"What are you laughing at?"
"Hm? Did I laugh? No, you must have seen wrong."
Gekko Chizan quickly wiped the smile off his face, but the three people in front of him weren't buying it. All of them stared at him with wide eyes.
"You definitely laughed! And it was such a pervy laugh too!"
"Hmph! I really don't get it. How could someone like you have such an adorable student? God, the heavens are so unfair."
Yahiko suddenly thought of Yugito. Such a cute little girl... how did she end up with a teacher like this? Life was too hard, really too hard.
Gekko Chizan's mouth twitched violently. His hands couldn't help but form the Tiger seal.
Seeing that gesture, Yahiko's hair stood on end. His alertness shot to the max, afraid that Gekko Chizan was about to do something shady.
Just then, an unhappy shout came from outside.
"Somebody come help me out here! Are you trying to work me to death?"
"Stupid teacher! Get out here and cook! I want barbecue!"
Only then did Gekko Chizan release the Tiger seal. He gave Yahiko a vicious glare before standing up and walking out. After all, as a qualified teacher, it was time for him to cook.
Well, the truth was... he just didn't trust Yahiko and the others' cooking skills. He didn't want to end up dying from eating their food.
When Yahiko's group saw Gekko Chizan stand up to leave, they were a little stunned. They'd heard Yugito's voice too.
Could it be... this guy could actually cook?
Seriously? Over the years, most of what they ate was barbecue and rice balls—because no one knew how to cook real meals. That stuff was too hard.
When Yugito returned, all nine people in the team—including Yahiko's group—stepped out of the house.
In the middle of the camp lay piles of game: rabbits, deer, and... three big birds?
"Yugito, I can accept the rabbits and the deer, but what's with the three big birds?"
Gekko Chizan looked at the three owls with broken necks, his mouth twitching.
It wasn't that he minded the owls. He'd seen The Walking Dead—he knew these Scottish round-faced chickens were edible.
"Saw them, so I grabbed them."
"I kind of want to eat chicken wings. Even if they're owls, the taste should be similar, right?"
Yugito licked her lips as she stared at the three owls. Back when they were in Bird Country, she ate a ton of barbecue chicken wings.
She really, really loved chicken wings.
"My god, you got all this yourself?"
"This forest may have lots of animals, but they're super alert. How did you even manage this?"
"And you're so small too?"
Akashige was the first to voice his amazement. As the best hunter in the squad, he always handled the food supply himself.
He knew better than anyone how hard it was to hunt in this forest. Even he had to work at it.
But Yugito was gone for how long? And she already caught all this?
Facing Akashige's astonishment, Yugito proudly puffed out her chest.
"It's just hunting. What's so hard about that?"
"I was just being lazy. Otherwise, I would've brought you bear paws today."
Gekko Chizan was speechless. He grabbed Yugito by the scruff of the neck and tossed her aside.
Others might not know, but he sure did. As a Jinchūriki, once you make a pact with the Tailed Beast inside you, you can use some of its power—like Chōmei's wings.
And as the Two-Tails' Jinchūriki, her gift was smell and agility. With her super sense of smell, hunting was as easy as breathing for Yugito.
"Alright, are you cooking or not?"
"Looking at you, I doubt you can make anything tasty."
"Step aside. Yugito, get all my seasonings ready."
Yugito's eyes instantly lit up as she rushed to prepare the spices for Gekko Chizan.
This move left Yahiko and the others stunned. They thought: No way... this guy actually knows how to cook?
"Is there a river nearby?"
"Yes! I saw one while I was hunting earlier."
"Take me there. You—Akashige, right? Come too. We need extra hands with all this meat."
Gekko Chizan was ready to start preparing the rabbits, the deer... and yes, the three Scottish round-faced chickens too.
But first, he needed a river. It wouldn't do to make a mess all over the place.
Soon, Gekko Chizan headed toward the river with Yugito and Akashige, leaving the others behind, dumbfounded.
"Yahiko, he really looks like he can cook..."
"Yeah, maybe dinner will actually taste good tonight. At least better than what Akashige makes."
"Right? Every time it's the same bland meat. Ugh, it's killing me."
Hearing their teammates' chatter, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan exchanged glances, all seeing the same shock in each other's eyes.
After all, as a ninja, being strong was easy. But cooking... that was too hard.
Gekko Chizan was teaching them what it meant to be a true all-rounder.
When the smell of barbecue began drifting through the air, Yahiko and the others were completely conquered by Gekko Chizan.
[Ding! Sensed that the host has used delicious food to tempt Yahiko and the others, letting them feel your strength. Special reward: a recipe book.]
In the middle of grilling meat, Gekko Chizan froze.
As the recipe downloaded straight into his mind, his mouth twitched so hard it almost left afterimages.
His system was getting more and more ridiculous. What kind of rewards were these?
Last time it was that weird curse thing... and now a recipe book? Seriously?
Waiting for good food always felt endless. Even though it was just barbecue, Yahiko and the others felt like they'd been waiting for a century.
"Alright, eat up..."
"Hey, hey, hey! That deer leg's mine!! And the rabbit leg too!!"
Before Gekko Chizan even moved, nine figures rammed into him.
Including Konan, all nine of them pounced on the food like they hadn't eaten in days—like a pack of starving wolves.
Even Yugito was stunned.
"Ahh! My chicken wings! Get off!"
"...Hands off my meat!"
Soon, Gekko Chizan and Yugito joined the fray too.
They had no idea that, not far away, two figures were standing on a branch, watching everything.
Those crimson Sharingan eyes were locked on the camp.
"That's Gekko Chizan..."
"What's he doing here...?"
It was Uchiha Makito speaking. Beside him stood none other than Zetsu.
"No idea... but from the looks of it, he seems pretty close to them..."
"And that red-haired one... he's the Rinnegan wielder..."
"He's your target..."