A Gourmet Stymied by His Ninja Career

"If you like it, I can give it to you." Gekko Kuro Yoru stared straight at Qin Yu.

As soon as he said that, everyone present fell silent.

Gekko Kuro Yoru was one of the Eight Colors of Konoha.

For him to lower himself and actively curry favor with Qin Feng was beyond what they had expected.

"I appreciate the offer, but everyone's hungry. Let's not waste time." Qin Yu shook his head and declined.

Gekko Kuro Yoru's expression stiffened, and he looked a little embarrassed.

"Senior Gekko, don't take it personally. Qin Yu already has Samehada and the Thunder Blade. Your Chakra Blade is excellent, but it'd be hard to catch his eye," Uzuki Yugao explained in a lowered voice.

"The swords of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?" Gekko Kuro Yoru exclaimed in surprise, then heard gasps from the crowd.

Qin Yu's eyes widened, and his Mangekyō Sharingan instantly activated.

He grabbed the dead wild goat with his left hand and tossed it into the air.

With the Chakra Blade in his right hand, he began slicing it apart in a flash of light.

Everyone's vision blurred. By the time they could make sense of what was happening,

Qin Yu had effortlessly butchered the goat.

If they had to describe the scene in a single phrase,

it could only be "Ding the Butcher dismembering an ox."

In the blink of an eye, all three goats had been cut into chunks of various sizes, which fell, still dripping with blood, into the pot two or three meters across.

The moment he saw Uzuki Cangwu return with three wild goats,

Qin Yu had decided to make a Chinese delicacy—hand-shredded lamb—and astonish this bunch of locals who only knew how to eat ramen and barbecue.

What's more, Qin Yu's lightning-fast cuts sealed in all the juices. Boiled while still bloody, the lamb would taste even better.

"What kind of delicacy is this? That's such a strange way to cook it."

"Tch, you're missing the point. He used chakra nature transformation and the Sharingan to butcher the goat. His movements were so practiced and fast—ordinary people couldn't match that skill."

"He must be a professional butcher whose career was derailed by becoming a ninja!"

Everyone present was dumbfounded.

Especially Uchiha Fugaku.

He had never imagined that Qin Yu would use the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan to help him butcher meat.

If Uchiha Madara found out, he'd probably cough up blood.

However, the instant Uchiha Fugaku saw Qin Yu furrow his brow, an even more absurd thought crossed his mind.

"Don't tell me this guy's planning to use Fire Style?"

As soon as he said that, everyone fell silent. They were already watching Qin Yu's hands flash through a series of seals.

"Fire Style: Spark!"

The blazing chakra poured from Qin Yu's mouth, instantly bringing the lamb simmering in warm water to a boil.

Of course, an outsider would have thought it was bizarre.

But everyone present was a ninja. Faced with Qin Yu's astonishingly precise chakra control, they nearly goggled their eyes out of their sockets.

Use too little chakra, and the technique would fail.

Use too much, and the whole pot of lamb would explode.

Qin Yu had brought the lamb to a boil at exactly the right moment. Looking around the group, even Minato Namikaze would have to admit he couldn't do better.

Soon, as soon as the water boiled, Qin Yu poured out the bloody water, added fresh water, and continued cooking.

He added a handful of plump wild scallions picked nearby, a handful of Sichuan peppercorns, and a pine log he had prepared earlier. As the aroma spread, he covered the pot.

All it needed was a handful of salt before serving, and it would be a feast fit for the gods.

"Bring me a flat stone." Qin Yu gestured.

Uzuki Cangwu didn't hesitate and hurried over with a smooth, flat rock.

Qin Yu buried it in the fire until it was red-hot, then rubbed goat fat over it. It sizzled.

He deftly spread the dough meant for making ramen across the stone.

Once it had been seared on both sides and the lamb fat was sizzling, he sprinkled another handful of scallions over it.

A scallion flatbread was ready.

Then all they had to do was slice the lamb and wrap it in the bread.

That would make it even more delicious.

Qin Yu made over a hundred scallion flatbreads. When the lamb had cooked long enough, he lifted the lid, and its aroma wafted through the air.

For a moment, everything around them fell quiet.

Qin Yu turned to look around and realized that Uzuki Cangwu and the others had gathered around with their eyes wide as saucers.

They sniffed and swallowed as they stared at the pot of hand-shredded lamb.

If they hadn't been afraid of Qin Yu, they would have already rolled up their sleeves and started grabbing.

Qin Yu rolled his eyes, made himself seven or eight lamb wraps, then squeezed through the crowd under their hungry stares.

"Help yourselves. I've shown you how to make it." Qin Yu left them with those words.

The ravenous wolves around him erupted at once.

"Let me go first! What the hell, you shoved me out of the way!"

"Wulan, don't forget you call me big brother! Let me go first!"

"Tch, in a situation like this, I wouldn't let you go first even if you were my mother."

"Please, leave me some, or I'll fight you!"

Faced with this Chinese delicacy, the mingled aroma of all those spices conquered not only their sense of smell but their taste buds as well.

Watching the chaos, Qin Yu could only shake his head helplessly before joining Uzuki Yugao and Shizune.

"Go ahead. It tastes pretty good."

"Heh, looks like this old man's putting a damper on things. Minato, we never got this kind of treatment," Uzuki Cangwu said, glancing over several times before joining the scramble.

"Qin Yu, thank you. I never expected you to be able to make such a unique delicacy. Whoever marries you will be very lucky." Inubou held two scallion flatbreads in his mouth and three in his hands.

He had clearly fought hard to get them.

As he spoke, he winked at Uzuki Yugao and Shizune, making both women blush even more.

They could only lower their heads and eat in silence.

"I get one too?" Minato Namikaze took the scallion flatbread Qin Yu offered him, surprised. "Qin Yu, if you went back to Konoha and opened a restaurant, Ichiraku Ramen would be out of business."

"I'm really curious. You've always been so unremarkable, but now you've suddenly become good at everything. It's taking some getting used to."

Uchiha Fugaku agreed completely.

Qin Yu smiled and shook his head. "It's a hobby. I've played the underdog long enough. It's time to be the dragon that eats the tiger."

Minato Namikaze and Uchiha Fugaku froze, then exchanged a glance and fell silent.

Since Qin Yu didn't want to reveal too much, they wouldn't press him.

After the meal, the atmosphere had clearly warmed up.

The Konoha Ninja who had been wary of Qin Yu now looked at him with a little more goodwill.

Perhaps that was the remarkable power of the Chinese art of building relationships over a meal.

"It's getting late. I'll head back and get some rest." Qin Yu brushed the dust off his clothes and left first.

Everyone present nodded warmly as he departed.

But no one noticed Gekko Kuro Yoru and Gekko Hayate leaving.