Uchiha Yoru began his standing practice at eight in the morning, and it came to a natural end at eleven-thirty.
When he opened his eyes, the exhaustion in his body had completely vanished. His spirit felt unusually vigorous, his whole body brimming with energy in a way that was almost intoxicating.
Overall, it felt like he had just enjoyed a perfect night's sleep.
After a brief check, he discovered something even better—
The natural energy consumed in repairing hidden damage had not only fully recovered, but had clearly increased.
And the changes weren't limited to quantity alone.
His fire-aspected natural energy had grown far more docile. The burning sensation it produced inside his body had become noticeably weaker, and his control over it had improved greatly.
As for the earth-aspected natural energy, it no longer felt dull and lifeless. There was now a trace of responsiveness to it, and its flow had become much smoother.
Good.
Not a little good—
Very good.
"Done, meow?"
"Hm? Ah, yeah. Done."
"I'm hungry, meow."
"Alright, I'll make something."
"Hurry, meow."
Other than missing breakfast, everything was excellent.
Since breakfast was skipped, lunch needed to be a little more substantial.
As usual, Yoru started by making rice. Once the lid was on and the pot was left to simmer over low heat, he brought out the peeled shrimp and diced chicken breast he had prepared beforehand.
Those two kinds of meat were tender, so they only needed to be blanched quickly in hot water to preserve their springy texture.
Then he cut beef into small cubes. That meat had rougher fibers, so it had to be steamed over high heat for fifteen minutes until tender enough.
Once the rice was cooked, he scooped it into bowls, drizzled in a little soy sauce, added the three kinds of meat, then cracked a raw egg on top and mixed everything vigorously with chopsticks.
As he stirred, the heat from the rice slowly cooked the egg. The egg acted as a bridge, blending the flavors of rice, shrimp, chicken, and beef together.
He kept stirring hard until a distinct sweet-savory aroma emerged.
Only then was the three-delicacy meat-and-egg rice complete.
The very first bite conquered Miwa Masayo completely.
She closed her eyes as she swallowed, savoring the taste for a long while before reluctantly opening them again.
"It'd probably be even better with a little more sugar."
Yoru immediately gave her a thumbs-up, then carefully sprinkled in a bit of powdered sugar he had already prepared.
That made it perfect.
Miwa Masayo buried her face in the bowl and began wolfing it down, too busy eating to say another word.
In truth, it was still just a little short of ideal sweetness.
But the tabby didn't say so, and Yoru didn't add more.
Sugar was simply too expensive.
In this shinobi world, there had been no refinement breakthrough like in his previous life. Powdered sugar could only be extracted from honey, which made it painfully expensive.
That tiny pinch he had just sprinkled in was worth almost half the price of the entire meal.
And now that wartime had begun, sugar had become an important strategic material.
Buying it was strictly rationed.
Even if Yoru had the money, he wouldn't have been able to buy much more.
Miwa Masayo looked mischievous, but she was actually very gentle at heart. She would never make a request that truly put Yoru in a difficult position.
The three-delicacy meat-and-egg rice was naturally sweet in flavor. Even with only a little sugar added, the combination of shrimp, chicken, and egg gave off a rich sweetness all its own.
For a ninja cat, that kind of taste was already wonderful.
Humans, however, didn't have a cat's sensitivity to umami.
So Yoru brought out a secret weapon—
Fermented bean curd.
In an instant, the sweet meat-and-egg rice became an exquisite mixed rice dish for a human palate.
That was, of course, assuming one could tolerate the smell of fermented bean curd.
Miwa Masayo absolutely hated it.
Even though none had been added to her own bowl, the smell alone made her sneeze several times in disgust.
Suddenly, the tabby's ears folded back.
Her eating slowed immediately.
Yoru also set down his chopsticks at the same moment and frowned.
"Why would ANBU show up in broad daylight?"
"There's no cry from a messenger hawk, so it shouldn't be anything war-related."
Then he paused.
"Oh. Right. It's already been a few days since I completed that B-rank promotion mission. The approval should be coming through by now."
"Meow… the Third Hokage's actually that efficient?"
A few seconds later, the ANBU agent—without making any effort to conceal himself—rapped on the window and spoke through a voice altered by his mask.
"Uchiha Yoru. By order of the Hokage, report to the Hokage's office at one-thirty this afternoon."
After speaking, the ANBU tossed a passage slip through the window.
Yoru didn't pick it up right away.
First, he confirmed that the ANBU had indeed left his house and moved on to the neighboring one. Then he carefully checked the slip itself, making sure it carried no poison, no venomous insects, and no sealing technique.
Only after confirming it was safe did he pick it up and read it properly.
After seeing the contents, he nodded.
"As expected. It's the notice for my chunin promotion."
He clicked his tongue.
"The Third Hokage really knows how to make things troublesome. It's just a chunin promotion, and he still wants me in his office so he can sign it in person."
"The moment I think about having to sit through one of his long speeches, I feel sick."
"Don't say that, meow. I think the Will of Fire makes a lot of sense."
"Oh, give me a break. I had to study that every single day at the Academy. It was only a few dozen words, but they managed to stretch it into four full years."
"Four years?"
Yoru's eyes suddenly sharpened.
He lowered his voice.
"The real problem is that the person preaching it is wrong."
"If it were the First Hokage talking about the Will of Fire, I'd show him the greatest respect. He was a man of genuine conviction."
"If it were the Second Hokage speaking of it—even if I don't like him—I'd still have nothing to say. He died protecting his subordinates. He lived by his own words."
"But when the Third Hokage talks about the Will of Fire, all I feel is disgust."
"In the last war, he never went to the front lines."
"When the White Fang died for no clear reason, there was no explanation."
"And children not even ten years old were still being sent onto the battlefield."
"What the Third Hokage really thinks, I don't know. But the things he says and the things he does are completely at odds."
"That's why I dislike him."
"I get it now, meow. I never heard you say any of that before."
"After graduation, I didn't see the Third Hokage even once for six straight years. Why would I ever think about talking about him?"
Yoru sighed as he rapidly finished his lunch.
"Even if I don't want to see the Third Hokage, I still have to go for the sake of making a living. That's what it means not to be free…"
He put his dishes into the kitchen basin, changed into a clean set of clothes that no longer carried the smell of cooking smoke, then opened the door and went out.
Miwa Masayo empathized so deeply with her human's reluctance that even she slowed down while eating.
Only after Yoru had already stepped out did she suddenly react.
"Wait, meow!"
"The pots and dishes are yours to wash, Rika-chan!" His voice drifted away at high speed.
"I'm not Rika-chan!"
"No, wait, meow—I don't have hands!"
"That's not the point! Washing dishes is your job!"
"You bastard, meow!"
Unable to call her summoner back, Miwa Masayo looked at her own food bowl, then at the mountain of pots and dishes piled in the basin, and finally at her own spread little paw pads.
Suddenly, the tabby let out a sinister chuckle.
Then, in an unexpectedly good mood, she returned to enjoying her meal.
Washing pots and dishes, huh.
Fine.
I, Miwa Masayo of the Cat Castle, will do it.
But…
"If something goes wrong, it's because you made me do it, meow."
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