Chapter Twenty-One: Welcoming Banquet

That afternoon, in the Hidden Leaf Village, inside a barbecue restaurant named Barbecue Q, in a private room with quite elegant decor.
Kato Mikaze was dining and drinking with the trio of Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, who had just returned to the village after completing a mission.

Earlier that morning, after welcoming the three at the village gate, Kato Mikaze had accompanied them to the Hokage's Residence to handle post-mission procedures and later met with their teacher, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Kato Mikaze invited the three for a meal and drinks—partly as a simple welcome, and partly as a gathering of friends who hadn’t seen each other for some time.

This time, instead of taking them to his usual haunt, the Kikukawa Tavern, Kato Mikaze had deliberately chosen a more renowned and upscale barbecue restaurant in the heart of the village’s commercial district.

The reason was simple: Tsunade liked barbecue. The opinions of the other two didn’t matter much...

In the private room, the four sat around a rectangular table, Kato Mikaze and Tsunade on one side, Jiraiya and Orochimaru on the opposite. The table was laden with delicious ingredients over two grills—fatty pork belly and other rich meats sizzled over the flames, juices dripping down with a lively hiss.

They had already enjoyed a round of food and drink, everyone in good spirits as they continued grilling, eating, and chatting, the atmosphere at the table just right.

Among the four, Orochimaru—ever the cool-headed, aloof one—drank very little, maintaining his icy persona. The other three, however, were seasoned enthusiasts of the bottle. A row of empty sake bottles beside the table testified to the intensity of their gathering.

Fortunately, all were elite ninja of the Leaf, with high tolerance for alcohol; after so much sake, they were only lightly tipsy, perfectly capable of eating and conversing freely.

“So, your mission this time was also related to our good allies from the Hidden Sand Village? The Third Hokage urgently sent you three to handle a skirmish at the western border?” Kato Mikaze asked, placing a perfectly grilled chicken wing on Tsunade’s plate as he spoke.

“But for a small skirmish, it hardly seems necessary to send all three of the Third Hokage’s disciples, now newly promoted Jonin, to handle it for over a month,” he continued.

Across from Tsunade, Orochimaru replied in his hoarse voice, “We were sent mainly to mediate the conflict. Our strength was sufficient, and as the Third’s students, we also represented his seriousness in the matter.”

“The Sand and the Leaf have been allied since the middle of the last Shinobi World War, and relations have been quite good over the past decade or so,” he continued.

“Our presence was as much about deterrence as negotiation, to see if the relationship could be salvaged. According to the Sand, this recent conflict was tied to the unsolved assassination of the Second Kazekage years ago—they claim to have found evidence of Sharingan use at the scene,” Jiraiya added, downing the last sip from his sake bottle and reaching for another.

Tsunade, picking up the chicken wing Kato Mikaze had just grilled for her with her chopsticks, gave him a look to signal he needn’t serve her any more, while continuing the conversation.

“It’s the same old story. Both sides have their own version about the Second Kazekage’s assassination. This time, the conflict was hardly ‘small-scale’—it was almost like a low-intensity war. That’s why it took us over a month; most of the time was spent in endless negotiations. The Sand sent Chiyo’s son and daughter-in-law as their representatives.”

“Ever since the third generation leaders took over each village, the situation in the ninja world has grown increasingly tense. Just half a month ago, I handled a mission involving a Rain ninja spy in the Leaf, which also connected to Sand’s espionage. It’s not just Sand and Leaf; conflicts with Stone, Cloud, even the mysterious Mist and the newly rising Rain Village, have all increased year by year. Skirmishes along the Fire Country’s borders never really stop,” Kato Mikaze said.

Oblivious to Tsunade’s signals, Kato Mikaze watched her enjoy the chicken wing he’d grilled, then carefully prepared another slice of pork belly for her. He was well-practiced in pursuing Tsunade after all these years.

Women—well, they always say one thing and mean another. She might protest, but her actions spoke otherwise; she’d already finished the wing he just gave her. Only when she put down her chopsticks for good would he believe she was full—and only then would her glances mean what they said.

As for how much Tsunade could eat? After years of relentless pursuit, if there was one thing Kato Mikaze knew, it was this. Underestimating a Leaf ninja’s information-gathering ability would be a mistake.

Jiraiya watched the handsome pair across the table, exchanging glances and food, and suddenly found his own barbecue and sake less appealing.

“Tch, what’s so great about women? Only that blue-haired Kato Mikaze could be foolish enough to like someone as hot-tempered as Tsunade. Pretty? Big-chested? So what, she’s still fierce as a tiger. Chasing women? Better to spend that time perfecting ninjutsu! Or reading one of my new novels—now that’s real happiness.”

He grumbled aloud, “Hey now, you two—keep it together! There are other people here, you know! Let’s not talk about missions anymore; we just got back to the village. Why bring up such boring topics?”

Kato Mikaze ignored Jiraiya’s complaints about his attentions to Tsunade, continuing as he pleased. But he shifted the topic from past missions to future plans.

“I’ll be taking the Jonin exam next Tuesday. Good timing, since you’re all back—if anyone’s free, come and cheer me on. What about the three of you? Any plans? Still going to team up for missions? You’re all Jonin now—do you still need to keep the three-man cell?”

Tsunade kept eating the pork belly Kato Mikaze slipped onto her plate, undeterred by his disregard for her signals.

She shot Kato a glare, as if to warn him he’d pay for his boldness later, and ignored Jiraiya’s complaints as well.

“The team won’t disband; after all these years, we work too well together. But we probably won’t be dispatched together again anytime soon—this last mission was a special case,” Tsunade replied, cheeks puffed like a squirrel as she chewed her meat.

Remembering how good the grilled chicken wings were, she signaled Kato with her eyes for another, while carefully grilling vegetables on her own side.

Yes, I’m a refined lady who only eats vegetables to maintain her figure. The barbecue? It’s just Kato Mikaze who doesn’t understand subtlety—I'm only eating it to be polite.

Turning the vegetables before her, she added, “Next Tuesday? I’ll be in the village, I should be free to watch your Jonin exam. After that, I’ll probably be at the hospital, continuing my research into medical ninjutsu.”

Orochimaru, who had been silently eating and observing the interaction between the two, finally spoke up.

“I’ll be in the village as well. The Third and the village have arranged a confidential experiment that I need to participate in long-term. So, I’ll be around. I’ll come see your Jonin exam, too. With your strength, Kato, you should’ve been promoted with us last year.”

Jiraiya joined in, “Well, if you’re making your Jonin debut, of course I’ll be there. Who knows, maybe you’ll fail, ha! Just kidding. With your strength, I’m sure you’ll pass.”

“If there aren’t any missions after that, I might travel outside the village for training. There are some arrangements with the Toad Sage at Mount Myoboku—maybe I’ll gather material for a new novel. We’ll see…”

“So it’s settled—next Tuesday, if you’re free, come to my Jonin promotion exam. When I pass, let’s have another gathering,” Kato Mikaze said, immediately responding to Tsunade’s silent command and placing another perfectly grilled chicken wing on her plate.

The other three agreed in passing that they’d come if they were free.

The four continued their meal, grilling meat, drinking, and chatting happily.

PS: New author humbly asks for support, recommendations, and bookmarks.