Finally Hooked Him

"Good afternoon, Lady Miwa Masayo!"

"Good afternoon to you too, meow, Shisui."

"Good afternoon, Big Brother Yu!"

"Good, good. Have you eaten lunch yet?"

"Of course not. Hehe."

"Then come help out."

"Yes!"

"Young Master Shisui, I'll help too."

"Hey, hey, hey—hey~~! Butler Nobutada, sir! Please hold your—!"

"Shisui! Get your old butler out of here, hurry!"

"Uncle Nobutada, you're an elder from Uchiha Madara's generation. Please stop frightening me. I'm only eighteen; I can't take that kind of scare. Just sit down and rest properly."

"You idiot, Shisui, why did you bring this great deity over here?" (he whispered in exasperation, though he was actually thrilled that his scheme had worked)

"Big Brother Yu! Butler Nobutada insisted on coming. Could I possibly change his mind? I'm his great-grandson too, just like you are! You're even the eldest grandson!"

"Heh, nonsense. I'm just an ordinary clansman from a branch family, so that doesn't count. You're the eldest grandson of the direct line's fourth generation!"

"Even so, I can't persuade old Butler Nobutada. Even my father couldn't when he was still alive, so why would I be able to?"

"..."

"Are this old man's teeth all right?"

"Big Brother Yu, he's already eighty-two..."

"All right. We happen to have some bananas at home. I'll prepare a soft lunch as well."

"What dish?"

"Tofu."

"Huh? What's so good about that watery stuff?"

"Not soft tofu. It'll be processed into firm tofu."

Uchiha Yu found the soft tofu he had prepared for scallion tofu salad—silken tofu—and wrapped it layer upon layer in gauze. He placed it in a draining box, covered it with a cutting board, then weighed it down with his training weights.

Under the heavy pressure, water streamed out of the tofu, gradually turning it into firm tofu.

Strictly speaking, this was medium-firm tofu. Real firm tofu had to be made with brine from the very beginning. But as the old saying went, life had three hardships: mining coal, forging iron, and grinding tofu. Making tofu was especially time-consuming and troublesome. Where was there time to start from scratch now? This would have to do.

Even casually pressing it like this made it tastier than tofu as soft as soy milk.

Taking advantage of the last bit of time, Uchiha Yu prepared a tiny little bit of seasoning. After all, to suit Miwa Masayo's tastes, the roasted lamb had been seasoned with very little salt, making it practically plain meat.

There was one more person at lunch today: the oldest elder in the entire Uchiha clan. Even Uchiha Madara, lingering on his last breath in some underground cave, was younger than this man.

With an elder present, even the dining style changed.

Previously, when they ate lunch, the two people and one cat would casually gather around the square table. There were no rules whatsoever as they stuffed themselves without restraint.

Even well-behaved little Shisui had no choice but to abandon his manners and fight for food. Otherwise, Uchiha Yu would swallow everything, and Shisui might not get enough to eat, affecting his afternoon training.

After Shisui had become a big eater too, the atmosphere at Uchiha Yu's table became even more excessive. There was not the slightest trace of etiquette left.

But before Uchiha Nobutada, the young Uchiha did not dare act so recklessly.

A long table was set out. Uncle Nobutada naturally took the seat of honor at the north end, with the Cat Sage Miwa Masayo opposite him. As the elder brother, Uchiha Yu sat to the old man's right, while Shisui sat on his left.

Smiling, Uchiha Yu sliced off the tenderest meat between the deer's ribs and respectfully handed it to the old man. Then he served the steaming firm tofu, drizzled with bright red chili sauce and fragrant chive blossom sauce. Its aroma even briefly overwhelmed that of the venison.

Uchiha Nobutada could not resist taking a bite. His remaining six teeth were all severely loose, but they had no trouble handling tofu. At last, he tasted a delicious flavor he had long forgotten.

