Pakkun

"Pakkun? What are you doing here?"

That's right. The small figure who had suddenly barged into Gu Qi's kitchen was Pakkun, one of Kakashi's Eight Ninja Hounds.

Pakkun scratched his neck with a hind leg. "I followed the smell. Did Gu Qi make all this?"

"Yeah. Help yourself if you want some!" Gu Qi had originally planned to taste-test it himself, but since someone had volunteered to be the guinea pig, he was more than happy to let him.

Pakkun's round, black eyes widened at Gu Qi's words. "That's great! Then I won't hold back!"

With that, Pakkun jumped straight onto the kitchen counter, picked a piece of dried meat from a plate with his paw, and popped it into his mouth.

"Beef jerky—and it's butter-honey flavored, too. Gu Qi, you're an amazing cook. How did I never know you could make this?" Pakkun swallowed the jerky and raised a forepaw in praise.

Gu Qi chuckled. "Well? Do you feel anything else?"

"Uh... Gu Qi, you didn't put a laxative in it, did you?" Pakkun shuddered, as if remembering some painful experience.

Gu Qi waved his hand. "No. I can promise you there definitely isn't one this time."

"Huh?" Pakkun had just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly noticed some unusual changes in his body.

"Gu Qi, is this jerky actually a Ration Pill? Why is it so effective?" Pakkun was astonished to find that his stamina and chakra had both increased dramatically.

Gu Qi smiled, his eyes narrowing. "That's right. This is my latest creation: jerky-style Ration Pills. Not only are they easier to digest than ordinary Ration Pills, they're several times more effective."

Gu Qi wasn't making it up. Those effects were all listed in the scroll.

"If that's true, it's incredible. I've had enough of those awful Ration Pills. At last, I can enjoy a change of flavor." Pakkun stared fixedly at Gu Qi with his round, black eyes.

With a helpless look, Gu Qi found a backpack and filled it with about fifty pounds of jerky—half of what he'd made this time.

After helping Pakkun put the backpack on, Gu Qi said, "Here, this is for you and Bru and the others. And don't keep any for yourself."

Pakkun grinned, showing his teeth. "Don't worry, I won't hide any."

Gu Qi didn't dwell on that. Instead, he asked, "By the way, has anything been happening in the Shinobi World lately?"

Gu Qi had always been curious about what was happening beyond Konoha.

But Kakashi rarely told him about it, so Gu Qi got most of his information from Pakkun.

As the saying went, a full belly made a person more forthcoming. Pakkun thought for a moment before answering, "As for news, the current Shinobi World War has more or less come to an end. I'm sure it won't be long before the Shinobi World sees peace again."

Gu Qi had expected as much. Otherwise, Kakashi, one of Konoha's jonin, wouldn't have had time to return to Konoha for a break.

"Anything else?" Gu Qi asked.

Pakkun scratched his chin with a forepaw. "The only enemy Konoha has right now is the Cloud Ninja. But I heard that because of supply shortages and attrition, they're being forced to prepare for a peace treaty with us."

"Oh? When?" Gu Qi asked.

If he remembered correctly, when the Cloud Ninja came this time, their leader had been killed by Hyuga Hiashi after trying to kidnap Hinata.

As a result, the Cloud Ninja had demanded that Konoha hand over the culprit: Hyuga Hiashi.

In the end, the Third Hokage chose to compromise for the sake of peace, and Hizashi sacrificed himself for Konoha and the Main Family in order to escape the Caged Bird Seal.

Pakkun shook his head. "I don't know. There's only been talk of it so far. The timing depends on the higher-ups on both sides."

"Okay. Thanks, Pakkun."

"No problem. If you ever want to know anything, just come find me. It's getting late, so I'd better head back."

"See you, Pakkun."

After Pakkun left, Gu Qi tidied up the kitchen and packed all the jerky he'd made into wooden boxes.

Phew. Now that I know the things the system gives me are safe, I should get started on studying the knowledge it provides. Gu Qi wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered to himself.

