47: His First Clash with Itachi

The shrine in the Land of Demons, late at night.

Baiyu was still busy, preparing the final dish.

Slice!

Slice the meat!

Slice the lamb!

The Land of Demons lay in the north, neighboring the Land of Snow, and the weather was cold.

When Baiyu had first arrived, he hadn't been used to it. After training here for a while, he had grown familiar with the environment.

There were plenty of delicious dishes suited to cold weather.

Of them, Baiyu liked one best!

Hot pot!

Hot pot required ingredients, and while the Land of Demons didn't have many vegetables, it had plenty of meat.

In a situation like this, where they were in a bit of a hurry, hot pot was one of the quicker meals to prepare.

He got a group of people to wash the vegetables while he made the hot pot base and simmered the broth.

Considering little Shion, Baiyu thoughtfully prepared a divided pot.

One side held spicy red broth, the other clear tomato broth.

With the guards' help, the side dishes were washed clean.

Baiyu personally sliced and arranged them on plates, prepared dipping sauces for all four of them, and only then called everyone in.

"Is that it? Why isn't there any of yesterday's meat? Big brother Baiyu!"

Seeing the dishes on the table, little Shion looked dissatisfied.

Yesterday, she had eaten a sweet, delicious meat dish Baiyu had made, and she was still thinking about it. There had also been soft, chewy meatballs, which she couldn't forget either.

Miroku was surprised too. She had thought Baiyu would take a while to cook, and was still considering what she could offer him to persuade him.

"Isn't all this raw?"

Miroku asked as well.

Uchiha Itachi's face was cold, and dark lines covered his forehead.

Such a casual meal...

He thought Baiyu was making fun of him again. Ever since he had teamed up with Baiyu, Itachi felt that his way of doing things was gradually changing.

The gloom in Itachi's heart had slowly lifted.

He hadn't even noticed the change in himself.

"Isn't there a pot right here? Just swish the food around in the pot, then dip it in the sauce and eat. This kind of meal is perfect for cold weather."

Baiyu explained, picking up a slice of lamb and putting it in the pot.

The lamb was tender, sliced thin and translucent with Baiyu's superb knife skills. As soon as it went into the pot, it was ready to take out.

There weren't that many dishes, only about ten, but several of them were lamb.

They had slaughtered a sheep for this meal.

Beef...

Pork...

Anyway, they had all sorts of meat.

The vegetables included potatoes, taro, cabbage, and so on.

It was a shame there were no meatballs. Baiyu hadn't had time to make any.

Though little Shion was young, she was very curious. Imitating Baiyu, she picked up a slice of tender beef and put it in the pot.

After swishing it through once, she dipped it in the sauce and popped it into her little mouth.

The slice of beef was thin as a ribbon, but quite large, and it filled little Shion's mouth.

"Mmm... Mmm!"

Little Shion chewed for a while, then suddenly burst into tears.

It wasn't because it tasted so good...

It was the spicy flavor.

An unbearably fierce heat!

Baiyu was still savoring the delicious lamb. The moment he saw what was happening, he understood.

"Quick, get some milk! Fresh milk!"

Just like him, she had put the beef in the spicy broth.

While Baiyu looked after Shion, Itachi tried picking up a piece of potato and putting it in the pot.

"Mm..."

Itachi swished it through the broth and dipped it in the sauce, following each step before putting it in his mouth. He took a small bite and realized something was wrong.

"Isn't it still raw?"

Miroku gently pointed out. She hadn't expected Itachi to have so little practical experience. How could a potato cook the moment you put it in?

Itachi's little face turned red. He really didn't know much about ingredients, let alone cooking.

His family had always prepared his meals. He had spent all his time training and carrying out missions.

A lot of the time, Itachi ate travel rations or the lunch his mother prepared.

He rarely saw raw ingredients. As far as he knew, all food was cooked when it was served...

"So this is what raw potato tastes like!"

Itachi remarked, then forced himself to swallow the bite he had taken. He quietly set the remaining piece down and wordlessly turned toward the plate of lamb.

Miroku didn't call him out. She silently put some of the ingredients that needed longer to cook into the pot.

She had some experience with cooking, and after watching Baiyu's demonstration, she knew how to eat.

Aside from their initial unfamiliarity and a few awkward moments caused by their lack of experience, they soon got the hang of hot pot and became completely absorbed in its delicious flavors.

Itachi was the most over-the-top. Using the speed of his Hand Seals, he snatched several pieces of lamb from Baiyu, apparently trying to get under his skin.

The last piece of lamb went into the pot.

"Thunder Breathing!"

Baiyu took a deep breath and entered a Total Concentration state.

This kid Itachi had actually dared to steal his meat!

He had to teach him a lesson and make sure he understood who the captain was and who was in charge!

With his Breathing Style active, his speed doubled, and Baiyu's hands kept pace with Itachi's.

"Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!"

Itachi's eyes turned red. He was completely worked up.

In his first clash with Baiyu, he went straight to using his Sharingan.

Baiyu hadn't been on guard and was caught immediately. By the time he realized what had happened, the lamb was already in Itachi's mouth.

Furiously, Baiyu put a piece of beef tripe into the pot and shot a glance at him.

Uchiha Itachi! I'll remember that.

Miroku stared at the two of them, dumbfounded. With Baiyu looking after little Shion, Shion still managed to eat a few pieces of meat and vegetables. Miroku had to make do with the potatoes she'd left to cook for a while.

"So this is how shinobi eat?"

Miroku felt she'd learned something new. Seeing how close Shion was to Baiyu, she couldn't help worrying.

If her daughter grew up to act like this... It was terrifying.

Miroku didn't dare imagine it. She immediately decided to focus on offering material rewards.

After Itachi and Baiyu's secret contest, the meal was over in no time.

Since Baiyu had been looking after little Shion, he'd lost by a narrow margin, with some of the meat and vegetables ending up in Shion's stomach.

Itachi rarely smiled. He stood, stretched, and walked out.

Miroku called her daughter over and held her in her arms.

"Baiyu, you must know quite a bit about the demons in the Land of Demons, don't you?"

After some time to calm down, Miroku had recovered from her excitement. She guessed that Baiyu must know something about demons; otherwise, he wouldn't have had a way to counter Moryo.

Baiyu leaned against the doorway, holding two swords in his arms, and said nothing.

"I hope you can help the Land of Demons deal with Moryo, our greatest threat. We can pay you."

Miroku continued.

"I can help you deal with the demon, as long as you can pay my price."

Baiyu replied.

As a Wanderer, money was a matter of principle.

Baiyu wasn't short on money, but no one ever complained about having more.

Destroying Moryo was something he had to do anyway, so why not earn money while he was at it?

Hearing Baiyu's answer, Miroku was overjoyed and hurried to thank him.

Baiyu shook his head. "I'm agreeing to your request for Shion's sake."

Shion's serene way of thinking had deeply moved Baiyu.

Training with a sword sometimes required that kind of mindset.

The system's Sword Grandmaster mission required him to comprehend three different Sword Hearts. Shion's serene state of mind might be a path he could explore.

That was why Baiyu treated Shion so warmly.