"Such a cute little fox." Nohara Rin looked at the little black and gray fox in Shisui's arms, feeling that Shisui's hatched ninja beast was even cuter than Kakashi's Rockruff.
The little fox that Shisui hatched was mostly covered in gray-black fur, except for the lower half of its legs, around the eyes, and the flame-like tuft on its head, which were dark red.
The stark contrast between the gray-black and the small patches of dark red made Nohara Rin want to touch the little fox's red tuft.
Obito's expression didn't change; as long as it wasn't a mighty and strong ninja beast, he'd feel no envy.
"What's the best food for foxes?" Shisui looked at the Zorua in his arms and began to ponder.
Shisui wasn't particularly choosy about the types of ninja beasts.
This was a ninja beast egg given to him by Sage Mokgetsu. No matter what ninja beast hatched from it, Shisui would take good care of it.
"You can get the Inuzuka clan's special dog food; foxes are also canines. But it'd be best to consult some materials," Kakashi suggested.
To properly raise Rockruff, Kakashi really put in a lot of effort, researching materials and consulting Inuzuka clan ninjas on raising ninja dogs.
At this time, the newly born Zorua was curiously observing everything around it and felt an immense familiarity when looking at Shisui.
"Are you referring to me as the fox?" Zorua curiously asked.
Having just been born, it was still quite clueless about everything.
"Of course, I'm talking about you. Who else would it be?" Obito answered matter-of-factly, not thinking anything odd, just feeling that this ninja beast seemed not very smart.
Meanwhile, Shisui and Kakashi exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.
Talking ninja beasts were not uncommon in the Ninja World, but a ninja beast speaking right after birth was indeed rare.
Moreover, Zorua spoke so fluently, making it even rarer.
"Wait, it's not speaking."
Kakashi suddenly noticed a detail: Zorua hadn't opened its mouth.
"Then why can't it be you? Look, what's the difference between us?" Zorua said as it jumped from Shisui's arms.
In a flash of dark red light, the next moment, Obito saw another version of himself.
"See, aren't we the same? If I'm a fox, then so are you," Zorua logically argued.
Obito: ???
Obito was a bit dumbfounded. What was going on? Was this ninja beast treating him like a fool?
"Transformation Jutsu?" Shisui showed a thoughtful expression.
Zorua's Transformation Jutsu seemed rather unusual, and Shisui just felt a surge of Yin Attribute Chakra from it.
"It's Genjutsu."
Shisui quickly dispelled the genjutsu, and the other version of Obito in his sight vanished, reverting to the small fox.
"A ninja beast that can use ninjutsu right after being born and has an unknown communication ability, as expected, the ninja beast eggs Teacher Mokgetsu gave us are not simple," Kakashi thought to himself.
Aside from the shared trait of emitting white light upon hatching, each Pokémon they hatched had its own unique features.
Kakashi's Rockruff was born with a stone around its neck and mastered Earth Attribute Chakra Nature Transformation without any guidance.
Might Guy's Riolu had extraordinary endurance and stamina. Even as a newborn, Riolu was training intensely like Might Guy and showed no discomfort, but was actually very healthy.
"Wait, how can you speak?" It finally dawned on Obito that he was conversing with a freshly hatched ninja beast.
And that freshly hatched ninja beast even tried to fool him.
"Then why can you speak?" Zorua countered.
"Because I'm human," Obito replied without thinking.
"I can speak, so I am also human," Zorua concluded.
Obito's mind was racing, slightly overloaded.
"Stop playing around and remove your ability," Shisui decided it was time to intervene.
Hearing Shisui's words, Zorua obediently canceled the genjutsu and jumped back into Shisui's arms.
...
In the evening, at Kushina's strong suggestion, Mokgetsu and the others booked a small restaurant within a barrier, where Mokgetsu cooked a luxurious dinner.
Due to a promise with Tsunade, Mokgetsu also invited Tsunade and Shizune.
Just before Mokgetsu finished preparing all the dishes, Sarutobi Hiruzen coincidentally passed by and joined in.
"Was it really a coincidence, or did you use that jutsu to secretly track us?" Kushina asked suspiciously.
"As a Hokage with a busy schedule, how could I have the leisure to do such things?" Sarutobi Hiruzen replied with a serious face.
He no longer needed to monitor with the Telescope Jutsu; he could just ask Anbu. After all, Kushina was under Anbu's round-the-clock surveillance.
Kushina didn't quite believe Hiruzen's excuse, but since Namikaze Minato sided with Hiruzen, she let it slide out of respect for Minato.
"Tsunade, I heard you're looking for information on Medical Ninjutsu and Fuinjutsu recently. Is there some problem you're encountering? Do you need my help?" Hiruzen asked, looking at Tsunade, who was waiting for the meal to start.
Tsunade was someone Hiruzen thought to be the most suitable to become Hokage, aside from Jiraiya.
As the granddaughter of Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage and one of Konoha's founders, Tsunade's greatest advantage in the race for Hokage was one that no one else could match.
If Sarutobi Hiruzen were someone who valued bloodlines and lineage, then his first choice for Hokage could only be Tsunade, because Tsunade's lineage and status are too prestigious.
However, Sarutobi Hiruzen values comprehensive abilities, so the person he most wanted to pass the position to was Jiraiya.
But while Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to pass it on, Jiraiya didn't want it, so Sarutobi Hiruzen had to turn his attention back to Tsunade.
