After wrapping up the disciple's training on Sunday afternoon, Mokgetsu went to the main city area, opting not to return home but instead headed straight to Minato's place.
Last night during dinner at Mokgetsu's, Kushina and Minato mentioned to Mokgetsu that they had almost perfected their practice of making braised pork, and were preparing to officially start making it the next afternoon. Mokgetsu was welcome to drop by and take a look.
When Mokgetsu arrived, the two had just finished boiling the pork belly and were about to use soy sauce to color it.
As Mokgetsu prepared to step in and help, Kushina stopped him.
"Mokgetsu, just observe. If any steps are incorrect, feel free to point them out, no need to help," Kushina said.
Tenten was a frequent guest at Mokgetsu's for dinner, so Kushina felt it was impolite to let Mokgetsu assist them.
Minato handed a fruit platter to Mokgetsu and poured him a glass of water, smiling warmly:
"Mokgetsu, you don't need to help today; be our exam proctor this time."
Both Minato and Kushina shared the thought that this time they should do it themselves.
"Then I'll take it easy," Mokgetsu replied with a smile.
"You can use small skewers to pierce some holes in the pork skin before pouring the soy sauce, which allows the flavor to penetrate better into the pork. Also, it makes the meat more tender and airy during frying," Mokgetsu advised.
It was only then that Kushina and Minato realized they had overlooked such a small detail.
Following Mokgetsu's advice, Kushina and Minato methodically completed each step: frying, slicing, preparing the sauce, and steaming...
By the time the two were done, the sky had turned dark.
"While the braised pork is delicious, it's really a hassle to make. Mokgetsu, you must be hungry by now," Kushina said.
Compared to the usual home-cooked dishes she made, braised pork was much more troublesome, despite being just one dish that required boiling, frying, and steaming.
"Not too bad, since I was only watching from the side," Mokgetsu replied.
As they talked, Minato brought over the completed dish of braised pork.
"Now it's time for Teacher Mokgetsu to give us a score," Minato joked.
"You've worked hard for so long, why not taste the fruits of your labor first?" Mokgetsu chose not to rush his tasting but instead waited for Minato and Kushina to eat first.
"Let's all eat together," suggested a very hungry Kushina who decided to skip unnecessary formalities.
The three of them quickly filled their bowls with rice, said 'Let's eat,' and dug in.
"Yes, that's the 'rich but not greasy' taste!" Gushing with excitement and a full sense of accomplishment, Kushina placed a piece of meat in her mouth, followed by a bite of rice.
She felt her time wasn't wasted, successfully mastering a delicious dish.
Although Kushina felt that Mokgetsu's version was still tastier, she thought no one could cook better than Mokgetsu in this world, so being slightly inferior to the world's best was normal, wasn't it?
"When Jiraiya gets back, I must make this for him to try," Minato said while eating.
Being highly satisfied with the braised pork, Minato was looking forward to sharing it with Jiraiya.
"Yes, the execution is high-quality without major flaws," Mokgetsu offered praises after tasting his share.
Not entirely driven by a desire to win favor, the dish was truly a simple home-cooked recipe, with Mokgetsu's guidance beside them, and the final product was undoubtedly good.
However, a slightly awkward scene quickly followed as the braised pork was finished, leaving the three of them staring at each other with wide eyes.
"Oops, forgot to make other dishes," Minato realized as he glanced at the now-empty plate.
"I got too engrossed and completely forgot," Kushina admitted, her face flushing with an apologetic smile.
"I'll fry a couple more dishes," Mokgetsu stood up and proposed.
"This isn't quite right; you're a guest. How can we expect the guest to cook?" Kushina felt a bit tempted but thought it wasn't proper.
"Should I cook at home and bring it over?" Mokgetsu joked.
"Let me wash the vegetables," Minato offered quietly, standing up.
Thinking about the flavor of Mokgetsu's dishes, Kushina couldn't resist nodding in agreement.
"Mokgetsu, aren't you interested in fuinjutsu? Have you been learning any recently? I can teach you some fuinjutsu techniques," Kushina asked, unable to help herself while sitting idly at the table.
Having gotten a free meal at home, Kushina felt it was necessary to return Mokgetsu's favor.
"Currently, I'm just reading various theoretical books. Do you have any fuinjutsu recommendations? Preferably ones available in the library?" Mokgetsu pondered aloud.
"If you haven't started learning yet, how about I teach you a beginner's seal from the Uzumaki Clan? We can even test your sealing talent.
If you can learn it within a day, then you're a fuinjutsu genius; a week shows talent. If it takes over a month, you're better off not spending time on it," Kushina suggested.
"How long did it take you, Kushina?" Mokgetsu asked as he heated the oil in the pan.
"One day," Kushina replied confidently, having anticipated Mokgetsu's question.
"Then you must be a fuinjutsu prodigy," Mokgetsu praised.
"Average, just that I've learned most of the Uzumaki Clan's seals," Kushina said humbly, but the smile at the corner of her mouth couldn't be contained.
After dinner, Kushina handed Mokgetsu a scroll then went to wash dishes while Minato elaborated on it for Mokgetsu.
Mokgetsu listened more seriously than ever before.
"This seal is called the One-Finger Swift Seal. It rapidly creates a seal that locks Chakra, but the binding strength is weak and easily broken, with little practical use — mostly used for beginner cultivation," Minato explained.
It was hard to discern whether Minato's high skill level in fuinjutsu made him a great teacher or if Mokgetsu had an innate talent, but the One-Finger Seal seemed rather straightforward to him?
Mokgetsu didn't outwardly show much, merely asking questions from time to time.
...
On Monday, Hagane Kotetsu went early to the Ninja Academy, noticing Kamizuki Izumo wasn't there yet. He nodded with satisfaction, placing a novel on the desk and starting to read.
When he felt Kamizuki Izumo was about to arrive, Hagane Kotetsu put away the textbook, leaving only the novel on display.
"Kotetsu didn't you say there's no need to review? Why come early to read?" Kamizuki Izumo asked, surprised, having studied until 1 a.m. the previous night.
Hagane Kotetsu waggled the novel in his hand and began, "This isn't revision; it's a new ninja novel that's just out. It's quite good."
Seeing the cover art and title, Kamizuki Izumo relaxed, laughing:
"Reading novels to relax is definitely a good choice."
"Turns out Kotetsu enjoys novels. Tomorrow I'll buy a best-seller and gift it to him, so he can enjoy reading for two weeks," Kamizuki Izumo pondered inwardly.
He felt more secure being in first place.
"Izumo, why do you look so lackluster today? You didn't stay up late studying, did you? That's bad for both your health and exams," Hagane Kotetsu asked with concern.
"No, yesterday I played games with my cousins and lost track of time, ended up sleeping late," Kamizuki Izumo explained nonchalantly.
"Playing games to unwind, that's nice," Hagane Kotetsu grinned, feeling even more secure in his spot at the top.
Being fond of games was great. He decided to gather info about various games after school to ensure Kamizuki Izumo would indulge in gaming for two weeks straight.
"What novel, what game?" Anko, entering the classroom, showed interest.