Soi Fon resided in the Wayshrine, bored out her mind and wishing that things were different. She wished Yoruichi didn't find that damnable cave cozy and would reside in the Wayshrine with her instead. The petite bodyguard wanted to spend more time with her charge, but she wasn't that lucky, unfortunately. Here she was, residing in the Wayshrine all by her lonesome, being idle, sometimes training or making tea.
" Lady Yoruichi..."
Soi Fon muttered with longing while looking like an abandoned puppy. The door opened to reveal Yoruichi looking annoyed and demanding.
" Soi Fon, do you have any of my kimonos!?"
" Yes!"
The petite bodyguard said automatically in surprise.
" Give it here!"
" Um, Lady Yoruichi, why do you-?"
" Now, Soi Fon!"
The dark-skinned Kuniochi said impatiently while thinking angrily.
" Not a Lady? I'll show you a Lady, Naruto!"
Soi Fon, while still confused by Yoruichi's sudden interest in her kimono, a smaller part of her was liking how commanding her charge was with her. Not that she will ever admit out loud, even at the threat of death, as she gets teased enough as is. The petite bodyguard brought a richly colored orange kimono and handed it to the dark-skinned Kuniochi.
Yoruichi grabbed the kimono and ran off without another word, leaving a very confused and slightly aroused Soi Fon behind, questioning her life decisions.
________________________________________
" Yoruichi, a court lady? Yeah, right!"
I snorted at the thought as it was ridiculous, considering the fact I had never seen an ounce of noble dignity from her. She's too much of a free spirit and is more likely to punch someone annoying her than politely dress them down. That was my impression of her, at least. If she really is a court lady, then I will be pleasantly surprised while denying it at every turn and obtusely as possible to annoy her.
Yoruichi ran off for whatever reason, and I worked on discovering the right blend of herbs to recreate pizza sauce. I was getting close; I just needed to figure out the right measurements as I prepped a couple of different sauces to kill time since I finished my Body Tempering routine for the day. I also entered Total Concentration Breathing state with my Breathing Style and could maintain it while sleeping.
All it took was a rock, a pulley system, and some rope. Now, I am working on adding Chakra to the mix for my Breathing Style, and I will name it at last. For now, let's try these batches of pizza sauces; I have four saucepans with different blends of herbs added to everything else. The first one was close but still tasted too much like herby ketchup. The second sauce had a nice balance between everything but was still wrong.
I tried the third sauce and muttered with contained glee.
" I did it!"
The right Italian flavor with room for adjustments to compliment the cheeses and toppings better. I checked the blend of herbs I used and memorized everything before writing it down on my Otherworldly Cuisine Scroll, something I recently decided to make, that I am writing because this is just one food among many I wish to recreate from my past life. Needless to say, I entered a pizza-making frenzy.
Classic crust, thin crust, stuff crust, garlic bread crust, New York style, Detroit style, Chicago Style Deep Dish, Sicilian Style, Greek Style, and a personal favorite tomato crust pizza. I made pizza like a madman, and when I finished making every kind of pizza I could remember under the sun, I realized I had made way too much. Dozens of plain cheese pizzas as toppings could come later were in front of me, but I was happy regardless to have an old favorite food from my past life.
" I can't eat all of this."
I cursed myself for being overly excited as I hated wasting food, especially since I experienced near starvation in this life. Going to bed with an empty stomach in the middle of winter with faulty heating was an experience I never wanted to know. Recalling more unpleasant memories from suffering Konoha's idiocy just made my blood boil. I took a deep breath to calm down as raging like a berserker wouldn't make me happy, not yet, at least.
" Let's see if Yoruichi is willing to help me eat all this pizza."
I muttered as she should be back since I had been cooking for hours. I exited the kitchen tent and called out.
" Yoruichi-san, dinner is ready!"
I didn't hear an immediate reply, and I wondered if she was still upset about me not buying that she's a court lady.
" Naruto-kun, what culinary delights have you prepared this time?"
I heard Yoruichi's familiar but oddly polite voice and turned to her to say.
" Why are you talking like-?"
My sentence died in my throat as I saw her dressed in a luxurious kimono, looking, well, beautiful beyond her usual self. Her hair was done up with gold ornaments, a silk fan in hand, and she now looked very smug.
" What is that matter, Naruto-kun? You seem at a loss for words."
That shook me out of my stupor as Yoruichi was looking smugger by the second, and while that annoyed me, I decided to be honest.
" You look stunning, Yoruichi-san."
She preened at the praise instead of being flustered at all, and my eyes twitched at her in annoyance, and I then switched tack.
" Where did you steal that kimono?"
Yoruichi's smug smile vanished, and she glared at me while retorting.
" I didn't steal it from anywhere; it's mine!"
I nodded in reply before saying with a smug smile of my own.
" Even if you wear finery, Yoruichi-san, I still don't believe you're a court lady."
" And why is it so hard for you to believe that?"
" Because I know the real you."
