Chapter 195: Delicious Aroma

As time passed, Jiraiya gradually caught the scent wafting from the kitchen.

"Seems like fried fish?" Jiraiya speculated on the dish Mutsuki was preparing based on the aroma.

"The fragrance is certainly captivating, but I wonder how it tastes," Jiraiya rubbed his stomach, realizing he was starting to feel hungry.

Fortunately, Mutsuki and Minato didn't keep him waiting too long. Just as Jiraiya was pondering what he should write in his novel, Mutsuki and Minato brought out the finished dishes.

Jiraiya's attention was instantly drawn to the uniquely shaped and appetizingly colored Squirrel Fish. Though he had encountered many distinctive cuisines during his travels in the ninja world, it was the first time he had seen fish prepared in such a way.

"What's the name of this dish? It seems like a lot of effort went into its presentation," Jiraiya asked curiously, glancing at the Squirrel Fish.

"This dish is called Squirrel Fish, and indeed, its presentation is the highlight," Mutsuki smiled as he introduced.

"Jiraiya sensei, although it doesn't look very complicated, it's actually quite challenging to make. Even after learning along with Kushina for some time, neither of us could make it like Mutsuki does, and the taste is also incomparable," Minato recounted the difficulties he and Kushina faced in learning to make Squirrel Fish. He chuckled with a hint of helplessness when recalling how Kushina handed him the task of cutting the flower garnish halfway through.

"Haha, sounds like something Kushina would do," Jiraiya chuckled.

"Let's eat first. These dishes should be eaten while hot," Mutsuki reminded them.

Some dishes taste completely different when hot compared to when they're cold.

Jiraiya didn't hesitate and directly picked up some fish with his chopsticks, popping it into his mouth. While doing so, he felt a bit regretful, as he felt like he was disrupting such a visually appealing dish.

But soon, any regret in Jiraiya's mind vanished. As he bit through the crispy outer layer, he encountered incredibly tender fish inside, complemented by a delightful sweet and sour sauce. This made Jiraiya's appetite soar, and after just one bite, he felt even hungrier.

After finishing the fish, Jiraiya felt as if he had momentarily transformed into a free-spirited dragon, soaring into the boundless sea. He felt liberated, no longer needing to search the world for the prophesied child who could change the world.

When he came back to his senses, Jiraiya realized that Minato's description in the letter was not exaggerated at all. The dish was indeed so delicious that it felt like being under a Genjutsu spell. In just an instant, Jiraiya experienced a rare feeling of extreme relaxation.

"The timing of frying the fish is impeccable, and the balance of the sauce's sweet and sour flavors is perfect. Whether it's a bit more sour or a bit sweeter, it wouldn't achieve the same effect," Jiraiya commented. Then, when he looked back at the Squirrel Fish, he suddenly noticed that half of the fish was already gone, and Minato was silently eating away.

"Minato, since when did you start eating so quickly?"

Now Jiraiya couldn't sit still. After Minato had eaten so much in just a few words, Jiraiya also stopped talking and quickly dug into his meal.

Not only the uniquely shaped Squirrel Fish but also the seemingly ordinary Braised Pork with Preserved Vegetables and Stir-Fried Chili Pork made Jiraiya unable to resist having bowl after bowl of rice.

"Mutsuki, this Stir-Fried Chili Pork tastes delicious, but why not add a bit more meat?" Jiraiya used a sharp gaze to scan through the abundance of chili, finally picking up a piece of meat and asking with a puzzled expression.

"If there's more meat than chili, it won't have this particular flavor," Mutsuki explained.

His Stir-Fried Chili Pork wasn't entirely lacking in meat; it's just that because the chili wasn't eaten, it seemed like there was a lot of chili left in the end.

"That makes sense. Cooking is akin to Ninja training. If you disrupt the balance, you'll fail," Jiraiya acknowledged, rubbing his chin. To synthesize Sage Chakra, you need to balance the proportions of Chakra and natural energy.

"Then this dish should be made in larger portions," Jiraiya suggested.

Since adding more meat would disrupt the flavor, adding more chili and meat wouldn't disrupt the balance.

"I, Jiraiya, am willing to call you the number one chef in the ninja world. After traveling far and wide for so many years, it's the first time I've eaten such delicious food," Jiraiya praised.

This was the first time he couldn't help but want to clean the chopsticks completely after a meal.

Although he felt Minato's description of Mutsuki's cooking was exaggerated, Jiraiya found after finishing his meal that Minato was surprisingly accurate and hadn't used any exaggeration.

"I can't claim to be the number one in the ninja world; I just put a little more thought into cooking," Mutsuki modestly said.

"Haha, your little extra thought is remarkable," Jiraiya said with a smile, finding Mutsuki very pleasing to the eye.

At this moment, Minato suddenly cleared his throat and apologized with a hint of regret on his face:

"Mutsuki, there's something I need to apologize to you about."

Mutsuki guessed what it was, but his face showed a puzzled expression as he asked, "What is it? Is it about eating too fast during the meal? That's nothing to apologize for."

Upon hearing Mutsuki's words, Minato became even more embarrassed and explained, saying:

"I really didn't deliberately speed up. Your cooking, Mutsuki, is just too delicious, so I subconsciously eat fast."

