Konoha's Sword Saint [60]

Inside the fried chicken shop, Hoshiyomi was casually munching on his food, occasionally tossing a couple bones over to Lobo. The little wolf wasn't picky at all—bones were fine by him. He happily gnawed away beside the table, tail wagging.

Today, Tsunade had chosen to sit next to Hoshiyomi. Of course, it was all for Lobo's sake.

Jiraiya, watching from across the table, was visibly salty—not because he had feelings for Tsunade, but because he was jealous of how effective this "cute animal" tactic was. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it himself.

Watching Tsunade stare at Lobo with sparkles in her eyes, Jiraiya felt like he'd just witnessed a divine technique for flirting. Even a rough-and-tumble girl like Tsunade was completely disarmed—clearly, this strategy had some serious damage potential.

He decided then and there—he needed to get himself a summoning beast just as cute as Lobo.

In the original timeline, Jiraiya might've already been harboring a crush on Tsunade by now. But thanks to Hoshiyomi's interference, this Jiraiya hadn't developed any such feelings.

Instead of the infatuated perv he was supposed to become, this Jiraiya had turned into a full-blown wild child. Without Tsunade constantly reining him in, and with the Third Hokage as a "bad influence," he had grown even more unfiltered.

He was only eight, but already driving the perv-mobile like a veteran. In the past, Tsunade would beat the crap out of him for being too blatant—but after getting smacked around a few times, he'd learned.

Now, he kept it subtle.

Everything he said was laced with innuendo—just cryptic enough to fly under the radar. Every time he started talking nonsense, Tsunade would tilt her head and innocently ask what they were laughing about, completely oblivious.

At this rate, the Hidden Leaf's adult entertainment industry was probably going to reach new heights.

Ahem, back to the table.

Seeing Lobo staring longingly at Hoshiyomi but only getting bones in return, Tsunade felt a rare flash of righteous indignation.

She tossed two pieces of fried chicken over to Lobo, then smacked Hoshiyomi hard on the arm—hard enough to make him wince.

"He's your ninja companion! Why are you being so stingy? All bones and no meat?"

Rubbing his arm, Hoshiyomi tried to defend himself:

"It's good for his teeth! Besides, I ordered extra today just for him. Whatever we don't finish, he gets. Right, Lobo?"

Hearing his name, Lobo let out two cheerful yips without even pausing his chewing.

"See? He agrees."

Tsunade rolled her eyes, then gave him another slap.

"Look at yourself. Honestly. And why'd you name him Lobo anyway? That sounds awful. Like… 'radish.'"

Hoshiyomi didn't feel like explaining the reference to "Wolf King Lobo", so he just said:

"It sounds kind of like 'radish,' sure. But it's simple and easy to remember."

Tsunade frowned.

"You can't just slap on a name like that. What if one day you have a kid? Are you gonna name him Potato or Apple or something?"

Hoshiyomi replied immediately:

"If you don't like my naming sense, how about you name my kid for me someday?"

Tsunade's cheeks flushed red in an instant. Beneath the table, she kicked him hard in the shin.

"Pervert!"

Hoshiyomi winced in pain, but still grinned through it.

"C'mon. As if you'd come up with anything better."

THUD—another, even harder kick.

Across the table, Sakumo and Orochimaru quietly ate their chicken, pretending not to see or hear a thing.

Jiraiya gave Hoshiyomi a secret thumbs-up.

Flirting with someone as violent as Tsunade? That took guts. Respect.

After dinner, everyone went their separate ways. Hoshiyomi had already made arrangements with Torifu-sensei to visit the Inuzuka Clan for a talent evaluation on Lobo.

He briefly considered inviting Tsunade along, but she didn't even spare him a glance—just turned and walked away, showing him the back of her head.

Snubbed? Sure. But Hoshiyomi didn't care.

He picked up the round-bellied Lobo and muttered:

"You ate that much and you still don't wanna take a walk? Don't blame me if you get fat."

By the time Hoshiyomi and Lobo arrived at the Inuzuka compound, Torifu had just gotten there too. The two greeted each other and headed in together.

As expected, the moment Lobo crossed into the clan's territory, a chorus of barking exploded around them.

Inuzuka ninja hounds, known for their territorial instincts, were clearly unhappy about this unknown canine intruder. Dozens of smaller ninken immediately began growling and snarling at Lobo, trying to drive him off.

But Lobo wasn't fazed. He might act silly and playful around Hoshiyomi's friends, but in front of these ninja dogs, he carried himself like a true heir to the Wolf King.

Head held high, Lobo walked proudly past the growling ninken, step by fearless step.

When a few particularly noisy pups tried to intimidate him, he let out a sharp, wolfish howl that sent them scampering. And then, with almost smug satisfaction, he shot them a human-like look of disdain.

The commotion drew a crowd.

Several Inuzuka clan members gathered to check out the little white wolf. Many couldn't help but click their tongues in admiration.

Torifu called out to a teenage boy in the crowd:

"Tetsu, is your father home?"

The boy—Inuzuka Tetsu, son of the clan head—recognized Torifu and grinned.

"Yeah, my dad doesn't have a mission today. He's home. Come with me."

Tetsu led them further inside while barking commands to quiet the more aggressive hounds.

The ninja dogs obeyed instantly, silencing their growls with a few reluctant grunts. Seeing them settle down, Lobo got even bolder. He lifted his head even higher, then turned dramatically toward the sun and let out a loud, high-pitched howl.

And as if that weren't enough, he turned around and gave the nearest ninja dog a proud little tail-wagging strut.

Hoshiyomi sighed and scooped him up before he could take things too far.

"You keep this up, and someone's gonna beat the arrogance out of you…"

They followed Tetsu past several kennels before stopping in front of a middle-aged man—the Inuzuka clan head, Inuzuka Ko.

After a few polite greetings, Torifu got to the point:

"This is my student, Gekkō Hoshiyomi. He came across a rather unusual wolf on a mission. We were hoping you could evaluate the little guy's potential."

At that, Hoshiyomi handed Lobo over.

Ko took the pup and examined him thoroughly—head to tail, not skipping a single detail. Even Lobo's more sensitive spots didn't escape the inspection, prompting a few embarrassed whimpers from the little guy.

Finally, after what felt like a full vet exam, Ko reluctantly handed Lobo back.

Hoshiyomi opened his mouth to ask about the results, but Ko spoke first:

"Hoshiyomi, right? I have a bit of a shameless request.

When this wolf matures… would you be willing to let him breed with one of the Inuzuka Clan's ninja dogs?

I promise I'll pick only our most elite bitch for him. His bloodline deserves nothing less."

Hoshiyomi stared, expression frozen.

"…What???"

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