Chapter 244: Gourmet Power
In the rain-drenched forest, a giant wild boar was in a mad dash. But a golden ki shot straight through the mist, instantly piercing the head of the massive, three-meter-long beast.
The boar let out two grunts, twitched, and collapsed, its foul-smelling blood pooling on the ground.
Kaito Shirogane frowned as he approached. With a flash of light, a pristine kitchen knife appeared in his hand. Judging by the pattern on the blade, it was more beautiful than many famous swords.
However, Kaito didn't see a "Phoenix Crest" appear on the blade. In the Cooking Master Boy setting, these Legendary Cooking Tools had a "master-choosing" feature, and the crest would only appear for the chosen successor.
Tsk. In a Nexus obsessed with power, they still keep this kind of mechanic.
Squelch~
Kaito had zero cooking skills and even less blade artistry.
But his cut was fast and precise. With a flash of white light, the giant boar's hind leg was severed.
He didn't bother preparing it. He simply used the special cooking tool to slice off a thin piece. In that instant, even without the Phoenix Crest, the knife's ability activated.
The meat was instantly purified, as if it had been cleaned repeatedly. All bacteria were eliminated.
Kaito put the slice of meat in his mouth. The raw, gamey taste wasn't overpowering; even the smell of blood was faint.
[You have consumed un-cooked beast meat. Ingredient Grade: Low. Deliciousness Grade: Very Low]
[Bio-Enhancement: Gourmet Cells have not improved.]
[Milestone: Gourmet has not gained any buffs.]
Kaito spat the wild pork out, his face expressionless as he stared at the clean knife in his hand.
This Gourmet Power... it wasn't as simple as he thought. It wasn't the type of thing that gave you a buff just for eating.
And his, which was close to zero, combined with this "Legendary Cooking Tool", had produced a "boar sashimi" that failed to even meet the "Gourmet" milestone's requirement for "fine food."
The milestone he had specifically equipped hadn't gained any buffs at all.
Yes, Kaito Shirogane had assumed that in a deformed atmosphere like the Nexus's, which was so desperate for power, the grade of the ingredient would be valued far more than the so-called cooking skill.
After all, hunting powerful creatures was far more in line with what the Nexus demanded of its Reincarnators.
In his plan, he would rely on the Garuda Knife and his "all-things-sashimi" theory to eat his way across the worlds.
He hadn't expected to fail on his very first attempt.
This caused a rare, dark look to cross Kaito's face. He effortlessly lifted the massive boar and returned to the campfire.
Catherine saw his expression and thought he had found out about her being hypnotized by Uchiha Shisui. Her face went pale, her heart hammering as she debated whether to run.
Instead, it was Hana Hiranaka, who understood nothing, who looked at the knife and the giant boar. She thought for a moment and took the initiative.
"...Are you going to cook that?"
Kaito was in a foul mood and ignored her. He was wondering: if Uchiha Shisui brought back a Tailed Beast right now, should he even eat it?
If it couldn't improve his Gourmet Cells, then eating Tailed Beast meat was pointless. He wasn't counting on getting Nine-Tails Chakra just by eating its flesh, like the Gold and Silver Brothers.
Hana Hiranaka and the others hadn't eaten a proper meal in days. The Land of Rain's harsh environment and war-torn towns had few people and even less food.
She hesitated, then stepped forward and took the knife from Kaito's hand.
"Let me. I... I know how to cook."
Uchiha Itachi, his bones still shattered, lay on a nearby rock. His meridians had also suffered massive damage, preventing him from even molding Chakra or opening his Sharingan. But his face was calm. He was thinking.
He could hear the conversation below. He was gathering as much information on Mercenary Tao as he could. He wanted to judge how much of what the man had told him was true, and how much was false.
The Uchiha clan, because of their intense emotions, often became extreme and quick to anger. It was the source of their power, and also the root of their misfortune.
The reason Itachi was so different from the others, in Shisui's eyes, was that he was always thinking, hiding most of his emotions.
But Uchiha Itachi didn't even realize... the only reason he was thinking so hard about Mercenary Tao's words was because he had been hooked by them.
This world... if you thought about it only from a shinobi's perspective, the "peace" and "hatred" were an unsolvable paradox. War would always break out. Hatred would accumulate for generations. It would never end.
Shinobi like Shisui and Itachi... their thinking was always stuck in idealistic hopes. Shisui hoped Itachi would change everything, entrusting his eye to him. But in the end, Itachi couldn't solve anything either. He chose to stand completely with the village, slaughtering his own kin to save his little brother.
But Mercenary Tao's words had given Itachi another path. A way of thinking outside of Konoha, outside of the Land of Fire, outside of the shinobi world itself.
If the wars of this world were all caused by "profit"... then whose profit was it?
Uchiha Itachi felt as if he had found a breakthrough. A point of blame that all the hatred of the past could never be assigned to. Now, it could all be blamed on "profit." Or more directly, on the owners of that profit.
The daimyo and the nobles that the shinobi served. The rulers of the nations...
It was a terrifying thought, but it showed Uchiha Itachi a "capacity" he had never seen before.
Sizzle~
Fat dripped into the fire, popping. The smell of cooking meat instantly filled the air. Even without seasoning, the boar meat, having been treated by the Garuda Knife, smelled rich and delicious.
It even pulled Uchiha Itachi from his thoughts. His stomach rumbled.
[You have consumed a carefully prepared piece of roasted meat. Ingredient Grade: Low. Deliciousness Grade: Average]
[Gourmet Cells have grown slightly. Current: Lv0 (5/100)]
[Milestone: Gourmet triggered. You have gained a temporary buff: Enhanced Hearing.]
Kaito Shirogane's eyebrows shot up. His cold expression vanished. He sized up Hana Hiranaka.
"So it's true. No matter how weak someone is, they have their own talents."
Catherine saw it too. This story character's cooking skills were decent. But she kept quiet. Mercenary Tao was terrifying. Just a slight change in his mood made her feel afraid.
Being near him was like being near a wild beast. There was no sense of security. She completely stamped out any thought of throwing in her lot with him.
As one of the most famous low-tier Reincarnators in the Nexus, many wanted to join Mercenary Tao's team.
But Catherine now understood. A guy like this... he would never have a team. If he did, it would be a deformed one, with him in complete control. Everyone else would just be his tools.
Kaito Shirogane first asked Hana Hiranaka for the key points of her roasting technique, then had Catherine help Uchiha Itachi up and heal him.
He was bad at cooking, but he was a master at grasping the human heart.
He had intentionally left Uchiha Itachi to the side, letting him stew in his own thoughts. When a person is physically helpless and can only think, they become immersed in that line of reasoning. They "go down a rabbit hole," as others might say.
His theories weren't perfect, but Kaito wasn't trying to save the world. He was just a real savior. He was just applying more intense emotion.
And then, he would let the people who were already being tortured by this world... join him, and make this world... feel pain.
[Special Trial: Supreme Benevolence and Goodness. Progress Updated. Current: 4/7 Days]
He saw the notification refresh. He knew he'd soon be able to ditch this "dead weight" and go stir up a real storm. Oh, well... she wasn't completely dead weight anymore. At least she knew how to cook.
Kaito Shirogane knew that the enemies he'd face next wouldn't be as "benevolent" as Shisui. He had to finish this trial before he could proceed.
Suddenly, Kaito's ears twitched. He looked far into the distance. Several figures in black cloaks, emblazoned with red clouds, were appearing silently.
(End of Chapter)
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