It had been a very long time since Ishiro had walked around so aimlessly. While he kept his kunai pouch on him at all times because it was the proper thing to do, he was basically just in his civvies today with his trademark sash tied firmly around his waste. While today's heat probably wouldn't get that intense, Ishiro had a straw hat draped back beneath his neck. He knew that up in the Higher altitude of the rock country the sunburn was real even when the temperature wasn't as high. He continued making his way up a narrow path that led to Sacrifice Lake. There wasn't anything super special about this place from his perspective, but up until recently it'd been a wonderful fishing spot. When he came a couple of weeks ago he'd been at his all time low of maybe a dozen fish that day, which was abnormally low for him. This time he'd brought a ginormous back pack full of supplies that was at least as big as he was, he was prepared for anything this lake could throw at him.

As he walked up a path that normally have significantly more laymen and civvies walking up this path as well. Ishiro looked over his shoulder as the light began to spill over the horizon in time to see the bright green flash that framed the start and end of each day. As he turned back he saw a dejected fisherman already heading back, an empty bucket dangling from his back that would normally hold fish. "Ya might as well turn back the king of the lake is awake today, ain't no fishin't to be had young feller. Tha dagum monstur spookin' all the trout in there." At the very mention of the beast Ishiro's mouth started to water and his eyes grew two sizes. Today was already developing the trappings of a most excellent day.

"You said there was a monster in the lake?" Ishiro's excitement was basically dripping off of his words as he thought of what this new creature must have tasted like. His grip tightened on the rod he had draped over his shoulder. He knew he had to get there before some other ninja got there and exterminated the beasty ruining its probably delicious and succulent meat. "Don't worry about your big beasty, I'll catch it myself." Ishiro's voice may have bee a little too serious as he said this. "Also if you comeback after noon I'll make sure that you feast like a king. Count on it!" The earnest look that the chef gave to the fisherman wasn't returned in fact it seemed like the fisherman was suffering from a bit of exhaustion. It may just have been the case that he'd been up all night trying to catch fish. He may have had a family to feed.

"Yeah sure kid," the fisherman was obviously skeptical that someone less than half his age would be able to catch anything in that lake, let alone the Fabled King. He looked the kid up and down. He was spunky to say the least the kid definitely thought he could take on this creature. "Let's see whatcha got," the older said his words lacquered with doubt, but Ishiro lit up like an oven two layers away from a wedding cake. He would smile at the old man and take with him back up to the Sacrifice Lake. He was simply shaking with excitement. This was truly the greatest part of cooking, discovering new, interesting, and unique ingredients.

Ishiro wouldn't set up shop immediately. The first thing he would do would be to set down his bag, and then he'd stare at the lake with his unbaited rod over his shoulder. "Kid, don'tcha know you gotta put bait on your hook befo..." The old man began to berate the teen before he noticed something weird. The hook wasn't really a hook it looked more like a harpoon than any thing else, a tiny spear with half a dozen backwards pointing barbs. What was this kid up to. The entire rig was completely alien to him, he'd never seen anything like it, almost as if the kid had designed it himself. Motionlessly the kid stood there watching something unseen by anyone else.

Ishiro's background almost faded as his focus tunneled on his singular target. The fish in these lakes that he was after were in were incredibly difficult to capture even for him. That being said with the sun rising slightly at an angle behind him he could see fairly well into the depths of this body of water, and it was during this twilight hour that Ishiro brought in the bulk of his catch. He stood motionless at the edge of Sacrifice Lake eyeing his query. There were a few moments ubiquitous in all of nature where all animals are at their most defenseless that was the moment Ishiro was watching for.

When a lioness stalks her prey she is a ferocious and fearsome target her keen senses keeping her aware of the slightest movements, changes of temperature, shift of the wind. It is while she is on the hunt that she truly is her most fearsome. The noble Falcon as he chases down his prey is a manifestation of elegance, speed, and agility. The Great shark as she beautifully rips through the water tracing a single drop of blood for miles to get to her target, her ferocious tenacity inspiring even great ninja to be more like her. Yet all of these predators have the same flaw, a singular moment. Ishiro watched for this fraction of a second gap in his prey some sixty meters away, his blue eyes almost seeming to glow in the twilight.

A single trout jumped out of the water, and it was this moment here that all of those great beasts shared. The hook flew with impressive speed but it seemed almost as if Ishiro had aimed to low from the fisherman's perspective. He wasn't sure and it was definitely gonna be a very close call. Then the fish while in the air began to panic, a single flailing motion and the hook was guaranteed to miss. As the fisherman opened his mouth to tell the kid, 'better luck next time.' He watched as a Great Lake Carp surfaced to catch the fish it surpassed in every dimension by two or three feet at least. The Great Lake Carp were one of the main reasons he came down to this lake, just one and he could feed his family for almost a week.

Ishiro was waiting for the moment of attack, when the predator put everything it had into catching its prey. pressing his sandals deep into the dirt he swung with every bit of might his flesh could offer him. The hook flew true. As the Carp began to engulf its prey it Ishiro's hook was simultaneously embedded in its cheek. It's over.Ishiro thought to himself. One quick tug upwards and the massive carp ripped from its habitat and into the air. Then something from the depths of the lake appeared just briefly enough that they made eye contact Ishiro and the creature. As quickly as it made its presence in the depths known it vanished.

As the carp reached the peak of its trajectory Ishiro yanked it forward so that its new trajectory would be adjacent to himself on the shore. He'd drop his pole and pull out two knives, and with a glimmer in his eye he'd disassemble the fish as it flew past him. Sequentially; a stab to the base of its skull would sever the spine ending the carp's life painlessly, the second knife would cleanly gut the creature, and the first would go for  third strike internally, removing the poison sac that would soil the meat if he would have carelessly cooked it while it was still in tact.

