Food Source

Then.

Gurgle... gurgle...

His stomach rumbled, and a wave of hunger washed over Umino Sasuke. He felt an urge to devour anything he saw.

He quickly took out a bag of dried fish and wolfed it down. It wasn't until he had eaten nearly two pounds of dried fish that he managed to barely suppress the overwhelming hunger.

He couldn't help but sigh, the law of conservation of energy applies everywhere. While the Akimichi Clan's Digestive Technique was powerful, its food consumption was astonishing.

If he were in Konoha, with Konoha's prices, this kind of eating would bankrupt him in less than half a year.

No wonder the Akimichi Clan owned so many businesses. It seemed it wasn't that these fat people were greedy or didn't know how to lie low; if they didn't earn money, they might actually starve to death.

"Fortunately, I've mastered the Infrasonic Radar Technique. Even on the front lines, I can be self-sufficient. The supplies Konoha gives would barely keep me from starving."

Under his infrasonic radar, the river beneath him was a natural, inexhaustible granary.

As the river flowed, schools of fish upstream and downstream appeared like waves of leeks, harvested and regrown.

Given how rare the Golden Mandarin Fish were, the fact that he could still catch them after continuously harvesting them for months showed just how abundant the aquatic life in the Land of Rivers was.

The Land of Rivers might not have land suitable for farming like the fertile Land of Fire, but in terms of fishing and hunting, it was undoubtedly blessed. No wonder the Land of Wind coveted this land.

As if on cue, a few more Golden Mandarin Fish were leisurely nibbling on the riverbed's aquatic plants.

"Vibrate!"

Umino Sasuke directly unleashed the vibrating force of infrasound, stunning those Golden Mandarin Fish to death. In fact, this time, he didn't spare a single one of the freshwater fish in the vicinity.

"Water Release: Water Prison Technique."

Umino Sasuke formed hand seals and released a binding water prison, trapping all nearly a hundred pounds of fish.

He brought the catch ashore and took out his fish-cleaning knife to process them. To save time, he discarded everything but the delicious swim bladders and internal organs.

After a considerable amount of time, he finished processing all the freshwater fish. Apart from the Golden Mandarin Fish, which he pickled and set aside for dinner to entertain Akimichi Toribo, all other freshwater fish weighing over ten pounds were placed on the grill. The smaller ones were all made into smoked fish jerky.

Smoked fish jerky took a long time to make, but grilled fish was finished quickly.

Umino Sasuke was already starving. He quickly grabbed a Sand Grouper weighing nearly twenty pounds and started eating.

At the same time, he circulated chakra within his body, stimulating the vagus nerve endings in his intestines. Soon, his intestines began to churn, and stomach acid, bile, and digestive enzymes were secreted in large quantities, converting the fish he ate into surging energy.

"Water Release: Mist Technique."

Umino Sasuke suddenly felt as if he had been a bit weak moments ago, but now he felt invigorated and began practicing various ninjutsu.

He even cast Water Prison Technique from time to time, trapping precious aquatic creatures he found in the river and tossing them ashore.

When the energy from the food in his body was depleted, he would go ashore, eat another ten pounds or so of fish, and take some time to process the precious aquatic creatures he had just tossed ashore. If they had strong vitality, he would deal with them later, prioritizing his training.

Thus, he would eat, then train, and when he ran out of energy from training, he would eat fish. In between, he would catch and clean fish. He was like a machine, tirelessly repeating this cycle.

He trained for nearly four hours. Seeing that the sun was about to set, he finally stopped training and began preparing dinner to entertain Akimichi Toribo.

Although he hadn't caught any Yellow-Spotted Turtles that afternoon, he had caught a River Mother Clam as large as a tabletop. If this River Mother Clam hadn't opened its giant shell at that moment, revealing a large pearl hidden inside, he might have missed this treasure.

While the River Mother Clam wasn't as rare as the Yellow-Spotted Turtle, it was still a rare, top-quality ingredient. If it could be braised with yellow wine, it would be extremely nourishing.

Conveniently, there were a few bottles of good wine in Tejudo's sealing scrolls.

These fine wines were specifically prepared by Tejudo's elders to curry favor with the leaders on the front lines. Now, they would be put to good use.

He could already sense Akimichi Toribo heading his way, so he had to speed up the cooking process, telling Tejudo and the others to stop training and come over to help.

"Captain, a pearl this big must be worth at least a hundred thousand ryo."

"Liao, you're a young master of the Inuzuka Family, yet you have such little knowledge. The pearl my aunt treasures is worth three hundred thousand ryo, and it's inferior to this one in both luster and size."

Tejudo took the pearl from Liao and examined it carefully.

The pearl in his hand was larger than a quail egg. Judging by its quality and luster, it would definitely cost no less than five hundred thousand ryo.

"Oh, quite a good haul."

Umino Sasuke's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected this unexpected gain to be so substantial. This was equivalent to nearly a hundred explosive tags.

However, this was the front line, and it was during the Ninja Wars. They say ancient artifacts are valuable in prosperous times, and gold in chaotic times. He figured he wouldn't be able to cash in this pearl for the next few years. It would be suitable for gifts, though.

Of course, such a valuable pearl could not be given to Akimichi Toribo, and he wouldn't appreciate it anyway. A lavish meal would be much more practical.

The River Mother Clam looked huge, weighing two to three hundred pounds, but the edible parts were scarce, accounting for only a little over 20% of the total. Only the muscles, mantle, and digestive glands were edible; all other internal organs had to be discarded. This left only about fifty pounds of edible meat. For Akimichi Toribo's appetite, it would be barely enough for him alone. Now, with an additional big eater, it would naturally be even less.

"There's still time."

Umino Sasuke sensed that Akimichi Toribo was less than two kilometers away. At his speed, he would arrive in just a few minutes.

Although the time was short, it was enough.

The digestive glands of the River Mother Clam were the best for seasoning and enhancing flavor. They could create a superb broth with minimal ingredients.

The two giant shells of the River Mother Clam could serve as two oversized grill plates for roasting fish.

And that large iron pot was perfect for a hot pot.

He placed the marinated fish pieces on the clam shells to grill and waited to eat.

Next, he heated oil in the pot, stir-fried the spices until fragrant, then added the digestive glands of the River Mother Clam, stir-frying until they turned golden brown. He then added yellow wine to bring out the aroma, followed by boiling water, and simmered for a few minutes. This completed a top-quality soup base.

Finally, while the soup base in the pot hadn't fully cooked yet, he picked up the fish-filleting knife and sliced various fish and River Mother Clam meat into pieces, arranging them on plates, just waiting for Akimichi Toribo to arrive for hot pot.

As for the various sauces, they were already prepared in Tejudo's sealing scrolls, with dozens of flavor combinations for you to choose from.

Soon, rustling sounds could be heard from the forest. This time, with Umino Sasuke's warning, the three from Tejudo lowered their guard.

"Wow, it smells so fresh and delicious."

As soon as Akimichi Toribo arrived, he was captivated by the soup base.