After Konoha entered April, the temperature rose quite a bit.
On a sunny Saturday, the izakaya jointly opened by Natsuki and Mayu officially began business.
Calling it a partnership was a bit of a stretch, though.
Mayu was the one handling all the day-to-day operations.
Natsuki’s situation was special—he still had school and training.
Fortunately, barring any surprises, the high-end route he had planned would become the backbone of the izakaya.
Countless marketing case studies from his previous life had already proven one thing: as long as your reputation was big enough, money would keep flowing in endlessly.
And on top of that, his cooking skills were the real deal.
[Congratulations, Host.
Zeff Template Ability Two unlocked: Head Chef’s Flying Kick.]
Natsuki only glanced at it before he heard Nawaki’s voice.
He immediately closed the system panel and looked into the distance.
Then he froze slightly.
He had assumed Nawaki came together with Tsunade, but the person standing beside him wasn’t Tsunade.
It was a young man.
Long hair draped over his shoulders, pale skin, purple eye shadow, golden slit pupils, and a cold, eerie air.
With all those features put together, even though it was Natsuki’s first time seeing him, he could still guess who he was right away.
Orochimaru.
Sarutobi Hiruzen’s student, Tsunade and Jiraiya’s teammate, and one of Konoha’s future legendary Sannin.
In the original story, after Nawaki’s death, he turned toward the pursuit of immortality and eventually walked down the road of becoming an evil scientist.
In the end, Hiruzen discovered what he was doing, and he became a missing-nin of Konoha.
Later, he even cooperated with Sunagakure and carried out the Konoha Crush plan.
But right now, he hadn’t fallen that far yet.
He looked gloomy, but in truth, he was still more or less a normal ninja.
“Natsuki!”
Nawaki called out excitedly.
“Let me introduce you.
This is my teacher, Orochimaru.”
His teacher?
Natsuki was a little surprised, but after thinking about it, it made sense.
After all, Orochimaru and Tsunade had grown up together as teammates.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that even if Orochimaru weren’t officially Nawaki’s teacher, he would still guide him like a student.
“Lord Orochimaru.”
Natsuki immediately greeted him.
Orochimaru gave a blank-faced nod and said nothing.
“Please, come in.”
Natsuki raised a hand and gestured inward.
Orochimaru and Nawaki followed him inside the izakaya.
“Senior Nawaki, why didn’t your sister come with you?”
As Natsuki led them toward one of the deluxe private rooms that had already been prepared, he asked the question.
“She had me go notify Orochimaru-sensei,” Nawaki explained.
“She and Kushina are together.
They’ll be here in a bit.”
“I see.”
Natsuki nodded and pushed open the door to the private room.
Yakushi Nono instinctively stood up.
“Nono, good evening.”
Nawaki greeted her with a smile.
“You two can chat first.
I’ll wait at the entrance for Lady Tsunade.”
After saying that, Natsuki headed back toward the entrance of the izakaya.
He didn’t have to wait long before Tsunade appeared.
So the future Sannin of Konoha had all gathered here?
This was also Natsuki’s first time seeing Jiraiya.
His features were even more obvious than Orochimaru’s: white hair and a forehead protector with the kanji for “oil” carved into it.
“Lady Tsunade.”
Natsuki went up to greet them.
“Lord Jiraiya.”
“You know who I am?”
Jiraiya asked in slight surprise.
“I’ve heard quite a few stories about Lord Jiraiya’s deeds.”
Natsuki answered.
“Tonight I’m having tender chicken.”
Tsunade smiled faintly and said, “Natsuki, don’t disappoint me.”
“So you really are the one cooking?”
Jiraiya said, hearing that.
“Then you’d better bring out twelve-tenths of your skill.
As a seasoned eater, I’ve practically eaten my way across the ninja world.”
At this point, he had already become contracted with Mount Myoboku.
Because of the so-called prophecy of the Great Toad Sage, he traveled across the ninja world while carrying out missions, so saying he’d eaten all over the place really wasn’t a lie.
