The rain outside continued to fall softly.
Inside the small wooden house hidden in the forest, warm light flickered from the oil lamps.
Suddenly—
"Hahaha! Dinner is ready!"
Tsunade proudly placed several dishes on the table.
Her expression was filled with absolute confidence.
"Wow, Lady Tsunade is amazing!"
Yahiko imdiately began praising her without even looking at the food.
"You kid, you've got good taste!" Tsunade said loudly, giving him a thumbs-up.
Yahiko laughed awkwardly and finally glanced down at the dishes.
His smile froze.
The soup in the bowl bubbled with strange purple foam.
A sharp and suspicious sll filled the room.
Yahiko instantly covered his nose, his face turning pale.
What… what is this thing? he scread silently in his mind.
Even Orochimaru's expression stiffened slightly.
"Tsunade," he asked cautiously, "are you sure this… is edible?"
Ragnar remained silent.
When it ca to Tsunade's cooking, silence was the safest option.
The dish in front of them was supposed to be chicken stewed with mushrooms.
Normally the soup should be milky white, rich, and fragrant.
But Tsunade had sohow turned it into a dark purple liquid.
The chicken and mushrooms had dissolved into an unrecognizable mass.
The sll alone could probably be used as a weapon.
"Tch, Orochimaru, what are you talking about?" Tsunade said confidently.
"It's perfectly fine!"
"The heat might just be a little stronger."
She had personally cooked it.
There was no way it could taste bad.
This was the classic blindness of the cook—only the bystanders saw the truth.
"Then you should try it first," Ragnar said calmly.
"Yes! Sister Tsunade, you try it!" Yahiko quickly agreed, his eyes watering from the sll.
Tsunade hesitated slightly.
She scooped up a spoonful of the dark purple soup.
Looking at it closely…
Sothing definitely seed wrong.
But admitting defeat in front of Ragnar and Orochimaru was impossible.
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and swallowed it.
Yahiko stared in shock.
Incredible.
She really did it.
"...Well?" Orochimaru asked curiously.
"How does it taste?"
Tsunade's expression froze.
Her face slowly twisted as if struck by lightning.
A wave of cold rushed through her entire body.
Her stomach began to churn violently.
"Ugh—!"
Clutching her stomach, Tsunade sprinted out the door.
She clearly needed imdiate dical treatnt.
Inside the house, silence filled the room.
Fortunately, Konan had anticipated this outco.
While Tsunade was suffering outside, she quickly prepared another set of dishes.
Soon the table was filled with simple but appetizing food.
The warm sll replaced the earlier disaster.
Tsunade returned shortly afterward, sitting weakly with one hand on her stomach.
"It doesn't make sense," she complained.
"Konan, I watched everything you did!"
"Why is the result so different?"
Konan smiled gently.
"Sister Tsunade… watching and doing are very different things."
Ragnar nodded slightly.
"Everyone's here."
"Let's eat."
"Great!" Yahiko cheered imdiately.
Today was a day worth celebrating.
The group sat on the floor around the table.
Ragnar, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Yahiko ford a circle.
Nagato sat quietly beside them.
He ate carefully without speaking, trying not to draw attention.
Yahiko, however, couldn't stay quiet for long.
"Konan, your cooking is incredible!" he said excitedly.
"Especially today! It's even better than usual!"
Konan laughed softly.
"Yahiko, can't you stay quiet for even a mont while eating?"
"Hehe… I know why!"
Yahiko grinned mischievously.
"It's because Teacher Ragnar ca back!"
"You made it specially for him!"
Konan's cheeks turned slightly red.
Tsunade noticed imdiately.
She glanced between Konan and Ragnar, then sighed helplessly.
Orochimaru continued eating quietly.
For a mont, he felt sothing unusual.
Warmth.
Since the death of his parents, he could barely rember the last ti he had sat at a table like this.
No missions.
No sches.
No bloodshed.
Just people eating together.
It felt almost like a family.
A feeling he once longed for.
But after years of war and countless missions…
Orochimaru knew better than to cling to such illusions.
Still—
For a brief mont, the atmosphere was comforting.
Then Tsunade suddenly asked,
"Konan, why did Ragnar accept you as his students?"
Konan glanced secretly at Ragnar.
His expression remained calm and unreadable.
Yahiko answered eagerly.
"We asked Teacher to teach us ninjutsu!"
"We want to beco ninjas!"
Orochimaru set down his chopsticks.
"And why do you want to beco ninjas?" he asked.
"At first…" Yahiko said honestly,
"I didn't want to be bullied anymore."
"I didn't want to go hungry."
"And I wanted to protect my friends."
Orochimaru nodded slightly.
"And now?"
Yahiko suddenly stood up.
His eyes burned with determination.
"I want to change this world!"
"I want to build a country where everyone is equal and free!"
"A world without war!"
"A world where people understand each other…"
"…and forgive each other's pain."
Tsunade chuckled softly.
"Kid, that's quite the dream."
She didn't mock him.
But she knew how cruel the ninja world truly was.
Orochimaru shook his head.
"People will never understand each other without suffering."
"Why?" Yahiko demanded.
"Because the history of shinobi is war," Orochimaru replied calmly.
"War and death."
"It repeats endlessly."
"Like a cycle that cannot be broken."
"Human desire itself is endless."
Then Ragnar finally spoke.
"Unless one day…"
"…there are no more ninjas in the world."
"Only then might peace truly exist."
Yahiko stared at him.
Then he clenched his fists.
"If that's the case…"
His voice was firm.
"Then I'll make ninjas disappear."
The room fell silent.
The rain outside continued to fall quietly.
And sowhere in the distance…
The future of the ninja world shifted ever so slightly.
End of Chapter
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