A Secret Ingredient

by Skairipa1337

After his mother passed away, Naruto swore to keep the promise he made to her. No matter what, he'd become the best possible chef he could, which he'd become by cooking what he wanted and how he wanted. To do that, he decided to travel the world to learn, until a fateful encounter made him end up at Totsuki. Naruto x Rindou.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Shokugeki no Soma. This is a non-profit-based work.

Note: First of all, shoutout to zxLupa and Helghy for the help on this story. As well as working with me on the idea. Second of all, it's a solo pairing with Rindou, so it won't be a harem. As Suggested by the title of the chapter, Naruto is part of the Yukihira family in this story. If that bothers you for some reason, you've been warned.

If y'all are interested in joining a community of readers and several talented authors, consider joining AizenTheGoat's Discord server.

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改行

-Chapter 1-

Yukihira Naruto.

改行

On the second floor on top of a small diner in the Sumiredōri Shopping District, sat a young man at the age of fifteen cross-legged on the floor, as he steadily folded his clothes and loaded them into a travel bag. He subtly listened to the music playing through his earbuds, as he tapped the floor beside him with his fingertips.

He had dark-red and unruly hair and yellow eyes. He was wearing a dark blue, long sleeve shirt with the text of 'Yukihira Diner' inscribed on it in two locations. One in the front on the upper left side of the torso, written in small print. And another on the back, which was in comparison to the front logo, written in large print.

As he looked away from the bag, he rested his head on the palm of his hand and gazed out the window. A yawn escaped his mouth as he rubbed his eyes, not even seeing the trace of the sun rising in the distance just yet.

This would forever be a question he'd never truly understand. People that had to go to the airports or train stations for long trips always went several hours ahead of time. Which in turn meant that he had to wake up at the ungodly hour of four in the morning, just to pack the last few things.

At the very least he'd be smart enough to put some music in his ears so he wouldn't faceplant down into the travel bag and use his folded clothes as a makeshift pillow until his dad would knock the door down and kick his ass for falling back to sleep when he was already supposed to be done.

In the midst of his semi-slumber, as if on cue, he felt his left earbud pulled out of his ear along with a slight smack to the back of his head. He let out a muffled groan as he reached back to rub the spot he'd been smacked, and looked up to the side to see his father stare down at him with an amused look.

"Having second thoughts?" Joichirou asked with a slight smirk lifting his lips.

Naruto shook his head as he pulled the remaining earbud out and paused the music, "Nah, it's just too damn early. I'm never gonna understand how bakers don't look like raccoons with their work hours, like seriously how are you supposed to function?"

His father let out a rough chuckle and helped him put the last few things into the bag, before zipping it shut, "What if I told you they did?"

The redhead raised a questioning brow, "Really?"

"No, but they might as well. It's all about balance, just like cooking. You get into a pattern and routine that feels comfortable, and then you won't even spot the difference," Joichirou mused out loud as he picked up his son's travel bag, and gave a light pat on the top of his head.

Naruto let out a small yawn as he stood up from the floor and looked around his room, making sure he hadn't left anything behind, "Is Soma up?"

The older Yukihira let out an amused and exaggerated laugh, "Hah, as if. Your kid brother is worse than you in that regard, please god help me if he'll stay this way throughout all his middle-school days."

"You're saying that like it won't continue in high school!" Naruto snickered, swung a jacket over his shoulder, and flicked off the light in the room.

Joichirou snorted, "By then it will be his problem, just like it's about to be yours. Once you land you'll be ninety percent on your own. You can't just take it easy anymore, I expect you to use this time and opportunity to go see what you're made of. And if you really want to be a chef."

After he locked the door to his room, Naruto let a grin form on his face as he pointed a thumb inward to his chest, "As I promised mom, I'm gonna become the best at cooking what I want to, and how I want to. And no one is gonna convince me to do it any other way."

His father gave him an amused stare before he smirked and hit his fist against Naruto's chest, "That so? Then we better get going. If you miss this flight then you might as well kiss that promise goodbye."

