"...!"
Naruto fought down the nausea surging wildly in his throat and forced himself to swallow the boiled bug in his mouth, with its bizarre texture and overpowering earthy, raw odor.
Faced with Sage Shima, Naruto simply couldn't turn down her kindness. He felt that manners and good breeding sometimes required a little "sacrifice"... but the price of this sacrifice was rather too brutal for his taste buds.
"How is it, Little Naruto? Pretty good, isn't it? These are the freshest morning-dew bugs, packed with nutrients!" Sage Shima asked with a smile, clearly very confident in her "cooking."
"...Th-thank you very much for the meal."
Naruto felt his stomach twitch. He struggled to keep smiling, then ventured, "Um... would it be all right if I... 'worked on' these dishes a little?"
"Worked on them?" Sage Shima looked puzzled. "Is something wrong with the flavor? Aren't they tender enough? Or aren't they fresh enough? I've got some livelier ones here..."
"No, that's not what I meant!" Naruto hastily waved his hands, his mind racing. "It's... it's the seasoning! The flavor feels... a little too 'mild'!"
"Too mild?" Sage Fukasaku, who was enjoying the same "delicacies" nearby, looked understanding. He swallowed a plump bug and nodded.
"I see. Since we're getting on in years, Ma usually keeps her cooking light and healthy. I suppose it doesn't quite suit you youngsters' tastes."
He sounded perfectly serious, but calling dishes boiled in plain water—or eaten raw, without so much as a grain of salt—"mild" was putting it far too gently.
Fortunately, Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima didn't press the matter and agreed to Naruto's request.
With permission granted, Naruto felt as though he'd been pardoned and immediately sprang into action. He quickly pulled a frequently used Storage Scroll from his ninja tool pouch. With