"Granny, aren't we deceiving Kushina by doing this?"
All the talk about scolding and feeling down or not completing her promise—it's all nonsense, just a setup!
A setup meant to make Kushina take the task upon herself and fulfill her promise.
Tsunade felt a bit uneasy about it; after all, Kushina was still just a child.
"Do you have a better way to help Kushina let go of her sadness, lower her guard toward the village, and fit in?" Uzumaki Mito glared at her granddaughter.
If you had a better solution, would I, an old woman, be bothering myself with all this?
"Uh… you have a point."
Tsunade shrank her neck, promptly shutting her mouth. She didn't dare argue with her grandmother.
"But aren't you worried about the risk? What if Kushina gets hurt?"
"Are you saying that Takashi Hyūga is untrustworthy?" Uzumaki Mito leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes.
"Forget I said anything." Tsunade almost wanted to roll her eyes, but refrained, fearing a reprimand from her grandmother about her lack of ladylike manners.
The last thing she wanted was a lecture from Grandma Mito. Besides, was there really a question of Takashi's reliability?
What a joke! He was trained by none other than her, the great Tsunade-hime!
The First Hokage's granddaughter. The Princess of Konoha!
Could she possibly misjudge? No way!
---
Knock, knock, knock!
"The door's unlocked. Come in."
Resting on the sofa, Takashi heard the knock.
The door slowly opened, and Kushina struggled to carry a heavy bag into the room, her forehead covered in sweat, looking quite worn out.
"Takashi, Tsunade had something come up today, so I helped her buy some stuff for you. I didn't know what you'd like, so I bought a bit of everything."
She proudly set the bag on the ground, clearly pleased with herself.
Takashi stood up and paused momentarily, silently sensing just how much she had bought.
A large bag, fully packed, was heavy enough that even someone as strong as Kushina had trouble carrying it—an indication of just how heavy it was.
Not wanting to dampen her spirits, he smiled and asked, "Thank you, Kushina. Could you tell me what you got?"
"Hehe, no need to thank me! It wasn't hard; in fact, it was kind of fun!"
Kushina wiped the sweat from her forehead, clearly in high spirits. Though it was her first time shopping at the market, she managed to get the job done despite a few embarrassing moments along the way.
"Potatoes, and some beef. The butcher said if I bought a lot, I'd get a discount," she added, clearly proud of her bargain.
She thought herself quite clever, managing to get a good deal on plenty of beef.
Well…
Takashi held back the obvious—buying in bulk tends to be cheaper in the first place; it's not luxury goods they're trying to get rid of. But he wisely kept this to himself.
After all, her intentions were genuine.
"How about we make grilled meat?"
"Sure!"
Kushina clapped her hands excitedly but hesitated, worried about Takashi's sight.
"Or… maybe not. Granny Mito said it's not right since you can't see; it might be tricky for you."
"Then let's do it together—I'll instruct, and you can cook. How does that sound?"
With Takashi's invitation, Kushina hesitated briefly before agreeing. She didn't want to disappoint him, and besides, her hands were itching to try.
Food she'd make herself would surely taste delicious.
"First, cut the beef into big pieces. Yes, that size looks good. Now, add the other ingredients to the pot along with the seasoning to marinate the beef."
Once the beef was marinated, Kushina grabbed a small trowel and ran out to the yard to dig up some clay, all the while wondering why grilled beef needed clay.
Wrapping the marinated beef in lotus leaves, she coated it in a thick layer of clay before tossing it into the fire pit.
As she looked at Takashi's confident and rather handsome face, Kushina began to doubt. Could meat cooked this way really be edible?
When the "Clay-Baked Beef" was finally ready, Kushina was dumbfounded.
So this is how cooking could work?
With clay and lotus leaves?
The process was strange, but the result was amazing. The large, marinated pieces of beef turned out tender and flavorful.
Kushina ate happily, not just because the beef was delicious but because she had helped make it.
She didn't mind her dirty clothes at all. The once sullen look on her face was replaced by a constant smile.
"So, the Hyuga clan's family rules are really that strict? That's scary," she said, stunned as Takashi shared stories about the Hyuga clan.
Compared to the Hyuga, the Uzumaki clan's rules felt almost nonexistent.
The Hyuga clan had a branch family that existed only to serve the main family. They could be called family members, but it was more accurate to say they were servants, even slaves.
Thankfully, the village's influence prevented the main family from acting too harshly, even though they had the authority to discipline the branch family.
At least in this area, the Third Hokage did something right.
His oversight helped suppress the main family's arrogance and divided their power.
Takashi smiled faintly. "Scary? It's not that bad. Thanks to the village's mediation, the main family can't arbitrarily punish the branch family. They can't just kill people like before."
Though the Third and his allies did this for their own reasons, this approach did ease the branch family's burdens somewhat.
"These main family members are horrible—downright evil!" Kushina said, outraged.
The more she learned, the more she felt she and Takashi shared a bond.
Takashi had his family, his clan, but his situation was even more challenging than hers.
And with the curse mark of the Caged Bird, rebellion was impossible for the branch family.
"Takashi," Kushina murmured, genuinely worried that he might suffer under his clan's oppressive rules.
Takashi chuckled, patting her on the head reassuringly.
"Don't worry about me. I've passed the medical-nin exams and work at the Konoha Hospital now. With Tsunade there, the main family won't mess with me."
"That's a relief."
Kushina was only worried that the Hyuga clan might trouble him or use family honor to command him.
Most ninja clans placed extreme importance on family honor.
But for Takashi, a reincarnated soul, this honor meant nothing.
To him, family honor was nonsense, especially with a rigid and heartless clan like the Hyuga.
Having shared his story, Takashi listened as Kushina shared hers.
---
When it was nearly time, Kushina knew she had to leave.
Even with a little freedom, she couldn't be reckless—she didn't yet have the luxury of acting out.
"Well, Takashi, I'll head back for now. I'll visit again soon."
Reluctantly, Kushina left, returning to the Senju estate.
Uzumaki Mito had granted her some freedom, so she had to honor their agreement and return on time without lingering too long outside.
"This kid…"
Though Takashi was only thirteen, he thought of Kushina as just a kid.
Not just because of his past life; even in this life, they had a seven-year age gap.
Kushina had bought a lot; the vegetables could last a few days, but the meat?
Without proper storage, it would spoil soon. Refrigerators weren't common yet in the ninja world.
To prevent the meat from going bad, Takashi decided to preserve it, making smoked beef jerky.
"Good thing she bought beef. If she'd gotten a pile of pork, that would've been much harder to handle."
Takashi got to work.
---
Kushina happily returned to the Senju estate.
"Granny Mito, Tsunade, Nawaki—I brought you some beef! It's delicious, and I made it myself!"
She proudly placed the beef on the table like a treasured prize.