Before long, the old man in the living room caught the scent of food and quietly swallowed.
Uchiha Tunan emerged from the kitchen carrying the dishes.
"Try it. I prefer lightly seasoned food myself, so I'm not sure whether it suits your taste."
He then set the dishes on the dining table.
One meat dish, two vegetable dishes, a soup, and two bowls of white rice.
It had been a long time since the old man had eaten such a proper meal. He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite, his eyes widening at once.
It was delicious!
He immediately began wolfing it down.
Uchiha Tunan smiled with narrowed eyes, filled an empty bowl with soup, and pushed it in front of the old man.
"Eat slowly. Don't choke."
Then he picked up his own chopsticks and ate with refined manners.
He had known how to cook in his previous life, and later, he had also integrated Uchiha Nanako's abilities.
This system was remarkably user-friendly; it even counted cooking as an ability.
Uchiha Tunan's cooking skills had soared, and elderly people generally preferred lightly seasoned food.
That was why these dishes suited the old man's palate so well.
As the saying went, if you wanted a man's approval, you had to win over his stomach.
"Grandpa, my name is Uchiha Tunan. I still don't know how to address you."
The old man swallowed the food in his mouth, looking thoroughly satisfied as he said comfortably, "Mitsuya Motoyoshi."
"Grandpa Motoyoshi, eat more meat and build up your strength." Uchiha Tunan politely placed a piece of crispy pork into Mitsuya Motoyoshi's bowl.
Mitsuya Motoyoshi narrowed his eyes. "Your cooking is pretty good, kid, but I don't have money to hire you."
Uchiha Tunan shook his head. "I'm not short on money."
Once Mitsuya Motoyoshi heard that Uchiha Tunan was not after money, he immediately became talkative.
"Not short on money?
That makes sense. You are from the Uchiha Clan, after all.
I never thought the Uchiha could produce such a sunny kid as you.
Listen, you're still young, so you have no concept of money.
Money is saved bit by bit. If you don't have to spend it, don't.
You have no idea how many commoners starved to death during the Warring States era.
Even plenty of shinobi starved to death."
Uchiha Tunan wore a puzzled expression, looking every bit like an innocent youth who knew nothing of the world.
"Shinobi could starve to death too?"
Mitsuya Motoyoshi gulped down some soup and let out a long breath.
"Shinobi were merely stronger than ordinary people.
During the Warring States era, war was everywhere.
Without the protection of a major clan, who could produce food in peace?
There was nowhere to even steal grain from. Sometimes, food was more expensive than Explosive Tags.
Many shinobi could not endure hunger and could only become dogs for major clans, begging merely for a full stomach."
As Uchiha Tunan ladled more soup into Mitsuya Motoyoshi's bowl, he asked thoughtfully, "Is that why you are so frugal, Grandpa Motoyoshi?"
The moment those words fell, Mitsuya Motoyoshi's expression turned silent.
He accepted the soup Uchiha Tunan handed him, blew on it a few times, and only then said softly, "That's not the only reason."
Uchiha Tunan saw that Mitsuya Motoyoshi was feeling somewhat down and did not press the matter. He simply continued eating quietly.
After the meal, Uchiha Tunan washed the dishes and chopsticks, thoughtfully brewed a pot of tea for Mitsuya Motoyoshi, and only then headed outside.
In the living room, Mitsuya Motoyoshi gazed at the tea in his cup and sighed.
"Kid, I think you're a decent person. If living alone makes you lonely, you can come live here.
There's a spare key on the shoe cabinet."
Uchiha Tunan paused at the door, turned back, and said happily,
"I still have training this afternoon. I'll move in tomorrow evening.
I hope you'll guide me in the days ahead, Grandpa Motoyoshi."
Only after saying that did he turn and leave.
As Uchiha Tunan walked toward Kakashi's house, he quietly calculated in his heart.
This old man used to be an Anbu squad captain. His strength should be quite formidable.
If he could gain his approval, then wait until he died, who knew how many abilities he could obtain?
Judging from his age, he probably did not have long to live.
He just did not know how the inherited abilities would be calculated when the time came.
If they were based on his abilities at the moment before death, then he would basically only inherit knowledge.
If he inherited the abilities from his prime, then the gains would be extremely substantial.
After all, Konoha had many elderly people, and anyone who had survived so many wars was surely not weak.
It was no joke that old people became shrewd with age. Most of those left behind were elites.
Could this be the system's proper use?
No wonder it was called the Legacy Inheritance System.
Feeling as if he had discovered a new continent, Uchiha Tunan adjusted his glasses, and his steps became much lighter.
The next day, before dawn.
Mitsuya Motoyoshi woke from his sleep.
When people grew old, their sleep became shallow. He always woke this early every day.
Looking at the empty room, Mitsuya Motoyoshi could not help thinking of Uchiha Tunan.
That kid should have a mission in the morning. If he was training with his team leader in the afternoon, he probably would not move in until tonight.
Mitsuya Motoyoshi laboriously climbed from his bed into his wheelchair and pushed himself out of the bedroom.
Yet the instant he opened the bedroom door, Mitsuya Motoyoshi froze on the spot.
The living room's original incandescent light had somehow been replaced with a warm-toned fluorescent lamp.
Two bowls of rice porridge and three small plates of side dishes had already been placed on the table.
Uchiha Tunan was sitting seiza before the table, carefully reading an unfamiliar book.
"Ahem." Mitsuya Motoyoshi coughed lightly, drawing Uchiha Tunan's attention.
Uchiha Tunan raised his head, hurriedly stood, and ran behind Mitsuya Motoyoshi, helping push his wheelchair to the dining table.
"Grandpa Motoyoshi, why are you up so early? The porridge is still a little hot, so you may need to wait a while."
Mitsuya Motoyoshi stared at the food on the table, then looked up at Uchiha Tunan.
"You came over so early just to make breakfast for me?"
Uchiha Tunan returned to the table and sat seiza, adjusting his glasses. "The morning sets the tone for the day. I've always liked getting up early."
After all, the early bird caught the worm.
"Good, good, good..."
Mitsuya Motoyoshi looked at Uchiha Tunan with growing admiration.
How wonderful it would be if he were my descendant. Well-behaved, diligent, sensible, and meticulous in everything he did.
It feels like every good quality in this world belongs to him.
"What book are you reading?"
"I'm studying infiltration and disguise. After all, I'll probably take missions outside the village in the future. If I don't understand these things, I might hold my teammates back."
Without looking up, Uchiha Tunan turned the pages and marked the key points with a pen.
"Where did you buy that book?"
"I bought it from the bookstore on the street."
Mitsuya Motoyoshi frowned and nodded.
"Donda's rotten bookstore?
The books there are full of empty talk. You can't learn much from them.
If there's anything you don't understand, ask me.
I may be old, but I still have my experience. I carried out many assassination missions in the past.
Consider that experience payment for taking care of me."
Uchiha Tunan looked up, closed the book, and said gently,
"Taking care of you is something I chose to do. Calling it payment makes us sound distant."
Mitsuya Motoyoshi picked up his porridge, blew on it lightly, and asked casually, "What kind of knowledge do you want to know?"
Uchiha Tunan thought for a moment.
"If I encounter a samurai, how can I gain his approval?"
Before you continue