"Pff, even if I miss a damn train I'm gonna keep my promise. Just you watch me, when your old ass retires I'm gonna be the one in charge here. Just watch me," Naruto snorted and pointed a finger at his old man.

A tick mark grew on Joichirou's forehead as he grabbed onto Naruto's head and squeezed until the younger redhead was squirming in place, "Who are you calling an old ass? And what if I never retire, hm?"

Naruto pushed his father's hand away and rubbed his temples, "Then I'll just force you to hand that apron over, easy."

The look of amusement never faded from Joichirou's face as he settled for ruffling the younger boy's hair, "That so? Well, you'll need experience for that, and you won't get enough of it here."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. As you said, too many cultures to be able to experience it in one place. I get it, alright? Anyway… Do you think I should go say goodbye to Soma?" Naruto asked in a slightly softer tone as they passed by the door leading into his younger brother's room.

Joichirou rubbed his chin and turned around, a small nod of his head before he continued his way downstairs, "Might as well, he isn't going to see you around for at least a year. It'd be a shame for him to first hear you over the phone."

Naruto nodded in agreement, "Good point," He muttered as a quick reply before he took a deep breath, a small grin forming on his lips as he kicked the door into Soma's room open and flicked on the light, "Wakey wakey, it's time for school!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

The younger redhead on the bed visibly flew up from his sleeping position, tripped in his sheets, and rolled onto the floor with a loud thud. His face was a mix of confusion and annoyance as he sent a glare up at Naruto, "Why would you do that..? It's a Sunday…"

The older of the two siblings scratched his cheek with his index finger, "Oh… right, my bad. I forgot."

"You.. forgot?" Soma groaned as he rolled up into a sitting position, rubbing his sore head sleepily.

Naruto shook his head and placed a hand on his head, "Nah, I just wanted to say bye. I'm about to leave to catch the train to Kyoto, it'll be a while before I'm back again."

This seemed to wake Soma up as he climbed to his feet, "Already? Why didn't you guys wake me up?"

The older boy chuckled, "I just did."

"You know what I mean, jerk."

Naruto gave a slight nod of his head, "Yeah, I know. I just figured I'd have one last laugh before I left, y'know? Also, dad tried waking you up. And apparently, it was an impossible mission."

Soma let out a sigh as he pulled a shirt over his head, "Do you really have to go?" He asked, in a slightly somber tone.

With a slight frown, Naruto reached over to ruffle his little brother's hair again, "Yeah, so I'm gonna count on you to look after this place. For all I know, dad is gonna have a heart attack attending that many customers by himself."

"Yeah you're right," Soma replied, seemingly a bit more positive now.

Naruto chuckled and hit Soma's shoulder, "That's the spirit, now come on. Dad said he'd prepare a bit of breakfast before I had to go."

Soma started to follow Naruto out of his room as the two of them went into the kitchen and took a seat at the dining table, "So you're going to work in Kyoto first? Any idea of where you'll go after that?"

Taking a sip of water, Naruto folded his arms on the table and thought it over, "Not sure… All I really know is that I'm going to work for a few of dad's friends in their respective businesses, and the first one is centered around street food that doesn't go down in quality."

"You gonna get paid for it?" Soma asked curiously.

Before Naruto could reply, a chuckle came from the stove as Joichirou turned around with a grin, "Minimum wage, as low as possible."

The older redhead's forehead hit the table with a dismayed look on his face, "I seriously hoped that was a joke…"

Joichirou shook his head, "No, it wasn't. I want to make sure you're cooking because you love it, and not because you love money. Also, there is another reason behind it."

Naruto lifted his head, and rested his chin on his folded arms, "Yeah? And what's that, making sure I live in a cardboard box? Great parenting dad."

There was a moment of silence before Joichirou turned around with three plates neatly balanced in his grasp, a delicious-looking traditional breakfast of warm rice, salted salmon, miso soup, and seaweed that were rapidly spreading its rich aroma throughout the room.

"It's a skills test. You won't always be able to get your ingredients handed to you, so making sure you can cook something fantastic with minimal resources is a basic skill you must learn to become a good chef. If you plan to open up a shop in the future instead of working here, you might need to understand how to properly organise and prepare lower-shelf ingredients without going down on taste," Joichirou explained.

