Faced with Saiki's patronizing attitude, Kushina let out a "Hmph" to show her displeasure.
However, her stomach was already screaming in protest, so she abandoned her dignity.
She snatched up her chopsticks and stuffed a large piece of sweet and sour pork into her mouth.
"Mmph!" The sweet, tangy, and crispy texture instantly exploded across her palate.
The piping hot meat strips carried the aroma of caramelized sugar.
The outer coating of sauce was rich and appetizing, while the meat inside remained tender and juicy.
Kushina's eyes lit up instantly; her cheeks puffed out as she chewed, making her look exactly like a hoarding hamster.
"How is it? Does it suit your taste?"
Saiki placed a full bowl of rice in front of her and picked up his own, asking in a casual tone.
Kushina nearly choked, hurriedly swallowing her food to maintain a cold facade: "Hmph, it's mediocre... a bit too much sugar."
As she spoke, her chopsticks moved of their own accord toward the sweet and sour pork with pinpoint accuracy.
Saiki looked at her blatant hypocrisy and nearly burst out laughing.
He picked up a piece of the stir-fried cabbage; it was crisp, the greens were vibrant, and the natural sweetness of the vegetable was perfectly preserved.
"Eat more vegetables, Sensei. Keep your nutrition balanced."
"Stop nagging! I know how to eat!" Kushina snapped back, though she obediently put some greens into her bowl.
Her gaze then fell upon the bowl of steamed egg custard.
On the smooth, delicate surface of the custard, the little smiley face drawn in soy sauce stared back at her.
It looked a bit silly, but it was also... very heartwarming.
She hesitated for a second before scooping up a spoonful.
The custard melted on her tongue, warm and silky smooth with a faint hint of milk and a perfect savory balance.
As it slid down her throat, the warmth spread instantly through her body.
Even the exhaustion from the seal repair seemed to be smoothed away.
She began eating the custard in small, delicate bites, the blush on her face finally receding into a look of focused enjoyment.
For a time, the only sounds at the table were the clink of utensils and the sound of chewing.
Saiki ate quietly, occasionally glancing up at Kushina sitting across from him.
She was eating very quickly, her cheeks bulging like a little squirrel storing nuts for winter, her face full of a blissful smile.
Having someone tell her stories, cook for her, and eat with her was a rare experience for Kushina.
Moreover, Saiki's cooking was genuinely delicious; at this moment, she was undeniably happy.
She had completely forgotten all of her previous troubles.
Saiki was also happy in his heart; as a chef, getting such high validation from another is a joyful thing.
Both were starving, and the meal was finished in a flash.
When the meal ended, not a single scrap remained on the table.
Kushina had even poured the leftover sauce from the sweet and sour pork onto her rice to finish every drop.
Kushina finally set down her chopsticks and let out a soft, satisfied sigh.
She rubbed her stomach, her face radiating a sense of cozy relaxation.
"Full?" Saiki also set down his chopsticks.
"Mm..." Kushina replied, her voice much softer than before, carrying the lazy tone of someone who had just eaten well.
She leaned back in her chair, her emerald eyes scanning the empty dishes.
Her gaze finally settled on Saiki's face; she looked like she wanted to say something but was too embarrassed.
However, seeing Saiki looking at her with a smile, she immediately became irritated again: "What are you laughing at?"
Saiki reached out his hand, and she instinctively flinched back.
But because she had pulled her chair close to grab the food, there was no room to move back.
With perfect accuracy, Saiki plucked a single grain of rice off her cheek.
Kushina's indignant expression froze on her face as if she had been hit by a paralysis jutsu.
She violently shrank back, her spine hitting the chair back with a "thud," her red hair nearly standing on end: "What are you doing!"
Her voice was sharp and shrill, laced with the indignant anger of being "offended."
Saiki's finger hovered in mid-air, the white grain of rice pinched between his fingertips.
He wiggled his finger, a helpless smile on his face, speaking as if stating an obvious fact: "It was stuck to your face, Sensei."
"..." Kushina's cheeks turned from pink to a dark, vibrant red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
She glared at the rice grain on his finger as if it were the most detestable thing in the world.
The lazy, comfortable feeling from a moment ago vanished, replaced by a familiar mix of shame and irritability.
