Iruka stood in his modest kitchen, staring at the ingredients laid out before him. Fresh vegetables, thick cuts of meat, fragrant spices—everything looked so... ordinary.
Yet, as he picked up a knife, muscle memory he didn't even know he had took over. His hands moved with precision, dicing vegetables into perfectly uniform pieces, slicing meat with the exact thickness needed for optimal flavor absorption. Every movement felt right—as if he'd been doing this for years.
'This is insane…' Iruka thought, staring at his own hands. 'Is this how Sōma felt every time he cooked? Am I going to make people foodgasm?!'
He swallowed. 'I need to be careful. If I'm not, Naruto might ascend to another plane of existence before he even starts training.'
Naruto, Kurenai, and Hinata sat around the table, staring at the dishes Iruka had prepared. The aroma alone was enough to make Naruto's stomach howl like a wounded animal.
Kurenai, meanwhile, studied Iruka as he worked. 'Since when did he know how to cook like this? He's always been a capable teacher, but this… This is something else.' She eyed the way he handled the food with an ease that seemed almost second nature. 'First his sudden improvement in swordsmanship, and now he's some kind of culinary prodigy? Just what has changed in him?'
"Alright," Iruka said, setting down the last dish. "Dig in."
Naruto didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed his chopsticks and took a massive bite.
Silence.
Then—
Tears. Actual tears.
Naruto slammed his forehead to the floor, his voice cracking. "I-IRUKA-SENSEI! YOU'RE A GOD! I'M NOT WORTHY!"
Iruka nearly dropped his chopsticks. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"I've seen the light!" Naruto wailed, shaking as he shoveled more food into his mouth. "I knew ramen was the ultimate food, but this—this is a meal of the heavens!" His body trembled. "I can feel my ancestors cheering for me!"
Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose. 'I knew it. Naruto is ascending.'
Meanwhile, Kurenai took her first bite, fully expecting good food—but what she got was transcendence.
Her eyes widened. Her chopsticks trembled. She let out an involuntary, low moan. "Mmm~..."
The moment the sound left her lips, Kurenai froze. The table froze. Hinata nearly choked on her rice.
Iruka's brain short-circuited. What the hell was that?!
Kurenai turned red, coughing into her fist. "Ahem—I mean, it's, uh, decent."
Naruto, still mid-ascension, pointed at her. "Liar! That was the sound of someone experiencing peak bliss!"
Kurenai internally screamed. 'Damn it! That was so embarrassing! What the hell is with this food?!'
Hinata, meanwhile, was struggling. Her entire face was red as she nibbled at her food, hands trembling. 'W-what is this? It's like… l-like…' Her vision blurred for a second. Was this what true flavor was? She felt lightheaded.
'Focus, Hinata!' she scolded herself. 'D-don't pass out in front of Naruto-kun!'
She took another bite, feeling warmth spread through her body. Her heart pounded. It wasn't just food—it was an experience. She found herself glancing at Iruka in awe, wondering if he was truly just a ninja or something more.
'This flavor… it's too much…' Hinata thought, squeezing her chopsticks tighter. 'I-I think I might cry…'
Iruka, watching all of this unfold, sat back and sighed. 'Great. I've weaponized cooking.'
Meanwhile, in the shadows…
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood on a rooftop, his pipe hanging loosely from his lips as he observed Iruka. The young man's sword movements earlier that day had caught his attention.
His posture, the control of his swings… That wasn't the stance of a beginner. It was disciplined. Refined.
Experienced.
Hiruzen exhaled a thin stream of smoke. "Could he… become like Konoha's next White Fang?"
The idea lingered in his mind. Sakumo Hatake had been a legend, a swordsman feared across nations. Could Iruka follow a similar path?
Just then, a low growl broke through the silence.
Hiruzen's stomach rumbled.
He blinked, glancing down at himself in mild surprise. '…Damn, that smells good.'
'I need to keep an eye on this one,' Hiruzen thought, watching Iruka laugh as he scolded a still-crying Naruto.
As dinner wrapped up, Kurenai coughed, still slightly pink in the face. "Well, that was… unexpected."
Naruto was already sprawled out, groaning in satisfaction. "Iruka-sensei, I swear, if you ever stop cooking for me, I might actually die."
Hinata sat quietly, her face still warm as she fidgeted with her chopsticks. 'If this is what he cooks normally… I-I can't even imagine what a special meal would be like…'
Iruka rubbed his temple. 'This is going to be a problem, isn't it?'
Then, Naruto's head snapped up. "Wait, Sensei! You gotta open a restaurant! Think of the money! The fame! The ramen!"
Iruka deadpanned. "Naruto, I'm a ninja, not a chef."
"Why not both?!"
Kurenai smirked, arms crossed. "He's got a point, Iruka. This is probably the best meal I've had in my life."
Naruto gasped dramatically. "See?! Even Kurenai-sensei agrees! It's fate!"
Hinata nodded furiously, still too shy to speak. Her fingers clutched the hem of her jacket as she tried to process the overwhelming flavors.
Naruto suddenly turned serious, placing a hand on Iruka's shoulder. "Sensei… don't waste this gift. You were born for greatness. You were born… to feed us."
Iruka stared at him in disbelief. "That is not happening."
Naruto sniffled dramatically. "Such wasted potential…"
Meanwhile, Hiruzen adjusted his hat, still thinking about Iruka's newfound skills. Between his swordsmanship and his absurdly powerful cooking, something had changed in the young man.
'I'll be keeping an eye on you, Iruka.'
And thus, his legend as the Hidden Leaf's strongest chef unknowingly began.
End of Chapter 6
So, I'm thinking of having Naruto train for a month. During this time, he will also improve his swordsmanship, maybe even reaching the verge of ascending to the Swordmaster realm. Naruto will develop good skills not just in chakra control and swordsmanship but to an intermediate level overall. Thanks to his Shadow Clones, his progress will be much faster which means 3-5 chapter and if fast paced 2 chapters so what you guys want?