Naruto: I, Naruto, don't want to try anymore.

Chapter 23 Unraveling the Knot

At night, in the forest outside the City of Fire, the crackling sound of flames filled the air.

Above the burning charcoal fire, a rotating grill and grilled fish exuding a rich aroma are arranged.

Naruto kept his eyes fixed on the fish skin as he carefully controlled the heat.

Based on his years of experience cooking outdoors, the two most difficult things to grill are chicken wings and fish.

Both of these are the kind of ingredients that are difficult to bake, no matter how low the heat is; they will burn if you're not careful. You have to flip them frequently.

So Naruto rarely thinks of eating them unless he has no other choice or he suddenly has a craving.

"So delicious..."

Feng Hua Xiaoxue held a lamb rib in her hand, her mouth smeared with lamb fat: "I've never eaten such delicious roast meat!"

"Then eat more."

Naruto flipped the grilled fish, picked up a pinch of chili powder, and sprinkled it on.

"It's delicious, but you worked really hard baking it."

Fuuka Koyuki watched Naruto's method of sprinkling the ingredients with curiosity: "Is there some special secret recipe?"

The secret is to traverse the entire northern region of China…

I learned how to make lamb skewers in Northwest China, whole lamb and whole beef dishes on the grasslands, and other miscellaneous dishes in Northeast China, which also cost the most money and took the longest to learn.

Because of the three provinces and three different styles, the most memorable ones were a kind of barbecue marinade in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province, and a way of eating raw spicy beef skewers in Yanzhou, Jilin Province.

These kinds of exclusive or minority-based secret recipes are rarely passed on to outsiders, and money can't buy them, so in the end he never learned them...

Perhaps Naruto's skills are only superficial when it comes to the food culture that has been passed down for thousands of years, but in the ninja world, they are as good as a mink!

Although it's still just fur, its value is completely different.

"Come on, ah—~"

A piece of torn mutton was offered to Naruto's mouth. Naruto turned his head slightly and gently bit the mutton that Kazeka Koyuki offered.

It has a slightly gamey taste, but that's the meat's problem, there's nothing we can do about it.

The land of fire is geographically unsuitable for raising sheep, while the land of grass is alright, though that's not necessarily true.

To eliminate the gamey smell, you need to feed them grasses like sand onions and artemisia from a young age to remove the gamey odor; it's like starting the process right from the beginning...

In addition, there are certain requirements for the climate and environment, which was told to him by the old herdsman who taught him how to roast a whole lamb.

But it's okay, as long as the smell isn't too strong, Naruto isn't too averse to it.

Judging from the way the wind, flowers, and snow are falling, it doesn't seem to have any impact.

The girl next to him asked expectantly, "Is it delicious?"

Naruto rolled his eyes: "What do you think? I baked it!"

"I fed it!"

"tasty."

Having received the answer she wanted, Feng Hua Xiaoxue chuckled.

This guy is really a great boy. He'll definitely grow up to be an outstanding man.

Thinking of this, she suddenly realized that Naruto would be living in her house from now on, spending every day with her.

Imagining the future life they would have together, the girl's face gradually turned crimson, but fortunately it wasn't very noticeable because of the firelight.

"Naruto..."

"Um?"

"Will I be able to eat your barbecue more often in the future?"

Feng Hua Xiaoxue rested her chin on her hand, staring intently at the charcoal fire, her heart pounding.

"Can't."

Hearing that calm voice, the girl's eyes darkened.

"I see..."

Feng Hua Xiaoxue lowered her head slightly. Naruto's firm rejection kicked her out of her beautiful fantasy. She suddenly remembered her identity as an exiled princess and became somewhat depressed again.

"I'll teach you the secret recipe, you can bake it for me if you want..."

Naruto scoffed. "I'm too lazy to even cook it myself, why the hell would I bake it for you?"

Upon hearing this, Fuuka Koyuki's eyes lit up again, as if she had grasped a lifeline from the darkness, and she grabbed Naruto's arm: "Then it's settled!"

Naruto nodded emphatically: "It's a deal, I won't argue with you!"

"Then teach me now! I'll help you!"

"Here you go. Remember to flip the fish frequently while grilling, and control the heat carefully. Make sure each side doesn't sit for more than thirty seconds..."

In the forest, two small figures leaned against each other, a rich fragrance filled the air, and a sky full of stars hung overhead.

The beautiful scene remained so vivid in Feng Hua Xiao Xue's mind that she thought it was all a dream until she woke up the next morning.

When I opened my eyes again, all I saw was the hotel ceiling.

Fuuka Koyuki rubbed her eyes groggily, then seemed to remember something, suddenly widened her eyes, rushed out of the room barefoot, and burst open the door to Naruto's room.

Inside the room, a little blond-haired boy was curled up in bed, while bottles and jars of seasonings and grill pans were piled up in the corner.

"You'd better have something to do..."

Naruto, his eyelids drooping, looked at the flustered figure at the door.

Seeing this, Feng Hua Xiaoxue guiltily looked away.

She remembered; she had fallen asleep while eating last night and must have been brought back by Naruto…

Thinking of this, she glanced around the corridor, then closed the door and went inside, burrowing into Naruto's bed. Her decisive demeanor left Naruto stunned.

"Can I lie down for a bit? Hey! Why are you sleeping naked?!"

As soon as she lay down, Kazahana Koyuki sat up as if she had been electrocuted, looking at Naruto with her face flushed red.

Naruto was immediately amused and annoyed by this attempt to shift the blame: "Why should I wear clothes when I'm sleeping in my own bed? Besides, aren't I wearing underwear?"

"Then hurry up and put it on!"

"don't want."

Feng Hua Xiaoxue puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms: "No, put it on right now! You're being too offensive!"

"Who exactly did I offend...?"

Naruto yawned, still sleepy-eyed.

"Of course it's you!"

The girl gave a light snort and raised her chin with an arrogant expression: "Let me reintroduce myself, I am Kazeka Koyuki, the princess of the Snow Country! Fujikaze Yukie is just my pseudonym."

Naruto raised an eyelid upon hearing this: "So what does this have to do with you crawling into my bed?"

"I…"

Fuuka Koyuki blushed again: "Let's not talk about that. I...I want to learn ninjutsu from you."

Naruto sighed sadly, "Cover me up first."

Feng Hua Xiaoxue looked embarrassed, silently lay down, and covered herself with the blanket.

Then she rolled over in bed, her beautiful big eyes staring unblinkingly at Naruto.

"Actually... I'm a princess in exile."

"and then?"

"I want to become stronger!"

"and then?"

"Then…"

Feng Hua Xiaoxue fell into deep thought. The atmosphere last night was so wonderful that when she woke up, she was still filled with endless anticipation for the future.

In a moment of impulsiveness, she revealed her identity and even thought about learning ninjutsu so that one day she could go back and kill Fuuka Nuta!

However, impulse is just impulse, and as the impulse subsided, the shadow of the stormy sea once again crept into his heart.

The terrifying images of being hunted and fleeing kept replaying in her mind.

The atmosphere quieted down, and the girl slowly lowered her head, her face darkening, her body trembling involuntarily with fear.

Suddenly, a hand gently pressed on her head.

Feng Hua Xiaoxue slightly raised her head, her gaze meeting a pair of pure blue eyes.

"Then blood for blood, tooth for tooth."

"Um…"

The girl pursed her lips, tears streaming down her face, but the trembling she felt from fear gradually subsided.

Finally, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders, she hugged the Naruto-themed body pillow tightly and fell into a deep sleep...

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(End of this chapter)