Cooking? Am I Opening a Restaurant?

Zhou Cheng could clearly sense that the way some people looked at Sasuke had changed; it was the look of hunters eyeing their prey.

He shook his head. Human nature was unable to withstand temptation, no matter where one went.

These people would definitely stir up trouble. Fortunately, Sasuke was the son of the Uchiha Clan head and had Itachi and Shisui protecting him. As long as he didn't court death himself, his safety wouldn't be a major issue.

Sasuke thanked Zhou Cheng, stepped off the Arena, and walked toward his older brother.

"Brother! Shisui-nii!"

Itachi and Shisui's expressions were grim. They had long since cast the incident of Sasuke skipping class to the back of their minds; what they were worried about now was Sasuke's safety.

"Don't go to the academy today! Just stay here, and we'll go home together once we're finished!"

Sasuke was no fool. He keenly sensed the abnormality in his two brothers' faces and nodded, standing silently to the side.

The Arena did not stop because of this incident. As soon as Sasuke stepped down, someone else immediately climbed onto the stage, and the shield-breaking continued.

However, the people who followed were quite ordinary in strength. They failed to deal any stunning damage, nor did they trigger any rewards that would make others green with envy.

Soon, it was Itachi's turn to take the stage.

He glanced at Sasuke standing beside him and smiled, patting his head.

He leaped directly onto the Arena.

"Senior!"

He first greeted Zhou Cheng respectfully; etiquette could not be neglected.

"Hmm. I hope you won't disappoint me today!"

Itachi nodded and, without another word, activated his Sharingan, three tomoe spinning in his eyes.

Zhou Cheng sighed inwardly. It was a pity it wasn't the Mangekyo; Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi were both lethal weapons that would surely have dealt massive damage.

"Fire Style: Great Flame Ball!"

A massive volume of flames erupted from Itachi's mouth, converging into a giant fireball about ten meters wide. It was twice the size of the Great Fireball Technique, flying toward Zhou Cheng like a miniature sun.

Many people below the Arena gasped out loud.

The scorching heat waves turned their faces bright red, and beads of sweat began to form on many foreheads.

Those in the front row couldn't help but step back, only to find there was no room left to retreat; it was essentially shoulder-to-shoulder.

"A B-rank Fire Style!"

"Such volume, such power! It's far stronger than the Great Fireball!"

"As expected of a genius! With this level of chakra, he's already a standout even among Jonin!"

Uchiha Tadashi watched the sun-like fireball, his mouth agape, momentarily stunned.

He had finally witnessed just how vast the gap was between himself and Itachi!

This fireball was more than twice the size of the Great Fireball he could cast. If they were on a battlefield, he would have been reduced to charcoal.

For the first time, a deep sense of powerlessness welled up in him. If Itachi was already this strong, how terrifying must Shisui be, who was even stronger than Itachi?

He didn't dare to think any further. As he pondered, he felt for the first time that his grandfather had been wrong to an outrageous degree.

After his initial shock, Sasuke wore a look of pride. This was his brother, Uchiha Sasuke's brother—incomparably powerful.

Shisui also nodded with a smile. He saw Itachi's strength clearly; the stronger they were, the more the village would have to consider their feelings, and the eruption of conflict could be delayed.

Kakashi returned to normal after his shock. In terms of Fire Style, the Uchiha Clan was indeed formidable.

Without using the Sharingan, the current Itachi was still no match for him.

Tsunade was only slightly surprised. A decent kid; if he weren't an Uchiha, his future status in the village wouldn't be low.

Iruka and Naruto had long since been petrified on the spot, remaining motionless for a long time.

So strong!

So strong that it was despair-inducing. If one encountered such an enemy, they wouldn't even have the heart to resist; they could only wait quietly for death.

BOOM!

The fireball struck Zhou Cheng and exploded, causing the entire Arena to shake violently.

The people in the front row scrambled backward in terror, fearing the Arena would collapse under the impact.

