A smoke cloud appeared as three people were reverse summoned to Mount Myoboku. An impressed whistle escaped Yuna’s mouth as she observed her surroundings.
“Not bad; the Natural Energy here is quite dense.”
“Oh? You can feel Natural Energy?”
Yuna heard someone with an unknown voice asking her a question, and after looking around for a short moment, she noticed a small old-looking toad sitting a few meters away from her.
“Yes, I dislike things hiding from me. That includes energy forms. The name’s Yuna Uzumaki, by the way.”
Although the old toad found Yuna’s explanation rather strange, he nodded his head and resumed talking.
“I’m Fukasaku, one of the Two Great Sage Toads. Since you can already sense Natural Energy, are you interested in learning Senjutsu?”
Jiraiya paled when he heard Fukasaku’s offer as he looked at the small toad in shock.
‘This is bad! Won’t she become even more rampant after she got another power boost?’
That was the first thing Jiraiya thought when he heard Fukasaku’s offer, but he changed his mind moments later.
‘What kind of nonsense am I thinking about? Yuna getting more rampant? As if that was possible.’
However, when Yuna heard Fukasaku’s offer, she could only shake her head. If someone had made her that offer a few years ago, she might have agreed, but there was no longer any point in doing so. She was very close to finally being able to cultivate properly, so there was little use in learning sage mode now. She would rather invest all the time it would take her to learn it into something else.
“Sorry, but I have no interest in that. I have my own path to follow.”
Although Fukasaku was a little disappointed and surprised that Yuna rejected his offer, he still nodded his head in understanding.
“Anyway, it’s been a while, Jiraiya, Naruto; how have you been.”
The duo answered Fukasaku’s inquiry, and after a few minutes of chitchat, things were back on topic.
“Anyway, Ojiji-sama wanted see you, Yuna Uzumaki. Would you like to go to him directly, or would you like to have some dinner first? Ma should be almost done cooking by now.”
Yuna was just about to reject the offer for dinner when Naruto answered first.
“Let’s have some dinner first!”
Yuna squinted her eyes and looked at Naruto, who did his best not to look suspicious, which he utterly failed at before her gaze drifted towards Jiraiya, who did the same.
‘Those two are definitely plotting something. Let’s see what they have prepared for me. This should be fun~’
A few minutes later, the small group was back at Fukasaku’s house and seated around the dinner table. By now, Yuna understood what kind of trick Naruto and Jiraiya tried to pull as a bowl full of wiggling insects was placed in front of every single one of them.
‘Those two want to sacrifice their own tastebuds to see me suffer, huh? Commendable, but in the end, useless.’
“Haha, no need to be shy, you three. Just dig in to your heart’s content.”
The person who spoke was Shima, the other of the Two Great Sage Toads and Fukasaku’s wife, who was also responsible for preparing the meals.
“Sorry, Shima, but I won’t be parting in the meal.”
Overwhelming disappointment was clearly visible in Shima’s eyes when she heard Yuna’s words.
“Why? Don’t you like my cooking?”
Naruto and Jiraiya couldn’t help but be slightly shocked when Yuna rejected the food. Both of them didn’t expect Yuna to be heartless enough to reject a kind, old lady’s food offer.
Meanwhile, Yuna could only shake her head in disappointment at the duo’s simple mind. After all, there are more than one way to reject something.
“Of course not. I do not doubt that the food you cooked is delicious, but alive insects are not something humans eat, so I fear this won’t fit my palate.”
Naturally, Shima was surprised by that statement. After all, weren’t there already two examples in this very room that proved Yuna’s statement as false?
“But these two always happily eat everything I cook them? Why are they fine with it?”
Yuna chuckled in amusement when she heard Shima’s question as a vicious glint passed through her eyes that sent shivers through Naruto and Jiraiya’s spine. It was time for the counterattack.
“Isn’t that only obvious? Both of them are your contractors, after all. I think it would be weirder if they didn’t enjoy the same food as you.”
Shima’s eyes shone in understanding when she heard Yuna’s words.
‘So it’s like that. That does make sense. I have never served my food to someone who didn’t have a contract with us, so I guess it can’t be helped that I didn’t know about what humans usually eat.’
“I see, so it is like that. Well, I guess those two are in luck then since they can eat your portion as well. However, I’m rather sorry that I can’t serve you anything fit for normal humans.”
‘Wow, this old lady is quite vicious. Is she doing this on purpose, or is it just a coincidence that she deals blow after blow to these two?’
[Well, since you didn’t feel like she was doing that on purpose, it must have been a coincidence.]
‘That’s true, I guess. Seems like she is a natural.’
“Haha, no worries, Shima. I’m always carrying some food with me, so I will just eat my own food.”
She flicked her wrist as she said that, causing something to appear on top of her hand.
It was a bowl of piping hot ramen.
Naturally, Naruto almost started crying when he saw that.
‘Isn’t nee-san too much of a bully? First, she managed to wiggle herself out of eating insects, and then she even closed the path she had taken so that I couldn’t do the same. Then, as if she wasn’t satisfied with my suffering yet, she took out a bowl of ramen, my favorite food, and started eating it in front of me, while I have to eat a bowl of insect.’
Unfortunately, Yuna wasn’t satisfied with the damage she had done yet, so she decided to continue.
“Sigh, that was such a shock. I think suddenly, seeing a bowl of wiggling insects in front of me sent me into a writer’s blockade. I might have to delay the release of my next book by a few months.”
“WHAT!?”
Jiraiya opened his eyes in shock when he heard Yuna’s words, as he looked at her in terror, while Naruto could only roll his eyes. Well, he had two girlfriends, so that kind of book wasn’t too attractive to him. Although, he had to admit that the stories themself were rather well-written as well.
“Sigh, I guess I have no choice but to tell Hiruzen about my writer’s blockade and the reason for it. He really was looking forward to my subsequent work, after all.”
“”WHAT!?””
This time, Jiraiya wasn’t the only one to exclaim in shock. Naruto could already see Hiruzen hunting him down with crimson eyes filled with hatred if he were to hear that the release of his favorite book was delayed due to him.
“N-Nee-san, let’s not go too far. W-Wasn’t this just a little prank?”
“T-That’s r-right, Yuna. Let’s not blow this matter out of proportions.”
Yuna dramatically sighed when she heard the duo’s words as she lifted her hand to her head, pretending to be a frail maiden.
“Sigh, what can I say. Having something like this in front of me shocked my fragile maiden heart.”
[Maiden heart? More like Corrupted Demon Core.]
‘Hehe, keep those praises coming. Although I would prefer a longer name.’
[Err, Hell-Spawned Corrupted Demon Core of Unlimited Perversion?]
‘Ohh! That one’s pretty decent.’
[Shit, why did I do that!?]