Mutsuki knew that Minato might actually be like that, after all, Minato's reactions were superhuman.

Then Minato apologized sincerely, saying:

"I'm sorry, Mutsuki. I lied to you when I said I didn't have time to eat before. Actually, during that time, I wasn't particularly busy. I just wanted to bring food to Kushina, so I made up a busy excuse."

"Oh, so that's it. I knew it a long time ago. Who would be so busy and still come over for dinner every day?" Mutsuki chuckled.

Sometimes it's okay to pretend to be naive, but you shouldn't let others think you're actually naive.

"Kushina is currently undergoing secret training, so she can't come over. But she really wants to eat your cooking, Mutsuki, so..."

Minato and Mutsuki briefly explained, concealing Kushina's identity and a series of secret information such as ANBU surveillance.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to conceal because Minato would be heading to the battlefield with Jiraiya soon, and they couldn't leave a Shadow Clone to bring food to Kushina then.

"Sorry to trouble you, Mutsuki," Minato said apologetically.

"It's no problem, just making an extra meal. Compared to your help with my Sealing Jutsu, it's nothing," Mutsuki smiled and nodded, indicating that he wouldn't let Kushina go hungry while he was in Konoha.

After finishing the meal, the three of them sat together and chatted for a while. Initially, Jiraiya asked Mutsuki about cooking, but later they talked about Sealing Jutsu.

"I have an idea. Set a seal in the body to store some Chakra inside. When there's not enough Chakra during battle, release the Chakra stored in the seal to replenish it quickly," Mutsuki shared his idea.

Both Jiraiya and Minato were highly skilled in Sealing Jutsu, and they knew more native knowledge than him as a transmigrant. Mutsuki wanted to take this opportunity to seek inspiration.

Anyway, this is basically just an idea, a concept, and it's hard to gauge his actual proficiency in Sealing Jutsu.

"That's a good idea, but it's basically impossible to achieve," Jiraiya thought for a moment before responding.

"Is this idea inspired by the Jinchuriki's tailed beasts?" Jiraiya asked.

Mutsuki nodded, though his inspiration actually came from Tsunade's Yin Seal.

"The reason why Jinchuriki can use the tailed beasts' Chakra is because the tailed beasts have unique properties. Sealing them inside the body can achieve integration. No matter how much tailed beast Chakra there is, it won't affect the Chakra pathways. But your idea is different. You want to store your own Chakra, which means you have to set up Sealing Jutsu on the Chakra pathways. Not to mention the difficulty of setting up Sealing Jutsu on the Chakra pathways," Jiraiya explained.

"A sudden release of a large amount of Chakra in a certain Chakra pathway would disrupt the flow of Chakra throughout your body, causing chaos and preventing you from using Ninjutsu in battle," Jiraiya elaborated.

"And also consider the damage a sudden burst of large Chakra could cause to the body."

Jiraiya's words suddenly enlightened Mutsuki a lot. He had previously thought that Tsunade's Yin Seal was for maintaining her appearance, which is why she allowed the Strength of a Hundred Technique, released by the Yin Seal, to become an automatic Medical Ninjutsu mode that couldn't be turned off once activated.

According to Jiraiya, it wasn't that Tsunade wanted automatic healing, but rather that she could only do it this way. Without this, the sudden surge of large Chakra would instead become a hindrance to oneself, much like opening the Eight Inner Gates.

Jiraiya's words indeed helped Mutsuki a lot. Previously, he had only thought of creating a power bank in his body, but he overlooked other aspects.

However, Mutsuki didn't directly give up on the power bank plan. Jiraiya believed it was impossible, but that didn't mean Mutsuki couldn't do it, because he was capable of extraordinary feats.

He possessed the Transparent World, which granted him absolute control over his body, enabling him to perform any delicate internal operations. Additionally, he had excellent talent in Sealing Jutsu.

Mutsuki has only been studying Sealing Jutsu for half a year, but he has already learned Sealing Jutsu like the Five Elements Seal and Contract Seal. Recently, the Evil Sealing Method entrusted to him by Third has reached the Proficient level, while the Fire Sealing Method is at the Beginner stage.

"Perhaps I can start with creating an automatic Stone Breathing Mark seal," Mutsuki thought to himself.

He could start by not being innovative and instead imitating Tsunade to create a fully automated sealing Ninjutsu.

The reason for choosing Stone Breathing is that the Stone Breathing Mark can immensely strengthen the body, even internally, to prevent any harm from sudden surges of Chakra.

"Thank you, Jiraiya-sama, for your reminder. I was a bit presumptuous," Mutsuki expressed his gratitude.

"No problem, young people should always think more. What's the point of being young if you don't dare to think? Haha," Jiraiya patted Mutsuki's shoulder and laughed.

"Mutsuki, you make me feel a bit ashamed. I haven't even thought about such matters; I've just been trying to improve the effects of some Sealing Jutsu," Minato said with a smile.

If someone other than Minato had said this, Mutsuki would have felt that person was probably boasting. Those who can improve Sealing Jutsu are truly the ones who understand Sealing Jutsu.

But coming from Minato, Mutsuki felt that Minato might genuinely believe in his ideas.

When the time was about right, Minato and Jiraiya left.

As Jiraiya was leaving, Mutsuki gave him an evaluation.

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