After obtaining Itachi's DNA in the Uchiha Clan Compound, Naruto left the Uchiha wearing mourning clothes.
Not even 9:00 PM yet, Naruto strolled through the bustling streets.
Naturally, he harvested a wave of negative points along the way.
By the time Naruto arrived in front of Ichiraku Ramen, Hongle and Aunt Ichiraku had been waiting for a long time inside.
Carrying his canvas bag, Naruto lifted the door curtain and entered. True to expectations, as it was near closing time, there were no customers in the shop, and even Ayame and Hongle's three apprentices were absent.
"Little Master."
"Master!"
There were no outsiders in the shop, and definitely no ANBU or Root ninja keeping watch outside, which made Naruto nod with a smile, signaling them not to be too stiff.
During their subsequent conversation, Naruto gradually discovered the wishes and goals of Hongle Ichiraku.
"What? Your dream used to be just becoming Konoha's Number One Chef?"
Naruto repeated the question to confirm, which made Hongle Ichiraku blush with embarrassment.
"Yes, Master. That is the lifelong dream every chef pursues."
Naruto nodded with a smile and immediately said, "No, just the title of Konoha's Number One Chef-I feel that can only be a target. Treating it as a dream is still far too far-fetched."
At these words, Ichiraku and Hongle exchanged glances, utterly failing to understand what the Little Master meant.
Seeing this, without beating around the bush, Naruto went straight to the point. "The world is so huge, can a tiny title of Konoha's Number One Chef satisfy your dreams?"
"What?"
Hearing Naruto's words, Hongle instantly grasped something, yet dared not be certain, and could only look at Naruto with burning eyes.
On the contrary, because Aunt Ichiraku had stayed stationed in Konoha for many years, lacking exposure and boldness over the years, she still failed to catch Naruto's drift.
"That's right. You should change your dream to becoming the World's Number One Chef," Naruto looked at the two of them with a confident expression and said. "If it were me, I would treat becoming the World's Number One Chef as my goal."
These words from Naruto entered the ears of Hongle Ichiraku, leaving the two of them instantly dumbstruck.
Hongle swallowed hard and asked, "Then Little Master, if you were a chef, what would your ultimate dream be?"
Although Aunt Ichiraku said nothing, the burning intensity in her eyes was impossible to conceal, clearly showing she was very eager to know as well.
Watching the two of them look at him with such gazes, Naruto smiled. "If I become a professional chef in the future, I will pour everything I have into building a Food Country... a country based on food culture."
"What?"
"Little Master, you can't just casually say things like that. Don't let others hear you."
Hearing Naruto's words, both Ichiraku and Hongle drastically changed expression and hurriedly looked out toward the street. Fortunately, it was past 9:00 PM and nearing 10:00 PM, with almost no one passing by on the street, which let them relax a bit.
"Aiyo, I said if it's just a hypothesis."
Naruto shrugged, looking completely unconcerned. On the surface, it looked like the grand tall tale of a seven-year-old troublemaker.
Yet Naruto had considered these words in advance.
In fact, judging from this competition for the title of Konoha's Number One Flavor Enhancer, Naruto knew that although the two were middle-aged, their mindset regarding culinary arts was actually extremely youthful. They were simply bound by the rules of this world, constantly suppressing their true thoughts deep in their hearts.
And he intended to use this opportunity to ignite the two of them's passion for cooking.
The pie in the sky that Naruto painted was big enough. Although both of them currently took this remark as a joke, it would still broaden their inner horizons because of these words.
Once the horizon expanded and the dream was set, a person's state and ambitions would naturally be different.
Aunt Ichiraku was fine; due to traditional concepts, she might not be able to change her perspective in a short time.
But Hongle had traveled to many countries, possessed deep enough insight, and was already thoroughly satisfied by this huge pie painted for him.
And seeing that he had made his point, Naruto did not continue to delve deeper into the topic.
Ideological concepts changed step by step, and this could not be rushed.
Soon, Naruto brought out the real trump card to win over their hearts.
Those were two sheets of paper and five hundred catties of Lotus MSG packed in snake-skin bags.
Exchanging such a massive quantity of MSG had cost Naruto a full 100 negative points.
The oversized sack landed on the ground, leaving Ichiraku and Hongle completely clueless as to what had happened. If it was a Sealing Jutsu, why hadn't they seen the master use a scroll to release the sealing technique?
[Ding, received 200 shock points from Konoha villagers!]
"Master, this is?"
The two looked at Naruto with bewildered expressions.
With a mere smile, Naruto took out a kunai and sliced across the snake-skin bag, instantly causing package after package of neatly packaged Lotus MSG to scatter across the floor.
