Nawaki, who had left for the kitchen alone, returned and a feast was served.
Mito, Tsunade, and Kushina were all in the main room as various dishes were placed on the table.
Nawaki sat next to his sister. Deep in his heart, he was grateful that it wasn't his sister who had prepared the food. Not that she was the worst cook in the world, but her dishes often ended up a little burnt.
He would still eat her cooking, but with Granny Mito's return, it was nice to enjoy something delicious.
"Smells so good~" Kushina salivated slightly and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
While traveling to the Leaf village, she and Mito hadn't eaten anything that looked so appetizing.
Nawaki took the lead: "Thanks for the food," he said, clasping his hands together.
"Thanks for the dattebane food!" Kushina echoed Nawaki, but blushed when she realized what she had said at the end.
Seeing that no one seemed to mind, and noticing that Nawaki had started serving himself, Kushina did the same.
"It's good to be young," Mito commented with a gentle laugh, expressing her gratitude before beginning to eat.
Tsunade felt emotional. It had been a while since she and Nawaki ate together, just the two of them. She even felt that the food tasted better than usual as she began to eat.
For the first two minutes, they ate in silence.
Mito wiped her mouth lightly with her napkin and turned to Nawaki, "Nawaki, I heard you refused to graduate early. Can you tell me why?"
Her tone didn't suggest she was scolding him; it seemed like genuine curiosity. Before she left the village, Nawaki had shown a strong interest in becoming a Genin soon, hence her curiosity.
"Mmm?" Nawaki swallowed a piece of sweet and sour pork, then looked at his grandmother and replied, "I thought I wasn't ready to shoulder the responsibilities of being a ninja. Sis agrees with me on this."
"Ara? That's quite mature of you," she smiled and inquired with more interest, "Young people tend to be reckless and die early. Your grandfather did everything possible and impossible so that young people wouldn't have to worry about something like war at such a young age." She sighed softly, "Grandma agrees with your choice."
"Errr." Kushina drew everyone's attention. Realizing they were looking at her, she pretended to cough, clearing her throat, "Mito-sama, isn't it better to become a ninja as soon as possible?"
"No!" Tsunade inadvertently raised her voice. Feeling a bit embarrassed by her reaction, and seeing that she had startled Kushina, she smiled awkwardly and explained, "Little Kushina, I know many think like you. It's quite normal, as many young people, even younger than you and Nawaki, participate in the war. But you have to understand. Things are not that simple."
"What do you mean, dattebane?" Kushina didn't understand but felt her heart race at the seriousness in Tsunade's voice.
"To understand my point, you first have to understand what I think," Tsunade said. "To help you understand, I'm going to ask you a question."
"Okay," Kushina nodded in agreement.
"In a hypothetical situation, you have to kill a 300 cm bear using a kunai. This bear is much stronger than a Genin, almost as strong as a Chunin ninja. You have 3 years to kill the bear. Which option will you choose: 1st, without training, try to kill the bear? 2nd, train until you think it's enough and then try to kill the bear? Or 3rd, train for the full 3 years you were given and then kill the bear?"
Kushina looked thoughtful.
Tsunade didn't rush her and went back to eating.
Nawaki and Mito understood Tsunade's intention and were silent as they ate.
Kushina didn't think she was fearful; if danger came her way, she believed she would fight back, but... Why seek out danger when she had the option to wait?
'Wait!' She seemed to have realized something.
She felt like she had an epiphany.
Kushina's look of surprise prompted Tsunade to ask with a smile, "Have you got your answer yet?"
"I don't know if I'm wrong, but..." Kushina hesitated, then continued, "Basically, every action has a reaction, right? So, if I take a risk without training, I'm almost 100% sure I'll face severe consequences. If I feel confident after training for a few months and then try, there's at least a 50% chance I'll get injured or worse. But if I train for three years, I'll have a better chance of survival and successfully completing the task, right?"
"Yes, you are right," Mito replied with a gentle smile. "It's something my husband believed too. By giving young people time to train, the number of talented youths lost could be reduced."
"I see..." Kushina's eyes lit up with hope. "So then, if I train hard and avoid unnecessary risks, could I become as amazing as Mito-sama?"
