Yahiko's loud retort was accompanied by deep regret over abandoning his pursuit of the Konoha sannin in favor of this long-haired man who seemed easier to convince as a teacher.
'I must have made the wrong choice! No doubt about it!'
"It's not like, it's love! The degree between the two is completely different! They might seem similar, but the difference is vast! The little details in life might seem unimportant to you, but in reality, they're the most crucial! Take Yahiko, for example—you'll get married someday, right? And in marriage, what women care about most are the details! If a man isn't attentive and keeps overlooking the little things, a woman might just up and leave you!"
"Why are we even talking about this?!" Yahiko clutched his head in exasperation.
"Why did the conversation suddenly shift to marriage?! And you're way too long-winded!"
Just then, the quiet, red-haired boy who had been keeping his head down the whole time couldn't help but let out a soft "pfft" and started laughing.
At the same time, Konan also burst into laughter.
"Ahahahaha…" ×2
"Nagato! Konan! What are you two laughing at?! This guy's definitely got something wrong with his head!"
"It's not that there's something wrong with my head—it's Katsura!"
"Ughhhh! I can't take this anymore!"
"Now then, let's begin our training," Katsura said, ignoring Yahiko's meltdown as he pulled out three stones engraved with the character "Katsura" from his robe.
"I'll be throwing these stones marked with 'Katsura' out there. You three will have to find them while wearing turtle shells. Anyone who fails to find one won't get dinner tonight! And listen—just picking up any random stone and carving 'Katsura' on it won't cut it!"
Since Yahiko had no idea how ninja training was supposed to go, this actually sounded pretty ninja-like to him, and he suddenly got excited.
...
Looking at the two stones the three kids had turned in, Katsura subtly observed Yahiko, who had nothing to show but was pretending not to care, arms crossed and face turned away.
[Katsura-san, dinner is ready.]
Elizabeth, wearing an apron, stepped out from the inner courtyard carrying a tray of food.
The delicious aroma wafted through the air, and Yahiko couldn't help but sniff, though he stubbornly kept his eyes shut.
"Alright, those who passed can eat. Elizabeth and I have some business to attend to outside."
...
Grrrrowl…
Inside the house, hearing Yahiko's stomach growl, Konan and Nagato exchanged glances before nodding in unison and pushing their plates of fried rice toward him.
"I don't eat much. Let's share," Konan said softly.
"Me too," Nagato added.
"No! This is punishment!"
Yahiko was being stubborn, but the relentless growling of his stomach and the drool he couldn't hold back betrayed him.
"Really? If you don't eat now, once Katsura-sensei comes back, you won't get another chance," Konan said, barely holding back a laugh.
"Uh…"
Yahiko finally cracked open an eye to glance at the mouthwatering fried rice in front of him, hesitating.
"Hurry up!" Konan urged.
"Yeah!" Nagato nodded in agreement.
"F-fine."
Yahiko scratched the back of his head sheepishly before hesitantly picking up a wooden spoon.
But just as he was about to take his first bite—
"Yahiko…"
Katsura suddenly appeared inside the room.
"It has nothing to do with them!" Yahiko instantly took all the blame upon himself.
"If there's any punishment, direct it all at me!"
"No, I was the one who told Yahiko to eat it! It's not his fault!" Konan quickly followed up.
"And me!" Nagato also spoke up with the loudest voice he'd used since meeting Katsura.
"Anyway, I understand the situation now, so..."
Watching Katsura who had stopped mid-sentence and instead crossed his arms while tapping his finger against his elbow, the three children simultaneously gulped.
"Let's have a feast together!"
"Huh?"
Yahiko and Konan were dumbfounded, while Nagato's small mouth hung slightly open in astonishment.
Just then, the door burst open, revealing Elizabeth standing there with a macho aura—holding a Gatling gun and puffing on a large cigar.
As everyone stared blankly at Elizabeth, who was also carrying a wild boar and some wild vegetables, Katsura took the initiative to explain.
"Since you're all still children, eating only that kind of stuff won't be enough for your growth. Vegetables and meat are absolutely essential. Of course, let me make this clear—as warriors... no, as people, you must never eat soft, mushy sweets like parfaits! Otherwise, your spirit will be eroded, and you'll end up becoming a lazy, unmotivated slacker! As for sweets, once a week is the maximum! If I had to recommend something, it'd be the puddings in Gintoki's fridge. That's also the place I visit every week—I usually go on Mondays, my designated sugar-replenishment day."
"What's... a parfait?"
"Who's Gintoki?"
"And what's this about puddings in his fridge?"
The three kids fired off their questions one after another.
"Too many questions!!"
"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO BROUGHT IT UP!" Yahiko retorted.
"Wait, from what you just said, it sounds like you're stealing food from someone else's fridge—"
"It's not stealing! You have no idea about the relationship between me and Gintoki! The fact that even now, he hasn't realized it's me who makes the puddings in his fridge mysteriously disappear every Monday proves it!"
"It's just because he's an idiot, isn't it?!"
*****
"Katsura-sensei..."
At the dinner table, Yahiko hesitated as he watched the bubbling hot pot.
"Yahiko, no matter what happens, don't ever think you have to shoulder everything alone."
As he spoke, Katsura tucked his hands into his sleeves, images of two certain people surfacing in his mind. Unable to help himself, he muttered quietly.
"If only I'd realized sooner back then... Takasugi might not have..."
"Katsura-sensei?" Konan tilted her head.
"No, it's nothing. Just remember what I said! Actually, seeing the three of you reminds me of the past—there were two troublemakers by my side once..."
"Tch, I think you're the real troublemaker, Katsura-sensei" Yahiko scoffed, resting his cheek on his hand.
"No..." Katsura chuckled softly, his eyes warming as he murmured, "I was always the one cleaning up after them..."
Seeing the three kids still looking confused, Katsura instantly switched back to his usual self, grabbing his chopsticks and reaching for the bubbling hot pot.
"The meat is MINE!!"
"Hey! Katsura-sensei, that's cheating!"
The night wore on, and the rain showed no sign of stopping.
Under the barely adequate shelter of a small hut, Katsura sat cross-legged on the wooden veranda, his sleeves tucked in as he quietly gazed at the pitch-black night sky of this country.
Beside him lay his beloved sword, Kuranosuke.
Even now, Katsura couldn't forget the words spoken to him in a dream the night before he arrived in this world—by a plump, sunglasses-wearing woman with the character "stock" emblazoned on her forehead.
(Note: The mother of the Lake Toya Sage.)
What had she said again?
Katsura couldn't quite recall, but did it even matter?
After witnessing the tragedy of this country and this world firsthand, there was no need to dwell on such things!
That Kuranosuke Sage must have sent him here to save this world!
A world like this—where even paw pads suffer miserably—had to be changed!
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became.
Clenching his fists, Katsura closed his eyes, tears welling up as he declared.
"Leave it to me! I swear I'll save every single paw pad in this world! I'll fulfill this mission without fail, Sage!"
[Katsura-san, our actual mission is to find the culprit behind the spacetime rift. That's why you were given the ability to restore your original size…]
"Silence! That doesn't matter! Don't you feel heartbroken seeing paw pads without homes or anyone to feed them, Elizabeth?!"
Elizabeth: […]
"And that bastard Hanzo! For seven whole years, he wouldn't let me touch the ultra-rare paw pads of that salamander! What a stingy jerk!"
Elizabeth: [...]