Ravioli ravioli tell me the formuoli [Mission]

Mission:

This mission was most peculiar, and truth be told, not at all what Kenchi believed he would have to do in his pursuit of being a shinobi. He always envisioned things with more oomph; maybe he'd have to sneak into a museum at night and stealthily relieve them of an artefact his village desired? Maybe that would even go wrong, and he'd have to engage in hand to hand combat with an opposing shinobi! His will pitted against theirs! One victor! And to the victor go the spoils. Ideas of grand clashes and respectful commentary to a worthy adversary danced around his mind. That was the life. Shaking his head of his dreams of what a ninjas life would be, the boy escaped his bout of wanderlust; discarding the idealised dream for he know that's all it was. Apparently, this was the true deed of a shinobi; community service. Pausing the rhythmic tapping of his mechanic pencil against his chin, he exhaled slowly. It was a nice change of pace to be fair - he didn't have to worry about his own welfare in this mission, nor did he have to be too worried about harming a child during his job. After all, they had requested for him to send notice ahead of what he planned to provide for the children, so that would probably get rid of most concerns about allergies or other such problematic factors.

With the meals however, it appeared that there was a slight ushering of a story for the children. A sort of experience of both the senses and the mind where the children would get to know a little more about the shinobi that had went out of their way to provide them with an illustrious meal. What meals could he possibly deliver unto their pallette with a compelling story that was just as delicious as the food itself? His family had always indulged in seafood, but that was a given due to their strong roots to islands and affinities to water. In truth, Kenchi had no idea how to properly cook and serve most types of fish food. He hadn't spent much time with his parents in that regard as he had always been absorbed in his texts and scrolls, trying to find connections between the most unseeming of situations. He was a conspiracy theorist solely because of his bored state, but hey, it made for interesting conversations around the dinner table when you started wondering if any of the villages wars were inside jobs, and potentially prior communicated!

Perhaps his sister had picked something up from their time with family, that would be extremely fortunate if the case, and she had always had a fondness for knives and sharp things so it only makes sense that she could entirely prepare food that involved flaying, wait, no, filleting a fish. Maybe, if this was all paid for already by the providers of the mission, they could even be a little greedy and get lobster for all of them! The most exquisite of foods, especially when steamed. The very thought made the dreamer salivate; steamed lobster drenched in butter, maybe some cheese around just to be a little extra. Got to throw in the vegetables too of course, think of the children and their growth. Of course, he couldn't seem like a monster and only have these options, he'd need to get fresh milk so that the children would be able to wash it all down? Scribbling down onto the paper beneath a bunch of crossed out sentences, he'd reread what he'd placed upon the paper - "BUTTERED AND STEAMED LOBSTER, MELTY CHEESE, FRESH MILK".

In many ways, it was a perfect list for growing children, yet it was certainly not a complete list. Does milk actually work with seafood? He hadn't tried such a queer combination before, but if it did... maybe he'd get a standing ovation from the children? A round of applause and high fives for such a compelling, bold, and daring take on culinary exploits. A gastro masterpiece. Snickering to himself, he knew there was no way his sister would think of a better combination than this. She was smart, after all they shared DNA, but she was no culinary expert. He could already see himself in the banners advertising new dishes all along the Land of Honey: Crabcakes but made from fish, fish fingers but made from crab, sausage but most surprisingly of all still made from pork. His genius knew almost no limits, and that was a terror for any chef that dare oppose him at this stage of his career.

Once again, the childs dreams continued to pour through his mind as if there were not greater things to think about, like where had his sister actually gotten off to? Looking around the small kitchen he was in, he noticed now that Sakura had been gone for longer than he realised. Was she going out to clear her head of some cobwebs, to get some inspiration from the children themselves on what culinary delights they would like to receive? That would have been a good idea to do. Standing up from the four legged stool, he pushed the notepad and pencil further onto the metal table before taking a walk around the tiled kitchen. The surfaces were all cleaned adequately providing a nice reflection on the metal, and there seemed to be an assortment of different pots and pans to help them out on their journey. Opening up a few cupboards, he discovered more cooking instruments that didn't seem vital to the assignment, but it was nice to know that the orphanage had good facilities for providing their children full stomachs. Opening up a drawer, he discovered the knives that would be used for a large portion of this mission, at least assuming the vendors themselves wouldn't cook the food on their behalf, which would be much simpler although slightly disingenuous to the spirit of the mission.

His eyes naturally drifted towards the window of the kitchen, gazing out towards the active town where he'd started to form a new life. It was nice to feel accepted here. It was nice to be able to build a life that was worth experiencing, and he was even happier he was able to do it with family and friends. In fact, if he was to truly admit it, he was happy he'd be able to share some of his life with the children. He would forego names and historical accuracy; why would a child care for those? Fantastical, mythological, larger than life. That is what he would focus on. The Leviathan that ate the ocean, and decided the lobsters were worth revisiting! Of course, he hoped there wouldn't be that one child which questioned the legitimacy of his claim, but if he told the story well enough, why would they care when they were able to escape their life momentarily to think about how great and vast the world could be?

When she first heard about them cooking for an orphanage, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes, the idea of being around screaming children instead of out on the battlefield was quite the annoyance for the blue haired kunoichi. Being around children was by no means her forte, she much preferred the thrill of the fight and terror in the eyes of her enemies, but what can you do when you gotta pay the bills? They had to take on any and all jobs that came their way, even the less savory ones.

Planning a meal for yourself was a far easier task than for a handful of children, with special dietary restrictions that the orphanage didn’t want to disclose ahead of time. Instead of giving them the list of forbidden ingredients, they were forced to let the orphanage know about what they intended to make and then get the seal of approval from them. She felt it was a bit of a roundabout way to organize the meals, but who was she to tell them how to run the place?

Having limitations but no knowledge of what they were meant Sakura had given the orphanage several different options to ensure at least one of them would be safe enough for her to make. The last thing she needed was for a child to go into anaphylaxis shock and die, thus putting her into a rather tough situation to get out of.

