10 AM.
The shadow clone that had previously visited the bookstore dispersed on its own, and a large amount of memories instantly returned to the main body.
Ryun groaned softly, instinctively closing his eyes as his brain quickly processed the complex memories.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Kushina noticed Ryun's unusual behavior and stepped forward to ask with concern.
"It's nothing..."
Ryun reopened his eyes. The shadow clone had reached an agreement with the bookstore owner, Yamazaki Akira. He might soon have a way to earn money.
"It's getting late. Let's call it a morning for now..."
Ryun planned to go home and cook. His mother, Asuka, wanted to eat his cooking again, and he had agreed to this small request.
"Ah... It's still early. Are you really going home already?"
Kushina was a little dissatisfied. Happy times always felt too short.
"Going home to cook..." Ryun casually gave an explanation.
"Cook? You know how to cook? Really?" Kushina sounded skeptical.
"A little. I need to buy groceries now. Later, I have to deliver lunch to my mom... So I can't be too late."
"Buying groceries, cooking, delivering lunch... You... You're not joking, are you?" Kushina still looked doubtful.
In the ninja world, men who could cook were already rare. Children who could cook were even rarer, and boys who could cook practically didn't exist... She thought Ryun might be lying.
"..."
Ryun suddenly smirked mischievously. "Want to come home with me? I'll cook for you..."
"Go home with you, cook for me..." Kushina subconsciously murmured, her face instantly turning as red as a giant tomato.
"I'll be home alone at noon!" Ryun leaned close to her ear and whispered, his tone filled with an indescribable ambiguity.
"!!!"
Kushina's already flushed face turned even redder. Her heart pounded wildly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
"Don't you want to know if I can really cook?"
"Don't you want to try my cooking?"
"After eating, we can train together. Don't you want to get stronger?"
Ryun continued to tempt her with soft whispers, his warm breath tickling her nerves.
"I... I..."
He had successfully piqued her curiosity. She really wanted to agree, but her girlish shyness and pride kept her from nodding.
"Come on..."
Ryun suddenly grabbed her fair arm and gently shook it, mimicking the exact same pleading gesture she had used the day before when acting cute!
Kushina's mouth hung open as she stared at him in shock.
After a long pause, for some reason, she found herself nodding against her will...
"Haha, then let's go. Come home with me..." Ryun said, taking her hand.
At this moment, he looked exactly like those little scoundrels who tricked little girls into coming home, coaxing and deceiving step by step until...
"W-Wait... No, Grandma Mito will worry if I don't go home for lunch..."
Kushina quickly pulled her hand free.
"That's easy. It's still early. Your grandma probably hasn't started cooking yet. Just go back and tell her, right?"
"It's just lunch together. It's no big deal. Don't we often eat lunch together at school?"
Ryun shrugged, a sly smile playing on his lips.
"..."
Kushina suddenly felt that Ryun made sense.
It was just lunch. In broad daylight, what was there to be embarrassed about? What was the problem?
"Then... Then fine... I... I'll go ask Grandma Mito..."
Kushina lowered her head, her restless fingers fiddling with the hem of her clothes.
"Mm-hmm, it's settled then. I'll go buy ingredients first."
Soon, the two split up. Kushina returned to the Senju clan's territory, while Ryun headed to the market.
"Damn, seafood is so cheap, but pork is ridiculously expensive..."
Ryun held a pig's trotter, his face twisted in pain. Two-thirds of the grocery money Asuka had given him was gone in an instant.
"Green vegetables are outrageously expensive too..." Ryun muttered, immediately giving up on buying any.
Luckily, while jogging through the wild fields in the morning, he had picked a few wild angled loofahs for free.
These things weren't popular among locals, but he liked them and knew how to cook them well.
"Huh? Why aren't there any braising spices for sale? In the original story, I saw Naruto eating braised ramen, and Kushina seems to like this flavor too..."
Ryun entered a grocery store but couldn't find the spices or seasonings he wanted. Soy sauce was available, though.
He had already bought the ingredients and couldn't change dishes now. Helpless, he had no choice but to visit a few more grocery stores.
Finally, at the third store, he found what he needed.
After securing the ingredients, he rushed home in a hurry.
Since time was tight, he directly used a shadow clone to assist with preparations.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A small fireball shot from his mouth, instantly burning off all the hair on the pig's trotter.
Soon, he finished cooking lunch. Kushina arrived at Ryun's doorstep just before noon.
"Ryun, I... I'm here..." Kushina whispered shyly, standing at the door.
Her voice was soft, but Ryun heard it from inside.
"I'm here. Come in..."
"O-Okay..." Kushina lowered her head and walked in.
As soon as she entered, she saw Ryun and a shadow clone.
"The food's ready. Go wash your hands... Then you can eat!"
"Okay..."
Ryun took out a lunchbox and packed a portion of the freshly cooked food, handing it to his shadow clone.
"Deliver this to Mom. Be quick, or it won't taste as good when it's cold!"
"Don't worry..."
The shadow clone took the lunchbox and left, leaving Kushina amazed.
"Shadow clones can be used like this? That's so convenient!"
"Of course, as long as you can handle the memory overload..."
Ryun casually explained, not caring whether Kushina understood.
"The braised meat smells amazing!"
The rich aroma of meat filled the air, and the sight of the tender, glistening slices in the dish made Kushina's eyes light up. She hadn't expected Ryun to be telling the truth—he really knew how to cook!
"And this rice... Why is every grain so shiny and translucent?"
"Try it."
Ryun handed her chopsticks.
"Okay, let's eat!"
Kushina took the chopsticks and performed a small pre-meal ritual.
"Meat can be cooked like this? And there's this glossy, sticky texture... What kind of meat is this?"
Kushina looked astonished. Seeing Ryun smiling without answering, she placed a tender slice into her mouth.
The moment the meat touched her tongue, a burst of rich flavor exploded in her mouth.
"Tender, juicy, fatty but not greasy, and most importantly, that explosive meaty aroma... This is pork, right???"
Kushina's eyes sparkled. It was her first time eating such delicious braised meat.
"To be precise, it's pork trotter..."
Ryun grinned. This was a braised pork trotter rice dish from his homeland!
"Ah? Pork trotter? Where are the hooves and bones?" Kushina widened her eyes in surprise.
"In the pot. I didn't take them out yet..."
Ryun pointed at the rice cooker nearby. It wasn't holding rice but the pig's feet.
"Ah? You braised the trotters in the rice cooker? Then this rice..."
Kushina picked up a clump of the shiny, translucent rice and put it in her mouth.
"So chewy and fragrant! It's even better than rice balls! How did you make this?"
Kushina's face was full of amazement. Why was the rice in Ryun's house so special too?
"This wasn't boiled... It was steamed!"
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