At Nagi's house—
Gaara, Sasuke, and the others carried their own dishes to the table before helping Nagi bring out his.
Their dishes were all fairly ordinary—things people had seen or at least heard of before.
But Nagi's…
"Here—Wensi Tofu."
"Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish."
"Blanched Napa Cabbage."
"…"
One exquisitely crafted and unfamiliar dish after another was set upon the table.
Hashirama Senju, MEidara Uchiha, Tobirama Senju, and the others sat upright in their chairs, torn between impatience and anticipation.
Impatient because—why wasn't it finished yet?
Anticipation because—were there still more dishes to come?
Hashirama craned his neck openly to peek toward the kitchen. The others were hardly any better.
MEidara, meanwhile, discreetly activated his Sharingan, observing the movements inside the kitchen.
The intoxicating aroma of the food left everyone completely captivated—but they couldn't sneak a bite. Wanting to eat but unable to was pure torment.
Eventually, when the number of dishes exceeded the size of the table, Hashirama simply used Wood Release to create a larger one on the spot.
Just as the last of the plates were being set down, an overwhelmingly rich and mesmerizing fragrance wafted from the kitchen.
All eyes locked onto the doorway.
Moments later, Nagi emerged carrying a porcelain pot.
No one was looking at him.
They were staring at the pot.
He placed it carefully on the table.
"All right. This is the final dish—'Buddha Jumps Over the Wall (Sage's Delight Broth).' Once everyone's seated, we can begin."
After Nagi sat down, everyone spoke in unison:
"Let's eat." xN
Chopsticks moved instantly—aimed straight at the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
…
Meanwhile, at a tavern in KonohagaShiranui Kūre—
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru were having a long-overdue teacher–student reunion.
After taking a small sip, Hiruzen sighed.
"To think the four of us would one day sit together for a meal again… truly unbelievable."
Jiraiya chuckled.
"Come on, old man. Didn't I have a few drinks with you before? And the service there was, uh…"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes with interest.
"Oh? Go on. What exactly were you drinking, Jiraiya?"
"Ahahaha! That was ages ago! Anyway, Tsunade, now that you've returned to Konoha—"
Jiraiya quickly changed the subject.
"Well," Tsunade replied with a straight face, "since my grandfathers have been revived—and Nagi needs protection—I volunteered."
At another tavern not far away—
Shizune was slightly drunk, tearfully recounting her hardships to Shiranui Kūrenai Yuhi and Anko Mitarashi.
"You don't understand… Lady Tsunade and I had to keep using the Transformation Technique, taking detours after detours, just to avoid debt collectors and make it back to Konoha…"
"That really must've been hard on you, Shizune."
"Here, have some dango. Sweets help you forget the pain!"
Shiranui Kūrenai and Anko hurried to comfort her. After seeing earlier recordings, they already knew she hadn't had it easy—but hearing it firsthand was something else.
Back at Tsunade's tavern—
Watching her righteous expression, the other three almost believed her.
Based on what they knew, Tsunade had clearly returned to Konoha to lie low from her debts—but none of them exposed her.
They chatted about their past missions together, their travels across the Shinobi World, and eventually about Konoha's new generation.
Tsunade took another bite of bar food.
"Whew… Konoha's bar snacks really are the best. The chef here has some skill."
Hiruzen nodded in agreement. He had deliberately chosen this place.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru, however, looked at them with pity.
This satisfies you? Seriously?
Have you not tasted Nagi's cooking?
Not only did they remember the flavor from before—they had personally visited Nagi's house just days ago to experience it again.
Yes.
That taste.
"Hmm? What's with that look?" Tsunade frowned.
"Nothing, nothing," Jiraiya quickly replied. "Just thinking how amazing it is that I can share a drink with Orochimaru again."
Orochimaru smirked.
"Indeed. If not for Nagi, we might never have sat at the same table again."
"By the way," Jiraiya asked, "where are the First and Second Hokage? I thought you wanted to invite them."
"Oh? My grandpa said there were many visitors in Konoha today, so he'd accompany Nagi and the others for dinner.
Really… does he need to guard Nagi even during meals?"
Jiraiya suddenly stiffened.
"Wait—Shizuka and Minato went to visit Nagi today, didn't they? Could he be hosting a banquet tonight?"
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
"…Damn it. I miscalculated. First Hokage-sama, how could you even trick Tsunade?"
…
Meanwhile, back at Nagi's house—
"Sasuke, that's my drumstick!"
"It's clearly mine!"
"MEidara, that piece of lamb is fatty. I doubt it suits your taste."
"Hashirama, you're mistaken. There is nothing I, MEidara Uchiha, cannot eat."
"…"
It was nothing less than a battlefield at the dinner table.
This time, Nagi had fused cuisine with genjutsu.
When tasting the food, their five senses became heightened, making each bite feel immersive—dreamlike—utterly intoxicating.
Nagi called it:
Dreamlike Cuisine.
And so, everyone began rapidly devouring the dishes.
After some time—
The plates were spotless.
Everyone leaned back in their chairs, eyes closed, savoring the lingering aftertaste.
Hashirama turned to MEidara.
"Well? I didn't exaggerate, did I?"
MEidara nodded solemnly and looked at Nagi.
"Nagi… in the realm of cuisine, I acknowledge you as the strongest."
"..."
After resting for a while and digesting, everyone helped clean the table before bidding Nagi farewell.
Just as she was about to leave, Mabui suddenly stopped.
"Oh—Nagi. I nearly forgot. There's an important document I need to give you."
She summoned a file from a Sealing Scroll and handed it over.
"This is very important. Please read it carefully."
"I understand. Travel safely."
"Goodbye."
…
Later, back in his room—
Nagi sorted through the day's reports delivered by Root.
Then he opened the document Mabui had given him.
"Samui… measurements are…"
He fell silent.
"…Sigh. Miss Mabui truly leaves no room for defense."
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