Luckily, they had no qualms with her various ideas, and she was allowed to freely pick and choose whichever ones she wanted to cook today, although the issue remained of which one to create considering she also needed some kind of story to go along with it. Seafood was an obvious choice, but knowing Kuiaratame, he was probably already making something with it as they were some of his favorite dishes back home. He wouldn’t know she had helped their mother in preparing their dinner most nights, always too wrapped up in his own world to notice. It was fortunate for the children that she knew her twin so well, otherwise they would’ve had two dishes of seafood. Although it would’ve been quite tasty, having two of the same proteins would’ve been dull on the palate.

Sakura had walked outside to get some fresh air while her brother was lost in thought, using the scenery to clear her mind, hoping it would help her decide on a dish. There were a handful of buildings around the orphanage, possibly where the workers and caretakers slept or did chores, and a couple of designated areas for the children to play in without the fear of them running off. A few trees peeked out between the buildings and every once in and while she would stumble upon some flowers growing, their petals beautiful hues of cinnabar, lavender, saffron, and cerulean.

She took out her drawing pad and a pencil, tapping it against the paper as she pondered what kind of dishes she could make with such vibrant colors, especially one's children would eat. Sakura tried to think of any dishes that she helped their mother create, but none of them matched the vividness she was searching for. She did find a new idea that perhaps she could add colors to and began drawing a rough sketch of the components she thought would be creative to add. Their mother used to add cute shapes and faces to the foods in their bento boxes; pineapple stars, heart shaped strawberries, bunny apples, octopus hotdogs, and used seaweed to create the faces on the onigiri or pile of rice, depending on what she packed for them that day.

Having a vague idea of something she could connect a story to and knew children would enjoy, the blunette walked briskly back inside of the kitchen to speak with Kuiaratame and Shojiro, and, if one or both of them were there, she would call out, “Have you thought of what you want to do? I haven’t ironed out the actual concept of mine yet, but I think the children will find it fun.”

(WC: 687)

Cooking. For kids. That's what Shojiro found himself doing. Cooking. For kids. Random stranger kids. At an orphanage. No, he did need the money. And Kuiaratame and Sakura were gracious enough to invite him, he should appreciate the opportunity. At at least this was safe. No way he could be discovered and attacked doing something like this. The boy was standing in the fully stocked and equipped kitchen and he was clear as day grumpy. Not least because they asked him to leave his katana at the door. Yes, granted - such was the protocol for entering a civilian building with weapons, but... At least they let him keep the wakizashi. He groaned voicelessly. Cooking. For kids.

Shojiro glanced at the note with the requirements, then at Kuiaratame who was sitting on a stool in the middle of the kitchen. The guy seemed deep in thought, but his expression also made it look like he was day dreaming. He was clearly more excited about this than yours truly. The little schemer turned away, flexed his face for a moment and then forced a smile out. He felt better about this whole thing already. Turning back, with a clear expression and a light smile on his lips, he would approach the metal table before his teammate before setting down as well. The list of possible choices was in front of him. A lot of this stuff was beyond him. Yes, he could cook. There were times when he had to procure and prepare food for himself and his mother Haruko. But he was no master chef. As he was scanning the list, the taller boy stood up and started going around the kitchen, inspecting the tools provided to them. The younger shinobi followed this process without standing up from the table. When Kuiaratame stopped and looked through the window outside, Shojiro returned to the list. There was one thing there that reminded him of something. Reminded him of mother. Of some of the happier days of his life.

When Sakura strutted into the kitchen with her question, Shojiro was decided. "Chocolate pie..." He declared, almost absent mindedly. Then he followed up slightly louder. "I will be making a chocolate pie of sorts. There will be cookies in it. The kids love sweets, right?" Having decided on it, he stood up and walked out of the kitchen to inform the orphanage staff of his choice. He returned a moment later with a comment. "There, that will take care of dessert. Now you do not need to worry about that. Anybody need any help? My stuff will probably be fairly simple. I have done it hundreds of times before!" Not quite that many, maybe a dozen. But he was confident he can do it well. And why not score some points here by being helpful.

472 wc.

Suddenly, the little dreamer found himself caught in the vortex of the sea he had been imagining. Caught just like the lobsters of his story, he swirled through the current and down into the abyssal gullet of the Leviathan, and that was when he found himself staring at a window with the words of his sister and friend echoing behind him. Turning back around, Kenchi shook the cobwebs from his head and made his way over to the nearest table they were both discussing at. Leaning down onto the surface on his elbows, he looked between the two of them to see what their ideas were, and whether he could be inspired even further by their creativity. His sister had the same idea as she offered no recipe of her own, but Sho volunteered a chocolate pie. Kuiaratame did not actually know you could have pies made of chocolate; a new expression settling upon his face that was a mixture of both surprise and admiration for this newly imparted knowledge. Chocolate pie combined with cookies... it was certainly a choice and those with a sweet tooth would love it, which fortunately, kids were known to have.

Leaning in closer once Sho returned from expressing his desire to the orphanage staff, a wicked smirk slowly curled over his features. "Look, they didn't put a price restriction on what we can and can't cook, or even source. So, naturally, I thought we should do lobster. Steamed, of course, I'm not a savage. Plenty of butter that's locally sourced to help the farmers to help it go down a treat, and also some milk... just 'cause." The smirk remained on his face; the compensation for the mission wasn't bad, it just wasn't super appealing for him to go through all of this ardour without some reward himself, "I figured if they won't let us eat with the children to share the meals, we could maybe just get a lobster ourselves and also eat it and just claim we accidentally got more than we needed. Think of how tasty it can be!" The smirk had now evolved into a salivating grin. He didn't even need to hear the admiration for his nefarious deed as he had already found himself before the orphanage staff, pleading his case for how imperative it was to his story that lobsters were utilised. They were reluctant, very much so, but the enthusiasm the boy had seemed to have had a voice in of itself which swayed them to his most expensive case. After all, you just need a winning smile for people to be charmed to your side.

