With the help of Rozuki and Namikaze Minato, the barbecue grill was quickly set up.
Shigeru lit the fire and added a generous amount of charcoal. Once the charcoal caught fire, he placed the marinated meat on the grill. As the meat roasted over the coals, it soon gave off an irresistible aroma.
Naoki and Namikaze Minato, who were standing nearby to help, were already starting to salivate.
"It smells amazing," said Xiao Huangmao with genuine admiration, raising his head and flashing a big smile at Shigeru.
Shigeru smiled and nodded, then playfully knocked Naoki on the head.
"Ouch! What was that for?"
The confused Naoki held his head, loudly questioning Shigeru.
"Look at others, then look at yourself. No wonder your sister has to keep an eye on you all day. If you keep this up, all you'll be thinking about is Se Se!"
"Se Se? What's that mean?" Namikaze Minato asked, not catching the reference.
Naoki's face instantly turned red, and he jumped in place. "No, please stop talking! I'll call you 'brother,' okay? Just stop talking."
Today, Kushina's friends were visiting, and it would be embarrassing if others found out Naoki liked things like Se Se.
For Namikaze Minato and Hyuga Mie, it didn't matter much, but Uchiha Mikoto was a different story—she was the one he had a crush on, and they were classmates.
"Good, as long as you understand. If it embarrasses you, then maybe you should do it less often. When you're grown, no one will care what you want to do."
Shigeru understood that Naoki was a bit of a troublemaker. He'd admit his mistakes right after getting in trouble, only to repeat them later. For kids like him, you had to use different tactics.
Leaning down, Shigeru whispered, "You wouldn't want Uchiha Mikoto to find out about all this, right?"
"..."
Are you the devil?
Naoki's eyes widened in shock.
What are they talking about? It seems complicated, but I don't quite understand it.
The confused Xiao Huangmao scratched his head out of habit, his big eyes shifting between Shigeru and Naoki.
He wanted to join in, but had no idea what they were discussing.
"Okay, okay. I'll stop these things from now on," Naoki promised, face red and teeth gritted.
"Don't just stand there—go bring out the vegetables and kimchi from the cabinet."
"Okay."
Naoki shrugged and walked dejectedly toward the house, feeling like Shigeru had his lifeline in a grip. More than Se Se, he dreaded the thought of social embarrassment. If his classmates ever heard about what he and Jiraiya got up to, he'd be mortified.
"It smells so good, Shigeru! Can we eat now?"
Smelling the mouthwatering barbecue, Kushina came running out with Uchiha Mikoto and Hyuga Mie.
Shigeru smiled and warned, "Almost, but first, you'll need to bring the chairs and tables outside. We'll start soon."
"On it!"
As the seasonings sprinkled on the skewers began to sizzle, Kushina couldn't resist, dashing back inside to grab the furniture.
"It smells incredible!"
"Mei, try this; it's delicious. Have some more."
"Sister Mikoto, Shigeru said eating this will make your skin even fairer."
"Xiao Huangmao, you should eat more!"
"..."
Can you please not call me 'Xiao Huangmao'?
Namikaze Minato, holding a skewer in one hand and juice in the other, gave a slightly embarrassed smile. He didn't particularly like the nickname, but Kushina loved calling him that, and over time he had resigned himself to it.
Aside from skewers, there were large cuts of grilled meat, grilled fish, and more.
Shigeru sat next to Namikaze Minato, chuckling, "Kushina must cause quite a stir at school."
"She does okay," Namikaze Minato replied, his smile a little strained, as memories of the "red pepper" clobbering her classmates came to mind.
You're really lying through your teeth here.
Shigeru laughed, giving Namikaze Minato a pat on the shoulder.
While Kushina flitted around like a cheerful butterfly, treating her friends to the feast, she was chatting nonstop with her three friends.
"It's rare for her to be this peaceful," Tsunade observed, watching her little sister in high spirits. Relaxed, she sat next to Shigeru with a bottle of wine, casting a surprised glance at Naoki, who was quietly eating his barbecue.
Knowing her brother, he shouldn't be this reserved amid all the fun.
Shigeru stifled a laugh, leaned toward Tsunade, and whispered, "I just told him if he keeps up his antics with Jiraiya, I'll tell Uchiha Mikoto about him."
"???"
That's all it took?
Looking over at Uchiha Mikoto, who was chatting with Kushina, Tsunade felt a bit of a headache. While she was glad her brother had a girl he liked, it was complicated with Mikoto being an Uchiha. The Senju and Uchiha clans had too much blood history between them.
"Do you think there's a chance for him?"
"Not a chance, he's just smitten."
Shigeru shook his head.
"Then this kid is pretty unfortunate," Tsunade chuckled.
Someone's talking about me, aren't they?
Naoki looked up suddenly from his food, feeling his ears warm up as though burning.
Could it be my sister?
Naoki glanced toward Tsunade, who was quietly talking with Shigeru. It didn't seem like they were talking about him, though.
Maybe I'm just imagining it.
Naoki shook his head. Tsunade was his sister—she wouldn't talk behind his back.
After the barbecued food was ready, Shigeru and Tsunade took their plates and returned to the living room, leaving the yard to the kids. With plenty of meat, vegetables, and fruit drinks, they could eat to their hearts' content.
As Shigeru and Tsunade left, the atmosphere in the yard grew even livelier.
"Have you thought about a teacher for Naoki?"
"Jiraiya, I suppose," Tsunade answered reluctantly.
"Relax, Jiraiya's got his quirks, but he's not bad overall. Besides, Naoki is practically a mini-Jiraiya by now. Maybe it's good they spend time together."
"..."
Are you even listening? What do you mean by Naoki turning into Jiraiya?
The more she listened, the more uncomfortable Tsunade felt. Shooting Shigeru a glare, she took a few sips of her wine and stretched out.
"No work, just resting at home with wine and good food. Can't beat it."
Is there any hope for you?
Shigeru had given up expecting any changes in Tsunade's habits. Getting her to alter even a few would probably be harder than anything else.
Forget it, let her be.
In the end, Jiraiya became Naoki's teacher instead of Orochimaru. Orochimaru was a good teacher to Naoki, but Shigeru hoped to help Naoki avoid the ill fate of the exploding paper bomb. With Jiraiya's guidance, Naoki might even become a fellow disciple with Xiao Huangmao someday.
After the meal, Tsunade went to her room for a nap.
_______________________________________
Visit our Patreon for more:
Join mee on Patreon to read at head +chapter.....
Basic amount 6 $ to read full chapter
U want support mee 👇👇👇
patreon.com/Gho_
Extra Content Already Available.
**End of Chapter**