Chapter 21 – Family Dinner
Following Tsunade, Minamoto Ren arrived at the Senju clan's compound. It sat in a prime area near the heart of the village — in his previous life, any real estate agent would have hyped it up with phrases like "golden location, bustling commercial hub".
But now, the place was silent and desolate. The once-glorious Senju clan was history, and all that remained were the grandchildren of Senju Hashirama — clinging to each other for family.
"Little Tsuna, you're back."
An elderly woman's voice came from the largest house.
"Mhm, Grandma Mito, I'm back. And Nawaki too… Oh, and Grandma, I took on a disciple today. I brought him here to have dinner with us."
In front of this voice, Tsunade's usual confident, commanding demeanor vanished. She spoke meekly, like a well-behaved child.
Hearing the name "Mito," Ren immediately realized who it was — Uzumaki Mito, the wife of Hashirama Senju and the current Nine-Tails Jinchūriki of Konoha.
He quickly took off his mask and hooked it to his belt, not wanting to risk offending her.
"Oh? I didn't expect our little Tsuna to already be taking on disciples… Change your shoes. And you, young man — come here and change yours too."
The door to the outer room slid open, revealing an elderly woman with red hair tied in a bun, her face lined with deep wrinkles. Uzumaki Mito glanced at him warmly and gestured toward the entryway.
"Ah, yes." Ren bowed slightly and reached for the slippers, absolutely unwilling to let her get them for him. This was Konoha's living nuclear deterrent — the village's greatest treasure. Offending anyone else might be survivable, but not her.
Mito noticed his nervousness, but being a wise elder, she said nothing and quietly returned to the inner room.
As the eldest and most respected figure in Konoha — arguably holding more prestige than the Hokage himself — Mito was never without attendants. One of them was Uzumaki Aya, a loyal maid who had come with her as part of her dowry when she married Hashirama. Aya managed the household's daily affairs and was also a highly capable kunoichi.
At the moment, Aya had been in the kitchen preparing lunch. Upon hearing voices, she stepped out and scrutinized Ren with sharp, assessing eyes.
"Grandma, I'm home!"
The atmosphere inside had grown slightly tense, and Ren was about to say something to ease it when a lively female voice rang from outside.
The door opened again, this time revealing another Uzumaki — Uzumaki Kushina, the future wife of Namikaze Minato and mother of the protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki. But for now, she was still a student, not yet graduated from the Academy.
"Phew! I'm exhausted. We had a practical combat class today, and I took on three people all by myself! Grandma, wasn't I amazing?"
Without sparing a glance at the stranger in the room, Kushina leapt straight into Mito's arms.
"Our little Kushina is incredible. Do you want a gold star?"
"Yes!"
Watching the affectionate scene, Ren quietly became part of the background, sitting still and silent.
It was Tsunade who broke the quiet between them.
"Ren, what's your main focus in training? Is there any area you find particularly difficult?"
Ren thought for a moment before replying,
"My main focus is kenjutsu. I'm naturally talented in that area, but I also supplement it with some ninjutsu. Recently, I've been learning ways to counter genjutsu from Yūhi-san, but I still haven't fully grasped it."
"Yūhi Shinku?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
"That's right," Ren nodded.
"In that case, I won't interfere with your genjutsu practice. Since you're not specializing in it, just focus on learning how to defend against it from her. Be careful not to bite off more than you can chew." Tsunade offered her first piece of advice.
Ren nodded in agreement. She was right — at the level of elite jōnin, one should gradually aim to become a well-rounded shinobi. The "barrel theory" applied here: fill in your weaknesses so you wouldn't be caught off-guard and defeated by unfamiliar techniques. At the same time, your strongest skill — your "long plank" — remained the key to defeating opponents of equal rank.
This was precisely why jōnin, elite jōnin, and Kage seemed increasingly outrageous in their abilities — they were all essentially "tanks," differing only in how big the tank was.
As for genjutsu… without a "special pair of eyes," it would be twice the effort for half the result. Even someone like Kurenai Yuhi couldn't always counter a three-tomoe Sharingan with her illusions. Could Minamoto Ren do that? Hardly.
As a ninja, the first step was to identify one's role.
"So, what do you want to learn from me? I can teach you chakra nature transformation, medical ninjutsu… As for the Five Element release techniques, you can go to Jiraiya or Orochimaru. As long as it's not a forbidden or secret technique, they won't keep it from you," Tsunade said casually, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
Ren caught the faint scent of milk from her hair. What shampoo did Tsunade-hime use?
"Tsunade-sensei, I want to learn Chakra Enhanced Strength," Ren stated bluntly. They were master and student — sharing honor and disgrace — so there was no need to be coy about his request.
Tsunade's expression turned a little odd at that. "That jutsu is ranked A-level in difficulty, and the prerequisite training is extremely demanding. Are you sure you can meet the requirements?"
Ren nodded without hesitation. This jutsu was crucial to him! If he wanted to carve out a unique path for himself in kenjutsu, he had to master it.
"Dinner's ready!"
Uzumaki Aya knocked the lid of the pot with a ladle, calling everyone to the table. Normally, with just her, Uzumaki Mito, and Uzumaki Kushina at home, she wouldn't do something so boisterous. But today they had guests, and more children around… She did it deliberately — wanting Mito to see the kids' cheerful energy, to make the elder happy.
After all, elderly people liked a lively atmosphere.
"Wow! What's cooking today? Smells amazing!" Kushina dashed toward the table.
"Food? Where's the food? Dinner already?" Senju Nawaki mumbled as he sat up, still half-asleep.
Seeing this warm, family-like scene, Mito's face broke into a smile. It was the kind of sight once common in the glory days of the Senju clan — but those days were gone. Now, the clan's numbers had dwindled to just a few.
Noticing Mito's smile, Tsunade stood. The matter of Chakra Enhanced Strength could wait until after the meal. After all, no matter how important training was, nothing outweighed the joy of eating together as a family.
Ren also rose, etching the moment before him deep into his mind. He no longer had any doubts about the reality of this world — everyone had their own motives, their own reasons, and it was precisely because of these differences that the world was so endlessly fascinating.
He stood there for a moment, lost in thought, until Tsunade waved a hand in front of his face.
"What are you spacing out for? Dinner's ready. Go grab some bowls and chopsticks. The old man said you were quick-witted, but right now you're looking a bit slow," she teased, lightly tapping him on the head.
"I'll get them, Tsunade-sensei. You can sit," Ren said, shaking off his daze. He hurried into the kitchen, came back with a set of utensils, and took his seat.
"Itadakimasu!"
Everyone pressed their hands together before the meal, speaking in unison, before tucking into the lively family feast.