Chapter 140 Hot Pot

Hinata smiled sympathetically, taking his hands - which had grown cold from being under the faucet for so long - and rubbing them with hers to warm his skin again.

"So, what do we know about this seal? Other than that it infuses foreign chakra?"

Naruto hummed as he thought, while Hinata waited patiently.

"Shikamaru believes that this seal is designed to suppress his chakra system; to first flood his main chakra meridians and then take root there."

"Suppress?" Hinata asked, bending down to fill a bowl with cold water and then turning off the tap.

Then she just stood there still, waiting for Naruto to continue.

"It was only half sealed at first," he whispered. "I think it was the armor silk that protected him. The bastard underestimated us."

"Sasuke is stronger than he thinks," Hinata agreed.

Naruto started biting his lip again, his sharp teeth leaving a red mark on his lip. He unconsciously licked the blood away, and the wound disappeared as soon as it appeared. "He can't resist forever. I have to find a way to break that seal."

"You'll succeed," Hinata said firmly, clenching her fist and punching his shoulder lightly.

Iruka was about to leave the kitchen counter when Akamaru called out to him, so Naruto and Hinata expertly took over the rest of the dinner preparations.

Sakura went back to the living room to look after Sasuke, fearing that he would be too bored.

"The door," Akamaru explained as he approached, and Iruka nodded his thanks to the ninja dog before walking over to open the door and disarming the trap.

When he opened the door, he found two genin standing in the doorway, overnight bags slung over their shoulders.

"Good evening, Iruka-sensei." Shino said politely, adjusting the duffel bag on his shoulder. "I hope we didn't disturb you."

"Hey, Sensei!" Inuzuka Kiba greeted cheerfully, and Akamaru followed suit in his arms. "We heard there was a party here."

Iruka opened the door and immediately turned around and shouted into the room.

"Hinata! Your teammates are here!"

He heard a scream, then a crash, then Naruto's laughter, and Hinata ran out of the kitchen and to the door.

Kiba and Shino immediately came forward to greet them and put their bags by the door.

"Why are you two here? Aren't you supposed to stay home tonight?" Hinata asked worriedly.

"A birdie told us that you were going to stay here tonight, so we came over to join in the fun." Inuzuka Kiba said as he unbuttoned his coat. Akamaru jumped out and quickly ran into the house, followed closely by Urusi. The two ninja dogs played hide-and-seek in the corridor.

"There's a little bird?" Hinata didn't react for a moment, then her face flushed with anger and she turned sharply towards the living room.

"Sasuke!"

"I don't regret it at all." Uchiha's voice came from the room, followed by Sakura's hearty laughter.

Naruto popped his head out of the kitchen.

"Oh, hey, guys! Iruka-sensei, the porridge is ready."

Iruka snorted and pushed the two genin into the room.

"Okay. Looks like I have to take out all the hot pot ingredients I brought."

As expected, in less than an hour, Class 10 also showed up at the door.

"Hi, teacher!" Yamanaka Ino said cheerfully, handing over a takeout bag decorated with colorful flower patterns and abstract shuriken patterns. "We brought matcha cake."

"Let's eat first," Iruka said without thinking, "Let's have hot pot."

He had never seen Akimichi Chouji move so quickly.

He had expected a far more chaotic scene than what was happening now - he had even prepared himself for at least one wall to come crashing down - but tonight the nine genin were unusually quiet, with only whispered conversations, calm debates, and thoughtful discussions.

They had eaten the hot pot ingredients that Iruka brought within half an hour of sitting down, which was within his expectations.

Iruka was no babysitter, so he let the kids continue their late night activities while he curled up in the corner of the couch and graded papers with Puck and Wu Hai.

Kakashi dragged his exhausted body back home, feeling extremely nervous all the way, only to find Iruka curled up in the corner of the sofa, grading papers, which made him instinctively feel a little uneasy.

Iruka looked up and saw Kakashi coming in, but he said nothing and just put his eyes back on the test paper. Kakashi took off his jonin vest and untied his scroll belt.

Sasuke's head rested on Iruka's lap, while Hinata curled up on the other end of the couch, snuggling with Urushi.

Shino fell asleep leaning on Blue, while Ya was snoring on the floor.

Naruto was lying at the bottom of the couch with Sakura napping on his lap and a dreaming Ino next to him.

Shikamaru dozed off against the unconscious body of Akimichi Chouji.

Kakashi finally removed most of his equipment, and Iruka put down his pen and waved at him quietly, using his fingers to sign.

“There are leftovers in the fridge.”

Kakashi nodded and responded in sign language.

"Thank you. You didn't have to bother."

He gestured to the entire living room, the nine Genin and eight Ninja Dogs were all well fed and soundly asleep, and most of the house was miraculously intact.

Kakashi went into the kitchen to heat up some leftovers.

When he returned, Iruka was gathering up his grading materials.

Kakashi stepped over the sleeping men, rubbing Blue's head as he walked over, then carefully sat down on the edge of the couch.

Sasuke stirred a little, only to turn over and fall back into sleep peacefully.

Seeing this scene, Kakashi felt a little touched in his heart. The orphan Uchiha felt safe enough in this home. Even though the whole village was shrouded in an uneasy atmosphere recently, he could still sleep peacefully.

The missions of the past few months, big and small, from border patrols to raids, have brought them closer together, but it's the mundane, everyday moments that make them a true family.

I'll keep watch. Kakashi signed and prepared to stand up.

But Iruka placed a hand on his shoulder, easy but firm, and Kakashi sat back down.

"I'll keep watch," Iruka retorted, and even his gestures carried an unquestionable momentum. "You should stay with your Genin. You've done enough tonight."

Iruka walked out of the room carefully, followed by Guluk. Within a few minutes, the only sound in the room was the ninja dog's soft snoring.

Kakashi enjoyed a few moments of peace before laying down in the space vacated by Iruka, one leg draped over the armrest of the couch, his back leaning against Sasuke.

Kakashi fell asleep with his shoulder wedged between the back and armrest of the couch, even though the position was not comfortable.

When he woke up again, it was just dawn and all three genins had somehow climbed on top of him.

Naruto and Sasuke were curled up unconsciously on either side of him, while Sakura slept on his chest.

The largest quilt covered the group of people. It might have been his ninja dog, or it might have been Iruka's.

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