After that small get-together among the Three Sannin, life returned to its usual calm rhythm.
Recently, Anko had been away on missions, and Uchiha Ran made several more trips to the deep pool at Naka Mountain to fish. Unfortunately, it seemed his luck had already been used up—after that one unforgettable day, nothing remotely similar ever happened again.
Ran's days passed smoothly and uneventfully.
A ninja's daily life wasn't all killing and fighting—it was mostly about human relationships. And Ran, who was well-versed in such matters, lived a rather stable routine: unwavering daily training, patiently waiting for his Sharingan to grow stronger, and frequently going over to Mikoto-neesan's house for meals.
As Uchiha Ran rose in prominence—now a grand-disciple of the Third Hokage—the tension between the Hokage's faction and the Uchiha clan noticeably eased. Seeing this shift, Uchiha Fugaku, ever the qualified politician, seized the opportunity and began contacting and communicating with the Third Hokage far more frequently.
Recently, whenever Ran visited Mikoto's house, he found that Fugaku-niisan was often absent. Apparently, he'd been attending quite a few drinking gatherings with the Third Hokage.
"The Third Hokage?" Ran muttered. "Didn't Tsunade-neesan mention recently that the Third Hokage, Jiraiya, and Fugaku have been going out drinking together a lot? …Wait, Fugaku-niisan is drinking flower wine now?"
Knowing Jiraiya's and Hiruzen's personalities, Ran couldn't help but feel that Fugaku-niisan was at serious risk of being led astray.
—
And as for why Lady Tsunade had quietly become Sister Tsunade—
That was naturally thanks to Ran's skin being thicker than a castle wall.
During this leisurely period, Ran frequently used the excuse of being Orochimaru's disciple to ask Tsunade for lessons on basic medical knowledge. Just like that, he casually skipped over the awkward incident where the two of them had once faced each other naked.
Instead, he cheerfully called out "Tsunade-sensei" one moment and "Tsunade-neesan" the next.
And Tsunade?
She eventually surrendered to Ran's shamelessness.
After all, a woman in her thirties had little resistance against a fourteen-year-old younger brother who was tall, handsome, and persistently calling her "Sister" every day.
—
That day, because Mikoto-neesan had taken Itachi to visit their grandfather's house, Ran found eating alone unbearably boring. So he invited his three teachers over to his place for dinner.
Unfortunately—
Orochimaru-sensei was busy with research.
Jiraiya-sensei was busy drinking with the Third Hokage and Uchiha Fugaku.
Both declined without hesitation.
Only Tsunade hesitated for a moment.
It wasn't until Ran said one particular sentence that she finally agreed to come over and try his cooking.
"You know, Sister Tsunade," Ran said seriously, "when a disciple keeps getting rejected by their teachers, it causes psychological trauma and affects cultivation. Also, my neighbor is Mikoto-neesan—and her cat can do backflips. Want to come see it?"
—
A ninja's appetite was actually enormous.
Cultivating chakra itself required massive amounts of energy. And in the ninja world, even an ordinary person possessed around 130 trillion cells—far more than the roughly 30 trillion cells of an average person on Earth.
As a result, people here naturally ate much more.
And for someone like Tsunade—a Kage-level powerhouse—the energy consumption was even more terrifying.
So for her visit, Ran prepared an exceptionally lavish spread.
First came his specialty ramen.
A carefully simmered chicken-bone clear broth, paired with fresh, tender noodles and crisp vegetables. The result was a light yet richly flavorful bowl.
Next was the featured grilled fish.
This time, it was a giant perch.
Yes—the very same one he'd caught that morning.
Catching that fish had delayed him quite a bit. After reeling it in at nine in the morning, Ran had deliberately taken a long detour around the village gate, proudly carrying it all the way back to the Uchiha compound.
The fish was marinated, brushed with a secret house-made sauce, and slowly grilled over charcoal. The result: crispy skin, tender flesh, and an aroma that made mouths water.
The moment the freshly grilled fish went into the insulated box, Mikoto-neesan's cats came sniffing over.
Yes—just ordinary cats. They didn't talk.
Fish alone wasn't enough. There had to be meat too.
Before heading out that morning, Ran had already marinated goose meat for several hours with special spices, preparing it for slow roasting until the skin turned crisp and the meat juicy.
Then came garlic vermicelli steamed scallops—fresh scallops marinated in minced garlic and special seasonings, topped with steamed glass noodles. The flavor was indescribably wonderful.
To finish it all off:
Golden-broth Buddha Jumps Over the Wall,
Dongpo pork,
Spicy boiled pork slices,
and a bowl of wonton noodles as the finale.
Not long after Ran packed everything into insulated containers, Tsunade arrived at his residence.
Tsunade might be a terrible gambler—
But outside of gambling, she was surprisingly thoughtful.
This time, she even brought a crate of milk and some fruit.
"Oi, brat, don't look so shocked," she said casually. "Since you keep calling me 'Sister,' bringing something when I freeload a meal is only normal, right?"
As she spoke, Ran stared in utter disbelief as Tsunade reached straight into that pair of towering peaks.
As the saying goes—high mountains, deep valleys.
With Ran's eyes wide and mouth agape, she casually pulled out a scroll from somewhere impossibly hidden.
"…Damn," Ran muttered. "You can even do that?"
Tsunade shot him a mischievous glance.
"Hah! I actually brought a lot of stuff. I knew a brat like you wouldn't possibly have alcohol at home."
She bit her thumb, formed seals with both hands.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Bang!
With a loud explosion of smoke, a massive pile of alcohol appeared before Ran.
"Wait—wait—wait—wait—wait—wait—wait—wait—wait—wait—wait—wait—wait—wait—wait—wait—wait—wait!"
In two seconds, Ran managed to say eighteen "waits."
"S-So, Sister Tsunade… are we supposed to drink all of this?"
Staring at the sheer volume of alcohol, Ran felt dizzy. Even if Tsunade didn't get drunk, this amount would take two or three days to finish.
"Brat, you're already fourteen and you've never had alcohol?" Tsunade scoffed. "For ninjas, once you graduate, you can drink. You're still young—you don't understand the joy of alcohol yet."
"No worries. Bring out the food. Your Sister Tsunade will teach you a very important skill for becoming a man."
As she spoke, she slammed the table with a bang.
"Serve the food! Come drink with me!"
She completely disregarded her image, plopping down in her seat and urging Ran to hurry up. She was practically starving.
"…Alright," Ran sighed. "I'll just drink a little."
He returned to the kitchen, brought out all the dishes kept warm, and took out a set of wine cups that had never been used before.
"Good!" Tsunade said excitedly. "Today's toast is—to a happier tomorrow!"
She immediately had Ran fill her cup with sake, then raised it high.
"Come—drink up!"
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