"Why me?" Minato fumbled to catch the bag.
"Well, do you want me to handle it while you cook?" Takuya shot back with an irritated tone.
Alright, it's just a couple of kidneys—nothing too big a deal. Though, Kushina's clueless expression was amusing, it wasn't really that funny.
To be honest, Takuya liked kidneys. They tasted good, though preparing them was a hassle. Perfect chance to give Minato some practice with a knife.
"I'll do it," Minato sighed, resigning himself to his fate as he headed toward the kitchen.
His cooking wasn't bad; at least it wasn't as horrifying as Kushina's, which no one dared touch. But it also wasn't anything extraordinary.
If they really wanted something delicious, Takuya would have to take over.
While Takuya went to freshen up, Minato started prepping the ingredients. Meanwhile, Kushina finally learned what had happened from Mikoto, and her face flushed with embarrassment. Her fists clenched as she imagined marching down to the market and punching the meat seller.
That old man! No wonder his expression was so weird when he took the money!
"Still, can you even eat that stuff?" she muttered.
"Yes, you can. It's pretty tasty actually, Takuya loves it," Mikoto reassured her, pulling Kushina into a gentle hug. "It's just that some people like to joke about it. Don't take it too seriously."
Despite her initial reluctance, Kushina eventually fell to the power of "smells too good to resist." After dinner, the four of them packed up and headed to the hospital to visit Nawaki.
"How's your sealing jutsu training going?" Takuya asked casually on the way.
Minato puffed out his chest with pride. "I've made a lot of progress, even with the Flying Thunder God technique! Next time we train, you'll be blown away."
"..."
Takuya sincerely hoped Minato's idea of "blown away" didn't involve crashing into a tree. He could already picture it: Minato throws a special kunai, teleports, and—bam!—smacks right into a tree trunk. Yeah, that'd be something.
As they trudged through the thick snow, they reached the hospital. Inside, Nawaki was lying in bed, looking completely defeated.
He was on the verge of going crazy, stuck staring at the ceiling with nothing to do. A day or two of this was fine, but after a while, it was enough to drive anyone nuts.
"Finally! You guys have no idea how lonely I've been! Not one of you stayed to keep me company. It's cruel!" Nawaki complained as soon as they walked in.
"That's not true—we were out preparing you a special meal packed with nutrients!" Takuya said, opening the food container. The delicious aroma filled the room, and Nawaki's eyes lit up with joy, practically drooling.
"Did Takuya make this?" he asked eagerly. "It smells amazing! Way better than hospital food!"
As Nawaki dug into the tender, slow-cooked chicken, his eyes glistened with tears of gratitude. This was a true friend—a friend who brought him delicious food!
"Don't worry, if you like it, there's more. I made plenty. We've got pigeon soup for lunch, and tonight, pig's foot soup. Variety is key."
"That's fantastic!" Nawaki grinned from ear to ear.
It didn't take long before Nawaki was completely full and utterly satisfied. What he didn't know was that today's meal had been made by Takuya. Tomorrow? Well, that was anyone's guess.
"Nawaki, you've got to finish all of it, okay? I went out of my way to buy it for you," Kushina said sternly, hands on her hips, ready to lecture.
"Also, next time, don't be so reckless! There are plenty of ways to save people. Don't risk your life like that again! Imagine how heartbroken Tsunade would be if you died!"
After hearing this, Nawaki, who had just settled in for a rest, plastered on a sheepish smile as he tried to assure her. "I'll be more careful next time, I promise..."
But as Kushina continued to scold him, Nawaki started giving Takuya desperate looks, begging for rescue.
"Minato, didn't you have something you wanted to talk to me about?" Takuya asked, stepping in to save him.
"Huh?" Minato blinked, confused for a moment, before quickly catching on. "Oh, yeah! I did. Let's go talk outside."
Seriously?! You're just going to leave me here to fend for myself?! Nawaki mentally screamed.
"Hahahaha..."
As soon as they left the room, both Takuya and Minato burst into laughter, clutching their sides. Nawaki's helpless, pitiful expression was just too much.
Let him suffer a little. After all, running into a bomb to save someone is the kind of reckless behavior that deserves a bit of punishment. This would be a lesson—enduring Kushina's lectures would teach him a thing or two about being careful next time.
Takuya was certain that after today, Nawaki would flinch at the sight of Kushina.
"You're not taking your team on a mission?" Minato asked, wiping away tears of laughter.
"I'm planning to take them out soon. They need to see the real world, face the harsh realities. Keeping them sheltered for too long... even if they grow, they won't be able to survive the storms ahead," Takuya replied, stretching as he spoke.
"I'm thinking of taking them on a trip to the Land of Rain first, then maybe over to the Land of Iron. Let them witness the cruelty of war firsthand."
If you don't experience hardship, you can't truly grow. You need to see the storm before you can find the rainbow.
Minato clapped a hand on Takuya's shoulder with a grin. "Careful you don't go overboard. Your team includes some high-profile individuals, you know."
He winked, clearly hinting at someone specific. Losing one of them could spell big trouble.
"Relax, if anyone's going to mess up, it's not going to be me," Takuya replied, rolling his eyes.
Screwing up? Him? That was a joke. Even if he had the Third Raikage chasing him down, Takuya wouldn't break a sweat.
Takuya was always cautious, no matter how powerful he got. Failure wasn't an option, and he wasn't about to let carelessness cause things to go off the rails.
"You want to tag along?" Takuya asked.
"Go with you?" Minato blinked, caught off guard. He hadn't expected to be invited along on the mission.
Actually, going with Takuya didn't sound like a bad idea. Minato thought it over. He could train with Takuya along the way, spar a bit, and get stronger.
Staying in the village would just mean more solo training and keeping an eye on Nawaki, who wasn't recovering anytime soon. As for playing nurse... yeah, that wasn't happening. That was a job for the hospital staff.
Taking a trip sounded like a much better option.
"Sure. You go pick up the mission, and I'll report to the Hokage," Minato decided.
In Konoha, you couldn't just leave the village without permission unless you had serious connections or ridiculous strength, like the legendary Sannin. They came and went as they pleased, and no one dared question them.
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Oops, I forgot to upload for today. Sorry! I will give you two chapters as compensation.
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 260+ at patreon.com/ Emik01. Don't forget to give a power stone for many bonus chapters
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