The three of them arrived at the Hatake residence, laughing and talking.
Before they could enter, Tsunade stopped them.
She looked them up and down, even circling them, which they found very strange.
An Yan grabbed her arm. "What are you looking at? We're dressed okay, right? Nothing inappropriate?"
Tsunade crossed her arms, her expression deadpan.
"Sakumo got promoted to Chunin, and you three came empty-handed?"
An Yan, Orochimaru, and Hiruko looked at each other.
An Yan cleared his throat and tried to save face.
"Are we the kind of people with no manners? Look what I have."
An Yan took out his prized possession from his inventory—the Thousand-Engine Umbrella.
After killing an Amegakure ninja on a previous mission and learning the Raining Senbon technique, he had made this umbrella specifically to go with it. Not only did its frame have hidden senbon mechanisms, but it also concealed a short sword. The canopy was decorated with a red maple leaf pattern and was very beautiful.
"This is the Thousand-Engine Umbrella, which the three of us made ourselves. It's a gift for Brother Sakumo's promotion."
Tsunade's eyes were glued to the quaint umbrella. She had seen many things, but this umbrella's style was very different from anything in the ninja world, and she found it novel.
An Yan noticed her gaze and smiled. "Do you like it, Tsunade? If you do, I'll make one for you next time."
Tsunade didn't refuse and nodded.
"You said it, An Yan. I'll be waiting for my gift."
The four of them entered the Hatake house. Unsurprisingly, Jiraiya was also there.
It had been a while since they had seen each other. Jiraiya seemed to have gotten much stronger. He looked at An Yan with a restless glint in his eye, as if he wanted to have another go.
An Yan pretended not to see Jiraiya's subtle challenge. The main priority now was to celebrate Brother Sakumo's promotion. Fights could wait.
Sakumo was very happy to see them and offered to cook for everyone. An Yan was skeptical of his culinary skills and immediately offered to help. As his teammate, he knew Sakumo's cooking was, at best, edible.
Just then, a girl walked in.
Tsunade and the others were puzzled. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
The girl politely bowed to them. "Hello everyone, I'm Haruhi Yako. I'm Sakumo's childhood friend."
Jiraiya and Hiruko exchanged a look and both gave a lecherous grin.
They immediately went over to help Yako to a seat at the table, and then everyone started chatting lively.
Or more accurately, interrogating Yako.
"Miss Yako, when did you and Brother Sakumo meet?" Tsunade asked first.
Yako replied gently, "We met when we were three. We've always been neighbors."
Jiraiya gasped. Meeting at three was so early. They were true childhood friends. He was envious.
Tsunade looked at the ordinary-looking Yako and asked curiously, "Are you a ninja, Miss Yako? You don't look like one."
Yako was silent for a moment, as if remembering something, but her expression remained gentle.
"I'm not a ninja. I don't have the aptitude for it."
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the others were surprised by her answer.
Hearing her words, Hiruko looked dazed. Doesn't everyone have a childhood friend?
Hiruko had also had a childhood friend, but after she was found to have no ninja aptitude, they had gradually drifted apart.
Ninja and ordinary people were on different paths. Not to mention that ninja usually died young. Even powerful ninja rarely chose ordinary people as partners. After all, you sleep in the same bed with them. An ordinary person could easily be controlled by a Genin's genjutsu and used to attack a ninja. And who could be constantly on guard against their lover? An ordinary person was a weakness, so it was better not to get involved.
But it seemed Sakumo didn't think that way. He was still in touch with his childhood friend.
Although Tsunade and the others didn't understand, they could only offer their silent blessings.
When An Yan and Sakumo came out of the kitchen with the food, they saw everyone gathered around a pretty girl, asking her questions.
Sakumo hurried over, placed the dishes on the table, and stood awkwardly in front of Yako.
"Yako, why are you here?"
Before Yako could speak, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Hiruko said in unison, "Yako? How sweet."
The three of them had agreed earlier to tease Sakumo.
However, Sakumo was five or six years older than them and had a thicker skin. He took a deep breath, composed himself, and sat down next to Yako as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Since everyone has met, let me introduce you. This is Haruhi Yako, my childhood friend, and the person I want to protect for the rest of my life."
Sakumo's straightforward introduction was like a public confession, and it made Yako blush. She covered her face and playfully punched him.
The punch was gentle, and Sakumo looked like he had just received a reward.
Tsunade and the others were all thinking the same thing: Brother Sakumo, I never knew you were this kind of person.
An Yan looked at Yako with surprise. This beautiful young woman must be Kakashi's mother.
She had never appeared in Kakashi's memories, so she must have died before he could remember her. He wondered how she died. The Second War, the Third War, childbirth, illness... there were so many possibilities.
The food was served, and everyone gathered around the table to eat and drink.
They first congratulated Sakumo on his promotion and gave him their gifts.
Sakumo was overjoyed.
They started to chat about lighter topics.
The future, dreams.
Jiraiya declared that his dream was to one day win the hearts of all the beautiful women in the world.
Tsunade rolled her eyes. That was one of the reasons she disliked him. No one likes a womanizer.
An Yan just smiled.
Children always want everything. Adults know they can't handle it.
But Jiraiya's lechery was likely due to his physical constitution being much stronger than an ordinary person's, so his male hormones were affecting his brain. Tsk, humans, controlled by their hormones their whole lives.
In the official stats, Jiraiya had a "Stamina" of 10, which was the max value.
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