Ryuku stood up and greeted Chōza first. "Greetings, Manager Chōza and Patriarch of the Akimichi Clan."
Chōza observed Ryuku patiently before speaking. "You're just a kid. Did you really come up with that recipe by yourself?"
Ryuku nodded, unfazed by being called a kid—because it was true. Even if he combined his 17 years from his past life with his 12-year-old body in this world, he would still be younger than Chōza. Not that it mattered to him in the slightest.
"Can we have this chat somewhere private, Mister Chōza? You know how important this is to your business," he added.
Chōza found it hard to believe he was speaking to a boy around the same age as his own kid. From the way Ryuku carried himself, he could have easily mistaken him for an enemy using a Transformation Jutsu—if not for the low-level chakra he had sensed from him earlier.
"Of course, please," Choza waved his hand as he led him to a private room. "By the way, what is your name?" he asked politely.
"It's Ryuku," he replied, admiring the well-maintained room.
As they sat down on the comfy chairs opposite each other, Choza pulled out the same paper Ryuku had given to the waitress earlier. Placing it on the table between them, he asked directly, "This paper alone is worth more than 50,000 Ryo." He paused, locking eyes with Ryuku before speaking in a serious tone. "You should have given it to me directly."
Noticing the man's concern, Ryuku chuckled and said plainly, "That recipe is incomplete, Mister Choza. I would never hand over my complete recipe through a third party. You can rest assured, I'm not a fool."
"..." Choza stared at him in silence for a good moment before bursting into laughter.
"...You're pretty sharp, huh, Ryuku. That's a good thing. I like it," he said with a smile.
Ryuku simply returned a slight smile and pulled out a scroll from his inner pocket. Removing the thread, he opened it on the table.
Choza waited patiently, letting him unfold the scroll. However, once his eyes landed on its contents, even he couldn't hide the shock and excitement that gradually spread across his chubby face.
Time passed as Choza continued reading. The more he read, the more thrilled and bewildered he became.
Meanwhile, Ryuku waited, his gaze silently assessing the other party.
That shit right there is the culmination of my over ten years of culinary skills from Earth...
He smirked inwardly, praising the obsession with cooking he had in his past life.
After a few more minutes of reading, Choza packed the scroll securely, gripping it tightly as if unwilling to put it down.
"…Ahem." He cleared his throat. "I'll cut to the chase. How much are you willing to sell this for? I only managed to read three recipes, but even those are far better than what we currently use in our restaurants. So, I'll be direct and honest with you—I don't think I have enough money to buy the entire scroll." He blurted everything out in one breath.
Ryuku remained silent for a moment, deep in thought.
So he thinks he doesn't have enough money to buy all ten recipes? But only the first and second ones are truly top-tier—the rest are just decent. Just as I expected, he only read the upper ones first… I planned to fool this guy, but now I'm having second thoughts…
Since Ryuku had no real way to determine the true value of his recipes, he changed his perspective and treated them like a new jutsu. In this world, both business and the village thrived on legacies. Similarly, his scroll of recipes could very well be considered a legacy. Looking at it this way, he now understood why Choza valued it so highly.
Not that it mattered to him. He came here for a reason, and he wasn't leaving empty-handed.
"Five million Ryo. How about that?" Ryuku stated plainly. "I'll sell you the scroll for five million—no more, no less." His voice was steady, his expression firm.
Silence fell over the room.
What… Don't tell me he doesn't even have a few million Ryo despite running so many restaurants… Was I wrong to pick him as my first target?
However, Choza's next words finally eased Ryuku's mind.
"Alright. Five million Ryo it is," Choza affirmed with a nod. "But the payment will be made in installments. I'll give you a down payment of three million Ryo, and the remaining amount will be paid over the next four weeks. Does that work for you, Ryuku?"
Ryuku had no issue with the arrangement and confirmed it with a smile. "That's fine. I'll manage."
For the next hour, as the paperwork was being processed, Choza and Ryuku engaged in an enthusiastic discussion about cooking.
Although five million Ryo was a hefty sum for a set of recipes, that wasn't what occupied Choza's mind anymore. His full attention was now on the boy seated across from him. The more they talked, the more he realized just how shallow his own culinary skills were in comparison to this boy—who wasn't even older than his own son.
Was he some kind of cooking prodigy?
Given that his insights into cooking were genuinely superior to his own, how was Choza supposed to believe such a thing?
Should he just step down and recruit this boy as the Head Manager?
Several thoughts filled Choza's mind as he sat there, feeling completely defeated in his own specialty.
Meanwhile, the transaction was completed, and their discussion gradually came to an end.
Ryuku stood up, stuffed a bundle of hundred-thousand Ryo bills into his pocket, and was personally escorted to the restaurant's entrance by Choza himself.
Watching the boy's figure disappear from sight, Choza wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered to himself,
"Who would have thought such a fierce kid existed in Konoha… At the very least, I hope I left a good impression. A long-term relationship with someone of that caliber is far better than a one-time deal."
Feeling eager to test the new recipes, he flipped the restaurant's sign to Closed and decided to involve only his most trusted clan members in the matter.
****
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