Chapter 143: The Apron and the Kimono
Hoshikawa walked into the kitchen. Kurenai Yuhi had changed into an apron, and the light on her made her skin look as white as snow. Hoshikawa 's eyes fell on her exposed, smooth, and fair legs. The curves of her legs were straight and flawless, all the way down to her bare feet.
"First, we'll start with... what are you looking at?" Kurenai turned around and noticed Hoshikawa 's gaze. Her heart skipped a beat.
"You," Hoshikawa said, his face unchanged. "The apron looks great."
"Oh, really?" Kurenai reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her face flushing.
"What kind of filling do you want for the rice balls?" Hoshikawa walked up to her and asked. To him, making rice balls was no different from making steamed buns or dumplings.
"Use... salmon," Kurenai said, glancing at him before quickly looking down.
"Alright," Hoshikawa said, looking at her adorable expression. He couldn't help but pat her on the head.
"Okay," Kurenai whispered.
"First, let's cook the rice," Hoshikawa said after a moment of thought. "While the rice is cooking, we can go out and buy the salmon." Kurenai knew how to cook rice, so without waiting for his instructions, she went to wash the rice. The cold water gradually washed away the blush on her face. Kurenai let out a breath and was lost in thought again.
As she got older, she understood more and more things, but her interactions with Hoshikawa were becoming... strange. She vaguely understood the reason, but her girlish innocence prevented her from facing it.
"Hey, the water's overflowing," Hoshikawa said, reminding her.
"Oh! Sorry!" Kurenai quickly turned off the faucet and continued to wash the rice, her face turning red again. Thankfully, Hoshikawa didn't press her, saving her from further embarrassment.
"I'm going to change," Kurenai said, running off to her room like she was escaping after putting the rice on.
Hoshikawa sat on the couch and waited. When he heard the door open, he stood up and looked. Kurenai had changed into a black and red kimono. With her long black hair, she gave off a more mature vibe, like a married woman.
"Why are you wearing a kimono?" Hoshikawa asked, blinking.
"It's January," Kurenai said, pausing for a moment. "Does it not look good?"
"It looks great!" Hoshikawa said, nodding quickly. "I was just thinking that wearing a kimono must be a hassle."
"No... it's not that much of a hassle," Kurenai said, her face turning red at a visible speed. Hoshikawa didn't understand her reaction at the moment.
"Let's go!" Kurenai walked up to him, grabbed his hand, and started walking out the door.
"Put your shoes on first," Hoshikawa said. "It's cold outside. You can't go barefoot."
"I know!" Kurenai stopped at the entrance. She leaned against the wall and bent down slightly. But the kimono made it difficult for her to bend over.
"Let me help you," Hoshikawa said, glancing at her body. The tight kimono showed off her beautiful figure. Although she wasn't wearing a traditional kimono, it was still a bit restrictive.
Kurenai froze. She stared blankly at Hoshikawa , who was squatting in front of her.
"Lift your foot," Hoshikawa said.
Kurenai snapped out of it and did as he said. But when Hoshikawa 's hand grabbed her ankle, her five round toes couldn't help but curl up. Their eyes met, and Kurenai's heart started to race. She bit her lip and forced herself to relax, and with that, she was able to put on her shoe.
Hoshikawa stood up, his gaze moving down to her delicate face. Kurenai's heart started to pound. At such a close distance, she found that the Hoshikawa she was so used to was now incredibly attractive. She quickly walked outside. The cold wind blowing on her face made her calm down.
"Let's go," Hoshikawa said, closing the door and walking up to her. He took her hand and they walked toward the street. Kurenai glanced at him and held his hand tighter. The winter wind was still cold, but the girl didn't feel it at all.
There was a supermarket nearby, so it didn't take them long to buy the salmon.
"Alright! Let's start making the rice balls!" Kurenai said, raising her fists in excitement as they returned home. She put on the apron, held a hair tie in her mouth, and used both hands to tie up her loose black hair.
Hoshikawa was taken aback. This scene was so cute, like something out of an anime.
"Hoshikawa , the rice is ready. What do we do now?" Kurenai asked, looking at the steaming rice.
"Let it cool down," Hoshikawa said, walking up to her. "It's easier to make rice balls when the rice is cold."
"Okay," Kurenai said, putting the rice in a bowl and placing it in cold water.
"It would be a lot easier if we had Ice Release," Hoshikawa said, suddenly thinking of something.
"What's Ice Release?" Kurenai asked, a little confused.
"It's a kekkei genkai that allows you to create and manipulate ice," Hoshikawa explained. "It's a combination of Water Release and Wind Release." In the original story, the one who used Ice Release was Haku, who probably wasn't born yet at this time. Besides Haku, the movie Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow also featured Ice Release. However, this Ice Release wasn't authentic. It was just a facade that relied on the snowy environment. The most direct proof was that Kakashi Hatake copied it with his Sharingan. And the Sharingan couldn't copy a kekkei genkai. Speaking of the movie, Hoshikawa remembered that a young Kakashi had saved a young princess named Koyuki Kazahana from the Land of Snow. Wasn't that around these years?
