Chapter 226: Ayame: I want to marry Brother Xingye!

The banquet went very smoothly.

Even with the small interlude caused by Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo midway through.

The guests' spirits were not dampened.

On the contrary, Hiruzen Sarutobi's enchanting dance moves even won the favor of some nobles.

They even took turns inviting Hiruzen Sarutobi to their mansions to give their children some blessings as well.

Of course.

These were not the focus of Senju Xingye's attention.

He knew absolutely nothing about Hiruzen Sarutobi's dance being worth a thousand gold.

This birthday banquet for the six little ones had ended.

And there was the New Year's banquet coming up in less than a month.

New Year, new atmosphere; Senju Xingye naturally wouldn't just brush it off.

Of course, the specific details didn't need him to handle them.

He only needed to provide the money, and naturally, there would be people to handle all the details.

Like Boss Kakuzu or someone.

Handing such trivial matters to Boss Kakuzu to handle, Senju Xingye was very at ease.

Thus, every day he was either drinking tea in his own courtyard to pass the time, or strolling through the brand-new streets of Konoha.

Just like today.

As he strolled along, he arrived at the Senju Ramen Shop.

When Uncle Ichiraku saw the big financial backer arrive, he immediately finished the work in his hands quickly.

"Lord Senju, please wait a moment!"

"Your braised beef ramen will be ready very soon!"

Uncle Ichiraku naturally remembered Senju Xingye's choice clearly.

But today, Senju Xingye wanted to try something else.

"Let's change the flavor today; let's go with spicy."

"No problem, wait a moment, the super deluxe spicy beef ramen will be ready soon!"

The movements in Uncle Ichiraku's hands didn't pause in the slightest, smooth and fluid.

The dough constantly deformed in his hands, and before one knew it, it had turned into a large mass of noodles.

The entire process was like watching the birth of a work of art.

To be fully focused on one craft for decades—if it were ninjutsu, Uncle Ichiraku would probably be a Kage-level, or even a Super-Kage-level powerhouse by now.

This dedication was something even Senju Xingye had to express his admiration for.

With his patience, he certainly couldn't do it.

At this moment, Senju Xingye felt a peeking gaze.

Turning his head, he saw a small head shyly retracting into the kitchen.

Senju Xingye smiled immediately.

The owner of the small head was none other than Ichiraku's daughter, Ayame.

The little girl was probably about thirteen or fourteen years old now.

Wearing a headscarf, she was clearly helping in the kitchen.

She had heard that Senju Xingye had arrived, so she came over to sneak a peek.

Senju Xingye was already familiar with this kind of gaze.

Whenever he appeared on the street, there were such peeking gazes everywhere.

There was no lack of people confident in themselves dressing up to impress Senju Xingye.

Unfortunately, although Senju Xingye shouldered the grand goal of strengthening the Senju clan, he preferred quality over quantity and would absolutely not just make up the numbers.

They had to reach a certain threshold to catch his eye.

"Come over, Ayame, don't be shy."

"Don't you remember that I even held you when you were little?"

Senju Xingye smiled and waved at Ayame.

The "when you were little" he spoke of was actually two years ago when he acquired Ichiraku's ramen stall.

At that time, the little girl was already twelve, so she definitely remembered.

But as she grew older, the little girl of that year began to experience the stirrings of love, and her feelings for Senju Xingye naturally changed.

That was why she shyly retreated inside.

However, driven by her inner feelings, she still walked out bravely with a blushing face. ===== CHAPTER 230 =====