Running back out to the others, he'd wave towards them as he kept running through to the other exit of the kitchen whilst shouting out to them, "I'm going to go collect my stuff, do you guys actually know how to steam cook by the way? None of the dishes I've ever made required steaming, but I will NOT ruin this lobster by grilling or boiling!" The bold declaration was thrown out by the time he had bolted through the door of the kitchen and exited through the side entrance of the kitchen. Charging through the quiet village, Kuiaratame made his way through the crowds of people to the designated vendors he was told would be compensated; he really only had one vendor in mind for this ordeal, the one who claimed to receive fresh shipments of fish daily. After all, the boy was about to not only be his biggest customer, but his most loyal once this day concluded.

The smell of the sea hit him before the sight of the vendors wares, which was nostalgic to the youth. Salty water warmed his lungs and almost made him drop his guard, but it was too little for a full release. Slowing himself down on his feet, he degraded from a sprint into a brisk walk as he came up to the vendor that promised him the wares of a life time. The wares of a mission that would ensure the children were stimulated both by the food and by the story he would gift them. Kuiaratame arranged with the vendor for all of his lobsters, much to his surprise and hesitation despite the sponsoring from the orphanage, although it only took a few "But Sir, think of the poor orphans!" before he was back on board and sufficiently guilt tripped. Walking around with the fisherman cage packed with lobsters, he'd soon be at the nearest dairy vendor, negotiating this time for cartons of milk and some cheese that would melt well enough to be used as a dip. This one was put into a bag for him, enabling him to carry all of the wares successfully back to the kitchen where he assumed the other two would be hard at work.

Setting his lobsters down on the table with the dairy on a separate one, he'd immediately go to retrieve an appropriate knife from the drawers he had inspected earlier. Hoping one of the others would know about the process of steaming lobsters better than he did, the boy opened up the catch of the lobsters cage and pulled them out one by one, humanely ending their life sentence with the appropriate positioning of the blades tip and slam at the base, before pulling the blade further down to ensure the kill was fluid. His family may have been considered monstrous for their deeds, but there was no need for inhumane cruelty for sealife after all.

Her head bobbed up and down as she took in Sho’s suggestion, a chocolate pie with cookies would be loved by the children, although she couldn’t say the same about the orphanage staff. Depending on how large he made the pies, the sweet treat could end up putting all of the children into a sugar coma, or could do quite the opposite, the children bouncing off the walls with energy. Although Sakura did secretly hope that he would make enough for her brother and herself to try, having never experienced a pie in the form of chocolate before. Pies made of apples, pecans, and even pumpkins were the kind the duo enjoyed, particularly ones of the apple variety. A crumbly crust with chocolate filling oozing out made her mouth water in anticipation, as if she could smell and taste the delectable treat.

The devious look on Kuiaratame’s face snapped her back to the conversation at hand, listening to the sneaky idea of using a loophole against the orphanage to their advantage. She couldn’t help the corners of her lips turning upward, thinking it was just like her brother to extort their weaknesses whilst spinning a story that they would only believe thanks to his charismatic charm. He was a swindler in the most humane sense of the word, getting his way without doing harm to anyone.

“I have to admit a buttery lobster sounds exquisite, I think the children will really enjoy the new experience and story you’ll tell.” Sakura grinned mischievously and couldn’t help the growing excitement pooling within her, reminiscing about the times they would sit around the table while biting into fresh, juicy seafood. “I look forward to how you’ll spin that tale.” He had gotten up from the table at this point and headed towards the door, leaving no room for anyone to retort further, his mind focused solely on the lobster. Thanks to Kuiaratame they would be eating well tonight, and as it was his dish, the burden of explaining why there was a lobster for them would fall onto his shoulders.

She turned to Sho now that the maniac had exited the room, wanting to take the boy on his earlier word of helping them with their dishes. “The chocolate pie you are going to make sounds tasty too. It’ll be interesting to see how they look!” Sakura's hands moved effortlessly as she moved her drawing pad to lie between them on the table. “You said you’d be able to help us with our dishes, right? I have to ask the orphanage staff about it first, but I planned on making some fun shaped food for the appetizer made of fruits and veggies to balance out our meals for the children.” If Sho glanced down at the pieces of paper gently resting on the wooden surface he would see heart shaped foods on a skewer with notes of different types of fruit, star shaped cucumber sandwiches, and star shaped ham and cheese sandwiches with a question mark beside the image, as if she wasn’t quite sure about including this one. “Would you please help me cut these shapes?”

As if on cue Kui returned to the kitchen, darting past them on his way to the exit door and shouting that he was going to go collect his ingredients and asking if either of them knew how to steam lobster. Sakura rolled her eyes, wondering what he would’ve done to survive if she hadn’t been there to help cook for him. Starve? Learn how to cook? Convince someone else to do it for him with another sob story?

It seemed as though it was time for her to go get the approval for her dish although she couldn’t see why they would decline fruits and vegetables. “Well now that he’s out, I’m going to go show the staff so I can get started too.” She grabbed her pad from the table before walking through the door and into the orphanage staff’s office. They seemed weary about the request she was going to make, as if they feared she would be just as extravagant as her twin and would take what remained from their coffer. Once she presented her idea to them their expressions relaxed and a few sighed in relief, like a huge weight had been lifted off their shoulders. It was the quickest presentation of her life as she came back to the main kitchen where she had left Sho.

If Sho was still in the kitchen upon her return she would ask, “Would you want to walk with me to go get supplies from the market?” It made sense for them to walk together on their way to the same destination, and it would give them a chance to spend time getting to know one another more as the duo had yet to get such an opportunity since Kui was always with them. Sakura knew so little about the boy who helped her with their house and was trusted enough by Kui to know the location of their hideout. Although he probably had a past he wanted to keep hidden, as it seemed most shinobi did, there had to be something they could share about one another, making them feel less like strangers and more like acquaintances.

She would come up with something to say or small talk to make as they walked to the stores that had partnered with the orphanage to pick out the various ingredients needed for her appetizer and a pairing of apple juice to give the children yet another nutritional fruit for dinner. None of her questions would be invasive, sticking to the basic, fundamental questions one might ask to get to know someone better. What were some of his hobbies? What was his favorite animal? What were his favorite foods?

