Nawaki slouched his shoulders, speaking weakly:
"My teacher loves research. He said if I want to learn his skills, I need to get used to these things first. Sooner or later, I'll have to face corpses for research. That's why he assigned me here."
Damn it!
I knew it! So it was Orochimaru's idea all along.
Making his own student guard a morgue? Orochimaru sure is something else.
"Whatever, let's just accept it since we're already here!"
Guarding the morgue is still better than being on the battlefield. At least you don't have to constantly be on guard against enemies or deal with the elements. Sure, it's a bit creepy, but otherwise, it's just boring.
"Takuya, how's your relationship with Kushina going?"
Maybe out of boredom, Nawaki tried to strike up a conversation, and somehow Kushina came up. Minato's smile slowly faded, and he lowered his head, looking a bit dejected.
Why'd you have to bring that up?
Of all the things to mention, why bring up Kushina?
And asking if my relationship with her is going well?
Stretching lazily, Takuya answered casually, "It's always been good, didn't you know?"
"Haha, really? That's good. Kushina doesn't have many friends, so it's nice that she has you guys to help her truly feel like part of Konoha."
Realizing he'd said something he shouldn't have, Nawaki felt a bit embarrassed.
Does Minato like Kushina?
If so, that's rough, because Kushina likes Takuya.
Nawaki figured anyone with eyes could see that.
And Uchiha Mikoto likes Takuya too.
Minato, you probably don't stand a chance.
Not long ago, Minato had been sympathizing with Nawaki.
Now the roles had reversed, with Nawaki feeling sorry for Minato.
Seeing Nawaki's sympathetic look directed at Minato, Takuya was at a loss for words.
So you two have become comrades in suffering?
Takuya couldn't help but be amused.
This task was really boring. After less than half an hour, Takuya was already feeling sleepy.
Minato and Nawaki, now a pair of comrades in suffering, were huddled together, whispering about who knows what, seemingly quite engrossed.
But when Takuya listened closely, he immediately lost interest.
He thought they were discussing something mysterious, given how secretive they were acting, but it turned out they were just exchanging tips on ninjutsu.
Somehow, I'm really starting to miss my phone and computer.
If I had a computer or even just a phone, I could sit here all night without a problem.
Standing around doing nothing like this just makes you want to fall asleep.
"Nawaki, how do you usually pass the time? You don't just stand around all night, do you?"
"Of course not."
Nawaki turned around, pulling out a stack of books from his pouch.
He wore an expression that said, I knew you couldn't handle it, but I came prepared.
"Guarding the morgue is really boring, so I always bring some books to read. That way, I can pass the time. Fortunately, Orochimaru-sensei has a lot of books, so I can always get new ones from him."
"..."
Fine, reading to pass the time is better than standing around like an idiot.
Takuya randomly picked up a book about ninja stories and started reading.
The protagonist of the story was a wandering ninja from a small village who left his home and weak village to pursue the path of a strong warrior.
What the... This is so cheesy!
After flipping through a few pages, Takuya promptly put the book down.
Orochimaru reads stuff like this?
This is total self-indulgence!
A small-time ninja from a minor village, slowly rising to become a powerhouse—just short of becoming bros with Hashirama Senju and chit-chatting with Madara Uchiha.
Could Orochimaru have written this?
But Orochimaru doesn't seem like the type to enjoy this kind of thing. Jiraiya, on the other hand, totally would.
Forget it, let's pick something else.
The night dragged on, and Takuya didn't even know how he managed to get through it.
If this kind of work goes on for long, anyone would go crazy.
Gotta hand it to Nawaki for his optimism and innocence.
He's been guarding the morgue for months, yet he's still cheerful every day. It seems having thick skin isn't without its advantages.
At least Takuya couldn't manage it, and neither could Minato.
Just like Takuya, Minato seemed a bit out of sorts.
It looked like Nawaki's books didn't interest him either.
"Minato, how's your summoning training going? Have you been able to successfully summon the toads from Mount Myoboku?"
