Survival in the Ruins: I can make everything evolve infinitely

Chapter 8: The Cooking Test Continues x ‘Ninja’ Hanzo

“I can’t eat anymore!”

Buhara sat on the ground, cradling his significantly larger belly, a look of bliss plastered across his face.

Indeed, while his stomach had only grown a few inches, Buhara had somehow managed to consume seventy whole roasted pigs.

And these weren’t just any roasted pigs. Apart from Lorraine’s, the others hadn’t been bled or gutted—simply thrown whole onto the fire.

Considering the size of the Great Snout Wild Boars, each weighing over two tons, seventy pigs amounted to… 140 tons!

Watching this unfold, Lorraine’s expression faltered slightly.

He understood that as a Nen user, Buhara likely employed some ability to aid in his feast. But even with that, 140 tons was utterly absurd.

Looking at Buhara, Lorraine couldn’t help but think the man had been born into the wrong world.

If he weren’t a Gourmet Hunter in the Hunter x Hunter universe but instead in the Toriko universe, Buhara would be the brightest rising star among Gourmet Hunters!

“The test is over!”

Menchi shot her partner an exasperated glare before announcing, “Seventy candidates have passed the pig cuisine test!”

Standing, she addressed the remaining candidates. “Unlike Buhara, I won’t be as lenient. My test is far more demanding.”

After a brief moment of thought, she declared, “The second half of the cooking test… will be sushi!”

“Sushi?”

“What kind of dish is that?”

“Never heard of it…”

The candidates were utterly baffled. They exchanged confused glances, certain they’d never encountered such a dish.

“Of course, you wouldn’t know!” Menchi said with a mischievous grin. “Sushi is a regional dish from a tiny, unremarkable island nation. It’s not widely known.”

Still grinning, she added, “But I’ll give you a little help. The basic ingredients and tools for sushi are already prepared for you. And here’s a tip: I’ll only accept nigiri sushi!”

Without giving the perplexed candidates time to recover, she announced, “The second half of the cooking test begins now! The test will end when I’m full.”

Unlike the first half, where Buhara’s announcement sent the candidates scrambling into the forest, this time they stood around aimlessly, staring at the prepared ingredients—a large pot of steamed rice.

All except Lorraine and… one openly smirking ninja.

“Laughing that openly… He definitely knows what sushi is.”

Some candidates near Hanzo had already noticed his reaction.

Exchanging glances, they silently agreed not to confront him. Instead, they planned to shadow him, hoping to learn from his actions.

“Using rice for cooking?” Gon wondered aloud, curiosity shining in his eyes.

“There must be other ingredients involved,” Killua reasoned. “Look at the knives prepared for us. You don’t need those just for rice. They’re probably for processing other ingredients.”

“And nigiri sushi means it’s a dish shaped by hand,” Kurapika added thoughtfully.

Thanks to his extensive reading—not to be confused with cooking experience—Kurapika vaguely recalled encountering the term in a book.

“I remember sushi being described as a dish made by combining rice mixed with vinegar and other seasonings with fish,” Kurapika said, digging into his mental archives.

But that was the extent of his knowledge. After all, while he enjoyed reading, cookbooks weren’t among his preferred genres.

“Fish? But there’s no fish here!” Leorio exclaimed, his voice at its usual full volume.

The instant he spoke, every head turned toward him.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The next moment, the candidates bolted into the forest.

“So it needs vinegar too, huh?” Lorraine mused, wearing a mock-enlightened expression.

Though he already knew what sushi was, his knowledge didn’t extend beyond its appearance.

As for how to make it or what seasonings to use, Lorraine was as clueless as the rest.

In the forest, Lorraine emerged from the lake, holding a carefully chosen fish of indeterminate species but decent appearance.

Returning to the venue, he found that many candidates were already presenting their dishes to Menchi.

However…

Their “sushi” ranged from crushed fish wrapped in massive balls of rice, whole fish enveloped in rice, tiny fish encased in small rice mounds, to skewered combinations of rice and fish.

Notably, none of the fish had been cleaned. These “dishes” looked more like insults to sushi than actual attempts at cooking.

Even calling them “dark cuisine” was generous.

Not surprisingly, Menchi—known for her high culinary standards—rejected every single one, visibly repulsed.

Lorraine, on the other hand, watched the spectacle with amusement.

As he returned to his station, Hanzo confidently approached Menchi, carrying a plate of sushi.

“Finally, my turn! Ta-da! Sushi as requested!”

Visually, Hanzo’s sushi was leagues ahead of the disasters that preceded it.

For one, the fish was properly cleaned, free of scales and bones—a major improvement.

Relieved to see a decent attempt, Menchi relaxed slightly.

But as she studied Hanzo’s presentation and attire, it became clear to her where he was from.

After taking a bite, she announced curtly, “Fail. It tastes terrible. Try again.”

“What?” Hanzo froze, disbelief written all over his face.

“I said it’s bad. Go back and make it again,” Menchi reiterated firmly.

“What do you mean bad? Sushi is just rice shaped into bite-sized pieces with wasabi and raw fish on top! No matter who makes it, it’ll taste about the same!” Hanzo protested loudly.

The next second…

“It’s over,” Hanzo muttered, realizing his mistake as he glanced nervously at the other candidates.

They all stared at him, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Idiot,” Menchi growled, her temper flaring.

Originally, she’d intended to let Hanzo try again to test his creativity and see if he could present something innovative.

But who would’ve thought he’d blurt out the method for making sushi for everyone to hear?

“Menchi!” Buhara quickly intervened, preventing Menchi from escalating the situation. After much coaxing, she finally calmed down and returned to her seat.

Still fuming, she declared, “Since everyone now knows how to make sushi, the test will focus solely on flavor!”

“Flavor…”

Buhara’s heart sank.

Menchi’s culinary skills rivaled those of a top-tier chef. Combined with her current mood, her standards would be impossible to meet.

“We’re doomed,” Buhara sighed, pulling out his phone to report the situation and his concerns to the Hunter Exam Committee.