But Hikaru's comment only earned him three pairs of rolling eyes.
He didn't know the details of the fight, so he had no idea that what they cared about wasn't strength—it was the promise behind the battle.
He noticed a shared look in their eyes that said, 'What do you even understand?' It left him even more confused.
Hikaru blinked instinctively and scratched his head.
His reaction made the three girls giggle softly.
Their laughter echoed in the air, and for a moment, the place was filled with a light and joyful mood.
After a while, Tsunade walked up to Hikaru, still smiling. She tilted her head playfully, looked into his eyes, and asked,
"Sensei, now that we've all gotten to know each other, what's the next step?"
Hikaru was caught off guard by her question.
He genuinely hadn't thought that far ahead.
But Tsunade, Chiri, and Nonō all looked at him with expectant smiles, waiting for his answer.
He scratched his head and said,
"Well… how about I treat you all to something to eat?"
That completely uninspired suggestion drew a flicker of disappointment on the girls' faces.
They had clearly been hoping he'd come up with something a bit more creative.
However, Hikaru gave them a mysterious smile and continued,
"To celebrate the official formation of Team 7, I'll be the one cooking this time."
He said it with full confidence, as if his culinary skills were something to be feared across the Five Great Nations.
The moment he declared he'd cook himself, the girls' eyes lit up with curiosity.
They had never tasted Hikaru's cooking, and now they were intrigued.
But after that flash of excitement, uncertainty returned to their faces.
After all, none of them had ever seen Hikaru cook before.
It wasn't that they were afraid it would taste bad—they were more concerned they might get poisoned.
Noticing their hesitation, Hikaru snorted inwardly and thought, 'Plugin, kid! You don't even get how valuable a system is.'
His cooking skills had already undergone a system-grade evolution, reaching a level that could rival top-tier chefs.
The others didn't know this, of course—but seeing the confidence on his face, they decided to trust him.
Before long, they returned to the Senju estate.
Just as they stepped through the main gate, a cute little radish-headed kid caught everyone's attention.
The little guy dashed over like the wind and ran straight to Tsunade.
When he reached her, he wrapped his arms tightly around her leg without hesitation.
"Big Sis! You're back! Can you play ninja games with me?"
Tsunade looked at the child with a fond smile.
She crouched down, gently ruffled his hair, and softly spoke her rejection:
"Not now, sweetie. I've got stuff to do."
Hearing that, little Nawaki pouted, his eyes instantly turning red.
Letting go of Tsunade's leg, he turned and ran to Hikaru instead, hugging him just as tightly:
"Big Bro! Sis won't play with me—can you?"
His voice trembled slightly, like he was clinging to his last hope.
Looking at Nawaki, Hikaru couldn't help but smile.
He crouched down too, meeting Nawaki eye to eye, and gently ruffled his hair. His tone was kind, yet firm:
"Sorry, I've got something to do too."
Rejected twice, Nawaki clearly couldn't handle it.
His eyes welled up, his nose twitched, and he bit his lip to keep from crying.
Just as his tears were about to fall, Hikaru chuckled.
He reached out and poked Nawaki lightly on the nose.
"If you cry, I'm telling Grandma Mito."
At that, Nawaki's tears immediately froze.
He pouted and forced himself not to cry.
His little face turned red from holding it in, looking so ridiculous that everyone present nearly burst into tears—from laughter.
Tsunade and Hikaru were clearly living proof of the proud ninja tradition: Discipline your little brother while he's still young.
Nonō let out a soft scolding:
"You two… What kind of brother and sister bullies Nawaki like this?"
Tsunade and Hikaru both looked a little guilty.
Exchanging glances, they wordlessly agreed to change the subject.
Hikaru gave a sheepish laugh and quickly deflected:
"Didn't I promise to cook for you all? Come on, let's get going."
Tsunade immediately caught on and nodded eagerly. "Right! I'll take Hikaru to the kitchen!"
With that, she stood, clapped her hands, and motioned for him to follow.
Hikaru stood up as well, waved to Nonō and Nawaki, and said, "We'll head to the kitchen first!"
The two of them hurried off like they were escaping the scene of a crime.
Nawaki watched their retreating backs, a puzzled expression on his face, while Nonō sighed and shook her head helplessly.
Chiri looked on with a hint of envy. Out of the four, she was the only one who didn't live here.
As expected of an orphanage director from another timeline, Nonō needed only a few gentle words to calm Nawaki down and make him smile again.
Then she led both him and Chiri toward the kitchen.
From a distance, they saw Tsunade standing outside the kitchen door, frozen in place, staring inside.
They exchanged curious looks, wondering what was going on.
They walked up beside her and followed her gaze inside the kitchen.
And just like Tsunade, they froze too.
Inside, Hikaru had already begun his culinary performance.
He selected ingredients with practiced ease, washing, chopping, cooking… Every movement was fluid, elegant, and natural.
To them, it wasn't just cooking—it was a performance.
As they watched, fully engrossed by his movements, the final dish was completed.
Hikaru let out a soft breath, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
And only then did the others finally notice the smell.
A rich, complex aroma had filled the kitchen without them realizing.
Each ingredient's scent was distinct, vivid—but also fused together into an irresistible blend.
It felt alive, like the fragrance itself was reaching out and diving into their nostrils, awakening their taste buds.
Everyone instinctively swallowed, as if they could already taste it.
Just then, a voice came from outside.
"Wood-for-brains, do you smell that? Smells amazing."
Another voice followed:
"Mito, I'm an Edo Tensei body. I can't smell anything."