Perking up at the valid explanation, Naruto drummed his fingers against the table and lifted his head from his arms, "I guess that makes sense. So, where am I going after Kyoto?"

Scratching his beard as he sat down, Joichirou took a moment to think, "I'm still calling around, but you'll spend two months in Kyoto. Afterward, the trip is either going to Italy or France. If my other contact returns to me, you might go to the States."

"Now I'm getting kinda jealous… Do you have some spare room in your bag? I might be able to fit in," Soma joked as he picked up his chopsticks and muttered a silent 'thanks for the food' and started to dig in. The visible pleasure of the great taste spread on his face as he started devouring the nutrient-rich breakfast serving.

Joichirou shook his head and began eating as well, "It's not a vacation. Your brother is travelling to work, while he can do sightseeing in his free time, I also expect him to use those hours productively in regard to the different cultures and preferences."

Naruto followed the example of his brother and father, and dug into his food with a tired look, "You're saying that like I won't be half dead after working through rush hour in Kyoto, you're lucky if I'm not coming back in a casket."

"Don't exaggerate it, you've worked plenty during rush hour here. After a day's worth of adjustment, you'll be just fine. The food is not so different from here, there's a reason I picked Kyoto as your first stop. While it's familiar, it'll give you time to adjust to being away from home. So just take it easy and cook a lot of food." Joichirou smiled and pointed his chopsticks toward him.

"You bet I will! Just make sure Soma doesn't get too good, otherwise, I might have some competition when I get back." Naruto teased his brother.

The younger redhead's brows rose to the top of his forehead, "Just you wait, I'm gonna make you a dish so good you're gonna admit defeat to me."

A smile spread on Naruto's face as he took another mouthful's worth of food, "I'll be looking forward to it."

改行

As soon as breakfast was over, the father and son began trip went down to the train station. Naruto walked aimlessly beside his father with his hands stuffed inside his pockets, and his bag slumped over his back.

The sun was finally starting to rise on the horizon, lighting up the roads along with the help of the lampposts.

"Getting nervous?"

Naruto blinked and looked up at his dad, "Me? Nervous? Pff, as if. It'll be a piece of cake."

His father let out a snort, "Sure, just don't fall asleep on the train. I'll be really annoyed if I have to bail you out somewhere in Okinawa."

"I fell asleep on a train, one time! And you're never going to let me forget it, are you?" Naruto groaned loudly in annoyance.

Joichirou shook his head, "Since I had to come and pick you up with a new ticket in Yokohama, no, I'm never gonna let you live it down. So just make sure it doesn't happen again, sounds good?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Naruto sighed.

There was a moment of silence between them as they stepped onto the platform and waited for the train to arrive. Naruto fidgeted slightly with his bag as he looked up at the clock, noting it'd be about two minutes before he had to find his seat and be on his way to Kyoto.

It wasn't super busy yet, at most he could see a half dozen people scattered around the few platforms. Though it'd probably be twenty times more packed within the next hour, so perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea to catch the early train to get some peace and quiet on the train.

"Naruto."

The redhead shot a look up at his dad again, "Yeah?"

Joichirou put a piece of squid in between his teeth as he sat down on a nearby bench, "Do you remember what it is I told you?"

Naruto blinked, "Don't fall asleep on the train?"

The older man sighed and shook his head, No, not that. I taught you something very valuable once, it's about being a good chef."

"Not sure I'm following, sorry." He chuckled sheepishly.

With a long drawn sigh, Joichirou rubbed his temples, "I swear, you're just like your mother. Listen closely, because I won't repeat myself. It's a secret ingredient to becoming a good chef."

His interest piqued, Naruto sat down on the bench beside his father as the train rolled in on the platform and people started to exit it, "A secret ingredient?"

Joichirou gave a slow nod, "A secret ingredient to becoming a good chef, is to find a girl to dedicate your cooking to. I know you're still young and might not fully understand it yet, but the time you reach your peak of cooking is when you find a woman you want to dedicate all of your future cooking to."

