Shimura residence.
Danzo sat at the dining table, staring at the dishes that had long gone cold. His gaze shifted to the empty seat in front of him, and his expression gradually turned grim.
As if reacting to Danzo's growing displeasure, Raku, who was standing behind him, suddenly shivered, feeling as though a block of ice radiating cold was floating around him.
"Clack."
The floor inside Danzo's residence creaked open. After a long day of work, Shisui climbed up, holding a broken light bulb. Without even wiping the sweat off his brow, he hurried to leave the Shimura estate.
"Shisui."
Danzo suddenly spoke, stopping him in his tracks.
"Danzo-sama."
Shisui immediately froze and stood respectfully at attention.
Looking at this young man who diligently served as the root division's lightbulb repairman, Danzo nodded slightly and gestured for him to come forward.
Shisui obeyed and approached the dining table. Raku, behind Danzo, kept a sharp eye on Shisui, ready to act should he try anything against Danzo.
Ikku and Akira had already fallen at the hands of those wicked Uchiha. They had to remain on high alert.
"Sit down and eat."
Danzo's next words caught everyone off guard.
Ignoring the stunned expressions of Raku and Shisui, Danzo picked up his rice bowl and began eating.
"Yes, Danzo-sama."
Not daring to slack off, Shisui removed his equipment, set it aside, washed his hands thoroughly, and respectfully sat down beside Danzo.
"You too. Eat."
Having prepared food for three, Danzo popped a piece of cold grilled meat into his mouth, then ordered Raku to join them at the table.
And so, the three of them silently ate dinner.
...
Meanwhile, at the Namikaze household—
Returning from his mission handover, Minato couldn't wait to push open the door—only to be greeted by a few unfamiliar faces in his home.
Takeshi, who was helping Kushina in the kitchen, poked his head out and gave Minato a quick rundown of the identities of the three little guests before diving right back into the whirlwind that was dinner prep.
Seeing the liveliness in his home, Minato had no chance to confide his longing to Kushina. He could only smile and shake his head, then joined Kakashi and Rin in watching over the three little ones.
"Rin, how's work at Konoha Hospital?"
While patting Itachi's little head, Minato turned to Rin, who sat nearby.
"I heard your director is a very strict person."
"The director is strict, yes, but his medical skills are top-notch. I've learned a lot working under him," Rin replied sweetly from the side.
Seeing Minato join in on entertaining the kids, the tension on Kakashi's face finally eased. He quickly looked for an excuse to sneak away.
Seriously, these three little monsters were a handful. One kept staring at him with huge black eyes, while another kept asking "What's the meaning of life?"—nothing like normal kids their age.
Kakashi slipped into Minato's study and quietly closed the door. Confirming he was alone, he excitedly pulled out volume four of The Tale of the Snow Woman from his cloak.
From the worn pages, it was clear this wasn't his first time reading it. But each time, it revealed new depths of emotion.
The Snow Woman...
Just from the book's introduction, Kakashi could already picture her ethereal beauty.
But for some reason, that imagined face felt strangely familiar?
He pondered for a while but couldn't come up with an answer.
"Hey everyone, dinner's ready! Huh? Where did Kakashi go?"
Takeshi's voice rang out.
"I think he went to the study," Rin said thoughtfully, pointing out the direction.
Hearing footsteps approach, Kakashi was still lost in thought about the Snow Woman's face. As Takeshi reached for the door handle, Kakashi snapped to attention and scrambled to hide the book.
"Kakashi, what are you doing in here?"
Pushing open the door, Takeshi—wearing a blue apron—found Kakashi standing awkwardly by the desk. His curiosity was instantly piqued.
"Nothing, just curious about what kind of books Captain Minato reads in his free time."
Regaining his composure, Kakashi tried to control his voice.
"Really?"
Tilting his head, Takeshi studied Kakashi suspiciously.
He circled Kakashi once. Seeing nothing obviously wrong, Takeshi finally dropped his curiosity and waved for Kakashi to join the others in the dining room.
As Kakashi glanced toward the bookshelf, trying to think up an excuse to delay a bit longer, Takeshi had already grabbed his wrist and forcibly dragged him to the table.
No way out now.
He'd have to retrieve the book after dinner.
Casting a dead-eyed glance toward the book he had hidden in Minato's bookshelf, Kakashi silently reminded himself not to forget it later.
"Let's make tonight a welcome-home feast for Takeshi! Celebrating his return after a year away from the village!"
Seeing everyone had taken their seats, Kushina raised her glass and invited everyone to toast.
Of course, it was just fruit juice inside.
"Cheers!"
Everyone, including the little ones, beamed and raised their cups to toast Takeshi.
After downing her juice in one gulp, Kushina began promoting her cooking.
"Try this stew I made! And the braised meat too—it's not any worse than Takeshi's cooking!"
"Hmph, Kushina-san, I respect you, but when it comes to cooking, I'm still pretty confident. Right, Yamato?"
Takeshi retorted with a grin as he used his chopsticks to serve Yamato a piece of braised pork.
"Oh? Really now, Takeshi? I've been improving too, you know. What do you think, Minato?"
As she spoke, Kushina picked up a piece of fish and popped it into her mouth. But before she could chew twice, an uncomfortable expression took over her face.
"What's wrong, Kushina?"
Minato, who had been focused entirely on her, noticed immediately and asked with concern.
Kushina waved him off, signaling not to worry, and reluctantly swallowed the fish.
"It's been happening a lot lately. Probably nothing serious. I was planning to go to the hospital with Mikoto tomorrow to get checked."
Kakashi's hand, holding his chopsticks, suddenly trembled.
Having read too many of Jiraiya's novels, his mind quickly jumped to a particular possibility.
No way… Minato-sensei, you two haven't been married that long, have you?
"I see… well, better get it checked—pfft!"
Takeshi, only now realizing what was implied, choked on a fishbone mid-sentence. He coughed violently, spraying rice all over Kakashi, who sat across from him.
"Ka—Ka—Ka!" Clutching his throat, Takeshi couldn't speak, and tears welled up in his eyes.
Seeing this, Kakashi didn't even have time to complain about being sprayed. He rushed to Takeshi's side.
Minato, Kushina, and the others quickly moved in as well, doing everything they could to help.
After a flurry of chaotic movement, Rin finally managed to remove the fishbone from Takeshi's throat. He collapsed weakly onto the nearby sofa.
Damn it... I almost became the first jōnin in the Naruto world to die from a fishbone.
With his face buried in the cushions, Takeshi just wanted to dig a hole and disappear.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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