Haruki brought Willow Tanasuke along originally because he wanted to learn storytelling skills.
However, he soon discovered another use for him: a guide.
The closer they got to the Metropolis of the Land of Iron, the colder the weather became.
Finally, goose-feather-like snowflakes fluttered down.
The world was a vast expanse of white, without a single trace of vibrant green.
Haruki was from the south in his previous life and had never seen such heavy snow before.
If it weren't for wanting to maintain his image, he would definitely have started a snowball fight and rolled around in the snow.
If he had a phone, he might even have posted something on social media to show his inexperience.
Haruki and Tsunade had the Sage Body and were not afraid of the cold.
But Kakashi and the other two were still young and not very powerful. They quickly wrapped themselves in cotton-padded jackets and looked like three fat penguins.
At night.
"I'll teach you a little trick," Haruki said, stopping Kakashi from taking out the tent and smiling. "In this extreme weather, building an ice house is the best option."
"An ice house?"
Tsunade had lived in the Land of Fire for a long time and didn't know the function of an ice house. She questioned, "Won't it be even colder?"
Haruki blinked and said, "How about we make a bet?"
Tsunade immediately felt a sense of crisis.
Every time Haruki said he wanted to make a bet, it always turned out to be a torture for her in the end.
But she couldn't stand his smug look, so she angrily jumped into the trap.
Haruki was satisfied with her answer and started building the ice house.
He originally had a Ninjutsu in Wood Release to build houses, but there was no need to be so showy.
The characteristics of Wood Release were too obvious.
With the help of Chakra, the ice house was quickly built.
Tsunade was the first to walk in. Her expression immediately turned a bit sour. She had lost again.
The temperature inside the house was not significantly lower; rather, it was warm.
Haruki pinched her cheek and cooed, "You look prettier when you smile. Be a good girl. I'll cook you something yummy."
Because they had been eating roasted meat for the past few days, Haruki was also a bit tired of it.
He thought for a while and decided to have hot pot today.
Combined with the cold weather, it would be a perfect match. It's really awesome!
The most important thing about hot pot is the seasonings.
Haruki might not bring many other things, but he had already prepared all the seasonings.
However, it took some time to find the ingredients.
With the heavy snow falling, it was difficult to find wild game.
But they were all ninjas, so they would always find a way.
Kakuzu sent out a dozen Shadow Clones and they searched everywhere for half an hour to get a large amount of ingredients.
He originally didn't want to do it, but when he heard there would be new delicacies, he gave a light snort and started to act.
Since losing his freedom, his greatest pleasure every day was to eat the dishes cooked by Haruki.
He called it compensation for himself.
The mouth-watering aroma wafted up in the icy and snowy world.
Haruki used Fire Release, so even the low temperature didn't affect it at all.
He distributed the bowls and chopsticks and asked Kakashi to cut the ingredients and arrange them on the plates.
After the seasoned hot pot base and soup were boiled, Haruki demonstrated to them how to cook food in the hot pot.
It was simple and straightforward, easy to learn at a glance.
"Wow, it's delicious!"
Obito was the first to make an exaggerated comment.
He ate at an extremely fast speed, but was caught off guard by the hotness of the hot pot. Immediately, he let out a series of muffled groans.
The others were a bit more reserved.
They didn't say a word, yet their mouths kept moving.
Hot pot, the eternal god!
Haruki had tasted delicacies from many provinces in his previous life, but he believed that hot pot was irreplaceable and could be enjoyed at any time.
Moreover, the atmosphere created by a hot pot meal was truly rare.
Watching everyone around him sweating profusely as they feasted, his own appetite soared.
The hot pot feast came to an end.
Kakuzu was the one who ate the most.
Under Haruki's peculiar gaze, he couldn't hold it in any longer and said he was going to sleep.
Haruki glanced at Tsunade and they both burst into hearty laughter.
After cleaning the cooking utensils, Haruki pulled Tsunade into the ice house and asked her to fulfill their bet.
He had prepared some new moves as a post - meal digestion exercise.
In the middle of the night.
While Haruki was in the heat of the moment, Kakuzu opened his eyes.
It wasn't Tsunade's noise that woke him up; the barrier blocked the sound.
Instead, someone sent him a message.
Kakuzu hesitated for a moment, then his figure vanished from the ice house.
About a thousand meters away, Kakuzu saw a ninja wearing a mask and wrapped in a white coat. It was impossible to tell if it was male or female, or their status.
"Why did you take the odd job but not kill the target?"
As soon as the ninja saw him, he demanded, "Is it because our payment isn't enough? Ninety million ryo, Kakuzu. That's an extremely high price. Don't be so greedy."
Kakuzu frowned.
But he didn't really care about the ninja's tone.
He shook his head and said, "It's not about the money."
"?"
There was a huge question mark on the ninja's face beneath the mask.
Are you really Kakuzu?
Kakuzu actually said it wasn't about the money.
He began to suspect that the real Kakuzu had died at Haruki's hands.
"If it's not about the money, then whose problem is it?"
"It's kind of... hard to explain..."
Kakuzu stammered and looked embarrassed. He couldn't very well say that he'd been beaten up by Haruki and had to become his lackey.
How humiliating!
Once word got out, his title as the strongest Bounty Hunter would be severely tarnished. How could he take on jobs in the future?
When bargaining with clients, what if they threw in a snide remark about him being beaten up? He couldn't stand that!
"What do you mean?"
The ninja held back his anger. "I want an explanation."
"No need for an explanation. From now on, our relationship is over."
This chapter isn't over!
Kakuzu said coldly.
What's there to explain about?
The ninja's face instantly darkened, and his voice turned extremely angry.
"Kakuzu, don't regret it! Going against Root... us won't end well for you!"
"Get out of here!"
Kakuzu was already in a bad mood, and being threatened pushed him over the edge. He finally showed his true nature.
"If you don't leave now, you'll stay here forever!"
The ninja vanished from his sight immediately.
Kakuzu stood there for a moment, then returned to the ice house to continue sleeping.
The next day, Haruki received a reward from the system, getting a chance to grant someone an ability.
However, he didn't use it right away.
Because this ability had a flaw.
For example, if he gave the Niten Ichi-ryu to Kakashi, he would lose the Niten Ichi-ryu himself.
However, just as every coin has two sides, there are also benefits despite the drawbacks.
With Haruki's current strength, many ninjutsu and abilities are actually useless to him.
He only needs to retain Wood Release, Sage Body, and Sage Mode to dominate the ninja world.
Of course, when facing the Otsutsuki Clan, he might still need a couple of eyes.
After getting up and having breakfast, Haruki and the others finally arrived at the metropolis of the Land of Iron.
It was an ice - and - snow city, covered in white and glistening.
Haruki bid farewell to Willow Tanasuke and received a suggestion.
If he wanted to hone his Kendo, he could consider challenging dojos.
No dojo would refuse.
After all, refusing would be a loss of face.
The proud samurai valued their face quite highly.
Haruki thought of Sakumo Hatake again. Maybe because of his swordsmanship, he had a similar spirit to the samurai.
However, Kakashi had better not develop this habit.
After arranging accommodation at an inn, Haruki took Kakashi to the nearest dojo.