"This is the Secret Seasoning Mix I'm providing to support you. With this seasoning, I believe you will soon cut through the thorns and become Konoha's top chefs."
"What? Master, your kind of Exquisite Seasoning?"
"This... this much?"
At this moment, the hands of both Ichiraku and Hongle trembled as they looked in disbelief at the massive quantity of Exquisite Seasoning on the ground.
"Just a minor matter. These are merely basic seasonings. Hongle, take a look at this. You will be in charge of the next part..."
As he spoke, Naruto handed two white A4 sheets of paper to Hongle.
Hongle took them and examined them closely. After just a quick scan, his body trembled, filled with pleasant surprise and disbelief.
"Exquisite Barbecue Recipe?"
"What is barbecue?"
Hongle's receptiveness was relatively good, and he roughly guessed what it was simply through the name of the recipe and the recorded steps for marinating and barbecuing. In contrast, Aunt Ichiraku didn't understand.
That's right, Naruto had produced two A4 sheets of paper. One of them clearly recorded the steps for barbecuing, including material selection, partitioning, marination, techniques, methods, and insights.
Meanwhile, the other A4 sheet was a design blueprint for a barbecue grill and its supporting facilities.
Naruto believed that once Hongle obtained these two blueprints, he would definitely be able to independently complete the production of barbecue.
"Hongle, do you have the confidence to pull this off?" Naruto looked at Hongle with a smile and asked.
"Yes, I have great confidence! Master, did you research and develop this entire set of techniques all by yourself?" At this moment, when Hongle looked at Naruto, his eyes were filled with fanaticism.
"Not bad. Of course, this is merely the simplest culinary art out of the tip of the iceberg. In the future, I will impart even more complex cooking techniques to you, so study hard."
Hearing this, both Aunt Ichiraku and Uncle Hongle dropped their jaws.
What, what?
A culinary recipe as peerless as this was merely the simplest part at the tip of the iceberg?
"Thank you, Master, for imparting your techniques!"
"Thank you, Master!"
Seeing the two of them so excited that they were about to kneel, Naruto hurriedly stopped them. "If you don't want me to disappear without reason in the future, don't do this in front of people."
[Ding, received 200 shock points from villagers!]
Hearing their master's words, both Ichiraku and Hongle were startled, looking at Naruto in disbelief.
"Little Master, do you have difficulties?" Hongle looked at Naruto in shock, truly unable to fathom what kind of threat could exist in the village for someone of the Little Master's age.
Hongle had been away for many years and knew very little about Naruto's background, but Ichiraku was different.
As Aunt Ichiraku, who had witnessed the eras of three Hokage, she was very clear about Naruto's story.
"I understand, Master. In the future, on the surface I will still treat you as a customer."
Ichiraku's remark left Uncle Hongle on the side somewhat puzzled.
"No, on the surface I am simply a part-time little apprentice of Ichiraku House. From now on, every day after school I will come to help out at Ichiraku Ramen."
Hearing this, Aunt Ichiraku belatedly realized that she had already publicly admitted to taking Naruto as an apprentice that afternoon, and nearly made a disastrous mistake due to her excitement.
"Master, will this...?" Aunt Ichiraku still hesitated somewhat; after all, calling one's imparting master an apprentice felt too awkward.
Hongle, however, immediately responded to Naruto's words.
In fact, from Hongle's perspective, since the Little Master attained such a high level of attainment in cooking, meeting every day under the guise of an apprentice-master relationship might actually be a pretty good opportunity.
"I understand Master's intention. Actually, it's just that Master wants to avoid someone's field of vision while imparting and teaching us culinary techniques."
With Hongle putting it that way, Aunt Ichiraku also instantly comprehended what was going on.
"That's right, that's exactly what I mean."
Naruto also went along with Hongle's conjecture and acknowledged it.
The broad framework had already been finalized. Next, Naruto took out the 100 catties of barbecue seasoning he had prepared in advance and personally handed them to Hongle.
"Hongle, take these seasonings back tonight and study them thoroughly. Strive to open the barbecue stall within three days, and as for the location, it will be right in front of Ichiraku Ramen."
With the recipe for marinating grilled meat, plus obtaining the various secret seasonings listed in the recipe, Hongle was brimming with confidence.
Seeing the two of them full of fighting spirit and their eyes filled with fantasies about the future, Naruto gave a wave of his hand.
"Three days from now, the Peerless Noodle and the secret barbecue should emerge like a sharp sword, shocking the entire catering industry of the Land of Fire!"
"Yes, Master!"
"Understood, Master!"