A Lively Lunch

Soon it was noon. Izuna led the Delegation away from Amusement Park, citing the lack of restaurants inside.

Before leaving, Wakako asked him, "Can we come back here to play again?"

Izuna replied with a smile, "Of course, all the facilities here will be open to everyone for free today. You can choose whichever activity you wish to participate in."

Ishimi noticed something amiss. "Only one day? Even your Daimyo only get this exclusive privilege for one day?"

Izuna rested his chin on his hand, feigning distress, and said, "Hmm... but it's really boring at the Amusement Park if there's no one to ride with."

Why do you say that?

Izuna raised a finger. "Take bumper cars, for example. Do you guys think these kinds of games are fun without someone to compete against? And Rapid River Ride and Haunted House Exploration are so boring without anyone to scream with."

Ishimi seemed to understand something. "I see."

"Of course, these attractions are open today as well. If you prefer to explore on your own, please visit them today."

Wakako asked, "Will Ren show up today?"

"Of course," Izuna said, "She will appear as a scene NPC... cough, as a scene character on the street. The Daimyo's Wife can find her in specific locations."

"Then I'm going!" Wakako said resolutely.

The Envoy from the Land of Lightning laughed, "I think it's more lively with more people, and we'll have more fun that way."

Ishimi also smiled and said, "Indeed, sharing joy with the people is a unique experience."

The people of the Land of Wind said, "It's not bad to experience it first."

"Agreed," the Envoy from the Land of Water said calmly. "Furthermore, I personally dislike crowded places. I just wonder if Daimyo would allow us to explore on our own."

The Daimyo raised an eyebrow. "I grant permission. It's only when you all have fun that we, the Land of Fire, can truly demonstrate our hospitality."

"But before that, there is one more thing we need you to witness."

The Daimyo looked at Izuna, Izuna nodded to him and said to everyone, "After lunch, the Inauguration Ceremony for the district chief of our Konoha Special Administrative Region will be held. After the Appointment Ceremony, please return to the Amusement Park to enjoy yourselves."

The Envoys looked at each other in bewilderment.

This was only their second day in Konoha, Appointment Ceremony was about to take place.

It seems they've already made all the decisions. We shouldn't think about anything else; we should just participate.

The group headed to the place where they would have lunch that day.

This time, Izuna took them to a barbecue restaurant next to the main road.

The storefront of the Akimichi Clan is small, with only a large "food" character on the signboard. The rounded font makes it feel warm and inviting.

Before even entering, the aroma of roasted meat wafted out from behind the curtain, carrying the unique sweet fragrance of sauce charring over charcoal, making one's stomach rumble.

Izuna lifted the curtain and stepped aside to let everyone in.

The private room was prepared in advance, with a long table arranged along the Japanese-style seating area, leaving enough space in the middle.

The guards then went to the regular dining area and ordered their own food.

Inside the private room, each low table had a charcoal stove, the fire burning brightly, and the iron mesh glowing slightly red from the heat.

Akimichi Gaku stood at the door to greet him. Today he was dressed in a formal chef's uniform, with the cuffs tied with belts and a black apron around his waist, giving him the air of a head chef.

Seeing Izuna enter, he grinned, revealing a row of neat White Fang.

Izuna paused, looking him up and down.

He wasn't actually that familiar with Akimichi Gaku. After he started hanging out with everyone, their relationship was basically just eating together. He could eat two more bowls of rice if he ate with Qiu Daoyue.

For the rest of the time, this chubby guy either stood in the back row watching the fun or munched on a snack called "Kuku".

She's definitely a foodie.

He only realized this guy was the Young Clan Head when he asked the Akimichi Clan to prepare the dishes.

Izuna was stunned when he learned this guy's true identity!

Wow, this kid! He's actually a rich kid?! I was wondering why I always get discounts at this Barbecue Restaurant, turns out he's one of us!

Upon approaching him, Izuna whispered, "Dude, you've been keeping this a secret."

Akimichi Gaku chuckled, scratched the back of his head, and replied in a low voice, "You didn't ask either."

Izuna pursed her lips and stepped aside.

Yue Chao gestured into the private room, "Gentlemen, please take your seats. I personally selected today's menu; I guarantee you will be satisfied."

The charcoal fire had reached the perfect temperature, and the chimney hung overhead.

After everyone was seated, the Akimichi Clan's waiters filed in, bringing out the Akimichi Clan's most famous and hearty dishes.

The beef tongue is sliced into even, thin slices, and the short ribs are thickly sliced, with a bright red cross-section and evenly distributed fat.

