The next evening, after a day of work in the Hokage's cabinet, the Uchiha couple welcomed the Fumori family to their home.
Besides the members of Fumori Masaki's family, there was also Tsunade, the main contributor to Uchiha Kagami's arm regeneration, and Kushina, who had recently been adopted as their foster daughter.
Adopting Kushina as a foster daughter was something Rimi had been considering for a long time.
Kushina's parents had both died in the war, leaving her an orphan, and since she had a good relationship with the Fumori family, Rimi came up with the idea.
Fumori Masaki had already intended to agree to the matter, and at the same time, the secret actions of the nobles of the Land of Whirlpools, adopting Kushina as a foster daughter, could, to some extent, help the Uzumaki clan fully integrate into Konoha Village.
As he welcomed the Kazamori family into the house,Fumori Masaki immediately saw the boiling pot on the table and the items arranged around it, and he chuckled, saying to Uchiha Kagami, "I didn't expect you to make this yourself."
"I've tasted it many times at your house before, so let's see how ours tastes this time," Uchiha Kagami said with a smile.
The dinner prepared by the Uchiha couple was the dish fromFumori Masaki's previous life—hotpot.
The culture of the Land of Fire is close to Japanese, and although it incorporates other elements, it is primarily Japanese, so the dishes of the Land of Fire are mostly Japanese cuisine with a light flavor.
Fumori Masaki had tasted Japanese cuisine in his previous life, but he still preferred the dishes of his own country, so based on his cooking experience and knowledge from his past life, he tried to recreate some of those dishes from his previous life.
Fortunately, while the Land of Fire is based on Japanese culture, other countries are not.
For example, the culture of the Land of Lightning, in Fumori Masaki's opinion, had some Western influences, and the white-skinned men and women in the Land of Lightning, distinctly different from the other brown-skinned people, made him highly suspect they were Caucasians.
The cultures of the Five Great Nations on the Ninja World Continent have some similarities, but also great differences, possibly related to the complex terrain of the Ninja World Continent.
On this continent, there is the Land of Fire with rich forest resources, the Land of Wind primarily composed of desert oases, the Land of Earth mainly consisting of mountains and plains, the Land of Lightning with towering peaks and clear waters, and the Land of Water, separated from the continent and primarily made up of archipelagos.
Different environments have created the distinct cultural circles of the Five Great Nations.
Honestly, it is surprising that on such a continent, with such complex terrain, each region could independently form a great nation.
If not for the Sage of Six Paths spreading Ninshu for a thousand years, Fumori Masaki felt that this cultural difference might be even greater.
This was also one of the reasons he found it very difficult to achieve unification by force: the cultural differences were somewhat significant, and without sufficient institutional governance, he did not believe it would be possible to unify the cultural ideologies of the Five Great Nations.
Maintaining the integrity of the nations in the form of an alliance, with the revival of Ninshu as the main goal, and gathering the scattered Ninshu culture between countries—this should be a good method for a transitional phase.
Therefore,Fumori Masaki believed that an alliance was the best choice for the Land of Fire, whose system had not yet been fully reformed.
Thanks to the environmental differences between various countries,Fumori Masaki was able to find similar ingredients to help him recreate the dishes from his previous life.
Initially, it was just ordinary pastries, but later it became the various cuisines he loved in his previous life.
Although they had been locally modified, to him, they were already quite familiar flavors.
Although his body had been accustomed to light foods for many years, he found it very difficult to adapt when he first tried them.
However, because of the sensation from his previous life, he quickly became addicted.
Perhaps it was also for this reason that Fumori Masaki quickly adapted to the differences between his past and present lives.
"It looks wonderful! I'm going to taste Uncle Kagami and Aunt Maki's cooking," Akemi said with a smile, clasping her hands together, having specifically left the research department early for this meal.
"Akemi, you can eat a lot; we've prepared plenty," Maki nodded to Akemi, then looked at Asuna and Kushina, "Asuna and Kushina, you too."
Seeing this, Asuna nodded slightly and glanced at Mizuki behind the couple.
Mizuki gestured to her, indicating that there was also a portion for her to enjoy.
Kushina obediently replied, "Okay, I'm really looking forward to it."
"Of course, and our protagonist, little Tsunade," Maki then looked at Tsunade.
When Tsunade was little, she used to call her 'little Tsunade,' and she continued to do so even after Tsunade grew up, which always made Tsunade a bit annoyed, as Maki didn't add 'little' when referring to Akemi or Asuna.
"I'm not little anymore, Aunt Maki," Tsunade complained slightly.
"Yes, yes, you're not little anywhere, but in my eyes, little Tsunade is still the child she once was," Maki said with a smile.
"Honestly," Tsunade complained, but she didn't feel any real resistance.
At most, it was just an affectionate nickname; since Maki was an elder and someone familiar, she let her call her that, only occasionally mentioning it.
Everyone took their seats around the dining table.
Fumori Masaki glanced at the hotpot base, which was different from what he usually used.
It seemed Uchiha Kagami was indeed trying his own method.
Uchiha Kagami had, after all, tasted his family's hotpot for many years, so he shouldn't lose points in certain areas.
He was still somewhat looking forward to it.
Fumori Masaki's impression of Japanese hotpot was mainly sukiyaki from his previous life.
He used to confuse the two but later understood.
Coincidentally, sukiyaki was prepared in the Land of Fire, and in terms of taste, it was sweeter compared to the hotpot from his previous life.
It's not that it wasn't delicious, but forFumori Masaki, he still preferred the spicy hotpot from his previous life; he was the type of person who favored stronger flavors.
Therefore, his former self, who had eaten light food for many years, found it particularly difficult to adapt.
In the early stages,Fumori Masaki truly savored the familiar taste while also suffering immensely, experiencing both pain and joy.
"Everyone, please eat as much as you like, stay as late as you want, it's fine.
We have guest rooms, so you can rest here," Uchiha Kagami personally poured wine for the elders and drinks for the younger ones.
Thanks to Fumori Masaki's insights, many things in Konoha Village had become richer among the merchant enterprises supported by Konoha Village.
Only these novelties would receive an enthusiastic response from outsiders, making Konoha Village's finances abundant.
In terms of beverages, there was naturally a wide variety.
Based on the abundant fruits of the Land of Fire, many fruit drinks were produced, which tasted good and were rich in nutrients.
The Uchiha couple first expressed their gratitude to Tsunade, who considered it a matter of course and didn't pay much attention, simply smiling.
After some casual conversation, it was time to eat, and in this atmosphere, besides eating, various topics gradually emerged.
Akemi and Kushina had not personally stepped onto the battlefield, so they were more or less curious.
From Asuna, Mizuki, and Tsunade, they learned about some painful and touching events.
Asuna and Mizuki, in turn, learned about the logistical support from the two of them.
For example, Akemi's research in the R&D department and Kushina's work in the logistics department.
As they talked, they even brought up some people in their work environments, both good and bad, making the atmosphere at the dinner table very lively.
"You guessed it, nothing gets past you," Uchiha Kagami nodded slightly.
"But I do indeed want to express my gratitude, and I'll use this occasion for it, just like a normal family visit, and I do have something to say."
"Then let's talk after dinner,"Fumori Masaki said calmly, wondering in his heart what Uchiha Kagami wanted to discuss with him.