Ancestral Rites

As long as they did not go to the Memorial Monument at the very front to queue up and lay flowers, grave sweeping was not too time-consuming. They could also come by anytime, and not everyone cared so much about being the First Incense.

After receiving a message from his Shadow Clone, Sasuke had no intention of lingering for strangers any longer.

"Let's go, Naruto. Shikamaru and the others are done."

"Okay~" Naruto had gotten bored long ago.

After meeting up with everyone, they needed to find an open, elevated spot ahead of time to watch the final fireworks display. Hokage Rock was naturally the first choice, but civilians were slow on foot, so usually only free ninja went to those premium seats.

The fireworks display was tiny. It could not even begin to compare to the fireworks festivals of Japan in his previous life. The fireworks barely rose above Hokage Rock. Sasuke felt that developing a Fire Style that could change colors would be far more spectacular. Unfortunately, dangerous AOE ninjutsu like that was forbidden in crowded parts of the village.

The emotionless colors in the darkness had nothing to do with ninjutsu—just ordinary little bursts of brilliance, gone in an instant. They reminded him of his hometown after fireworks restrictions were suddenly lifted, when merchants had not had time to restock and there were barely any decent fireworks to see.

I miss home.

There had been unsatisfactory things everywhere, but there was no war, no random explosions that took lives, no fear of sleeping in and lazing around in bed, and there was family. How happy that had been.

"Sasuke-kun likes watching fireworks too."

Behind him, Shikamaru's dad, Nara Shikaku, rubbed Sasuke's head.

"Shikamaru told me you train very diligently. If there's anything you don't understand, you can come ask me anytime."

When he was feeling vulnerable, words of concern like that felt just like PUA, or using the suspension bridge effect to trick someone into liking you. How annoying. And yet, he had kind of fallen for it.

"Senior Shikaku, be careful interacting with other kids in front of your own child. He might get jealous."

Shikamaru acted indifferent. "Who would get jealous over something like that?!"

"So Shikamaru gets jealous over his old man too. Everyone does. There, there!"

Shikaku reached his evil hand toward Shikamaru's pineapple-shaped hair, which was bound up in a hairnet. It was not very convenient, and Shikamaru kept grumbling for his dad to take his hand away, but he made no move to dodge.

Remembering that there was another lonely kid beside them, Shikaku added, "Naruto-kun gets some too! There, there!"

"Hahaha..."

Seeing both of them enjoying it with unwilling expressions, the others traveling with them all laughed happily.

"Kakashi messed up my hair earlier. I only just got it fixed."

"You ran into Kakashi?"

"I took Sasuke to look for the buried Uchiha, and we ran into white-haired Kakashi. He introduced us to an Uchiha clansman named Obito or something. He ran off before we even said much, and he knocked me on the head."

Kakashi was a pitiful person too. It seemed he still had not emerged from the shadow of losing his companions.

They were all in the same village. No matter how far apart they lived, it was not really that far. But their relationship was not close enough for spending the night at someone else's house on their first meeting.

Sasuke refused as soon as Shikaku suggested it. Naruto was quite interested, but Shikaku had not specifically asked him.

When it was time to part ways, Sasuke still wanted to confirm it, whether Shikaku's earlier words had merely been polite or not. "Senior Shikaku, can I really come ask you about training?"

"Of course. If you come ask questions, I can drag Shikamaru along to train too. With someone his own age around, he probably won't be able to stand looking too lazy himself. Hahaha."

Shikamaru was already starting to feel pressured. "Sasuke, you should take a proper break during the holiday."

After thinking briefly, Sasuke changed how he addressed him. "Then I'll visit in a few days, Teacher Shikaku. Please excuse the interruption when the time comes."

Talking about ninjutsu training tips did not take much time. The important thing was whether the teacher was willing. Shikaku said, "Don't listen to this brat. He's just lazy. You can come find me anytime."

During the New Year, people held rites for the deceased. Since this was his first time after being reborn in Konoha, he had only learned this custom from spending the New Year with the Ino-Shika-Cho clans.

If he was going to put on an act, he might as well see it through. On the first day after returning home, he went to sweep graves at that remote little cemetery Sarutobi had told him about.

He had gone a little late, so there were not many people around.

Even though the entire Uchiha clan had been carved onto the gravestones household by household, they still occupied several neat rows.

The dead deserved respect. The Uchiha had a terrible reputation, but it was good enough that their graves had not been pushed over or smashed. There were not many fruit peels or rotten vegetable leaves around either.

There was no way he was laying flowers. He did not have money to waste on that.

Burning away the weeds around the graves with Fire Style was enough.

Fire Style flames were unlike firewood or natural gas flames. The high-temperature Chakra that appeared from nothing did not leave behind the grime produced by organic matter buildup, like the black residue on the bottom of a pot, after burning something.