Back at their tent, Nawaki recalled how Orochimaru had mentioned that Jiraiya had already had Minato sign a summoning contract with Mount Myoboku.
"Uh... yeah, sort of."
Minato looked embarrassed, scratching the back of his head, unsure of how to answer.
"'Sort of'? So that means you've succeeded? Come on, summon one for me to see! My summoning technique hasn't been going well, and Orochimaru-sensei warned me not to use it carelessly because it could cause a lot of trouble."
Nawaki was visibly excited, eagerly urging Minato to show him.
Minato: "..."
Can we not talk about summoning beasts?
Takuya has one too; why don't you ask him?
Minato found himself in a dilemma, while Takuya burst out laughing.
"Don't tell me you both had issues with summoning—one too scared to use it, and the other summoning a tadpole with a tail?"
How long has it been since Minato's last mishap?
It seems like it's been a while, so he should have made some progress by now.
Oh, right, his chakra is limited.
Minato doesn't have as much chakra as people might think, which is why his summoning technique is restricted.
After all, the toads of Mount Myoboku are pretty large—except for the tadpoles and baby toads.
As for Nawaki, being a direct descendant of the Senju Clan, he naturally has far more chakra than most people.
But he doesn't dare use the summoning technique lightly, fearing that he might accidentally summon Orochimaru's Manda.
If he really did summon Manda, Nawaki wouldn't even have a place to cry.
Manda isn't as easygoing as the toads of Mount Myoboku. Even with Orochimaru, Manda acts like it's the boss.
And every time it's summoned, it demands a sacrifice; otherwise, it threatens to eat Orochimaru.
It's clear that the snakes of Ryuchi Cave are not easy to get along with, so it's best not to summon them unless absolutely necessary.
"..."
Enough already!
You've been laughing at me for months over this, and you're still not letting it go.
Minato's face was covered in frustration as he glared at Takuya, while Nawaki was just stunned.
So it's not just me who's having trouble; Minato's in the same boat.
A tadpole with a tail, huh?
Why do I find that so funny?
No, I can't laugh. If I laugh, Minato might turn on me, and I don't even dare to use my summoning technique.
Nawaki quickly suppressed his urge to laugh and changed the subject.
"Takuya, what about you? Do you have a suitable summoning beast?"
"He's had one for a while now, but he just doesn't want to show anyone," Minato chimed in, using a bit of reverse psychology. He'd been curious about Takuya's summoning beast for a long time.
So that's what you're after, huh?
"Really?" Nawaki's curiosity was piqued.
"Takuya, what's your summoning beast? Can we see it?"
"It's just a fox, nothing special. A big white fox. It's asleep right now, though—I'm not sure if it's woken up yet."
Snowy was still in a deep sleep, and Takuya hadn't really checked on it lately. He wasn't sure if it had woken up yet.
If it hadn't, summoning it out now could interfere with its progress.
"A fox?"
"And it's white?"
Minato was simply surprised that Takuya would have a fox as a summoning beast.
At the same time, his curiosity deepened—just what does Takuya's summoning beast look like?
A white fox—it must be pretty, right?
But is it strong?
Wait, a summoning beast is supposed to assist in battle; looks aren't everything.
Otherwise, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade would be crying themselves to sleep.
The three of them have summoning beasts that are a snake, a toad, and a slug, respectively.
Minato was really curious about what Takuya's summoning beast looked like—was it gigantic, or was it small and cute?
But Nawaki, who knew about the existence of the Nine-Tails, had different thoughts.
Something about Takuya's description didn't sit right with him.
A big fox, and it's white?
If Takuya hadn't mentioned the white part, Nawaki might have thought he was talking about the Nine-Tails.
But then he laughed at himself for the thought.
Come on, the Nine-Tails is sealed inside Kushina. How could it ever be someone's summoning beast?
"Master, Snowy is awake."
***********
Note: If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 130+ at patreon.com/Emik01. Don't forget to give a power stone for many bonus chapters!