"Yeah, it's delicious. I've decided—I'm coming over for dinner every day," Tsunade declared, patting her stomach contentedly.
"Nope. That's gonna cost you," Menma replied immediately. You wish! One visit is fine, but you think you're eating for free every day? Not happening.
"What price? Don't worry—your sister here has plenty of money." Tsunade waved her hand confidently.
Shizune: …Tsunade-sama, did you just forget we're broke?
Menma raised an eyebrow. "Exorbitant price."
"No problem. I'm loaded—" Tsunade started again.
Shizune quietly lowered her head, her face full of silent despair.
Meanwhile, Naruto, who had just finished eating, looked up at his brother, cheeks puffed with leftover rice. "Brother, this is so good! Can we have this again tomorrow?"
Menma reached out and picked the rice grains off his brother's face gently. "Of course. Now go rinse your mouth."
"Okay!" Naruto's eyes sparkled as he ran off toward the bathroom.
Tsunade leaned forward immediately. "I want to eat again too."
Menma answered flatly, "Nope. No more food for you."
Tsunade: "…"
Wow. Is this what they call favoritism?
Jiraiya sipped his tea. "Just get used to it," he said casually. "Menma's the type who'd pull down the stars for his little brother and flip a table on anyone else."
Tsunade was not convinced. "No, I want to eat. I deserve to eat!" She puffed her cheeks, acting spoiled.
Menma stared at her, unimpressed. Please… Save it for Jiraiya. He's the one who likes you, not me.
Tsunade pouted harder.
Just then, Naruto came running back out. "Brother! I finished washing!" He held out his hands for inspection, eyes shining.
Menma gave a proud nod. "Good job, Naruto. Now—what do you need to do next?"
Naruto thought for a second, then his eyes lit up. "Oh! I need to tell the Nine Tails a story!"
He turned to head to his room, but Tsunade suddenly reached out to stop him.
Naruto blinked. "What's wrong, Sister Tsunade?"
Tsunade bent down, her expression soft. "Naruto, your big sister needs a little help. Will you help me?"
Naruto blushed slightly. Tsunade's smile, her face, her, uh, assets—it was a lot for a young boy. Still, he nodded shyly. "I will."
Tsunade squealed happily and scooped him into a hug again. "So cute!"
Menma sipped his tea, deadpan. Should I stop this or let it happen?
(●З｀●) Chu!
Tsunade planted a kiss on Naruto's cheek.
Naruto: (ω)
Menma: "…"
Tsunade, still holding Naruto, asked sweetly, "Naruto, don't you think your brother's cooking is amazing?"
Naruto's eyes sparkled. "Of course! Brother's food is the best in the world!"
The corner of Menma's mouth lifted. He glanced at Naruto and asked, "Alright, what if you could only choose one—my food, or Ichiraku Ramen?"
The room went silent.
Naruto froze, clearly torn. Brother's food OR ramen? That's a war crime-level question…
Everyone stared at him, waiting.
Finally, Naruto said, "Can I have both?"
Menma raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Naruto grinned. "Because you told me—only fools make choices. Smart people choose everything!"
Menma choked on his tea. Did I really say that?!
Tsunade giggled and picked the conversation back up. "See, even Naruto agrees. So can I eat your cooking every day?"
Naruto answered instantly, "Of course! My brother's food is the best. He'll definitely cook for you."
Menma: "…"
I didn't say that.
Tsunade looked at Menma with shining eyes.
Menma sighed. "…Fine. You can come over when there's time."
"Can I come too?" Shizune raised her hand timidly.
Menma opened his mouth to say no, but Naruto beat him to it: "Of course you can! Brother's food is the best!"
Menma: ╮(╯▽╰)╭ Betrayed again…
"…Alright," he said.
Naruto jumped up with joy. "Yay! Our house will be so lively!"
Yeah. You're lively. I'm just tired, Menma thought to himself.
"Naruto," he said. "Aren't you forgetting something? Didn't you say the Nine Tails was waiting?"
"Ah! Right!" Naruto dashed off to his room.
Tsunade and Shizune exchanged curious glances. "The Nine Tails?" Shizune whispered.
Menma ignored them and turned to Jiraiya. "Master Jiraiya, you're on dish duty."
Jiraiya: "Huh?"
Menma turned to Tsunade and Shizune. "You two can do whatever. I have work to finish."
Namely, two novels I still owe the oversized fox in my body. And those damn clones… none of them are done yet. How useless can you be?
(Meanwhile, the clones far from the house sneezed violently.)
Clones: Oi! We heard that!
—
Inside Naruto's Mind:
Naruto sat cross-legged in front of a giant sealed gate. Behind it, glowing red eyes stared lazily down at him. A colossal orange fox lay coiled within the cage.
"Nine Tails! Miss me?" Naruto beamed.
Kurama didn't even lift his head. "No."
But if you looked closely, you'd notice the corner of his mouth twitching upward.
"But I missed you," Naruto said, sitting down excitedly. "Wanna hear about my day?"
Before the fox could refuse, Naruto began rambling—rapid-fire, excited, and full of energy.
The Nine Tails huffed. "Loud brat…"
Still, his tail curled slightly beneath him. He wasn't annoyed.
Not really.
(End Of Chapter)
Gimme Powerstones :)))
Also Check out my Patreon at [Patreon.com/GGFanfiction]