"It's a shame I don't have Wind Release," Kurenai said, looking at Hoshikawa , her eyes lighting up. "You can try."
"Why do you say that?" Hoshikawa asked, raising an eyebrow.
"With your talent, you can definitely master Wind Release," Kurenai said, knowing her own limits. "I don't have enough time and energy for that."
"Maybe later," Hoshikawa said with a smile.
But Kurenai had indeed reminded him. He had the trait system, and the boosts it gave him were comprehensive. He had talent, intelligence, jutsu power, chakra nature transformation, chakra control, and more. Why can't I synthesize a kekkei genkai myself? Of course, a kekkei genkai was too far-fetched, but there were others, like the Rasengan. Hoshikawa could do what Naruto Uzumaki did and infuse it with various natures. After all, he could only create the advanced forms of the Rasengan himself.
"The temperature is about right. Let's start making the rice balls," Hoshikawa said, washing his hands, putting some salt on them, and grabbing a handful of rice to form a ball. After forming the ball, he used his finger to make a small hole in the middle. He put salmon and other ingredients in the hole, then molded the rice ball into a plump triangle, and finally wrapped it in a rectangular piece of seaweed.
"That's easy," Kurenai said, watching and following his lead.
"It's not that hard, to begin with," Hoshikawa said, smiling at the serious girl. "Once we're done with the rice balls, I'll teach you how to make chicken cutlets, pork cutlets, grilled eel, and other things." Besides rice balls, common bento boxes also had things like chicken cutlets.
Kurenai held up a rice ball in her clean, fair hand. "How's this?"
"Perfect," Hoshikawa said, glancing at the rice ball. A strange thought crossed his mind. He figured her little hand would probably taste good if he licked it. Hoshikawa quickly got rid of the random thought. I'm not a pervert!
"This means I have a talent for cooking," Kurenai said with a smile.
"No, it means you have a talent for being a good wife and mother," Hoshikawa said, shaking his head.
"Huh?" Kurenai was stunned, and her face turned red. A good wife and mother? Isn't it a bit too early to talk about that? But her thoughts spiraled out of control.
"It tastes good," Kurenai said, biting into the rice ball and changing the subject. The rice was cooked, and the salmon was pre-grilled, so it was ready to eat.
Hoshikawa looked at her adorable expression and wanted to pat her head, but his hands were covered in salt, so he gave up.
"Do... do you want to try some?" Kurenai asked, her heart racing.
"It really does taste good," Hoshikawa said, leaning down and taking a bite.
"Okay," Kurenai said, nodding slightly before her eyes widened. She had just realized that Hoshikawa had bitten the rice ball she was holding. But the problem was that she had just bitten it too. This... this is... The blush on Kurenai's face spread, even reaching her ears, turning her into a literal steam generator.
Hoshikawa chuckled. He didn't expect a girl like Kurenai to become so shy, like Hinata Hyuga from the original story. But at least she wouldn't faint.
"Let's continue making rice balls," Hoshikawa said, leaving her alone and grabbing another handful of rice. Kurenai only managed to calm down after a few seconds. She let out a silent sigh of relief. But looking at the rice ball in her hand, her heart still felt flustered. After a moment of hesitation, she ate the rest of the rice ball.
"When does our vacation end?" Kurenai asked, making another rice ball and trying to hide her embarrassment.
"In two days," Hoshikawa said casually. "Sensei told us to rest more."
"A week-long break?" Kurenai said, surprised. "I'm still not used to it." Before the Chūnin Exams, they had been training intensely for a long time. Now that they were free, it felt a bit strange.
"It's fine," Hoshikawa said with a smile. "We can still train even without her."
"Okay," Kurenai nodded, then asked, "Will the missions we take be harder now that we're chūnin?"
"No," Hoshikawa explained. "Under normal circumstances, chūnin can only take on up to B-Rank missions."
"Huh?" Kurenai was confused. Their team had already completed A-Rank missions.
"There's nothing we can do about it. Our sensei is Tsunade, one of the Three Legendary Sannin," Hoshikawa said, looking at her with a smile. "Rules are meant to be broken."
"Right, since it's Lady Tsunade," Kurenai said, understanding and agreeing.
"After we're done eating, we'll go practice Water Release," Hoshikawa said. Because he wanted to synthesize Wood Release, his current goals were to master Water Release and Earth Release. Besides that, he was also working on perception ninjutsu and the Strength of a Hundred Seal. The Strength of a Hundred Seal didn't require much effort; it just required time.
It was worth mentioning that the speed of his Strength of a Hundred Seal had increased a lot. The reason for this was the B-Rank Trait: Strongest Chūnin he had just acquired. Both of its effects were beneficial to the seal. One was a 150% increase in chakra extraction speed. The other was a 100% increase in chakra capacity on top of the original.
...............
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