Browsing through the shop, Tanjiro bought some toys and food for Kushina as a gift. With his enormous SP, spending on a few gifts was no issue. He even picked up an orange fox mask that resembled Kurama in chibi form.
He hadn't used his SP for buying techniques, abilities, or skills because he preferred to save it for when it was truly necessary.
Minato slowly pushed open the door and called out to Kushina.
"I'm back! How's my beautiful wife?" Minato announced, unashamed of calling his wife beautiful in front of a visitor.
Tanjiro mentally approved, noting that Minato wasn't shy about showing his affectionate side.
"Minato!" A loud, feminine voice responded, and a woman in her early twenties, wearing an apron that accommodated her bulging stomach, pounced on Minato. Her clothing was practical for her condition.
"Kushina, I have someone I'd like you to meet. This is Tanjiro. He asked if it would be okay to stay with us," Minato explained as Kushina listened attentively. After Minato finished, Kushina nodded and looked at Tanjiro seriously, affectionately rubbing her stomach.
"Tanjiro-san, I understand your situation. You're welcome to stay with us. We should celebrate!" Kushina said with a cheerful smile, heading to the kitchen to prepare a large amount of food.
Tanjiro stopped Kushina, pulling out a storage scroll and handing it to her.
"Kushina-san, I have a gift for you. Please accept it; I think you'll like it," Tanjiro said with a smile. Kushina opened the scroll, letting her chakra flow into it to activate it. A cloud of smoke enveloped the room, revealing various toys and baby items, along with some food.
"With this, you don't have to cook," Tanjiro said. Kushina looked at the toys with delight and excitedly talked to Minato.
"Minato-kun, look at what Tanjiro-san gave us. Naruto will be so happy to see these toys," Kushina said, tearing up from happiness as she lovingly rubbed her belly. Minato smiled, thanked Tanjiro softly, and hugged Kushina.
"Yes, yes, thank you, Tanjiro-san. We should eat; I'm getting hungry," Minato said, helping Kushina to her chair while Tanjiro put the toys back into the storage scroll.
After expressing their gratitude for the food, the three of them enjoyed a peaceful meal, chatting and laughing together. As a natural conversationalist, Kushina asked Tanjiro many questions—where he was from, what he did, how strong he was, his age, and other common queries.
Tanjiro answered everything truthfully, including his age, except for where he came from. Upon learning that he was 120 years old, Kushina and Minato's eyes widened in shock.
"What!? You're 120 years old? How is that possible? You look so young!" Kushina exclaimed, astonished. It was remarkable to see someone of 120 still retaining their youth. Even Mito Uzumaki, her grandmother, could only slow her aging process but not surpass a hundred years.
"It is indeed possible," Tanjiro said calmly while eating. "There are ways to maintain youth, but few methods for extending life. I could share my secrets with you, but not yet. It's not that I don't trust you; I simply want to learn more about both of you first. Perhaps in the future, I might share them. I hope you understand."
Tanjiro looked at them calmly, observing their astonishment at his seemingly absurd claim.
"We understand; we all have our own secrets and respect your decision," Minato said, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Tanjiro was 120 years old. Given that the average lifespan of people was around 60 to 70 years, and even a full-blooded Uzumaki could live for hundreds of years but not retain their youthfulness, Tanjiro's age was truly remarkable.
The only way to maintain youthful looks was through inventing retaining youth jutsu, which was impractical and mostly used for the pedophiles.
Afterward, the three of them continued their conversation, deepening their relationship and getting to know each other better.
Once they finished their meals, Tanjiro, as the guest, volunteered to do the cleaning. Over the past century, he had perfected many skills, including cleaning, cooking, sports, and other everyday tasks.
( Note: I won't be listing them as it would be a hassle )
Tanjiro had mastered all types of weapons, including archery, axes, spears, halberds, nunchucks, and more, reaching a Transcendent level of proficiency. This mastery culminated in his ability to become a Transcendent Weapon Sage. His sword domain had evolved into a weapon domain, where everything within it became his weapon. Additionally, his domain's range had expanded from 50 meters in diameter to 500 meters, ten times its original size.
It took him only a minute to clean all the plates, and he wiped his wet hands as he finished.
"Tanjiro-san, would you like to come with us to sightsee Konoha? It's your first time here, right? It would be a great opportunity for you to join us," Kushina said, inviting Tanjiro to accompany them on their walk around Konoha. Minato nodded in agreement, approving the invitation.
"That sounds nice. I'll join you two. I hope I'm not interrupting your couple's walk," Tanjiro replied with a chuckle. Kushina and Minato laughed lightly, shaking their heads and reassuring him that he wasn't interrupting at all and that they would be happy to have him with them.
As they exited the house, Minato and Kushina began describing various places in Konoha to Tanjiro. They mentioned their favorite spot for meals after missions—Ichiraku Ramen. Kushina especially frequented it, praising it as having the best ramen in the world.
During their tour of the village, they also highlighted the prominent clans of Konoha. Tanjiro learned about the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, which includes the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akamichi clans, each known for their unique abilities: the Yamanaka for their mind techniques, the Nara for shadow manipulation, and the Akamichi for their size-altering jutsu. They also covered the Uchiha Clan with their Sharingan, the Hyuga Clan with their Byakugan, the Aburame Clan with their insect techniques, and the Inuzuka Clan with their dogs, among others.
These clans each possess specialized jutsu, contributing to Konoha's reputation as the strongest village, despite other villages' reluctance to admit it. The presence of the Nara clan, renowned for their strategic prowess, secured Konoha's influential position in politics. While other villages had their strategists, the Nara were considered among the smartest in the world.
While walking, they encountered a fair-skinned woman with long black hair, a beautiful and gentle face, black eyes, and the distinctive Uchiha clan symbol. She wore a simple dark purple blouse and a red plum skirt.
She was carrying a baby, and a child of about five years old followed behind her. Upon seeing the woman, Kushina greeted her cheerfully.
"Mikoto-chan! How are you?" Kushina called out as she walked over to Mikoto, who smiled warmly at her enthusiastic friend and walked toward them.
"I'm fine, Kushina-chan. Hello, Fourth Hokage." Mikoto bowed her head slightly in greeting, and Minato nodded in response.
"As I've mentioned before, you can call me Minato, Mikoto-san," Minato said with a friendly smile. He then turned his attention to Mikoto's children, offering them a gentle smile as well.
"And this is...?" Mikoto asked, her curiosity piqued as she looked at Tanjiro. Since she knew most people in Konoha, she wondered if he was a messenger from another village or a traveler.
"Ah, right. This is Tanjiro-san; he will be staying with us temporarily. He's a friend from another village," Minato explained, knowing that Kushina often had trouble keeping details to herself.
"Nice to meet you, Mikoto-san. I'm Tanjiro Kamado. And these must be your sons? What adorable children," Tanjiro said with a light smile, focusing more on Itachi than on Sasuke.
Itachi looked at Tanjiro and smiled. In Tanjiro's eyes, he saw a hint of both maturity and innocence. Knowing what was to come, Tanjiro harbored no fondness for Itachi's future actions, particularly the massacre of his clan. However, he also understood the heavy burden of Itachi's decisions, as they were made with the village's welfare in mind.
With this knowledge, Tanjiro felt compelled to take action to prevent such a tragedy. He believed that improving the Uchiha's reputation could help avert future violence. Since Minato and Kushina were friends with Fugaku and Mikoto, a massacre within the village seemed unlikely.
"Yes, this is Itachi, and this is Sasuke. It's also nice to meet you, Tanjiro-san," Mikoto said with a gentle smile as Itachi bowed his head in greeting.
"What a polite kid. Itachi, do you want to become stronger? I can help you," Tanjiro offered, surprising the three with his unexpected proposal.
"Mhm, I want to," Itachi responded with a nod. Mikoto watched Tanjiro and Itachi with uncertainty. It was the first time she had seen Itachi so open to a stranger, and seeing the determined look in her son's eyes, she was unsure whether to intervene.
"Alright, I can help you with that. But you must follow every instruction I give you, okay? What do you say?" Tanjiro extended his pinky finger, bending down to allow Itachi to interlock his own pinky finger with Tanjiro's.
Tanjiro decided to make Itachi his student not only to prevent the destruction of the Uchiha clan but also to gain experience as a mentor. He saw potential in Itachi and believed that guiding him could help steer his future away from tragedy. This would be Tanjiro's first experience as a teacher, and he anticipated that Itachi might not be his only student.