As time passed, Jiraiya gradually smelled the aroma coming from the kitchen.
"Could it be fried fish?" Jiraiya guessed the dish Mokgetsu was making by the aroma.
"The fragrance is quite nice, but I wonder how it tastes." Jiraiya patted his stomach. Unknowingly, he was starting to feel a bit hungry.
Fortunately, Mokgetsu and Minato didn't keep him waiting too long. Just as Jiraiya was contemplating what to write for his novel, Mokgetsu and Minato brought out the dishes they had prepared.
Jiraiya's attention was immediately drawn to the uniquely shaped and appetizingly colored Squirrel Mandarine Fish. Although he had encountered many unique delicacies while traveling the Ninja World, it was his first time seeing fish prepared this way.
"What's the name of this dish? It must have taken quite some effort to make it look like this." Jiraiya curiously asked, glancing at the Squirrel Mandarine Fish.
"This dish is called Squirrel Mandarine Fish. Its appearance is indeed its distinctive feature," Mokgetsu introduced with a smile.
"Jiraiya sensei, it may not look complicated, but it's actually quite difficult to make. Kushina and I have been learning it for a while, but we still couldn't make it like Mokgetsu, and the taste is worlds apart."
Minato spoke about the difficulties he and Kushina faced while learning to make Squirrel Mandarine Fish. He gave a helpless smile when mentioning that Kushina handed over the intricate cutting step to him halfway through.
"Haha, that sounds exactly like something Kushina would do," Jiraiya said with a smile.
"Let's eat before the dishes get cold," Mokgetsu reminded them.
Some dishes taste drastically different when cold compared to when they're hot.
Jiraiya didn't hold back; he immediately picked up some fish with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. As he picked it up, he felt a bit reluctant to ruin such a beautiful dish.
But soon, Jiraiya's regret vanished. The crispy shell gave way to incredibly tender fish inside. The sweet and sour sauce on the fish whetted Jiraiya's appetite further, making him feel even hungrier after a bite.
After finishing the fish, Jiraiya felt as if he was a dragon roaming freely in the vast ocean, not having to traverse the world in search of the child of prophecy who could change the world.
When he came back to his senses, Jiraiya realized that what Minato wrote in the letter was not exaggerated at all. It was truly as delicious as being caught in a genjutsu. For a moment, Jiraiya experienced a profound sense of relaxation.
"The timing for frying the fish is absolutely impeccable, and the balance of sweet and sour in the sauce is perfect. If it were any more sour or sweet, it wouldn't achieve this effect."
Jiraiya offered his review and then noticed that a significant portion of the fish was already gone, while Minato silently continued to eat without a word.
"Minato, since when do you eat so fast?"
This put Jiraiya in disbelief. He had only spoken a little, yet Minato had already eaten so much, prompting Jiraiya to stop talking and swiftly join in the meal.
Not just the uniquely styled Squirrel Mandarine Fish, but even the seemingly ordinary braised pork with preserved vegetables and stir-fried pork with chili made Jiraiya eat bowl after bowl of rice.
"Mokgetsu, the stir-fried pork with chili is delicious, but why didn't you add more meat?" Jiraiya asked, puzzled, as he searched among a mass of chili, finally picking up a piece of meat.
"If there's more meat than chilis, it won't have the same flavor," Mokgetsu explained.
The stir-fried pork with chili he made wasn't devoid of meat, but because the chilis weren't eaten, they appeared numerous by the end.
"That's actually quite reasonable; cooking really is quite similar to a ninja's cultivation. Messing up the proportions can lead to failure," Jiraiya nodded in agreement, noting that synthesizing Sage Chakra requires coordinating the balance of chakra and natural energy.
"This dish is suitable for larger portions," Jiraiya suggested.
Since adding more meat would ruin the taste, increasing both chilis and meat wouldn't disrupt the balance.
"I, Jiraiya, am willing to call you the first chef of the Ninja World. After traveling far and wide, it's the first time I've had food this delicious." Jiraiya praised.
It was his first time being unable to resist cleaning off his chopsticks thoroughly.
Though Minato's descriptions of Mokgetsu's cooking seemed exaggerated, Jiraiya found that Minato was actually being literal, without a hint of exaggeration.
"I don't dare claim to be the first in the Ninja World. I just put a little more thought into cooking," Mokgetsu said humbly.
"Haha, that little bit of extra thought makes a world of difference," Jiraiya smiled, finding Mokgetsu very agreeable.
At this moment, Minato suddenly cleared his throat twice, and with an apologetic expression, he said:
"Mokgetsu, there's something I need to apologize to you for."
Mokgetsu, anticipating what it could be, showed a puzzled expression and asked:
"What's it about? Is it because you were too quick at grabbing food? That's really not necessary."
Hearing Mokgetsu's words, Minato felt even more embarrassed and explained:
"I really didn't eat fast on purpose; it's just that your cooking is so delicious that I subconsciously ate quickly."
Mokgetsu knows Minato might really be like that, after all, Minato's reaction is exceptional.
Then Minato showed a serious expression and apologized:
"Sorry Mokgetsu, earlier when I said I didn't have time to eat, I was lying. Actually, I wasn't particularly busy during that time, I just wanted to bring food to Kushina, so I made up a busy excuse."
"Oh, so that's how it is, I knew it all along. No busy person would come over every day for a meal." Mokgetsu said with a laugh.
Sometimes you can pretend to be naive, but don't let others think you're truly foolish.
"Kushina is undergoing secret training, so she can't come over, but she really wants to eat your cooking, Mokgetsu, so..."
Minato and Mokgetsu simply explained and omitted Kushina's identity and the monitoring Anbu, along with a series of secret information.
It was becoming hard to conceal because Minato was going to the battlefield with Jiraiya soon, and he couldn't just leave a Shadow Clone to bring food to Kushina at that time.
"Thank you, Mokgetsu." Minato apologized sincerely.
"It's no problem, just an extra serving of food. Compared to the help you've given me with Fuinjutsu, it's nothing," Mokgetsu said with a smile, indicating that as long as he was in Konoha, Kushina wouldn't go hungry.
After the meal, the three of them sat together and chatted for a while. Initially, Jiraiya asked Mokgetsu about cooking, and later they talked about Fuinjutsu.
"I have an idea: to set a seal in the body that stores some Chakra, and then quickly release it to replenish Chakra during a battle when it's insufficient." Mokgetsu shared his idea.
Both Jiraiya and Minato have high levels of Fuinjutsu, and they know more about the local knowledge than Mokgetsu, who is a transmigrator. Mokgetsu wanted to seek inspiration through this opportunity.
After all, it's just an idea and a whim, not indicative of his actual Fuinjutsu level.
"It's a good idea, but achieving it is basically impossible." Jiraiya thought for a moment and replied.
"Is your idea inspired by the Tailed Beasts of the Jinchuriki?" Jiraiya asked.
Mokgetsu nodded; actually his inspiration came from Tsunade's Yin Seal.
"The reason Jinchuriki can use the Chakra of Tailed Beasts is that Tailed Beasts have a very unique property. When sealed into the body, they achieve an effect of integration, and no matter how much Tailed Beast Chakra there is, it doesn't affect the Chakra meridians and pathways."
"But your idea is different. You want to store your own Chakra, so a Fuinjutsu must be set on the Chakra meridians and pathways. Not to mention the difficulty of setting Fuinjutsu on them.
The sudden release of a large amount of Chakra at a certain pathway will affect your entire body's Chakra, throwing it into chaos, preventing you from performing Ninjutsu. How would you use it in battle?" Jiraiya explained.
"And you also have to consider the damage a sudden surge of Chakra could cause to the body."
Jiraiya's words enlightened Mokgetsu quite a bit. He previously thought Tsunade's Yin Seal was for maintaining her appearance, which is why it released the Strength of a Hundred Seal in an automatically operating Medical Ninjutsu mode.
Thinking as Jiraiya did, Tsunade wasn't aiming for automatic healing; rather, she had to do it. Otherwise, the sudden surge of Chakra would become a hindering negative state, much like opening the Eight Gates.
Jiraiya's words definitely helped Mokgetsu a lot. He had just thought about making a power bank in his body but overlooked other aspects.
However, Mokgetsu did not immediately abandon his power bank plan. Jiraiya thinks it's impossible, but he might be able to do it because he has cheats.
He possesses the Transparent World, with absolute control over his body, capable of any intricate internal manipulation, and he also has an excellent Fuinjutsu talent.
Mokgetsu had only studied Fuinjutsu for half a year and had already mastered the Five Elements Seal and Contract Seal at the Master Level, and recently, the Sealing Evil Technique given to him by the Third had become proficient, and the Fire Seal had reached the beginner level.
"Maybe I can first create an automatic Breath of Rock Pattern Seal," Mokgetsu thought to himself.
Instead of innovating, he could emulate Tsunade and create an automated Fuinjutsu.
Using the Breath of Rock because the Breath of Rock Pattern provides extreme body enhancement, fortifying even the internal body, to prevent the sudden surge of Chakra from harming the body.
"Thank you for your reminder, Lord Jiraiya. I was a bit presumptuous." Mokgetsu expressed his gratitude.
"No problem, the most important thing for young people is to think more. If you can't even dare to think, what's the point of being young? Haha." Jiraiya laughed, patting Mokgetsu's shoulder.
"Mokgetsu, you're making me feel a bit ashamed. I haven't thought about things like this; I've only attempted to improve the effects of certain Fuinjutsu." Minato said with a smile.
If anyone other than Minato said this, Mokgetsu would certainly think that person was showboating, as being able to improve Fuinjutsu means having a genuine understanding of it.
But with Minato, Mokgetsu felt that maybe Minato really thought his whim was good.
When the time was about right, Minato and Jiraiya departed.
When Jiraiya left, Mokgetsu made an evaluation.