“Natsuki definitely won’t disappoint you!”
Kushina said confidently.
“Please wait in the private room.
The dishes will be ready soon.”
Natsuki said as he led them inside.
Before long, they entered the room.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Natsuki went to the kitchen.
Minato and Nono exchanged a glance and both felt a little nervous.
After all, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru were all here.
To them, those were truly top-tier figures.
“Minato, do you know why I brought you along?”
Jiraiya took the initiative and asked.
Minato shook his head.
He had just been about to eat dinner when Jiraiya suddenly appeared in front of him.
After that, he’d been brought straight to this izakaya.
As for Tsunade and Kushina, they had run into them on the way.
“Teacher said your talent is very good.
You might be fit to become my student.”
Jiraiya didn’t hide it and said it directly.
Minato’s eyes widened instantly, his face full of shock.
Become Jiraiya’s student?
How would he possibly deserve that?
But the next feeling that followed was joy.
If he really became Jiraiya’s student, then his future achievements would be limitless.
Tsunade already knew, so she wasn’t surprised.
Orochimaru was also calm, because the moment he saw Minato, he had already vaguely guessed it.
“But whether or not you can actually become my student will still depend on how you perform.”
Jiraiya smiled and said, “I’ll teach you for a while first.
If you don’t meet the standard, then don’t blame me.”
“I understand!”
Minato immediately answered.
But whether or not he could seize it was still unknown.
No matter what, he had to give it everything he had.
“Nono, the same goes for you.”
Tsunade suddenly spoke up.
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll teach you personally.”
Yakushi Nono went blank for a moment.
“What about Natsuki?”
Nawaki asked instinctively.
“Who do you want Natsuki to become the student of?”
Tsunade asked teasingly.
“Me?”
Nawaki scratched his head.
“I want him to be on the same team as me.”
“What a pity.”
Tsunade shook her head in mock regret.
“It’s fine even if that doesn’t happen.”
Nawaki looked a little disappointed, but he didn’t insist.
“Your sister is messing with you.”
Jiraiya exposed her on the spot.
“Natsuki specializes in swordsmanship.
The teacher most suitable for him is Orochimaru.”
Nawaki instinctively looked toward Tsunade.
“Don’t you know?
The prettier a woman is, the better she is at lying.”
Tsunade blinked and smiled brightly.
“Damn it!”
Nawaki ground his teeth in frustration.
“Nawaki, you should learn more from your teacher, so you don’t get fooled when you grow up.”
Jiraiya burst out laughing and slapped him on the shoulder.
Even Orochimaru smiled, though far less openly than Jiraiya and Tsunade.
The whole private room was instantly filled with cheerful air.
The group chatted as they waited.
After who knew how long, the door opened, and Mayu walked in carrying dishes.
After setting them down, she said, “This is the first dish: chirashi sushi.”
Natsuki had obtained the Shirou Emiya template.
And by coincidence, there was an anime in his previous life called Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family.
So he planned to choose several dishes that had appeared there.
Time passed slowly.
Soon, the table was covered with food.
Mixed hot pot, creamy sautéed bamboo shoots, fried chicken bites, salmon baked in foil with butter, and more.
And of course, Tsunade’s favorite—tender chicken.
“It smells delicious already.”
Jiraiya inhaled the aroma and looked full of anticipation.
Tsunade, meanwhile, didn’t hold back at all.
She immediately picked up her chopsticks and grabbed a piece of chicken.
She tossed it into her mouth, chewed a few times, and her face immediately filled with surprise.
“This is the best tender chicken I’ve ever eaten.”
Tsunade looked at Natsuki and gave her verdict.
Orochimaru glanced around, then took a bite of the fried egg.
One brow lifted slightly in satisfaction.
Natsuki’s cooking really was even better than he had expected.
If that was the case, then taking him on as a student wouldn’t be a loss at all.