She quickly raised her hand to scrub at her mouth and cheek with a rough motion, as if wiping away filth.
"Mind your own business! I could have done it myself!" she growled, her emerald eyes shooting a murderous look at Saiki.
Her gaze was filled with the message: Who asked for your help?
Saiki shrugged and tossed the rice into an empty bowl, going with the flow: "Yes, yes. Next time I'll wait for you to find it yourself, Sensei."
His dismissive attitude was like pouring gasoline on a fire.
Kushina was just about to explode, the anger in her chest ready to burst out—
Suddenly, an incredibly faint but ice-cold ripple of malicious chakra swept through the entire room, like a stone dropped into a still lake!
The fluctuation was extremely stealthy; an ordinary person wouldn't even notice it, or would assume it was an illusion.
But Saiki's sensory perception was terrifyingly sharp.
"Who's there?"
He slammed his palm onto the table, simultaneously snatching a chopstick and hurling it like a senbon.
Caw!
Outside the window, several streets away, a crow perched on a tree was struck and fell.
It let out a shrill, piercing cry before vanishing into a cloud of black smoke with a "poof."
Only a few drifting feathers and a broken chopstick embedded deep in the tree trunk remained.
The cold chakra fluctuation dissipated instantly, as if it had never existed.
Startled, Kushina bolted upright from her chair.
Seeing the deadly serious expression on Saiki's face, she realized what happened and followed his gaze toward the window.
The blush on her face was replaced by sharp vigilance, her emerald eyes narrowing with gravity.
She locked onto the swaying branch and the chopstick protruding from the wood in the distance.
The residual, ominous chakra made her body tense up instinctively.
"The aura of the Sharingan..." she whispered.
Her voice was no longer embarrassed; it carried the cold professional tone of a shinobi.
"The Uchiha clan? What the hell do they want?"
Saiki withdrew his gaze, but his seriousness did not fade. A flash of understanding crossed his eyes.
He slowly stood up and walked to the window, staring at the tree's location, his fingers unconsciously tapping the sill.
The chakra was cold and stealthy, carrying a malicious curiosity, but it wasn't a direct killing intent.
It felt more like... observation.
"I don't know," Saiki shook his head, his tone flat.
"But it seems they were just taking a 'look' from afar."
He paused and added, "A Crow Clone. Very cautious."
Kushina also stood up and walked to Saiki's side.
Her red hair fluttered slightly in response to her internal chakra, showing her mental tension.
"Hmph, sneaky bastards! Those guys... their eyes have never stopped watching me in this village."
"The village just barely becomes unstable, and they start plotting immediately."
Her voice was filled with suppressed irritation and the disgust of being monitored, as well as anxiety over the village's upheaval.
Saiki didn't answer immediately. He focused his mind and expanded his sensory range.
But there was no familiar chakra within a one-kilometer radius.
The enemy was very cautious, using only a Crow Clone for surveillance; even with Saiki's perception, the source was untraceable.
The presence had vanished completely, as if it were never there.
Kushina ran a hand through her red hair in frustration, her emerald eyes scanning outside the window with the fury of being violated.
"These guys... they're getting more and more brazen! They dare to spy directly on my home!"
Her voice was low, yet she sounded like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
"Do they really think I'm an easy target!"
Saiki withdrew his sensory search, his serious expression easing slightly, but his eyes remained sharp.
He turned to face the still-fuming Kushina: "Sensei, calm down."
"A single Crow Clone doesn't reveal their specific intent, but it is certainly a signal."
He paused, his tone carrying a note of warning: "Lately, there have been dark undercurrents in the village."
"As the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, your status is sensitive. It's not surprising they are watching you."
"Watching? Hmph!" Kushina sneered, her fists clenching involuntarily.
"It's surveillance! It's greed! I know exactly what those arrogant bastards with their noses in the air are planning in their hearts."
She remembered the looks they gave her—faint glimmers of fear mixed with a dark, hidden hunger.
It made her feel a surge of nausea.
"Yeah, they finally can't restrain themselves anymore."
Saiki knew the truth, even if Kushina didn't.
He had already wiped out Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, and the other two old fossils.
He had also slaughtered a huge portion of the elites from those four families.
After being suppressed for so long, it was natural for the Uchiha, who considered themselves the premier clan of the Leaf, to become restless.