I answered as I honestly couldn't imagine her doing whatever court ladies do, and she looked at me with exasperation before asking.
" Then who is this so-called real me?"
" A strong, free-spirited, and shameless woman that is more likely to punch or prank you if you annoy her."
I told her my honest impression of her, and she looked surprised for whatever reason.
" That's... surprisingly accurate."
I shrugged at her reply before asking for her help with all the pizza I made.
" Oh, yeah, I made dinner a bit earlier than usual as I had some inspiration, too much, in fact, when experimenting with a dish I envisioned. It turned out great, but I made too much."
She snorted before asking with an annoyed expression.
" And what exactly did you make this time, Naruto?"
I noticed the lack of honorific but ignored it as I didn't mind her being impolite with me as I answered.
" I call it pizza; it's basically bread, tomato sauce, cheese, and whatever toppings you want rolled into one dish. I didn't try using any toppings this time as I wanted to try plain cheese first."
" Pi-Za? What kind of name is that?"
" One that came to me."
I told her with a shrug before opening the kitchen tent to reveal my pizza saturation. She arched an eyebrow and commented.
" You weren't kidding when you said you made too much."
She sat down in a seiza position at the table and asked.
" So, how do you eat this?"
________________________________________
" I regret nothing."
I said with a bloated stomach that felt like it had been stretched to its limits. I was happy regardless at having my prompt to pizza party. Yoruichi then commented with her fancy kimono removed, wearing nothing but a black form-fitting leotard that left her back and shoulders exposed.
" That was pretty good. I never had anything like that before, and you said almost anything could used as a topping for this pizza thing of yours?"
" Yep."
I replied as I rubbed my stuffed to the brim's stomach, and she asked randomly.
" Fish?"
" Of course."
"You're making that next time."
She demanded, but I didn't mind, and I asked in return.
" What kind of crust do you want with it?"
" One of everything, of course, to see which is better."
I chuckled at her answer as I got up as I needed to walk off some of the pizza I had eaten. As I walked in circles around my camp, my mind wondered what I should do next to get stronger since my body tempering is reaching its limits for now. Considering who my future opponents are going to be, focusing on Ninjutsu or Genjutsu wouldn't do. Most, if not all, Ōtsutsuki Clan members and those who gain their bloodline could absorb Chakra-based attacks or at least counter them somehow.
Taijutsu is a must, along with high speed, to increase its effectiveness. Then there is Sage Mode, that uses Nature Energy to enhance attacks and can't be absorbed, and of course, Sealing Jutsu just has too much potential to pass up. I also need to push my mastery over the spear to another level, as using a weapon gives me more options. I can consult Maito Gai about Taijutsu and possibly spear usage, as he is the strongest when it comes to physical combat, and his student Rock Lee follows in his footsteps.
I need to ask about Sage Mode from the Fox Clan to see what their requirements are to learn it for their version of it as I am sure I have the Chakra Reserves for it, and my Chakra Control is precise, something the original Naruto couldn't pull off on his own. Kuko-sensei back at the Fox Clan can help me with Sealing Jutsu. As for mastering the spear, I probably need a Samurai to teach me since Shinobi don't usually use spears; a trip to the Land of Iron is in my future.
I then thought about my Chakra Nature Affinities, Fire, Wind, and Lightning, and wondered if I could create a Bloodline Selection like Dust Style with those three. I understand the basic theory for elemental Bloodline Limits, which was to use a different element in each hand, mold them together, and form a new Nature Transformation for Jutsu. I am also making progress on my other Nature Transformation training through Shadow Clones in the Fox Clan.
Water Nature Transformation training is only a bit slower than my Fire, Wind, and Lightning Nature Transformation. Followed by Yang Nature, which is tricky since the only way to train it is to master Yang Style Jutsu, and Yin Nature is the same. Earth Nature Transformation, however, is slow even with a dozen Shadow Clones working on it, as it is probably my weakest Affinity. I am still stuck on the first exercise for Earth Nature Transformation, which is to make a leaf sink in a bowl of water by infusing the leaf with Earth Nature Chakra.
The mental image used for Earth Nature Transformation is stillness with nuances, which is something hard to imagine; my Chakra being unmoving as I have in my head that it is constantly moving. Regardless of my difficulties, I am determined to master all Nature Transformations as it would give me an edge at figuring out opposing Jutsu and countering them. Graduation at the Academy is only around the corner, but do I want to graduate and become a recognized Shinobi?
I seriously thought about my alternatives if I decided to just fail the graduation exam and leave the Shinobi program. I didn't join by choice, as I was already registered when I woke up in this new life of mine, and I couldn't do anything else to survive in Konoha. If I was never an official Shinobi, did that mean I couldn't become a Rogue Ninja? The more I thought about this, the more curious I got about how Konoha handles Ninja Drop Outs.
" I need to do some research when I get back."
I muttered to myself as a plan was starting to form in my mind where I could put Konoha behind me and be the master of my life if things pan out as I hope.