoha, he did so with the hope that future generations could live lives like this."
Tsunade smiled faintly and flicked Nawaki's forehead with her finger. "Ordinary isn't necessarily unremarkable. Perhaps it was precisely because Minato possessed certain qualities that ordinary people lack that he awakened the Wood Release?"
"Qualities..."
Does a cheat code count? Minato couldn't help but think sarcastically.
"But speaking of protecting important people... you haven't fallen for some girl, have you, boy?"
Having just finished lecturing Nawaki, Tsunade turned to Minato, raising an eyebrow with a mischievous glint in her eye.
"No, not at all," Minato shook his head. "Right now, the people closest to me are you, Teacher Tsunade, and Nawaki. How could you not consider us important?"
"Hmm..."
The brother-sister pair froze, a simultaneous blush spreading across their faces. They exchanged glances, both noticing the corners of each other's mouths twitching upward despite their attempts to suppress smiles.
"Ah... heh... ha... swoosh... sneezes..."
Tsunade forced out a dry laugh, her insides twisting like a writhing maggot.
This child's words are so embarrassing, yet I love them!
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