Chapter 173: Yes, I am the God of Cookery! A Shock from the Uchiha!
The training of the new technique had come to an end, and the clanging sounds instantly pulled Tsukasa back to reality.
At this moment, the three genin and their jōnin sensei were already squatting in a circle around a pot they'd found in the abandoned village.
And the one cooking wasn't the seemingly gentle and kind Nohara Rin, who was also known to be a skilled cook—
But Uchiha Obito!
Obito grinned, gripping a rusty ladle, tapping the edge of the pot and pushing up his goggles with a smug smile at the slightly surprised Tsukasa.
"Tsukasa, even if you became a jōnin, in this department, you're definitely no match for me!"
"During all these missions with Kakashi, I've really honed my cooking skills!"
With that, Obito skillfully added washed wild vegetables to the pot, tossing the pan with one hand while keeping the other behind his back—
His movements smooth and fluid, almost like a master chef!
Tsukasa's breath caught, a wave of shock washing over him.
"Obito, why does teaming up with Kakashi improve your cooking skills? What exactly is your role on this team?"
Hearing this, Minato and Nohara Rin were also startled, looking at Kakashi in astonishment.
Kakashi, however, slightly covered his forehead, falling silent.
Was he supposed to admit that he'd finished all the missions ahead of schedule, leaving Obito with nothing to do but struggle with wild vegetables every day?
Obito didn't understand the shock in their eyes, only sensing their amazement at his skills. He immediately began showing off again.
"Watch closely!"
"Even without seasonings, I can perfectly bring out the natural flavor of the ingredients!"
In no time, a plate of stir-fried wild vegetables was freshly prepared.
Kakashi, who'd already eaten this a few times as a teammate, was the first to pick up his chopsticks. Minato and Rin hesitated for a moment before also taking a bite.
After tasting it, Rin immediately exclaimed in surprise:
"Hey, Obito, not bad!"
Minato nodded as well, commenting: "It tastes better than military rations!"
Tsukasa leaned closer, picked up a piece, and put it in his mouth.
His brows furrowed instantly.
To be honest, compared to military rations, this was only slightly better in taste—but considering nutritional value and how filling it was, it was more like a side dish to accompany rations.
While Tsukasa was pondering, the other four had already unanimously taken out their military rations, ready to eat alongside the vegetables.
"Wait!"
Tsukasa shouted, immediately interrupting them.
He shook his head at Obito.
"Obito, you don't know anything about cooking!"
Tsukasa pointed at the stir-fried vegetables in the pot, his face full of disappointment.
"Too many tough fibers in the wild vegetables—failure!"
"The heat wasn't right—failure!"
"The broth tastes earthy; you didn't even wash the vegetables properly—failure!"
"Let me, your elder clansman, teach you how to make an incredibly delicious wild vegetable soup!"
With that, under Obito's astonished and murderous gaze, Tsukasa first dumped the entire pot of vegetables—
Then formed hand seals to create a pot of water and started boiling it.
He gathered wild vegetables and tree bark from the area, then wandered through the forest, finding various colorful mushrooms, wild fruits, and herbs.
Standing seriously by the pot, he recalled a skill he'd acquired in the Land of Hot Water:
"The Delicious Cooking Method of Wild Vegetable Soup and Tree Bark" (Mastered)!
Following the recipe precisely, all the 'ingredients' were added, seasoned with the simplest techniques, and then the pot was covered!
Finally, a powerful Fire Release technique was used to reduce the broth!
The moment the lid was lifted—
A golden light seemed to rise from the pot!
An enchanting aroma surged forth!
Minato, Kakashi, and Rin's eyes lit up simultaneously!
Obito, however, first glanced at the pot of colorful, fragrant, and delicious wild vegetable feast—
Then looked up at Tsukasa.
"You..."
He gave a dumbfounded, life-questioning expression.
No way, Tsukasa, you bastard—cheating at ninja ranks is one thing!
But you even cheat at cooking?!
Are you even human?!
Tsukasa took a sip of the wild vegetable soup, revealing a calm yet slightly arrogant expression.
"That's right—I am the true God of Cookery!"
Upon hearing this, Obito was struck dumb, his face filled with dejection.
He simply channeled his grief into appetite, picked up his bowl, and began eating like a starving animal!
After two days of travel, the team finally arrived at the gates of Konoha Village.
Although called a village, Konoha was actually quite large, resembling a city-state. The village radius alone was enormous—it would take nearly an hour to run from the Hokage Building to the village gate even at top speed.
Of course, only such a massive settlement could support the 855 D-rank missions that Tsukasa couldn't possibly have completed through normal means.
At least, based on Tsukasa's experience living there for over a year, Konoha was indeed massive.
At this moment, in front of the Konoha gate, after registering with the gatekeepers, Minato's team parted ways with Tsukasa—they were heading to the Hokage Building for their report.
Before leaving, Tsukasa agreed to meet Minato at the Konoha Third Training Ground.
Standing before the gates of Konoha, Tsukasa was momentarily at a loss for where to go.
For the past month, he'd left the village as a clan shinobi, only to acquire multiple identities as a Konoha jōnin, ANBU operative, and Root member.
So who should he report to upon returning?
Before his return, thanks to Aburame Ryōma's reminder, he knew Danzō wanted to see him, and Orochimaru was conducting secret experiments, waiting for him to play an important role as experimental subject.
But neither side had given him concrete information about what to do!
It was as if Tsukasa had been deliberately forgotten, or as if both sides were waiting for him to come to them personally.
Tsukasa shook his head, deciding to ignore everyone and go home first.
Just then—
A middle-aged man with short brown hair, distinctive facial markings, wearing a dark blue robe with the Uchiha clan's fan emblem on his back, stood up from a stone bench near the village entrance and walked toward Tsukasa.
Tsukasa immediately recognized the man as Uchiha Yashiro, a high-ranking jōnin of the hawkish faction within the Uchiha clan.
He'd only seen him in passing before; this was their first real meeting.
Soon, Yashiro approached, his brow furrowing slightly as he looked at the unremarkable, road-worn Tsukasa.
He asked:
"You... are you Uchiha Tsukasa?"
Tsukasa nodded. "Yes, that's me."
"May I ask what brings you here?"
He looked up at the serious-looking Uchiha man, wondering if this was also an arrangement by the First Elder, Uchiha Setsuna.
Yashiro frowned.
Even though he'd received numerous letters praising this young man from other Uchiha clan members, his first impression of Tsukasa wasn't particularly strong.
Although the boy was tall and handsome, perfectly fitting the Uchiha aesthetic—making him feel this youth was destined for something—he didn't seem powerful at all.
His youthful face proved he was clearly just a twelve-year-old child!
He looked impressive, but surely wasn't that strong!
Yet this child had received unwavering praise from Uchiha Fugaku, Shisui, Shinichi, and Setsuna, among others!
Thinking of the arrangement from Grand Elder Uchiha Setsuna, Yashiro, though still somewhat skeptical, chose to obey.
He shook his head, frowning helplessly, and said:
"Come with me to the Nakano Shrine."
"The Grand Elder instructed—"
"That the first thing you must do upon your return is learn a forbidden technique!"
Hearing this, Tsukasa was immediately taken aback.
"A forbidden technique?"
"What forbidden technique?"
Looking at the clueless youth before him, Yashiro suddenly opened his narrowed eyes—
Revealing the three-tomoe Sharingan within them—
And said indifferently:
"A forbidden technique—"
"Izanagi!"
End of Chapter 173
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