Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Toriko.
Naruto Uzumaki: Ultimate Chef
The Prize of Naruto's Test! The King of Vegetables!
Previously on Naruto Uzumaki: Ultimate Chef,
When it looked like there is no end to madness, one of the Genin popped out what felt like a cloud but how can that be? "I thought you can't grow anything in clouds or even stand
on it…"
"Hurry it up!" That same Genin flinched and then rumbled as he made his up and stuck out his arm to retrieve whoever shouted at him from down under. Once everyone that was left had managed to make it to the very top, they were surprised to see that there was dirt making a ground surface to walk on and it even had grass growing plentiful.
Naruto explained that there is this rare natural event in which ash from volcanos solidify to make a ground and the grounds are so light that they will still float even with all that weight. It is something that only a Cumulonimbus Cloud can do. As they moved on and upward along with the trail, someone screamed.
"Eew! There are worms up here!?" Everyone male groaned that the girls still have these stereotypical features of fan girls or otherwise, girls that hate to get dirty and hate anything they find disgusting. But Naruto was interested in this worm and found it to be an earthworm.
"A Mineral Earthworm! They are also known as the "little rulers of the garden". They make any field they fertilize and purify any water supply no matter how filthy it maybe." Naruto said and everyone who heard that had suddenly got on edge. Could it mean? "This proves that we are near Vegetable Sky and the Ozone Herb!"
"Oh yeah!" Everyone cheered and hurried towards the end of the bush they had been spending a good half hour trying to make way through. "Woah!" "No way!" "Is this real!?"
"Amazing!" All these responds can be heard even through the chatter and it meant that they saw something they will never forget; Vegetable Sky, the heaven for all vegetables.
"Look here girls, you will love these!" Naruto called out and then opened his hand to reveal what looked like miniature pumpkins. He then squeezed one and it acted like a marshmallow. "These are Marshmallow Pumpkins! A very good snack!" Naruto described them in an excited tone, that was followed by screams of joy and awe.
"They are so cute!"
"These pumpkins feel so squishy!"
"They smell very good too! Like pumpkin pie!"
Naruto chuckled to see the Kunoichi squeal over the Marshmallow Pumpkins like newly born kittens. "Those trees over there are Broccotrees. Capture Level 33, they go for 50,000 yen per bough. Over there is…"
"WAIT!" Naruto was surprised to hear that and see that some of the Jonin were staring at him, as if he was caught poking in a cookie jar. "What do you mean by Capture Level? It is just large broccoli and 50,000 yen is too much don't you think?" Pretty soon, everyone from Konoha agreed and Naruto sighed heavily.
"When you left the Country of Fire, you all entered a land that is at the peak of a Gourmet Age. When brave adventurers and lovers of all food are encouraged to go from every corner of the Human World to the other in search of wonders to share and cook." The boy cook said. "Now just enjoy the sights and if you are interested in making a profit from this exercise then so be it. Nobody has been up here since ages before us."
The Shinobi looked at each other and just shrugged their shoulders before checking out the rest of the garden. Maybe there will be more wonders to gather and savor? "Help yourself to the pumpkins. They are Capture Level 34 and they're worth 80,000 yen per pumpkin. Now, over there is the Potato Pond. It is only capture level 30 and don't get too excited; it is50 yen per fry." Naruto then got back on his tour, not minding everyone going for the Marshmallow Pumpkins since they are more valuable than the Broccotrees and especially the Potato Pond. At least the blonde gets to enjoy the fries.
"These are Giant Leeks; they should be sweeter than the ones back in the village." Naruto pointed out the giant vegetables that were like a cross between a leek and a green onion. One of the Genin tried it and shouted for the others to savor the taste. "And these are the Sweet Tomatoes, be careful of their high sugar level. And over there…"
Later,
"You guys couldn't help yourselves huh?" Naruto said in a deadpan tone to see that the Shinobi he brought along had eaten almost everything in the gardens of Vegetable Sky. Luckily, Naruto was able to savage what he could so it won't be eaten; in fact, the Marshmallow Pumpkins were the only ones that were eaten to a stem. "You realize what happens when you eat your bellies full of these high-class ingredients?"
"No…What?" Everyone someone asked in unison until it hit them, where the sun doesn't shine. "Woah!" Soon, every Shinobi were on the ground and running around like they all have an emergency need to use a loo.
"All those vegetables just fall like rocks and force your meta to work faster than before." Naruto said in the same tone. "And if you want to relieve yourself, do where we can't see it! None of us want to!"
The blonde chef stormed off, letting his companions find a good place to do so. And once they had gotten through that embarrassing moment, they wondered where Naruto went. Until,
"Hey everyone! I found them!" Naruto called out and the Shinobi group made their way to his cliff side. "Behold, the Ozone Herbs." Everyone was in shock to see the marvelous sight before them.
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The Ozone Herbs looked like large lettuce heads but were more shaped like figs. The leaves looked like the ones off of tree branches. "They sure are big but how are we going to take one home, Mr. Naruto?" One of the civilian Genin asked which made the blonde smirk.
