"Hehehe, how interesting."
Black Zetsu stared with great interest at Renya, who was busy cooking, its eyes gleaming with schemes.
If Uchiha Madara were to learn of Renya's true parentage by accident, what would he do?
Senju Tobirama would surely die a miserable death, wouldn't he?
Renya could then witness Tobirama's death with his own eyes, and later, when the time was right, Black Zetsu could tell him that Tobirama was actually his biological father.
With such a blow, that kid would definitely awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan!
Afterward, all it would need to do was feed him a few well-placed lies and guide him to the Uchiha stone tablet. The boy would be as thoroughly deceived as Uchiha Madara had been, foolishly becoming a pawn in the plan to resurrect its mother.
Except… this pawn was different from Madara.
Though he was still a pawn for now, once its mother was resurrected, Renya's role would shift from pawn… to chef.
From Hashirama and Madara's past conversations, Black Zetsu had already learned that Uchiha Madara wished to recruit Renya into the Eye of the Moon Plan, though he hadn't acted on it yet.
It didn't mind lending Madara a hand. Getting the chef involved in the plan to revive Mother wasn't a bad move at all.
The only problem was—how could it let Madara's pawn "accidentally" discover this?
Black Zetsu sank into thought, searching for a flawless scheme.
...
"Renya-sama, your cooking is amazing!" Jiraiya was practically drooling at the sight of the braised pork ribs on the table.
"Haha, if you want some, then take a piece," Renya said with a smile.
Since they had come over to help him, this small benefit was only fair.
"Thank you, Renya-sama!" Jiraiya grabbed a rib fresh out of the pot and shoved it straight into his mouth, completely ignoring the heat. He hissed as the scalding meat burned him, but his face held no pain—only the blissful satisfaction of eating something delicious.
"Idiot," Orochimaru sneered, casting him a look of disdain. That dunce's brain was filled with nothing but food.
"Orochimaru, don't always look so gloomy. Here, have a rib too." Renya used his chopsticks to pick up a piece and place it into Orochimaru's bowl.
It wasn't healthy for someone so young to act that mature.
Children should behave like children—innocent, pure, and cute. Tsunade and Jiraiya embodied that perfectly.
But Orochimaru, with his calm, calculating mind, didn't resemble his peers at all. While other kids were still thinking about good food, he was already using "helping out" as an excuse to secretly study Renya's skills.
Though children in the shinobi world tended to mature early, being too mature wasn't a good thing either.
Take Uchiha Itachi, for example—too mature for his age, and in the end, that led to tragedy. He slaughtered his own clan with his own hands.
Renya didn't want Orochimaru to turn out like his original self.
Orochimaru stared blankly at the rib Renya had just handed him, as if he hadn't expected Renya to personally serve him.
After a moment's daze, he finally reached out and accepted it.
"Thank you, Renya-sama."
Unlike Jiraiya, Orochimaru didn't wolf it down. He ate in small, refined bites, as though savoring the flavor like a food critic.
Jiraiya: "???"
Did this guy even have to put on airs while eating? Didn't that just make him look like the rude one here?
"Jiraiya, do you want more?" Renya asked with a smile.
"N-no, I'm good, Renya-sama." Jiraiya quickly waved his hands in refusal, terrified that Orochimaru would once again make him look boorish in comparison.
"Alright, once I finish this last dish, we can start eating."
But suddenly, Renya felt as though a pair of eyes were watching him from the shadows. The feeling made him deeply uncomfortable.
He whipped around sharply, but found no one.
And just like that, the sensation vanished.
"Could it be my imagination?" Renya muttered under his breath.
"Renya-sama, what's wrong?" Jiraiya asked curiously.
Orochimaru also glanced at him in confusion, not understanding what had just happened.
"It's nothing," Renya shook his head, deciding it must have been his imagination.
"Take the dishes out. It's time to eat," Renya said, gesturing toward the two of them.
"Got it, Renya-sama."
Jiraiya and Orochimaru quickly carried the food out to the living room.
But was it really just his imagination?
Renya stood frozen in the kitchen, staring intently at the spot where Black Zetsu had been moments ago. He had clearly felt someone watching him.
He stepped closer to inspect the wall, but found nothing at all.
"Was it really an illusion?"
"Renya-san, why haven't you come yet?"
Just then, Tsunade's impatient voice rang out from the living room, clearly unhappy with his delay. After all, they couldn't start eating until Renya was there.
"Coming," Renya replied, and headed for the dining table.
Only once Renya had completely left did Black Zetsu emerge from the wall.
"That was close… I almost got caught."
It had been so absorbed in its plotting that it forgot it was still spying, and accidentally let a trace of its presence slip.
Thankfully, it reacted quickly, hiding its body and chakra again just before Renya turned his head.
That was the only reason Renya hadn't noticed.
"Hehehe, this chef is quite interesting," Black Zetsu thought as it withdrew from the Senju compound.
Just then, its eyes lit up as it caught sight of the finished dishes set aside on the table.
Those were meals Renya had prepared specifically for Senju Tobirama.
"Hehehe, let me taste the chef's skills first… on behalf of Mother."
...
"You two didn't sneak food in there, did you?!"
Renya had barely entered the living room when he saw Tsunade accusing Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
"Sorry, Tsunade," Jiraiya said sheepishly, scratching his head.
"Next time you sneak food behind my back, I won't forgive you!" Tsunade scolded, hands on her hips, looking every bit the bossy big sister.
So that explained why the ribs on the plate had gone missing—this bastard Jiraiya had stolen them.
"Tsunade, they were just helping me out. I let them try a couple of ribs as a reward," Renya quickly stepped in to defend them.
Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief at once. Thank goodness Renya-sama had saved him, or else he'd have been beaten for sure.
Orochimaru glanced at Renya oddly, then turned his gaze away.
"But still, they shouldn't have eaten so many…" Tsunade pouted.
Renya was puzzled. Didn't he cook about ten ribs?
Two shouldn't have made much difference, right?
But when his eyes fell on the plate of ribs on the table, he froze.
Renya: "???"
Out of the ten or so he'd made, only six or seven were left!
Orochimaru shook his head helplessly, shooting Jiraiya a look full of pity.
That fool was doomed.
After all, he'd seen with his own eyes that Jiraiya had scarfed down several more ribs on the way over.
"Hehe, Renya-sama, your ribs were just too delicious. After one, I couldn't resist another… and another," Jiraiya admitted with a sheepish grin.
Renya: "…"
So that was why Tsunade was angry.
"Jiraiya, you bastard, you almost ate them all!"
Thud!
"Ahhh!!!"
"Renya-sama, Orochimaru, help me!!!"
The two simply turned their heads away, pretending not to hear Jiraiya's cries for help.