Naori took the paper flower and, following Konan's example, pinned it in her hair. It looked very well matched with her overall demeanor. And since she was wearing a white dress today, she looked very pretty.
"Thank you, Konan. I love this gift. Is there anything you want to eat? We'll go out together tonight."
Konan wasn't shy. After thinking for a moment, she blurted out, "Aunt Naori, how about we go for hot pot?"
"Hot pot? That works."
Naori also loved hot pot. Her favorite had always been barbecue, but after eating hot pot once, she immediately fell in love with it. Hot pot and barbecue were arguably the two most popular types of food in Konoha, and you could say you never got tired of either.
More importantly, the variety of restaurants in Konoha was quite limited. The only suitable places to host a large dinner gathering were the barbecue and hot pot restaurants. In fact, a week ago, there wasn't even a hot pot restaurant; there was only the barbecue place in all of Konoha. Even so, people's enthusiasm for barbecue hadn't faded over the years. Many people still loved to eat barbecue. Torifu was fine with both. He wasn't picky and liked whatever he ate.
"Then, Naori, do you want to change your clothes? Eating hot pot might stain them."
Naori nodded seriously. "Yes, I need to change. I won't wear this one again. It has great commemorative significance, so I'll save it."
"Then, how about this: I'll go home first and tell my father about this, and I'll come find you tonight."
Torifu agreed. "Okay, I'll go tell Sensei. I'll invite them to join us tonight too."
Naori naturally had no objection. Having her father attend this dinner would make it too formal. Everyone might feel very nervous, and it wouldn't feel like a casual gathering. However, having his Sensei attend would be very appropriate.
Afterward, Naori left the Kumotsuru Clan Compound. Minato, Yahiko, and Konan immediately surrounded Torifu, asking about the proposal process. Torifu told them the general plot. All three children looked surprised, as if they were saying, This is allowed? They hadn't expected a proposal to turn into something like this.
"Alright, you guys hurry up and get ready. I'll head over to your Grand-Sensei's house. I'll call you when it's time to eat, and you can go straight to the hot pot restaurant."
Minato gave an OK gesture. Seeing this, Torifu left. He walked quickly because the sun was about to set completely, and it would be time for dinner soon after it got dark.
When he arrived at the Senju Clan Compound, no one questioned him, and Torifu walked straight in. Hashirama and Tobirama were sitting in the courtyard at this time, and the now-younger Ashina was with them. They seemed to be playing a game.
"Hey! Go easy on me! I'm a beginner!"
"I told you earlier to play this game, Old Brother, but you wouldn't listen. Now you want to learn!"
Ashina laughed heartily. "How many years did I have left to live the way I was before? Wouldn't playing games be wasting my remaining life? Now I don't have to worry about those things, so of course, I want to experience something new."
"Alright, alright, hurry up and learn!"
Just as the three of them were playing intensely, Tobirama noticed Torifu out of the corner of his eye.
"Oh, Torifu, why are you here? Are you looking for us for something?"
Torifu first nodded, then looked at Ashina. "Elder Ashina must have eaten the fruit. I almost didn't recognize you."
When Ashina saw Torifu, he immediately grabbed his hand. "Oh, Torifu, I won't say anything else, but I, the Elder, must thank you."
Torifu laughed when he heard this. "You don't need to thank me, Elder. I have plenty of this stuff, and I can keep making it."
Ashina wasn't referring to the quantity. Even if there was more, Torifu didn't have to give it to him. After all, their relationship was just a bit closer than most, but there was no actual obligation. The fact that Torifu had given it to him, and for free, deeply touched Ashina.
"If you need anything, don't hesitate to come find this old man."
"Okay, thank you, Elder Ashina."
Hashirama, watching the two of them exchange pleasantries, felt a bit bored. "Why talk about all that nonsense? You haven't known Torifu for just one day. Don't you know what kind of person he is?"
Then he looked at Torifu. "Why did you come today? The three of us old guys are playing a game together." The implication was that if Torifu didn't have anything important to say, he should leave and come back when they weren't busy.
Torifu naturally understood the underlying meaning. Seeing that his Sensei was practically trying to shoo him away, Torifu immediately stated his purpose.
"It's like this: I proposed to Naori today."
Hashirama nodded. "Hmm, you proposed, and then... Wait! You proposed to Naori!" The realized Hashirama immediately put down his phone, stood up, and approached Torifu.
"Are you serious? Did Naori agree?"
"Of course, it's true. Naori also agreed. The next step is to prepare for the wedding, but the wedding dress will take more than a month to be ready."
Hearing Torifu's words, the three of them smiled. This was truly great news. Tobirama walked to Torifu's side and patted his shoulder. "You finally smartened up, kid. After dating Naori for so long, you're finally giving the girl an answer. Even us old guys couldn't stand it anymore."
"It is my fault for making Naori wait so long."
Hashirama laughed loudly, cupping his hands on his hips. "Good, good, good! It looks like I'll be able to hold a grand-apprentice soon! This is truly wonderful news!"
Hashirama had always been fond of children. He loved both Tsunade and Nawaki and didn't care about gender. He was also very fond of Kushina. She had come to the Senju Clan Compound at the age of six, so he had watched her grow up. However, he wasn't as close as a biological grandfather. Kushina always treated him and Ashina differently.
But if Torifu and Naori got married and had a grand-apprentice for Hashirama, Hashirama would be overjoyed and practically fly into the sky. And he couldn't help but wonder how talented Torifu and Naori's child would be. The father possessed multiple Kekkei Genkai, and the mother also possessed a Kekkei Genkai. That child's talent would undoubtedly be extraordinary.
Torifu hadn't expected that just after proposing, his Sensei was already thinking about holding a grand-apprentice. That would be at least a year or two from now, right? It probably wouldn't happen anytime soon.
"The main purpose of coming today is to invite you all to dinner at the hot pot restaurant. Elder Ashina, please bring Kushina along too, so we can all have a lively time."
Ashina didn't expect to be included, so he naturally accepted graciously.
"Good. I will come."