He's Just a Cook!

It was not until Uchiha Natsume saw Uchiha Sasuke and Susanoo walking out of the room, chatting and laughing, that he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed that this terrifying fellow was someone Sasuke knew.

Furthermore, judging by the way they interacted, their relationship did not seem too bad.

Only after Sasuke and Susanoo disappeared from his line of sight did Uchiha Natsume manage to recover his composure.

He immediately activated the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from the spot.

Inside Fugaku Uchiha's study.

"A mysterious powerhouse!?"

"Are you saying that there is a mysterious powerhouse following Sasuke?"

Fugaku Uchiha looked puzzled.

One had to know that during this period, Uchiha Sasuke had been in the village the entire time.

And Uchiha Natsume was familiar with basically everyone in the village.

If one were to speak of a mysterious powerhouse... could it be someone from another village?

To be able to bypass the barrier and evade the perception of everyone in the Uchiha Clan to reach Uchiha Sasuke's room.

And if Uchiha Natsume hadn't seen it, no one would have discovered it even now...

Why would Sasuke be in contact with a powerhouse of that caliber?!

"Yes, the direction they were heading in should be the kitchen."

"Clan Leader, if possible, it would be best to go and take a look."

Uchiha Natsume remained very worried.

That terrifying killing intent, that overbearing pressure...

Even now, without having to face that person, Uchiha Natsume still felt a lingering fear.

"I understand."

"I will go and take a look."

Fugaku Uchiha stood up and headed toward the kitchen.

At this hour, other than thinking that Sasuke was hungry and looking for food, he had no other information.

Soon, Fugaku Uchiha, accompanied by Uchiha Natsume, Uchiha Nagasawa, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Shisui, arrived at the kitchen together.

When they were about ten meters away, a fragrant scent wafted into their nostrils.

"This is... someone is cooking?!"

Uchiha Nagasawa said, even swallowing his saliva exaggeratedly.

Ninjas naturally had high energy consumption, and they all practiced chakra refinement during their evening rest.

At this hour, they were already hungry.

"It should be."

"Natsume, did you really see a terrifying existence?"

At this moment, Fugaku Uchiha was already beginning to suspect that this was just a cook Sasuke had found somewhere.

That fragrance...

"Father?"

"Big Brother?"

"Big Brother Shisui, Lord Nagasawa, Lord Natsume..."

"Why have you all come here?"

At this moment, Uchiha Sasuke walked out carrying a bowl of rice.

As he spoke, he took a few mouthfuls.

"Sasuke, Captain Natsume said he discovered a strange powerhouse in the house, so I..."

"Are you all here because you need to eat as well?"

Before Fugaku Uchiha could finish, Susanoo walked out.

He was wearing an apron and holding a ladle in his hand.

He didn't look at all like the murderous, terrifyingly oppressive figure Uchiha Natsume had described...

For a moment, Fugaku Uchiha looked at Uchiha Natsume, who was standing to the side, with some embarrassment.

The others also shifted their gazes toward Natsume.

"Uh..."

"Well... I was indeed hungry, so perhaps my perception was mistaken."

"Sasuke, could you give me some to eat as well?"

Uchiha Natsume scratched his head with a sheepish grin, then changed the subject.

How embarrassing.

He was a dignified captain of the Uchiha Military Police Force, an elite jonin of Konoha!

To think he had been intimidated by a mere cook.

Although, this cook did look rather formidable.

"That's fine."

"Susanoo, I leave it to you."

"Use whatever ingredients you need; we all need to eat something."

Sasuke agreed readily.

"Understood!"

Susanoo wore a confident expression as he ducked back into the kitchen to start cooking.

The group moved to the living room nearby.

"Sasuke, did you hire this chef?"

"Do you know his background?"

"Could there be any danger?"

Uchiha Itachi looked worried.

"Mr. Susanoo is a professional chef!"

"You'll understand once you taste his cooking."

As Sasuke spoke, he lowered his head and dove into his meal.

Fried rice like this had to be eaten while it was piping hot, or it wouldn't taste as good.

Soon, a table full of dishes was served.

Watching Sasuke tuck in with such gusto, the others picked up their chopsticks as well.

Is it really that good?

This was the doubt in everyone's mind.

Of course, that doubt vanished the very next moment.

"Itachi, didn't you just say Mr. Susanoo was a bad person? Slow down."

"Shisui, where is your composure?"

"Natsume, be polite; this is a meal prepared by the chef my son found."

"Anyway, keep arguing, I'm going to eat first."

All suspicions dissipated once Susanoo produced such delicious food.

How could someone who possessed such superb culinary skills be a bad person?

Besides, if he were a villain, they should have already died from eating poisoned food by now.

"Sasuke, now that we have Mr. Susanoo, what about the cook..."

"The lady is very kind too, let's keep her on."

"Let her handle the cooking when we eat at home, and when I go out on missions, I'll have Mr. Susanoo accompany me."

Sasuke said with a smile.

Looking at Sasuke's innocent demeanor, Fugaku Uchiha was convinced that this was nothing out of the ordinary.

After exchanging a few simple words with Sasuke, he left.

Back in his room, Sasuke let out a sigh of relief.

He had been so excited earlier that he had forgotten this was the Uchiha Compound!

Moreover, he had ninjas protecting him at all times.

Susanoo's identity had finally been hidden, at least for now.

"Susanoo, have you been in human form ever since you were released?"

"Can you still turn back into that Vortex Orb state from before?"

Sasuke asked with curiosity.

"I can."

"However, releasing it again will consume the user's energy repeatedly."

"Under normal circumstances, frequent release is not recommended."

Susanoo provided his answer.

"Is that so?"

"Then let's revert to the state of the Vortex Orb for now."

"You aren't of much use following me right now, and I don't currently need to face the kind of trouble that requires your presence."

Sasuke pondered for a moment before deciding to retract Susanoo.

Such a unique existence would inevitably draw the attention of the higher-ups.

"Very well!"

Susanoo nodded, then transformed directly into a Vortex Orb and dropped into Sasuke's hand.

Sasuke found a piece of string, threaded it through the Vortex Orb, and wore it on his person.

After finishing these preparations, morning had already arrived.

"Naruto, let's go."

"It's time to participate in the trial."

Sasuke woke Naruto up, who was still lingering in bed, and the two went to eat breakfast together before heading toward the school.