Takuya stood up and said:
"Of course, I don't mind. Since we've bumped into each other, let's eat together. Please have a seat, Senior... and this little white-haired kid."
This must be Kakashi, already grown up.
Takuya remembered when the war had just ended, Sakumo Hatake had brought Kakashi out. Back then, Kakashi was just a little boy.
Finally, it was Takuya Yagami's turn to call someone else "little white-haired."
"…"
Why do all of Father's acquaintances act so strangely?
Being called a kid was one thing, but what was with "little white-haired"? Kakashi didn't understand why.
Sakumo Hatake didn't mind Takuya joking around with Kakashi. He also knew that Takuya himself had often been called "little white-haired" when he was young.
Now, that nickname could be used for someone else.
Looking at his son's head of silver hair, Sakumo couldn't help but chuckle.
He patted his son's head and introduced him:
"This is Takuya Yagami, your senior—a true genius of the village."
"Hello, Senior," Kakashi greeted, despite his dislike for the nickname "little white-haired."
"What genius? I can't compare to a senior like you," Takuya said, giving Kakashi's head a firm ruffle, making his already messy hair even more chaotic, like a bird's nest.
Kakashi: "…"
Is this polite?
First weird nicknames, and now everyone likes to mess with my hair.
Did my white hair offend you?
Takuya decided to stop waiting when Sakumo and Kakashi arrived, signaling the waiter to serve what he had ordered.
Once Nawaki and Minato arrived, he'd simply order a bit more.
"Senior, how did your mission go this time?" Takuya asked politely as he placed slices of meat onto the grill.
"It's hard to say," Sakumo replied with a sigh.
Did he complete the mission?
Technically, yes, but an unexpected situation had arisen, causing quite a bit of trouble. Sakumo himself wasn't sure how to assess the outcome of the mission.
So he could only describe it as "hard to say."
"How about you? How has your strength improved over the past few years?" Sakumo asked.
"Well, I've managed to improve just a little bit," Takuya said modestly, smiling.
Tsunade almost rolled her eyes. "Just a little bit?" Clearly, Takuya had a misunderstanding of what "a little bit" meant.
"Is that so?" Sakumo didn't catch whether Takuya meant "a tiny bit" or "a whole lot" and simply nodded:
"Any improvement is good. At least it's better than me at the moment."
Sakumo was a bit troubled. He felt like his strength had plateaued, no matter how hard he tried.
Just like Tsunade, he had reached a bottleneck in his abilities.
Although accumulating experience allowed them to fight more effectively, further improvement in their strength had slowed significantly.
Not only Tsunade, but even Orochimaru had faced this issue.
Of the three Sannin, only Jiraiya was doing slightly better, as he was training in the Sage Mode of Mount Myoboku.
This was why, as time went on, Jiraiya gradually surpassed Tsunade and Orochimaru, becoming the strongest among the three Sannin.
"You're too modest, Senior. Your strength is recognized across the entire shinobi world. I can't compare myself to you," Takuya said with a chuckle.
It was truly just a joke!
He couldn't exactly tell Sakumo that his strength had indeed plateaued and that further improvement would be difficult, could he?
Tsunade didn't know what to say, so she chose to remain silent.
Not only Sakumo, but even she faced the same situation.
Is this senior really that strong?
Kakashi looked at Takuya curiously. He knew his father's strength well, and he had always seen his father as a powerful shinobi.
But here was his father praising this man—Takuya—so highly.
Kakashi knew his father, Sakumo Hatake, as someone who always seemed approachable, always friendly.
But despite his approachable attitude, his father always kept a certain distance from others.
Only when he met certain people would that distance seem to disappear.
Like when he was with the Sannin.
The Sannin were renowned throughout the shinobi world, but what about Takuya?
This was the first time Kakashi had seen his father speak of someone with such respect.
To the extent of comparing himself to that person.
"Haha, if we ever get the chance, we must spar sometime. To be honest, I've always wanted to try my skills against the Uchiha swordsmanship, but never had the opportunity," Sakumo said.
The Hatake clan's kenjutsu was famous, mainly because the Hatake had kenjutsu and Lightning Release techniques worth mentioning.
The Uchiha's swordsmanship wasn't as well known, but that didn't mean it was inferior.
On the contrary, powerful clans like the Uchiha and the Senju excelled in swordsmanship and taijutsu, comparable to any other clan.
The problem was that their kenjutsu and taijutsu prowess were often overshadowed by their other strengths, like the Sharingan.
When people thought of the Uchiha, the first thing that came to mind was the Sharingan.
When people thought of the Senju, the first thought was Wood Release, causing their other strengths to be forgotten.
The Senju clan had no contenders left, but the Uchiha… there was still a chance to compete.
But given the strained relationship between the village and the Uchiha, Sakumo couldn't just approach them for a friendly sword duel.
Unless he had lost his mind.
In this situation, sparring with Takuya was the best choice.
"We'll definitely have to spar if we get the chance, Senior," Takuya said, smiling.
The delicious smell of grilled meat surrounded them as Kakashi and Tsunade enjoyed their meal. The young boy ate while sneakily observing Takuya.
Meanwhile, Takuya and Sakumo chatted about training and swordsmanship while eating.
When the meal ended, everyone went their separate ways. Sakumo hurriedly paid the bill and left with Kakashi.
Takuya and the others waited in vain.
Even when Takuya and Tsunade left, there was no sign of Minato or Nawaki.
When Takuya opened the door to his home, what did he see? Minato and Nawaki, drunk and passed out on the living room floor.
Empty bottles littered the ground, some even shattered, with glass shards scattered around.
"Are you sure that idiot won't turn into a complete alcoholic?" Tsunade asked.
"Let him be. You take Minato to rest. Once Nawaki sobers up, I'll have a good talk with him," Tsunade said, shaking her head.
One or two days of this was fine.
Tsunade didn't mind, but Nawaki's endless antics were starting to get on her nerves.
She felt it was time to have a friendly chat with her brother.
As long as you're happy, Takuya thought, shrugging his shoulders. After all, he's your brother. And it's not illegal to smack your own brother.
Takuya carried Minato over his shoulder and walked away.
"Father, you really value that senior, don't you?" Kakashi asked.
"It's not about valuing," Sakumo replied, fixing his son's messy hair and straightening his clothes. Then, he lifted Kakashi onto his shoulders as they made their way home.
"It's about his strength—it's something I must take seriously."
"Is Senior really that strong?"
There were always rumors circulating about Sakumo Hatake's strength and the Sannin's strength as well.
But Takuya… it was as if everyone had forgotten about him.
"Very strong," Sakumo said, pinching his son's cheek with a smile.
__________________________
Next Bonus: 1400 Power Stones ╰ (´꒳`) ╯
__________________________
(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 340+ at patreon.com/ Emik01. ಥ‿ಥ
___________________________