Sasuke's Heart Is Stirring

Sasuke's Heart Is Stirring

Ten jars sat in front of Teuchi.

Shen Mo picked up his chopsticks again and began eating the ramen Teuchi had made for him.

Although it couldn't compare to the Gourmet Showdown Cuisine bought from the system, it was still delicious.

Teuchi watched Shen Mo's actions, seemingly stirred by some kind of resolve.

"I've never thought about reaching any particular level in cuisine." Teuchi bent down and slowly opened the cabinet. "But I hope that, at the very least, every customer who comes to Ichiraku Ramen can leave satisfied."

A large stack of bills was placed in front of Shen Mo.

Five hundred thousand yuan.

Worth thirty thousand Trading Points—enough to buy a set of Level 1 Chests.

"Please."

Shen Mo reached out, and all the money vanished.

"Let me do it, let me open them." Naruto reached out impatiently.

Then came a loud thud.

Tsunade punched Naruto directly on the head.

"With these jars, it's best for Teuchi to open them himself." She remembered what Shen Mo had said earlier.

The jars represented the chest opener's change of fate.

This was Teuchi's dream.

Seriously, who would have thought a dream could be realized in this way?

Tsunade continued eating her ramen in large mouthfuls.

As for Teuchi—

He stared at the jars before him, gulped, and slowly reached out his hand.

Everyone else, even Sasuke, stared at them nervously without blinking.

Shen Mo had made the jars sound far too miraculous just now. There was talk of Gourmet Hunters, changing one's fate, and the strange attitude of a legendary ninja like Tsunade.

It just felt—

as if something extraordinary would happen the moment the jar was opened.

Amid this atmosphere, Teuchi finally touched the first jar.

He picked it up and slowly opened it.

Inside was a jar of edamame?

Teuchi poured everything out. It was indeed a jar of edamame.

"What is this? It's just edamame." Naruto seemed extremely disappointed. "A jar that costs fifty thousand yuan, and it only has some edamame?"

"That's it?"

Sasuke frowned deeply as he looked at Shen Mo, unmistakable disappointment in his eyes.

He had made it sound so exaggerated.

Was he really just a charlatan?

"This isn't ordinary edamame, is it?" Tsunade already understood the jars' properties very well.

"That's right." Shen Mo nodded with a smile. "Your luck is indeed a little bad. Its value isn't very high, but it is still rare. Mr. Teuchi, try opening the edamame pods."

Shen Mo's words seemed to draw everyone else's attention again.

From the outside, these looked like nothing more than ordinary edamame.

Teuchi didn't hesitate either.

He immediately picked up a pod and opened its outer shell.

"Ah—!" Sakura let out a thin, startled scream.

Because—

inside the pod were several round, bulging eyeballs!

That was right. Aside from lacking blood vessels, they looked exactly like eyeballs.

White sclera and black pupils.

It wasn't just Sakura—even Naruto and Sasuke felt a chill run down their spines.

"This is a special kind of edamame called Branch Demon Eyes." Shen Mo smiled as he explained. "Don't be frightened by its appearance. It tastes quite good. When savored with alcohol, it has a unique fragrance. For drinkers, it's an exceptionally rare snack to go with liquor."

Naturally, such bizarre cuisine came from the world of Toriko.

Shen Mo had placed many miraculous ingredients inside these jars.

"A snack to go with liquor?" Tsunade seemed interested. "Teuchi, you should have some good alcohol here, right? Bring me a little to try."

Although it was a ramen shop, quite a few ninjas liked to drink, so Ichiraku Ramen kept a small supply of fine alcohol on hand.

Teuchi brought out a bottle.

He first poured Tsunade a cup, then poured a small cup for himself. He placed one of the fierce-looking edamame in his mouth.

"This, this is..." The instant he tasted it, Teuchi's eyes widened, his face filled with amazement. "What an exquisite fragrance! It still tastes like edamame, but it's as if the flavor has sprouted beneath the taste of the alcohol. It's impossible to describe."

"See?" Shen Mo shrugged.

"Uncle Teuchi, is it really that delicious?" Naruto looked at Teuchi, seeming a little conflicted.

"I wouldn't eat something like that even if you killed me!" Sakura shuddered.

"If it were used to brew alcohol—no, if it were used to make alcohol-infused ramen..." Teuchi's eyes began to burn with enthusiasm.

Sasuke's gaze grew just as fervent.

There really are miraculous things in these jars? Are there really things that can make someone stronger, just as this man said?

Teuchi carefully put the edamame away.

Then he opened the next jar.

A chopping experience orb, a Sweet Ginger Box for removing the aftertaste in one's mouth, delicious seasonings, and Doctor Aloe, which could heal external injuries—

all of them were extraordinary items he had never even heard of before.

Of course, there was also the most disappointing item of all: ten thousand yuan.

It wasn't until the second-to-last jar that he finally obtained the most valuable item: a Secret Ingredient Recipe (fragment).

"Mr. Shen Mo, why is this recipe only one-third complete?" Teuchi's expression became anxious, as if he had been reading an enthralling novel only to reach the bottom and find the rest missing. It was unbearably frustrating, as if countless ants were crawling over his heart.

"Hmph, this trick again." Tsunade looked displeased. "My Medical Secret Manual still isn't complete."

She had already opened twenty sets of Level 1 Chests, yet the medical secret manuals inside were still incomplete. The worst part was that she had even received duplicates!

Knowledge was useless as waste paper when duplicated.

"There's nothing I can do." Shen Mo spread his hands. "The price of Level 1 Chests isn't enough to produce a complete recipe."

There really was nothing he could do.

This sort of collection mechanic was the ultimate tool for getting people to spend more. How could he not make good use of it?

Teuchi had already begun to understand that feeling too.

The feeling of wishing he could open another set of jars right away.

But there was still one last jar.

Teuchi carefully tucked the incomplete recipe into his clothes. Then, with both nervousness and anticipation, he opened the final jar.

Inside was only a tiny, bright-red fruit.

"It's actually this." Shen Mo glanced at it and praised it. "Your luck really is quite good, Teuchi. This is a Vermilion Pill Fruit. Its taste is ordinary, but after eating it, it can slightly increase your strength."

It came from some fantasy world.

It could probably increase the strength of both arms by around ten pounds, which was fairly considerable.

"Increase strength?" Sasuke suddenly spoke. "Isn't this a Gourmet Series Chest?"

Although Sasuke didn't say much, he had been listening carefully the entire time.

From Shen Mo and Tsunade's words, he could infer that—

these jars—

came in many different series.

The kind Teuchi had purchased was a Gourmet Series Chest, which was why it contained all kinds of ingredients and things like Secret Ingredient Recipes.

"A chef can't lack strength. For example, kneading dough requires enough strength to mix it." Shen Mo explained, then turned to look at Sasuke.

Sasuke had tried his hardest to hide it.

But his gaze had already betrayed him.

His heart was stirred.

Don't stop voting! Be proactive—I shouldn't have to remind you. (`^)