After the meat entered his mouth, Hayato Ren's eyes widened instantly.
The seasoning of this meat was perfectly normal, with just the right texture. A single bite filled his entire mouth with juicy flavor.
It could even rival dishes from proper restaurants. It was utterly unbelievable that Kushina, who used to be hopeless at cooking, could create such a dish.
Seeing Hayato Ren's astonished expression, a proud look spread across Kushina's face.
"Hmph, you should never judge a person by their past self. I'm not who I used to be—I'm now Chef Kushina!"
After that, Hayato Ren sat back in his chair like a lord, opening his mouth to be fed by Kushina as she attended to him throughout the delightful lunch.
Once the meal was over, Hayato Ren settled on the living room sofa, with Kushina curling up in his lap.
Gently playing with Kushina's smooth, jade-like hand, he murmured softly:
"You were feeding me the whole time and didn't eat much yourself. Aren't you hungry now?"
Kushina nuzzled against him a few times and replied quietly:
"It's fine, I ate earlier. Just stay like this—I need to replenish my Ren Energy properly."
With that, she buried her head against Hayato Ren's chest, inhaling his scent almost obsessively like a lovesick girl.
Hayato Ren, in turn, wrapped his arms lightly around Kushina's waist.
At that moment, anyone who saw them would have praised, "What a perfectly matched golden couple!"
After what felt like a long while, Hayato Ren suddenly spoke up as if remembering something:
"By the way, why haven't I seen Mikoto around?"
Kushina, still with her eyes closed, replied in a slightly displeased tone:
"Silly Ren, don't mention another girl's name at a time like this. Even if it's Mikoto, I'll get jealous. I did invite her to welcome you back, but she said she didn't want to be a third wheel. We'll all get together tomorrow instead."
Hearing this, Hayato Ren gently pinched Kushina's delicate nose and teased:
"Since when did our Kushina turn into such a jealous little vinegar jar?"
"Hmph, it's all because you're so shameless! Back at the Ninja Academy, you already had a bunch of girls writing you love letters—I just took care of them all. Really, why did you have to be so good-looking? It would've been better if you were just average, always attracting bees and butterflies like this."
Hayato Ren scratched his cheek and gave a helpless smile.
"Can I really be blamed for being good-looking? Besides, if I were ugly, would you even have liked me?"
Kushina immediately sat up in his lap, her eyes locked intently on his as she spoke earnestly, word by word:
"I've always loved you, Hayato, for who you are—not for your looks. Even if you turned into a big fat pig, I would still love you deeply. Actually, why don't you gain some weight? That way, no one would try to steal you away from me."
Hearing this, Hayato Ren instantly felt a pang of guilt. After all, Kushina loved him so much and had even meticulously prepared such a grand surprise for him.
Meanwhile, he had crossed all sorts of boundaries with Tsunade back at the Leaf camp.
To Kushina, this was undoubtedly a betrayal.
The intense emotion in Kushina's words only deepened the guilt swirling in Hayato's heart.
So, he simply lowered his head, expressing his feelings through action.
After a long while, Kushina finally blushed and cooed with feigned annoyance:
"Hayato, you big meanie. All you know how to do is tease me here."
Faced with Hayato's advances, Kushina clearly found herself overwhelmed.
Her pretty face flushed crimson in an instant, and she buried her head against Hayato's chest, pretending to be an ostrich.
Watching Kushina's reaction, Hayato couldn't help but smile.
Even though she had worn such daring attire and prepared so many little surprises, she could still get this shy over a sweet nothing—it was utterly adorable.
For the rest of the afternoon, Hayato and Kushina curled up together on the sofa.
When evening came, Hayato personally took charge of the kitchen, setting up a romantic candlelit dinner on the rooftop.
Aside from the strong wind nearly blowing out the candles, everything else was absolutely perfect.
After finishing their candlelit dinner and spending some time on the rooftop, Hayato and Kushina took a bath, then went to bed holding each other close.
Having traveled for several days, Hayato quickly drifted off to sleep.
Gazing at his peaceful sleeping face, Kushina couldn't resist leaving a light kiss on his lips before nestling into a comfortable spot in his embrace. With a blissful expression, she slowly slipped into dreams as well.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, as Hayato and Kushina were enjoying breakfast at the table, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Kushina immediately stood up, her face lighting up with excitement as she declared:
"I bet it's Mikoto!"
With that, she cheerfully dashed to the entryway to answer the door.
Sure enough, within moments, Kushina reappeared, holding Mikoto's hand as they stood before Hayato.
Hayato waved and greeted her with a smile:
"Mikoto, long time no see. Have you had breakfast? Should I make you something?"
As he spoke, he started to rise from his seat, heading toward the kitchen.
Mikoto quickly stopped him.
"I already ate at home, so there's no need to trouble yourself. I heard you've become a Jonin, Hayato—that's truly impressive."
Hearing this, Hayato settled back into his seat and replied:
"That was just luck. Besides, 'Jonin' is just a title—nothing worth celebrating."
With Mikoto's arrival, both Hayato and Kushina quickened their pace with breakfast.
After finishing breakfast, the three of them sat in the living room and began chatting.
At that moment, Mikoto suddenly took out a long sword and placed it on the table, saying:
"This is a gift I prepared for you, Hayato, to celebrate your promotion to Jonin. It's just a small token of my appreciation, please accept it."
Hayato Ren picked up the long sword and drew it from its scabbard. A cold gleam flashed instantly.
The entire long sword was silver, with a blade length of ninety centimeters. The blade shimmered, gleaming brilliantly under the sunlight.