If Sho had already left to gather his supplies or had everything he needed in the kitchen already, Sakura would nod understandingly and be off on her way, letting her mind wander aimlessly as she walked. The breeze cooling against her skin in the warm summer heat, various smells wafting through the air the closer and closer she got to the vendors in their stalls. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what or where a specific scent had originated, the trail from one place to the other convoluted with a thousand other smells.

The owners of the different shops had been very generous and kind to her as she purchased her ingredients and utensils, one shop keeper even threw in a side of strawberries for free after seeing Sakura eye them one too many times. They were one of her favorite fruits and although she had the money to purchase them on her own, she had made up her mind to come later when she wasn’t on a mission to buy groceries for herself. When the shop keeper had given her the container of red fruits she pulled out her wallet in order to purchase them and the vendor had shut her down, saying it was the least they could do since she was helping provide a wonderful meal for the children of the orphanage, something fun to keep their spirits up and brighten their moods.

By the time she made it back to the kitchen Kui had already begun his lobster, or at least prepared them to be steamed since he had clearly stated earlier he had no idea of the proper techniques. Sakura set her bags on the counter out of the way of the other two and went over to Kui to assist the clueless boy in steaming lobster, having helped their mother with it a handful of times. She was no expert in the matter, but a novice was better than having zero experience and winging it, that was a recipe for disaster.

“Okay we’ll need a large enough pot for all of the lobster, a lid for that pot, a kitchen towel, and a colander.” She started with the basics for her instructions, which was to find all of the necessary tools they would need for the rest of the steps. While Kui was searching for the utensils, Sakura ripped out a clean piece of paper and began writing down the recipe for Kui to follow, in case she needed to leave his side in order to begin the preparations for her dish. Although the lobster was the main dish, the appetizer couldn’t be left to suffer due to it.

(WC: 1,419)

This was going to be an interesting cooking session. It seemed like a bother initially, but Sho quickly realized he was having fun, mainly because of the company. Kui dreamed up steamed lobster for his dish. And gave them an intriguing reason for it. Now all he had to do was get the orphanage to sign off on it. It will be highly unlikely that he will manage to persuade them. The black haired shinobi was about to snap him back to reality, when Sakura suddenly encouraged her brother. Her face was marked by an equally crazed grin. Shojiro withdrew his intended statement and watched in partial disbelief as his pal waltzed out of the kitchen to declare his intent to the orphanage staff. The intent to bankrupt them.

Sakura then turned to Sho, accepting his offer to help and letting him know that she plans to do appetizers from fruits and vegetables. And that he could help her cut them into shape. A little sketch of the snacks confirmed it before the girl actually fully voiced the request. That was probably even less work than his dish, but hey, he could not decline now that he has offered his help. And if they end up cutting the the shapes quicker, he could just ask them to assist him instead. Thinking about it, he had picked something that would be easy to make, but now it was starting to look like the dishes of the other two will actually be quicker to prepare. You don't need to steam lobsters long. Maybe that was for the better, their dishes should go out in the order they will actually make them, with the snacks going out first, followed by the lobster main and then his cake dessert. "Yes, no problem, I will help you with the shapes. And what I will make is more like a cake than a pie actually. But it will be very sweet, you will see."

As Kui and Sakura rotated with their requests to staff, the Shinkou kid began to prepare his station, finding the needed tools and kitchenware. As Sakura's brother went to get his supplies, Sho raised his hand smiling, letting his friend know he will help with the lobsters. Then when Kui's sister returned Shojiro had his station set up and her suggestion to go get supplies together was very timely. After agreeing, they would head out. Sakura was clearly eager to get to know him better, now that he as accepted into the group. So the boy let her drive the conversation, actively responding and returning questions and jokes.

They bantered for a little bit on the way to the stalls; Sakura questioned him about hobbies, favourite animals and foods and Sho added questions like favourite colour, season and the happiest memory. When it came his turn to answer, Shojiro admitted to liking chess and similar games as well as music for hobbies, he did not really have favourite animal but found bird of prey to be kind of cool, and that he liked tea or hot milk with sweets. For his own questions, he revealed that his favourite color was red, best season was surely spring and happiest memory must have been a moment with his dad, when he crafted his first blade at 7. Their quick round of questions was interesting, but eventually they had to split a bit as their supplies were entirely different.

Sakura was only looking for fruits and vegetables and Shojiro was not. No, he needed to make condensed milk, for which he would have to use cow milk and sugar. He also needed butter, which the milk stall had, thankfully. When getting salt and sugar, he also found vanilla, which would make for a nice touch. Cacao was next and he was very lucky to find it in powder form, else he would have had to reverse it from chocolate. No way he was going to start with the beans, that would take weeks. After getting a decently sized bag of cacao, he went to look for biscuits or cookies. Ideally they would be sweet. He did not have to search far - the local bakery had them. Getting enough of them he was about to head back when he saw happy Sakura about to leave a fruit stall with a bunch of strawberries. Shojiro approached, bought a bunch of blueberries which he thought might make the cake more interesting and then accompanied Sakura back.

On the way to the orphanage, Sho was the one starting with questions. That had gone over the surface level stuff, so he was now trying to get a bit more from his new teammate. "Has Kuiaratame always been like that, dreamy, impossibly excited? Any other surprises I should be ready for?" If reciprocated, the boy would admit to having no siblings. And if his questions were accepted and Sakura did not indicate that he was going out of line, he would then ask about what drove the siblings to the ninja arts. "I am curious about why you two decided to learn the ways of ninja, what caused it? And in turn what caused you to move here, away from home?"

