Nawaki thought for a moment and nudged Takuya.
"Give us some advice. You're all comfortable now, the Hokage doesn't bother you, but we're not so lucky."
"Get lost," Takuya responded, annoyed, pushing Nawaki away. Dressed in that all-green outfit, and he still wants to stick close to me? Nawaki might not mind looking green, but I do.
After several incidents, the Third Hokage had stopped managing Takuya's affairs, leaving him in a sort of free-range mode. If Takuya wanted to rest, he rested. If he got bored, he took a mission and went out for a while.
This was something Nawaki and Minato were extremely envious of. But unfortunately, what Takuya could do, they couldn't.
"Let's talk while we walk. If we're going to celebrate, we need to let the kitchen staff prepare first," Takuya suggested.
When Minato passed the Jōnin exam, they had celebrated at the hotpot restaurant. Now it was Nawaki's turn, and if they didn't celebrate, he'd definitely feel unbalanced.
Minato and Nawaki followed Takuya back to the village.
On the way, Takuya shared his advice.
"Whether or not to become a Jōnin instructor is something you both need to think about. Becoming an instructor means losing a lot of your freedom.
"If you get good students, that's fine. But if you get troublemakers, they'll drive you crazy, and you'll be responsible for their safety and growth."
"On the flip side, you could just take a few missions here and there, complete them, and arrange your time however you like."
"I personally prefer the latter. Maybe it's because I hate dealing with too much trouble," Takuya added with a shrug.
He gave his advice, but in the end, the choice was up to Nawaki and Minato. After all, he couldn't decide someone else's path.
They weren't kids anymore. Now that they were both Jōnin, they had to face things on their own.
"Nawaki, you'd better ask your sister for her opinion," Takuya suggested.
Minato could decide for himself, but Nawaki was a bit more complicated. Consulting Tsunade would have a significant impact on his decision.
Minato nodded, deep in thought, but Nawaki's expression soured.
He didn't want to go to Tsunade for advice.
Was it because his rebellious phase had arrived late? Nawaki was already sixteen, and only now was he starting to resist his sister's guidance.
"Can I not ask her?" Nawaki muttered, unsure of when he had developed this idea.
He only knew that as time passed and he grew older, he found himself increasingly unwilling to consult Tsunade about his affairs or let her control his life.
Ungrateful, thought Takuya, speechless.
Other people would love to have a powerful sister to rely on, but Nawaki had one and still wanted to rebel.
Was it because Tsunade had scared him so much when he was younger that Nawaki's rebellious phase arrived late?
Takuya and Minato both smirked.
"If you're not afraid of getting beaten up, you don't have to ask her."
Nawaki: "..."
Damn it! I knew it!
Am I really destined to never escape my sister's control?
Ugh, how frustrating!
Nawaki irritably scratched his head, then noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He squinted.
"Takuya, isn't that the Hyūga girl you used to mentor? Hyūga Suzune?"
"Hyūga Suzune?" Takuya looked up. Sure enough, there she was, across the street.
It had been a while since he'd seen her. The once cold and aloof girl had grown up, and she looked noticeably prettier than before.
Just as Takuya was about to wave and greet her, Minato tugged at his sleeve.
"???"
What's up?
Takuya gave him a questioning look. Minato pointed subtly in Nawaki's direction, and Takuya followed his gaze.
Nawaki, who had just been scratching his head in frustration, now stood frozen like a statue, staring wide-eyed at someone.
"Captain?" Hyūga Suzune had noticed the trio from across the street.
Her face lit up with a joyful smile as she ran over, her small wooden sandals clacking against the pavement.
"Hey, Suzune! Long time no see. You've grown even more beautiful," Takuya said with a smile, raising his hand to give her a light pat on the head. It was a habit he had developed when she was younger.
But before his hand could land, a slender, pale hand blocked it.
"Lord Takuya, although your relationship with Miss Suzune is good, it's still a bit impolite to pat a young lady's head like that," said a young woman standing beside Suzune.
This was Hyūga Meiko, Suzune's branch family guardian, who had stepped in to protect her charge.
"It's fine, Meiko. Captain didn't mean anything by it," Suzune protested, frowning at Meiko. Reluctantly, Meiko withdrew her hand and stepped back.
In the past few years, while Konoha had been dealing with the war, some other significant events had unfolded.
For instance, both the Hyūga Clan's old patriarch and the Uchiha Clan's old leader had passed away one after the other.
Their successors, Uchiha Fugaku and Hyūga Hiashi, were forced to take up the mantle of leadership under the pressure of their clans' elders.
When the Uchiha Clan held their patriarch's funeral, Fugaku had even sent someone to invite Takuya. However, Takuya had declined.
Time changes everything.
Even though it hadn't been that long, only two or three years, Hyūga Suzune had changed significantly. The cold and distant little girl was gone.
Back in the day, getting a smile out of her felt harder than taking down Danzō.
"Sorry about that. It was my mistake," Takuya apologized with a smile. "Are you out shopping for something?"
"Yes," Suzune replied, smiling gently. "My older brother's birthday is coming up, so I wanted to pick out a present for him."
Glancing at Nawaki, whose eyes were glued to a certain someone, Takuya chuckled and nodded.
"Well then, we won't keep you. See you next time."
"Goodbye, Captain. See you next time," Suzune said with a slight bow, before she and Meiko went on their way.
"Snap out of it. They're already gone," Takuya said, smacking Nawaki on the head as he continued to stare after them.
If you're going to like someone, at least don't embarrass yourself like this.
"Ow!" Nawaki yelped, rubbing his arm.
"What was that for?!"
But no one paid him any attention. Takuya and Minato had already started walking ahead. Looking at the fresh handprint on his arm, Nawaki angrily flipped Takuya the middle finger behind his back.
Damn, he really doesn't hold back.
"Takuya!"
At the hotpot restaurant, Kushina excitedly bounced over, grabbing onto his arm and refusing to let go.
Takuya chuckled, gently ruffling Kushina's soft, silky hair.
"Nawaki passed his Jōnin exam, so we're celebrating for him today. Can you go tell Tsunade and Mikoto so they don't miss out?"
"Don't worry, leave it to me! I'll go tell them myself," Kushina said, patting her chest confidently before skipping out the door.
Takuya gave instructions to the kitchen staff to start preparing, then led Minato and Nawaki upstairs to a private room.
But something about the atmosphere tonight felt...off.
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This is a bonus chapter for reaching 3200 Power Stones.
Next Bonus 3600
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