The Unpalatable Lunch

At this moment, Kushina was at home waiting for Naruto and Menma to return. She had agreed with the two of them that morning that they would bring Kakashi over for a meal.

The house was filled with the aroma of food, and the dining table was already laden with a spread of dishes that looked quite tempting. Kushina sat at the table, her eyes darting from the feast to the doorway from time to time. Outside, the sun was shining brightly, casting patches of light onto the floor through the windows.

"What is going on with Naruto and Menma? Why aren't they back yet? The food is going to get cold," Kushina couldn't help but complain.

"We're back!" Just then, the door opened and Naruto called out. He took off his shoes in the entryway and walked into the house.

Kushina's eyes lit up, and she hurried to get up and head toward the entryway.

"You're finally back. Come and eat before the food gets cold," Kushina said with a motherly smile, but suddenly, her gaze fell upon Menma, who was being carried on Kakashi's back.

"What happened to Menma?" Kushina asked urgently.

"Menma exhausted too much chakra during his training. He just needs to rest for a while," Kakashi replied.

"Oh, that boy. Just put him on the sofa and you two come and eat," Kushina said as she turned and walked toward the dining table.

Naruto felt a bit strange, but he didn't think too much about it and walked over to the table to sit down. He looked at the dishes on the table; while they looked decent enough, he had no idea what they actually tasted like.

After Kakashi placed Menma on the sofa, he also came to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

Kushina sat opposite them and said, "Eat up, you must be hungry."

"Itadakimasu," the two said in unison. Naruto scanned the table first and reached his chopsticks toward the fish, which looked pretty good. However, after trying for a long time, he couldn't manage to pick up a piece of fish meat. Seeing this, Kakashi used his chopsticks to help, but when the fish was torn open, both of them were stunned.

"This fish doesn't seem to be cooked..." Kakashi said tentatively.

"Huh? Really? Let me see." Kushina leaned in for a closer look and discovered that while the outside of the fish was cooked, the inside was still raw. Embarrassed, she took the fish away, intending to re-process it.

The two exchanged glances and looked at the other dishes on the table, feeling in their hearts that the rest probably weren't much better.

At this point, Kakashi reached his chopsticks toward a plate of greens and put some into his mouth. Instantly, his expression turned painful. Besides being excessively salty, the dish had a bitter aftertaste, as if the old leaves hadn't been removed during preparation.

Naruto stood up, picked up a ladle, scooped some soup into a bowl, and took a sip. His expression became incredibly vivid; the taste of the soup was bizarre, a mix of bitter, astringent, sour, and spicy. It couldn't simply be described as bad—it was practically impossible to swallow.

Watching Naruto's expression, Kakashi swallowed hard and scooped up a spoonful of soup to taste it himself. His face immediately turned ghastly; he felt his entire body resisting the soup, but he forced himself to swallow it anyway. The moment it went down, his stomach began to churn.

The process of eating was like suffering through torture, and they looked at each other with bitter smiles. At this moment, Kakashi finally understood why Naruto and Menma complained about Kushina's cooking; the title of "King of Dark Cuisine" was truly well-deserved.

Just then, Menma, who had been lying on the sofa, woke up. He sat up and looked around with a dazed expression. The surroundings were extremely quiet, save for the ticking of the clock on the wall.

Hearing the commotion, Kakashi and Naruto looked back. Upon seeing that Menma was awake, they hurriedly stood up and pulled him over to the dining table.

Naruto scooped a spoonful of soup and handed it to Menma with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Menma, hurry and taste Auntie Kushina's cooking," Naruto said with a smile.

Menma felt something was off and was hesitating whether to drink it when Kushina walked over with the fish.

"Menma, you're awake. Come and eat something." Kushina placed the re-processed fish on the table and sat down.

Menma looked at the bowl of soup in front of him, then at Kushina, and finally turned to look at Naruto and Kakashi. He swallowed hard, thinking he might as well just get it over with.

"Well then... I... will begin." After saying this, Menma picked up the bowl and downed the soup in one go.

Naruto and Kakashi watched Menma, feeling as though he were undergoing a life-or-death trial.

Menma thought to himself that a short pain was better than a long one. After putting down the bowl, before he could even comment, the aftertaste surged up. He had never tasted such a flavor before; it was indescribably difficult to swallow, and the aftertaste was incredibly potent.

Menma quickly composed himself, and the three of them tacitly reached their chopsticks toward the plate of fish. This time, the fish wasn't like before; it was indeed thoroughly cooked.

