Chapter 10: Gathering spice (10)
Time skip.
As Akira took a bite out of the bland food he was forced to eat, he suddenly had enough.
He spat the food out.
"I am going to get my spices" The young boy declared as he set out on an adventure to get what he wanted.
He took out his straw basket and went out on the adventure for spices.
In order for him to find them, he decided to activate his Byakugan to help look for them.
He would kill 2 birds with one stone, for one with his Byakugan active he could better look for the spices.
And two, he would be training his Byakugan alongside looking for the spices.
Truly a win-win scenario.
As he made his way down the forest, he made sure to examine the plants, herbs, and even insects.
He hoped he could find anything that could add flavor to his very bland meals.
His palette was not used to such bland meals, if it wasn't seasoned, he did not want it.
He remembered the spices he had enjoyed in his previous life - salt, pepper, garlic, onion, ginger, and he was very eager to find them in this life and finally be free of very bad food.
As he continued exploring the forest, Akira stumbled upon a small clearing. In the center of the clearing, he could see a towering tree.
The branches of the tree had very vibrant fruits.
He recognized it as a wild fig tree, he remembered trees like this would give birth to a sweet and tangy fruit.
Using his Byakugan, he located the weak point of the tree before with his bare hand, he struck the tree about 4 times.
The next second, about 7 of them fell and all of them were ripe.
The Byakugan truly was a blessing.
All he had to do was strike the points of the tree that were feeding the already ripe fruit and the ripe fruit fell.
He placed the fruits in his basket and continued on his way to find some more seasoning.
On his search, he came across a patch of wild garlic. He could smell their pungent smell even if he was a relatively far distance away from them.
However, they were seasoning and he would take them.
He carefully dug up the few bulbs while making sure not to damage the plants.
The more he explored this forest the more he realized that the ecosystem of this place was fast, stuff that usually shouldn't be in one island was there.
It almost felt as if someone had built this place to be self-sufficient.
He also found plenty of herbs, including thyme, rosemary, and oregano.
The more seasoning the better in his opinion.
With each discovery, Akira knew that he was still missing key ingredients like salt and peppers.
He decided to hunt for animals that might provide these spices. He tracked down a deer, using his Byakugan to locate its weak points. With a well-placed strike, he brought the deer down.
This would be his feast when he got back home.
Placing the deer above his shoulder, Akira started tree-jumping his way back to his house.
Using his life force in order to give him the energy to do such a physically intensive task.
The second he got home, Akira set his mind on creating his own spices.
The first thing he did, was utterly gore the deer, he then drained the beast before making sure to remove all the bad shit from the deer's body.
He then washed the deer before letting the animal's body rest somewhere.
While doing that, he dried up the herbs that he had gathered, leaving them hanging upside down in the shade until they were crisp and brittle.
Multitasking at its finest really.
The next thing he did was crush the herbs into fine powder, releasing their aromatic oils.
The figs which had been dried up by the sun were also ground into a powder. Akira combined the fig powder with the dried herbs, creating a sweet and savory spice blend.
This was life, he enjoyed every second of it.
Soon enough, he will no longer be eating bland food, he will be eating the good stuff.
As he was running out of salt, Akira knew that he needed to buy more, he was going to use the reward money he had gained in order to buy more salt.
Or he could his Byakugan and try to find a salt mind....options, options.
Now with all the stuff that he had, Akira had managed to make all the spice that he would need.
All the seasoning that one man would need for about 3 months.
He would collect more as the day went by.
Maybe sell them....no, he shouldn't bring attention to himself.
Becoming a merchant was out of the question.
He could find someone to sell it for him....no if that someone caught the noble attention he would be screwd, plus he wasn't going to gamble on the chance that, the person he chose might not get greedy and take all the profit and not share anything with him.
He looked at the deer....it was about time he started cooking.
A/N....