Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama hid behind a tree, watching as Senju Tobirama carried Renya on his back and entered the residence.
"Madara, Tobirama finally came back." Senju Hashirama let out a sigh of relief. "Once Tobirama leaves, we can go in."
Although he knew Tobirama wouldn't do anything to harm Renya, he was worried that if they both stayed away for too long, Madara would lose his patience from waiting.
Now that they were back, he could finally relax.
At least Madara wouldn't start yelling about leaving the village.
They just had to wait for Tobirama to leave the house, and then they could sneak inside to find Renya.
By then, they could get Renya to make a big feast, and Hashirama was certain that after Madara tasted his cooking, he would fall in love with it.
Tobirama's sensory abilities were strong, so neither Hashirama nor Madara dared to get too close.
After all, they weren't planning to reveal their identities just yet…
Especially Madara—he was completely against exposing themselves, so Hashirama could only go along with his decision.
Otherwise, Hashirama would have dragged Madara back to the village openly long ago.
At this distance, as long as they concealed their chakra, they were confident Tobirama wouldn't sense them—even with his sharp perception!
That was the confidence of the strong.
Uchiha Madara, whose eyes had been closed this whole time, slowly opened them and gazed toward the residence's main gate before speaking softly.
"When is he leaving?"
"Should be soon, right?" Senju Hashirama sounded a little unsure. "After sunrise, Tobirama usually goes to handle work."
He remembered that back when Tobirama served as the acting Hokage, this was his daily routine.
Hopefully, his schedule hadn't changed over the years.
Uchiha Madara nodded slightly and closed his eyes again.
If it weren't for Hashirama insisting on tasting Renya's cooking, he would have left Konoha long ago. There was no way he'd waste an entire night here.
He just couldn't understand how good that kid's cooking could possibly be for Hashirama to keep longing for it all these years.
Maybe this was just an excuse to trick him into coming back to the village.
Hashirama, on the other hand, kept staring at the front gate, eagerly waiting for Tobirama to leave the house.
...
Senju Tobirama's residence.
Senju Tobirama carefully placed Renya on the bed and then returned to his own room, pretending as if nothing had happened.
The effect of the medicine was almost wearing off, so he didn't dare make too much noise, worried that Renya might wake up.
He was already used to doing this sort of thing. Once Renya got up, he would follow him out of the room and act as though he had just woken up too.
Judging by the time, the kid should be waking up any moment now.
Sure enough, within Tobirama's sensory range, Renya stirred in the room.
...
Renya woke up feeling refreshed and full of energy.
It had been a long time since he'd slept so soundly. On the battlefield, he never dared to sleep too deeply, always waking at the slightest sound.
This was probably the best sleep he'd had in the past two years.
As expected, nothing compared to the comfort of being at home, where he could sleep peacefully until sunrise.
Waking up naturally, without being disturbed—this was the life.
Renya stretched lazily as he stepped out of his room, just in time to see Senju Tobirama opening his door.
"Morning, old man."
The sun had only just risen, yet this old guy was already up and moving so early...
Senju Tobirama gave a slight nod and spoke in a calm voice. "You're up. Make me some breakfast."
He still had paperwork to handle at the office afterward.
Because of dinner last night, he hadn't finished processing all the documents.
"Got it, old man."
Renya walked into the kitchen, rinsed some brown rice, and poured it into a clay pot with water, setting it on low heat to slowly simmer.
He decided to make porridge—it was better to have something light in the morning.
Then, he took out the eggs Senju Tobirama had bought last night and fried them in a pan until both sides turned golden. He also grabbed a handful of shredded seaweed and mixed it in for extra flavor.
By the time the eggs were cooked, the porridge was nearly ready as well.
Renya plated the food neatly, glanced at the clock on the wall, and realized it had only taken him about ten minutes to prepare everything.
Carrying the tray to the dining table, he placed the steaming pot of brown rice porridge in the center. A thin layer of rice oil floated on the surface, and next to it sat a porcelain plate of perfectly fried eggs, their edges curling slightly and releasing a savory aroma.
"Old man, breakfast's ready."
He set the tray gently on the table and called toward the doorway, where Senju Tobirama was leaning against the frame.
This old guy was probably in a rush to get to work, so Renya kept the meal simple—just enough to fill him up.
As for his own breakfast, he'd wait until Tobirama left to make something better. If it weren't for the time crunch, he would've cooked something else entirely.
Who eats this kind of plain breakfast first thing in the morning?
Only overworked Hokage office drones who live on a 9-9-6 schedule would be so busy they didn't even have time for a proper meal, forced to make do with quick and easy food.
Unlike him—he had plenty of time to enjoy a proper breakfast.
Honestly, anyone who wanted to become Hokage had to be out of their mind—voluntarily making life harder for themselves.
"Drink it while it's hot."
Renya picked up a bowl, scooped up half a small serving of porridge from the pot, and the fragrant steam immediately drifted through the air.
Senju Tobirama nodded slightly, taking the bowl. His fingertips brushed against the warm porcelain.
Mm. A bit hot.
He didn't say anything, just picked up a spoon and tasted the porridge. The soft, chewy brown rice and its rich aroma spread across his tongue.
After swallowing, he grabbed his chopsticks and took a bite of the fried egg, the crispy edge giving a faint crunch with every chew.
He glanced at Renya, slightly puzzled why the kid wasn't eating.
Renya seemed to notice his look and explained, "Old man, I'm not hungry yet."
He had just woken up and didn't have much appetite. He planned to make himself a big, proper breakfast later to reward himself after Tobirama left.
During the past two years on the battlefield, he hadn't had a decent breakfast even once, surviving mostly on soldier pills.
Now that the war was finally over, of course, he wanted to treat himself properly.
No matter how hard things got, he wasn't about to mistreat his own stomach...
Senju Tobirama didn't respond, simply continued eating bite by bite.
After staying up all night working on his research, he was actually starving. Before long, he finished the entire pot of porridge.
Setting down his chopsticks, he wiped his mouth with a tissue.
"Remember to bring lunch over later."
Senju Tobirama stood up, straightened his clothes, and looked at Renya, his tone calm but firm.
He didn't want the kid to forget again like yesterday.
"Got it."
Yesterday was a special case—under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have forgotten.
Satisfied, Senju Tobirama left the house.
As long as the kid remembered to bring food, everything was fine—he counted on those three meals every single day.
...
Outside Senju Tobirama's residence.
"Madara, Tobirama left!"
Senju Hashirama elbowed Uchiha Madara excitedly when he saw Tobirama walking away, nearly leaping out of hiding.
He stared at Tobirama's retreating figure, lowering his voice but unable to hide his excitement.
"Madara, look, look! He's gone!"
After staking out here all night, they could finally go inside and see Renya openly.
Just thinking about Renya's cooking was enough to make Hashirama's mouth water.
"Madara, let's hurry and go in!"
He couldn't wait to finally taste Renya's food.
Uchiha Madara looked at his best friend's eager expression and shook his head helplessly.
This guy was still such a kid at heart.
Once Tobirama disappeared from sight, Hashirama immediately pulled Madara along and the two of them sneaked into the residence.
Inside Senju Tobirama's house, Renya was still in the kitchen washing dishes, completely unaware that two unexpected guests had just arrived.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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