When it landed next to him, the fisherman looked impressed as Ishiro proceeded to remove the viscera and place it in a large broth with many strong smelling herbs and spices, salt, some sugar, bone meal and boil them to a brothy, super sticky sauce. At the same time he began cooking the carp and it's prey that he had to kill and gut, on spits next to a fire. "That wasn't bad kid. You got talent, but it ain't enough to catch the king. you won't be able to catch him without bait"

Ishiro kept slowly adding sugar to the mixture, monitoring it, so it wouldn't boil over. Offering the trout to the obviously hungry fisherman, who took a bite, then another as he was plunged deeply into the artistry of Ishiro's cuisine. Ishiro would then take a brush applying the strange, thick, pungent liquid to the almost four foot long car as he rotated it with a spit over the fire. Then he'd quell the fire,  and slowly the fish would begin to glisten inside and out with a caramel brown sheen, the smell still as pungent as before. Ishiro would knock on the hard candied shell of the giant fish. "This is my bait." The real battle was about to begin.

[WC= 1580/ 5775]

'This should do.' Ishiro threw water on the flames to quell them creating a large burst of steam and smoke. His laser focus dispersed as he regained focus on the world around him. 'Ah that's right the trout for the fisherman. I should remember to get his name before he leaves,' Slowly Ishiro reached into the font of steam grabbing the trout. "Mmm." Ishiro hummed a note of affirmation he would hand the small wooden spear to his fisherman observer. 'It looks little above acceptable. I hate on the fly cooking.'  Ishiro would click his tongue before smiling, "Um. Sorry. It's not my best work: Multitasking isn't quite my best trait." Ishiro would rub the back of his head nervously. "You seemed kinda hungry, so go ahead. Eat up while I catch your King of the Lake."

The old man taking the stake as it was given to him, inhaled deeply the and allowed the delicious scent to fill his nose. Ishiro paused for a moment hoping to take in the wonderful sight of someone enjoying his meal. Ishiro's eyes widened with anticipation as the fisherman's canines pierced through the crust that had formed from the fire spawned char. Ever so slightly liquid fat and some of the the other juices expelled from the flaky succulent meat coated the man's taste buds. As his incisors ripped into the flesh, the meat parted with the bones that once secured them in place with no resistance. As the fisherman started chewing into the fish, his face lit up. He was entranced simply from the execution of the cooking. "Kid this is pretty good. How'd you manage this complex flavor?"

Ishiro's eyes relaxed and then a large warm smile filled his face from one side to the other. With a flick of his wrist three glass vials appeared in his hand in between the knuckles of each of his fingers that he waved at the fisherman. "I always come at least a little prepared to serve." Ishiro would turn turn his hand to face himself before flicking his hand open, the vials disappearing back into his sleeve. "Now then I've got a meal to catch!" Ishiro would turn to face the lake. He'd then pick up his fishing pole before tossing the candied fish into the water as it submerged into the icy, cold, mountain water the liquid shell solidified into a hard caramel shell about ten meters from the shore. The line would draw from his fishing reel, vrring  until the fish submerged into the water.

Ishiro would grab a two foot wooden square from his bag frisbeeing it into lake. With but a slight tremor of his muscles as build up Ishiro launched himself forwards just inches over the surface of the lake. His knees were bent to keep his feet from dipping into Sacrifice Lake. As soon as he neared the board, he centered himself, and once he was over, it he extended his feet downwards planting himself on the wooden surface. His momentum kicked up a brief wave he rode for a few meters until another wave broke his momentum. There he stood well within the lake rod in hand waiting for his prey to strike his target. Ishiro sat down with in half lotus before sitting his pole down and locking it to the anchor built in beside of him on the plank.

As he closed his eyes, Ishiro began to wait for his mark to entertain his bait. Hours slowly elapsed as the Hidden Stone's Silver Chef floated with the currents of the lake, the undertow moving the fish from side to side as the board pulled it along. The sun reached its highest point in the sky, beaming down on all of the people who came to visit the lake today. The clear waters were hiding the fauna beneath its surface only due to the luminescence of the Sun above. With every bead of sweat dripping from Ishiro's hunger grew more and more, and he felt himself struggling to contain his anger. In his forehead a single vein began pulsing intensely. "Oooooo. You snarky bastard."

Ishiro tightly clasped his fist as his skin creased against itself groaning like cracking leather. He stood up staring down at the water's surface. A reflection stared back at him gritting its teeth. "Hey!" It pointed at him as he mirrored it angrily. "You asshole! I spent a lot of time on that delicious masterpiece, and you have the gumption to not even take a bite. Wait what?" Ishiro for a moment caught a glimpse beneath the surface as a cloud passed over him. Meters down beneath he saw elation in a pair of eyes that were suspiciously close to where he thought his candied fish was supposed to be.

Leaning in a little closer and using his hand as a visor to block out the glaring sun, Ishiro realized that the pair of elated eyes belonged to a massive creature, one that was currently chowing down on his masterpiece. "Motherf-!Oooo." Ishiro unlocked the fishing rod from the plank yanking it with every ounce of his strength as cracks began defiling the pole. "Piece of cake." Meters of fishing line pulled up from the surface of Sacrifice Lake before ending in an empty thread emerging out of the surface immaculate without even a hook on the end of the line. The pulsing vein would come back even more intensely than before now paired a spontaneous eye twitch. "My. MY. MY! My Fishing Pole!"

[WC= 2510/5775]