I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapter 8 (008) Today's Dinner at the Uchiha Clan

After lunch, Uchiha Naruto rested for a while in the shade of a tree in the school's central courtyard. When it was time for afternoon classes, he went to the cooking classroom.

The first class in the afternoon is a home economics class, which is held every two weeks.

Home economics class was conducted in pairs. As expected, Uchiha Naruto was paired with Tanaka Hikaru. The elderly, smiling home economics teacher distributed a large basket of white radishes, and Uchiha Naruto's group received four radishes.

"Today's cooking class won't cover anything too advanced. We'll just briefly explain the basics of knife skills, like peeling."

The home economics teacher picked up a white radish, held a knife in one hand and rotated the radish with the other, peeling it off in circles until the entire radish was peeled off, leaving a single, intact strip of peel without any breaks in the middle.

This is what is known as Gui Bo.

Peeling cinnamon isn't considered a particularly advanced knife skill; in the culinary world, it's merely an entry-level skill that can be mastered with a lot of repetitive practice.

But it was still too difficult for Tokyo high school students who were lazy and didn't know the difference between grains. Some broke their radish peels while peeling a little bit, and others were even more unlucky and almost cut their hands.

"It's done!"

Tanaka Hikaru placed a small, uneven piece of radish core on the cutting board. Uchiha Naruto glanced at the trash can and saw that most of the radish, skin and all, had been chopped off.

Half a class period had passed, and only one well-behaved girl in the entire Class B had finished peeling the osmanthus, earning the teacher's praise.

Tanaka Hikaru took out a small notebook from inside his jacket, opened it to a page, took out a pen, and wrote: "Takasaki Tsuki is skilled with a knife and probably cooks often at home; his culinary skills are likely quite good."

Naruto Uchiha's eye twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but ask in a low voice:

"Why did you write this?"

"I'm gathering information on all the girls in the school! I plan to divide them into three tiers: A, B, and C." Tanaka Hikaru said with a wink, "Takasaki Tsuki may not have a great figure, but she's quite cute. If she's good at cooking and can cook well, that would be a huge plus, and she might even get into the A tier."

Uchiha Naruto looked at Tanaka Hikaru speechlessly. They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but who knew you were just as frivolous and lewd as you appeared? If a girl heard you say that, you'd be socially dead in high school and completely lose your right to mate.

He began to seriously consider whether he should distance himself from Tanaka Hikaru. After all, he was a handsome young man in his prime, and it would be unfair to be mistaken for a lecherous, repressed pervert.

The few radishes the students received were quickly wasted, but the teacher didn't mind and handed out another basket of radishes.

Fortunately, radishes are one of the cheapest vegetables in Japan, which helps to mitigate this waste.

Radish, also known as daikon, has been a boon to the poor since ancient times. In ancient times, poor people had little food left after paying rent and taxes to the shogunate daimyo. Radish was one of the few vegetables that could be stored until autumn and winter, and many poor people regarded it as a staple food.

In modern times, when resources are relatively abundant, radish is also the cheapest and most popular vegetable in Japan. The Japanese people have even developed various ways to cook radish based on the different water content and spiciness of each part. For example, the root of the radish is fibrous and has a bad texture, so it is deep-fried; the middle part is not spicy or sweet and has a moderate taste, so it is best to stew it; the top of the radish is juicy and sweet, so it is also a delicacy when it is cold-dressed or made into a salad.

Some people even eat the radish leaves along with the roots, believing that eating the whole radish allows for complete absorption of its nutrients. This is called "eating the whole plant."

Naruto Uchiha held the knife but hesitated to make a move. He had an idea he wanted to verify, so he raised his hand to signal to the teacher that he needed to go to the restroom.

As soon as he entered the bathroom and closed the door, Naruto Uchiha switched to Sharingan mode. He took out his phone, went to Nico Nico Douga, and opened a tutorial video posted by a famous chef who called himself the "Skin-Peeling Sage."

After awakening the Sharingan to the second tomoe, Naruto Uchiha gained the ability to copy other people's movements and even taijutsu. He wanted to see if this was practical in reality.

With his two-tomoe Sharingan eyes fixed on the hands of the skin-peeling sage in the video, he took in every tiny movement.

Less than five minutes later, Uchiha Naruto returned to the cooking class.

Tanaka Hikaru had already finished writing in the booklet and put it away. He then picked up a radish and started carving it haphazardly as if playing around, with a lewd smile on his face. It looked like he was carving a woman.

Picking up the radish and kitchen knife, using the knife skills copied from his Sharingan, Uchiha Naruto's slender fingers seemed to gently caress the skin of a lover, his thumb lightly flicking at the rough radish, which danced lightly and nimbly in his palm. In just a few seconds, a long, thin strip of radish skin was completely peeled off.

Place the peeled radish on the cutting board, chop off the root and head, leaving only the middle section. Cut in with the knife, and with a flick of the palm, the radish rolls out like a rolled-up roll of paper, producing long, thin slices. You can still see the skin clearly when you hold it in your hand, which shows how thin it is.

The cleaver flew deftly between his fingers, performing a few beautiful flourishes before Naruto Uchiha put it away with a smug satisfaction.

The Sharingan is truly amazing!

With the Sharingan, any sword technique can be copied and pasted at a glance.

Thinking about it this way, the Uchiha clan members who have opened their eyes are all potential chefs and are skilled in fire-style techniques, so the Uchiha clan's kitchen might be quite interesting.

Tanaka Hikaru, who was standing to the side, was stunned. With a snap, he sliced ​​the 'Radish Woman' in his hand.

"Uchiha, are your swordsmanship skills that good? This radish is so big, and you peeled it in just a few swift strokes, and so cleanly and neatly. Teacher, come and see!"

Tanaka Hikaru's loud shouting quickly attracted the attention of the whole class. The home economics teacher stepped down from the stage, picked up a radish peel that was as thin as a cicada's wing and whose fingerprints were clearly visible after peeling, and couldn't help but ask:

"Young man, does your family cook? Your knife skills in peeling cinnamon are even better than mine."

"My family isn't in the culinary business; it's just that I'm personally interested in it and practice it on my own for fun."

This level of cinnamon peeling isn't something you can master by just playing around. It takes more than five years of hard practice to cut it so beautifully. This boy must have put in a lot of effort in secret. Is he perhaps trying to become a professional chef but is afraid of being found out by others and having his family object, which is why he doesn't admit it?

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class. The home economics teacher had a few thoughts running through her mind, and her tone became even gentler: "Your knife skills are excellent, and it's clear how much effort you've put into them. I'm giving your group an A+ for this class, and I look forward to your performance in future home economics classes."

Just kidding, Naruto Uchiha can't cook at all, except for simple dishes like instant noodles or fried rice.

This amazing knife skill was just a temporary copy, and he could only peel cinnamon. If you asked him to slice or carve on the spot, he wouldn't be much better than Tanaka Hikaru's knife skills, which he had only ever chewed.

It seems I'll have to use my Sharingan to copy some of my usual sword techniques when I get back, so I don't slip up next time.

After class, Tanaka Hikaru approached him with a grin: "Uchiha-kun, you're really hiding your true abilities. Thanks to you, I got an A in this class. Once I've finished collecting and organizing my classified information, I'll definitely let you see it first."

Forget it, I'm afraid I'm not worthy of it," Uchiha Naruto casually replied. Tanaka Hikaru then asked:

"Uchiha, are you interested in joining any club? I'm in the archery club, interested in giving it a try? The archery club is super cool!"

(End of this chapter)