Tacit Coordination

Seeing that Naruto still refused to explain, Aunt Ichiraku nodded.

After all, a recipe was a chef's absolute secret no matter what. Although it was dreamed up in a dream, Aunt Ichiraku still gave Naruto enough respect.

Sasuke, on the other hand, frowned slightly as she watched Naruto, completely clueless about what he was up to.

Still, things had reached this point, and the three of them could only stare in bewilderment as Naruto proceeded with his next move.

A true expert showed their worth the moment they made a move.

Making ramen take shape and hit the boiling pot in the shortest time possible required more than just a recipe; it demanded a chef's exquisite ramen-making technique.

Yet Naruto was only seven years old, and to reach the counter, he had to stand on a wooden stool.

This left Aunt Ichiraku and the others holding out little hope.

Even so, Aunt Ichiraku felt deeply gratified. She concluded that Naruto's familiarity with some of the simpler steps of ramen-making was mostly due to a love for ramen, and this culinary genius sparked in her the idea of taking Naruto on as an apprentice.

However, just as a flurry of thoughts raced through Aunt Ichiraku's mind,

Naruto had already finished kneading the ramen dough.

She had expected Naruto to follow the example of ordinary ramen chefs by using both arms to stretch and pull the dough.

Instead, Naruto's next move directly stunned Aunt Ichiraku and Ayame.

"Spin..."

They saw Naruto thrust a rolling pin straight into the dough, then grip the rolling pin tightly with both hands and swing it fiercely through the air.

Such a crazy ramen-making method was truly unheard of and unseen; Aunt Ichiraku and Ayame were left completely dumbfounded.

"Sasuke, come help!"

After a dozen high-speed stirs in the air, the initial lump of dough had become very smooth, and its outer contour was growing larger and larger. At this point, it could not be finished with Naruto alone.

"Hn."

Sasuke had also been captivated by Naruto's special ramen technique, and immediately stepped forward to take the other rolling pin Naruto tossed over.

Seeing that Sasuke had caught the rolling pin, Naruto instantly thrust the other end of his rolling pin toward Sasuke's.

The two of them each held a rolling pin, stretching the dough directly between the eastern and western ends.

"Pull!"

Naruto let out a low cry, and Sasuke activated her Sharingan, copying Naruto's movements to keep her actions synchronized with his as much as possible.

Swish... Swish... Swish...

Their movements synchronized.

Briefly relying on the Sharingan's replication, Sasuke's ramen-making technique was almost on par with Naruto's.

After a dozen extended stretches and a few more folds, wisps of fine, sparkling ramen noodles instantly appeared before everyone's eyes.

"Release!"

Pleased by Sasuke's dedication, Naruto released the dough in his hand, and Sasuke let go simultaneously. The formed noodles instantly landed on the cutting board.

"Ignite!"

Naruto gave a low shout, and Sasuke immediately turned around, her hands moving in a blur to weave hand seals rapidly.

"Fire Release: Dancing Fire Serpent!"

An arm-thick fire serpent immediately spewed from Sasuke's mouth, plunging straight into the stove fire.

Bubble, bubble...

The boiler broth instantly began to churn and bubble.

Seeing this, Naruto divided the formed ramen into three portions and tossed them straight into the pot of broth.

"Prepare three portions!"

"Yes!"

The silent coordination between the two children, Naruto and Sasuke, left Aunt Ichiraku and Ayame gaping in shock.

Three clean bowls appeared before them. When Naruto reached into his canvas bag and pulled his hand back out, fine, crystalline granules were already in his palm.

"Aunt Ichiraku, this is also one of the secret recipes for delicious ramen."

MSG was dropped into the three bowls by Naruto, and Sasuke began adding broth to them.

Almost the moment the broth was added to the three bowls,

Naruto had already scooped out the three portions of boiled noodles and dropped them into the bowls.

From kneading the dough to pulling the noodles and finally plating them, the cooperation between Naruto and Sasuke was virtually flawless and seamless, giving Aunt Ichiraku and Ayame a creeping sensation on their scalps.

[Ding, received 200 shock points from Konoha villagers!]

At that moment, the Ichiraku kitchen fell into a dead silence, and Naruto looked at Sasuke with a pleasant surprise in his eyes.

Sasuke felt equally astonished. It was her very first time cooperating with Naruto, so why did she have such a telepathic, effortless sense of completion?

"Na... Naruto, is the delicious ramen finished?"

Seeing that Naruto had no further actions, Aunt Ichiraku asked through clenched teeth.

Hearing this, Naruto chuckled. "Hehe, wasn't the theme of today's competition resting time? So let's wait five minutes before tasting it."

"What... Naruto, are you sure you want to let it sit for 5 minutes?"

Ayame also looked at Naruto in shock.

Because the new recipe researched by her mother could only sit for two minutes at most after multiple experiments; if it exceeded five minutes, the ramen would completely lose its chewiness.