When they got back, Sakura went to help her brother with steaming the lobsters as he had already begun. Organizing his own supplies Shojiro was keeping an eye on the two handling the lobsters. It seems Kui knew perfectly well how to instantly kill the creatures without causing them unnecessary suffering and was close to done dispatching the last of the lobsters. And Sakura did not seem to be misguiding him either. When she listed the needed utensils Sho quickly added. "I do not know if Sakura meant to use the colander for it, which might work, but check if they have a steaming rack. It's a flat legged metal rack thingy - you put it at the bottom of the pot and fill up only enough water to reach it. That way it keeps the lobsters above water and steaming instead of boiling."

Finally with his own station ready, he set out to make condensed milk. For the entire orphanage he would have to make a lot of this cake. That meant a lot of condensed milk too. He look at two saucepans and it would actually not be enough. He would need help sooner than expected. "Sakura or Kui, mind helping me here? I need at least four saucepans constantly stirred for about half an hour. After that they can be left to cool down and I will be able to help with your dishes." He was hopeful that either or maybe even both would agree. The lobsters would steam just fine without supervision and they could cut up the appetizers after. While the two were making up their minds, he was already filling up the pans with milk and sugar, and heating them up for the sugar to dissolve.

1170 wc.
1642 twc.

It would appear that Kenchi was in the presence of two master chefs, as both had offered him both supervision and assistance with his intent to steam cook the lobsters. Recognising the great boon bestowed upon him, he relished in his network; his friends, and the numerous skills they could impart upon him if he was simply willing to keep his eyes and ears open. There was once a man that said a mans friends is his networth, after all.

With Sakuras suggestion of the items to gather in order for the preparation of the meal, Kenchi wasted no time in finishing off the final one of the lobsters, ushering a silent prayer and thanks for their sacrifice today, before he set off to the previously explored cabinets and drawers. He'd not slacked in cooking when he was a youth, his mother had ensured he'd partake in every chore so that he would not develop a crass and entitled attitude towards others to be his servant, and so he was able to easily recognise the cookware suggested for this special occasion.

Firstly, he crouched down before one of the cabinets and straightened his back, reaching towards the back of the cabinet and scooting a large silver pot towards himself. Once it was close enough to be safely lifted from a squatting position, Kenchi would wrap his arms around the lobsters tomb and drive his hips upwards, executing a perfectly safe lift of an almost weightless object, but hey, now his back would certainly suffer no strain. Carrying the pot towards the sink, he'd rest it down there before retrieving a colander and also tossing that towards the sink.

Then Sho interrupted the process of collection by suggesting a rack that was specifically designed for the art of steaming. His description of the apparatus would aid Kui in once again lowering himself down to the lower cabinets and searching around the rather cluttered area for any wire rack that could elevate the lobsters from a water grave. Initially struggling, Kenchi would bite his tongue in frustration so as to not verbally reveal his annoyance at the state of the kitchen. After all, why couldnt he find the steaming rack on his first run through? Such a poor layout!

Soon enough, the annoyance would be replaced with euphoria and a faint giggle escaping the blue haired youth. The wire rack had been hidden inside a pot at the back all along. Relief washed over him as he pulled the wire rack out with a grunt, coaxing it from the pot whilst attempting to not cause a scene. After all, if the rest of the pots and pans came out of the cabinet, there'd be so much more left to clean, and that would just be an immense bother.

Spinning the wire rack in his hand, the boy stood back up and saluted Sho with a cheesy grin before making his way towards the sink. Turning the hot water on, he'd allow the apparatus' to bathe in the steadily rising water. The items were probably clean, but probably was never good enough, Kenchi had to ensure he didn't cause any issues for the children by using potentially unsanitised equipment; sure, the steam would probably kill a lot of bacteria, but what if he encountered the 0.0001% of germs that could cause a genocide?

Once he was done thoroughly scrubbing down his equipment with a sponge, hot water and a little gel, Kenchi would once again wash the remnants of the gel entirely from the equipment before setting it up on one of the counters with a water level just below the initial wire rack. Grabbing some of the lobsters, he'd slowly lower them onto the first wire rack, ensuring there was some space between each so that there wouldn't be any potential issues. After that, Kenchi would spin the colander in his hands before seeing if he could sneakily put it at the top of the pot; perhaps it would slope inwards and not fully go down to the wire rack? His initial experiment with this proved unsuccessful much to his dismay, so Kenchi would keep the colander on the side unless the others could figure out a way to use it appropriately. After all, he may even need to use multiple pots for this to be done in time, but all of the other pots had been of varying sizes with equipment that seemed inappropriate for the job at hand. Life sure was rough as a chef, huh?

Wrapping his arms around the pot, he'd transport it once again to one of the stoves, placing it atop the one furthest from the rest before putting the heat and lid on so that the steaming process could begin. Just as he was about to go digging for spares and bits that could assist in a more fluid cooking of all of the lobsters, he was practically begged by Sho to assist him. How could he refuse the quiet boy? Walking at a rushed pace towards Sho solely so he could be there before Sakura to offer his assistance, he would nod and grab a bamboo spatula to start stirring the concoctions in the saucepans. It wasn't much, but it was honest work.

"Y'know, I never really thought shinobi would be doing cooking missions for villages. I guess it's kinda to get us in the mindset of helping out the community, right? But it feels a bit like a waste of our talents." Kenchi admitted, shrugging his shoulders as he started to engage in rather idle chatter as he spun the sugary contents of the saucepans, "I was always told ninjas were doing espionage, fighting off opponents, honourably losing to people. I mean, the losing part doesn't sound fun, but fighting for something sounds kinda cool? I haven't been able to properly spar for a long time." As he said that, Kenchi looked towards his sister. She had been his main training partner for a long while, and even Kuiaratame could recognise they were both being hindered by having the same opponent as their training dummy the entire time. For true growth in skills, all fields of adversity must be explored. Sure, he could maybe hold his own for a while against a close quarters specialist, but what about a katon user? A person who specialised in collaboration jutsus? There was so much of the world he was unprepared for if they were to hate him based purely on his current lack of village affiliation. This was a dangerous world after all.

