But that phrase wouldn't apply to yesterday's grand occasion... After all, whose simple life takes place in the sky?
Amado's cooking speed was noticeably faster than Torifu's. One dish after another was quickly taken out of the wok and brought to the dining table. By the time all eight dishes were ready, the first dish hadn't even cooled yet.
"Come on, everyone, try my cooking."
Amado had cooked often before, so everyone was familiar with his taste. It was just that Amado had been very busy later on and didn't handle these things much. Recently, his biological clock had adjusted back, and he looked much more energetic.
This was what Torifu had hoped for. He didn't want his 'little brother' to ruin his health inventing all these appliances. Working day and night with irregular meals—even a ninja's body couldn't withstand that kind of strain. Amado was Torifu's first 'little brother' and, in a sense, his first family member. Torifu didn't want to lose him early.
"Alright, let's eat."
Torifu took out several cups and poured a dark brown, bubbly drink from a wooden flask for everyone.
While Naori and Amado were still wondering what the drink was, Torifu already drank his in one gulp.
"Ah! That's satisfying!"
Seeing that no one else had taken a sip, Torifu urged them, "Go on, everyone, try it. This is a drink I spent some effort to acquire, and the taste is quite good."
Everyone took a skeptical sip, and the bubbles immediately spread through their mouths, delivering a slight tingling sensation.
"What a wonderful feeling! So many tiny bubbles popping in my mouth. It's sweet, but not cloyingly so. In fact, it's very refreshing. It's delicious." Naori gave it high praise. This was her first time tasting the drink, and she found it quite marvelous.
This drink was, of course, Cola. Torifu hadn't had a Cola in over twenty years and had almost forgotten the taste. Tasting this long-lost flavor again made him feel a mix of emotions.
"If you like it, drink more; I have plenty here."
He then placed the wooden flask on the table so anyone could pour themselves a cup.
Amado was curious about the drink but wasn't particularly enthusiastic. Minato, Yahiko, and Konan loved it, which didn't surprise Torifu much, as children naturally enjoy sweet things.
However, Naori's enjoyment was unexpected. Naori had never seemed to have a strong sweet tooth, so her high acceptance of Cola was a surprise.
Torifu had just found this item in the system store over the last couple of days. For some reason, he felt that the store's inventory was now leaning more towards daily life items. The majority of goods were related to living, with strength-boosting items making up a much smaller percentage. Perhaps the system sensed Torifu's inner wishes?
He had saved up so many Peace Points because there were few useful items in the store. Now that new and interesting trinkets were appearing, Torifu would likely visit more often. After all, he would always miss things from his home world, no matter how much time passed. Cola, for instance, was truly one of Torifu's favorites. He spent over ten thousand Peace Points to exchange for an amount that would last him two years. Since the items were system-made, he didn't have to worry about them expiring. Once purchased, they could be retrieved from the store at any time without needing to be stored by him.
After three rounds of drinks, everyone was comfortably full.
After drinking the Cola, Minato, Yahiko, and Konan kept burping, sounding like little frogs. They were a bit embarrassed and asked Torifu why it was happening. The answer was simple: the air needed to be expelled. Naori also burped, but she was quite ladylike, managing to lower the sound to a minimum using a unique method. Torifu was curious about this secret technique, but there wasn't enough time. He couldn't waste time on a secret technique to reduce the sound of burping.
"Naori, go wait for me at our old spot later. I need to go out and set things up first."
He still needed to set things up in advance? She wondered what it could be—he was being very mysterious.
"Huh? Is Big Brother preparing another surprise for Big Sister-in-law?"
Naori smiled. "It looks that way. But Torifu said that everyone will be able to see it, the entire Konoha Village."
Minato was also looking forward to it. Yesterday's wedding was so spectacular that Minato had high hopes for today's surprise.
"Torifu said that if you want to see it later, you should go straight to the main street. I suspect the view will be best from there."
Minato chuckled. "Thanks, Big Sister-in-law! I'll go call Kushina now!"
Before Naori could say anything else, Minato ran off in a flash. "That little guy—is he planning to give Kushina a surprise too?" Naori couldn't help but laugh. Minato and Kushina were just like her and Torifu when they were young. She suddenly understood why Torifu had given Ashina a life-prolonging fruit.
"Amado, later, please take Yahiko and Konan to the main street to watch. Although I don't know exactly what it is, it should be something interesting."
Amado, who had finished clearing the table, nodded. "Understood, Big Sister-in-law." Minato had already run off, and Amado was the only one left to take the two younger children, so he couldn't refuse. He had planned to work on a new appliance, but now he had to go along.
"You two, want to go play?"
Yahiko and Konan immediately raised their hands. "Yes! We want to go!"
"Alright, then follow me later."
With that, Naori could safely leave the house. Her and Torifu's old spot wasn't a BBQ restaurant; it was Konoha Village's back mountain, above the Hokage Rock. They had spent their childhoods above the Hokage Rock. Every morning, they would wake up early to train their Taijutsu, often loudly shouting their resolve. It had been a busy, fulfilling time, despite being slightly rough.
Torifu sent out five clones to place five Firework Cannons in the center of Konoha Village's main street. But after thinking about it, he felt five wouldn't be enough to create a good display. He then opened the system store and spent two hundred thousand ryō to purchase twenty more cannons. He had more clones set up these cannons on the smaller streets near the center street, placing them compactly and ensuring the intervals weren't too far apart. This way, when the fireworks exploded high in the air, the display wouldn't look sparse or monotonous.
Naori stood on the cliff, watching Torifu's busy silhouette within the village.