Life needed a sense of occasion.
When Baiyu got home, he washed his hands, cut the two jin of pork he'd bought into large chunks, blanched them, and drained them.
"It'll take half an hour to drain. I'll take a bath first!"
The Uchiha Clan Compound was on the outskirts of the village, with a large lake nearby, so water was plentiful.
There was a bathhouse on the street, but it only opened in the afternoon, so Baiyu rarely went.
Instead, he'd built a small bathroom at home and put in a bathtub.
He filled the tub with hot water and settled in comfortably. The exhaustion from a day of training melted away.
After his bath, he changed into a kimono and started preparing the meat he'd marinated earlier.
He lit the fire and set the pot on it. When it was hot, he poured in enough oil to cover the bottom, then added cinnamon, bay leaves, and star anise.
These spices could all be found in the Naruto World, though ordinary people mostly used them as medicinal herbs.
The ninja were busy fighting wars and had no time to concern themselves with such little things.
Once the spices were fragrant, he added the drained pork and stir-fried it with them.
When the chunks had turned golden, he added sugar, soy sauce, and salt.
He stir-fried them until they were evenly colored, then added enough water to cover the meat and simmered it over high heat.
Finally, he added ginger slices, red dates, and other extras. Once the sauce had reduced, the dish was ready.
The Naruto World had ginger and red dates, but no soy sauce, so Baiyu had to use amaranth juice to give the meat some color, just to fool himself.
The finished braised pork was a deep purplish red, and its aroma filled the air.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Just as the meal was ready, someone knocked at the door.
Baiyu frowned. Who would come looking for him at a time like this?
He thought it over. There was no one else, so he set down his chopsticks and went to answer the door.
"Wow, that smells amazing! Baiyu, you can cook!? Can I come in?"
Shisui asked in surprise. Baiyu's house was small: three rooms, one kitchen, one bathroom with a toilet, and one bedroom.
In the bedroom by the front door was a small table, with a quilt spread beside it to serve as a bed.
In Japanese-style architecture, it would have been called a tatami room.
Apart from the entryway, the bedroom was covered in tatami.
"Emmmm..."
Baiyu didn't really want to let Shisui in. But he considered that Shisui had come to bring him money—and more money than expected—so he nodded and agreed.
He took out a pair of straw sandals and handed them to Shisui.
"Come in."
Shisui walked inside and sat at the little table, his eyes fixed on the bowl of braised pork.
Baiyu worried he might awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan, so he hurried back to the kitchen to fetch another set of chopsticks and a bowl.
"I just got back from a mission and haven't eaten yet. Let's eat together!"
"So Baiyu-san is a warmhearted person after all! Thanks, I won't hold back."
Shisui took the bowl and chopsticks, smiling as he replied.
"..."
I'm only doing this for the money! You freeloading bastard—did you forget something!?
Baiyu screamed inwardly. Considering that he probably couldn't beat Shisui in an arm-wrestling match right now, he kept it to himself.
"Wow! This is delicious. I've never had meat this good before. Baiyu-san, if you opened a shop on the street, you'd make more than you do as a ninja!"
Shisui praised him.
"???"
"Shisui, are you saying I have no future as a ninja?"
Baiyu couldn't help challenging him. The guy had actually insulted his profession.
What did he mean, cooking was better than being a ninja!?
"Isn't it? Baiyu, you've been a Genin for so many years and still haven't moved out of the clan's public housing..."
Shisui mumbled, a piece of meat in his mouth.
"..."
Baiyu was speechless. Training really was an incredibly expensive business.
After they'd eaten their fill, Shisui finally took out an envelope and tossed it to Baiyu.
"Here's your one million ryō."
"That much? Wasn't our mission B-Rank?"
Baiyu looked puzzled.
The village assigned different rewards based on a mission's rank.
S-Rank was the highest, and D-Rank the lowest.
D-Rank missions generally involved no fighting. They were mostly low-risk tasks like searching for something, helping people, or catching pets. The rewards ranged from 5,000 to 50,000 ryō.
C-Rank missions carried some risk of injury. They included moderately dangerous tasks such as guarding someone or capturing fugitives. The rewards ranged from 30,000 to 100,000 ryō.
