"Orochimaru, don't keep that stiff face all the time."
At the dinner table, Renya advised the always-expressionless Orochimaru.
If this kid kept acting like that, sooner or later he'd develop psychological issues.
Especially once he became a shinobi, facing cruel wars would only worsen those problems.
Even Renya himself couldn't avoid developing extreme thoughts now and then—let alone a child like Orochimaru.
If Orochimaru ended up walking the same road as in the original story, he'd not only become a Konoha rogue-nin, but would also return to fulfill the shinobi tradition of killing one's teacher...
Renya's intervention now might prevent those things from ever happening.
After all, he intended to take Sarutobi Hiruzen's place as the teacher of the three little ones.
Orochimaru, who was sitting upright eating, froze for a moment, then nodded seriously.
"I understand, Renya-sama."
Saying that, under Renya's gaze, he forced out a stiff, awkward smile.
"You… you actually know how to smile?!" Jiraiya clutched the bump on his head with a look as if he'd seen a ghost.
Orochimaru usually had that infuriating face that begged for a punch. Who would've thought he could actually smile?
It's just that his smile looked downright ugly.
"Idiot." Orochimaru dropped the smile and gave him a disdainful glance.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't look at your Jiraiya-sama with those eyes!" Jiraiya hated that dismissive look from Orochimaru more than anything.
If only he were strong enough to beat him, he'd have already made Orochimaru pay.
"Jiraiya, shut up!" Tsunade glared viciously at him. Seeing this, Jiraiya shrank his neck in fear.
The bump on his head hadn't even gone down yet—he didn't want another beating.
Renya chuckled at the scene. Who would've guessed that this dead-last Jiraiya would one day become one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha?
And not just that—his disciples would all be geniuses: Namikaze Minato, Nagato, Yahiko, Konan, and even Uzumaki Naruto.
Unfortunately, without proper intel, he eventually died at the hands of one of his former disciples. Once again, the shinobi world's old tradition of teacher-killing.
The three little ones ate fast, clearing away more than half the food on the table in no time.
Thankfully, Renya had already anticipated this outcome—
He had prepared plenty of food so they wouldn't run out.
"I'm stuffed." Jiraiya slumped into his chair, rubbing his round belly.
Orochimaru sighed helplessly. This guy was always such an embarrassment.
"Renya-san, the food you make is too delicious! Next time I score full marks, I'll come over again." Tsunade burped, already planning her next visit.
"Alright, alright. Next time you get a perfect score, I'll make another feast for you," Renya said with a smile.
"But before that," his tone shifted, "the three of you need to wash the dishes."
After all, they'd freeloaded a meal from him. Making them wash the dishes wasn't too much to ask.
"Eh? We have to wash dishes too…" Tsunade looked a little wronged.
She'd eaten at Renya-san's house for years, but this was the first time he'd ever made her wash dishes.
"Little girl, you still think you can eat for free?" Renya shot her a glare.
He couldn't control Senju Hashirama or Senju Tobirama, but he could definitely handle this brat Tsunade!
"Got it, Renya-san." Reluctantly, Tsunade began clearing the bowls and chopsticks.
Seeing Jiraiya and Orochimaru still sitting dumbly in their chairs, the little girl instantly grew unhappy.
"What are you two staring at? Get over here and help!"
"Coming, coming." Jiraiya scrambled up to help like a lackey.
Orochimaru didn't say a word, simply picked up the dishes and went into the kitchen to start washing.
Seeing the three work together, Renya nodded in satisfaction.
It was getting late, and Senju Tobirama still hadn't eaten yet.
Good thing he'd already set some food aside.
Renya prepared to pack the dishes into a lunchbox and deliver Tobirama's meal.
But when he entered the kitchen, he found the table completely empty. The food he had set aside was gone!
Renya: "???"
Where were the dishes? The plates of food he had made earlier?
He clearly remembered leaving several plates out. Why were they missing now?!
"Renya-sama, are you looking for something?"
While washing dishes, Orochimaru noticed Renya searching around.
"Orochimaru, did you see the food I left on the table?" Renya quickly asked.
Maybe the three little ones had helped put it away...
Orochimaru shook his head. "Renya-sama, I didn't see anything."
When he entered the kitchen, the table was already empty—not a single dish remained, not even the plates.
"We didn't see them either," Tsunade and Jiraiya said in unison.
They had just eaten their fill—there was no way they'd sneak more food.
Renya searched everywhere but found nothing, feeling as though the sky had collapsed.
"Could it be that I remembered wrong? That I never actually set the food aside?"
With no other choice, he'd have to pack up the leftovers from the meal and send those to Tobirama.
That old guy probably wouldn't notice… right?
"Jiraiya, don't throw those leftovers out—pack them together for me."
Renya quickly stopped Jiraiya, who was about to dump the food, and handed him a big bowl.
Though confused, Jiraiya obeyed and scraped all the dishes into the bowl.
"Hmm, I bet that old guy hasn't tried hodgepodge before, right?" Renya nodded in satisfaction, admiring his own cleverness.
Mixing all the leftovers together and heating them up—it would have its own unique flavor.
Surely Tobirama would like it!
After all, that old man was never picky with food. Anything would do.
...
In a cave somewhere in the Land of Fire.
"Mmmmmm, this is way too delicious!"
Black Zetsu, after tasting Renya's cooking, completely lost control. In just moments, it devoured everything.
Though it never needed to eat, the taste of the food stunned it.
No wonder Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara often praised Renya's cooking. His skills truly were unmatched.
Only such culinary mastery would be worthy of being Mother's exclusive chef!
"Hehehe… Uchiha Renya…"
After finishing every last dish it had stolen, Black Zetsu's eyes gleamed with scheming light.
For the sake of Mother's meals after her resurrection, this chef was one it had to secure!
It seemed the time was coming to reveal Renya's true origins to Uchiha Madara.
Meanwhile, Renya, on his way to deliver food to Tobirama, had no idea that besides Madara, Black Zetsu—the dutiful "son"—had also set its sights on him.
...
Hokage's Office.
"Kid, you're giving me this to eat?"
Senju Tobirama opened the lunchbox and was stunned to see only leftovers inside.
"Old man, these aren't ordinary leftovers. This is my newly developed cuisine—called Hodgepodge!" Renya started spinning his tale.
Anyway, that old man had never tasted fine dining. Surely he'd be fooled into thinking it was something incredible.
Though Tobirama harbored some doubts, in the end he still believed Renya's words.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo