Uchiha In, who had just left Konoha, was curious; after all, he had been in Konoha for so many years and had never left.
Movement within Konoha was restricted; every time one entered or exited the village, they had to register, as strict as going abroad in his previous life.
For their first mission, Uchiha In and Kushina were both very relaxed, almost as if they were on a picnic.
Just like that, a morning passed, and the caravan found a resting place and stopped.
Everyone began to take out the dry rations they carried with them and started eating.
"These dry rations are really hard to eat," Uchiha In couldn't help but say after tasting a bite of the military ration pill he brought.
Military ration pills were like super-compressed biscuits from his previous life—they had no taste and were very dry, only serving to roughly fill one's stomach.
"There's no other way," Tsunade said. "Ninja on the road, unless they reach a small town, always eat military ration pills. Just bear with it, and it'll pass."
"Can I go hunt wild game? This forest should have plenty," Uchiha In said, biting into a military ration pill again, feeling a bit impatient.
"Alright, no problem," Tsunade said, looking at Uchiha In. "I also feel that military ration pills aren't very tasty. Go hunt some wild game, and bring some back for us too."
"Just make sure to return within the allotted time."
"Even if the caravan leaves, you can catch up by following the route we agreed upon."
"Just don't delay the caravan's travel, and return as soon as possible."
Compared to the speed of Ninja, the caravan's journey was truly too slow.
Uchiha In was confident he could catch up to the caravan's speed.
Seeing Uchiha In stand up, Kushina also stood up, "In, I'll go with you. The military ration pills are really too hard to eat. Let's go catch some wild game to eat."
Mikoto also stood up, discarded the military ration pill in her hand, and followed along.
Tsunade was a bit speechless, watching the three of them just walk away.
Her original intention was for Uchiha In to go alone, but she didn't expect Mikoto and Kushina to follow him.
"They really are treating this mission like a picnic," Tsunade said, shaking her head, feeling speechless.
Actually, if she hadn't known she was still on a mission, she would have wanted to go along herself.
The vast forest had many small animals.
Before long, Uchiha In and his companions caught two wild chickens.
"Today's lunch is going to be a feast!" Uchiha In said with a smile.
The three of them, each holding a tied-up small animal, walked towards the caravan's direction.
Upon arriving at the caravan's resting place, it was Mikoto's time to shine.
Mikoto cleanly killed the wild chickens, removed their internal organs, and split open their bellies. She simply had Tsunade help rinse them with Water Release, then propped them open with wooden sticks into a shape resembling a glider, and finally threaded a slightly longer wooden stick through them.
Two wild chickens on one stick, Mikoto re-set up the roasting stand, a very simple one with two crossed sticks on each side.
Next, she placed firewood on the roasting rack, used a bit of Fire Release, blew lightly, and a large flame suddenly rose.
She flipped the roasting chickens up and down in her hands, and strangely enough, the roasted areas of the chickens were exactly the same, even though they seemingly started roasting at different times. How was this possible?
The reason was simple: Mikoto had incredibly arranged the two wild chickens like a large pinwheel, all strung together, one above and one below, and they could be flipped at any time.
Mikoto even took out seasonings from her Ninja tool pouch and drizzled them from the very top of the pyramid.
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle…"
When the roasted chickens met the seasoning, they began to sizzle, then the flavor permeated every layer of chicken meat, releasing an intensely rich, explosive aroma.
Tsunade, Kushina, and Uchiha In couldn't help but sniff, feeling their pores open up and a sense of great comfort.
Chapter 84: Too Bullying
Uchiha Mikoto flipped the roasting chicken with one hand and continued drizzling seasoning with the other. The originally emerald green seasoning, after being absorbed into the roasted chicken, didn't stain its color; instead, it drew out the oil from the inner layers of the chicken.
Mikoto continuously turned them, and the roasted chickens basically took shape. With her constant turning, the two wild chickens incredibly turned golden yellow, shining dazzlingly under the sun.
The rich aroma of the golden roasted chicken continued to spread, wafting for miles.
"Mikoto-nee, your roasted chicken is so skilled!" Kushina was also stunned, exclaiming.
"Yes, every time I go on a mission with Tsunade-nee, when we come back, we always go eat some wild game. Over time, I now even carry seasoning packets when I go out."
Mikoto saw that Uchiha In and the others were all captivated by the food she made, and a proud smile appeared on her face.
Tsunade was not a Ninja who strictly adhered to rules either; after every mission, she would reward herself with two days of relaxation before returning to Konoha. Over time, Mikoto's grilling skills had reached this level.
Of course, during missions, Tsunade and Mikoto both treated them very seriously. It was just that this B-rank mission was relatively simple, which was why Tsunade indulged Uchiha In and his companions in making wild game.
The people from the surrounding caravan also smelled the aroma of the golden roasted chicken, their eyes staring blankly in their direction.
Their eyes burned with desire as they continuously swallowed their saliva, tears almost flowing down. Despite this, they dared not approach, only standing far away and watching.
As merchants, they must have eaten delicacies before, but during this period of caravan transport, they could only eat dry rations to fill their stomachs every day.
In the past, the Ninja who escorted them also ate only dry rations to appease their hunger, just like them. There was no way they would be roasting wild chickens to eat like Uchiha In and his companions were now.
Seeing Uchiha In and his companions feasting, and then looking at the dry rations in their own hands, they felt even more that their dry rations were difficult to swallow.
The following days were even more so. Uchiha In would catch small animals outside every day, and then have Uchiha Mikoto roast them to eat.
Meanwhile, the caravan members could only watch Uchiha In and his companions enjoy these delicacies in pain and despair, then cry as they gnawed on their own dry rations.
Oh, heavens!
Why?!
Why do these Ninja get to eat wild game every day, while we can only eat dry rations?!
Life's not worth living!
These Ninja are too much of a bully!
I don't want this group of people escorting us anymore in the future!
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, these fish today are also very good."
"Is that enough to eat? The portion of fish is a bit small. Should we go catch two more?"
"Not enough, not enough, I still want to eat."