On Saturday afternoon, Mutsuki returned to the main city area's house.
After several occasions of sharing meals and drinks, his relationship with Minato and Kushina had become quite familiar. Mutsuki directly invited the two to his house before cooking.
"Yumi, what dishes are you preparing today?" Kushina asked curiously.
In the times Kushina had eaten at Mutsuki's house, she never had the same dish twice.
The variety was not the only impressive aspect; the key was that Mutsuki could make them delicious. This fact both impressed and envied Kushina.
"Mushroom soup and stir-fried mushrooms." Mutsuki pointed to a plastic bag full of mushrooms next to the sink.
During lunch, Shisui and the others had prepared too many ingredients, including various fish and vegetables. They even successfully hunted a wild boar. Mutsuki brought back the leftover ingredients that they couldn't finish.
Leaving aside other matters, wild mushrooms are indeed fresh, but they must be thoroughly cooked. Otherwise, the risk of food poisoning is considerable. Having an upset stomach is a minor issue; it's even possible to end up flat on the board.
"These wouldn't happen to be wild mushrooms picked in the forest, would they?" Kushina looked at the various sizes of mushrooms, feeling like they weren't store-bought.
This reminded her of the teasing she had done to Mutsuki the first time she joined him for a meal at his house, wondering if he had added some strangely colored mushrooms that made her see illusions.
If there were indeed such mushrooms in the mix, combined with Mutsuki's culinary skills, eating them might be akin to falling under a Genjutsu.
Mutsuki nodded and said, "This afternoon, I had a picnic in the forest with a few students. We ended up with more ingredients than we could finish, so I brought the extras home."
"Yumi, you even have picnics with your students?" Kushina asked, somewhat envious.
In her six years at the Academy, she had never seen any sensei be so accommodating, going so far as to have picnics with their students.
"Those students have a good relationship with me," Mutsuki explained.
"Yumi, do you need help? I can wash the vegetables for you." Minato, feeling embarrassed about freeloading, stepped forward to offer assistance.
"Minato, can you wash the mushrooms for me? I'll start preparing the wild boar meat." Mutsuki wasn't hesitant to assign tasks directly to Minato.
Being excessively polite wouldn't help foster friendship.
In relationships, reciprocity is crucial for improvement.
Because there were three people dining, in addition to mushroom soup and stir-fried mushrooms, Mutsuki also planned to make braised pork.
In his past life, he didn't know why he felt nauseous when eating fatty meat, but he could accept the fat in braised pork. He even thought that braised pork with a mix of lean and fat was more delicious. Mei Cai Kou Rou, a dish with preserved mustard greens and braised pork, was one he particularly liked.
However, without preserved mustard greens available, he could only make braised pork instead of Mei Cai Kou Rou.
"And what about me? What should I do?" Watching the backs of Minato and Mutsuki, Kushina scratched her head. Why did she feel like they were two brothers with a good relationship cooking together, and she had become an outsider?
"There's no more space here. Just sit and wait for the meal," Mutsuki replied.
This wasn't a restaurant kitchen, and three people working together would only make things more chaotic. Two people were just right, and there wasn't much that needed help.
So, the bored Kushina sat down in the living room's chair and casually picked up a book placed on a low table.
"Oh." Kushina was somewhat surprised to see the title on the book's cover. It was another book related to Sealing Jutsu.
"'What is Sealing Jutsu.' Yumi, why are you still reading this kind of book? Just by the name, it doesn't seem as good as..."
Kushina paused because she flipped a page and saw the words "Uzumaki Ashina" as the author.
"Cough, cough. This book is actually quite good. Mutsuki, you should take a good look at it."
"Yeah, I've read it several times already. Uzumaki Ashina-sama truly deserves to be the founding master of Konoha's Sealing Jutsu. Even someone like me, who knows nothing about Sealing Jutsu, gained a lot from reading it," Mutsuki replied while handling the pork.
"Of course, this is our Uzumaki Clan's clan head," Kushina said proudly.
"But Mutsuki, are you also interested in Sealing Jutsu?" Kushina curiously asked.
"Very interested. Sealing Jutsu feels mysterious and powerful," Mutsuki said with an admiring expression.
"From the perspective of enhancing strength, Sealing Jutsu is indeed a good choice," Minato nodded.
The three of them continued discussing the topic of Sealing Jutsu until the meal was ready.
During the conversation, Mutsuki mostly listened, occasionally offering some novice perspectives that made Minato and Kushina feel a sense of accomplishment.
Kushina first tried the braised pork, a dish she had never eaten before. With just one bite, the soft, glutinous, and not greasy texture overwhelmed her, prompting Kushina to take a large spoonful of rice.
"This is incredibly delicious! Why haven't I tasted such a good dish before?" Kushina instantly fell in love with the taste of braised pork.
"If you want to learn, I can teach you," Mutsuki said with a cheerful smile.
"It's a deal! Tomorrow night, Minato and I will help you buy the ingredients," Kushina quickly agreed, nodding.
After saying that, Kushina glanced at the plate of stir-fried mushrooms and realized that more than half of it was already gone. Minato had been eating continuously while they discussed teaching cooking.
"I haven't eaten yet, Minato, save some for me," Kushina couldn't care less about anything else and quickly joined in the meal.
The first bite also surprised and impressed Kushina; it was incredibly fresh.
After satisfying their appetites, the three of them took a stroll together.
During their walk, conversation was inevitable. Mutsuki shared some interesting anecdotes from teaching, while Minato and Kushina recounted some odd and amusing incidents from their missions.
...
Two days before the competition, Mutsuki began the final training with Obito.
"If you want your Ninjutsu to look more formidable, besides Nature Transformation and Chakra quantity, you can also make it appear more majestic through shape transformation," Mutsuki explained.
"But there are only two days left. Is there enough time to practice shape transformation?" Obito scratched his head and asked.
"Of course, there's not enough time," Mutsuki straightforwardly replied. Obito didn't have such strong natural talent in Ninjutsu.
"But you don't need to master shape transformation. You just need to control the improved Great Fireball I've designed."
In order to ensure Obito's success, and maximize the rewards from the training, Mutsuki had put a lot of effort into it.
He specifically modified the Great Fireball to make it appear larger without actually increasing the internal flames, maintaining its original power.
In short, it looked more intimidating.
Anyway, the youth Ninjutsu competition didn't involve actual combat; each participant just displayed a Ninjutsu, and the scores were based on that.
"Yumi-sensei, you're truly my Six Paths Sage!" Obito, upon hearing Mutsuki's words, instantly felt that the first place was practically guaranteed.
Against the man he had been taught by, Kakashi stood no chance!
"After all, you've made a lifetime commitment to granting any request. As a sensei, I naturally have to give it my all," Mutsuki said with a cheerful smile, intentionally fostering in Obito a sense of seeking guidance from his sensei.
"Hehe." Obito flashed an embarrassed smile.
"Hurry up with your training," Mutsuki tapped Obito's head.
"Yes!" Obito immediately began his practice.
He was eager to defeat Kakashi and secure first place in front of Rin.
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