System Reward: Mastery of Housekeeping and Cooking

System Reward: Mastery of Housekeeping and Cooking

Naruto's confusion left Fugaku feeling helpless, and he could only force himself to pick up some food.

Sasuke held his chopsticks hesitantly and quietly complained to Mikoto Uchiha, "Mom, why didn't you make tomatoes? They're obviously my favorite vegetable."

Mikoto ate silently, gazing gently at Naruto and Sasuke as she sank into her memories.

If Kushina were still alive, Sasuke and Naruto would have become friends long ago. Naruto would not have faced discrimination in the village, and the Uchiha clan would not have been at odds with the higher-ups.

As a Jonin, she naturally knew everything that had happened in the courtyard, but she could not influence Fugaku's decisions.

Her dream was to become a housewife, care for her husband, and watch her children grow up healthy. She had no other extravagant wishes.

With Mikoto watching him, Naruto felt somewhat uneasy under her gentle gaze.

Still, Aunt Mikoto was a good cook. Every dish was delicious, and all the ingredients were fresh. She was no worse than him at all.

After watching Naruto finish a bowl of rice, Mikoto smiled and asked, "Are you full? There's more in the kitchen if you aren't."

Naruto nodded, then praised her, "Auntie, your cooking is really delicious. If I had parents, their cooking would probably taste like this."

At those words, Mikoto Uchiha fell silent. So did Fugaku and Sasuke.

If the Fourth Hokage and his wife had not died, Cloud would not have dared provoke a war. The Uchiha would not have been ostracized by the villagers and the higher-ups as they were now. Everything would have been different.

Fugaku also deeply respected Minato Namikaze, the man he had regarded as a rival, but reality had no ifs.

By comparison, Sasuke simply sympathized with Naruto's circumstances. Naruto was clearly better than him in every way, yet he alone had lost his parents. Without family to keep him company, he could only live by himself.

After they had eaten their fill, Mikoto used washing the dishes as an excuse to call Fugaku into the kitchen, saying hopefully,

"Dear, do you think we should talk to the Third Lord about adopting Naruto? That child is so pitiful. He has never experienced a father's or mother's love."

"You know that's impossible. Only the Hokage can adopt a Jinchuriki."

"But the Third Hokage is far too negligent. Naruto is treated as the Demon Fox in the village. It would be one thing if he were an ordinary child, but Naruto is Minato and Kushina's son—the child of heroes who protected the village!"

"Give up on that fantasy. It's impossible."

Fugaku shook his head, then glanced at Naruto in the living room. Why would he not want to adopt the Jinchuriki? If he could control the Jinchuriki's power, he would surely become Hokage one day and fulfill the clan's dream.

After dinner, as night fell, it was time to leave.

Sasuke's entire family stood at the door and watched Naruto depart, with no intention of asking him to stay the night.

Naruto also understood his own status. Accepting an invitation as a guest was still within the Third Hokage's tolerance, but if he stayed overnight, the Anbu and the Military Police Force would probably truly come to blows.

No matter the outcome, imprisonment would be waiting for him, and he would never again have the freedom to go out as he pleased.

Walking alone through the clan compound's streets, Naruto looked at the various Uchiha around him and wondered whether another clueless Uchiha would show up and attack him.

If they suffered a backlash and failed, that would be one thing. But if something really happened to him inside the Uchiha Clan Compound—

The village might erupt into unrest no less severe than Nine-Tails Night, letting the residents of the Uchiha Clan Compound and the surrounding neighborhoods experience the suffering of war.

Shaking his head to clear away those stray thoughts, Naruto found that no clueless Uchiha had made a move after all.

Although most Uchiha were rather extreme, those without brains were still in the minority. Most of them were sensible and understood the stakes.

Before he knew it, Naruto had left the Uchiha Clan Compound. The familiar Anbu duo entered his sensory range, along with the Chakra of many others, densely packed in dark corners.

Under the watchful eyes of so many people, even the arrogant Nine-Tails obediently lay low and did not dare make a sound.

Naruto slowly moved away from the Uchiha Clan Compound, and only after returning to his apartment did everything return to normal.

Lying on the sofa, Naruto stared at the ceiling and took stock of what he had gained from this trip.

Aside from memorizing a map of the Uchiha Clan Compound, his greatest gain had been mooching a free meal and learning the extent of his genjutsu resistance.

From the current situation, he should be immune to the genjutsu of the Single Tomoe and Double Tomoe.

Triple Tomoe genjutsu was not much of a threat either, provided he cooperated with the Nine-Tails. But Mangekyo-level genjutsu was hard to say. He would most likely be controlled by it.

It seemed that even after becoming a relatively perfect Jinchuriki, he could not let down his guard.

Just then, a crisp system notification sounded beside Naruto's ear:

"Mikoto Uchiha's favorability toward you has reached recognition. You have obtained 'Mastery of Housekeeping and Cooking.' These are the housekeeping skills mastered by an Uchiha Jonin after she gave up her identity as a ninja and became a housewife."

The system notification interrupted Naruto's thoughts, but the reward of housekeeping skills left him torn between laughter and tears.

What was this reward even for? Even without it, his housekeeping abilities were not bad. When he was hungry, he could cook. When his clothes got dirty, he would wash them himself instead of leaving them until the next day.

Still, Naruto did not dislike something that merely made a good thing better.

At the very least, it let him know that there was one more person in this world who recognized him, even though he had only met Sasuke's mother once.

That was also the system's greatest value to him.

Suddenly, Naruto looked out the window. The old Third Hokage had come to inspect the Jinchuriki's condition.

Naruto patiently waited until there was a knock at the door before opening it. He looked at the Third Hokage with confusion and asked, "Grandpa Hokage, didn't you just come yesterday? Why are you here again today...?"

The Third Hokage looked at Naruto with slight exhaustion, inwardly lamenting that Naruto had caused him a huge problem.

Naruto's entry into the Uchiha Clan Compound had not only nearly made him mistake it for a Police Force coup, but Danzo had also brought Root over to meddle.

Had Naruto not safely walked out of the Uchiha Clan Compound, the village would have been on the verge of civil strife.

And once civil strife broke out, no one knew what the outcome would be. The Uchiha had not prepared for a coup, but neither had he prepared to deal with a rebellion.

Seeing that the Third Hokage did not speak, Naruto took the initiative and said, "Grandpa Hokage, don't tell me you already know Sasuke and I became friends, so you came specially to give me something."

The Third Hokage's expression turned strange. He wanted to travel back to yesterday and slap himself hard.

He had indeed told Naruto to make friends, but even if he wanted to befriend the Uchiha, there was no need to go to the Uchiha Clan Compound. Did he not know what his own identity was?

At that thought, the Third Hokage froze. Naruto really did not seem to know; he had always kept it hidden from him.

"I forgot to bring the thing," the Third Hokage said. "But Grandpa is very curious. When you visited Sasuke's home, what did Sasuke's father and mother say to you?"