"We're not. Because underneath all the leaves is the real prize, the real Ozone Herb. That is going to be your proof that you have made it to Vegetable Sky and passed this exercise." Naruto explained before jumping down to the cloud level where the Ozone Herbs were, signaling everyone to come down too. "And I told your Hokage that the ones who bring back an Ozone Herb deserve to remain Shinobi. We have all day but make the effort count and the method of obtaining the Ozone Herb is going to make you real Shinobi."
"Peeling away this giant lettuce are going to make us Shinobi?" Kiba had to be the brash boy as ever. "It is so simple as…WHAT THE HELL!?" Kiba then did something foolhardy; he climbed on one of the leaves on Ozone Herb, ignoring the scent as strong as pesticide, and pulled one! But once he did, the Ozone Herb suddenly spoiled and reverted back to a seed!
Naruto walked over to the shocked Kiba and bashed him on the head. "Kiba, I thought that you came from a clan of hunters." Naruto said with a harden look. "But that is not what Gourmet Hunters do when they want to retrieve a valuable ingredient. Wait until I tell your mother…"
"I get it! I get it! I'm sorry!" Kiba had this fear of his mother that he doesn't even try to hide; because it is never worth it and it is not very macho to hide one's fears. Just thinking of it will make anyone feel like a clown.
"But if peeling the leaves cause it to rot, then how are we going to get the Ozone Herb?" Sakura then spoke up but Naruto didn't answer. Just yet. All he did was take out a strange vial and let loose a single drop on the seed, causing it to turn back to a fresh Ozone Herb.
"Fine, I will give you a hint. Watch closely." Naruto said and silently made a clone of himself; solid clones via the Kage Bunshin Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) were another of his specialty. Both of them went off in blurs, peeling away the leaves without fail. Everyone was shocked to see that Naruto and his clone were peeling off the leaves and the Ozone Herb never rotted away.
This went on and on until the Ozone Herb has been peeled right down to a small leave bundle. But no one spoke a word while Naruto his clone grasped one of the leaves and nodded. Then they teared it off at once, to reveal a very shiny, folded leaf. "Behold, the true Ozone Herb and the prize that you all must wind if you want to stay Konoha Shinobi. If you quit for any reason, then the trek up here was a waste of time." Naruto explained once he dispelled his single clone. He then plucked the 'true' Ozone Herb and sealed it away in a special scroll that he mass makes for his cooking; a Mattou Kuin (Life Preserving Seal), used like portable coolers or incubators.
"That was so cool!" Ino spoke up this time. "You peeled it like a pro and it didn't even spoil a bit! How did you do that!?" But what they got was a scowling blonde chef who looked so disappointed.
"I gave you a hint and told you to watch closely and you still haven't got a clue. Maybe the Hokage was right, you all should just drop out of the program. If you can't even figure out a puzzle like this with a good hint, then you are doomed to fail before dying on the job." Naruto stomped past the crowd, "Come on. We're leaving."
"Wait!" Sasuke shouted, "We are not leaving or dropping out! You haven't given us a chance at these plants!"
"I believed that I did when that dog brain over there wanted the first turn and he failed without a doubt. That was a bad first impression you did Heir of the Inuzuka." Naruto retorted, saying those last words with venom, all the while not turning to the crowd behind him. Then he became silent again, "Fine. You can go at them again and feel free to give up at any time. I will be having my lunch up there if you want to call it quits."
With that said, Naruto jumped up to the top of the cliff side overlooking the Ozone Herbs with the sound of a *pop* from a shotgun. No one felt like asking, just dragged their shamed souls to each of the Ozone Herbs. All they want is to get over their guilt from that one-sided argument from their guide; and also, they wanted to find out how Naruto and his clone were able to successfully handle their Ozone Herb while Kiba failed by just touching one of the leaves.
XXXXX
And after several minutes, no one had any luck. Every one of the Ozone Herb they tried just rotted into a seed. For every time this happened, Naruto will just send out another drop of strange liquid onto each seed like a pro; even while he is occupied with his meal.
A lot of them were soon about to give up until they saw that one Ozone Herb was almost done with its peeling. "What the hell!?" One of the shouted, "How are you two doing that!?"
Pretty soon, all eyes were on the pair that was doing the job. "We just decided that we should try it together." They were simply two of the civilian Genin, one that has always been seen as the model pair by both students and teachers. This fact was what made the whole thing interesting. "We always did everything together in the Academy. It helped us with our homework, or studying, sports and especially projects."
"You are close!" Everyone heard Naruto shout from his spot, eating his lunch. "Now everyone get into pairs and chose an Ozone Herb for each!" With nothing else to turn to, it was done. Thankfully, the Jonin were even in number and so were the number of Genin teams. Most pairs were Genin while the rest were either a Genin and Jonin or both Jonin. Nevertheless, they all had difficulty trying to figure out their next hint; to do it together.
