Hokage: Immortal, I Open Unlimited Eight Gates

When I returned to the small river where I had just been fishing, it was almost noon.

Uchiha Chiba took out the items from his seal scroll and began preparing for the next task.

He then started assigning tasks to everyone:

"Nawaki and Shiwei, you're responsible for gathering firewood. Shikaku and Haiichi, you're in charge of grilling the fish. Mikoto and Kushina, you'll handle the bowls and chopsticks. Choza, you'll light the fire."

As for Uchiha Chiba, his role was to prepare the ingredients for the grilled fish.

That's right—he intended to cook the fish in the same way it was done in the grilled fish shop from his previous life.

He wouldn't settle for plain grilled fish. The fishy smell was too strong for his liking, and he couldn't bear it.

Once Uchiha Chiba finished delegating tasks, everyone nodded in agreement.

Considering that it might take too long for one person to gather firewood, Chiba assigned Nawaki and Shiwei to work together despite Nawaki's earlier punishment.

Akamichi Choza also contributed by taking out his own scroll. When he unsealed it, a pile of dishes and chopsticks appeared out of thin air.

"Mikoto, Kushina, I'll leave these to you," Choza said, gesturing toward the dishes on the ground.

"Got it, leave it to us," they replied in unison.

Watching Uchiha Chiba quickly take charge like a leader, Tsunade was a bit surprised. She hadn't expected this brat to have leadership qualities.

Yes, Tsunade had come along with the group.

Her initial purpose was to witness Uchiha Chiba's cooking skills, which her brother had praised. She was thinking of an excuse to stay for the meal, but before she could come up with one, Uchiha Chiba invited her, saying, "Tsunade-sama, since you saved Mikoto and Kushina, we'd like to treat you to dinner as thanks."

"Kid, is there anything you need me to do?"

Seeing everyone engaged in tasks while she stood idle, Tsunade felt awkward.

"You're welcome to rest, Tsunade-sama," Uchiha Chiba replied casually, focused on handling ingredients with a knife.

Since all the work had been assigned, there was nothing left for Tsunade to do.

Realizing this, she stopped asking questions. She knew there wasn't any work for her, but she had asked Chiba to avoid feeling out of place.

After a while, she walked over to Uchiha Chiba, watching him handle the ingredients.

"Kid, have you been practicing knife skills since you were in your mother's womb?" she asked in amazement, noting his precision.

"That's an exaggeration," Chiba replied without looking up, "but I've been cooking since I was four."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Four years old? Where were your parents? How could they let a child cook at that age?"

"My father passed away before I was born. My mother raised me on her own. She often worked overtime due to her busy schedule, so I started cooking to help ease her burden," Chiba explained.

Then he added, "Besides, a four-year-old should be sensible."

Tsunade's face darkened after hearing his explanation. She sympathized with Chiba's loss but found his comment about being "sensible at four" a bit irritating.

She thought back to her own childhood. At four, she had spent her days being spoiled by her grandfather, Senju Hashirama, and frequenting Konoha's casinos.

As Tsunade walked away in silence, Uchiha Chiba was left puzzled. Did I say something wrong?

When everything was ready, the group gathered to watch Uchiha Chiba cook.

He placed a large iron pot over the fire, heated some oil, added the ingredients, and stir-fried them until fragrant. Then he poured in water, added half a bottle of sake, and finally placed the grilled fish into the pot to cook.

To Tsunade and the others, the process seemed intricate, but Chiba completed it effortlessly.

The aroma wafting from the pot made everyone's mouths water.

"It smells amazing! Chiba, how long until we can eat? I can't wait!" Akamichi Choza exclaimed.

"Just one more minute," Chiba replied.

Disappointed, Choza sighed. "Alright, I'll wait."

One minute later, Chiba announced, "Okay, it's ready. Let's eat!"

Tsunade was the first to grab a piece. As soon as the fish touched her tongue, her eyes widened in delight.

"Hot, spicy, and absolutely delicious!" she exclaimed, unable to stop herself despite the heat.

The others were equally impressed, their faces red from the spice, yet unwilling to put their chopsticks down.

Chiba was surprised. He had toned down the spiciness, knowing the locals preferred milder flavors. Still, he didn't dwell on it and quickly joined the feast.

After the meal, Nawaki lay back, savoring the experience.

"So full... As expected of Chiba! Only you can make fish taste this good," he praised.

Shikaku nodded in agreement. "Nawaki's right. It's a shame we don't know when we'll get to eat Chiba's cooking again."

Ignoring their compliments, Chiba turned to Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama, was the meal to your liking?"

"Hiccup… Yes, it was. Also, stop calling me 'Tsunade-sama.' Just call me 'Tsunade-sister.'"

Tsunade was satisfied with the meal but wanted more. She started scheming.

Seeing her brother Nawaki, she thought, What if I make this brat my little brother? Then it'd be perfectly natural to visit his house for meals.

Pleased with her genius idea, she smiled.

Chiba, however, was secretly thrilled. He didn't expect one meal to bring them so much closer.

Though happy, he feigned hesitation. "Is this really okay? I'm from the Uchiha clan, and you're from the Senju clan."

Tsunade waved dismissively. "What does that matter? We're all part of Konoha. Why draw such lines?"

"Alright," Chiba relented with a smile. "I'll call you Tsunade-sister from now on."