Chapter 134: 134. Painting
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In the distance, mountains loom, lakes lie nearby, and grass spreads underfoot, with picnic mats scattered here and there, along with a barbecue grill.
Kurama Yakumo set up an easel, holding a paintbrush, and began outlining the scene before her with a smile.
At the centre of her painting were Jiraiya, Tsunade, Minato, and Fugaku.
Minato and Fugaku smiled as they clinked glasses. Tsunade, her cheeks flushed, had already pulled out a deck of cards, while Jiraiya's expression was mischievous, his eyes darting around as he tried to sit up straight. Shizune, sitting by Tsunade like a dutiful maid, reached out to flip the barbecue skewers.
Not far away, Kushina and Mikoto laughed together, watching Izumi hand over grilled food with a smile. Shisui and Itachi were deep in conversation nearby.
Kakashi and Gai locked eyes in their usual contest of who would blink first. Kakashi's face remained calm, while Gai's eyes were wide, sweat forming on his forehead.
The outcome of this game would break the tie in their eternal 50-50 record, so Gai took it very seriously. His four mini-Gai disciples, dressed in green, cheered him on excitedly.
Kimimaro, tired from being a teammate of Mini-Gai's for so long, seemed to find common ground with Neji and Tenten, watching the contest with mild interest.
Asuma and Kurenai Yūhi shared a bashful glance, pretending to watch the match between Kakashi and Gai, but secretly holding hands for the first time.
Sakura and Ino clung to Sasuke's arms from either side, glaring at each other, as though sparks flew between them.
Akamaru and Pakkun, two cute canine companions, faced off in a game of headbutting, while Kiba and Naruto sat on either side, cheering them on.
Hinata smiled softly, holding Naruto's arm with one hand while sneaking a skewer of barbecue with the other.
As always, Chōji ate enthusiastically, while Shikamaru lay quietly on the grass beside him, watching clouds drift by.
Yakumo counted the people present but felt like someone was missing. After thinking for a moment, she picked up her brush and added herself, sitting at the easel, along with Haku and Karin, who were watching her paint.
Only then did Yakumo look at her painting with satisfaction. She packed up her tools and joined the group's playful activities.
Shino, having received a message from a bug on his finger, sighed. "I'm sitting next to Shikamaru... why didn't you draw me?"
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The reason for this gathering began half a month ago, shortly after the mission involving Raiga had ended.
The surge of mission requests caused by the Chūnin Exams turmoil had finally subsided, and things were returning to normal.
Minato, having caught up on his work, remembered his promise to Naruto before the Chūnin Exams to take him camping.
Determined to be a good father, Minato decided to take a rare vacation and invited Tsunade and Jiraiya, who had also been busy, to join them.
After announcing the camping trip at home, Karin asked if she could invite her friends, and Minato happily agreed.
Thus, Haku and Karin invited Kurenai Yūhi and Kurama Yakumo. Kimimaro invited Gen, Daiki, and Jirō, and Kushina brought her three students along.
When Naruto went to invite Sasuke, he found him sweeping the floor with Itachi at their house.
Sasuke mentioned he wanted to stay home with his brother, who was on a rare break. But Itachi, always understanding, suggested Sasuke go along, and Shisui arrived just in time to extend an invitation to Itachi as well.
When Mikoto heard about the trip, she realized it had been a while since she had a proper chat with Kushina. So, she brought Fugaku along and even invited her future daughter-in-law, Izumi.
Kakashi, seeing two of his students attending, figured he might as well invite the third. On his way, he ran into Gai, who was training, and naturally, Gai insisted on bringing his youthful students to join the fun.
Asuma, after hearing about Kurenai's plans, "happily" arranged for his students to train nearby...
What began as a small family gathering turned into a large group outing.
If any enemies from other villages had taken the opportunity to attack and capture everyone in one sweep, Konoha might have been in chaos for a decade if, of course, they could even win that fight.
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"I'm betting a spoonful of mustard that Pakkun will win this one," said Kiba.
"Yeah, right! I'll bet a spoonful of hot sauce. Akamaru's winning!" Naruto countered.
Kiba, fired up by the bet, clenched his fists and cheered, "Go, Akamaru! If I win, I'll treat you to some barbecue!"
"Woof!" Akamaru barked, full of fighting spirit.
Naruto, much calmer, said softly, "I've got faith in you, Pakkun."
Pakkun shivered slightly, sensing that losing might mean ending up cooked, with Naruto's mustard and hot sauce smothered over him. His resolve strengthened.
Three minutes later, Akamaru was knocked to the ground by Pakkun, who fought for survival. Kiba defeated, swallowed the mustard and hot sauce, lying on the ground with his tongue hanging out, questioning his life choices.
Naruto planted a small victory flag on Pakkun's back. "Well done, Pakkun! This is the Little Dog's Victory Flag!"
"Woof!" Pakkun, with the flag on his back, ran back to Shizune, grateful to have survived another day.
Naruto patted Akamaru's head, consoling him, "It's alright, Akamaru. I'll treat you to some barbecue."
Naruto looked around. "Huh? Where's the meat?"
Kiba came over and, seeing the empty plates and grill, shouted, "Hey, Chōji, you ate too fast!"
Chōji swallowed hard, saying, "It was just too delicious! Asuma hasn't treated us to barbecue like this since our last team celebration."
Still, Chōji was puzzled. Did he eat that much?
Naruto, who had a good idea of what had happened, stood up and said, "Alright, don't blame Chōji. I'll go get more."
"I'll go with you, Naruto-kun," Hinata blushed, hurrying to help.
Shino adjusted his sunglasses, already knowing the truth, but he kindly kept it to himself.
When Naruto returned with the supplies, he added some charcoal to the grill and called out, "Sasuke, come light the fire!"
Sasuke, freeing himself from Sakura and Ino, puffed up his cheeks and spit out a fireball.
Sakura and Ino exchanged a glance, then followed, watching enviously as Naruto and Hinata fed each other.
Suddenly, Sakura had an idea. "Ino-pig, let's see who can cook better!"
Ino didn't back down. "Bring it on, billboard brow!"
"Sasuke, you'll be the judge!" Both shouted
"Boring," Sasuke muttered, clearly uninterested.
"I'll be the judge!" Chōji volunteered.
The two girls nodded, and the competition began.
In the end, neither was declared a winner, because, according to Chōji's later recollection, it was the first time he met anyone who could make him fear food.
That evening, everyone pitched their tents, fulfilling Naruto's wish for a camping trip. The next day, Minato was ready to fulfil another of Naruto's wishes.
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