Gourmet Chest Series

Just as Shen Mo had told Tsunade, his customers were, at the very least, people with pursuits and goals of their own.

That pursuit was not limited to strength; it could be something else.

Teuchi busied himself behind the counter, his expression exceptionally serious. Clearly, Shen Mo's words just now, along with his seemingly close relationship with Tsunade, had stirred his competitive spirit.

As a chef obsessed with ramen, his goal was to make his customers love his ramen.

It was exceptionally pure.

Yet unwavering.

"Please enjoy."

A steaming bowl of ramen was quickly placed before Shen Mo.

Teuchi wore a confident smile.

Whether in terms of ingredients or timing, this bowl of ramen was perfect. It was undoubtedly the very best he could produce.

"Meow." Hikari, perched on Shen Mo's shoulder, stretched her neck slightly. Her cute little nose twitched, and an expression of disdain appeared on her face.

That was right—an expression of disdain.

Despite having a fluffy cat face, her expression was remarkably humanlike. Those purple-blue, gemlike eyes made her look like a picky little girl faced with vegetables she did not like.

Teuchi's feelings became somewhat complicated.

Would a cat even like human food?

Still, some ninja brought their ninja dogs in for ramen. At the very least, they should like the smell of meat, right?

Shen Mo paid no attention to Teuchi's feelings. Nor did he follow local custom and say something like "I'm digging in." He simply sampled the ramen as one should, scooping up some broth with a spoon and carefully tasting it.

The instant it entered his mouth—

His brows furrowed.

Teuchi's heart tightened again at the sight.

"If you can't give a reason, you can't just say it tastes bad, you know." Tsunade propped her chin on one hand and leaned lazily against the counter, her gaze openly teasing. "I think Teuchi's cooking has become even better than before."

Shen Mo smiled and shook his head, setting down the spoon.

"It isn't bad. It's just ordinary compared to the ramen I've eaten."

That was the truth. The flavor could absolutely be called delicious, but it lacked the ultimate enjoyment of the Food Wars! World's cuisine, the kind that could even make one's soul tremble.

"Hey, hey, mister." Naruto shot to his feet, saying angrily, "Sister Tsunade just said that ramen outside the village can't compare to Uncle Teuchi's! You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

"Naruto!" Sakura hurriedly pressed Naruto back down.

This was someone who had come with Lady Tsunade. She did not know who he was, but judging by his exquisite formal attire alone, his status had to be extraordinary.

"That still doesn't count as proof." Tsunade shook her head as well. "Unless you can prove what you said."

In fact, among everyone here, Tsunade was probably the only one who believed Shen Mo was telling the truth.

After all, he came from a New World.

But believing him did not mean she had to speak for him.

This mysterious man always carried himself with such calm detachment, as though he did not belong in this world at all. It would be quite amusing to see him get embarrassed for once.

"That's right! Where's the proof?"

Even though Sakura was holding him back, Naruto kept shouting indignantly.

Besides Iruka-sensei, Teuchi was the person closest to Naruto in the village.

"If you want proof, then how about tasting it yourselves?" Shen Mo said slowly.

"Are you going to cook it yourself?" Tsunade asked in surprise.

"No." Shen Mo shook his head and looked at Teuchi. "As an ordinary chef, you have indeed reached the limits of an ordinary chef on the path of cuisine. But beyond that lies an incomparably vast realm. Have you made the resolve to witness the true world of cuisine?"

At this moment, Shen Mo's bearing changed.

Solemn and majestic.

And mysterious.

Even Naruto fell silent beneath the inexplicable atmosphere. His fists clenched, and he felt nervous for no apparent reason.

After a long while.

Teuchi slowly let out a breath.

"True cuisine?" His expression also turned serious. He even straightened his chef's uniform before looking at Shen Mo with considerable respect. "If such a thing exists, then of course I want to witness it."

"Even if it causes you to lose confidence in cuisine?" Shen Mo asked again.

"A chef unwilling to face challenges will never improve." Teuchi declared that he feared nothing.

"Then—"

Shen Mo raised a hand and gave it a light wave.

In an instant.

A covered ramen bowl abruptly appeared on the table.

Th-this was!?

Teuchi's eyes widened slightly, and everyone else was startled as well.

"What is that? Some kind of magic trick?" Naruto looked at the large bowl, then at Shen Mo, as though trying to figure out where he had hidden the ramen.

Sasuke was equally dumbfounded.

There was no Sealing Scroll.

There was no smoke from using a scroll, either. He had not seen anything at all.

"Please, taste it." Shen Mo gestured toward it.

This bowl of ramen came from the Food Wars! World and had been personally made by Senzaemon Nakiri, known as the "Demon King of Food." It represented the pinnacle of the Food Wars! World.

Teuchi felt his heart begin to pound uncontrollably.

First, he cautiously reached out and touched the side of the ramen bowl.

The temperature was perfect!

It was as though it had just come out of the pot.

He glanced at Shen Mo, gritted his teeth, and abruptly lifted the lid.

The aroma instantly spread through the air.

Everyone present, including Sasuke, could not help taking a deep breath, their mouths watering involuntarily.

Gulp.

Everyone swallowed at the exact same time.

"What is this smell?"

Naruto's drool would not stop, and he could no longer take his eyes off the bowl of ramen.

As for Teuchi—

His entire body was trembling. He felt both disbelief and overwhelming excitement as he took in the aroma.

"What an exquisite broth." He stared at the ramen before him as though it were a priceless treasure and murmured, "Not a trace of cloudiness. It retains such an appetite-stirring color, and the shape of these noodles, the arrangement of these slices of meat... Hiss—what kind of meat is this?"

Teuchi loved ramen to his very bones.

For over thirty years.

He had devoted nearly his entire life to ramen.

And now, he suddenly felt as though he had returned to the state of mind from when he first tasted ramen.

"The optimal time for eating ramen is limited," Shen Mo reminded him.

"Right!" Teuchi seemed to snap back to his senses.

Carefully and slowly, he scooped up some broth with a spoon and gradually brought it to his mouth.

Naruto and the others all watched him intently.

Then—

Tears filled his eyes.

"This feeling... this feeling of being held by one's mother." Teuchi, a man of considerable age, trembled as tears streamed down his face like a child's. Yet he wore an utterly enchanted, blissful smile. "So miraculous, so delicious... I see now. This is what true ramen is!"

Perfect. Shen Mo smiled with satisfaction inwardly.

It seemed the newly launched Gourmet Chest Series had found a buyer. He just did not know how much of a fortune Teuchi could bring out.