"Hmm? What's this?"

Just as Gu Qi was about to start studying, he noticed an exclamation mark beside the System Mall.

Curious, Gu Qi opened the System Mall to take a look.

"Huh? There are two new items!" Once he opened the System Mall, Gu Qi was surprised to find two more items listed.

The System Mall had originally offered only one item, a Crimson Pill priced at ten thousand Ryo. Now, there were also Secret Recipe Dried Meat and Secret Brew available for purchase.

The Secret Recipe Dried Meat cost 100 Ryo per pound, while the Secret Brew cost 150 per pound.

"Damn! If I'd known, why would I have made so much?"

After doing a rough calculation, Gu Qi realized that the prices for Secret Brew and Secret Recipe Dried Meat in the System Mall were basically just the cost of making them.

In other words, if Gu Qi bought the Secret Brew and Secret Recipe Dried Meat from the system, he'd save both time and labor.

But what was done was done. Gu Qi could only accept the reality with resignation.

After quietly closing the system, Gu Qi opened the basic mathematics lessons it had provided and began to study.

The system's basic lessons were fairly simple, roughly equivalent to the material he'd learned in elementary school in his previous life.

So for Gu Qi, it was just a matter of reviewing knowledge he'd long since forgotten after giving it back to his teachers.

On top of that, Gu Qi was eagerly anticipating the rewards the system had promised. Before he knew it, he was completely absorbed in his studies.

Meanwhile, after training all afternoon, Kakashi returned home and found his eight Ninja Dogs sitting in a circle, doing something that was hard to describe.

"This box is yours, Shiba."

"Thanks!"

"And this one's yours, Akino."

"What are you doing?"

Kakashi had crept up behind the eight Ninja Dogs without making a sound, startling them so badly that their fur stood on end.

"Phew! Kakashi, you nearly scared me to death." Pakkun pressed a forepaw to his chest, let out a breath, and grumbled.

Kakashi clicked his tongue. "I've been here for ages and you didn't notice. That just means you were completely absorbed. So, what are you doing?"

Pakkun's dog face took on an embarrassed look. "We're dividing up the jerky Gu Qi made. Kakashi, you should try some, too. It tastes great!"

"You're sure he didn't put a laxative in it?" Kakashi was surprised by Pakkun's words, but knowing Gu Qi's personality, he couldn't help asking.

Pakkun smiled wryly. Of course he knew what Kakashi was worried about. "If there were a laxative in it, we'd have found out by now. Don't worry, we've already tried it."

"Good. I'll have to see just how delicious little Gu Qi's jerky is."

As he spoke, Kakashi took a piece of jerky from the wooden box belonging to Urushi and put it in his mouth.

"Hm? It's matcha flavored. That's unusual." Kakashi looked a little bemused. He'd never tried matcha-flavored jerky before.

Pakkun explained, "There are lots of flavors. So far, we've tried chocolate, red bean, and spicy. But that's not the point. It's what happens after you eat it."

"What happens? Huh? How is that possible?" Kakashi was astonished to find that his stamina and chakra, which had been nearly depleted after training, had been completely restored in an instant.

"That's amazing," Kakashi said after closing his eyes and sensing the state of his body. "It's even more effective than Ration Pills, and it doesn't leave you with that hard-to-digest feeling."

"Are you sure Gu Qi really made this?" Kakashi asked Pakkun.

Pakkun thought for a moment. "When I got there, Gu Qi was in the kitchen. But..."

Pakkun hesitated, then continued, "I also saw a scroll on the counter. The handwriting looked a little like Lord Kawao's."

"My uncle's scroll? I see! It must have been one of my uncle's old studies that little Gu Qi dug up." Kakashi thought for a moment before speaking.

Pakkun nodded. "That's what I figured, too. If Lord Kawao were still alive, he might have become an incredible Medical Ninja."

"Yeah. What a shame."

Kakashi seemed to have thought of something. Without another word, he returned to his room alone.

"Kakashi..." Pakkun opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.