"Was that what happened with mom?" Naruto asked.

The older Yukihira let out a dry laugh, "Your mother and I butted heads a lot in the beginning, I'm not going to lie. However, it's true. Your mother was the woman I wanted to dedicate all of my cooking to in the end."

Naruto nodded his head slowly, "I see."

"I know you learned about my past much sooner than I'd have liked, and I appreciate that you kept it a secret from Soma. I just hope that you'll be able to figure out what you got out there, and don't keep a narrow mind." Joichirou instructed as he stood up, "Come on, or your train is gonna leave without you."

The redhead thought his dad's words over a couple of times as he made his way toward the train, "I'm not sure I understand it fully yet, but I'll remember it."

Joichirou chuckled, "You're still young, I don't expect you to understand it just yet. When it happens you'll understand it, until then you can only try to imagine it. Now get a move on, I'm not paying for another ticket."

"Fine, I'm going. Cheap old man, don't get too bored without me!" Naruto shouted as he entered the train before his dad could scold him for the comment.

The red-haired teen slumped down in his seat and put his bag on the seat next to him as he leaned back. He could see his dad waving at him from the window he was sitting by, and raised his hand too with a smile on his face.

As the train started to roll away from the station, Naruto felt a bit of butterflies in his stomach and reached into his pocket to get his headphones out again.

He leaned his head against the cool window as he watched the terrain pass by, and the music start to play subtly.

The train ride passed quicker than he had imagined. It took a little more than two hours before he stepped out of the train to witness the early morning rush. He stretched his muscles after having sat down so long and pulled his phone out of his pocket to message the number his father had given him so he'd get picked up.

He sat down on a bench close to the road as he pulled his earbuds out again and idly listened to the passing traffic. The tip of his shoe tapped against the curbs beneath as he waited for a car to stop near him.

It took approximately ten minutes before a small station car rolled up beside him, and he stood up from his seat.

The window rolled down and a middle-aged man with semi-long dark hair stuck his head out, "Well if it isn't Naruto, hop in! Glad to see you made it."

The redhead smiled and got into the passenger seat and closed the door, throwing his bag onto the backseat before he buckled in for the ride, "Thanks for having me Saburo-san, I hope it isn't too troublesome to hire me like that."

The man chuckled gruffly, "Don't worry about it kiddo, and just Saburo is fine. We're practically family! So how was the trip? And how are your brother and dad?"

"The trip was fine, though my back feels hella stiff… Soma and dad are alright, just hope they aren't gonna burn down the Diner without me," The teen chuckled and leaned back into his seat.

Saburo let out an amused laugh, "Your dad is quite capable, so don't worry. And that's good to hear, so are you ready to get to work?"

Naruto pumped his fist with a nod, "Hell yeah, so when are we opening up the stand?"

"We're first gonna go out and buy fresh ingredients, and then open up the stand an hour before the lunch rush. And we'll close it down sometime after the dinner rush, and then we rinse and repeat the next day," Saburo explained.

He gave a quick nod of his head, "Sounds good to me, can't wait to get started."

Saburo let a smirk lift his lips, "You got spirit kid, that'll surely bring a lot of customers. Did your dad explain your expected living situation?"

Naruto hummed, "I know I'm supposed to borrow your guest room for a day or two, and then he gave me some money for a small apartment. And then said I'd have to pay for it on my own with my earned money from the stand."

With a nod of his head, Saburo rested his arm in the car's window, "That's right, don't worry though. I know it's not cheap, so I'm giving you a little extra than agreed on so that you won't have to rent out an apartment the size of a dog cage."

The redhead breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank god…"

Saburo snickered, "Don't think it'll come easy though, I'm gonna work you to the bone. The customers aren't gonna serve their food themselves, so prepare for sore muscles and aching bones!"

Naruto snorted, "Bring it on old man, I'm gonna attend more customers than you."

"Oh ho? Think you're up to it?"

He nodded his head, "Bring it on, I'll show you."

改行

The rest of the morning went as Saburo had indicated. The two went out to several stands and stores to stock up on fresh ingredients, good quality fish, meat, and vegetables, but also some oil and panko for the menu items that had to go through the fryer.

Some of the last things they got were some spices that they needed to restock before they made their way back to Saburo's house. The Yukihira was briefly shown around the house so he could see where the kitchen and bathroom were, and then made himself familiar with the room he was going to live in for the next day or two.

Naruto had dropped his bag on the bed as the time neared ten in the morning, and they'd have to prepare to open up the stand. The plan was before the rush hour there'd come around lunch, and get a quick start to the day.

The redhead was starting to feel a bit jittery and restless as he walked around inside the small stand. He was quick to make himself familiar with where to find the ingredients, but also where to find pans and pots, along with the spices he'd need.

"You ready? They're about to come storming here like we'd kicked a wasps nest!" Saburo called as he tied the apron behind his back.

With a quick nod of his head, Naruto followed and tied the apron around his waist and cracked his knuckles, "Let them come, we're gonna blow them away."

Saburo chuckled, "Gotten familiar with the menu yet?"

Naruto shot a quick thumbs up, "Yeah, a lot of these I've made before. There are a few I haven't tried, but I know the theory from some cooking shows. Don't worry though, by the end of today all of it is gonna be muscle memory, wait and see."

"Those are some bold claims you got there! Then show me what you got, because here come our first customers."

The redhead wiped some sweat off his forehead as he stood up to the counter and let out a friendly, "Welcome! What can I get for you?"

A young woman nodded her head to greet him and looked up at the menu hanging on the wall, "I'd like a medium serving of takoyaki with green tea please."

Naruto gave a smile and a nod, "Coming right up! Eat here, or to go?"

She gave a smile and sat down on the other side of the counter, "I'm eating here."

Tightening the straps of his apron, Naruto turned around and started gathering his ingredients.

First, he'd need to prepare the batter so it could rest and gather some flavor while he assembled the rest of the takoyaki. Luckily for him, it was just a simple dashi-flavored batter he'd need to prepare.

You could often find prepared mixes for these, but he preferred to make it fresh since it gave a better result.

Taking a bowl down from a shelf, he pulled out some eggs and cracked them with one hand into the bowl. Grabbed his flour to add, along with some dashi powder to give the batter some flavor so it wasn't just a crisp shell around the filling.

Continuing down that road, he gave it a quick splash of soy sauce for additional flavor and salt.

Giving it a quick mix, he made sure there were no floury bits in the batter before he'd begin to mix in the other ingredients. If the customer took a bite and got a mouthful of flour or something, he wasn't going to see the light of the next day out of shame.

Pulling out a pair of cutting boards from behind Saburo, Naruto gathered some octopus and green onions. He first went to work with the octopus, and started to cut it up in the perfect sizes, and pushed them with the knife into the bowl.

Taking out a clean knife, he went to the unused cutting board and started chopping up the green onions. These would give a good freshness to the takoyaki, so it wouldn't be as 'heavy' to eat for the customer.

Adding it to his mixture, he added some tenkasu. The takoyaki needed texture and aroma, so it had more inviting properties. Even for a portion of street food.

As all of his ingredients were in place along with any needed spices, he quickly started to mix them together and poured them up into the iron. Knowing he'd need to turn them once they got cooked on one side and started to look solid and opaque.

Next, he took out a pair of chopsticks and poked them a bit, to see if they'd easily move. If they didn't, they'd need more cooking time. Flipping them all around, he poured in some more batter to ensure his takoyaki was a nice and super round ball that he could serve the customer.

Tapping his foot against the floor, he cooked them until they were nice and golden brown, not to mention crispy so they still got two textures in the batter being crisp, but the insides were nice and gooey.

He flipped the finished takoyaki up onto a tray and hurriedly went to work on his sauce. The takoyaki should be served while still steaming hot, so he brought out another bowl and made his takoyaki sauce.

Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and ketchup were mixed in a bowl before Naruto stuck a wooden spoon in to check the flavor. He added a bit more sugar after the taste before pouring the sauce over the takoyaki and added a dash of homemade kewpie mayo over the top.

To finish the dish, he sprinkled some bonito flakes and seaweed on top generously and gave a satisfied nod to his effort.

Smiling approvingly at his result, he pushed the tray toward the customer as Saburo added the green tea, "Please enjoy!" He called out and bowed his head to the customer.

He took a step back and started to clean the kitchen equipment he'd used to prepare the takoyaki, though he kept an eye on the customer until he saw the satisfied and happy expression on her face. He let out a breath of relief he didn't know he'd been holding and felt a clap on his back.

Looking up at Saburo, he saw the older man giving him an approving nod, "See now that's what I call cooking, the only thing I can point out is to give it a bit more takoyaki sauce. When it's freshly made, it hasn't had time to rest and gather flavor, so to make up for that just add a few more dashes of it."

Naruto gave a quick nod of his head, "Understood!"

"That's the spirit, now go on! Your next customer is waiting, let's see if you've slacked off at Yukihira Diner, or if you're as good as your old man says." Saburo grinned challengingly.

The redhead snorted, and instead of giving a reaction he just smirked and stuck his hand in the air with a wave, "Welcome! What can I get for you?"

改行

As the evening sun crept in through the front of the food stand, Naruto leaned his back against the counter and put the last of the clean equipment away. They'd use the better half of an hour making sure that the place was clean and empty so they could close up for the evening.

"So what do you think?" Saburo asked as he hung up his apron.

Naruto stretched his arms out and rose a brow, "About what?"

The older man threw him a bottle of water and swung the keys to the food stand around, "About the weather, no, working here of course. How is it compared to Yukihira Diner?"

The teen had to think about it for a minute as he put away the towel, "I'd say that today was the same in terms of customers, the food I had to make was different. And the space was a bit more cramped, but overall it was good. Plus I'm getting paid, that's new." He grinned cheekily.

"Payment also feels better after a day's worth of hard work, not to say I'd never say no to free money, but earning it from my own stand makes it a tad bit better," Saburo acknowledged as they started locking up the place.

The air was more chill now since the sun was starting to go down. And all the heat there had been inside the restaurant had kept him warm, so he felt some refreshing chills go down his spine as he let out a small yawn.

As they got outside, Saburo reached inside his pocket to pull out a carton of cigarettes. Lighting up one, he rested it between his lips, "Since you're going to be here for a while, how about we make it interesting?"

Naruto raised a brow, "What do you mean?"

Saburo cupped his chin, "What dishes do you like to cook the most? Any style… or perhaps you like dishes with certain spices?"

The redhead didn't hesitate to answer, "Well if you're asking for my forte, it'd be noodle dishes. Heh, I practically was responsible for all the ramen cooked at Yukihira Diner, not that dad had any say in the matter. That's my turf now."

The older man let out a couple of chuckles as he took a puff from his cigarette, "What do you say we make a limited edition dish, for the two months you're here, a 'Naruto Special' if you will?"

"That's kind of ironic since most people think my name means 'fish cake' but sure, I'll bite, what'd we make?" Naruto asked next with his curiosity starting to get the better of him.

Saburo shook his head, "I'm not gonna make anything, you are going to come up with your very own dish. We'll put it on the menu, call it a Naruto Special, and see how good we can make you perfect these noodle dishes along the rest of the menu."

The Yukihira leaned in against the wall and grinned, "Sounds like a challenge, I'm in. Better prepare yourself old man, I might make so many different kinds that you need a separate menu for it."

"Not gonna let you push me out of my own business, kid, but I like your spirit. So are we talking ramen, udon, somen noodles?" Saburo asked with curiosity.

The redhead cupped his own chin and started to think it over, "If we are to keep the theme street food, I'm gonna say a good bowl of ramen. While you can get that in ordinary restaurants too, I feel like it fits the theme of something quick and filling."

Tapping his cheek, the food stand owner gave a slow nod of his head, "While we could make the others too, ramen is a classic. We could add our own twist on it, perhaps take something simple like miso ramen and add some extra spices and meats to it."

"Gotta remember some freshness too, if we add some of that it might get too heavy. Some more fresh vegetables would also give it more taste and texture. The garniture would also get some color and make it look more inviting," Naruto added after a moment's worth of thought.

Saburo gave a round of applause, "Joichirou should be proud, seems like you've absorbed all he has taught you like a sponge. Very well then, we're gonna add that to the menu tomorrow. In the morning, we're gonna browse for the ingredients you want to put in there, it should leave us with about an hour to test it out in the kitchen before we open up shop."

Naruto scratched his cheek a bit embarrassed, "Really? It's just ramen."

"Not if you perfect the technique, and make it better. Any restaurant can serve ramen, but only a good chef can make it perfect," Saburo said with a nod of his head.

He had to admit that was true, "Very well then, first thing tomorrow then. Gonna make people ramen that's gonna keep them coming back for more." Naruto chuckled and crossed his arms.

With a chuckle, Saburo flicked the remains of his cigarette into the rain, "Easy there kiddo, can't have you make my business rely totally on your ramen. I'll have to close up shop when you leave if you did that."

Naruto let out a laugh as they started making their way back to the house, "Sounds like a 'you' problem!"

"I swear, if you were my kid I'd have strangled you…" Saburo grumbled with a shake of his head.

The redhead shrugged, "You watch too much TV, old man."

Deciding it was time to change the subject, Saburo looked down at the young man walking beside him, "So where are you going after these two months?"

Naruto shrugged again, "My dad mentioned Italy or France, and if his contact returned his call then there was a chance for me to go to the states. So I'm just waiting for him to call me, gonna be a lot of fun I'm sure."

"Need to make sure that your English is up to speed then, no use serving Americans if they can't understand what you're saying," Saburo joked.

The Yukihira snorted, "My English is fine, though my maths are different… I hate math."

"Oh? What about history?" Saburo continued, with a knowing smirk.

Naruto grimaced and waved his hands dismissively, "Let's change the subject… please."

Saburo let out a loud laugh that made bypassers give him a curious look, "Fine, fine. So, who is gonna cook dinner tonight? While you live there rent-free for today, I'm tempted to say you should try and surprise me."

The redheaded teen cupped his chin thoughtfully, "Why don't we get a headstart on that ramen project, I can make a standard serving of some miso pork ramen, and we can try and see what other taste profiles would fit?"

"You do know what free time is supposed to be, right? Bringing work home, just like my ex-wife…" Saburo groaned tiredly.

Naruto shrugged with a non-caring smirk, "It was my dad's idea, not mine. So if you want to whine about it, give him a call!"

"I think I'll pass, I'm not about to hear another Joichirou lecture," Saburo sighed and gave up.

"So… we doing the ramen?" Naruto asked.

With a begrudging nod of his head, Saburo clapped him on the back, "Yeah, we can do the ramen. Though I'm gonna have a drink too, if you're anything like your parents, this project is gonna make me old before time."

"My dad did say I was like my mom, I guess I can't deny that," Naruto admitted and folded his hands behind his head as he walked.

The older man snickered, "Their dynamics were always a sight to behold whenever I visited the diner."

"Never a dull moment, I'll tell you that much." Naruto sweatdropped.

Saburo nodded his head in agreement as he started to walk toward a grocery store, "Now come on, let's get a move on so we can get home. I'm not about to lose sleep just because you want to experiment."

Naruto rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, "Just to remind you, it was your idea!"

"Whatever you say, kid."

Saburo shot another look at Naruto as they started picking out what they'd need for the dish. He had to admit the young redhead seemed to have a lot of good ideas but was still a bit rough around the edges. One thing was for sure though, and that was things weren't going to be boring.

If anything, he'd have to do everything to not get old and grey before the two months were up. With the energy level of the teen, he started to question how Joichirou managed to stay young…

改行

That's a wrap, thanks for the read. Once again, feel free to come and check out the Discord server made by AizenTheGoat. The link is at the top of the chapter in case you missed it.

Been wanting to cook up a Food Wars story for a while, talked about it with a friend back in the day but never got around to it. Once again, shoutout to the boys Lupa and Helghy for the help on this idea.

Anyhow, I hope you liked the chapter. Until next time!