Eating Out

Foundation Establishment, as the name implied, was about building a foundation. A strong, perfect body was the foundation of cultivation.

Judging from the changes in his body today, Foundation Establishment was not a hurdle that could be considered complete once crossed. It should have been a long process of accumulation. Today was merely the beginning of Foundation Establishment, so the stage he had entered should be called the Foundation Establishment Stage.

[After Foundation Establishment comes the Golden Core Stage? The Nascent Soul Stage? Deity Transformation, Void Refinement, Body Integration, Great Completion?]

[Haha, who knew?]

[In any case, I finally have the means to face the future head-on.]

His successful Foundation Establishment proved that Uchiha Yu's wild experimentation with cultivation had worked. What he had grasped three months ago had not been a straw, but a great tree.

The future was no longer despairing. He had enough time to grow strong enough to violently eliminate any enemy who dared threaten his life.

Uchiha Yu sat up excitedly, picked up Miwa Masayo, who had been squeezed against his chest, and held her before his face.

He happily shared the news. "Rika-chan, I succeeded in cultivation."

"Meow, my name is Miwa Masayo! You are not allowed to call me Rika-chan!"

"Cultivation? What the hell kind of cultivation? Can you be like the Great Toad Sage?"

"Even that old granny can't do it, so what makes you think you can?"

The furious Tabby Cat suddenly fell silent. She stared blankly at her poop-scooper and said hesitantly, "Yu, am I seeing things? Why have your eyes become Three-Tomoe...?"

Three-Tomoe?

No, they were still Two-Tomoe this morning. I didn't run into anything upsetting today, did I?

Uchiha Yu looked at the Tabby Cat in confusion. Through the reflection in her pupils, he confirmed that his Sharingan had somehow activated, and the pattern spinning in his eyes was indeed Three-Tomoe.

[Is this one of the benefits of Foundation Establishment?]

[That's right. Foundation Establishment perfects and strengthens the body. For the Uchiha clan, perfecting the body means returning to one's ancestral roots. Of course it would manifest directly in the eyes. Awakening Three-Tomoe makes perfect sense.]

[Perhaps when Foundation Establishment is complete, my Mangekyō Sharingan will awaken.]

Feeling delighted, Uchiha Yu picked up the Tabby Cat and, ignoring her protests, planted a hard kiss on her, then another.

Cute little cats even tasted sweet...

Huh?

He suddenly felt something sticky on his hands, while Miwa Masayo in his arms gave off the sweet, refreshing scent of watermelon.

"Masayo, did you eat watermelon and not bathe afterward?"

"...I licked my fur properly..."

The Tabby Cat's voice was weak, and her eyes darted about as she did not dare meet her poop-scooper's gaze.

Uchiha Yu suddenly reached out and touched the Tabby Cat's back. Sure enough, it was sticky. Thinking of her position and posture earlier, he quickly checked his jacket.

Sure enough, it was covered in watermelon juice she had rubbed onto it. It had already dried into a sticky mess, utterly disgusting.

"I'm taking you for a bath."

"No, meow."

"I can't let you go back to Cat Castle all filthy. Otherwise, Cat Granny will dislike both of us, and she'll raise my prices."

"I know. I can bathe myself. Don't meddle, meow."

"Hehehe... I don't believe you..."

"What are you doing, meow?!" (fur standing on end)

"Meow, meow, meow—"

Uchiha Yu still gave Miwa Masayo a bath. His wallet was at stake, so he could not let her do whatever she pleased.

Miwa Masayo hated baths.

That was because Miwa Masayo was actually very skinny. Her fluffy appearance was entirely propped up by her long fur, and once she got wet, her true form was revealed.

She was thin, except for the round little belly brought on by good eating, and it did not look nice.

Miwa Masayo deeply disliked how she looked with wet fur, which was why she did not like bathing—especially when Uchiha Yu gave her a bath.

But no matter how much she hated it, she could not resist Uchiha Yu.

And she could not exactly beat up her poop-scooper over something like bathing. Miwa Masayo could only suffer in silence, desperately crying, "Lao Wu, Lao Wu."

Having suffered such unparalleled humiliation, the Tabby Cat converted her fury into appetite. At dinner, she wolfed down three huge bowls of Uchiha Yu's noodles before staggering through the end of the summoning and returning to Cat Castle.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Yu had only managed to snatch one bowl of noodles and was nowhere near full.

Feeling the hunger in his stomach burning like fire, he went to the kitchen in search of food.

But when he saw the spotless kitchen, Uchiha Yu hesitated...

[Picking vegetables, washing them, lighting the stove, cooking rice, stir-frying dishes... when would I finally get food into my mouth?]

[And then I'd have to clean the kitchen all over again...]

A sudden Precognition struck, and Uchiha Yu thought of the village's delicacies: fried meatballs, glutinous rice balls, red bean soup, takoyaki, ramen, tempura...

He craved them.

[I'll go out and buy something to eat!]

He found his wallet, locked the door, and set off.

The Uchiha clan district was now located in the center of the village, and its layout was completely open rather than closed off.

Only the powerful figures in the clan, the clan elders, or direct-line families qualified to compete for the position of clan head—such as Fugaku's family, Setsuna, Shiho, Ryuichi, and the other elders' families—were considered the Uchiha clan's direct line.

Because they controlled the clan's businesses and received substantial profits every year, they naturally possessed spacious mansions and grand estates, using tall walls to separate themselves from ordinary people.

Collateral branches like Uchiha Yu had to rely on their own hard work to make a living. Without money to buy great residences, they naturally did not create enclosed compounds.

In truth, Uchiha Yu's income as a ninja was quite high among the Uchiha, far exceeding that of Uchiha households without ninjas. Other than sharing a surname, these clansmen were really no different from ordinary people. They did extremely ordinary jobs and worked hard for more than ten hours every day merely to meet their basic needs.

As Uchiha Yu walked down the clan streets, someone immediately recognized him.

"Yu, are you out for a late-night snack or a stroll?"

"Uncle Teshio, I'm a little hungry tonight, so I came out for a late-night snack."

"A late-night snack? Come eat pancakes at my place."

"I wouldn't dare. You never charge me, and that would be too..."

"Old woman, come help me catch this brat! He's hungry and still dares not eat the pancakes I made!"

"Oh, damn!"

Uchiha Yu fled in disarray. The pancakes at Teshio Pancake House were delicious, but they were too big. One was enough to fill him up, so how could he sample the other delicacies?

After escaping the siege of Teshio Pancake House, others greeted him just as enthusiastically.

"Yu, you're already eighteen this year, right? You can drink now. Come try my family's wine."

"Sure, give me a bottle."

"Yu, I fried some glutinous rice balls tonight. They smell amazing."

"They really do smell amazing. Give me another five skewers."

"Hahaha, this was your idea, brat. Who would've thought frying glutinous rice could make it so fragrant?"

"Mm..."

"What? Got another suggestion?" (pulling out a small notebook)

"I think these glutinous rice balls could use some filling. Sweet, savory, even meat fillings—you could try them all."

"Good, good, good! Wonderful! I'll try it tomorrow. Remember to come taste them and help me decide which one is best."

"No problem."

With an armful of food, Uchiha Yu sat down in front of Teuchi's ramen stall, ordered a bowl of the house special ramen, and began to feast.