And now, in this Shinobi World with its Japanese style, there is a similar environment for food culture.
Shinichi can almost foresee what kind of trend this dish will create when it is released through his manga and actual promotion.
The timing was perfect. He had just won the championship in the highly anticipated first culinary tournament and received a top-level master chef certificate personally awarded by the Daimyo. With his personal reputation and culinary talent receiving the highest level of official recognition, he struck while the iron was hot.
Launching a manga called Cooking Master Boy, named after himself and featuring a protagonist with extraordinary talent, and then showcasing Mabo Dofu, a dish destined to become a killer weapon, in the opening chapters, undoubtedly pushes the attention and buzz to the extreme.
This is just the beginning; Shinichi's blueprint goes far beyond this.
After Mabo Dofu, there are other hit dishes like Malatang that swept through the streets and alleys at an explosive speed in the past.
There are also countless other charming dishes from his past life.
Although he was not a professional chef in his previous life, and was from the southwest, the dishes he made tended to be spicy, sour, and fragrant, which are popular in the southwest region.
However, given the prevalence of short videos in his previous life, one of his hobbies was watching content creators cook and explore restaurants.
With his current culinary skills and the added talent, Gourmet (Blue), he should be able to recreate the dish without too much difficulty.
These dishes will be brought to the Shinobi World by the manga series Cooking Master Boy under the name of Shinichi, the heir to Kikkaro Restaurant.
When these delicacies, which embody the wisdom and hard work of countless generations from another world, conquer the taste buds of this world one after another, and become popular in the Five Great Shinobi Countries and even the entire Shinobi World, what he accumulates will not only be a reputation for culinary skills, but also a huge influence that transcends cultures and penetrates into daily life.
At that time, he would become a publicly acknowledged culinary legend, a Grandmaster who created an entirely new culinary school, a Magician who captivated countless people's taste.
Calling him the greatest chef in history would still feel insufficient.
Perhaps only the title God of Food could summarize that ultimate position standing at the peak of cuisine.
And what kind of tremendous feedback and enhancement will the vast and profound understanding brought about by the title of God of Food have on his Gourmet talent?
More importantly, this widespread and profound goodwill and reputation will act like a lighthouse, continuously attracting the world's attention to his other achievements, swordsmanship, Fire Style Jutsu, physical strength, intelligence, etc., forming a virtuous cycle of cognition, allowing his other talents to continuously receive cognitive nourishment and opportunities for upgrading.
This was a cross-dimensional operation of cognition, a foundation of soft power built through culture and taste. Cuisine would become, besides ninja power, another pillar deeply rooted in this world, solid and unique, and might even directly change the food culture of the world.
If successful, the breadth and depth of knowledge that may result is unimaginable!
"You brat, hurry up and make the Mabo Dofu so I can have a taste!"
Tsunade was unaware of Shinichi's deep-seated schemes. She was simply captivated by the exaggeratedly tempting depiction of the Mabo Dofu in the manga and the judges' almost manic expressions of enjoyment.
Upon confirming that this was indeed the new recipe concocted by the kid in front of her, her curiosity and eagerness instantly overwhelmed all other thoughts.
Shizune and Kurenai, on the other side, also turned their gazes toward them. Although they didn't speak, their eyes were filled with the same longing and expectation.
Shinichi shrugged and smiled helplessly: "Tsunade-sensei, even if I wanted to make it now, there are no suitable ingredients in this desolate place. There's no dofu, no special sauce, no fresh minced meat or garlic sprouts."
"Then we'll buy it in the next town!"
Tsunade waved her hand, as if it were no problem at all. "I want to try it myself and see if your beautifully drawn Mabo Dofu is really that delicious!"
....
One day later.
Tsunade was the first to sit down, and without any hesitation, she picked up a spoon and scooped up a large spoonful of dofu. The dofu lay trembling in the spoon, coated with glistening red oil, finely minced meat, and sichuan peppercorns.
She blew on it and put it in her mouth.
The next second...
"Hmm!"
Tsunade's eyes widened suddenly, as if lightning had flashed past them. Her movements froze for a moment, and then she chewed much faster.
"Ha!"
After a moment, Tsunade exhaled a long breath carrying a spicy aroma, her face flushed slightly from the heat, but her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness: "Good lad! This tastes amazing!"
Without saying a word, she scooped up another large spoonful and mixed it directly with the prepared, distinct grains of white rice. The red and white colors blended together, and the aroma mingled. She ate with gusto, completely disregarding her image.
Seeing this, Shizune and Kurenai couldn't wait to get started.
"Ah! It's so spicy! But... It's so delicious! I can't stop eating it!"
Shizune gasped for breath from the spiciness, fanning her mouth with her little hands, tears welling up in her eyes, but the spoon seemed to have its own will, constantly reaching towards the bowl of red dofu that seemed to have magic.
Kurenai ate relatively quietly, but her beautiful red eyes were wide open, and each chew was filled with careful appreciation and increasingly obvious surprise.
The only sounds in the courtyard were the soft clinking of spoons and bowls, the occasional satisfied sighs of the three people, and the gasps of breath from the spiciness.
A large bowl of Mabo Dofu was visibly disappearing.
Shinichi understood what was happening as he watched this scene.
The magic of Mabo Dofu, in the Shinobi World where food culture has similar soil, demonstrated its undeniable dominance from its very first appearance.
However, serializing manga is ultimately a tough job.
Conceptualizing the plot, designing storyboards, repeatedly revising sketches, and maintaining a consistent update frequency... All of this requires a massive investment of time and energy.
For Shinichi, who needs to focus on ninja training, developing Fire Style Ninjutsu, and dealing with the increasingly tense situation, this is undoubtedly a considerable burden.
Shinichi sighed softly in his heart.
Ah, forget it.
Let the shadow clones suffer a bit.
Shinichi sighed softly to himself.
He will bear the blame.
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