Senju Chen picked up the chopsticks and picked up a piece.
As soon as the meat entered his mouth, he understood the meaning of Kushina.
The sweetness and saltiness are enough, but the layering of taste is completely missing. It is a monotonous, straightforward sweet and salty taste, lacking in aftertaste and soul. It is like a sketch with only outlines but no colors and shadows.
"Failed." He put down his chopsticks and concluded calmly.
"Huh? No! I think it's delicious! Much more delicious than what I made!" Kushina waved her hands quickly, thinking that her words had dampened Senju Chen's enthusiasm.
Senju Chen shook his head without explaining. He looked at the plate of braised pork and thought of a deeper problem.
This is not a question of cooking skills, this is a question of... raw materials.
"Sister Kushina," he suddenly raised his head and looked at her with burning eyes, "Konoha Is there a place that sells seasonings and spices? They are not the ones used to make smoke bombs in ninja shops, they are... edible ones."
In the next three days, Senju Chen went completely crazy.
Kushina Uzumaki finally understood that Senju Chen was not just a whim, he was serious, and he was studying cooking as a Ninjutsu subject that needed to be overcome.
On the first day, Senju Chen took Kushina with him and visited almost all the stores Konoha could find.
They visited everything from grocery stores for civilians to merchants' guilds specifically for ninjas, and even Akimichi Clan's store that specializes in selling ingredients.
The results were mixed.
Fortunately, the world is not a complete desert of seasonings. He found some plants similar to peppercorns and ginger, and even bought a spicy dry fruit from a merchant from Land of Wind, which could barely be used as a substitute for pepper.
Worryingly, the most important condiments in his memory, such as soy sauce, cooking wine, vinegar, and various compound spices, were completely missing.
"If not, just make it yourself and match it yourself!"
Senju Chen The fierceness in his bones was completely aroused.
As a result, the style of their kitchen changed.
It is no longer the place full of warm smoke and smoke, but has become an alchemy laboratory exuding all kinds of weird smells.
A dozen large and small clay pots were placed in the corner, containing a mixture of soybeans, wheat and salt water. Senju Chen said that they were trying to "make koji" in order to replicate soy sauce.
Strings of dried orange peels, unknown grass leaves and plant roots hung on the windowsill. Every day he would crush a little and put it under his nose to smell, or taste it with the tip of his tongue, trying to distinguish the spices that could add flavor.
There is always a pot of bone soup simmering on the stove. He uses his mental power to control the heat in subtle ways, trying to use the purest "freshness" to make up for the lack of seasoning.
The sound of chopping vegetables turned into the sound of grinding herbs.
The "sizzling" sound of cooking turned into the "gurgling" sound of various liquids being mixed in the test tube.
Senju Chen was completely immersed in it. Sometimes he frowned and quickly recorded something in his notebook; sometimes he looked at a pot of strangely colored soup and showed an expression of sudden realization.
That concentration, that paranoia that will not give up until the goal is achieved, made Kushina who was watching on the side feel frightened.
She originally had the mentality of watching a good show, but now she is just filled with laughter and tears.
"Little Chen, are you... are you sure you are cooking and not developing some new poison?" On the evening of the third day, Kushina looked at the battlefield-like scene in the kitchen, as well as the gray-faced Senju Chen, with a vegetable leaf in his hair, and finally couldn't help but complain.
In the past three days, they had not eaten a single home-cooked meal. Every day, Senju Chen was "experimenting" in the kitchen until midnight. Because the kitchen was "occupied", the two of them were so hungry that they could only go outside to eat ramen or barbecue.
The kitchen at home is almost full of all kinds of bottles and jars and strange raw materials.
Senju Chen ignored her teasing. All his attention was focused on the small dish in front of him. The dish contained a drop of dark brown liquid.
It took him three days to initially refine the prototype of "soy sauce" using the principle of fermentation.
He stretched out his finger, dipped a little in it, and put it into his mouth.
A complex taste exploded on the tip of the tongue. There was a salty taste, and a little umami after fermented beans, but more importantly, it was an indescribable and astringent taste with a hint of bitterness.
Failed again.
Wrong strain? Wrong temperature? Or not enough time?
Countless variables flashed through his mind, and he needed to try and eliminate them again and again.
"Hey..." Senju Chen let out a long sigh, and for the first time his face showed a mixture of exhaustion and frustration.
This feeling is even more tiring than the original deduction of the Land of Rain war situation. Although there are many variables in the war, there are traces to follow after all. And this small kitchen seems to hide an endless maze within a square inch.
His mental strength has indeed been greatly tempered during these three days of precise control, becoming more condensed and tenacious. However, the continuous failures have also consumed a lot of his energy.
Seeing Senju Chen's rare dejected look, the teasing and good-show mentality in Kushina's heart disappeared in an instant.
She stepped forward without saying anything, just stretched out her hand and gently picked off the vegetable leaf from his hair. Then, she took his hand that was covered in flour and sauce.
"Let's go! Stop it!" Her voice was undeniably domineering, "I'm almost starving! Let's go eat ramen! I'll treat you!"
Senju Chen was pulled by her and dragged out of the kitchen in a daze.
Seeing Kushina's fiery red hair jumping in the sunset, feeling the warmth and strength that belonged to her from the palm of her hand, the irritability and fatigue in Senju Chen's heart were miraculously soothed.
Maybe... he was too eager to get things done.
Just like the practice of [Spirit Transformation Technique], some things require hard work.
"Okay." He responded, a smile forming on his lips again.
Although the dish hasn't been cooked yet, the feeling... doesn't seem bad.
Maybe it was temporarily giving up thinking that made Senju Chen less obsessed with getting into trouble, or maybe it was accompanying Kushina out for dinner that made him feel extra relaxed.
Anyway, going out to eat this time allowed Senju Chen to relax. After people relax, sometimes the way they think changes.
After the two of them came back from eating ramen, just as he and Kushina were about to walk through the door, his steps suddenly stopped.
His eyes were attracted by an unmaintained wild pepper tree in the corner of the courtyard. On the tree were hanging several fruits that had turned from green to red.
A thought flashed across his mind like lightning.
Sichuan food... spicy...
If the umami and aroma cannot be perfectly reproduced for the time being, what about using another more aggressive and domineering taste to open up the situation?
Senju Chen's eyes lit up instantly.
"Sister Kushina," he let go of Kushina, and the burning light rekindled in his eyes.
"I think... I've found a way."