Chapter 195: True Fragrance
Chapter 195: True Fragrance
As time passed, Jiraiya gradually caught a whiff of a tantalizing aroma wafting from the kitchen.
"It smells like fried fish," Jiraiya guessed, his curiosity piqued by the enticing scent that Mu Yue was creating.
"The aroma is definitely mouthwatering. I wonder how it tastes," Jiraiya said, rubbing his stomach as he suddenly realized he was quite hungry.
Fortunately, Mu Yue and Minato didn't keep him waiting too long. Just as Jiraiya was pondering what to write in his novel, they brought out the dishes they had prepared.
Jiraiya's attention was immediately captured by the uniquely shaped and vibrantly colored Squirrel Mandarin Fish. Although he had encountered many distinctive delicacies during his travels across the ninja world, this was the first time he had seen fish prepared in such a manner.
"What's the name of this dish? It must have taken a lot of effort to create such an intricate presentation," Jiraiya asked curiously, his gaze fixed on the fish.
"This dish is called Squirrel Mandarin Fish, and yes, the unique shape is one of its distinctive features," Mu Yue replied with a smile.
"Teacher Jiraiya, it may not look very complicated, but it's actually quite challenging to make. Kushina and I have been learning how to prepare it for some time, but we haven't been able to achieve the same level of perfection as Mu Yue. And the taste is in a league of its own," Minato added.
Minato went on to share the challenges he and Kushina had faced while learning to make the Squirrel Mandarin Fish, a wry smile crossing his face as he recalled how Kushina had given up halfway through the intricate process of cutting the flower-shaped slices, leaving him to finish the task.
"Haha, that sounds just like something Kushina would do," Jiraiya said, a smile spreading across his face.
"Let's dig in while the food is still hot," Mu Yue suggested, interrupting their conversation.
Some dishes tasted completely different when served hot versus cold.
Jiraiya didn't stand on ceremony and immediately picked up his chopsticks, selecting a piece of the fish and popping it into his mouth. As he did so, he felt a twinge of regret at having to destroy the aesthetically pleasing dish.
However, that fleeting regret vanished as soon as he bit into the crisp outer layer, revealing the tender fish meat within. The sweet and sour broth coating the fish further tantalized his taste buds, leaving him craving more even after swallowing the first bite.
After finishing the fish, Jiraiya felt as if he had momentarily transformed into a dragon, freely roaming the vast ocean, unburdened by the need to search the world for the prophecy child who would change everything.
When he snapped back to reality, Jiraiya realized that Minato hadn't exaggerated in his letter at all. The food was so delicious that it felt like he had fallen under a genjutsu. For a fleeting moment, Jiraiya had experienced a sense of extreme relaxation that he hadn't felt in a long time.
"The timing on that fried fish is impeccable, and the balance of sweet and sour in the broth is absolutely perfect. It wouldn't taste the same if it were any sweeter or more sour," Jiraiya praised, his eyes once again turning to the rapidly disappearing Squirrel Mandarin Fish as he noticed that almost half of it was already gone. He saw Minato silently shoveling rice into his mouth without a word.
"Minato, when did you start eating so fast?" Jiraiya asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.
Jiraiya couldn't help but join in, and soon he, too, was silently devouring his food, unable to resist the temptation any longer.
It wasn't just the creatively presented Squirrel Mandarin Fish that captivated Jiraiya; even the seemingly ordinary dishes like the preserved vegetable and pork belly and the chili fried meat had him reaching for one bowl of rice after another.
"Mu Yue, this chili fried meat is delicious, but why don't you add a bit more meat to it?" Jiraiya asked, his sharp eyes scanning the dish for any signs of meat among the abundant chilies. Finally, he picked up a small piece and popped it into his mouth, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"If there were more meat than chilies, the flavor would be completely different," Mu Yue explained.
His version of the dish wasn't devoid of meat by any means; it was just that the chilies hadn't been eaten yet, so they seemed to dominate the dish by the end.
"That makes sense," Jiraiya said, stroking his chin in agreement. "Preparing these dishes is a lot like a ninja's training. If you don't get the proportions right, you'll fail." To create senjutsu chakra, one had to blend chakra and natural energy in precise ratios.
"Then this dish would be great in a larger portion," Jiraiya suggested.
If adding more meat would disrupt the flavor, then increasing both the chilies and the meat would maintain the perfect ratio.
"I, Jiraiya, am willing to proclaim you as the number one chef in the ninja world," he continued, his eyes sparkling with delight. "I've traveled far and wide for many years, and this is the first time I've tasted such exquisite cuisine." It was the first time he had been tempted to lick his chopsticks clean.
Although Minato had described Mu Yue's cooking in exaggerated terms, Jiraiya now realized that he hadn't been exaggerating at all. There wasn't a hint of hyperbole in his letter.
"Being called the number one chef in the ninja world is an honor I don't dare to accept," Mu Yue said humbly. "I just put a little extra thought into my cooking."
"Haha, that little extra thought of yours is extraordinary," Jiraiya said, his smile growing wider as he found himself liking Mu Yue more and more.
At that moment, Minato cleared his throat softly and wore an apologetic expression as he spoke up: "Mu Yue, there's something I need to apologize to you for."
