"Eat up, old man."
Renya brought the freshly cooked dishes to the table. Senju Tobirama had already dragged a chair over and was sitting, waiting for the food to be served.
He knew it had been a long time since this old fellow had tasted his cooking, so he had specially prepared a whole table full of delicious dishes.
Looking at the spread of all his favorite foods, Senju Tobirama couldn't help but swallow subconsciously.
As expected, only this kid's cooking could give him an appetite.
"Renya-san, I heard you came back?"
Just as the two of them were about to eat, Tsunade's voice echoed from the yard.
Senju Tobirama's hand froze midair, his chopsticks stopping abruptly, and his mouth twitched slightly.
This kid, Tsunade!
These past few months, she had barely come to visit him at all.
Yet the moment Renya returned to the village, she immediately ran over like an eager puppy.
Moments later, three people entered the room.
When they saw the table full of mouthwatering dishes, they couldn't help but swallow their saliva.
Perfect timing—it was mealtime.
Looked like they were about to eat well again.
Whether the three of them had intentionally chosen this timing was anyone's guess.
"Renya-sensei, Tobirama-sama." Orochimaru's gaze swept across the food on the table, then landed on the two sitting there.
Seeing this, Jiraiya quickly wiped the corner of his mouth and hurried to greet them, following Orochimaru's example.
He'd been thinking so much about the food that he almost forgot to greet them.
How rude of him.
"Hm." Senju Tobirama responded faintly, his tone neutral.
No need to guess.
Tsunade must've heard Renya had returned to the village, and since it was lunchtime, she'd dragged these two along to mooch a meal.
Forget it. The less he talked, the more he could eat.
With that thought, he started picking up food and eating quickly.
...
All of this food had been prepared especially for him—
He had to eat more; couldn't let those three freeloaders take too much.
"Renya-san, you made so much food. You probably can't finish it all, right?" Tsunade's tone made her intentions obvious.
If they couldn't finish, she'd gladly help.
"Alright, go grab your own bowls and chopsticks from the kitchen," Renya said, rolling his eyes at her.
It wasn't like he wasn't going to let them eat.
If there was one thing he never ran out of here—it was food.
"Hehe, thank you, Renya-san!" Tsunade giggled and ran to the kitchen.
"Thank you, Renya-sensei," Orochimaru and Jiraiya said as they followed after her.
"This girl has no manners..." Senju Tobirama muttered under his breath.
Tsunade had greeted Renya, but not him.
All she thought about these days was food.
Renya sighed helplessly. How old was Tobirama-sama now, and he was still getting worked up over things like that?
It seemed that as people aged, their focus really did shift in strange ways.
"Renya-sensei's cooking is as amazing as ever!" Jiraiya exclaimed between bites.
Ever since Renya had left, his days had been reduced to peeping at the women's bathhouse—and he hadn't eaten food this good since.
"If you like it, eat more," Renya said with a smile.
"Mm, I will!" Jiraiya said, eagerly loading more food into his bowl.
Senju Tobirama's eyelid twitched as he saw this, and he immediately began piling food into his own bowl too.
This disciple of Renya's really had no shame!
No way—these dishes were meant for him.
He couldn't let Jiraiya eat them all.
At least he had to eat his fill first!
Orochimaru watched this scene with an odd expression.
The more he looked, the more it seemed that Tobirama-sama was...
Protecting his food.
Orochimaru quickly averted his gaze, pretending he hadn't seen anything and focused on eating quietly.
Yes... it must've been his imagination.
"Grandpa Tobirama, why haven't I seen you outside lately?" Tsunade asked. "You should go out more often instead of always staying cooped up at home."
For once, the usually bold and carefree Tsunade was showing some concern for her grandfather.
"You're not just saying that because you want money, are you?" Senju Tobirama immediately saw through her. "Go on—how much this time?"
Whenever Tsunade acted all sweet and filial, it always meant one thing: she needed cash.
At first, he had thought she was maturing, that she'd grown considerate. But the very next words out of her mouth were always to ask for pocket money.
Over time, he'd learned his granddaughter's nature.
Though she could be reckless, she had her own limits—and overall, she was still decent.
He'd always doted on Tsunade and Nawaki. As long as their requests weren't too excessive, he'd usually agree.
"Hehe, I knew Grandpa Tobirama treats me the best!" Tsunade said, grinning.
"Not much, just five million ryō!"
Jiraiya and Orochimaru exchanged a glance, both seeing the same shock in each other's eyes.
Wasn't that too bold?
She'd opened her mouth and immediately asked for five million ryō!
Both turned to Senju Tobirama, curious if he'd actually agree to such an outrageous demand.
Senju Tobirama and Renya were both stunned by her request.
Before Tobirama could speak, Renya feigned ignorance.
"What do you need that much money for?"
Tsunade's only real hobby was gambling.
No need to guess—of course the money was for the casino.
The first thing she'd do with cash was head straight to the gambling tables.
Just like Hashirama—he'd visit the casinos as soon as he had any money, losing it all before long.
And Tsunade was exactly the same.
...
No, actually, at least her grandfather hadn't ever racked up huge gambling debts.
Truly, she was her grandfather's granddaughter.
"Renya-san, what else would I do with it? I'm going to spend it, of course," Tsunade said with a straight face, not even blushing.
"I bet it's for gambling again, isn't it?" Senju Tobirama said coldly, exposing her without mercy.
"Grandpa Tobirama, how could you think that?" Tsunade said, her expression turning slightly stiff.
"I don't have five million, but I do have fifty thousand," Tobirama said, pulling out five silver notes worth ten thousand each. "Consider it your living allowance."
"Grandpa Tobirama, that's way too little!" Tsunade complained, though she still took the notes and slipped them into her pocket.
She turned hopeful eyes toward Renya and said sweetly,
"Renya-san, aren't you going to give your adorable niece a little allowance too?"
"Ugh—"
Jiraiya shuddered at her syrupy tone, goosebumps breaking out all over him, and couldn't help but groan in disgust.
Tsunade glared daggers at him, then went back to pretending to look pitiful.
Orochimaru had once told her that Renya was one of the wealthiest people in the village, his assets amounting to an astronomical sum.
Just how astronomical?
Put it this way—if Tsunade used his money to gamble, she could lose for ten lifetimes and still not run out.
If Renya accidentally dropped two gold bars, it'd be enough for her to spend days in the casino.
Meeting her pleading gaze, Renya smiled and agreed.
"Alright, I'll give you some pocket money."
Come to think of it, he had never given Tsunade any before.
Renya pulled out a thick wad of cash from his storage scroll—easily a million ryō.
Tsunade's eyes sparkled the moment she saw it.
As expected of Konoha's wealthiest man—he was practically dripping in gold.
In the end, Tsunade got exactly what she wanted—
A full one million ryō of pocket money from Renya-san.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo