BBQ Master 1/2

Hyuga-Style BBQ (1/)

Yoshimaru BBQ Restaurant.

Hayato and his companions stood outside the restaurant, peering inside.

The place was packed with customers and filled with noisy chatter.

Aburame Shishin muttered, "There are way too many people."

Hayato immediately snapped back, "You only look like a member of the Aburame Clan at times like this. What's wrong with lots of people? Only delicious, affordable places have lots of customers. Those who agree stay standing; those who disagree lie down. So, who's standing and who's lying down?"

Who would lie down in the street!!!

Naturally, the vote passed unanimously.

As soon as they entered, the aroma of grilled meat grew even stronger.

A table of customers had just finished eating and drinking. With toothpicks in their mouths, they leisurely headed out. A round, ball-shaped auntie swiftly cleared the table and smiled. "Guests, please sit."

Yoshimaru BBQ Restaurant was run by members of the Akimichi Clan. It had an excellent reputation and was known as Konoha's number one barbecue restaurant. The Akimichi Clan had once produced a talent—Yoshimaru Akimichi—who had already passed away. This restaurant was probably opened in his memory. Hanging on the wall was a calligraphy scroll bearing Yoshimaru's favorite phrase: Oh, Beautiful Autumn.

Opening the menu, Hayato saw beef, mutton, bear meat, tiger meat, spider meat, centipede meat, and more. The first time he came here, it had scared him half to death. But on second thought, venomous insects and savage beasts flourished wildly in the Naruto world. Bears and tigers traveled in packs, spiders were bigger than washbasins, and centipedes were as thick as buckets. There was nothing strange about it. Still, there was no dog meat or venison. As for why, just think of the Inuzuka Clan and the Nara Clan.

"Delicious!"

"As expected of Konoha's number one barbecue."

"Mmm~~~"

"My mom asked why I was eating barbecue with tears in my eyes..."

"..."

All kinds of extravagant praise poured out as if it cost nothing.

"Ding!"

"Host: Hyuga Hayato

Special Title Quest: BBQ Master. Conquer everyone at Yoshimaru BBQ Restaurant through barbecue.

Success Reward: Randomly draw one C-rank taijutsu.

Failure Penalty: For seven days, all meat will taste like shit.

Accept quest?"

The system, which had been silent all day, suddenly popped up to issue a quest.

"Heh, hehehe, hahaha..." Hayato threw back his head and laughed.

What a disgusting failure penalty, but would that scare him?

Of course not!

In this world barren of fine cuisine, would a transmigrator from China on Blue Star, who had studied food for over a decade, be afraid?

Besides, even if the quest somehow failed, he could just avoid meat for seven days!

Smack!

Hayato slammed his palm onto the table. The bowls and chopsticks jumped six or seven centimeters into the air.

The noisy restaurant suddenly fell silent.

No one had ever caused trouble in an Akimichi Clan barbecue restaurant. Even fools knew how obsessed the Akimichi Clan was with barbecue.

This was going to be good!!!

In the silent restaurant, only the sizzling of grilling meat remained.

A huge fat man walked over, the Akimichi Clan crest displayed on his chest. He glared at Hayato, raising a palm the size of a fan as he growled, "Brat, don't think being from the Hyuga Clan means you can make trouble at Yoshimaru BBQ Restaurant. Believe it or not, I'll flatten you with one slap!"

Hayato was completely unafraid. He said disdainfully, "Yoshimaru barbecue is indeed pretty good, but calling it Konoha's best? Heh. What? People aren't allowed to have different opinions? Is the Akimichi Clan's barbecue reputation built by slapping people around? Fine, come on! Flatten me!"

After Hayato said that, the fat man found it difficult to bring his palm down. He was clumsy with words, his face flushing red as he had no idea how to retort.

The diners nearby could not stand watching anymore and spoke up for him. "Kid from the Hyuga Clan, you say Yoshimaru barbecue isn't Konoha's best. Have you eaten better barbecue before? Bring it out and let everyone see."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Don't spout nonsense with your eyes open."

