Chapter 42: Mugetsu Is Interested in the Sealing Technique
On Saturday afternoon, Mugetsu returned to his house in the Main District.
Since they had shared meals several times, their relationship had grown quite close. So, Mugetsu directly called them over before starting to cook.
"Mugetsu, what are you making today?" Kushina asked curiously.
She had eaten at Mugetsu's place several times now, and not once had he repeated a dish.
It wasn't just the variety that impressed her—it was the fact that every dish tasted amazing. Kushina admired him for that… and maybe envied him a little too.
"Mushroom soup and stir-fried mushrooms," Mugetsu said, pointing at a plastic bag full of mushrooms by the sink.
At noon, Shisui and the others had gathered a ridiculous amount of ingredients: fish, wild vegetables, and even a wild boar. Mugetsu brought the extras home.
Setting everything else aside, wild mushrooms were certainly fresh—but they had to be cooked thoroughly. A bit of diarrhea was manageable… but food poisoning that led to a coffin? Yeah, no thanks.
"These aren't wild mushrooms picked from the forest, are they?" Kushina frowned slightly. The mushrooms varied in size and type and definitely didn't look store-bought.
It reminded her of the first time she ate at his place—she'd jokingly accused him of using some weird mushrooms that made her see illusions.
If Mugetsu really had put in something like that, with his cooking skills? Eating it would basically be like falling under Genjutsu.
Mugetsu nodded. "This afternoon, I had a picnic in the forest with some students. We gathered too many ingredients and couldn't finish them, so I brought the leftovers home."
"You even take students on picnics?" Kushina's tone was half teasing, half envious.
She'd spent six full years at the Ninja Academy and had never met a teacher generous enough to take students on a picnic.
"They're good kids. We get along well," Mugetsu replied casually.
"Need help? I can wash the veggies," Minato offered, feeling awkward about freeloading again.
"Then help me wash the mushrooms. I'll handle the wild boar meat," Mugetsu said, assigning him the task without hesitation.
Being overly polite didn't help friendships grow.
Relationships had to be built through give and take.
Since there were three people eating, Mugetsu also planned to make a dish of braised pork to go with the mushroom dishes.
In his previous life, he never understood why fatty meat made him feel nauseous. But braised pork? That was the exception. Especially when it was well-balanced between lean and fat—absolutely delicious. Braised pork with preserved vegetables was a favorite of his.
Unfortunately, there weren't any preserved vegetables at the moment, so he'd have to settle for plain braised pork.
"What about me? What should I do?" Kushina asked, watching Mugetsu and Minato work side by side. Why did they feel like brothers in the kitchen while she felt like a third wheel?
"There's no more space here. You just sit and wait to eat," Mugetsu said bluntly.
This wasn't a restaurant kitchen. With three people moving around, it'd just get chaotic. Two was perfect. Plus, there wasn't much else to do.
Left with nothing to help with, Kushina plopped onto the living room sofa. Bored, she picked up a book from the low table.
"Huh?" She blinked at the cover. It was a book about Sealing Techniques.
"'What is Sealing Technique?' Mugetsu, why are you reading something like this? Just the title sounds boring. It's not even close to…"
She stopped midsentence as she flipped the page and spotted the author's name: Uzumaki Ashina.
Coughed once. Coughed twice.
"This book's actually really good. You should read it carefully," she said quickly, adjusting her tone.
"I've already read it several times," Mugetsu replied, not looking up from the pork. "Lord Ashina really lives up to his title as Konoha's Sealing Technique progenitor. Even someone like me, who knows nothing about sealing, learned a lot."
"Of course! He's the leader of the Uzumaki Clan!" Kushina said, puffing her chest with pride.
"But you're interested in Sealing Techniques too?" she asked.
"Very interested," Mugetsu said, eyes lighting up. "It's mysterious… and powerful."
"In terms of improving one's strength, Sealing Techniques really are a great choice," Minato added with a nod.
The three of them continued chatting about Sealing Techniques while Mugetsu finished cooking.
Mugetsu mostly listened and occasionally chimed in with some beginner-level opinions. That, in turn, made Minato and Kushina feel even more accomplished as they explained things.
Kushina was the first to try the braised pork. She had never eaten it before, and the moment it touched her tongue—
Soft. Melt-in-your-mouth. Not greasy at all.
"This is amazing!" she exclaimed, grabbing a huge spoonful of rice. "Why have I never tasted something this good before!?"
"If you want to learn, I can teach you," Mugetsu said, smiling.
"It's a deal! Tomorrow night, Minato and I will buy the ingredients!" she said instantly.
Then she turned and noticed the plate of stir-fried mushrooms was already half gone.
Minato, quietly munching while the two of them talked, hadn't stopped eating at all.
"Hey! I haven't eaten yet! Minato, save some for me!" Kushina yelled and rushed to the table.
One bite of the stir-fried mushrooms and her eyes lit up again. They were unbelievably fresh.
After dinner, the three of them went out for a walk.
As they strolled through the district, conversation flowed naturally. Mugetsu shared amusing stories from teaching. Minato and Kushina responded with tales of strange and unusual experiences from their missions.
---
With only two days left until the competition, Mugetsu began Obito's final training.
"To make your Ninjutsu look more impressive, aside from Nature Transformation and Chakra volume, you can use Shape Transformation too," Mugetsu explained.
"But… only two days left. Can I really learn Shape Transformation in time?" Obito scratched his head, unconvinced.
"Of course not," Mugetsu said bluntly. Obito's talent in Ninjutsu wasn't exactly stellar.
"But you don't need to master it. I've already improved the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique for you."
Mugetsu had gone all out to help Obito take first place—and to maximize the mission rewards tied to his training.
He'd modified the Fireball Jutsu to make it appear larger than normal. In truth, it didn't have much more flame or power. It was just a visual trick.
After all, the Youth Ninjutsu Competition wasn't actual combat. Each participant only needed to perform a single technique. Whoever left the deepest impression would win.
"You're a genius, Mugetsu-sensei! You're my Six Paths Sage!" Obito declared dramatically, instantly confident that first place was his.
With a teacher like this, how could Kakashi possibly beat him?
"Didn't you say something about 'a request for a lifetime'? As your teacher, I have to take that seriously," Mugetsu said, chuckling.
"Hehe…" Obito scratched his cheek, slightly embarrassed.
"Now get to training," Mugetsu said, flicking him on the head.
"Yes!" Obito shouted and immediately threw himself into practice.
He was already itching to defeat Kakashi in front of Rin and claim that glorious first place.
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