Chapter 49: Sukiyaki

Life is like a play. If this phrase had been mentioned before, Uzumaki Kushina would have, at most, thought it meant things were a bit more varied, a bit more dramatic. But now, she felt she had profoundly understood the true meaning of this saying. How could it just be that life is like a play! No play could ever be as exciting as real life! After all, who would ever know that their own future son would travel through time to come back and find them?

And find them he did, but then he also tells you that, in the future, you'll be saying bye-bye to this world. Fine, saying bye-bye is one thing; old age, sickness, and death are common to all humans. As a ninja, dying somewhat unexpectedly is also perfectly reasonable. But who could tell her why her future son would actually be forced by Konoha to defect? All these years, what exactly had she and her husband worked so hard for?

"Um, actually, it's not that exaggerated. I've been doing pretty well these past few years." Watching his mother enter a state of fury, Naruto felt like he could neither sit nor stand. He wanted to comfort her but didn't know what to say. In short, it was just very awkward.

"Doing pretty well?" Hearing this, Uzumaki Kushina grabbed his arm, feeling here, pinching there, and finally circling around him once before letting out a small sigh of relief. "As long as you haven't mistreated yourself, that's good." She patted his head. "I just happened to buy ingredients for sukiyaki. Sit tight for a bit; dinner will be ready soon."

Uzumaki Kushina retrieved her vegetable basket. Looking at the ingredients, easily enough for three people, she secretly rejoiced. Thankfully, she'd had a sudden impulse today and bought so much. Though she hadn't given birth yet, he was, after all, her son. If she didn't dote on him, who would!

Naruto obediently sat down on a chair.

"Um, Mada…"

"Hm?" Uzumaki Kushina seemed very dissatisfied with his form of address.

"Mother, aren't you concerned about the surveillance outside?" Naruto quickly corrected himself.

"Eh? You know their positions?" Uzumaki Kushina looked at him with a surprised glance.

"I've awakened the Mind's Eye of Kagura."

Uzumaki Kushina put down the ingredients in her hand and looked at him in astonishment. This time, she was truly shocked. The Mind's Eye of Kagura—even when the Uzumaki clan was at its most prosperous, not many had awakened it. Although it was only a sensory ability, its vast range and precise perception were incredibly useful, whether on the battlefield or in daily missions.

"But still, why isn't it the Adamantine Sealing Chains?" she then added, smacking her lips.

Naruto: "???" "Could it be that the Adamantine Sealing Chains are even stronger?"

"Not necessarily stronger; they just focus on different aspects." Uzumaki Kushina shook her head slightly. "The reason I said that is simply because what I awakened was the Adamantine Sealing Chains. As my son, Naruto, for you to awaken something other than the Adamantine Sealing Chains, it makes Mother very disappointed!" Uzumaki Kushina declared, holding up a cabbage leaf as if it were a matter of grave importance.

"Can't one awaken both?" Naruto asked.

"It's possible, yes, but extremely difficult." Uzumaki Kushina thought for a moment, then shook her head slightly. "I've only ever seen it in Grandma Mito."

"Little Naruto can certainly work hard at it. You're still young, after all," she said with a smile.

And so, the two of them chatted desultorily, mostly with Uzumaki Kushina asking questions and Naruto answering. Although it was mostly just everyday family matters, through this, the previously rather blank images of Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Kushina in his mind gradually became vivid and alive, no longer just names with more symbolic than actual meaning.

Gazing at the sukiyaki pot being brought to the table, Naruto looked slightly stunned. He didn't know how long it had been since he had eaten a meal like this.

Uzumaki Kushina picked up a slice of beef, perfectly thick, and placed it in his bowl. She then asked, her expression slightly tense, "Try it, see if the taste is to your liking?"

Naruto, savoring the juicy, fragrant beef that burst with flavor in his mouth, nodded slightly. "It's delicious."

"If it's delicious, then eat more. I've prepared a lot of ingredients." Seeing this, Uzumaki Kushina let out a small sigh of relief. She was well aware of her own cooking skill level. When Minato was home, he was the one who did most of the cooking; she mostly just assisted. If her own cooking were to be disliked by her future son, she would die of embarrassment.

Naruto, unaware of her true inner thoughts, silently proceeded to demolish the ingredients in the pot. To be fair, Uzumaki Kushina's cooking, while not exceptional, wasn't bad either. But it gave him a long-lost feeling of home. His adoptive father, Owl—his upbringing had focused more on pragmatism than on emotion.

"By the way, Little Naruto, do you have a girlfriend?" Uzumaki Kushina asked suddenly, out of the blue, looking at him.

"…Not yet." Naruto's chopsticks paused. This life-or-death question felt so familiar. "I'm only twelve right now."

"Twelve? You've graduated from the Ninja Academy, haven't you?" Uzumaki Kushina raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, looking at him with an expression that clearly conveyed her disappointment in her son's lack of progress. "Someone like your father, when he was in the Ninja Academy, he had already…" As she spoke, her words suddenly trailed off.

"What's wrong?" Naruto looked at her, puzzled.

"…" Feeling his gaze, Uzumaki Kushina's face flushed beet red. She wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. What could she possibly say? That his father, at his age, had already flirted with her relentlessly and swept her off her feet? That old scoundrel had no shame, but she still did!

From this, it could be seen that only fathers could shamelessly boast about their romantic histories to their children and take pride in it; mothers, in such situations, would generally just retort irritably: "Shameless!"

When faced with an unavoidably awkward scene, what should one do? The best method is to divert the conversation, to bring up another topic. Clearly, Uzumaki Kushina was well-versed in this art. She abruptly put down her bowl and chopsticks. "I'll go help you tidy up a room."

Naruto couldn't help but look at the pot, still more than half full of ingredients, his head full of question marks. Shouldn't we finish eating first?

"There's no need. I've already booked a room at an inn outside." Though puzzled, Naruto still called out to stop her.

"You're already home, why would you stay at some inn?!" Uzumaki Kushina turned back, glaring at him irritably.

"But…" Naruto almost reached out. He had already paid for three days' lodging! Thinking of this, he felt like crying but had no tears. Ever since leaving Konoha, his only source of income had been from occasional odd jobs, which was extremely unstable. The inn he had booked, though just an ordinary one, was not cheap in Konoha, especially during such a period. A refund? Sorry, this shop is a small business; absolutely no refunds!

Of course, if he had to choose, compared to a cold, empty inn, he would still much rather stay here.

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle…

The ceaselessly bubbling sukiyaki pot harmoniously blended the natural aromas of the various ingredients. Ingredients were periodically picked out, making appropriate space for new ones to be added. One person, one pair of chopsticks. It had been a very long time since he had eaten so much in one sitting.