"Mother..." Ayame looked toward Ichiraku.

"Mm, I believe in Naruto."

In the end, Aunt Ichiraku gave Naruto her full trust.

Time ticked away second by second.

The hearts of Aunt Ichiraku and Ayame gradually tightened as well.

Resting time could be said to be the Achilles' heel of every ramen chef.

Especially for wheat-based noodles, the reason takeout business fared poorly was that the chewiness of the ramen diminished too severely during delivery. If this flaw could be overcome, ramen could surely create brilliance once more!

Amidst the nervous and anxious wait, five minutes passed quickly.

At this point, Aunt Ichiraku, Ayame, and Sasuke were all staring at the three bowls of ramen before them.

Seeing that everyone was still, Naruto urged, "Try how the texture of the ramen is. If there's no problem, we'll pack up our things and head to the competition venue immediately."

"Right, we can only treat a dead horse as a live one now." Aunt Ichiraku nodded.

"Naruto, I believe in you." Ayame chimed in with a smile.

On the contrary, Sasuke turned out to be the first person to try the delicious ramen.

Sasuke picked up a pair of chopsticks, took a bite of the ramen that had been left sitting for over five minutes, chewed it slowly, and then closed her eyes to savor the delicacy.

Seeing that there was no expression on Sasuke's face, Aunt Ichiraku and Ayame also proceeded to taste it.

All three of them tasted the noodles, and for a moment Ichiraku's shop fell into silence.

Watching the three of them immersed in the experience, Naruto felt full of confidence.

If he had still been worried about flavor discrepancies due to the grilled fish recipe yesterday, then after acquiring Master-Level Ramen Technique, that confidence would never waver again.

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and watched with a confident expression as the cheeks of Aunt Ichiraku and Ayame gradually twisted.

Duality of tears actually welled up and fell from Aunt Ichiraku's eyes.

"I am ashamed... Truly ashamed."

Having shed tears, Aunt Ichiraku said no more, directly picking up the bowl of ramen and slurping it down in large mouthfuls.

Compared to Aunt Ichiraku, Ayame showed a slight lack of composure. She widened her eyes, stood up, and looked at Naruto in disbelief.

"I can be considered as having grown up eating ramen... But this kind of deliciousness... this is my first time tasting it too. Naruto, you-you've created a miracle! Ramen left sitting for five minutes can still maintain such springiness?"

Seeing that Naruto had no intention of explaining on the spot, Ayame also hurriedly picked up her bowl and devoured the food in huge bites, looking just like someone on the verge of starvation encountering food.

In contrast, Sasuke, who had seen the world, appeared unhurried, though every time she looked up at Naruto, her gaze grew increasingly curious.

"Such chewy ramen, such delicious broth-Naruto, I want to take you as my master!!!"

Without another word, Aunt Ichiraku finished the ramen soup in one go. After finishing, she put down the bowl, stood up immediately, and stared fixedly at Naruto with burning eyes.

At these words, Ayame was shocked.

"Taking me as a master... isn't necessary." Naruto refused flatly without a second thought.

Aunt Ichiraku's expression immediately drooped.

Yes, how could she possibly acquire such a peerless recipe just by taking him as a master?

However, just as Aunt Ichiraku was about to give up, Naruto's voice reached her ears once again.

"Taking a master isn't necessary, but cooperation is still possible, Auntie."

[Ding, received 60 shock points from Konoha villagers!]

"Cooperation! Naruto, can we really cooperate? After cooperating, can Ichiraku make this kind of ramen?" Ichiraku asked happily, her eyes bright and fixed on Naruto.

"Yes."

Feeling a bit creeped out by Aunt Ichiraku's burning gaze, Naruto nodded. "Auntie, come outside with me for a moment. Let's discuss the matters regarding our cooperation."

"Okay, okay."

Aunt Ichiraku put down her bowl and instructed Ayame, "Son, you guys pack up the competition utensils first, we'll be right back."

With this delicious ramen recipe, the title of Konoha's Number One Flavor Enhancer was definitely secured, so Ayame nodded in agreement.

"Sasuke, help Brother Ayame clean up later." Naruto instructed in passing as well.

"Mm-hm."

Knowing that Naruto's plan was entirely aimed at increasing his strength, Sasuke nodded in acknowledgment.

Then Naruto and Aunt Ichiraku left the preparation room to further discuss the cooperation process.

About ten minutes after walking out of the preparation room, the two returned.

Upon their return, Sasuke clearly noticed that when Ichiraku looked at Naruto, her eyes were filled with awe and disbelief.

"Mother, all the things are packed."

Ayame said while carrying bags and bundles of cooking utensils.

"Mm, let's set off for the contest grounds." After reaching a business partnership with Naruto, Aunt Ichiraku took on a completely refreshed spirit.

If Aunt Ichiraku had previously been lifeless and without hope,

then the current Aunt Ichiraku looked ten years younger, radiant and glowing with vitality.