"Hahaha!" Mito laughed heartily, finding Kushina's enthusiasm endearing. She smiled warmly, reaching out to pat Kushina's head while winking, "Your potential is even greater than mine. I have no doubt that in time, you will not only match but surpass me~!"
"I will do it, dattebane!" Kushina exclaimed excitedly, her smile wide and eyes sparkling.
Feeling inspired like never before, she then asked, "By the way, how strong are you, Nawaki?"
"Well," Nawaki glanced at Tsunade and then back at Kushina, "According to Sis, I have the strength of an elite Chunin."
"Wow!" Kushina looked at him with admiration. "Do you train hard?"
"Yes, every day," Nawaki replied. "I'm also learning to circulate my chakra more effectively. With the amount of chakra I have, the better I control its circulation, the more powerful I become."
"I also have lots of chakra, dattebane!" Kushina said, a hint of shyness in her voice but excitement in her eyes. "So, can I train with you? I want to learn how to circulate chakra too."
Mito also looked at Nawaki, clearly interested in his response.
"I don't see a problem, but," he glanced at Mito, "Grandma, do you also plan to teach her, right?"
"Smart," she responded, initially surprised but then smiled, "Yes, I intend to teach her the Uzumaki Clan techniques."
"So, can we learn together?" Nawaki asked with interest. "I really want to learn, and there's no one better than you to teach. During breaks, I can train in chakra circulation with Kushina. What do you think?"
"Nawaki, since when have you been interested in Fuinjutsu?" Tsunade inquired.
Looking at her, Nawaki answered, "There's no reason to be surprised. I also carry Uzumaki blood, and I think I have an aptitude for it. I tried it a few days ago, before formally learning it. I didn't find it too difficult, and it was even fun."
"Very good," Mito decided. "You don't have classes tomorrow, do you? Then, we'll start tomorrow."
"Agreed," Nawaki nodded.
"Me too!" Kushina, having been somewhat confused before, quickly caught on to the conversation and enthusiastically raised her hand, shaking it slightly.
Nawaki, who had left for the kitchen alone, returned and a feast was served.
Mito, Tsunade, and Kushina were all in the main room as various dishes were placed on the table.
Nawaki sat next to his sister. Deep in his heart, he was grateful that it wasn't his sister who had prepared the food. Not that she was the worst cook in the world, but her dishes often ended up a little burnt.
He would still eat her cooking, but with Granny Mito's return, it was nice to enjoy something delicious.
"Smells so good~" Kushina salivated slightly and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
While traveling to the Leaf village, she and Mito hadn't eaten anything that looked so appetizing.
Nawaki took the lead: "Thanks for the food," he said, clasping his hands together.
"Thanks for the dattebane food!" Kushina echoed Nawaki, but blushed when she realized what she had said at the end.
Seeing that no one seemed to mind, and noticing that Nawaki had started serving himself, Kushina did the same.
"It's good to be young," Mito commented with a gentle laugh, expressing her gratitude before beginning to eat.
Tsunade felt emotional. It had been a while since she and Nawaki ate together, just the two of them. She even felt that the food tasted better than usual as she began to eat.
For the first two minutes, they ate in silence.
Mito wiped her mouth lightly with her napkin and turned to Nawaki, "Nawaki, I heard you refused to graduate early. Can you tell me why?"
Her tone didn't suggest she was scolding him; it seemed like genuine curiosity. Before she left the village, Nawaki had shown a strong interest in becoming a Genin soon, hence her curiosity.
"Mmm?" Nawaki swallowed a piece of sweet and sour pork, then looked at his grandmother and replied, "I thought I wasn't ready to shoulder the responsibilities of being a ninja. Sis agrees with me on this."
"Ara? That's quite mature of you," she smiled and inquired with more interest, "Young people tend to be reckless and die early. Your grandfather did everything possible and impossible so that young people wouldn't have to worry about something like war at such a young age." She sighed softly, "Grandma agrees with your choice."
"Errr." Kushina drew everyone's attention. Realizing they were looking at her, she pretended to cough, clearing her throat, "Mito-sama, isn't it better to become a ninja as soon as possible?"