Ash from the grass and trees clung to the gravestones. A couple scoops of melted snow water afterward was already giving Sarutobi plenty of face. At least he had not treated the man's words like bullshit.

After taking inventory of all the clan's houses, he briefly examined everything he could find with a name on it. The Uchiha Clan Genealogy filled five large scrolls with densely packed writing and was enshrined at Naka Shrine. Naturally, it was a printed copy. Something so painstakingly written had to be kept on hand.

As for keepsakes that could prove someone's identity, aside from those from Fugaku Uchiha's branch and closer-blooded Friends and Family—or NPCs he seemed to remember hearing about in the anime—he did not collect or organize anything else.

He had no intention of becoming a Konoha historian specializing in the rise and fall of the Uchiha or anything like that.

If he burned paper offerings and incense, he could burn them an extra pile beside it. Being enshrined was more than enough.

Could they come back to life and cause trouble for him? Hiruzen, Danzo, and Itachi were all still alive, yet none of them could find their way here.

Following the road to Naka Shrine, he used Fire Style to melt the snow and clear a path. If he did not pursue lethality, he could burn a path from the foot of the hill all the way to the shrine's main gate. It looked much like shoveling snow, except wetter.

He still needed to practice Wind Style and Water Style more when he had time. Even if he lacked the initial proficiency with those Chakra natures and could not create hundreds or thousands of Shadow Clones, he had plenty of time. Fire Style was not comprehensive enough for cleaning dust.

What was the proper way to conduct rites?

Incense, candles, paper money, and all kinds of food Offerings. That was the set he was familiar with.

A fire-based form of worship suited the Uchiha family's fire-wielding Fan quite well. Was that also why he had transmigrated into an Uchiha body?

Once the candles had burned out and the incense had died, he cleaned up the ashes on the ground and carried the offering fruit and food down the mountain to go home.

Not bad. If he needed to visit the shrine in the future, he would have a reasonable excuse. He would not have to worry about someone watching him closely from behind.

The little blond-haired boy hopped over. "Sasuke, your clone still hasn't made dinner at this hour, so I asked for directions and came looking for you! What are you doing up here?"

"The shrine above is on the Uchiha Clan Grounds. I went to pay my respects."

Taken literally, it sounded easy enough to understand, so Naruto did not think too much about it. "A shrine? Are there lots of gods there?"

Sasuke sighed emotionally. "Do you think what they worship there are gods?"

"Aren't they?"

"Naka Shrine enshrines the surname 'Uchiha.' Or rather, the Uchiha ancestors from countless generations over hundreds and thousands of years. Of course, there's nothing wrong with regarding your own ancestors as gods."

(Naruto VS Dudu One)

Naruto said in shock, "Hundreds and thousands of years? That's amazing!... Wait, does that mean lots of dead people are buried up there?!"

"Doesn't that mean there are lots of ghosts?!"

Sasuke calmly said, "Even if there are ghosts, they would be your own ancestors. Would they really harm their descendants?"

Naruto was practically crying. "But I'm not an Uchiha! I never thought there'd be such a terrifying place near your house. Let's hurry home!"

Naruto received the fear debuff once again. He did not dare walk ahead of Sasuke alone, nor did he dare trail behind him. He just kept urging Sasuke to hurry up.

Fortunately, it was not late yet. After they passed through that stretch of woods, the sunset fell over them. It had absolutely nothing to do with warmth, but Naruto was no longer afraid.

"Sasuke at home didn't cook. What are you having for dinner?"

"After ancestral rites, of course you eat twice-cooked pork."

Although Naruto had a setting where elements from various countries were mixed together, and even the official primary language in the Ninja Academy textbooks was labeled "Japanese," Chinese Cuisine had never been forcibly shoved in, much less authentic Chinese dishes.

Naturally, Naruto had never heard of it. "Twice-cooked pork? What's that?"

When it came to dishes from his hometown, Sasuke was thoroughly familiar with them. "You boil a chunk of meat until it's cooked or half-cooked, let it cool, slice it, then stir-fry it in a wok over high heat with whatever side ingredients and sauces you like. That's the dish."

"An entire uncooked chunk of meat is needed for the rites, so it's perfect for dinner."

Unfortunately, there was no clean, odorless pork. He had bought a piece of beef instead of Head Meat. Without the half-fat, half-lean pork belly, it could not be called authentic twice-cooked pork.

This year, he would raise a few pigs from the start and try to eat good pork by midyear!

"Any vegetables you like? Does ramen count?"

Naruto, did you even hear yourself?

"Why haven't you eaten yet at this hour?"

Naruto looked starving. "I ate ramen."

"But, but! You said sliced meat, right? Hehe, I feel like I'm still a little hungry..."

Naruto really did love ramen, but if there was meat to eat, how many boys could refuse? Just like girls had a separate stomach for snacks, boys had a separate stomach for meat.

It looked like he could not avoid setting out another pair of bowls and chopsticks.