That same duo had made it down to the very core and were the first ones to get the 'true' Ozone Herb. But, they were soon bombarded by questions as to how they did it. It was getting to the point that both of them were about to crack when they realized one word that will answer the whole mystery to this 'King of Vegetables'; "Synchronizing."
"YES!" The crowd flinched when they heard both Naruto's yelling and his rather loud landing in his excitement. "That is exactly how the Ozone Herb, a Special Preparation Ingredient, is handled. By at least two people peeling at the same time!"
The crowd gasped and hurried to the other Ozone Herbs to try it out. It took a while and a lot of arguing until each pair successfully got two leaves peeled all the way to the cores. "That sure was hard." "What kind of vegetable is this?" "And the world is full of these?"
"This is why while most of the crops here in the gardens of Vegetable Sky have Capture Levels in the 30s, the Ozone Herb has one of 68!" Naruto revealed and everyone gasped at the sheer number, it was almost like that Ozone Herb was so rare that it couldn't be found in one place that was also hard to reach; and hard to retrieve as well! "There reason that it isn't listed as an uncatchable ingredient is because there is a possible way to prepare and eat it simultaneously. I just hadn't mastered it myself yet."
"Wow." "Amazing." "Just what else can this crazy as hell world?" That was to be examples of what the Shinobi were saying once Naruto had finished his explanation.
"Another thing, if you really want to make a fortune…" Naruto dragged off and got everyone's attention. "The leaves, not rotten, of the Ozone Herb worth 1 billion yen per leaf!" Naruto grinned to see everyone practically let their jaws fall off. "But are willing to go the long trip back down, lugging those leaves fresh?" Everyone had one good look at even the smallest of the Ozone Herb's leaves and had an emotionless look on their face.
'Not a chance.'
"Not a chance." Naruto spoke in unison with everyone's thoughts. "Even for a chef that has trained in the Human World like I did." No one answered, they were just too busy trying to climb back up to Naruto's level.
"Hey, who's that!?" One of the civilian Genin suddenly shouted, pointing towards the vast field between the gardens and the flock of Ozone Herbs.
"A Nitro, everyone stand back." Naruto said with seriousness and everyone got on their guard. But that tall creature didn't say a word and just walked over to one of the fresh Ozone Herbs, moved in a blur like Naruto did to peel it all the way to the center. It then bit it in two different places at the same time as well. "Well? How is it, PAIR?"
The Nitro looked up in surprise. As to how Naruto knew his codename and can speak it so causally. "… …. …" The Nitro, codenamed PAIR, spoke in a language that was complete gibberish to all, but one.
"What the hell you mean the Council is moving ahead!? Is that why you are wasting your time in the Human World!?" Naruto looked like he was scandalized and argued back to the Nitro like two irritated businessmen.
"….. … ….. …" PAIR answered and Naruto actually calmed down. "….. …." Naruto nodded to yet another gibberish sentence from the Nitro. "….. ….-!" The Nitro was about to say something else when Naruto held his hand up.
"I get the picture now PAIR. Just enjoy that Ozone Herb and get out of here." Naruto said and that Nitro just shrugged and pluck its prize, placing it into its sack. "Also…" Naruto spoke up, causing the creature to halt momentarily, "Don't forget what I said in the Gourmet World. Because I mean it…" Naruto left that hanging with a strange glow around his body, like an aura.
"…." The Nitro said again but its tone was something like 'Whatever'. Then it just disappeared in another blur and so did Naruto's aura.
"Sorry about that guys. PAIR can get really pissed off and he is very dangerous." Naruto said with a sheepish tone to his nervous look.
"Just what was with that gibberish talk Naruto?" Kurenai finally spoke for herself and the Jonin that came along.
"All I can tell you was that I journeyed to their home within the Gourmet World during my training. We may have gone off on the wrong foot but I had a lot of fun learning their language." Naruto actually gave a straight answer, a little on the encrypted side still. "You will be surprised on how smart the Nitro really are and you will not like what they do for a living." 'I will have to meet up with the old man and let him know that one of the Blue Nobles has entered the Human World recently.' Naruto thought himself with a hidden forlorn and serious expression.
"So…" Choji spoke up while still a little nervous about it. "Now that we each got the Ozone Herb, are were Shinobi yet?" Naruto was silent,
"Choji, when you get a good grade on a single academy exam, does that mean you automatically graduate with highest honors?" The blonde asked and most of the Genin were surprised by such a silly question. "No. I didn't bring you here to make you Shinobi. You do that yourself. I brought you to the Vegetable Sky in order to show you what teamwork really exists for; to bring out both the bad and the good within an individual. You will have the agree with that."
Not one of the Genin answered, just grasp their prizes and thought hard on it. They will need to have a good answer once they returned to the surface.
End of Chapter 7.
*It sure has been a while but I was finally able to get this one done! I hope you don't mind me sharing some spoilers but it is true that Toriko and Komatsu encountered a Nitro as soon as they complete the capture of the Ozone Herb; they just didn't realize that it was a Blue Nitro from the Gourmet World until many chapters later. Enjoy! *