"Meat is grilled, not bragged into existence."

"..."

The others chimed in as well.

With one hand on his hip and the other pointing at everyone, Hayato arrogantly declared, "In that case, I'll let you witness the finest barbecue under heaven, you frogs at the bottom of a well."

Hayato turned to the fat Akimichi clansman. "Do you dare lend me the kitchen?"

"Why wouldn't I dare!"

Aburame Shishin grabbed Hayato. "Are you crazy or stupid? Can't you go one day without causing trouble?"

"No." Hayato smiled faintly. "Don't worry. Would I, Hyuga Hayato, do something I wasn't confident about?"

Aburame Shishin answered firmly, "You would. All the time."

Hyuga Neji and the others nodded from the side in agreement.

Hayato strode proudly into the kitchen.

Aburame Shishin said, "What is Hayato up to? I think we should reserve him a hospital bed in advance, so he can keep Lee company."

"Leave that to me," someone said. "I know someone at the hospital—Sister Feifei."

Before long, Hayato came out carrying a plate. Red meat, white fat, and green vegetables wrapped together—it looked quite appetizing.

"What's the point of looking good?" the fat man muttered. "Barbecue has to taste good."

"Whether it tastes good or not, you'll know after trying it." Hayato smiled and nodded toward the fat man, indicating that he could have a taste.

After hesitating for a moment, the fat man picked one up, put it in his mouth, and chewed vigorously.

Gradually, he chewed more and more slowly. In the end, he closed his eyes and remained motionless for a long time.

"Could it be poisoned?" someone worriedly asked.

The fat man opened his eyes, two streams of tears running down his face. "The beef was sliced to the absolute thinnest, then seared for no more than 0.1 seconds. It retains the beef's juices while gaining the smoky flavor of the sear. The beef fat melts the instant it enters the mouth, and paired with the vegetables, it isn't greasy in the slightest. Not only that, beneath the smoky flavor is a hidden chill. Yet after swallowing it, there's a fiery, exhilarating sensation instead. How did you do that?"

Hayato did not answer. "So, how is this barbecue?"

The fat man bowed. "It truly is better than Yoshimaru barbecue. I, Akimichi Ginza, am convinced."

"Ding!"

"Special Title Quest completed. Obtained the title 'BBQ Master.'

Current available draw: One random C-rank taijutsu.

Draw now?"

"Draw!"

"Ding!"

"Host obtained C-rank taijutsu: Triple Nail Fist. Fuse now?"

"Fuse!"

"Fusing... Fusion failed. Reason for failure: Host's taijutsu is below 750. Skill scroll automatically synthesizing... Synthesis complete."

Huh?

That was possible?!

A simple, ancient scroll appeared in Hayato's inventory.

When he focused his mind on the scroll, its information appeared:

"Name: Triple Nail Fist (Upgradeable)

Category: Taijutsu

Origin: Toriko

User: Toriko, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Gourmet

Skill Description: A fist technique that throws several punches in an extremely short time. Like nails being driven in with each successive strike, it sends destructive force deep into the target."

So it was a hard-style fist technique! And immensely powerful too. It seemed more suitable for Rock Lee.

Thinking of that, Hayato suddenly had an idea and asked in his mind, "Can this scroll be used by someone else? I mean someone other than the host."

"Yes," the system replied. "However, the scroll's user, including the host, must begin learning from scratch."

Hayato stroked his chin. "Starting from scratch... so it can't be used naturally like the String-String Fruit. Looks like the Nail Fist really is more suitable for Lee."

The Nail Fist's destructive power depended not only on the number of consecutive strikes, but also on the user's base strength. Just imagine it: Rock Lee opening the Gate of Death and entering the Eight Gates Formation, then unleashing an endless barrage of Nail Fists. Madara would be blasted straight into atomic particles.

The image was too beautiful to imagine.

In short, Hayato could learn Triple Nail Fist, but it clearly did not suit his attributes, so his potential with it would be limited.

Of the two people who defeated Rock Lee—Gaara and Kimimaro—one had Sand Armor, while the other had Shikotsumyaku. Both came with their own turtle shells and countered Rock Lee. If he had a Nail Fist capable of striking deep, Rock Lee's chances of winning would still be quite high.

Forget it. He would think about it later.

Coming back to his senses, Hayato noticed Akimichi Ginza staring at him fixedly. He asked, "What is it?"

Akimichi Ginza said, "What is this barbecue called?"

"Ice-Fire Shadow Supreme Beef." Hayato smiled. "Saying it tastes better than Yoshimaru barbecue is a bit exaggerated. Ice-Fire Shadow Supreme Beef excels in refinement, like a delicate cream cake. By comparison, Yoshimaru barbecue is like a muscular man. Different people have different tastes; neither can really be called better than the other."

Uh...

Hayato had suddenly changed from his previous arrogance to being humble and polite.

After all, he had only done it for the quest. There was no need to offend the Akimichi Clan.

"Do you all want to try some too?" Hayato asked the other diners, who had long since been drooling.

The enormous plate was swept clean in an instant. Faced with the resentful looks of Shishin and the others, Hayato could only say, "I'll make some more."

After taking a few steps, Hayato said to Akimichi Ginza, "Want to learn? I can teach you."

Akimichi Ginza's mouth fell open. "C-can I?"

Inside the kitchen.

Akimichi Ginza suddenly understood. "So the cool sensation comes from chilling it, while the fiery feeling comes from special chili sauce. Th-this... this charcoal-grilled beef leg... Ah, there's no way I can learn it!"

After preparing several dishes, Hayato was lightly sweating.

Akimichi Ginza stood beside him respectfully, treating him like a disciple would a master.

Hayato sighed. "Actually, I have another barbecue dish that exists only in fantasy. It contains five layers of transformation: sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and astringent. Once it is developed, it will truly become Konoha's number one barbecue. No, even calling it the best in the world would not be excessive. Speaking of barbecue, the Akimichi Clan are the true experts. Want to try developing it?"

Leaving Akimichi Ginza to ponder life, Hayato carried a plate in one hand and a beef leg in the other.

Aburame Shishin took a bite, gave a thumbs-up, and said, "Delicious. But you just made up Ice-Fire Shadow Supreme Beef on the spot, didn't you?"

Hayato merely smiled without answering.

Aburame Shishin understood. Just like the fruit and the nickname "Yasha," it had been a spur-of-the-moment invention.

There was another similarity: the name Ice-Fire Shadow Supreme Beef, like Yasha, would be passed down through the ages.

Hyuga Neji sliced off a piece of beef leg and ate it. Then he glared at Hayato. "You bastard."

For Hyuga Neji to actually curse, Aburame Shishin and the others hurriedly tried the beef leg.

Aburame Shishin asked in confusion, "It's delicious, though. The texture is amazing."

Hayato said proudly, "The outer meat of a beef leg is relatively coarse and low in fat. The inside is softer, but still a little tough. I used the Byakugan together with Gentle Fist to sever the muscle fibers and tendons, making its texture comparable to tenderloin."

"You bastard!"

Aburame Shishin and the others spoke in unison. He had actually used the Hyuga Clan's bloodline limit to charcoal-grill beef steak. That was also why Akimichi Ginza could never learn it.

Aburame Shishin said, "You actually had the nerve to say I don't look like a member of the Aburame Clan. Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself? What part of you looks like someone from the Hyuga Clan?"

Hayato continued smiling without answering. Heh! I'm from the Hyuga Clan. Am I proud of it?

[PS] Thanks to "Qin G" for the recommendation vote and suggestions.

Thanks to "Book Friend 161111800606" for 1 recommendation vote, and "My Yanyan" for 1 recommendation vote.

The contract was mailed yesterday afternoon. Please bookmark and vote. Next chapter, 8:00 PM.