At the border of the Land of Waterfalls, in a roadside inn.
Steam billowed inside the room, and fiery red chili oil bubbled in the pot. Yugito stared at the boiling red broth with an ugly expression on her face.
"Do we really have to eat this?"
Naruto sat cross-legged on the tatami, the table in front of him filled with various hot pot ingredients. The small stove glowed red, charcoal flickering as if breathing. The window was wide open, letting the thick aroma fill the room, making his appetite soar.
"Of course we have to eat it. These are the ingredients I finally gathered together!" He looked up at his curvy, cat-like subordinate, feeling a little dissatisfied.
"What? This isn't considered a feast? Do you know how hard it is to gather these ingredients? This is your reward, a blessing for you!"
"But…" Yugito looked at the bubbling red broth and gulped. It's not that she has never seen hot pot before, but this is the first time she has seen one this spicy.
If she really eat it, her stomach, and worse, her backside, would surely suffer.
Two days ago, after Naruto obtained Samehada, he suddenly proposed speeding up their journey. He also promised that as long as Yugito could keep up with his pace, he would treat her to a feast when they arrived at the Land of Waterfalls.
Yugito had no money on her, so all her expenses had to be paid by Naruto. While she wasn't starving, she also had no reason to refuse, so she simply agreed.
The non-stop journey was really hard. Even for a Jinchuriki like her, it had been tough to keep up. On the contrary, Naruto looked completely unfazed, while Yugito had barely survived the two-day trek before reaching the border of the Land of Waterfalls.
She thought she could finally rest, which was true, but she hadn't expected this promised 'feast' to be part of the deal.
"Isn't this too spicy?" Yugito sat down, resting her hand on the table. She couldn't bear to look at the boiling red broth, "I'll just eat a little."
"Suit yourself." Naruto wasn't overly concerned, after all, this was the cheapest big meal he could provide, plus he genuinely wanted to eat it. As long as she didn't complain, everything was fine.
Hot pot was common in the Shinobi World, but usually, the broth wasn't this spicy. Naruto had made this red broth himself, pulling the ingredients from his sealed space.
"I'll just have a little… Just that." Yugito reluctantly reached out with her chopsticks, picking up a piece of food. The moment she took a bite, sweat immediately formed on her forehead.
Ssshhhaa… Ssshhhaa…
The two of them silently ate, their breath quickening as they endured the heat. With the sound of gurgling, they ate the hot pot while enduring the spiciness.
Clack.
Two pairs of chopsticks were inserted into a single piece of tofu. Yugito looked at Naruto with a little hesitation, then calmly looked away but did not pull her chopsticks away.
"Didn't you say you were only eating a little?" Naruto was slightly annoyed.
"I didn't eat that much… It's just a little." Yugito said somewhat guiltily. However, she didn't expect this hot pot to be so delicious.
The food in Kumogakure is usually mild, either extremely sweet or just large chunks of grilled meat. Hotpot is actually quite rare, even the mild mushroom broth versions.
Since she was already a so-called villain now, she figured she might as well indulge. Why not eat if you can? Holding back wouldn't bring joy. Only eating… eating… and eating would.
"Forget it." Naruto was a little speechless and pulled back his chopsticks.
Anyway, he had eaten most of his fill anyway, so there was need to fight for a piece of tofu. Watching as Yugito carefully moved the tofu into her bowl, he suddenly stood up and snatched it away.
Yugito: "…"
Naruto put the last piece of tofu into his mouth, then looked at Yukito and raised his eyebrows, and suddenly asked, "Hey, what do you think about me opening a shop like this in Kumogakure?"
"When?" Yugito was also a little expectant.
"Of course, we will wait until you become the Raikage." Naruto said, putting down his chopsticks with a grin, "At that time, I'll wait for someone with no eyes to come and cause trouble, then I will show them my Raikage background."
"And then… Heh heh heh, we smother them in the broth, make their wife come and apologize. 'Ma'am, you wouldn't want anything to happen to your husband, would you…'"
"Wait!" Yugito couldn't listen any longer and interrupted Naruto's fantasy. "I'm not saying it's a bad idea, but do you really think this will work?"
"What? The shop? Of course! Don't you eat a lot of it?" Naruto was confused for a moment and said, "You don't look like it, but you sure can eat."
"That's not what I'm talking about." Yugito blushed for a moment, "I didn't eat that much, it's just about the same portions as you! I mean me being the Raikage! Don't you think that's a bit too far-fetched?"
"Ah, the Raikage thing?" Naruto pondered for a moment, "Well, you don't have to worry about that. Kumogakure doesn't have a choice, didn't I already tell you?"
"I'm not going to rebuild Kumogakure. In the end, Kumogakure definitely will agree."
Naruto spoke vaguely, and Yugito didn't press further. She stared at the bubbling hot pot, feeling uneasy. The future of Kumogakure was uncertain.
She was already a stray dog following Naruto now, so she had no right to care about her former village.
Yet, it was still her home. Even if the village had abandoned her, she still had lingering attachments.
While Yugito was lost in thought, Naruto had already mapped out his next targets.
Zabuza was dead, Raiga was dead, and Kisame was dead.
That left four of the Seven Ninja Swords, with the Twin Blades swords – Hiramekarei is in the hands of the Mizukage, Terumi Mei's follower, Chojuro, who is as soft as pudding.
However, getting the other swords would require grave-robbing.
Aside from Hiramekarei, the rest wouldn't be a problem. He had no plans to visit Kirigakure just yet, so he'd wait until Yugito became Raikage first.
The hot pot with no ingredients was surging and bubbling like boiling magma.
Yugito, who is sitting opposite him, lowered her heads in silence, it is unknown what she was thinking. Naruto rubbed his fingers against his cup, his gaze slowly becoming focused. After a moment, he tilted his head back and downed his drink.
"Ah! That's the stuff!"
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit tavern, Tsunade slammed her cup on the table, her face flushed and a dumb grin plastered across her face.
"Tsunade-sama, you should stop drinking now." Shizune advised from the side. She was supposed to stay in Konoha to assist Kakashi, the Rokudaime Hokage.
But she was really worried about Tsunade, so she decided to follow her.
"Shizune, you're such a… buzzkill!" Tsunade said with a red face, "Come on, Shizune, have a drink too! You're not the Hokage's assistant anymore."
"Even so, Konoha still..." Shizune hesitated, looking at the swirling sake in her cup, her reflection staring back at her. She furrowed her brows slightly.
"Sakura is indeed capable, but she's still too young. If there's anything she can't handle… Sigh."
"Then why did you come with me?" Tsunade said with a smile, "I don't have hemophobia anymore. I don't need anyone to take care of me. Kakashi would probably prefer you stayed in the village."
"Forget it. Tsunade-sama, don't you always say we should believe in the strength of the younger generation?" Shizune smiled, "I believe in Sakura too."
Tsunade glanced at her but said nothing, simply downing one cup of sake after another. The sound of clinking glasses filled the lively izakaya, drowning out any unspoken worries.