Takashi chuckled, "Of course not. Your friends are my friends. Why would I be mad at them? By the way, why are you worried that I'd be upset with this Miho?"
Takashi was genuinely puzzled. He didn't know any child named Miho, let alone a little girl.
"You'll find out tomorrow," Kushina tried to keep things under wraps.
Smiling, Takashi gently ruffled her head of red hair, putting a few pieces of meat on her plate.
"Eat up. It's the perfect time to grow; eating more meat will help you get taller."
After they finished their meal, Takashi paid the bill, and the four left together.
However, when they reached his house, Takashi was stunned.
"Where's… my house?"
The location was correct, but the house wasn't there. Did he go to the wrong place?
"Hehe."
Kushina, clinging to his back, turned her head and giggled. "Takashi, I'm impressive, right? After you left for the border camp, I had the house torn down and rebuilt. Now it's a three-story building with lots of rooms. I plan to live here from now on."
Why didn't you tell me about this?
Takashi turned to Tsunade with a questioning look. She opened the door, stepping into the courtyard with a hint of jealousy as she muttered, "This little girl wouldn't let me say anything. She wanted to surprise you. And to think, I've always looked after her, but she wouldn't even lend me 200,000 ryo. But she turns around and spends it all on building you a house!"
"Here I am, Tsunade—just like an outsider."
Nawaki seemed hesitant, wanting to say something but holding it in.
But Kushina wasn't one to hold back. She blurted out, "Of course I wouldn't lend it."
With her nose scrunched, she looked up seriously. "Grandma Mito told me not to lend you money, or even give you any, because it would never come back."
Tsunade: "..."
Ungrateful brat.
"Hahaha." Takashi couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Tsunade looked like she wanted to kick him. How could he laugh at this?
To be honest, being spoiled by a little rich girl felt good. The only question was, does this make me a freeloader?
Then again, it's more like she forced it on me.
Stepping inside, Takashi took a look around. No doubt about it—top-notch furnishings!
The house must have cost a fortune, no wonder Tsunade felt a twinge of jealousy. Anyone would.
After surveying the environment and layout, Takashi asked, "Have you all been staying here recently?"
Tsunade, slumped on the couch with a look of resignation, waved her hand. "Kushina didn't want to go back, and Nawaki said that staying home always reminded him of Grandma. Besides, the ancestral home hasn't been maintained in ages. Once this house was finished, we all just moved in."
After Mito passed, the Senju ancestral home lost its warmth. Neither Kushina nor Nawaki wanted to return, and even Tsunade didn't feel like going back, afraid it would bring painful memories.
With the two youngsters often crying and mourning, Tsunade felt the need to stay strong, though no amount of resilience could fully stave off the sadness. Eventually, she moved in with them.
"This is wonderful, Kushina. Thank you; I love it."
Takashi pinched her cheek. "If you're tired, go ahead and rest. I'll make something tasty for you later."
Kushina, who had been yawning since they left the barbecue restaurant, was now on the verge of dozing off on his back.
Meanwhile Nawaki's eyes darted around, planning to sneak out, but as soon as he reached the door, he noticed his sister standing there, arms crossed, staring at him expressionlessly.
Dejected, Nawaki turned and trudged upstairs.
Why should he go to bed just because Kushina was tired? That's not fair!
But with Tsunade's imposing presence, he didn't dare argue and reluctantly went to his room.
"Did he do something wrong?" Takashi wondered aloud.
Tsunade wasn't usually this strict with Nawaki. In fact, she was often lenient. Not letting him go out meant he must've done something serious to upset her.
"It's all that pervert Jiraiya's fault!" Tsunade gritted her teeth. "That idiot came back and immediately took Nawaki out and about. Just over ten days ago, they even snuck into the women's bathhouse, fell off the roof, and nearly scared the life out of several ladies in the bath!"
"The incident even reached the Hokage's office. Tell me, wouldn't you be mad?"
Takashi was stunned. Seriously? That intense?
Since Jiraiya returned to the village, Nawaki had definitely been picking up bad habits. No wonder Tsunade was strict about him staying home; who would dare let him out with that kind of behavior? He's only nine, for crying out loud!
Having a troublemaking brother put Tsunade in a tough spot as both an angry and helpless older sister.
"The old man asked me about Nawaki's future recently, but I haven't replied."
Not every child who graduates from the ninja academy gets assigned to a ninja team and grows through missions under a teacher's guidance. It depends on the individual. For Nawaki, Tsunade could easily find a private mentor for him.
Originally, she'd considered Orochimaru. With one word, he wouldn't have refused her request.
But after discussing it with Takashi, and factoring in Jiraiya…
Well, even before Jiraiya officially became Nawaki's teacher, they were already stirring up trouble.
Tsunade's blood pressure was through the roof, tempted to smack the both of them.
"Do you really trust Jiraiya?"
If Tsunade were choosing, she'd pick Orochimaru over Jiraiya without hesitation.
"Well…" Thinking about Jiraiya's antics, Takashi couldn't help but laugh. "Jiraiya's pretty perverted, and he does things that drive people nuts, but as a teacher, I believe in his ability to guide students. His personality is also a good match for Nawaki's."
"With Jiraiya, there's a chance Nawaki could gain the favor of Mount Myoboku."
Naruto was like a toned-down version of Nawaki, and even he earned the respect of Mount Myoboku. There was no reason Nawaki couldn't.
Learning some sage arts would certainly boost his abilities.
"Let me think about it... I'll think it over."
The more Tsunade thought about it, the more torn she felt.
Though she hated to admit it, Jiraiya had grown steadily over the years, constantly reaching new heights.
Damn it!
Why couldn't that pervert just behave?
It's fine to be perverted, but why take a kid along for the ride?
Growing increasingly frustrated, Tsunade rubbed her temples, letting out a heavy sigh.
"By the way, do you want to sign a summoning contract with the slugs? I brought the scroll."
"A summoning beast wouldn't be of much help to me, and I don't want to become a full-time medical ninja."
Takashi shook his head.
He had never planned on signing a summoning contract.
If he could get it for free, maybe he'd give it a shot. But who knows how hard it would be to learn Senjutsu from the Shikkotsu Forest, or how dangerous it might be.
"Haven't you learned Senjutsu from the Slug Sage?"
"Uh..."
Tsunade suddenly looked a bit embarrassed.
"The Slug Sage said I didn't have enough talent. I could learn it, but it would be really dangerous, so I gave up."
Not talented enough?
Really?
Or are you just making excuses?