The blast wave tousled their hair and forced them to shield their eyes, unable to keep them open.

Flames and the explosion instantly engulfed Zhou Cheng. Those who had come for the first time couldn't help but feel their hearts tighten.

You were so eager to die that you stood there and took an attack like that without moving? You must be dead for sure now.

There was not a hint of joy on Itachi's face. He knew that an attack like this couldn't possibly harm his senior.

Sure enough, as the flames dissipated, Zhou Cheng stood quietly in his original spot, his clothes completely unscathed.

Hiss!

A chorus of gasps echoed through the air!

"How is this possible! He's completely unharmed!"

"Such a fireball and explosion would leave nothing behind, turning everything into charcoal! Yet, he is completely unharmed?"

"Is he even human? He must be a monster!"

The others looked at them with disdain—ignorant bumpkins!

Did they really think an attack like that could harm Mr. Zhou Cheng?

Did they truly believe his strength was only what appeared on the surface?

Perhaps he was old enough to be their ancestor!

"How narrow-minded. Even Lady Tsunade couldn't harm Mr. Zhou Cheng, so what makes you think this Fire Style would work?"

A set of numbers floated above Zhou Cheng's head: -9888.

[Damage dealt: 9888 points]

[Shield remaining HP: 9,999,999,961,762]

[Damage Rank: Blue]

[Reward obtained: Blue Blind Box]

Zhou Cheng was speechless; the numbers were lucky enough, but it was a pity they hadn't reached Purple-rank damage.

"An improvement over last time, but I know you're still holding back. You must have used eighty percent of your power this time."

An awkward expression appeared on Itachi's face; he thought Zhou Cheng was scolding him for overestimating his own abilities!

"Look, if you had attacked with full force, this strike would have reached Purple-rank damage. The blind box would have been different, and the reward would have been of a higher tier. What a pity!"

"But this was your own choice, so you must bear the consequences yourself!"

Below the Arena, many people wore expressions of shock. This was the highest damage dealt so far.

Yet, he hadn't even used his full strength? He was already this powerful!

How terrifying must his full power be?

However, in front of Zhou Cheng, it was like a game of house—completely futile.

"Catch, this is your reward!"

A Blue Blind Box appeared in Zhou Cheng's hand, which he tossed toward Itachi.

Itachi caught it carefully and opened it without a word.

Inside the box lay a book, its cover featuring a delicious-looking cake.

[Sweet Dessert Cookbook]

[A dessert textbook from the God of Cookery World]

[The book is in your hands; can you not make a cake that is perfect in color, aroma, and taste?]

[Host obtained a critical hit reward: Max-level dessert culinary skills]

Zhou Cheng's eye twitched; he felt like slapping Itachi to death.

Of all things to open, he had to open a reward that was useless to him.

Culinary skills?

Did it want him to open a restaurant after failing to break the shield?

Itachi was also stunned on the spot, but he immediately became overjoyed.

He loved sweets the most, which was why he enjoyed eating Three-Color Dango.

He picked up the book and flipped through it briefly. Aside from some common desserts, there were others he had never heard of or seen before, making him swallow his saliva.

He put away the Sweet Dessert Cookbook and gave Zhou Cheng a grateful look.

"Many thanks, Senior!"

This drove the people below the Arena crazy; they were dying to know what Itachi had opened.

If it was something good, they would be envious and jealous; if it was something bad, they would gloat.

It was the typical mentality: fearing you wouldn't do well, but fearing you would do better than them even more.

Sasuke and Shisui also looked at Itachi with confusion, wanting to know as well.

"You'll know tonight!"

Itachi smiled and nodded at Sasuke and Shisui. He would make delicious desserts tonight for them to taste.

Zhou Cheng rolled his eyes at him. Careful of diabetes from eating too many sweets!

"Begin your second attack. If you hold back again, I'm going to start roasting you!"