All three of them put a piece of fish into their mouths, and instantly, their faces twitched involuntarily. Although the fish was cooked, the taste was very strange—not exactly good, not exactly bad, and one couldn't even taste the flavor of the fish itself.

Kushina was truly a "genius" when it came to cooking; to be able to turn fish into a dish with absolutely no flavor was likely a feat no one else could accomplish.

Kushina looked at the three of them with a strange expression and asked, "What's wrong? Is it that bad?"

The three of them shook their heads in a hurry.

"It's delicious! It's so good!" Naruto said first.

"Yes, yes, I've never eaten such delicious fish before," Menma added.

"Mm, it is indeed very delicious," Kakashi agreed as well.

However, whether it was actually good or not, only they knew in their hearts.

By now, the three of them didn't know which dish to try next, as they felt that none of the food was likely to be any good.

Menma quickly scanned the dishes on the table and saw a bowl of something that looked rather peculiar. With a sense of experimentation, he picked up a piece. It turned out to be a chicken leg, but the sugar glaze on the outside had burned, making it look pitch black.

Menma took a bite and realized it was a chicken leg. After tasting it carefully, he found that aside from the burnt, bitter outer layer, the flavor was actually not bad.

Seeing that Menma's expression wasn't too pained, Naruto and Kakashi also picked up a piece to try. After one bite, they discovered that aside from the bitter outer layer, the taste was acceptable.

This dish was one Kushina had prepared exactly according to a cookbook; it was only because she hadn't mastered the heat and timing that the sugar on the outside had burned.

Seeing this, Kushina wore a satisfied expression. She knew that not every dish she made could be delicious, but as long as a few were decent, she was satisfied. This was her current standard for her own cooking.

Menma then cast his gaze toward a plate of carrots. The carrots were chopped unevenly—some big, some small, some thin, some thick—and mixed with corn kernels and peas.

Menma scooped up a spoonful and ate it. He discovered that the thicker carrots weren't cooked through, but fortunately, carrots could be eaten raw, so he didn't pay it much mind.

And so, the three of them spent quite a bit of time on this meal. After finishing, they sat on the sofa with pained expressions on their faces, while Kushina washed the dishes in the kitchen.

"How was it, Kakashi-sensei? The taste wasn't bad, right?" Menma asked, teasing Kakashi.

"Ah, yes. It's not often one gets to have a lunch like this," Kakashi replied, though anyone with eyes could hear the hidden meaning in his words.

"Since it was delicious, you should come again next time." Menma looked at Kakashi with a grin; his invitation seemed sincere, but hidden motives lurked beneath.

"I'd better not disturb you all." Kakashi declined Menma's seemingly "kind" offer.

"Do you have any plans for the afternoon?" Naruto asked at this moment, wanting to know what they should do.

"I'm too tired right now and don't want to go out. I plan on getting some sleep first," Menma said.

"Then I'll go find Shikamaru and the others to hang out this afternoon." After saying this, Naruto prepared to head out.

"Go ahead, I'll come find you later." Menma finished speaking and prepared to head upstairs to sleep.

"I should be going as well." Kakashi stood up, but just as he was about to leave, Kushina stopped him.

"Kakashi, wait a moment. I have something to discuss with you."

Hearing this, Kakashi pulled back the foot he had just moved to leave, sat back down, and said, "Alright."

With that, he sat down to wait for whatever Kushina had in store.

After Naruto left to find Shikamaru and the others, Menma went upstairs to sleep, and once Kushina finished washing the dishes, she came over and sat down beside Kakashi.

"Kakashi, do you remember when we used to go on missions together? The Fourth was still with us back then." Kushina began to reminisce about the past.

"Of course I remember, Senior. In those days, we were all full of vitality and fighting spirit. Looking back now, those are very precious memories," Kakashi replied earnestly.

"That is why, Kakashi, I hope you will continue to mentor Naruto and Menma. I can feel that they really enjoy being with you," Kushina said.

"Rest assured, Senior. I will do everything in my power to teach them. Both Naruto and Menma have great potential; as long as they persevere, they will surely become remarkable ninjas!" Kakashi answered with conviction.

"I see how excellent these two children are, especially Menma. He gives me the feeling that he doesn't quite fit in with the other children, and I'm afraid he might feel lonely or put too much pressure on himself," Kushina continued, her face full of worry.

"Don't worry, Senior. Menma is indeed different from the other children. He is more gifted, works harder, and is more mature than his peers. Children like Menma are rare, but please rest assured, Senior—Menma is cheerful and has other friends as well," Kakashi responded.

"Indeed, the child is too outstanding, even more so than his father was back in the day. I wonder just how far he will grow," Kushina marveled.