Stealing Leisure Amidst Busyness and Surging Undercurrents

Life requires a sense of ritual.

Baiyu returned home, washed his hands, cut the two jin of pork he had bought into large chunks, blanched them, and set them aside to drain.

Draining takes half an hour, time for a bath!

The Uchiha compound was located on the outskirts of the village, surrounded by a large lake, so there was no shortage of water.

There were hot spring houses on the street, but since they only operated at fixed times in the afternoon, Baiyu rarely went.

Thus, he had built a small bathroom in his home, complete with a bathtub.

Baiyu filled it with hot water and lay back comfortably, the exhaustion from a day of training fading by more than half.

After his bath, he changed into a kimono and began to process the meat he had marinated earlier.

He lit the fire, set the pot, and once it was hot, poured in oil to coat the bottom before adding cinnamon, bay leaves, and star anise.

These spices could be found in the Naruto World, though most ordinary people treated them as medicinal herbs for curing illnesses.

Ninjas were too busy fighting wars to pay attention to such trivial things.

Once the spices released their fragrance, he added the drained pork and stir-fried them together.

After the meat turned golden, he added sugar, soy sauce, and salt.

He stir-fried it until it took on color, then added water to submerge the meat and brought it to a boil over high heat.

Finally, he added ginger slices, red dates, and other supplements, simmering until the sauce thickened.

While the Naruto World had ginger and red dates, it lacked soy sauce, so Baiyu had to use amaranth juice to slightly deceive himself when coloring the dish.

The finished braised pork was a deep purple-red, its aroma hitting the nose.

Knock, knock, knock!

The meal was just ready when a knocking sound came from outside the door.

Baiyu frowned; who would come looking for him at this hour?

After a moment's thought, realizing it could be no one else, Baiyu set down his bowl and chopsticks and went to open the door.

"Wow, it smells so good! Baiyu, you can cook!? Can I come in?"

Shisui asked in surprise. Baiyu's house was not large: three rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom with a toilet, and a bedroom.

In the bedroom by the main entrance, there was a small table, and a futon spread out beside it served as a bed.

According to Japanese construction, it should be called tatami.

Apart from the entryway, the interior bedroom was made of tatami mats.

"Emmmm..."

Baiyu didn't really want to let Shisui inside, but considering he had come to deliver money—and a generous amount at that—he nodded and agreed to his request.

He took out a pair of straw sandals and handed them to Shisui.

"Come in."

Shisui walked into the room and sat upright before the small table, his gaze fixed intently on the bowl of braised pork.

Baiyu was worried he might activate his Mangekyo, so he hurriedly fetched another pair of bowl and chopsticks from the kitchen.

"Just got back from a mission and haven't eaten yet. Let's eat together!"

"So Baiyu-san is such a gentle person after all! Thank you, I won't stand on ceremony."

Shisui took the bowl and chopsticks, responding with a smile.

"..."

I'm only doing this for the sake of the money! You freeloader, have you forgotten something!!!

Baiyu shouted in his heart, but considering he probably couldn't beat Shisui in an arm-wrestling match, he kept it to himself.

"Wow! This is delicious. It's the first time I've eaten such good meat. Baiyu-san, if you opened a shop on the street, you'd definitely earn more than you do as a ninja!"

Shisui praised.

"???"

"Shisui, are you saying I have no future as a ninja?"

Baiyu couldn't help but question him; this guy was actually insulting his profession.

What did he mean by saying cooking was better than being a ninja!

"Isn't it? Baiyu, you've been a genin for so many years and still haven't been able to move out of the clan's public housing..."

Shisui mumbled, biting into a piece of meat.

"..."

Baiyu was speechless; training was truly an incredibly expensive endeavor.

After they were full, Shisui finally took out an envelope, tossed it to Baiyu, and said:

"This is your one million ryo."

"So much? Isn't the mission we're executing only B-rank?"

Baiyu asked, somewhat puzzled.

