"Renya, what made you think of inviting me to dinner today?"
At Senju Tobirama's residence, Uzumaki Mito walked into the kitchen. Seeing Renya busy at work, she asked with a gentle smile.
After all, except during festivals, it was rare for Renya to invite her over for a meal. Usually, it was Renya who went to her house to cook.
She had more or less guessed that Renya had some announcement to make…
"Mito-san, you're here." Renya smiled as he greeted her. "Go sit in the living room for a bit, the food will be ready soon."
"Alright, thank you for the trouble, Renya."
Originally, Uzumaki Mito wanted to help with the preparations, but seeing Orochimaru and Jiraiya working diligently in the kitchen, she dismissed the thought.
These two kids were really obedient.
When she noticed her granddaughter sitting on the sofa, playing with a cat in her arms, Mito sighed helplessly. Without comparison, there would be no disappointment.
Tsunade was getting lazier and lazier.
"Tsunade, why don't you go help your Renya?" Uzumaki Mito scolded lightly.
"Grandma, I don't need to. Because today it's my turn to wash the dishes," Tsunade explained.
At Renya's, freeloading was not allowed. Even if her great-uncle came over, he would still have to honestly do the dishes.
As Renya always said—if you eat delicious food and don't want to wash dishes, where's the fairness in that?
He was a cook, not a servant. He couldn't possibly do everything by himself.
The three kids had already developed the habit of dividing chores clearly at Renya's place. Some would help in the kitchen, some would do the washing-up.
Since Tsunade had gone to fetch her grandma just now, the dishwashing duty fell to her today.
"So that's how it is. Looks like I wrongly blamed you." Uzumaki Mito covered her mouth and laughed softly.
She hadn't expected Renya to be so experienced in teaching children.
In the future, when Tsunade graduated from the Academy, she could even suggest to Tobirama that Renya take her on as her squad leader.
Renya was in charge of cooking, while Jiraiya and Orochimaru carefully carried the dishes out.
As time passed, the table was already filled with rich, sumptuous food.
The kitchen filled with mouthwatering aromas as Renya plated the last dish.
Jiraiya stood on his tiptoes to carefully carry a steaming bowl of miso soup over to the table.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru carefully observed every step of Renya's cooking. He continued to openly "steal techniques," and a spark of excitement flashed in his eyes.
It looked like he had successfully copied the technique for tempura. He was already planning to try it when he got home.
The dining table was covered with dishes of every kind—glittering sushi neatly arranged, grilled fish giving off an irresistible smoky aroma, bright, colorful mixed vegetables, and more.
The three little ones were nearly drooling just looking at it. Today's meal was far richer than any before.
"Renya, you've worked hard," Uzumaki Mito said warmly.
"Mito-san, you're too polite." Renya took off his apron and sat down.
Tsunade and Jiraiya impatiently grabbed their chopsticks, eyes fixed hungrily on the food.
"Itadakimasu!" the three kids said in unison, their voices brimming with excitement.
Jiraiya wolfed down sushi, cheeks puffed out like a hamster.
Orochimaru gracefully picked up a piece of fish, savoring it slowly.
Seeing this, Renya felt a pang of regret. He had wanted to save those desserts for a late-night snack.
At Tsunade's pace, she looked ready to devour them all.
He had been careless. He should've kept some aside to eat in secret.
"Renya-san, why aren't you eating?" Tsunade asked curiously, still munching on her sweets.
"Mm, I'll eat now." Renya forced a thin smile.
Orochimaru glanced at the sweets in Tsunade's hands, then at Renya's strained smile. His eyes flickered with understanding.
But he stayed silent, quietly lowering his head to eat.
Some things, even if you noticed them, you had to pretend not to. That was something Renya had once told him.
Clearly, he had taken it to heart.
Uzumaki Mito observed all of this with a smile on her face.
The table was filled with warmth, the crisp sounds of utensils clinking together, and the children's happy exclamations of satisfaction.
After seeing that everyone had eaten their fill, Renya set down his chopsticks.
"Actually… I have something to tell you all. I'm planning to leave the village for about half a year."
The reason he had invited everyone over today was precisely to tell them this, so they wouldn't worry when he suddenly disappeared.
The moment Renya's words fell, the dining table went silent. Only the faint clink of chopsticks hitting bowls remained.
Jiraiya's mouth hung wide open, the shrimp he had just picked up falling back onto the plate with a "plop."
"Half a year?" he asked, unable to hold back. "Renya-sama, where are you going?"
Orochimaru's chopsticks froze midair, his golden, slit-like pupils narrowing slightly.
He slowly lowered his chopsticks, his voice lower and heavier than usual.
"Renya-sama… are you going on a mission?"
His slender fingers unconsciously rubbed the rim of his teacup. He was trying to figure out the reason behind Renya-sama's sudden departure.
Tsunade froze on the spot. Somehow, the sweets in her hands didn't taste sweet anymore.
Renya-san leaving for half a year… didn't that mean she would lose six whole chances to eat his cooking?!
No way. She couldn't let Renya-san leave. He was her long-term meal ticket!
Uzumaki Mito gracefully set down her soup bowl, her brows furrowing ever so slightly before her gentle smile returned.
"So sudden. Is this Tobirama's arrangement?"
If it was Tobirama's orders, she could go talk to him.
"I've stayed in the village too long and want to go out for a while," Renya explained with a smile.
"I'm planning to travel for about half a year."
Uzumaki Mito let out a quiet breath of relief. She had thought Renya was going on a mission, but it turned out he just wanted to clear his mind.
"Be careful on the road."
"Got it, Mito-san."
"When are you planning to leave?"
"In two days. I'll also be visiting someone familiar."
"Mm. It's about time you did. Remember to give him my regards. Tell him to spend more time with his family," Uzumaki Mito said with a smile.
But to Renya, that smile felt a little chilling.
The person they were talking about was, of course, Senju Hashirama. That guy had faked his death and only returned once since then. Naturally, Mito was very displeased.
"I'll remind him," Renya replied awkwardly, feeling like Hashirama-san was in serious trouble.
The three kids stared blankly at Renya and Mito's conversation, completely lost.
Orochimaru, however, wore a thoughtful look. Just who was the person Renya-sama planned to visit?
It seemed Mito-sama knew as well…
But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't figure out that person's identity.
...
Somewhere in the Shinobi World.
"Achoo!"
Senju Hashirama suddenly sneezed. His back went cold, and a bad premonition crept up on him.