Every now and again, Kenchi would hand the operation of stirring the concoctions to the other two before rushing off to safely fish out the lobsters by releasing the steam by removing the lid, then using some rather long tongs to fetch the lobsters onto a separate plate. He'd have to be a little careful that they all didn't go to room temperature, but he had faith in a higher power. Continuously refreshing the steamed lobster pool and going back to stirring, he would engage in any idle chatter that may unfold, and even engaging in any other activities the two may request of him.

Although he wouldn't let it on, he was beginning to feel like the lobsters within the pot. Something was rising around him and filling him with an undescriptive warmth. A feeling that ebbed between the rising bile from a bad bug, and the tingling of something ecstatic on the horizon. In the past, this had been a precursor for something... undesirable. A bloody rage. The last thing he would want in an orphanage is for one of his episodes to return in full swing. How could he live with himself if the children became scared of him? The people he was deigned to protect?

Kenchi would hereon attempt to fully distract himself from the welling within. If his mind became occupied with that which was external, then the internal could not affect him quite as quickly as he feared. Engaging with all of the commitments needed, combined with finishing off his lobsters and buttering the meat up with a hastily prepared garlic butter, he'd await the others to be ready for their creations, his gaze fixing onto their dishes and preparations. He had to think about the story he had to do for the children anyway, and when Sakura finished her presentation, it would be his time to shine, and then Sho. Sakura was to be the opener, he the meat, and Sho the finisher.

Encore.

A light grin came onto his features now that the group appeared to be ready for the first stage and it was time for Sakura to perform her part. Assisting with the transport of the food if required, he'd watch the girls explanation of her meal and the story behind it whilst sitting with the children, engaging quietly with the youth during her pauses so that they'd be continuously engaged with the kunoichis meal.

Once her appetiser was finished and the children were given enough time to desire the main course, Kenchi would run back to the kitchen where his lobster had thankfully remained hot to trot. The garlic butter had melded well with the chunks of lobster, which was fortunate so that this transition wouldn't be too rough for the children. Plating up the steamed vegetables, buttered lobster and a side of rice, Kenchi would puff out his ronin robes so that he could comfortably move his hands from within them without disturbing the fabric. Kids had good vision these days, they could probably relate any seals he made under the robing to any jutsu he would perform. Providing some of the fresh milk as a strange accompanying beverage with the meal, Kenchi would head out to give his explanation of the lobster, and the meaning it had for him.

Standing at the end of the hall with the children and teachers looking upon him, he could see the expectant gaze from carers - They wanted a story that would make up for his copious lobster request.

He planned to give it to them.

"A colossal creature roams the depths of the ocean." Kenchi started, pacing his voice for dramatic effect as the children switched their attention between him and the food, "Its true name is forgotten in a language lost to the times; alien to our tongue and vocabulary. We've decided our own name for this creature, and it is..." Kenchi once again paused as he looked around at the children, waiting for the majority of their eyes to fallen expectantly upon him. "The Leviathan."

The children appeared to have heard a few stories about a creature such as the Leviathan as hushed gasps rushed through the group that were slowly becoming more enraptured in the story than the contents of their plate. He only hoped it wasn't because he had prepared the lobsters insufficiently!

Forming two sequences of handseals under his robes, the Ram into the Dog. Doing so, he conjured four replicas of himself which were immediately transformed into lobsters before the children could notice his own features across them. Keeping one of the lobsters in his hands, he'd pass the substanceless clones to the children for them to pass around and look at; sure, they couldn't properly interact individually, but they would no doubt impress the children with an up and close viewing of what they look and act like... Plus, they were needed for the finale of his act.

Holding the last lobster clone in his hand, Kuiaratame slowly lowered himself down into a crouch as he held the lobster in front of his face, gazing into the peculiar eyes that the crustacean featured, "The Leviathan swam around the small world, its powerful body requiring constant sustenance. It needed to eat soooo much to maintain its incredible stature, and with so much food in the sea, it was spoilt for choice!" Throwing the lobster up into the air, he would repeatedly transform the clone into different variants of sealife to highlight his story: A twirling salmon, a large cod, a snappy crab, a relaxed turtle, and many more. Through each of the tosses of the clone, he'd continue his story, "It all grew so tiring for a creature that lives so long though... It wanted something that was different. The Leviathan threatened the world with his will, telling the Gods..." His voice would now emanate from the lobster clones spread throughout the crowd, who now also began making their way back towards Kenchi Prime, "'Create for me the most delicious food, or I will DEVOUR THE CONTINENTS!' and so, the Leviathan fulfilled its threat. It rose from the abyss of the ocean floor; mouth agape. It swallowed the seas as it rose, causing chaos and panic in all of the gods! Eventually, they succumbed to the whims of The Leviathan..." With the other clones now on the stage roaming around, he'd ensure they were all relatively close together.

Letting the last lobster join the group, Kenchi would stand in the middle of them as he prepared for his final stunt, "And as The Leviathan devoured the ocean, he caught the most delectable taste upon its senses. The taste of the first lobsters in creation!" Once more, he cast the dog handseal beneath his robes, this time transforming himself to the maximum dimensions enabled by the transformation jutsu. Kenchi himself would disappear and replacing him would be a creature that stretched out 3 meters in all directions; safely away from the children of course. Slowly emerging from the floor in a delayed transformation would be the colossal mouth of something akin to a blue whale and basking shark hybrid, with some tentacles and algae stretching around its form to give the ancient appearance. There were even scales reminiscent of aged stone! Once the maximum extent of the transformation was completed in height, the lobster successfully devoured by the transformed Leviathan, then Kenchi himself would revert back in a puff of smoke as the kids roared in a mixture of fright and elation; it was like their first time on a roller coaster! "And that is why we have lobsters!" Of course, the majority of the story was entirely fabricated, but it brought about a thrill of the world that a real story may not truly achieve in children so young. Of course, the Leviathan was real to Kenchi; he had been told by his father of when his people had controlled them as summons. He had been told that he would be the one to speak to them again.

For now, Kenchi would bow to the children and laugh with them, letting them finish their meals in peace and hushed conversation as he went to go assist Sho in any final touches he may require, and the delivery of such food. Of course, he'd attempt to assist him even in the story and presentation by sitting with the children once more and playfully tapping their arms to any highlights of Shos explanation of his dish.