Mu Yue had a guess as to what it might be, but she feigned confusion and asked, "What is it? Is it because you were picking up the dishes too quickly while eating? You really didn't have to worry about that."
Hearing Mu Yue's words, Minato felt even more embarrassed, and he explained, "I really didn't do it on purpose. Your cooking is just too delicious, Mu Yue. I ate so quickly without even realizing it."
Mu Yue knew that Minato probably wasn't exaggerating, given his superhuman reflexes.
Sometimes it was appropriate to feign ignorance, but one shouldn't let others think they were truly foolish.
"Kushina is undergoing secret training and can't come over, but she really wants to try your cooking, Mu Yue..." Minato and Mu Yue briefly explained the situation, omitting Kushina's identity, the surveillance by the Anbu, and other sensitive information.
It was getting harder to keep it a secret, especially since Minato would be heading to the battlefield with Jiraiya soon. He couldn't very well leave a shadow clone to bring Kushina her meals.
"I'm sorry for the trouble, Mu Yue," Minato said apologetically.
"It's no problem at all. It's just an extra portion of food. It's nothing compared to your help with my sealing techniques," Mu Yue assured him with a smile, nodding to indicate that as long as she was in Konoha, Kushina wouldn't go hungry.
After the meal, the three sat and chatted for a while. Initially, Jiraiya asked Mu Yue about cooking, but the conversation eventually turned to sealing techniques.
"I have an idea," Mu Yue began, "What if we set up a seal within the body to store some chakra? Then, when we're low on chakra during a battle, we can release the stored chakra to quickly replenish it." He shared his thoughts with the group.
Both Jiraiya and Minato were highly skilled in sealing techniques and had a deeper understanding of local knowledge than Mu Yue, who was a time traveler. He wanted to use this opportunity to seek their insights and inspiration.
After all, it was just an idea—a wild one at that—and it didn't reveal his true level of proficiency in sealing techniques.
"It's a great idea, but it's pretty much impossible to realize," Jiraiya replied thoughtfully.
"Is this idea inspired by the tailed beasts within the jinchuriki?" Jiraiya inquired.
Mu Yue nodded. In truth, his inspiration came from Tsunade's Yin Seal.
"The reason jinchuriki can harness the power of their tailed beasts is because the beasts possess a unique nature. When sealed within the body, they can achieve a state of unity with the host, and the vast amount of tailed beast chakra doesn't affect the host's chakra pathways and tenketsu."
"But your idea is different," Jiraiya continued. "You want to store your own chakra, which means you'd have to set up a seal on your chakra pathways and tenketsu. Aside from the sheer difficulty of that, there's another problem. If a large amount of chakra is suddenly released from a specific tenketsu, it will disrupt the flow of chakra throughout your body, making it impossible to perform ninjutsu. How would that be useful in battle?" Jiraiya explained.
"And we must also consider the potential damage to the body from a sudden burst of chakra," he added.
Jiraiya's words enlightened Mu Yue, who had previously assumed that Tsunade's Yin Seal was meant to preserve her youthful appearance. Now he understood that the seal's purpose was to transform the Hundred Healing Technique it released into an automatic medical ninjutsu that couldn't be turned off.
According to Jiraiya, it wasn't that Tsunade wanted the technique to be automatic; it was the only way to prevent the sudden release of a large amount of chakra from becoming a hindrance, similar to how opening the Eight Gates affected the user's chakra.
Jiraiya's insights were indeed helpful to Mu Yue. Previously, he had only considered creating a 'chakra battery' within himself, but he had overlooked other important factors.
However, Mu Yue didn't give up on his 'chakra battery' plan just because Jiraiya thought it was impossible. Jiraiya might think it couldn't be done, but Mu Yue had a few tricks up his sleeve.
He possessed the 'Insight' ability, giving him absolute control over his body and the ability to perform any intricate internal operation. On top of that, he also had an innate talent for sealing techniques.
In just six months of studying sealing techniques, Mu Yue had mastered the Five Elements Seal and the Contract Seal, and he had recently become proficient in the Fuja Hoin, which the Third Hokage had taught him. He had even made progress in learning the Fire Release Seal.
"Maybe I can start with an automated Rock Breathing Pattern seal," Mu Yue thought to himself.
He could set aside innovation for now and simply imitate Tsunade by creating a fully automated sealing technique.
The reason he chose Rock Breathing was that the pattern had an extremely strengthening effect on the body, even fortifying the insides, which would help prevent damage from a sudden surge of chakra.
"Thank you for your insight, Jiraiya-sama. I was a bit too presumptuous," Mu Yue said gratefully.
"No problem. It's important for youngsters to think boldly. If you're not even daring to think big, then what kind of youngster are you?" Jiraiya laughed, clapping Mu Yue's shoulder.
"Your idea has me feeling a bit ashamed, Mu Yue," Minato said with a smile. "I've never even thought about something like this. I've only been trying to improve the effects of some sealing techniques."
If anyone other than Minato had said this, Mu Yue might have thought they were being overly modest, as only those with a true understanding of sealing techniques could improve them.
But coming from Minato, Mu Yue felt that he genuinely liked his idea.
As the time came for them to leave, Jiraiya and Minato took their leave.
Before Jiraiya departed, Mu Yue gave him an appraisal.
(End of Chapter)
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