"Then can we add ramen to the twice-cooked pork? Ramen twice-cooked pork, twice-cooked pork ramen~"

Using beef already made it inauthentic enough, and now he wanted to add ramen.

Sasuke was speechless and simply gave up.

"Whatever. The ingredients aren't right this time, so it can't be considered authentic. After a while, when I've raised the pigs, I'll make a proper Leek Twice-Cooked Pork."

Raising pigs?

Naruto remembered something.

"Before, you said you were going to sell Dudu One for the New Year. How much did you sell it for?"

"What, do you want a share of the profits? I paid you for helping feed the pigs and clean up."

"No, I was just curious."

Sasuke had no idea how long the pig had been raised, much less whether its weight was normal. In any case, it weighed nearly two hundred kilograms.

"I sold it for around 1,000 Ryo."

"That's amazing! 1,000 Ryo!"

Naruto had intended to count on his fingers, but after his fingers got tangled up for a moment, he became blank-faced and gave up.

"What's so amazing about that? You have to deduct all the costs first, and that doesn't even include wages for you and me. At market prices, feed alone for one pig costs over 100 Ryo a day."

After simplifying it into a nice round number, Naruto's math finally barely came in handy.

"Over 100 Ryo? 100 Ryo every day, 3,000 Ryo in thirty days!! The food Dudu eats every day costs more than what I eat?! The food I eat isn't even as good as a pig's?"

Realizing that his meals were worse than pig feed, Naruto instantly stopped using the nickname "Dudu."

He began questioning his life.

"So some of the vegetables, sweet potatoes, corn, and other things I grow in the fields are used to feed the pigs. Growing them ourselves is much cheaper than buying them at the market. At least grain is sold at cost."

Struggling to hold on to hope, Naruto continued comparing his food expenses to Dudu's. "How much is the cost price of grain?"

Sasuke did not give him the answer directly, instead making Naruto calculate it himself. "The wholesale price for vegetables grown in the fields and sold at the market is one-third to one-half of the retail price."

"One-third to one-half... 1,000 to 1,500 Ryo?"

"The food I eat costs about the same as one pig's!!"

Naruto was still questioning his life, but he had gone from "worse than a pig" to "about the same as a pig," which cheered him up a little.

Downgrading from despair to sorrow counted as cheering up, probably.

Seeing Naruto standing beside him with such a dejected look made Sasuke uncomfortable, so he decided to offer a few words of comfort.

"It's not just you. A lot of people probably eat ordinary three meals a day at about that level. There's nothing to compare. After all, all that investment is meant to fatten it up quickly, slaughter it, and put it on the table. You eat in order to live for a long time."

"If you were fed better than a pig, then killed after two years, you definitely wouldn't want that either."

At the mention of being killed, Naruto broke out in a cold sweat.

All at once, he felt that eating a little less than a pig was not such a bad thing.

No fermented black beans or chili bean paste?

Salted miso and chili sauce would have to do.

No leeks, but there were onions in the field. He could barely substitute the part of Farfetch'd in his hand. They were both in the lily family anyway, so close enough.

The pork was replaced with beef too.

Replacing one or two Raw Materials would have been fine, but now he had replaced practically every ingredient. Only a little salt and sugar remained unchanged. Oh, and he was adding a carbohydrate staple as a vegetable ingredient. He was honestly too embarrassed to call this thing "twice-cooked pork."

There were truly quite a few specialty seasonings he needed to prepare in the new year.

Before taking it off the heat, he fired a cooking-grade Low temperature Fire Style directly into the wok to add some wok hei.

He had only used a small portion of the beef meant for the ancestral offering, since he had bought an entire piece weighing over two jin to make it look properly sized. Once sliced and divided between two plates of fried noodles, the amount of meat was quite substantial.

"Beef Twice-Cooked Pork Fried Noodles. At most, that's what it can be called."

There was no fancy plating, but the beef—looking more plentiful than the noodles themselves—was already more than tempting enough.

Nothing healed a wounded heart better than a hot meal full of protein and carbs.

"Thanks for the meal! Twice-cooked pork is the best!" The gloom Naruto had felt over eating worse than pig feed was completely swept away.

Of course, at retail prices, the Raw Materials for this fried noodle dinner alone came close to eighty or ninety Ryo. If he sold it in a restaurant, it would cost at least around 300 Ryo.

"Actual twice-cooked pork is much more straightforward than this. Don't let this give you a preconceived impression."

"Then it must be much tastier~ I'm really looking forward to it."

Well, as long as the ingredients for twice-cooked pork were not poor quality, he did not add too much salt, and he did not burn it, it usually would not taste bad...

And honestly, after using so much high-grade beef with a Not Low fat content this time, Sasuke could not guarantee that traditional twice-cooked pork would taste better.

"It's a different style. You can't compare potato chips and biscuits, can you?"

"But Choji likes potato chips better."

Sasuke gave up explaining. Whatever.