Naori couldn't hear anything in the kitchen, so when she suddenly came out and saw such a large group of people, it startled her.
"Well, everyone's here, just in time, dinner will be ready soon."
Then Naori said to Torifu, "Akihara is dawdling in the kitchen, trying to sneak food. Quickly take him out; I'm too busy here."
Receiving the order, Torifu immediately went into the kitchen and soon emerged carrying a child.
His clothes were already covered in grease stains, and his cheeks were smeared with sauce; he was eating with absolute abandon.
When Torifu carried him out, he still had a bone in his mouth.
Torifu, however, had no intention of scolding him; it was normal for children to be mischievous, and his appearance made Hashirama and Tobirama burst into laughter.
They took turns holding and doting on Akihara.
Akihara was also quick-witted; no matter who picked him up, he would say something pleasant, making everyone feel very cheerful.
"I wonder who this boy gets his cleverness from. Torifu wasn't like this when he was little, was he?" Hashirama said with a helpless smile.
Tobirama also nodded, "Indeed, he's quite the charmer. Who knows, he might grow up to be quite the lady's man."
Tobirama seemed to glimpse Akihara's future at a glance, though it was mostly in jest.
Soon, dishes were brought out one after another.
Half of them were Torifu's favorite dishes; it seemed Mistress had put a lot of thought into them.
The whole family gathered around the large table in the living room, making it incredibly lively.
"Torifu, quickly try some. Many of these are your favorite dishes," Mito said, smiling cheerily.
"Alright, Mistress."
Afterwards, everyone began to eat. The food was delicious, and everyone ate very contentedly.
It was certainly not in vain that Mito, Tsunade, and Naori had been busy all morning.
After the meal, the children played games inside while the remaining adults followed Dan out into the yard.
Hashirama and Tobirama wanted to see how effective the Scorch Release truly was.
Although they had already heard Tsunade's verbal account, they couldn't help but be curious.
Just like that morning, Torifu took a watermelon from his ring and placed it in the yard. Although it was dark, the lights in Hashirama's yard were bright, so they could see clearly.
"Grandpa, Second Grandpa, I'll start now."
Hashirama and Tobirama nodded.
Then, he quickly formed hand signs, and an orange-yellow fireball shot from his hand.
It hit the watermelon squarely and then penetrated its interior.
Following that, all the water inside the watermelon rapidly evaporated. In less than a second, the once plump and round watermelon shriveled into a dry, withered husk.
All its moisture had been sucked dry.
Torifu stepped forward and gently pinched the dried watermelon; it easily crumbled into dust.
At this moment, Hashirama and Tobirama couldn't help but click their tongues in astonishment; the ability of this Kekkei Genkai was truly remarkable!
If developed properly, it would undoubtedly be a formidable weapon!
Perhaps even stronger than that red-haired woman in Amegakure five years ago.
Hashirama had already placed high hopes on Dan, and now he admired him even more.
"Excellent, excellent. This Kekkei Genkai is very powerful, but you need to carefully consider how to make it compatible with your Spirit Transformation Jutsu."
Dan nodded after hearing this. "I understand, Grandpa. This concerns my future path, so I certainly won't be careless."
If Dan had any particularly excellent quality, it was his willingness to seriously listen to others' advice.
Many talented ninja often became arrogant due to their abilities. Even if they listened carefully to the elders' teachings and responded appropriately at the moment, they would revert to their old ways the moment they turned around.
They wouldn't adopt the advice at all.
Dan, however, was the complete opposite of such people.
Having just acquired a powerful Kekkei Genkai and still being in a nascent stage, he was more than happy to have elders help him understand and guide his path.
The group discussed outside for quite some time, only finishing when it was completely dark and Akihara was so sleepy he was almost asleep.
"Alright, that's enough for today. Follow the ideas we've given you, summarize them yourself, and it shouldn't be far off."
Dan nodded, "Understood."
Thus, this matter was concluded. Everyone shared a lively meal, celebrated, and pointed Dan towards his future direction of development; the day was truly fulfilling.
Akihara had been dozing on Torifu's shoulder for a long time and could no longer resist, falling soundly asleep.
Minato, Yahiko, and Konan were all ninja and possessed strong self-control, so they were fine.
"Master, after the New Year's festivities tomorrow night, please come to our house for dinner. Let me show you what I can do," Torifu said with a cheerful smile.
Hearing that his eldest disciple intended to cook, Hashirama was naturally more than willing. Regardless of how it tasted, the sentiment alone was precious.
So he immediately agreed, stating that he would bring the entire Senju clan to freeload on dinner tomorrow.
This truly startled Torifu, but then he gradually waved his hand with a laugh.
"Hahahaha, Master was just joking! Look how scared you got. Tomorrow night, it's still just us, celebrating the New Year together."
"Then we'll be heading off, Master."
With that said, Torifu and Naori, along with Minato and the others, left the Senju clan compound.
They walked towards the Kumotsuru Clan's direction.
On the way back, Torifu didn't use ninjutsu; after all, it was night and the streets were empty.
"In a blink of an eye, another year is passing, and Akihara is slowly growing up."
Naori gently stroked Akihara, who was soundly asleep leaning against Torifu's shoulder. "Yes, in a flash, this boy will be four years old soon. It feels like he was just born."
Yahiko, behind them, asked, "Master, Mistress, isn't it good for Akihara to grow up quickly?"
Torifu turned around and ruffled his hair. "You'll understand when you get married and have children someday. Children are only cutest when they're little; they become less interesting when they grow up."
Yahiko didn't quite understand; after all, he was still just a half-grown child, and marriage was a long way off for him.
Even for Minato, a jōnin, actually facing marriage would still take another five years.
Thus, none of them could grasp this feeling.
Because in their minds, growing up meant becoming stronger and becoming more powerful ninja.
But in the minds of parents, they wished their children would remain children forever, happy and carefree.
However, fledgling birds would one day grow full feathers and leave the nest to soar the skies on their own.
Torifu had long since prepared for this.
The group walked quickly, returning to the Kumotsuru Clan's compound in ten minutes.
After entering the compound, Amado was still nowhere to be seen. He was probably still in the back-alley laboratory researching bicycles.
Torifu couldn't be bothered with him either; the night was already deep, and it was time to rest.