"What? Steamed rice? Can rice be steamed?"
Kushina didn't know how to cook yet, so she looked completely clueless.
"It can, but it requires some skill." Ryun patiently explained to her.
"The rice smells so good, and the meat too. These two together make me feel like I don't need anything else..."
Kushina was very satisfied with the braised pork rice, eating until her cheeks were puffed up.
"Try this dish..."
Ryun smiled and pointed at the green vegetable on the plate.
"Okay!"
After swallowing a mouthful of rice and taking a sip of cold juice, Kushina nodded with a smile.
"This seems like some kind of melon. Melon stir-fried with shrimp?"
She picked up a slice of stir-fried melon. The thick sauce looked incredibly appetizing.
"So tender, so sweet!"
Even though it was a savory dish, Kushina found it strangely sweet.
The stir-fried sponge gourd was naturally sweet, and after absorbing the flavor of the shrimp, it became even sweeter!
"What kind of melon is this?"
Kushina picked up several more slices. She felt this was even more satisfying with rice than the braised pork.
"Hehe..."
Ryun couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" Kushina looked puzzled.
"What do you use to scrub yourself when bathing?"
"Why are you asking that?" Kushina felt a little embarrassed.
"You wanted to know what this melon is, right? Then tell me what you use to scrub yourself..."
As he spoke, Ryun scooped up a spoonful of the stir-fried melon sauce and poured it over his rice.
"What's the connection? I use loofah... Huh? You're saying this is loofah???"
Kushina's eyes nearly popped out of her head!
"Yes, to be precise, it's angled loofah..."
"You... How did you make it like this? Why is there no grassy smell at all?"
Loofah had a very strong grassy smell, and Kushina had tried it once before, regretting it immediately.
But Ryun's stir-fried loofah had no grassy smell at all. It was even sweet and delicious, perfect with rice!
"Is it because of the shrimp?" Kushina asked.
"No, the shrimp just enhances the freshness..."
"First blanch it in boiling water to remove the smell, then stir-fry it over high heat. The fire must be strong enough..." Ryun revealed the key technique.
"High heat transforms the grassy smell into sweetness."
Kushina listened in confusion but instinctively felt Ryun was amazing.
He seemed to know almost everything!
"You... are really cool!" she couldn't help but praise.
This "cool" wasn't just about his looks but everything about him.
Kushina's eyes sparkled. She felt Ryun was like a legendary treasure of a boy!
"Hmph..."
Ryun let out a slightly proud hum.
Just as the two were eating happily, Ryun suddenly turned sharply to look out the window.
There was nothing there.
'Who is it?'
Ryun could sense a faint feeling of being watched. If his instincts were correct, someone had been outside the window just now.
He didn't chase after them. If no one was there, it would be pointless. If someone was there...
An ordinary person wouldn't have such fast reflexes. If someone had been outside just now, they must have been a ninja!
Under the window, Tsunade crouched low, her extremely beautiful face filled with shock.
'He... noticed me? That must have been a coincidence!'
As an elite jonin, her hidden presence had been detected by a kid who hadn't even graduated from the academy? It was unbelievable.
Her grandmother, Mito Uzumaki, had noticed Kushina acting strangely and was worried she might get into trouble, so she asked Tsunade to follow her...
Tsunade hadn't expected Kushina to be bold enough to go to a boy's house for a meal!
She had been watching secretly from outside, enjoying the scene, when the kid suddenly turned around like that, startling her badly...
Her heart was still pounding!
After moving away from the window, Tsunade let out a sigh. She no longer felt like spying on them. As long as Kushina was fine, that was enough.
At the same time, she decided to look into this kid's background when she got back.
Kushina had already been lured to his house. If this happened a few more times... what then?
"W-Wait... I'm full... Don't give me any more rice..."
Kushina waved her hands repeatedly. She had already eaten two big bowls of rice. Eating any more wouldn't be ladylike...
Who ate so much the first time they visited someone's house? Even if the food was delicious, she couldn't eat too much...
What if she scared him?
What if he thought she was a glutton?
What if he stopped cooking for her in the future... or... thought he couldn't afford to feed her?
"Eat up... Just one more bowl. If you don't, it'll go to waste. You don't want my effort to be wasted, do you?"
"I put in the effort, so you should put in the appetite..."
As he spoke, Ryun refilled her empty bowl with rice.
The bowl was cleaner than if a dog had licked it. There was no way Ryun believed she was full...
Most people in the ninja world had big appetites, especially kids with special physiques.
"Ah... Well... Okay then... I'll have just one more bowl!"
Ryun handed her the heaping bowl of rice and refilled her large cup with sweet and sour juice.
Kushina watched this, feeling that Ryun was incredibly considerate!
A certain "embarrassing" thought even popped into her mind...
"Do you want some pork knuckle? It's really easy to eat!"
Ryun took out half a pork knuckle from the pot, gnawing on it while tempting Kushina.
Seeing Ryun ignore table manners and eat with his hands, enjoying it so much, she suddenly relaxed too.
"Then... just a little bit..."
Kushina said softly.
The next moment, Ryun placed most of the pork knuckle in front of her.
"Just pick it up and eat it. No need to be shy in my house..."
"I'm not shy..."
Kushina muttered under her breath and started gnawing on it with relish, just like Ryun.
After three big bowls of rice, two large cups of juice, and finishing all the dishes, Kushina finally patted her round belly contentedly, declaring she really couldn't eat anymore...
"Next time, I'll make more dishes for you..." Ryun said seriously.
In southern China, if guests finish all the food during a meal, it's considered impolite.
He hadn't expected Kushina to eat so much... more than he could...
There was enough rice, but the dishes seemed a bit lacking.
Actually, Kushina was very satisfied and full, but Ryun still held onto his old hospitality mindset, thinking he hadn't done enough...
"Mhm!"
Kushina didn't catch the deeper meaning, but her eyes were practically smiling into slits.
To her, being remembered by Ryun was a great happiness!
She felt very comfortable in Ryun's house. Apart from the initial nervousness, once she relaxed, she felt incredibly at ease—even more so than in the Senju clan's territory.
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