(Chapter about food)
"Renya-kun, I want tempura!" Uchiha Kagami said with a smile.
"I want grilled fish, please, Renya-kun," Koharu clasped her hands together and pleaded.
"One more bowl of miso soup, not too salty," Mitokado Homura chimed in.
Hearing all their requests, Renya twitched the corner of his mouth and said helplessly:
"You guys are ordering like this is an izakaya or something?!"
He knew this would happen once the secret got out...
It was already troublesome enough to cook for one person, and now he had to cook for five more.
He really had turned into a chef...
Well, whatever. Cooking for one is still cooking—might as well make it for six.
He quickly came to terms with it.
"What do you all want to eat?" Renya tied his apron again, pulled out a notepad, and began jotting things down.
"Tempura!"
"Grilled fish."
"Unagi don."
...
Renya noted down each of the requested dishes and headed for Senju Tobirama's tent.
At that moment, Senju Tobirama was sitting in the main seat, slowly sipping tea. Watching Renya light the fire and begin cooking again, his lips curled into a faint smile.
He already knew what had happened earlier.
That kid had been blackmailed by Hiruzen and the others, and now he had no choice but to cook for them.
...
While cooking, Renya muttered irritably under his breath:
"Damn it, I can't believe I let those guys get leverage on me!"
Senju Tobirama said nothing, sipping his hot tea in silence, his eyes never leaving Renya's busy figure.
"Kid, make a serving for me too."
At those words, Renya's vision went black for a second. He turned to Tobirama in irritation:
"Old man, didn't you just eat?"
"I got hungry again after dealing with some paperwork," Tobirama coughed lightly, offering an excuse.
No way he'd admit that just smelling the food made him want another helping.
"Got it..." Renya muttered, nearly spinning the spatula into a flame.
Honestly, he preferred being on the battlefield over this.
...
"Tobirama-sensei, good day!" Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others entered the tent, drawn in by the aroma.
"Come sit. The food's almost ready," Senju Tobirama said.
"Yes, Sensei!" they replied enthusiastically, quickly taking seats nearby.
At first, they were worried Tobirama-sensei would be upset, but surprisingly, he didn't care at all.
Did this mean they could have Renya cook for them every day now?!
Just the thought of being able to eat gourmet food regularly made their faces light up with joy.
The scent of food filled the air, and everyone swallowed hard.
"Wow, it smells amazing!"
It had been a long time since they last tasted Renya's cooking.
Danzo and Hiruzen couldn't help but remember the braised lion's head meatballs Renya had made...
Tsk tsk, that flavor was unforgettable!
Back then, the two of them had gotten into a fight over a single meatball.
Time flies—so many years had passed in the blink of an eye.
While everyone waited anxiously, Renya walked in with a grim face, placing the finished dishes on the table.
Inside the tent, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Uchiha Kagami sat upright, their eyes fixed hungrily on the dishes before them—
The miso soup smelled rich and savory, with kelp and tofu floating gently in the amber-colored broth.
The grilled fish was perfectly crisp on the outside and tender inside, its aroma wafting straight into their noses.
The unagi don looked especially tempting—the sauce had soaked into the snowy-white rice, making everyone's mouths water.
Senju Tobirama looked at the food and instinctively swallowed.
Even though he'd already eaten earlier, having another helping wouldn't hurt...
"Let's eat."
As he gave the word, the others chorused in unison:
"I'm digging in!"
"Mmm! This grilled fish... crispy on the outside, tender on the inside—this is so delicious!" Hiruzen's eyes welled up.
What had he even been eating lately...?
"The miso soup is seasoned perfectly!" Mitokado Homura said, closing his eyes in satisfaction.
"Renya-kun's cooking is a hundred times better than the mess hall!" Koharu added, her words muffled by food.
"So good—this is seriously amazing!" Uchiha Kagami's eyes sparkled. "It's been so long since I've eaten something this good!"
Shimura Danzo said nothing, but his chopsticks moved faster than anyone's, polishing off half a bowl of unagi rice in seconds.
Senju Tobirama picked up a piece of fish with elegant precision, slowly savoring it. But the slight curve of his lips gave away his contentment.
Maybe it was just because they hadn't eaten proper food in a long time, but this kid's cooking really did seem to have improved.
Renya stood to the side, watching this group devour their food.
How to describe it... it was like feeding pigs...
"Renya-kun, your cooking is seriously incredible!" Koharu praised.
"Renya," Hiruzen suddenly looked up and begged, "Can we come to you for all our meals from now on? Please?"
With Kumogakure's surrender being only a matter of time, their ninja weren't going to launch any offensives.
The Konoha shinobi were basically on vacation every day, and Renya had nothing better to do anyway—cooking meals would at least keep him occupied.
Senju Tobirama looked at Renya curiously, wondering if the kid would agree.
"No problem," Renya said without hesitation. He had nothing else going on anyway.
...
But very soon, Renya started regretting it.
Ever since he agreed to cook three meals a day for them, his life on the battlefield completely changed.
In the morning, before the sun even rose, he had to get up to make breakfast.
At noon, as soon as he returned from inspecting the battlefield, he'd be hurried off to make lunch.
In the evening, Senju Tobirama would appear in the tent right on time, staring at him with those red eyes until he tied on his apron and started cooking.
It really started to feel like his hobby had become his job, being nagged every day like he was clocking in for work...
The other shinobi in the camp would smell the delicious aroma wafting from Renya's cooking and drool uncontrollably.
"It smells so good..."
"I heard Renya-jōnin's grilled fish is crispy on the outside and tender inside..."
"Last time I passed by the Hokage-sama's tent, the smell coming from inside almost made me stop walking."
They all wanted to try Renya's food, but no one dared to ask.
What if they upset him and he poisoned the food?
No one dared approach—they could only stand at a distance and swallow their saliva.
"If only the mess hall had someone with his skills..."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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