"No!" Tsunade inadvertently raised her voice. Feeling a bit embarrassed by her reaction, and seeing that she had startled Kushina, she smiled awkwardly and explained, "Little Kushina, I know many think like you. It's quite normal, as many young people, even younger than you and Nawaki, participate in the war. But you have to understand. Things are not that simple."
"What do you mean, dattebane?" Kushina didn't understand but felt her heart race at the seriousness in Tsunade's voice.
"To understand my point, you first have to understand what I think," Tsunade said. "To help you understand, I'm going to ask you a question."
"Okay," Kushina nodded in agreement.
"In a hypothetical situation, you have to kill a 300 cm bear using a kunai. This bear is much stronger than a Genin, almost as strong as a Chunin ninja. You have 3 years to kill the bear. Which option will you choose: 1st, without training, try to kill the bear? 2nd, train until you think it's enough and then try to kill the bear? Or 3rd, train for the full 3 years you were given and then kill the bear?"
Kushina looked thoughtful.
Tsunade didn't rush her and went back to eating.
Nawaki and Mito understood Tsunade's intention and were silent as they ate.
Kushina didn't think she was fearful; if danger came her way, she believed she would fight back, but... Why seek out danger when she had the option to wait?
'Wait!' She seemed to have realized something.
She felt like she had an epiphany.
Kushina's look of surprise prompted Tsunade to ask with a smile, "Have you got your answer yet?"
"I don't know if I'm wrong, but..." Kushina hesitated, then continued, "Basically, every action has a reaction, right? So, if I take a risk without training, I'm almost 100% sure I'll face severe consequences. If I feel confident after training for a few months and then try, there's at least a 50% chance I'll get injured or worse. But if I train for three years, I'll have a better chance of survival and successfully completing the task, right?"
"Yes, you are right," Mito replied with a gentle smile. "It's something my husband believed too. By giving young people time to train, the number of talented youths lost could be reduced."
"I see..." Kushina's eyes lit up with hope. "So then, if I train hard and avoid unnecessary risks, could I become as amazing as Mito-sama?"
"Hahaha!" Mito laughed heartily, finding Kushina's enthusiasm endearing. She smiled warmly, reaching out to pat Kushina's head while winking, "Your potential is even greater than mine. I have no doubt that in time, you will not only match but surpass me~!"
"I will do it, dattebane!" Kushina exclaimed excitedly, her smile wide and eyes sparkling.
Feeling inspired like never before, she then asked, "By the way, how strong are you, Nawaki?"
"Well," Nawaki glanced at Tsunade and then back at Kushina, "According to Sis, I have the strength of an elite Chunin."
"Wow!" Kushina looked at him with admiration. "Do you train hard?"
"Yes, every day," Nawaki replied. "I'm also learning to circulate my chakra more effectively. With the amount of chakra I have, the better I control its circulation, the more powerful I become."
"I also have lots of chakra, dattebane!" Kushina said, a hint of shyness in her voice but excitement in her eyes. "So, can I train with you? I want to learn how to circulate chakra too."
Mito also looked at Nawaki, clearly interested in his response.
"I don't see a problem, but," he glanced at Mito, "Grandma, do you also plan to teach her, right?"
"Smart," she responded, initially surprised but then smiled, "Yes, I intend to teach her the Uzumaki Clan techniques."
"So, can we learn together?" Nawaki asked with interest. "I really want to learn, and there's no one better than you to teach. During breaks, I can train in chakra circulation with Kushina. What do you think?"
"Nawaki, since when have you been interested in Fuinjutsu?" Tsunade inquired.
Looking at her, Nawaki answered, "There's no reason to be surprised. I also carry Uzumaki blood, and I think I have an aptitude for it. I tried it a few days ago, before formally learning it. I didn't find it too difficult, and it was even fun."
"Very good," Mito decided. "You don't have classes tomorrow, do you? Then, we'll start tomorrow."
"Agreed," Nawaki nodded.
"Me too!" Kushina, having been somewhat confused before, quickly caught on to the conversation and enthusiastically raised her hand, shaking it slightly.
