I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapter 42-043 Bone Swimming

The next day, Wednesday, the weather was nice, with a gentle breeze.

Naruto Uchiha left the library, walked straight out of the school gate, and slowly walked down the long slope in front of the school gate.

It's mid-April now. Because the weather is a bit colder than usual this year, the cherry blossoms have reached Tokyo a little later than before. You can still see cherry blossoms in full bloom in Tokyo right now.

Japan is the land of cherry blossoms. Every spring, starting from Okinawa and continuing all the way to Hokkaido, the cherry blossoms bloom in succession from south to north as the weather warms up. There is a name that sounds very literary: the cherry blossom front.

There are indeed several cherry blossom trees in the courtyard of Jinguji High School. The blossoms are magnificent and the petals fall in profusion. Even someone as unromantic as Uchiha Naruto couldn't help but marvel at how the beauty of the cherry blossoms truly lived up to its reputation.

The slope at the entrance is lined with maple trees, not cherry blossom trees; otherwise, the scenery would be breathtaking.

Just as I was thinking this, a black Toyota Century slowly pulled up from behind, the window rolled down, revealing a pretty face that seemed to be both angry and smiling.

"Good afternoon, Uchiha."

The black luxury car accelerated slightly, pulling alongside Uchiha Naruto. Matsudaira Chiyo opened the car door and struck up a conversation with Uchiha Naruto:

"I'm going to Takasaki Tsubone Izakaya too, you can come up as well."

Naruto Uchiha readily agreed and got into the back seat of the car.

The interior of the black luxury car was spacious, divided into two rows facing each other. Matsudaira Chiyo sat sideways in the back, wearing black casual clothes instead of a school uniform.

A woman in a black suit with an ordinary appearance but sharp eyes is braiding Matsudaira Chiyo's smooth, black hair.

Upon seeing Uchiha Naruto get into the car, he stared at Uchiha Naruto with a stern and scrutinizing gaze for a while, then frowned.

"Is my car comfortable enough?" Matsudaira Chiyo asked with a smile as she watched Uchiha Naruto curiously examining the luxurious interior of the sedan.

"good."

At this moment, Matsudaira Chiyo's long hair was already braided into two pigtails. She faced the woman in the black suit with her eyes closed. The woman took out an exquisite makeup box and used a powder puff to apply powder to her face.

Matsudaira Chiyo's originally snow-white skin suddenly turned slightly yellowish. It was unclear what makeup tools and techniques the woman in the black suit had used, but Matsudaira Chiyo's face also had some freckles.

Finally, he took out a pair of thick, round glasses from his bag and put them on. At first glance, he looked like a completely different person.

"What are you doing at the Takasaki Izakaya?" Uchiha Naruto asked.

"I've visited other izakayas these past few days, but nothing compares to doing it in person. After all, you can't speak without investigation," Matsudaira Chiyo said matter-of-factly.

"And I also want to see the Takasaki sisters working as mascots in kimonos."

During the conversation, the black sedan had already driven to within a street of Takasaki Izakaya. The car stopped, and Uchiha Naruto was quickly shooed out of the car.

"Uchiha, pretend you don't know me in the shop."

Once inside the restaurant, we had dinner as usual, just like yesterday, tidied up, did some preliminary processing of the ingredients, and then opened the door.

Customers gradually entered the store, mostly nearby office workers and retired middle-aged and elderly people who came out for a drink after dinner.

Around six o'clock, Matsudaira Chiyo walked in with her woman in a black suit and headed straight for the kitchen counter.

"You can process sashimi here, right?"

"Yes, but there will be a small processing fee." Whether it was because of the disguise or because Takasaki An had never met Matsudaira Chiyo before, she did not recognize her.

"Very well, then prepare this cherry trout for me."

The woman in the black suit placed a safe water tank on the front desk, inside which was a large, bluish-white fish with a slightly orange belly.

Cherry trout, also known as Japanese native salmon, has a slightly pinkish-orange belly, moist flesh, and is rich in oil, making it a high-grade salmon. As its name suggests, it migrates back to the Sea of ​​Japan from the open sea every year when cherry blossoms are in full bloom, at which time its flesh is at its most plump and firm.

However, cherry trout cannot be caught in Tokyo Bay; they are generally found in the Tohoku region, such as Aomori and Iwate prefectures, or even Hokkaido.

"Also, grind this wasabi for me. I can't stand the pungent smell of horseradish." The woman in the black suit handed over a beautifully packaged rectangular cardboard box.

"master?"

Fresh wasabi is very expensive in Japan. Takasaki An looked at the cherry trout and didn't know what to do. She looked to Uchiha Naruto for help.

"Do as she says. You go and prepare the plating materials and carvings. I'll take care of the rest," Uchiha Naruto said calmly.

Naruto Uchiha grabbed the lively cherry trout, swiftly stunned it, scaled and gutted it with a sharp knife, and then placed the cleaned cherry trout on the cutting board. Naruto's movements were as fluid as flowing water as he took out various knives to dissect the fish, then sliced ​​it into thin, cicada-wing-thin sashimi.

Seeing Uchiha Naruto's effortless and masterful swordsmanship, Matsudaira Chiyo couldn't hide her astonishment.

The entire cherry trout was cleanly butchered, and Uchiha Naruto raised his knife, preparing to chop off the fish head and bones, make soup, and then serve it, but was stopped by Matsudaira Chiyo.

"Wait a minute, I want to see bone swimming!"

Naruto Uchiha frowned.

The term "bone swimming" refers to the skill of some sashimi masters who can prepare sashimi from fish while the fish is still alive. They then throw the fish, leaving only the head, tail, and skeleton, back into the water, where the fish can still swim, thus showcasing their knife skills.

He lifted the fish by the tail and threw the "half" cherry trout into the tank. The flesh on both sides of the fish was cut off, revealing the stark white fish bones and the complete fish head. The fish opened and closed its mouth, and instinctively swam forward, shaking its head and wagging its tail.

This scene is not only horrifying but also cruel; a normal, kind-hearted girl would never be able to bear watching it.

But Matsudaira Chiyo watched it with great interest.

What a cruel woman, Uchiha Naruto thought.

After letting the poor cherry trout swim a few strokes, Naruto Uchiha picked it up and ended its suffering with a single slash, then cut it up and handed it over to Anzu Takasaki to make fish bone soup.

"Uchiha, you're really dishonest. Why didn't you say so sooner if you had such swordsmanship?"

Faced with the cherry trout sashimi and freshly ground wasabi sauce that had been served on a plate, Matsudaira Chiyo did not rush to pick up her chopsticks. Instead, she smiled and said:

"This isn't just professional level; even some renowned sashimi chefs probably don't have your knife skills. With this kind of ability, reviving this restaurant with just a little publicity would be a piece of cake."

Naruto Uchiha lowered his head and whispered in Matsudaira Chiyo's ear, a gesture that made the woman in the black suit beside him twitch. He said in a low voice:

"I never intended to work part-time for long; it's just a temporary replacement. I'll resign once Mr. Takasaki is discharged from the hospital. Since Minister Matsudaira is so charitable, he should know that it's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. Minister Matsudaira should think about how to make this store even better without me."

"Too close, Uchiha, your breath is practically on my ear."

Despite this, Matsudaira Chiyo showed no embarrassment or blush on her face. She calmly reached out and pushed Uchiha Naruto away, then took out her own chopsticks.

Just as Matsudaira Chiyo was about to pick up her chopsticks, a commotion suddenly broke out at the door. She frowned and looked towards the door.

"This is Father's shop; it should be inherited by me, the eldest son. When did it become the turn of those two bastards!"

(End of this chapter)