Chapter 6: Meals, Mistakes, and Kunai Tennis
The morning air in the Academy courtyard smelled faintly of miso, dew, and something… slightly burnt.
"Don't worry," I said, holding up a hand as the first students trickled in. "That's intentional."
Naruto sniffed the air. "Did you explode breakfast?"
I grinned. "Today's lesson is part cooking, part creativity, part chaos."
Sakura blinked. "That's not in the curriculum."
"Today's about discovering things outside the curriculum."
I unsealed two carts of ingredients beside me—some cheap, some high-quality, some suspiciously random.
Atop the chalkboard, I wrote in bold strokes:
Gotcha Roast Pork – A Dish of Accidents
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Group Lesson: Gotcha Roast Pork
I divided them into small teams and explained the challenge: make the best fake roast pork using random ingredients. Each group would use misdirection, seasoning, layering, and teamwork. The goal wasn't perfection.
The goal… was intention through mistake.
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Naruto's POV
We were on Team "Food Ninja" (I picked the name).
Our basket had: konjac jelly, daikon, dried fish, and no actual meat.
Choji was panicking. "How are we supposed to make pork out of this!?"
"Easy!" I said. "We… pretend! That's what 'Gotcha' means, right?"
Sasuke looked like he wanted to walk away. "This is stupid."
"No, it's a challenge! Like a mission!"
We chopped, stirred, and wrapped the daikon in seaweed, layered it in miso, and slow-steamed it over low flame with garlic.
It smelled… kind of like pork.
Sasuke scowled. "This shouldn't work."
But it kinda did.
When Iruka tasted it, he smiled wide. "You turned water into gold," he said.
I grinned so hard my cheeks hurt.
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Sakura's POV
Our group included Shikamaru and Ino. I was determined to win.
We had eggs, onions, tofu, and soy sauce. I built the dish logically—structure first, flavor layering second.
Shikamaru was no help. "Too troublesome."
Ino added a handful of red pepper flakes without asking. "It needs drama."
I nearly lost it.
But Iruka came over just as we started arguing. He tasted our lumpy tofu stack and said, "This dish is honest. Each part speaks its mind."
That caught me off guard.
Maybe mistakes weren't flaws. Just… messages.
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Hinata's POV
Shino and I worked quietly.
We used rice paper to wrap miso-glazed burdock and made a honey-sesame crust.
Shino made precise cuts. I handled the seasoning.
We didn't speak much. But it flowed.
Iruka said our dish "had harmony in silence."
I smiled.
Small, but real.
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Don Bowl: The Meaning of Balance
After cleaning up, I gave them one more challenge: make a simple Donburi bowl—rice, toppings, sauce—with the theme of balance.
"Everything in this dish must say something," I explained. "Too much or too little ruins it. Your bowl should mean something."
I showed them my example: grilled fish, pickled plum, scallion, and a single shiso leaf.
"Each item represents a part of your training," I said. "Muscle, discipline, humor, patience."
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Shikamaru's POV
My bowl was rice, one egg, and scallions.
Simple.
When Iruka asked why, I said, "Because everything else is unnecessary."
He smiled. "Sometimes simplicity holds the deepest purpose."
Not bad.
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Kiba's POV
Mine was chaotic. Leftover daikon, pickled radish, egg, and a chicken thigh on top.
"I fight better when it's messy," I said.
Iruka laughed. "Then may your chaos have balance."
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Kunai Tennis
We moved to the field.
Two teams. Chalk lines. Wooden kunai instead of rackets. Paper balls filled with flour as the target.
They shouted, laughed, missed horribly, and made brilliant dives.
Sasuke accidentally scored an own-goal. Naruto high-fived him anyway.
When Choji served and the kunai splintered mid-swing, we all collapsed laughing.
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After Class: Reflections at Home
Mikoto watched Sasuke eat his Donburi quietly that night.
When he finished, he said, "I'm not sure why the rice mattered, but it… did."
She smiled into her tea. "Some lessons you taste first. Understand later."
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Choza was moved when Choji described their dish as "fat that feels light."
He clapped his son on the shoulder, tearfully whispering, "You're making our clan proud."
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Inoichi was stunned when Ino said, "Cooking's like genjutsu—it changes how you feel without fighting."
He made her explain it three times. Then wrote it in his journal.
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Hiashi asked Hinata what "balance" meant to her.
She answered, "Knowing where I'm weak… and still moving forward."
He said nothing—but later adjusted the height of her training posts.
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Tsume blinked when Kiba said, "I think food's a type of fight."
She poured him a second bowl. "You're not wrong."
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Shikaku, for once, didn't lie down right away. He quietly joined Shikamaru at the table.
They didn't speak.
But both ate every grain of rice.
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Hiruzen & Naruto – Beneath the Hokage Monument
Naruto was sitting on the hilltop alone, legs pulled to his chest.
The Third Hokage approached slowly.
Naruto didn't look up.
"…They all made their parents proud today," he muttered.
Hiruzen sat beside him.
"And you made your teacher proud."
"I'm still the one without a family."
Hiruzen was quiet.
Then he offered Naruto a rice ball.
Simple. Soft. Still warm.
Naruto stared. Took it. Bit it.
"…Did you make this?"
Hiruzen chuckled. "No. Iruka did. He said it was for the one who needed it most."
Naruto didn't cry.
But he didn't speak either.
They sat together until the sky turned orange.