Mandarin Duck Hot Pot

Shi Xiu gently stroked Haku's soft hair and said, "Haku, go help out as well and get those vegetables prepped."

"Understood, sir!" Haku nodded obediently and headed out the door. Shi Xiu remained in the room, rummaging through cabinets and boxes.

Before long, with a loud "clatter," Shi Xiu shouted in excitement, "Haha, finally found it!"

He pulled out a large, strangely shaped pot, its interior split right down the middle by a thick, solid iron plate.

Shi Xiu stared at the pot, his face beaming with joy as he muttered to himself, "Oh my, it's been so long since I've had a Mandarin Duck Pot. I'm truly looking forward to this."

Sure enough, just as Shi Xiu had said, the "grand feast" he was preparing today was none other than a Mandarin Duck hot pot from Blue Star.

A happy smile spread across Shi Xiu's face, and he called out, "System, are you there?"

"I am here, Host." The system's familiar electronic voice rang out, though for some reason, it seemed to carry a hint of indescribable exasperation.

"Hehehe!" Upon hearing the system's response, Shi Xiu hurriedly set down the Mandarin Duck Pot.

Rubbing his hands together with a wide, ingratiating grin, Shi Xiu asked, "System, do you have any more hot pot base?"

Back when Shi Xiu had first transmigrated into the Hokage world, he had missed the taste of Blue Star hot pot terribly.

At the time, he couldn't find any hot pot base at all, but just as he was feeling distressed, the system had suddenly provided him with a massive bag of it.

Even now, Shi Xiu remembered how Hashirama and Madara had scrambled around in agony after eating the spicy hot pot.

... The system remained silent as usual, as if it were completely ignoring Shi Xiu's request.

However, Shi Xiu had no intention of giving up so easily; he was determined to eat hot pot today no matter what!

And so, Shi Xiu began a relentless campaign of pestering the system.

After his persistent efforts, a loud "bang" echoed through the air as a massive crate descended from the sky, slamming directly into Shi Xiu's expectant face.

The impact was significant, nearly sending Shi Xiu stumbling to the ground.

"Shut up!" The system's cold, electronic voice snapped, the anger and speechlessness practically dripping from its tone.

Shi Xiu rubbed his aching cheek, muttering to himself, "This system really has a terrible temper. Among all the systems transmigrators have, this one has to be the most difficult to deal with."

Still, Shi Xiu didn't truly hold it against the system.

After all, they had been together for over a hundred years; after such a long time, they knew each other's temperaments inside and out.

Besides, even if he did mind, what could he do? It wasn't as if they could part ways, could they? That was clearly impossible!

Shi Xiu steadied himself, then bent down to slowly open the large crate.

Upon seeing the contents, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, System, you're too good! Not only is there hot pot base, but there's even alcohol! Hehe, maybe I should try barbecue next time."

Shi Xiu carried the pot and the hot pot base out to the courtyard, where Minato and the others watched with confusion as he brought out such a bizarre-looking vessel.

Just then, Nara Luling walked over slowly, leading Kakashi.

When Obito caught a glimpse of Kakashi, his body trembled involuntarily. Like a child caught doing something wrong, he quickly lowered his head, not daring to meet Kakashi's gaze.

Naturally, Kakashi noticed Obito's subtle reaction.

Kakashi walked steadily to Obito's side, picked up a handful of fresh vegetables, and began to sort and clean them with practiced movements.

"Obito!" Kakashi didn't look up, but he called out the name softly, his tone as calm as water. "Are you alright?"

Hearing Kakashi's question, Obito hesitated for a moment before giving a soft, "Mm..."

In truth, Obito and Rin had discussed the various reactions Kakashi might have upon seeing him.

But now that the moment had arrived, Obito felt somewhat lost and bewildered, completely unsure of how to face his former companion.

Meanwhile, Nara Luling's gaze swept across the crowd and suddenly fixed on Haku, who was dressed in men's clothing.

Seeing Haku's attire, Nara Luling couldn't help but feel suspicious; her brows furrowed, and her eyes remained locked on Haku.

Shortly after, Nara Luling walked toward the food preparation area and joined the others.

However, even while busy preparing the ingredients, her gaze drifted toward Haku from time to time.