[Exit]
Reward:2000 Ryo / 10 AP

TWC 4614

+46 vigor

https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t59286p10-dreams-do-come-true-mission#441303
1500/1500 https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t57046-temporary-paralysis-v7-2 at B-Rank (1056 already from above topic)
4614-444 WC=4170

1500/1500 https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t47858-shadow-clone-v7?highlight=clone

4170-1500=2670

250/250 https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t22313-genjutsu-release#170839
250/250 mastering above for no handseals

2670-500=2170

2170/2750 https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t45213-water-release-rain-shark-v7

It didn’t take long for the young man to agree with her request, offering his aid in chopping the fruit and vegetables into fun little shapes for the children to enjoy. She hoped there would be leftovers of his own dessert, her mouth watering at the picture forming in her head of what it would look and taste like. Kui might’ve been the fanatic for sweets out of the twins, occasionally Sakura would succumb to the temptations of her sweet tooth. Today was one such occasion.

Their walk to the market was filled with various questions back and forth between them, the two shinobi finally getting time to learn more about one another. She had no idea the young man was a fan of chess or enjoyed listening to music in his pastime, he had exuded an aura about him that screamed he was an avid book reader. What did not come as a surprise to the petite woman was his love for tea and sweets; she had experienced it during their first encounter at the inn.

When it came time for Sakura to reveal her answers, she would admit that her hobbies included drawing, painting, and reading. It was evident by the pencil and sketch book attached to her hip that she was an artist, anyone would be able to glean that bit of information from her without so much as uttering a word to her. She preferred to read fictional books whenever she got the chance, to craft the world of the novel as scenes in her head.

The blunette would mention that she doesn’t have a particular favorite animal as she liked them all, but if she had to pick then probably a cat due to how independent they were. Her favorite food was a tie between strawberries and ramen. Her favorite color was also red, the best season was obviously fall, and one of her happiest memories was when they were very young with their father. He had acknowledged Sakura during one of their countless training sessions, using his body language to tell her she had gotten stronger. As a man who valued actions over words, his silent praise had meant the world to the kunoichi and became a driving force, pushing her forward in her endeavors no matter how rocky the road ahead seemed.

Soon they arrived at the market and parted ways to shop for their respective ingredients, agreeing to meet outside once they were finished to travel back to the orphanage together. It didn’t take Sakura long to traverse through the market and find fresh vegetables and fruit for her appetizers, the stalls having a large variety of fresh items to pick from. Sho met up with her at the fruit stall as she was purchasing strawberries, his own hands carrying some blueberries. She nodded in approval at the idea of blueberries and chocolate mixing together, the acidic blueberries being quelled by the sweet cacao.

Groceries in hand and food on their mind, the duo began their trek back to the orphanage to begin prepping for dinner. Sho surprised her, leading the questions this time around and wanting to probe her for intel on her twin brother. Sakura chuckled a little at his question, remembering how eccentric and devious he had been about the lobsters just this morning. “Haha I guess he does come off that way to others. Yeah, he has always been like that. In terms of surprises? Well, he likes to dream big, which you might’ve guessed already after seeing his vision for the lobster course.”

She listened intently as Sho gave a response to his own inquiry, mentioning he was an only child. Sakura couldn’t begin to imagine what it would be like to grow up without Kui, he had been by her side since before they were even born. The two of them were practically inseparable, conjoined at the hips for most of their childhood. It would have been a lonely and quiet existence without the one she shared everything with, her other half full of vibrancy and conversationalism. He filled in for what she lacked and she did the same for him, turning their two halves into a whole.

“Our father trained us in the ninja arts from the moment we could walk. Was it not the same for you?” Her eyes would glance at him expectedly, a hint of curiosity flashing in them as she awaited his response. “There was no particular reason we chose here, just stumbled upon it while traveling and decided it was a nice little place to call home.” None of what she said was a lie, yet one could say that none of it was fully the truth, either. Sakura had to omit quite a bit in order to keep their secret safe, even from Sho. Kui had accepted him into their group and she had gone along with it, but that didn’t mean she had given him her trust. He had his secrets and they certainly had theirs.

When they arrived back at the orphanage it was time to begin prepping for dinner, and Kui got to work on his lobsters while Sakura and Sho gave him advice on how to cook them properly. Pink orbs widened slightly and her head pivoted as a voice cut in through her own and recommended a steaming rack for the lobsters over a colander. She had never heard of such a contraption before, excitement growing in the pit of her stomach as she eagerly awaited for Kui to test it out. If this new apparatus proved its worth she would make a mental note to add it to their collection of cookware at home and teach their mother about it, in the event she was unaware of its existence.

Only time would tell if the steaming rack would prevail over the colander, and there was a plethora of work to be done in the buzzing kitchen which left no room for one to dilly dally watching a pot steam. Kui left his dish to its own devices as Sho requested aid in stirring saucepans, requiring a watchful eye and a steady hand for about half an hour, lest the condensed milk get burned or crystallize. “I can help you out too, Sho!” Sakura couldn’t let Kui take all the glory of helping their third member out, he’d make her head hurt with his incessant bragging about it. Although he might’ve beaten her to the saucepans, she was right behind and took another of the bamboo spatulas to begin stirring, keeping her hand steady and slow so as to not cause the milk to spill out of the side of the pan.

Her brother, ever the chatterbox, striked up a conversation as they stirred their respective pans, pondering why they assigned such menial and mundane work to shinobi instead of regular civilians of the village. Her head bobbed up and down in agreeance, his words mirroring her unspoken thoughts on the matter, albeit they did come as a surprise considering he was the one most willing and desiring to give back. “They probably don’t trust us to do actual combat yet, we are still pretty low in the ranks. Although we could handle it, I’m sure most people in this position aren’t strong enough to fight.” Her voice was monotone as she spoke and focused on stirring her pan at the same time, her eyes locked with the sugary milk swirling around on the stove before her. “I doubt the village wants to lose their new recruits before they even have a chance to learn the shinobi ways.” Her shoulders heaved up and down as she shrugged lightly, not too invested in the rhyme or reason for why they were doing such easy missions. At the end of the day they were getting paid a very fair sum to cook food and possibly even get to eat it as well. Sakura didn’t have complaints about their current setup, they needed to make as much ryo as possible and the best way to do that was to take on as many missions within the village as they could.