The pork belly is marbled with fat and lean meat, and the chicken thigh meat is marinated in miso, giving it a light brown sheen.

There are three types of dipping sauces.

This traditional barbecue sauce has a rich soy sauce base and is made with more than a dozen spices, resulting in a perfect balance of salty and sweet.

The salt-based dipping sauce is a mixture of sea salt, sesame oil, and white pepper.

There was also a bowl of the Akimichi Clan's secret miso sauce, made with three different vintages of miso, a touch of honey and minced garlic. The flavor was so intense that just a sip from the tip of your chopsticks was enough to make your eyes squint.

Besides grilled meat, there are also Akimichi Clan's signature main dishes.

Radish stewed with pork, the pork chunks are large and generous, half lean and half fat, and melt in your mouth.

Hand-shredded pork, a perfect blend of fiber and fat, with the aroma of smoke and fat filling the air.

Corn porridge and cabbage salad are the only two plant-based dishes in this meaty celebration.

The grilling would take some time, so Akimichi Gaku handed the grill to his men and went to the side to tear the meat apart by hand.

The pork fell apart easily in his hands.

It was so smooth, as if he were just tearing a thin sheet of paper; the flesh was tender, and the surface had a smoky ring like ruby.

This level of cooking is simply a work of art.

The shredded meat fell one by one into the ceramic plate, creating a fine, layered texture.

Grease seeped from the gaps in the fibers and trickled down Yue's knuckles.

No one urged him on, but all eyes were fixed on his hands.

Even they hadn't tasted this level of cuisine many times. At that moment, everyone felt their mouths watering. If it weren't for their appearance, they would have wanted to ask for a piece right now to taste it.

Wakako wasn't staring, because she was busy eating the stew in front of her.

The taro, having absorbed the rich broth, crumbled at the touch of chopsticks, trembling precariously at the tips.

She lowered her head, took a bite, paused, and then quickly stuffed the remaining half into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out as she chewed, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. After chewing, she tugged at Yuan Yusheng's sleeve.

"Daimyo lord, you must try this."

Yuan Yusheng was watching Akimichi Gaku tear meat when he heard Wakako's voice and then looked away.

He glanced at Wakako, and under her urging gaze, picked up his chopsticks, took a small piece of radish, and stuffed it into his mouth.

The small piece of radish melted on his tongue, the umami flavor of the broth permeating to the very core. The radish's natural sweetness and the rich broth mingled together, forcefully drawing his attention back to the source of his culinary brilliance.

After taking a couple more bites, he exclaimed, "This soup is so delicious! With such a rich flavor, it would be incredibly tasty even if you added some wild herbs."

Akimichi put the torn pork on the plate. When he heard the daimyo's praise, he smiled honestly and bowed respectfully.

"You flatter me, Daimyo Excellency. This stew uses a stock base, which has been simmering since last night. The radishes were freshly dug this morning, and the pork was selected from the most evenly marbled cut. However—" He straightened up, blinked, "If we're going to add any weeds, please reconsider, Your Excellency."

Everyone laughed.

The sizzling oil on the grill indicates it's the perfect time to enjoy the roasted meat.

The beef tongue and short ribs were distributed piece by piece to everyone's plates by the waiter.

Licked by the charcoal fire, the edges of the pink slices of meat quickly turned an enticing golden brown. The fat melted and dripped onto the charcoal, creating a puff of white smoke. The rich aroma of meat and the sweet, caramelized sauce exploded in the air, filling the entire private room.

"Gentlemen, please enjoy your meal," Akimichi Gaku said with a smile, bringing the hand-shredded meat to the table.

Soon they had eaten and drunk their fill, and the group left the barbecue restaurant and headed to the Hokage Building.

From afar, one could see a dense mass of people in Hokage Building. From the main road to the alley entrance, from the plaza in front of the building to the eaves on both sides, there were people everywhere.

The children of Ninjas mingled with the children of Ordinary People. A few of them climbed up the low pine trees by the square, only to be yelled at to come down by their parents. They then secretly climbed back up again.

The adults were whispering amongst themselves, and the whole space was buzzing. Although it was impossible to hear clearly, just by looking at the scene, you could tell how much they valued this Appointment Ceremony.

"So many people..." Wakako stood behind Izuna, gazing at the sea of people.

Izuna didn't try to squeeze through the main entrance. He jumped directly onto the roof and gestured for everyone to follow.

The Summoning Beast easily traversed more than ten meters, carrying the screaming Delegation along the roof ridge, stepping on the tiles as they headed towards the Hokage Building.

They soon arrived at the gate.

The guards, who had been waiting for some time, welcomed them inside.