socalfunplaces Chapter 42 Gathering, Clash
Chapter 42 Gathering, Clash
After scolding him, he secretly rejoiced that he had invited Minato when he came.
Otherwise, facing Tsunade and her new boyfriend alone would be even more awkward.
He was kicked out of Tsunade's office today. Her intention was to bring Minato along to ease the atmosphere at the gathering, and then send him away when he was no longer needed.
In retrospect, this move was the right one.
As for Minato's girlfriend Kushina who insisted on coming along—saying she "didn't trust Minato," what was there to worry about?
As soon as Kushina saw Tsunade approaching, the anger on her face vanished instantly, and she happily went to greet her and took Tsunade's hand.
"Tsunade-neechan, you've finally arrived!"
"What, have you been waiting long?" Tsunade asked.
"No, it's just that Jiraiya-sama keeps complaining about you." Kushina betrayed Jiraiya without any qualms.
As she spoke, she curiously sized up Xingyuan Qianshuo, thinking to herself:
"Is this the 'puppy' that Jiraiya was talking about? He's about the same age as Minato... but not as handsome as my Minato, hmm."
Tsunade snorted coldly after hearing Kushina's words, without saying anything more or rushing to introduce Xingyuan Qianshuo.
The group walked together toward the shop entrance.
At this moment, Minato took the initiative to greet Hoshino Senju: "Dr. Senju, it's nice to see you again. Thank you for your hard work these past few days, both you and Lady Tsunade."
"This is the duty of a medical ninja. Just call me Chisaku," Hoshino Chisaku replied gently.
Minato felt like a little sun to him—sunny, handsome, and gentle, with a natural infectiousness that could unconsciously influence the emotions of those around him.
"Hey, you guys..." Jiraiya looked at the two people he brought with him and suddenly became a little anxious.
Hoshigen Chisaku stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Lord Jiraiya, I have long admired your name. I am Hoshigen Chisaku, a medical ninja."
"Okay, okay." It's never wrong to be polite, so Jiraiya could only nod in agreement.
Xingyuan Qianshuo did not claim to be Tsunade's boyfriend.
Firstly, their relationship had only just begun, and while they understood each other implicitly, it hadn't been officially confirmed yet; secondly, today was a welcome-back party for Jiraiya, and he didn't want the atmosphere to be too awkward.
The five people entered the barbecue restaurant and, because there were many of them, requested a spacious tatami room.
When they took off their shoes and sat down, Jiraiya and Minato sat on one side of the barbecue table, while Hoshino Senju, Tsunade, and Kushina sat on the other side—Tsunade was in the middle, and Kushina was right opposite Minato.
The seating arrangement was a tacit choice made by the five of them, but the atmosphere became subtle after they sat down.
The party was originally Jiraiya's invitation to Tsunade, but it ended badly.
Now Tsunade has brought Hoshino Senju, and Jiraiya has brought Minato and Kushina. Hoshino Senju's unspoken identity is the source of this subtle atmosphere.
Fortunately, the waiter entered the private room at the right time, breaking the tense atmosphere.
Minato sat near the entrance and took the initiative to order food for everyone.
After asking for everyone's opinions, he first ordered three plates of premium beef short ribs, one plate of beef ribs, and one plate of beef short ribs, and then asked everyone to add their own.
Jiraiya ordered five bottles of sake and a plate of pork belly.
Xingyuan Qianshuo had eaten the deluxe beef set meal with Tsunade last time. This time, Minato had already ordered a lot of beef. Knowing that Tsunade liked tender chicken, he ordered a plate of pepper-flavored chicken thigh.
Tsunade waved her hand dismissively: "Add five more bottles of sake!"
It's a rare treat to get out and drink, and she's determined not to leave until she's completely drunk.
Kushina ordered a grilled saury and seafood tofu soup.
Although he had lived in Konoha for many years, the tastes he had developed in Uzushiogakure during his childhood were deeply ingrained in his body's memory.
Once the baking pan was preheated, the waiters began serving the dishes.
At this moment, Jiraiya suddenly spoke up: "What a pity, Minato and Kushina, you're only 17 years old. According to the three prohibitions for ninjas, you can't drink alcohol yet."
"Jiraiya-sensei, you should also eat in moderation," Minato said with concern.
Jiraiya didn't reply, but instead casually asked Hoshino Sensaku, "Sensaku, how old are you this year?"
Snapped!
Tsunade's face darkened, and she slammed her hand heavily on the table, the sound particularly jarring in the private room.
Minato and Kushina instantly understood the deeper meaning behind Jiraiya's words—after all, they had been listening to complaints all afternoon.
Xingyuan Qianshuo was unaware that he had earned the nickname "little puppy," but he could tell from Tsunade's reaction that Jiraiya's words had a hidden meaning, which was likely related to what he had seen at the hospital during the day, and also to himself.
However, since he had been asked, he could only answer truthfully: "Lord Jiraiya, I am 19 years old this year."
"19 years old, so young," Jiraiya sighed. "I'm 31, I'm getting old."
He sighed to himself, then took another sip of his drink, as if nothing had happened.
Tsunade's face darkened, and she looked ready to flip the table.
Minato was somewhat helpless; the atmosphere was tense, but he couldn't defuse it.
The master's words were veiled and harsh, but he never explicitly stated them.
He never expected that the "Tsunade's boyfriend" that Jiraiya-sensei had been talking about was actually Dr. Chisaku.
I was afraid the teacher would voice the complaints from the afternoon on the spot, making the situation unmanageable.
Kushina, however, was enjoying the spectacle and her eyes darted around, barely suppressing a mischievous grin.
At this moment, Hoshino Senjutsu fully understood Jiraiya's unspoken meaning—the other party had obviously heard the rumors about his relationship with Tsunade and was deliberately making a fuss about their age difference.
Once he understood this, he chuckled to himself.
If Jiraiya truly wanted to pursue Tsunade, this behavior would be a major turn-off; it was merely an emotional outburst.
But he couldn't remain silent either.
Xingyuan Qianshuo diligently poured wine for Tsunade and then used serving chopsticks to place the grilled beef brisket onto her plate.
He even carefully dipped her in the barbecue sauce she loved last time, almost feeding it directly to her mouth.
Tsunade was quite pleased with this attentiveness.
Bringing him to this dinner party is just for showing off, isn't it?
Upon seeing this, Kushina immediately fixed her intense gaze on Minato.
Minato, feeling helpless, could only considerately help Kushina flip the grilled beef, dip it in sauce, and put it on her plate.
Now, Jiraiya was all alone at the table, and had to pour his own wine and pick up his own meat.
He immediately realized his mistake, his eyes darted around, and another plan came to him. He said:
"Minato, you can now easily kill eleven Iwagakure ninjas. You truly are worthy of being my disciple! Other ninjas of your age in Konoha, and even those two years older than you, don't have this ability."
Having said that, Jiraiya thought to himself smugly, "You won't let me mention your cute puppy boyfriend, so can't I at least praise my own disciple?"
The people present all understood the deeper meaning behind the words—on the surface, they were praising Minato Namikaze, but in reality, they were subtly belittling Senju Hoshino's strength.
Now, Tsunade couldn't really retaliate.
Kushina, on the other hand, looked on with great interest, waiting to see what would happen.
Minato was both amused and exasperated, and could only respond:
"Thank you for your guidance all this time, Jiraiya-sensei. However, the main reason I was able to defeat the enemy so easily is thanks to the Flying Thunder God Technique developed by Tobirama Senju. I am just benefiting from the kindness of my Konoha predecessors."
This was a very appropriate response, as it thanked his mentor and also praised Tsunade's ancestors, thus offending neither side.