Even though Tsunade has hemophobia, it's a psychological issue that can be overcome, which Sarutobi Hiruzen doesn't see as a major problem.
Sarutobi Hiruzen is most worried that after becoming Hokage, Tsunade would continue her laid-back lifestyle.
When he heard that Tsunade showed signs of recovery, Sarutobi Hiruzen paid great attention to it.
"No need to trouble you, Third Hokage, you're such a busy man." Tsunade said sarcastically.
Although they share a teacher-student relationship, Tsunade is quite annoyed with Sarutobi Hiruzen now.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed slightly and chose not to press further.
If this were in the Hokage Office, he could thick-skinnedly chat with Tsunade and probe her thoughts, but this was Mokgetsu's celebration banquet, and hot-tempered Tsunade never holds back; if they argued, it would be a bit disrespectful to Mokgetsu.
"Tsunade hasn't let go of things; she seems uninterested in the position of Hokage as well. Should we wait for the new generation of ninjas to grow up?" A hint of loneliness flashed across Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.
In the vast Konoha, with so many talented ninjas and renowned strong individuals in the Ninja World, he still couldn't find a Hokage candidate that satisfied him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen instinctively looked towards Mokgetsu and Namikaze Minato.
Speaking of Konoha's new generation ninjas, Mokgetsu and Namikaze Minato are unavoidable presences; they are the most brilliant geniuses of Konoha in this era, much like the Sannin during the Second World War.
Sometimes, Sarutobi Hiruzen thinks that if either Mokgetsu or Namikaze Minato was contemporaneous with Jiraiya and the others, he wouldn't be troubled now. Mokgetsu and Namikaze Minato are both suitable to become Hokage.
But there's no "if"; Mokgetsu and Namikaze Minato, these two similar geniuses, were born in the same era, and they both have the same issue: lack of experience.
If Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to promote either Mokgetsu or Namikaze Minato to Hokage, he would need to serve as Hokage for at least another seven to ten years to help them gain enough experience.
Though the Hokage in Konoha has limitless authority, Sarutobi Hiruzen has been the Hokage for decades; he's reveled long enough and doesn't care much for it, even feeling a bit tired.
If there were a suitable candidate, Sarutobi Hiruzen would want to retire as soon as the war ended.
In retirement, he could go fishing by the river, occasionally go to Ninja Academy to guide students and give talks, without mountains of paperwork and without needing to think about the Ninja World situation late into the night. The only missing fun might be that he couldn't say to Shimura Danzo, "I'm the Hokage."
Just imagining it makes Sarutobi Hiruzen feel that retirement is the real life.
"Let's eat first." Mokgetsu broke the silence, bringing a series of delicious dishes to the table.
At this moment, the atmosphere among those seated around the table became exceptionally harmonious. Kakashi and Obito weren't arguing, Tsunade grew cheerful, and Sarutobi Hiruzen's troubled thoughts were pushed aside, all attention captivated by the tempting dishes.
"Let's begin."
After a necessary ritual, everyone began eating immersively.
No one spoke, fearing that their favorite dish would turn into an empty plate if they took a break to talk.
"This roast chicken is absolutely delicious," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, wiping his mouth with a napkin, still savoring the exquisite flavor.
"You've got good taste," Tsunade remarked with slight approval upon hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen praise her favorite dish.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was speechless; his offer to help was met with sarcasm, but praise for the food brought him a little goodwill.
"Granny Tsunade, Uncle Hokage, do you think so too?" Obito gave a thumbs-up as he spoke, also fond of the roast chicken.
Nohara Rin and Shizune looked at Obito in astonishment, wondering how he dared to say that.
Kakashi and Shisui, sitting on either side of Obito, silently shifted away, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
"Kid, what did you just call me?" Tsunade cracked her fingernuckles, ready to strike.
Tsunade couldn't remember the last person who dared call her "auntie," yet Obito dared to call her "granny."
Sweat poured from Obito's forehead as he realized what he had said.
Obito hadn't met or talked to Tsunade much; the "Granny Tsunade" moniker was something he picked up from Uzumaki Naruto, and it just slipped out.
Obito cast a pleading glance towards Sage Mokgetsu for rescue, feeling only Sage Mokgetsu could save him in such danger.
"He's just a child," Mokgetsu nodded slightly and spoke to Tsunade.
"And then?" Tsunade folded her arms, raising an eyebrow.
"But he should show some respect; take him outside." Mokgetsu continued.
Obito's face instantly went green; this wasn't right—shouldn't it be, "He's just a kid, let it go?"
Tsunade, smirking, approached Obito. He tried to escape but was caught by the scruff of fate and dragged out by Tsunade before being tossed back in.
"I'll let you off today for Mokgetsu's sake. Say something stupid again, and you'll find out what an Iron Fist is," Tsunade warned, shaking her formidable fists as a monster strength warning.
She was in a good mood today or else, judging by her usual temper, Obito would have taken a punch for sure.
"Brother Naruto, you've really gotten me into trouble," Obito quickly nodded, grumbling inside about Uzumaki Naruto.
The others at the dinner table couldn't help but stifle their laughter at the scene; Kakashi let out a chuckle.
The dinner ended on a lighthearted and joyful note.
The next day, at sunset.
After having dinner at Tsunade's place, Mokgetsu went to the training ground in the Southern Border Forest. He had an evening mentoring session scheduled with Yamato, with the exact end time determined by the lesson's progress.
PS: This chapter is 3.4k long; there'll be another chapter of 5k around three or four o'clock.