A Battle to Defend the Honor of the Naruto World's Gourmet World

Returning to the Naruto World once again, Setsuna took a deep breath and felt an incomparable sense of familiarity. "Sure enough, the Naruto World is still the safest."

Although the Gourmet World was wonderful, and he could rely on two powerful figures there, danger was unreasonable. Take Teppei, Jiro-sensei's grandson. Both his grandfather and grandmother were invincible powerhouses, yet even with such a formidable background, he could still be plotted against by the mastermind behind the scenes.

Even if he had the Slime Leader as backup, summoning backup came at a cost.

Besides, the plot was about to go completely off the rails. Those powerhouses destroyed worlds at the drop of a hat; with his small frame, he could not even withstand the aftermath.

A gentleman did not stand beneath a crumbling wall. It was better to return early.

He had once thought the Naruto World was too dangerous. Looking back now, the Naruto World really was a cozy harbor.

Setsuna stretched, then headed toward Ichiraku Ramen.

He had returned in the early morning, when the sky was only beginning to brighten, yet a long line had already formed outside Ichiraku Ramen.

It had to be said that even in his younger days, Teuchi's cooking skills were absolutely among the best in Konoha. Coupled with the low prices, this was undoubtedly the breakfast choice of most Konoha residents.

Fortunately, Teuchi worked quickly. After twenty minutes in line, it was finally Setsuna's turn.

Setsuna said solemnly, "Boss Teuchi, one bowl of tonkotsu miso chashu ramen, please. You must give it everything you've got."

Teuchi was somewhat bewildered by Setsuna's request, but he still nodded seriously. "Yes. I'll definitely make the best ramen possible."

Amid Setsuna's anticipation, a bowl of golden tonkotsu ramen was served before him.

A layer of amber oil floated on the ramen's surface, while the broth was as thick as molten gold. The rising steam carried the rich aroma of pork bones.

"I'm starting," Setsuna reminded the Slime.

He first drank the original broth. The rich fragrance of tonkotsu bloomed across his taste buds. Then he lifted the noodles, their wheat sweetness and alkaline aroma dancing between his teeth. Finally, he wrapped the chashu around the egg yolk and put it into his mouth. The rich fat melted across his lips and teeth, forming a trio with the savory freshness of soy sauce and the wheaty fragrance of the noodles.

Even judged by Setsuna's standards, which had been raised by the Gourmet World, this undoubtedly qualified as a delicacy.

Its only flaw was that the ingredients might have been a little too ordinary.

Without waiting for the Slime's response, Setsuna elegantly yet swiftly "drank" the ramen dry.

Especially the final mouthful at the bottom of the bowl—it was absolutely the essence of ramen. Drinking down every last scrap with the broth felt like swallowing the soul of the entire bowl.

"As expected, the more ordinary the food, the more it reveals true culinary skill," Setsuna praised. "Slime, what do you think?"

"Bastard, don't casually ignore the 'Leader' in front of my name!" the Slime loudly accused before falling into thought.

"Hmm, I actually never recorded this flavor. How should I describe it? It's simply, ordinarily delicious. The ingredients are very ordinary, but after some miraculous combination, they produced an incredible flavor."

The Slime evaluated it as a diner, completely unconcerned with winning or losing the bet.

Setsuna also secretly sighed in relief. As expected of "Otsutsuki Ichiraku"—even the high-and-mighty Slime Leader could give it a fairly positive evaluation.

"Setsuna brat, you won. Tell me quickly, where did you find this ramen? I've never eaten it before."

"That's because we're no longer in the original universe. You can release your senses and observe for yourself." Setsuna revealed the answer and removed the restrictions on the Gourmet Cells.

The Slime sensed the outside world through the Gourmet Cells, sounding rather confused. "What color universe is this?"

Setsuna said calmly, "This is not the Five-Colored Universe you know. It is another universe within the multiverse."

Even with the Slime's breadth of knowledge, he was shocked speechless. Only after a long while did he recover and ask, "Is what you're saying true?"

Setsuna smiled. "Didn't you call yourself the Emperor of the Universe? Can't you even determine something this simple?"

"No, I'm just too shocked." The Slime fell silent at first, then suddenly burst into wild laughter.

"I never expected you to have such an opportunity. Hahaha, I acknowledge you, Setsuna brat... no, I won't call you brat anymore. Setsuna, let us conquer every universe together and eat the ultimate delicacies of every universe."

Facing the Slime's passionate call, Setsuna merely sighed. "Although I don't want to shatter your illusions, I have to tell you that even the combined upper limit of all the food in other universes may not compare to your home universe."

The Slime did not care. "Once you reach my level, you will understand that enjoying food is really about savoring life. Every dish is a condensed span of time, carrying the breath of the land, the perseverance of craftsmanship, and the expectations of diners. What I look forward to is the culinary heritage of every universe."

"You really know how to say pretty things." Setsuna was rather speechless. Who had been throwing a tantrum because the food did not suit his tastes before?

"Stop standing around. Hurry up and take me to enjoy this universe's other foods," the Slime urged loudly.

"No, it's already over." After paying, Setsuna walked out of the ramen shop.

"Over?" The Slime was completely confused.

"Mm. There's no other food," Setsuna nodded.

"No other food?" the Slime repeated mechanically.

"If we have to count them, does grilled meat and three-colored dango count?" Setsuna asked.

The Slime fell silent. Grilled meat relied heavily on the quality of the meat, and judging from the ingredients in that bowl of ramen, he found it difficult to hold any special expectations for it.

As for three-colored dango, was that something the Emperor of the Universe should eat?

"So you're saying that from now on, I can only eat that ramen every meal?" the Slime asked despondently.

"Of course not." The Slime perked up, then heard Setsuna continue, "Sometimes I have missions to carry out, so I won't be staying in the village every day."

After a moment of silence, the Slime snapped. "I want to go back. Let me leave."

Setsuna laughed. "Didn't you just say you savor life and time?"

"Is a life without delicious food still a life? There's nothing to savor at all."

Setsuna comforted him. "Don't be anxious. As long as we wait a year, we can head to other universes. The next universe probably won't be as barren as this world of ours."

"I hope so," the Slime said weakly.

"A bet is a bet. From now on, you'll have to listen to me," Setsuna said with a smile.

"Fine. I'll listen to you."

"The first thing I want you to do is learn this world's power system." Setsuna planned to have the Slime wake him up when he fell under Genjutsu, just like a Perfect Jinchuriki.