On Sunday afternoon, after finishing training with his disciples, Mokutsuki went to the main district, not to his home but directly to Minato’s house.
Last night, while having dinner at Mokutsuki’s place, Kushina and Minato mentioned that they had practiced making Dongpo Pork and were planning to make it again the next afternoon. They invited Mokutsuki to come and watch if he had time.
When Mokutsuki arrived, the two had just finished boiling the pork belly and were preparing to color it with soy sauce.
When Mokutsuki was about to help, Kushina stopped him.
“Mokutsuki, just watch and point out any mistakes. No need to help,” Kushina said.
Having dinner at Mokutsuki’s place every night, Kushina felt embarrassed to let him help.
Minato handed Mokutsuki a fruit platter and a glass of water, smiling gently, “Today, you don’t need to help, Mokutsuki. Just be the invigilator.”
Minato and Kushina had the same thought: this time, they should do it themselves.
“Then I’ll be lazy,” Mokutsuki said with a smile.
“You can poke some small holes in the pork skin with a skewer before adding soy sauce. This will make the pork more flavorful and the skin crisper when fried,” Mokutsuki advised.
Kushina and Minato realized they had forgotten this small detail.
Following Mokutsuki’s guidance, Kushina and Minato smoothly completed all the steps: frying, slicing, preparing the sauce, and steaming…
By the time they finished, it was already dark.
“This Dongpo Pork is delicious, but making it is really troublesome. You must be starving, Mokutsuki,” Kushina said.
Compared to her usual home-cooked dishes, Dongpo Pork was much more complicated, involving boiling, frying, and steaming.
“Not too bad, since I was just watching,” Mokutsuki replied.
As they talked, Minato brought the finished Dongpo Pork to the table.
“Now, let’s have Mokutsuki-sensei give his rating,” Minato joked.
“You two worked hard. Why not taste your own creation first?” Mokutsuki suggested instead of tasting it immediately.
“Let’s eat together,” Kushina, already very hungry, decided not to be polite.
The three quickly served their rice, said “Itadakimasu,” and started eating.
“Yes! This is the rich yet non-greasy flavor!” Kushina exclaimed with excitement after taking a bite of the pork and some rice. She felt a great sense of accomplishment.
She felt her time had been well-spent, successfully learning a delicious dish.
Although she thought Mokutsuki’s version tasted better, Kushina believed there was no one in the world who could cook better than Mokutsuki. Being second best wasn’t a bad thing.
“When Jiraiya-sensei returns, I must cook this for him,” Minato said while eating.
Minato was also delighted with the dish and wanted to share it with Jiraiya.
“Excellent execution. No major flaws,” Mokutsuki praised after tasting it.
It wasn’t just flattery. This dish was a simple home-cooked meal, and with Mokutsuki’s guidance, it was bound to turn out well.
However, a small problem soon arose: the pork was finished quickly, and the three of them stared at each other in silence.
“Sorry, we forgot to make other dishes,” Minato realized as he looked at the empty plate.
“We were too focused and completely forgot,” Kushina said with an embarrassed smile.
“I’ll cook a couple of dishes,” Mokutsuki said, getting up.
“That wouldn’t be right. You’re a guest. How can we let a guest cook?” Kushina felt conflicted but tempted.
“Should I go home, cook, and bring it back?” Mokutsuki asked with a smile.
“I’ll wash the vegetables,” Minato stood up quietly.
Kushina thought about Mokutsuki’s delicious cooking and couldn’t resist nodding in agreement.
“Mokutsuki, you’ve been interested in sealing techniques, right? Have you been learning any specific ones lately? I can teach you some sealing techniques,” Kushina asked while sitting idly at the dining table.
Feeling guilty for freeloading at Mokutsuki’s house so often, Kushina wanted to repay him.
“I’ve been reading various theoretical books. Any recommendations for sealing techniques available in the library?” Mokutsuki asked.
“If you haven’t started learning, I can teach you an introductory sealing technique from the Uzumaki clan. It can also test your talent for sealing techniques.
“If you can learn it in a day, you’re a sealing technique genius. A week means you have talent. If it takes over a month, it’s not worth pursuing,” Kushina explained.
“How long did it take you to learn, Kushina?” Mokutsuki asked while heating oil in the pan.
“One day,” Kushina said proudly, waiting for Mokutsuki to ask.
“Then you must be a sealing technique genius,” Mokutsuki praised.
“Not really; I just learned most of the Uzumaki clan’s sealing techniques,” Kushina said, trying to sound humble but couldn’t hide her smile.
After dinner, Kushina handed Mokutsuki a scroll and went to wash the dishes while Minato explained the technique to Mokutsuki.
Mokutsuki listened very attentively, more focused than ever before.
“This sealing technique is called One-Finger Seal. It quickly creates a seal to block chakra, but the binding strength is low and easily broken. It has little practical use and is generally used for introductory training,” Minato explained.
Whether it was Minato’s high-level teaching or Mokutsuki’s talent, Mokutsuki felt the One-Finger Seal seemed quite simple.
Mokutsuki didn’t show this outwardly, occasionally asking questions.
…
On Monday, Kotetsu Hagane arrived at the Ninja Academy early. Seeing that Izumo Kamizuki hadn’t arrived yet, he nodded in satisfaction. He put a novel on the desk and started reading.
When he sensed that Izumo was about to arrive, Kotetsu put away the textbook, leaving only the novel on the desk.
“Kotetsu, didn’t you say not to review? Why are you here so early reading?” Izumo asked, surprised. He had stayed up until 1 AM studying.
Kotetsu waved the novel in his hand, “I’m not reviewing. This is a new ninja novel. It’s really good.”
Seeing the cover and title, Izumo felt relieved and laughed, “Reading a novel to relax is a good choice.”
“So Kotetsu likes novels. I’ll buy him a popular novel tomorrow so he can read for the next two weeks,” Izumo thought.
He felt more confident about getting first place.
“Izumo, you don’t look well. Did you stay up late studying? That’s bad for your health and won’t help in the exam,” Kotetsu said, pretending to be concerned.
“No, I was playing games with my cousin and lost track of time,” Izumo said naturally.
“Playing games to relax is also good,” Kotetsu smiled, feeling more confident about getting first place.
He decided to gather information on various games after school to ensure Izumo played games every day for the next two weeks.
“What novel? What game?” Anko asked, interested as she entered the classroom.
(End of Chapter)
Become a Patron read up to 30 chapter ahead public release ^_^
Please join Discord Server so we can talk ^_^