Most importantly, the old man finally felt the fullness of solid food entering his stomach. It was completely different from the vegetable porridge and meat porridge he had eaten for more than a decade. It was the happiness conveyed by life's instincts.

His remaining years, once gray and spent waiting for death, suddenly became bright and colorful. Life was filled with new hope.

The eighty-something old man was not good with words, so he expressed his feelings in the simplest way possible:

"Delicious!"

"Please eat more."

The old man even tried a little of the meat between the ribs. Even with the tenderest meat, he could only grind it apart with great difficulty, ultimately tasting just a faint hint of its flavor.

"This firm tofu is still the most delicious."

The two young Uchiha said nothing. They knew it was not that tofu tasted best, but that when there was no other option, tofu became the best thing to eat.

Yet Uchiha Nobutada was deeply satisfied. As he ate with relish, he did not forget to urge his two great-grandsons and the Cat Sage to start eating as well. He could not let them simply watch him eat alone.

Next came the performance of the three bottomless pits.

Though the outer crust of the venison had been charred black by the fire, the inside had soaked up the deer's rich fat. One bite was savory and crisp, so delicious it was almost absurd.

Once the crust was eaten away, the venison beneath was revealed. Golden and glistening with oil, it was crisp, fragrant, and infused with the essence of every spice. Its aroma was unbeatable.

Cutting away the outer layer exposed the pink venison within. This meat had been protected perfectly, essentially braised by the juices of the outer meat. Tender and soft, it could be sucked from the bone with the lightest pull.

A slight chew released a burst of fresh fragrance. The delicious venison carried a herbal scent that had now been fully awakened. It was not greasy in the least, so perfectly suited to the palate that it was intoxicating.

The two people and one cat ate with increasing delight, gradually losing their restraint and no longer minding the old butler's presence.

Shisui stuffed his mouth full, taking a bite of meat followed by a bite of refreshing greens. He ate with immense satisfaction, no longer wearing that heartbreaking maturity of a little adult.

Miwa Masayo let out contented rumbles from her throat. She took one chunk of meat after another, crunching the bones with loud cracks and unable to stop herself from narrowing her eyes when she swallowed.

But the one who shocked Uchiha Nobutada most was Uchiha Yu.

With his elegant right hand, he held a knife and cut along the gaps in the deer's bones. The small blade moved with incredible fluidity, making no sound as it cut through hard material. Piece after piece of plump meat was sliced off to satisfy Miwa Masayo's appetite.

And Uchiha Yu did not neglect his own eating either. With his left hand, he pinched a deer bone and sent both meat and bone into his mouth. His gleaming white teeth closed lightly, biting through both the venison and the bone inside. He shut his mouth and chewed twice; the meat went into his stomach, and the bones... went in as well.

In less than ten seconds, Shisui was still chewing without having swallowed even a single piece of meat, while Miwa Masayo had only just swallowed one piece. Uchiha Yu, meanwhile, had already devoured an entire rib in two or three bites.

Calmly, he cut off another rib, divided the choicest tender meat on it between Shisui and Miwa Masayo, then crunched through the rib as though he were eating a puffed corn snack.

Uchiha Yu's teeth were now more effective than a bone-cleaving knife. His stomach also urgently needed hard dishes like bones to satisfy the physical strengthening required by the Foundation Establishment stage.

The old Uchiha was stunned.

Compared to that child's teeth, thinking of his own teeth was truly depressing.

What a pity. When he had been young, it was the Warring States Era. There had been no Uchiha elders over forty-five, and Clan Head Uchiha Tajima had died in battle at forty-two, already considered remarkably long-lived.

In that kind of environment, he had never considered the possibility of living past thirty-five. How could he have cared about his teeth?

If he had known in his youth that he would live to eighty, Nobutada would certainly have protected his teeth. Then he could enjoy meat to his heart's content now, and perhaps even live another twenty years.

He did regret it a little.

After all, meat still smelled the best.