Bonus for 300 Power stones
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Ryo got to work, while Kushina, her hands on her cheeks, stared at him. She found it strangely addictive.
She liked watching Ryo focus.
Even though he was always gruff, his movements were sharp and violent, like he was cutting enemies instead of ingredients. Yet the food that landed on the table was always terrifyingly generous in portion, and so delicious it made one want to swallow their tongue.
She could feel that, beneath Ryo's hard shell, he wasn't rejecting her presence anymore. That warmed her heart.
Thus, a bizarre yet highly efficient "iron triangle" formed:
Tsunade – Responsible for fighting. Under the excuse of "training," her main goal was to burn through Ryo's stamina.
Kushina – Responsible for buying. With the Uzumaki clan's little rich girl "money power," she bought top-quality ingredients that Tsunade ordered (and that she herself wanted to eat). She often slipped in spices, wild honey, and other novelties.
Ryo – Responsible for cooking.
His cooking moved as smooth as flowing water. A giant bone stick rotated, dripping oil on the grill. A whole chicken, coated in batter, was shoved into a mud oven. Deer chops sizzled on the stone slab. A pot of milky-white soup boiled heavily beside it.
The richness of the stew, the char of the grill, the subtle fragrance of the pan-fried, the sealed mystery inside the oven, even the smoky aroma from the curing rack in the corner… together, they filled the entire broken-down courtyard with an intoxicating scent.
With high-quality ingredients and Kushina's "experiments" added in, Ryo's cooking skills were thoroughly activated.
The once-empty baskets filled up with grilled skewers, dried jerky, and smoked wild game of different flavors.
The curing rack dripped with half-finished products, fragrant with pine and fruit wood.
He even started trying new tricks, using Kushina's wild honey with coarse salt to make honey-glazed jerky, or pounding spicy wild fruits into sauces to brush over skewers. Mushrooms and wild greens were tested in stews.
Occasionally, when Kushina cried from a new spicy sauce, gulping water yet still taking another bite, a flicker of amusement crossed his eyes before vanishing. Even he didn't notice it.
Day by day, the courtyard clattered with pots and pans, full of bustle and noise.
But the busier this courtyard grew, the more neglected the Senju mansion felt.
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Inside the old Senju residence, the golden glow of the setting sun fell on the long dining table, lined with several warm, untouched dishes.
Uzumaki Mito gazed at the empty seats. Only Nawaki was there, shoveling rice silently, eating fast like it would save him from small talk with his grandmother.
Mito sighed gracefully, her voice light, tinged with just the right amount of melancholy.
"Nawaki…"
Nawaki choked, looked up nervously, and swallowed his rice.
"G-Grandma?"
"These days," Mito's eyes drifted over the two empty spots that belonged to Tsunade and Kushina, her tone soft and slow, "don't you think… it's a little too quiet?"
Nawaki stiffened. He glanced at the seats, then nodded blankly. "Y-yeah. Sister and Kushina haven't been coming back to eat." He thought his grandmother was simply stating a fact.
"Yes." Mito's voice softened further, like a drifting feather. "Before, your sister was always out. Now she has a new place. And that child, Kushina… it is a good thing to have a close friend. But…" She paused, her eyes fixed gently on Nawaki's face, "this large mansion, at dinner, leaves only an old woman and a boy silently facing each other. My heart feels empty and unsettled. The quiet is almost unnerving."
Nawaki's scalp tingled.
Mito spoke with such genuine emotion. But what could he do? A half-grown boy talking history with his legendary grandmother to ease her loneliness?
He grinned sheepishly, buried his head, and focused on shoveling rice, as if hiding inside the bowl.
Mito sipped her tea with perfect composure.
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A few evenings later, Ryo's courtyard was at its busiest.
Tsunade licked the last of the honey glaze off a rib, wiped her oily hands on her clothes, and leaned back in satisfaction.
Ryo crouched nearby, tossing greasy skewers stripped of meat into a water bucket.
Kushina hummed off-key while sweeping up banana leaves into a basket.
The heavy aroma of meat, charcoal, and spice lingered stubbornly.
Then, a figure appeared at the gate, framed by the twilight.
Uzumaki Mito, dressed in a simple kimono, stood silently, her eternal gentle smile fixed on the lively courtyard.
Kushina froze. "Grandma Mito? Why are you here?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, a flicker of guilt flashing through her eyes.
Ryo stopped scrubbing and let the water drip from his hands. His muscles tensed instinctively, remembering the pressure he once felt at the Senju residence gate.
He never underestimated this widow of the God of Shinobi, this legend of Uzumaki.
"Grandma," Tsunade muttered, guilty as if caught sneaking out.
Mito ignored her. Her eyes fell on the oil-stained corner of Kushina's clothes.
"Kushina," her voice carried a soft sigh, "these days, at Grandma's house, it's just Nawaki eating with me. So quiet."
The loneliness in her tone made Kushina's chest tighten.
"Ah, too quiet." Then her gaze moved, falling on the red-haired boy in the corner. His face was cold, expression locked, water dripping from his hands. Her eyes softened, but the authority in her voice allowed no refusal.
"So, Kushina," Mito said gently, "next time, bring your friend Ryo-kun. Come home for dinner together, won't you?"
Ryo's eyes narrowed. "Huh?"
Kushina's eyes lit up in surprise.
Bring Ryo to Grandma's house? For dinner?
That was a huge step.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
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