"You don't even need to eat anything..."

"Really don't know why you're acting like a starving ghost."

Hikari held a ladle as she worked on midnight snacks in the kitchen, grumbling about Kaito's habit of emptying the fridge.

"It's just a habit. Besides... it's about enjoying life."

Kaito sprawled on the sofa in the same lazy posture as their ancestor, defending himself while urging Hikari, who was cooking.

"Is it ready yet?"

Though his great-grandmother seemed full of disdain, the moment Kaito spoke, she still chose to make some food to reward him after years without eating.

"But speaking of which... I never thought you'd learn to cook these past few years."

Kaito's sudden praise caused a clattering noise from the kitchen, followed by Hikari's flustered voice.

"It's... it's nothing special!"

Ten minutes later.

The two sat facing each other at the dining table, staring in silence for a full three minutes without saying a word.

Kaito frowned, his gaze solemn as he stared at Hikari across the table, asking in an unprecedented serious tone:

"Oh, by the Six Paths Sage!"

"My mighty and enchanting ancestor, it's been so long since we last met. Surely you're not making me eat this, are you?"

He spoke in an exaggerated, dramatic tone while pointing at the two cups of instant noodles placed before them.

He'd praised too soon...

Kaito had really thought his great-grandmother had become diligent, taking the initiative to learn cooking. He'd even felt a little moved earlier on the sofa.

Who could've guessed that the next moment, Hikari would walk out of the kitchen carrying two freshly made cups of instant noodles on a silver tray, calling him over to eat?

The long silence just now was him struggling to process the disappointment.

Hikari's expression stiffened at his words, her fists clenching. If she hadn't already confirmed that Tsukuyomi could no longer control this brat, she would've rewarded him with a dose of it right then.

But Kaito's words also made her reflect.

Looking at the empty table with just two cups of instant noodles and what appeared to be an expensive silver tray, she fell silent for about three seconds before turning her head away, muttering somewhat guiltily:

"I... I added sausages and char siu..."Hikari's words implied that this cup noodle was different from the ones simply soaked in hot water outside—she had actually cooked the noodle block in a pot in the kitchen.

"And this." Perhaps feeling it was a bit lacking, she took out two cups of ice cream from a sealing scroll and pushed them toward Kaito.

"I made them myself."

She slightly raised her chin, her face brimming with pride, as if just short of outright saying, "Praise me now."

Kaito glanced left at the steaming cup noodles, then right at the ice cream emitting cold air, and fell completely silent. He looked up at his great-grandmother with an expression full of pain, his eyes filled with disbelief.

At this moment, he said nothing, yet it felt as though he had said everything.

Honestly.

He was somewhat despairing.

Main course: cup noodles. Side dish: ice cream...

What kind of cursed meal was this?

How was this any different from going to a Sichuan restaurant and using yogurt as a dipping sauce?

The imagined lavish feast never materialized. When Hikari pulled out two boxes of ice cream, even his meager appetite for the cup noodles vanished.

"Slurp—"

Hikari held the cup noodles, slurping a few mouthfuls before turning a puzzled gaze toward the still-dazed Kaito.

"Aren't you eating?"

His great-grandmother was eating with great relish, her eyes constantly darting toward the ice cream, making Kaito wonder if she had survived in Amegakure all these years by living off cup noodles and ice cream.

"I'll eat!"

In the end, Kaito steeled himself and mechanically chewed the noodles, his face expressionless.

Perhaps sensing his disdain, Hikari pursed her lips and muttered under her breath.

"Don't even think about it. I don't know how to make anything else."

There wasn't a trace of shame in her tone—if anything, she sounded a bit defiant. But in the next second, her words took a turn, reigniting Kaito's hope for life just as he had resigned himself to despair.

"If you want something else to eat, you can go find Runtu..."

"He seems to be learning cooking lately."

Slurp... slurp!

Before she even finished speaking, Kaito had already devoured the noodles. Wiping his mouth, he immediately grabbed Hikari's hand and pulled her up from her seat.

"Then what are we waiting for?!"

"I can't wait to see my silly little brother!"

Hikari: "..."

Hearing this, Hikari's fist clenched again. She suspected the brat was indirectly insulting her.

Meanwhile, elsewhere—

Sasuke, who had just finished his late-night training, was now seated before a table laden with a seafood feast.

Clap!

Sasuke pressed his palms together firmly, performing the pre-meal ritual, then bowed slightly to the food before declaring loudly,

"Let's eat!"

Yet after saying this, he didn't immediately pick up his chopsticks. Instead, he carefully arranged the black-and-white memorial photos of his family on the table, positioning them exactly as he remembered.

Kaito's, his father's, and his mother's photos were all placed in their respective spots, adjusted at angles so their smiles would be visible at a glance.

He remembered Kaito once saying something about the family needing to be "complete and orderly."

Sasuke wanted to do just that, but recalling Itachi's crimes against their family, he ultimately didn't place Itachi's photo with the others. Instead, he had locked it away securely in a toolbox.

Just as he had locked away his brotherly bond with Itachi—along with all those beautiful memories—inside it.

"Dad. Mom."

"Annoying brat..."

"Tomorrow, I'll become a genin."

Sasuke served rice while sharing his joy.

Over the years, he had periodically visited Amegakure to ask their ancestor to take him into the Secret Realm to see his parents.At first, things were fine—he saw his parents quite often.

But at some point, his father became extremely busy, often disappearing into the Secret Realm, and even the family elder was sometimes occupied...

Fortunately, Runtu came up with this idea, which brought some comfort to his lonely life.

Sasuke placed a bowl of freshly cooked rice in front of the memorial photo, as if transporting himself back to those laughter-filled nights from years ago.

At that moment, Runtu, who was cleaning the room, noticed Sasuke's actions and suddenly frowned in displeasure.

It stared intently at Kaito's black-and-white memorial photo and the heaping bowl of rice placed before it, immediately growing unhappy.

Runtu set down its work, flashed over to Kaito's seat, raised a front paw to point at the chopsticks on the table, then turned its head to gesture at Sasuke.

"Chopsticks! They have to be stuck upright!"

"How many times do I have to tell you?!"

Sasuke had no objections. He obediently nodded, picked up the chopsticks, and stabbed them straight into the middle of the rice.

According to Runtu, this mysterious ritual could convey one's longing to departed loved ones.

It made sense to him, so he followed through.

Clatter—

Just then, Kaito pushed open the door with Hikari in tow. Before he even stepped inside, his excited voice rang out first.

"Sasuke, you bastard, eating without me—"

As the two entered the living room, Kaito's words abruptly cut off when he saw the memorial photos on the table and the rice offerings for the deceased.

Under the backdrop of his family's memorial photos, the lavish meal instantly took on an eerie atmosphere.

"?"

Kaito's voice died in his throat. His expression darkened, his entire aura turning menacing, like a vengeful ghost.

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