B-Rank missions involved fighting between ninja. They were highly dangerous tasks, typically involving guarding, assassination, or reconnaissance. Rewards increased to around 80,000 to 200,000 ryō.
A-Rank missions involved battles between ninja forces—wars between at least two squads—and were extremely dangerous. The minimum reward was 150,000, and the maximum could reach one million.
S-Rank missions concerned important village affairs or national secrets. Their danger was unknown, and the reward started at one million, with no upper limit.
When Baiyu had been a Genin, the highest-ranked mission he'd ever taken was a C-Rank. He'd earned 10,000 ryō, which he'd used to renovate his bathroom.
"Based on all the intelligence we brought back, the village raised our mission from B-Rank to S-Rank. The bounty also went up to three million."
Shisui said with a smile.
"Take care!"
Baiyu pocketed the money and pointed toward the door.
If Shisui had handed over the money earlier, Baiyu wouldn't have let him inside at all.
"Uh...?"
He'd been about to say something and strengthen the bond with his subordinate, but Baiyu had already seen him out. He couldn't even be bothered with the empty courtesy of offering tea before showing him the door.
Patting his stomach, Shisui stood up.
"See you later, then. Get some rest tonight. We'll meet at the village entrance tomorrow at noon. There's a new mission."
"Bang!"
The answer Shisui got was the loud slam of the door.
After leaving Baiyu's house, the smile vanished from Shisui's face, replaced by a cold expression.
Ignoring the reverent looks from the clan members around him, he used the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared.
The Uchiha clan's center of power, the Uchiha Shrine, stood atop a small hill in the heart of the clan's territory.
Uchiha Shisui stood still, quietly gazing at the deserted street below.
"Night has fallen."
Inside the shrine, Uchiha Fugaku had been waiting for a long time.
"You're finally here."
"Clan Leader, Uchiha Shisui reporting for duty!"
Shisui knelt on one knee and listened quietly as the clan leader questioned him.
"What news is there from the village?"
"The village won't trust us for now. I tried to speak with Lord Hokage, but he wouldn't grant me an audience. Clan Leader! I recommend that we explain everything to the village. The Uchiha had nothing to do with the Nine-Tails Incident!"
"I tried. It didn't work. The village doesn't trust us! People saw the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes at the time. There were more than thirty witnesses, including some jonin. Unless we kill them all. Are you going to do that?"
Fugaku said coldly. He, too, had once tried to preserve the relationship between the clan and the village.
If the village leadership hadn't refused to negotiate, why would the Uchiha have chosen this path?
Shisui had no answer, so he fell silent.
"Keep trying to get close to the higher-ups. I'll relieve you of your post in the Police Force soon."
Fugaku said.
"Yes!"
Shisui bowed in reply, a trace of sorrow flashing in his eyes.
The war had only just ended, and the blood of old friends had barely cooled. Was another war about to break out, this time within the village?
"No. I absolutely won't let a war break out between the clan and the village! There has to be some way for the two sides to coexist!"
Shisui vowed silently. A Sharingan unlike the Three-Tomoe Sharingan appeared in his eyes. A resolute will radiated from him.
Changing the relationship between the village and the clan required a channel for communication. To fulfill the final request of the one who had died, Shisui was willing to give his life to improve the relationship between the two sides.
First, he had to meet the Hokage!
The Hokage wouldn't see him under ordinary circumstances, so Uchiha Shisui thought of a way.
S-Rank missions were issued personally by the Hokage. If he accepted and completed an S-Rank mission, he'd get to meet the Hokage.
(Author's note: This was supposed to be foreshadowing, but most readers didn't consider Shisui's strength and thought he wouldn't stand a chance of capturing Orochimaru... No one guessed he'd already awakened his Mangekyō. So I'll remind you up front: I'm stating it outright. Remember, at this point, the massacre is only three years away, and Shisui's death is just over two years away. It's perfectly reasonable that he'd awakened it by now. After all, when the Mangekyō Sharingan appeared, he could already use Susanoo. He could even use it with just one eye, which shows how skilled he was with Susanoo—he was far more talented than Obito. He's the only badass who could use Susanoo with one eye. And mastering the Mangekyō takes time, right? Two years is perfectly reasonable. P.S. The details about his awakening are based on the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm games.)
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