Just then, Minato, who had been silently observing everything from the side, keenly sensed that the atmosphere was subtly off.

He nudged Kushina beside him with his elbow, signaling her to pay attention to the slightly strange situation.

Kushina looked up at Minato with a hint of annoyance, having already noticed the atmosphere herself.

"It's fine, just talk to Obito and Kakashi after we eat," Kushina whispered to Minato. "Now focus on picking the vegetables."

Meanwhile, on the other side, Shi Xiu was carefully carrying the Mandarin Duck Pot toward the center of the courtyard.

After gently placing the pot on the ground, he focused his mind and quickly formed a series of hand seals.

"Earth Style: Earth Platform!"

As soon as he spoke, a slight tremor occurred, and a small, exquisite stove made of earth and stone appeared before Shi Xiu.

This sudden display caught the attention of Minato and the others who were busy working.

They stopped what they were doing in unison, looking toward Shi Xiu with curiosity.

Shi Xiu, unaware of the gazes fixed upon him, focused entirely on placing the Mandarin Duck Pot securely onto the newly formed stove.

He then picked up a bucket of water he had prepared earlier and poured it into the pot until the water level nearly reached the rim.

Shi Xiu then pulled a fragrant packet of hot pot base from the box and tossed the entire thing into the pot without a moment's hesitation.

After finishing these steps, Shi Xiu seemed to suddenly recall something; he turned his head and asked Minato and the others with a smile, "Hmm... I wonder if any of you can't handle spicy food?"

To Shi Xiu's surprise, however, Minato and the others all raised their hands one after another.

Faced with this situation, Shi Xiu couldn't help but shake his head helplessly, though he quickly regained his composure.

Fortunately, he had this Mandarin Duck Pot, which could satisfy the different taste preferences of everyone at the same time.

Thus, Shi Xiu quickly poured the bright red, pungent spicy hot pot base into one side of the Mandarin Duck Pot, while adding the sweet and tangy tomato hot pot base to the other.

Next, in order to ignite the firewood piled up beneath the stove, Shi Xiu performed a ninjutsu once more.

Shi Xiu took a deep breath, steadied his focus, formed hand seals, and shouted, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

In an instant, a scorching stream of flames erupted from Shi Xiu's mouth, striking the pile of wood inside the stove with pinpoint accuracy, and the roaring fire ignited immediately.

After finishing this, Shi Xiu used Wood Style to create several chairs and a wooden table with a hollow center.

Shi Xiu looked back at Minato and the others and asked, "How are the ingredients coming along?"

Hearing Shi Xiu's inquiry, Minato and the others immediately quickened their pace, picking, washing, and chopping the vegetables.

Soon, the vegetables and meat were all prepared. Shi Xiu coated his hands with chakra to lift the hot pot, instructed Minato to place the hollowed-out wooden table over the stove, and then set the hot pot back onto the stove.

Minato and the others brought the prepared ingredients to the table. Looking at the strange-shaped Mandarin Duck Pot, Minato asked with some confusion, "Lord Shi Xiu, what kind of pot is this?"

Shi Xiu smiled and explained, "This is a Mandarin Duck Pot, a type of hot pot. It's much livelier to eat hot pot with a crowd."

Minato and the others looked at the large pot before them, only half-understanding; they had eaten hot pot before, but they had certainly never seen one like this.

Seeing that the hot pot had begun to bubble and boil, Shi Xiu returned to his room to retrieve bowls and chopsticks, handing them out to Minato and the others one by one.

Shi Xiu picked up a piece of meat, dipped it into the spicy side of the pot, and began to count silently in his heart.

After counting to ten, he lifted the meat out; the thin slice was slightly curled and coated in chili oil.

Shi Xiu put the meat into his mouth, and the familiar flavor exploded across his taste buds, causing him to squint his eyes in enjoyment.

Seeing this, Minato and the others swallowed hard, all looking at Shi Xiu with impatience.

Shi Xiu smiled and gestured, "Don't just stare at me, dig in. Oh, and Obito, release Yagura. It doesn't hurt to have one extra pair of chopsticks."

Obito, who had just been about to pick up a piece of meat, had no choice but to put down his chopsticks and walk to the side.

"Kamui!"

As the space around Obito's eye twisted, a figure appeared in the clearing.