Senju Tobirama's Residence.
Renya returned home and began preparing the necessities for the battlefield.
Kunai, shuriken, soldier pills.
Looking at the full pouch of soldier pills, Renya gave a wry smile.
"Guess I'll be eating this stuff again for a while."
The taste of soldier pills was... hard to describe. But on the battlefield, there weren't many choices.
It's not like he could start a fire and cook in such harsh conditions, right?
Any time spent cooking would be better spent resting.
On the battlefield, enemy ambushes could come at any time, and getting a full night's sleep was basically impossible.
People had to take turns standing watch every night to prevent sneak attacks.
There simply wasn't time to cook meals...
In theory, there should be mess personnel on the front lines to handle food prep, so they wouldn't have to rely solely on soldier pills.
Soldier pills were mainly for replenishing energy during missions.
But during their month on the border, there hadn't been any cooks, and lighting a fire was too risky—it could reveal their position. That's why they'd been choking down soldier pills for a whole month.
Whether or not there'd be cooks this time wouldn't be clear until they reached the front lines—Renya had never been to the front before.
If there weren't any, then soldier pills it was.
He didn't have time to cook. Even if he did, where would he get ingredients?
So he hadn't even considered cooking.
Renya put on his forehead protector, dressed in his black combat outfit, fastened his green flak jacket, and secured Immaculate at his waist.
After everything was ready, he glanced at the clock on the wall. There were still over forty minutes until the rendezvous time.
"Still early. I'll eat before heading out."
Renya put Immaculate back on the table and went to the kitchen to finish dealing with the food he hadn't finished preparing earlier.
He was going to war—he needed a good meal!
There might not be another chance.
Not that he was jinxing himself or anything...
It's just that conditions at the front would be harsh—there wouldn't be fine meals like now.
While he still had the chance, he had to treat himself.
...
Renya stood at the stove, slicing pork into thin pieces and marinating them in soy sauce, cooking wine, and a little salt.
He smashed green garlic and cut it into sections, separating the white and green parts.
He poured rapeseed oil into an iron wok, and once it reached about 70% heat, he tossed in the white garlic first. The oil sizzled with a golden fragrance.
He lightly dusted the marinated pork with starch, shook off the excess, and slid it into the wok. Using chopsticks, he quickly separated the slices as they curled and turned color, releasing a rich, meaty aroma.
Then, he added the green garlic, a pinch of salt, and half a spoon of chili bean paste.
This bean paste was something he'd specially made ahead of time.
With the heat on high, he stir-fried everything quickly. The spicy sauce and garlic aroma blended instantly. The meat slices were coated in a glossy, red sauce and shimmered in the wok.
Just before turning off the heat, he added a few drops of sesame oil.
And just like that, a fragrant, flavorful stir-fry was done.
Due to time constraints, Renya had only made this one dish.
Carrying the plate of pork, he sat at the table and scooped himself a bowl of rice. He glanced at the clock on the wall.
Fifteen minutes until the meeting.
Five minutes to get there.
That left ten minutes to eat.
Without hesitation, Renya began devouring his food.
The freshly stir-fried meat was piping hot. The first bite scorched his tongue with its searing sauce.
Ignoring the heat, he wolfed it down with rice and picked up another bite.
His chopsticks flew as he shoveled meat and rice into his mouth.
In less than ten minutes, Renya was full.
Looking at the half-finished plate, he sighed.
"Probably won't be eating like this again any time soon."
On the front lines, unless he was absolutely desperate for a craving, there was no way he'd waste time cooking.
And this was just one dish—it had taken nearly half an hour.
Way too much time wasted.
There was no time for that kind of luxury in war.
Since he had no battlefield experience, Renya was assuming the worst-case scenario.
If it turned out better than expected, and he had time to cook, then so be it.
If not—then soldier pills it was.
Although Renya was a picky eater, in the face of war, compromises had to be made. Surviving came first.
Good food was second...
...
Renya stood up and looked at the leftover pork. He decided to bring it to that old guy, Tobirama.
But there wasn't enough time to deliver it himself.
A shadow clone would have to do.
Honestly, he didn't like using shadow clones, but he had no choice today.
He hadn't used them much over the years.
Because… his clones had some issues.
Renya formed the hand seals and summoned a shadow clone.
"You go take this meal to Tobirama-san."
The shadow clone grinned playfully.
"Ohoho, Tobirama-san~ You really care about that old guy, don't you?"
"Looks like you two have bonded. When are you going to start calling him 'father'? Want me to do it for you?"
Hearing the clone's sarcastic tone, Renya's face darkened.
He knew this would happen...
"Haha! Look at you, getting all flustered—"
Before it could finish, Renya dispelled it on the spot.
"Screw it. Another one of those types."
He summoned another clone.
Thankfully, this one didn't act out.
Without needing instructions, it began packing the food into a bento box.
Renya nodded in satisfaction.
Realizing he was running out of time, he grabbed Immaculate from the table and turned to leave.
As squad captain, being late was a rookie mistake he couldn't afford.
The clone watched Renya walk away and paused mid-motion, a puzzled look on its face.
"The original really seems to care about Senju Tobirama..."
In theory, shadow clones should share the same thoughts as the original.
But for some reason, Renya's clones always got weird—especially when it involved Tobirama. They became strangely rebellious.
This was exactly why he avoided using them.
...
Hokage's Office.
With a loud bang, the shadow clone kicked open the office door.
Tobirama, who was going through documents, frowned at the noise. But when he saw it was Renya, his expression softened.
"Renya, what are you doing here?"
But he quickly realized it was a shadow clone.
Then he noticed the bento box in the clone's hands, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.
Made me a meal before going off to war, huh?
What the clone said next froze that smile in place.
"Hey old geezer, your food's here. Eat slowly, don't choke and die."
The clone slammed the bento box down on the desk and vanished before Tobirama could react.
Leaving Tobirama staring at the food box, eyelids twitching uncontrollably.
——————
Konoha's Front Gate.
As the clone dispelled itself, Renya received the memory and rubbed his forehead in frustration.
"This guy is a real piece of work..."
Better to limit the use of shadow clones from now on...
As for explaining things to Tobirama—that could wait.
At that moment, Shimura Danzo and Koharu Utatane were already waiting at the gate.
Under the cover of night, the three of them quietly left the village.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo