Chapter 2 "Minato's Recipe Book"

Chapter 2 "Minato's Recipe Book"

As Giyu Uchiha entered the main gate of the clan compound, he encountered a medium-sized dog wearing sunglasses and a vest.

The dog had been lounging at the entrance, lazily sunbathing to replenish its vitamin D. However, the moment it sensed Giyu's presence, it immediately jumped up. Its cute little nose wrinkled like a vicious wolf, and it started barking wildly, as if it had caught a whiff of some hidden dirt that ordinary people couldn't detect.

Confused, Giyu stared at the dog, without any intention of confronting it, and decided to take a detour.

However, it quickly blocked Giyu's path just a few steps ahead, barking incessantly.

Giyu moved left, and the dog moved left.

Giyu moved right, and the dog moved right.

Giyu moved forward, and the dog moved backward.

In short, it was determined to block the way.

The noise made by the dog attracted many Uchiha clan members, and their faces instantly became quite interesting as they looked in their direction.

"Isn't that the clan leader's son? He's actually being stopped by a dog?"

"A ninja dog, huh? It's normal for the child to be scared since he hasn't even participated in training once."

"He's already five years old and hasn't started training? Does Fugaku think that Itachi is already excellent, so he relaxed his education of the two younger sons?"

"Seems like it's only this kid named Giyu. I saw it the other day, that one named Sasuke is already proficient in Clone Jutsu, he's quite talented..."

"Yes, Mikoto said that only this kid named Giyu has had no interest in becoming a ninja since childhood but enjoys doing household chores. It would be nice if he were a girl."

"At this critical moment? The village and our Uchiha clan conflict could erupt at any time. Those without power will only become burdens. Hmph, I don't know what Fugaku is thinking. Looks like I have to talk to him."

"But come to think of it, Mikoto's three children are all good-looking."

"That's true. But this kid... seems to have a poker face."

...

The voices of the clan members talking were not small, but Giyu ignored them.

He stared at the ninja dog in front of him, suspecting that it could see through his "true identity".

Indeed, Giyu Uchiha was not just an ordinary five-year-old child.

In his own words, he was a thief who stole this childish body.

As for the soul within his body, it came from a different world, belonging to a man named Giyu Tomioka.

In Giyu Tomioka's original world, he was a demon hunter whose goal was to kill man-eating demons for survival.

After his sister, whom he relied on for everything, was killed by a demon, Giyu Tomioka joined a civilian armed organization called the "Demon Slayer Corps" at the age of thirteen. By the time he was seventeen, he became one of the nine strongest swordsmen in the organization, known as the "Water Hashira," due to his mastery of water-breathing techniques and corresponding swordsmanship.

At the age of twenty-one, Giyu overused his life force by activating his "Markings" to enhance his combat power in a battle against the progenitor of demons, Muzan Kibutsuji. With the combined efforts of his teammates, they successfully eliminated Muzan Kibutsuji.

However, the Demon Slayer Corps paid a heavy price. Not only were most of the members killed or injured, but the remaining powerful swordsmen also had shortened lifespans due to activating their "Markings," at most living until the age of twenty-five.

And on Giyu Tomioka's twenty-third birthday, he peacefully died in the graveyard of the Demon Slayer Corps.

But before his death, he finally reached the "pinnacle" of a warrior and acquired the skill of observing the world called the "Transparent World," which was something to be proud of.

Originally, Giyu thought that after his death, he would reunite with his deceased parents, sister, and teammates in the afterlife.

However, when he opened his eyes again, he had become a newborn in the ninja world named Giyu Uchiha, retaining the memories from his previous life.

Now, five years have passed, and Giyu still cannot accept his new identity.

He believed that he unintentionally stole the opportunity for a child to start from scratch in this world. He could never truly consider himself as the "real" son of the Uchiha couple.

(Note: Consider the historical background of Giyu's life and his experiences with demons. Do not incorporate the common modern transmigrator trope of "accepting fate" here.)

To make up for the sense of debt in his heart and to repay the Uchiha couple for raising him, Giyu took on the household chores for the Uchiha household from the age of three. In the process, he also regarded taking care of and protecting the other two children, Itachi and Sasuke, as his most important duty and responsibility.

At the same time, Giyu chose not to participate in training because he felt that he was ultimately an outsider and not qualified to learn their family's secret techniques.

On the other hand, Giyu had no intention of becoming a ninja who would take lives on command. So far, he had only practiced the water breathing technique engraved in his soul to a proficient level without causing much strain on his body, thanks to the generally good physical condition of humans in this world and his Uchiha lineage.

Speaking of which...

Just as Giyu Uchiha was contemplating whether to break off a piece of radish to lure the dog away, a familiar voice came from a distance.

"Kakashi-senpai, make sure to keep an eye on your ninja dog. If it scares Giyu, I won't be able to explain to the clan head."

Giyu calmly shifted his gaze toward the source of the voice.

The person speaking was a cute-looking, tall ninja with a baby face. The handle of a ninja blade peeked out from behind his neck. He seemed to be around the same age as Tanjirō, with shallow tear troughs that gave off a trustworthy feeling.

Giyu recognized this person. He was Itachi's good friend, Shisui Uchiha, who often visited their home and liked to talk to Giyu. He would even bring picture books for Sasuke, so Giyu had a good impression of him.

Due to the close relationship between Shisui and Itachi, Giyu had once observed the former using his "transparent world" ability and discovered that both Shisui and his father, Fugaku Uchiha, possessed a concentrated mass of extremely dark energy in their brains, much denser than that of ordinary clan members.

The feeling that power gave Giyu was not as extreme and pure evil as that of Muzan Kibutsuji, but it was still very ominous, and he wondered if it could become a hidden danger.

The Uchiha clan members nearby had different expressions upon seeing Shisui.

The older individuals glared at him with resentment, seemingly angry with him, while the younger ones looked at him with admiration.

Of course, to Giyu, who wasn't good at discerning emotions, the difference wasn't significant.

"Ah, sorry, sorry."

Walking alongside Shisui was a masked person with a forehead protector covering his left eye, holding a cardboard box in his hands.

His expression resembled that of the yellow-haired squad member next to Tanjiro during missions, appearing dazed; and as if about to fall asleep. Moreover, his apologetic tone lacked sincerity; it was extremely perfunctory.

Honestly speaking, Giyu's first impression of him was rather average.

"Akino, don't bully the little ones."

As Kakashi called out, the dog with sunglasses leaped over to his side, emitting a series of unintelligible low growls, as if speaking ill of Giyu.

After listening, Kakashi turned his thoughtful gaze towards Giyu, then freed his right hand and patted the dog's head. "You really love to meddle, huh? If you do that again next time, don't bother coming out."

Akino immediately wrinkled his nose, opened his mouth wide, and lunged toward Kakashi's wrist.

Kakashi rolled his eyes and formed a seal with his hand. The loyal dog immediately turned into a puff of white smoke and disappeared.

[So, it's a spiritual technique?] Giyu had witnessed both Shisui and Itachi using this technique, each summoning a cat and a crow, respectively.

[So this isn't an Uchiha clan's inherited ninjutsu, huh? Maybe I should try learning it later. It could save time by having animals do the grocery shopping…]

Giyu stared at Kakashi for a while, paying no attention to others, and walked in the direction of his home as if these two adults were not worth his attention at all.

Shisui, already familiar with his style, took a step ahead and blocked him, lowering his gaze toward the two bulging plastic bags.

"Two large salmons, quite big."

A hint of surprise appeared on Shisui's face.

"Are we having a salmon feast today? It's extravagant and lavish, Giyu, you're really capable."

He noticed the markings of the Akimichi clan on the plastic bags, indicating that the fish should have been specially bred using Akimichi's secret technique, making them more nutritious than wild salmon, but also outrageously expensive.

Just grilling one fish from this lot would probably cost several tens of thousands of ryo (1 ryo equals 10 yen), not to mention the labor costs of deboning, removing thorns, and cutting.

The reward from a C-rank mission would not be enough to cover it.

"It's Sasuke's birthday today."

Giyu replied concisely, "We should have something nice to eat."

Shisui's smile froze on his face.

[Last time for the clan head's birthday, you only made a bowl of soba noodles, right?]

[You and Itachi spoil that brat. Ah, I envy Itachi, always having something delicious after work...]

"Oh, birthday, I almost forgot." Shisui tapped his head, "But Giyu, you and Sasuke are twins, so it's also your birthday today."

"I'm different from Sasuke."

Giyu shook his head, emphasizing it seriously.

"I get it, I get it. You do household chores, so you're already an adult and don't bother with kids' birthdays."

Shisui replied perfunctorily, searching his body for a while. "Oops, besides explosive tags, I don't have anything valuable to give you as a gift. I have a mission tonight, so it would be too late to bring a gift when I come back."

After speaking, he looked towards Kakashi, who was holding the cardboard box, and seemed to have an idea in his mind.

"Senpai, let me introduce you. This cute little brother is called Giyu, the son of Clan Head Fugaku."

Then he turned back to Giyu and introduced, "This is Kakashi Hatake, my senior at work. Yesterday, an elderly person from the clan passed away at Konoha Hospital. That grandmother used to take care of Kakashi's former teammate, so I brought him to the clan to sort out the items she left behind."

Upon hearing this, Giyu's expression slightly paused.

Death, he was already familiar with it.

However, where would the people who died in this world go?

Would they, like him, carry their memories and move on to the next world? Where did everyone who had fought alongside him go?

Whenever he thought about this, his mood became complicated.

Shisui noticed Giyu's subtle change in expression, slightly surprised.

He knew that this child had never laughed or cried since birth, and it was the first time he had seen such a melancholic expression.

[In your face, Itachi, your brother's first time, I'll gladly accept it.](Note: caught in 4k)

"Since you've already met, Kakashi-senpai..."

Shisui smirked cunningly, revealing his true intentions. "Today happens to be Giyu's birthday. Do you have any gifts you want to give him?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes for the second time.

[aren't you the one who has forgotten to bring a gift? Why should I make up for it?]

Reluctantly, he reached for his waist pouch.

"Forget about books written by Jiraiya-sama; Giyu probably won't understand such profound things," Shisui quickly interjected, waving his hand.

[If you give him something like that, Aunt Mikoto will kill me.]

"But it's a limited edition." Kakashi's mouth, concealed by his mask, twitched as he shifted his gaze back to Giyu, focusing primarily on the ingredients in his hands.

"Since you enjoy cooking..."

He took out a stack of yellowed cards, held together by a metal ring, from a cardboard box. They seemed to have some age to them.

"How about a recipe?"

"Hey, hey, hey—"

Shisui blinked rapidly.

[Kakashi-senpai, how can you give someone else's belongings as a gift?]

Giyu put down his bag and extended his hands to receive the cards, unfazed by the fact that they belonged to a deceased person.

"The Secret Recipes of Minato-sensei."

At the top of the stack of cards, there were crooked and twisted words. The word "recipe" had been crossed out and rewritten twice, but it was still written incorrectly as if implying that the owner of this item wasn't very clever.

Giyu quickly flipped through the cards. There were a total of thirty cards, each containing specific instructions for one or two dishes.

Of course, the handwriting was still crooked and varied in size, but it was evident that the person who transcribed this was meticulous, as the writing had penetrated through the paper.

Giyu reached the last page, where there was a signature and a drawing of something resembling goggles.

"Obito Uchiha."

Giyu read it aloud and shook his head. "Who is that?"

He had never seen anyone with a similar name approach his father.

Upon hearing this name, Kakashi's body trembled imperceptibly.

"Oh, so it's a memento from Obito-senpai. In that case, this recipe is a precious item," Shisui scratched his head and explained to Giyu, "Obito Uchiha was Kakashi-senpai's former teammate. Unfortunately, he sacrificed himself in the previous Great Ninja War. He's a hero in the village. Giyu, you should keep this recipe safe."

"A hero in the village."

Giyu was quite familiar with these words, as his father and clan members often talked about these things.

"In the village?"

[Wasn't he a hero of the Uchiha?]

"You're quite perceptive. However, at that time, the relationship between our Uchiha clan and the village wasn't as tense as it is now," Shisui seemed unwilling to dwell on this question. "Anyway, since you enjoy cooking, this gift should suit you well."

"Judging by the names on the cards, this should be the Fourth Hokage's personal recipe book, and Obito-senpai was his student. I remember Aunt Mikoto had a close relationship with the Fourth Hokage's family. If you follow the instructions on the cards, she should be pleasantly surprised."

"Sounds good."

[Then I'll try making it another day.]

Giyu neatly organized the cards and put them in his pocket, then looked at Kakashi. "I'll return the favor."

"A simple 'thank you' will suffice, brat."

Kakashi squinted his eyes and remarked, "But it seems like you're still not satisfied."

"I'm not dissatisfied," Giyu coldly replied, without looking back, and walked away.

"These kids nowadays have such strong personalities. That expression definitely shows dissatisfaction," Kakashi mused, regretting his decision to entrust that thing to a child he barely knew.

However, keeping it at home would only evoke memories. Since he had promised the Third Hokage to pull himself together, sending it out was actually a better choice. It would also allow Minato Sensei's legacy to be carried forward.

"Giyu is actually a very gentle child; he just isn't good at expressing himself," Shisui commented, having long been accustomed to Giyu's odd temper. "He's not interested in becoming a ninja, so he must really like your gift. Let's go, Kakashi-senpai. As a token of gratitude, let me treat you to a bowl of ramen."

"What about the other child who's also celebrating his birthday?"

"As for Sasuke, he'll be thrilled as long as he receives a gift from someone. We can make it up to him tomorrow."

"I see."

Kakashi calmly followed Shisui as they left the Uchiha clan's area, but his mind was contemplating the words that his ninja dog, Akino, had told him.

"That kid is incredibly dangerous."

[Not interested in becoming a ninja, yet able to lift two half-meter-long salmon with one hand? (Approximately 15 kilograms)]

[But considering he's an Uchiha, perhaps it's not surprising. Still, that gaze is hard to ignore...]

Well, why bother meddling in other people's business?

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