“It would be nice to have a change of pace with our sparring, I have gotten rather bored of fighting you day after day, brother.” Her eyes met his as they shared sentiments, before hers darted over to Sho as she studied his reaction. Would he show any interest in joining them for a spar? Did his face contort in disgust or annoyance at the notion of fighting against the twins? She’d take note of how he reacted, if he outwardly showed any visceral signs at the mere idea she posed or if he kept his feelings under lock and key.

Talking whilst cooking made the time fly, before they knew it the condensed milk was ready, the lobsters were resting, and it was time for her to begin chopping up her vegetables into the fun shapes for the children to enjoy. “If either of you have some free time, could you please help me cut all of these up?” It tore at her to ask others for help with anything related to slicing, but drastic times called for drastic measures, and they had far too many children to feed with not enough time to do it alone.

Assuming the two boys assisted her with her dish since she was ever so kind and helped with theirs first, Sakura would show them the fruits and vegetables to cut as well as how to plate them to fit the artistic vision in her head. The watermelon, honey dew, cantaloupes, and strawberries would be cut into bite sized hearts which would then be placed on a skewer in a rainbow pattern to entice the children with all of the colors. Next she would walk them through constructing the star shaped cucumber sandwiches, cutting small bite sized pieces as well as bigger ones to add variety to the mixture. For this part of the meal they also needed to cut bread and spread the sauce onto the bread before adding the cucumbers. The sauce consisted of cream cheese, mayo, and dill that she made while they were cutting the fruit for her. The last item she created was a vanilla-honey yogurt dip that would be paired with the heart shaped fruit skewers.

Once the food was prepared and it came time for plating, Sakura would arrange them neatly as follows onto navy blue plates: there would be two heart shaped skewers in the center of each plate, five varying sizes of cucumber sandwiches (two big ones and three smaller ones) above the skewers as if they were dotting the “night sky”, and the yogurt dip for the fruit would be dabbed around the skewers in dots with three big dots and two smaller ones.

As head chef of the appetizer dish, Sakura inspected each one to ensure symmetry and cleanliness in the aesthetic before giving them a nod of approval and, with the aid of Kui and Sho, ushered them out to the hungry children. Being the first on stage and not knowing the theme of the other stories following hers was a little unsettling, one wrong word and it could mess up the flow of her brother’s grand tale. He was far more excited for the story telling than she, to be the cause for the sparkle to dim in his eyes or the joy to fade from his smile would have torn her heart from her chest.

Sakura spun a tale of love for her story; the “actors” falling for one another were the fruit skewers, giving their hearts to their special someone and becoming full of nothing but that warm, fuzzy feeling which was why they were shaped like hearts. In her story to the children, the two lovebirds had met under a bright starry sky, and the moment their eyes had crossed paths they had seen a once in a lifetime event: a shoot star.

To add emphasis to her story, Sakura pulled out her secret weapon: edible glitter. As she spoke of the shooting star during their encounter she threw some glitter in the air, the sparkles catching on the lights just right to be reminiscent of a shoot star, and then she walked around, sprinkling it on the star shaped cucumber sandwiches, or where they had been if the children had already devoured them in their hunger. Many “ooo’s” and “ahhh’s” were heard at her display with the glitter, causing a smile to cross her lips while she sprinkled their plates with it.

As with any classic love story, the characters in her narrative ended up happily ever after. They got married and started a family together, in which she incorporated the dots of yogurt to be their many children that were happy, sweet, and full of life. When her story concluded the children clapped and cheered, most of them engaged in the beautiful love story between two people, which Sakura revealed to be her parents, as a way to make it more personable and realistic. She wanted to give hope to the children that anything was possible; that they too could find their true love, if that was something they desired to have once they were older.

She would bow at the end of her storytelling, letting the kids enjoy the rest of the food in peace and going back to the kitchen to assist Kui and Sho in anything else they needed, whether it be cooking or helping with their performance in the show. Having finished her part and it being well received by the children took a weight off her shoulders that she hadn’t even noticed was there to begin with, allowing the kunoichi to breathe easier. She felt weightless while carrying the dishes of lobster out to the children for Kui’s entree, and she expressed herself freely throughout his story of the Leviathan, not caring to put up her wall as he told the oh so familiar tale.

Sakura hated to admit it, and wouldn’t allow him to hear her say it, but Kui had a talent for spinning stories and catching people’s attention, both children and adults alike. She noticed the staff members had been drawn in, listening with bated breath and clutching their chest whenever he came to a dramatic pause. The children were in a much similar boat, gasping, screaming, and cheering throughout his performance, especially when his shadow clones transformed into a multitude of sealife. A chorus of air being sucked in could be heard as Kui transformed himself and the clones into a massive, towering replica of the Leviathan. The children’s eyes were widened in shock, or perhaps disbelief that such a creature existed, at the terrifying figure before them, as if it would swallow them whole right here in this very room. She stood when the applause erupted throughout the room, clapping alongside everyone else at the wonderful tale he had brought to life. Using the transformation and clone techniques in such a way was a brilliant idea to engage the children and keep them wanting more. She was sure the orphanage staff would be unable to refute the necessity of his lobsters now, especially not with how well received it was by all of the children.

(WC: 2,565)
(TWC: 4,671)
[Exit]
Claims:
+ Mission Rewards: 2000 Ryo & 10 AP
+ 46 stat points

Stats:

+ 671 wc for Kaguya Savagery with 1,329 WC from here, putting it at 2000/2000. Will set scaling of Tai and Weap to Speed stat for this skill.
+ 2500/2500 for Dance of the Orchid Mail for Weaponry
+ 1500/2750 for Last Resort