Chapter 5: Treat From Aoyama Ryūun
"Hehe! Old man, you really take me seriously?"
Tsunade gave a faint, mocking smile.
"..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi also knew this was a bit of a difficult situation.
Helplessly waving his hand, he decided not to say more.
"Alright, alright! You can go now!"
Aoyama Ryūun's expression was casual, as if the lecture just now hadn't bothered him at all.
"Let's go! I'm starving!"
"Sigh, Sakumo really has it easy..."
Even though his students were all famous now, not one of them was obedient.
Tsunade and Jiraiya at least didn't talk back,
but Orochimaru—Hiruzen's most favored student—had started to change lately.
Ever since the Second Great Ninja War,
Hiruzen had begun to feel he couldn't quite see through his disciple anymore.
His missions were always completed perfectly—one hundred percent success rate—
never a single complaint.
"Sigh..."
Well, at least things hadn't yet reached an uncontrollable point.
So while Hiruzen felt a little uneasy,
he couldn't bring himself to actually take drastic action.
Still, as time passed...
some things were bound to happen sooner or later.
Meanwhile, after leaving the Hokage building,
Aoyama Ryūun led Tsunade and Sakumo Hatake toward the main street of Konoha.
"Come on, let's eat! My treat!"
Neither Tsunade nor Sakumo were picky.
"I'm fine with anything."
"Doesn't matter to me."
Their laid-back attitude made Aoyama Ryūun glance at them in mild surprise.
"So easy to please!"
Whatever. Aoyama Ryūun took them to a pretty decent-looking barbecue place.
In truth, most of Konoha's barbecue restaurants were run by the Akimichi clan.
"Boss!"
As soon as they stepped inside, Aoyama Ryūun called out loudly.
The smiling shopkeeper, upon seeing who it was,
froze mid-laugh—his eyelid twitching slightly.
"Ah... L-Lord Ryūun!"
"Why so nervous? I'm treating today. Get us a nice private room!"
Noticing Tsunade and Sakumo behind him,
the boss didn't dare refuse.
"Um..."
Just as he was about to lead them in,
he quietly pulled Aoyama Ryūun aside.
"Go on ahead with the waiter—I'll be right there."
When only the two of them remained,
the shopkeeper's face twisted in agony.
"Um, Lord Ryūun... are you really paying this time?"
The truth was—Aoyama Ryūun never paid when he ate out.
The problem was, even though the Akimichi clan had the Yamanaka and Nara clans as allies,
none of them could take on Aoyama Ryūun.
"My friend invited me out for a meal. Why wouldn't I pay?"
"..."
"Or... do you not consider me a friend?"
Aoyama Ryūun's eyes narrowed slightly.
"O-of course you're a friend, Lord Ryūun! Having you eat at my humble shop is an honor—
how could I possibly take your money?"
"Exactly! We're all good friends here."
Aoyama Ryūun smiled, patting the man's shoulder before walking off.
"Sigh..."
The shopkeeper sighed helplessly.
There was nothing he could do.
Even if Aoyama Ryūun smashed up the place,
the worst that would happen was Hiruzen Sarutobi giving a few half-hearted scoldings.
That was the limit of his punishment.
A little while later, Aoyama Ryūun sat casually beside Tsunade,
acting as if nothing in the world could bother him.
The so-called "friends" arrangement was basically established at that point.
After the meal, under the shopkeeper's forced smile,
Aoyama Ryūun and the others finally left.
"Well then, Ryūun, Tsunade, I'll head back first," Sakumo said.
Aoyama Ryūun waved dismissively, looking slightly annoyed.
They'd been third-wheeling him long enough—didn't they realize that?
"..."
Sakumo just gave him a deadpan look before turning away.
After all this time, he was already used to Aoyama Ryūun's personality.
No point getting upset about it.
"I..."
Tsunade hesitated for a moment.
Looks like I'll have to coax her a few more times, Ryūun thought.
"I'm not going—unless..."
"Oh? Then I'll head home first. I'm kinda sleepy," he replied, pretending not to notice.