The village issued different rewards based on the rank of the mission.

The highest was S-rank, and the lowest was D-rank.

D-rank missions generally didn't involve combat; they were mostly low-risk tasks like searching for items, providing assistance, or capturing pets. The reward was around 5,000 to 50,000 ryo.

C-rank missions might involve a risk of injury, such as escorting or capturing fugitives, and were considered moderately dangerous. The reward was around 30,000 to 100,000 ryo.

B-rank missions involved combat between ninjas and were generally high-risk tasks like protection, assassination, or reconnaissance. The reward increased to around 80,000 to 200,000 ryo.

A-rank missions involved combat between ninja squads—at least two teams at war—and were extremely dangerous. The reward started at a minimum of 150,000 and could reach up to one million.

When Baiyu was a genin, the highest rank he had performed was a C-rank mission, earning him a 10,000 ryo bonus, which he used to renovate his bathroom.

"The village upgraded the B-rank mission to S-rank based on the various intelligence we brought back. The bounty has also been increased to three million."

Shisui said with a smile.

"Safe travels!"

Baiyu accepted the money and pointed toward the front door.

If Shisui had brought the money out earlier, he wouldn't have even let him into the house.

"Uh...?"

He had been prepared to say something more to win over his subordinate's favor, but he hadn't expected Baiyu to show him the door so directly; he couldn't even be bothered to go through the motions of serving tea to see a guest out.

Patting his stomach, Shisui stood up and said:

"See you later, then. Get some good rest tonight, and gather at the village gate tomorrow at noon. There's a new mission."

"Bang!"

The response Shisui received was the sound of a door slamming shut.

Leaving Baiyu's home, the smile on Shisui's face faded, and his expression returned to a cold, stoic mask.

Ignoring the reverent gazes of the clansmen around him, he vanished from the spot using the Body Flicker Technique.

The center of power for the Uchiha, the Uchiha Shrine, was located on a small hill in the heart of the clan's territory.

Uchiha Shisui stood in place, quietly watching the silent streets below the mountain for a while.

"The night is deep."

Inside the shrine, Uchiha Fugaku had been waiting for a long time.

"You've finally come."

"Clan Leader, Uchiha Shisui reporting for duty!"

Shisui knelt on one knee, quietly waiting for the clan leader's inquiry.

"Is there any news from the village?"

"The village will not trust us for the time being. I tried to speak with the Hokage, but I was not granted an audience. Clan Leader! I suggest we explain things clearly to the village—the Nine-Tails incident has nothing to do with the Uchiha!"

"I tried, but it didn't work. The village doesn't trust us! At the time, someone saw a Three-Tomoe Sharingan in the eyes of the Nine-Tails. There are no fewer than thirty witnesses, including jonin. Unless we kill them all. Are you going to do it?"

Fugaku said coldly. He, too, had once tried to salvage the relationship between the clan and the village.

If the village leadership hadn't refused to negotiate, how could the Uchiha have chosen this path!

Shisui was speechless and could only remain silent.

"Continue to get close to the high-ranking officials. I will be relieving you of your position in the Police Force soon!"

Fugaku said.

"Yes!"

Shisui bowed his head in response, a trace of sorrow flashing in his eyes.

The war had just passed, the blood of old friends had not yet gone cold, and now, was it going to erupt within the village itself?

No, I will absolutely not let this war between the clan and the village happen! There must be a way for the two to coexist!

Shisui swore to himself, and a pair of eyes, distinct from the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, appeared in his sockets. A firm resolve emanated from Shisui.

To change the relationship between the village and the clan, a channel of communication was needed. To fulfill the final entrustment of those who had died, Shisui was willing to use his life to improve the relationship between the two.

First, he had to meet the Hokage!

Under normal circumstances, the Hokage wouldn't see him, but Uchiha Shisui thought of a way.

S-rank missions were issued personally by the Hokage, so by accepting and completing an S-rank mission, he would be able to see the Hokage.