"Naruto, Naruto, what are we having for dinner tonight?"
Ino propped her chin in both hands, gazing blankly at Naruto as he prepared the ingredients. Men really were-ah, no, boys really were at their most handsome when they were concentrating.
Naruto glanced at Ino without answering her question, then looked over the ingredients the three of them had brought, figuring out what to cook.
Shikamaru and Choji had both brought chicken, while Ino had brought seafood. Naruto already had a plan: he would make chicken hot pot from that world. Back then, he had often seen people going out to eat it. It tasted good and was extremely popular with men and women of all ages. Having made up his mind, Naruto sped up his prep work.
"Hey, you three, wash those vegetables over there."
Aside from Ino occasionally knowing to lend him a hand, Shikamaru and Choji wanted to do nothing but wait for dinner. That wouldn't do. All of you, get over here and work.
With the three of them helping, the cooking took very little time. By the time the rice was finally brought to the table, Ino and the others were completely won over by Naruto's cooking. The presentation alone was something the restaurants in Konoha couldn't replicate.
Add in the tantalizing aromas wafting over now and then, and their mouths watered.
"All right, dig in."
"Thanks for the food." ×3
"Hiss, so spicy, so spicy!"
"It's so good!"
The moment the food entered their mouths, it stunned them. The flavor was simply too exciting for their taste buds. For certain unmentionable reasons, their diet was relatively bland, so tasting food this flavorful for the first time was bound to go to their heads.
Even gulping down water because of the heat didn't stop their chopsticks from frantically grabbing more food.
Naruto merely smiled at the sight. See? Just a little display of my skills, and these kids who haven't seen anything are already like this. China's culinary culture is vast and profound, you know.
Chicken hot pot originated in places such as Chuzhou in Naruto's previous life. With its rich red color, mellow flavor, and smooth, tender, refreshing texture, paired with the vegetables inside, it was the kind of dish people never grew tired of eating.
Even in his previous life, chicken hot pot had possessed an irresistible appeal. Those people were bombarded with delicious food every day, unlike the people in the current world of Naruto, who had barely encountered fine food at all. That went double for these little brats. What good food had they ever eaten?
As everyone knew, spiciness was a sensation of pain. Capsaicin produced a burning sensation, stimulating the tongue and causing the body to produce substances called endorphins and dopamine. Eating spicy food therefore made people feel happy, which was why some people couldn't enjoy a meal without spice and grew more addicted the more they ate.
The pleasant dinner ended just like that. Ino and the others took the initiative to clear away and wash the bowls and chopsticks, then left of their own accord.
"Bye, Naruto."
"See you tomorrow, Naruto."
"We'll come again next time."
After closing the door, Naruto felt thoroughly exhausted by the evening. He hadn't expected those three to actually come mooch a meal.
That night, when bedtime arrived, Naruto's consciousness entered his system again, and he began completing his daily Naruto tasks. Since the system hadn't unlocked many features yet, he didn't need to set an alarm to fight Heaven and Earth every Wednesday, nor did he need to participate in Fortress Battles and Organization Championship at nine thirty on Friday and Saturday nights.
All in all, Naruto was currently forced to take things very casually.
After another round in the arena, Naruto drifted off to sleep.
With a new day, Naruto began his daily routine again. What he lacked most right now was time, yet time was also what he had the most of. He needed time to improve his combat power. Faced with everything the future held, he felt a strong sense of urgency, but that future was still far away. There was plenty of time left, and he still had ample time to build himself up.
It was an unremarkable day. Watching Iruka gradually lose his composure at the front of the classroom, Naruto was, unsurprisingly, invited to leave. Once he was outside, he headed home without a second thought. He had already been kicked out of the classroom, so why bother attending class?
"Home, home. Time to go home and play ranked."
No one knew Naruto had already gone home. As far as they were concerned, he should have been obediently waiting outside the classroom door, ready for a lecture from Iruka-sensei when class ended.
Naruto scoffed at that. I've been kicked out of the classroom, so that means the teacher's given me time off. Watch me give these sheltered good little kids a small shock.
Sure enough, when the bell rang, Iruka first took a deep breath. He was afraid Naruto might make him pass out from anger.
"Naruto Uzumaki, come in."
But no one outside responded. Iruka frowned, displeased. Had Naruto Uzumaki fallen asleep standing outside?
"Naruto Uzumaki, get in here. Your classmates are all waiting for you. It isn't my time you're wasting, it's the whole class's."
Still, no one outside the classroom answered Iruka. There were only the sounds of students from other classes laughing and playing during their break, without the slightest sound from Naruto. Iruka was baffled. Is Naruto giving me the cold shoulder? He also found it ridiculous. Naruto seemed quite mature, yet here he was doing something so childish.
Iruka smiled involuntarily, finding himself a little ridiculous as well. Why am I getting into a contest with a child? He walked to the door and knocked, signaling for Naruto to come in.
"Ahem, Naruto Uzumaki, I know you're embarrassed. Come on in."
But aside from the voices of students from other classes, there wasn't a sound from Naruto outside. Puzzled, Iruka opened the door and looked out. That familiar yellow figure was nowhere to be seen.
"Strange. Where's Naruto Uzumaki?"
Iruka spent a long time looking up and down the corridor without finding Naruto. He could only dismiss his class first, then go outside to search for him.
Only after asking the old man guarding the gate did he learn where Naruto had gone.
"Sir, could I ask you something?"
The white-bearded old man at the gate glanced at Iruka. Seeing that he was a teacher, he finally spoke in an indifferent tone.
"Go ahead. What is it?"
"Sir, did you see a blond kid sneak out during class today?"
"Sneak out? Didn't you say you'd given him time off and told him to go home?"
Hearing that, Iruka immediately understood everything. He had clearly meant to punish Naruto Uzumaki, yet the boy had actually sneaked home, and had even used Iruka's name to do it. Iruka's expression visibly darkened.
He turned and left, heading straight for the Hokage's office. He couldn't stand another day of this job.