17 Menchi’s Task

Although Yuuki wasn't the greatest chef in the world, or really any kind of chef at all, she still knew how to make sushi. She had never actually done it before though. Yuuki sighed, Menchi probably wouldn't pass her anyway.

All the other participants were questioning what sushi was. Menchi spoke up, "Its the traditional meal of a small island, even if you have never seen it you should be able to make it. I'll give you a hand, all the tools needed are at your stations and also the rice essential to making it. I will only accept handmade sushi!"

In the manga, Menchi had got mad because people already knew how to make sushi so no one bothered to figure it out through their hints. The participants also kept looking down on gourmet hunters.

She looked at the equipment. There were knives for cutting fish and huge tubs of rice alongside white vinegar disguised with other bottles. Definitely what was needed to cook sushi. The handmade hint also helped. Soon Yuuki heard a snicker, that's right Hanzo knew how to make sushi.

Kurapika did too. She walked over to kurapika who had just started to explain the process to Leorio.

"You add white vinegar to the rice and mix it with raw fish," Kurapika whispered.

Leorio began to yell but Yuuki clamped her hand around his mouth. The other participants began to look at them and Hanzo. Great, Yuuki thought, they know we know how to make it too.

Yuuki walked up to Gon and started to speak, "Hey Gon, do you want to find some ingredients and try them out, I'm sure we'll be able to find it eventually."

The other participants looked at her suspiciously. She gave a death glare to Leorio and grabbed Gon's hand and began to walk off. Killua followed them and Kurapika and Leorio walked off in another direction.

The participants split up and began to follow their two groups and Hanzo. Should I even care about them following us, Yuuki wondered, they find it out from Hanzo anyway. Besides, right now, Menchi is judging us as a chef, not as an exam participant.

What a pain. Should she just not try for this part of the exam? Well, whatever she would just let them follow us. They wouldn't pass anyway. She began to walk off to the nearest river.

"You do realise people are following us right?" Killua asked.

"Doesn't matter even if they know the ingredients doesn't mean they can make sushi, " Yuuki replied.

"Why did you try to hide the ingredients back there then," Killua asked.

"The hunter exam shouldn't be a test of our cooking skills. That means that the examiner left hints so we could deduce what sushi was." Yuuki explained, "If someone just outright yelled it she might get angry and judge us more harshly."

Soon they reached the river, "Gon, catch us some fish?" she asked.

Soon the participants came out of the woods and began to catch fish. "Thanks kids, " one of them yelled.

Soon they made their way back to the cooking stations and started to make the sushi. One by one the participants the participants went up with their weird combinations of fish and rice. Yuuki decided to give it one last ditch effort before Hanzo went up and ruined the challenge.

She presented her sushi to Menchi.

"Oh! Finally something that looks like what I wanted!" Menchi said, picking up her chopsticks and tasting the sushi. "Nope failed."

Yuuki let out a sigh, "You can't really expect us to make professional standard sushi can you, people can spend years training to make it, there's no way any of ours would be good enough." She said.

Menchi looked at her before calling out "Next!"

Next up was Hanzo, he managed to fail the test, blurt out the recipe for sushi and make Menchi very angry.

"Did you not hear what the last girl said! It takes years to become a master at creating sushi and you say there's no difference in taste!" She yelled, "You have no respect for the culinary arts!"

Menchi continued to judge the participant's sushi failing everyone.

"It's over! I'm not hungry anymore," she started. Buhara behind her sighed.

"You can't fail everyone Menchi," He said.

Soon Menchi was having an argument down the phone with the exam committee, "What do you mean I'm not respecting the rules? Didn't we agree that if I found it tasty I would pass it and if not I would fail it? One of the contestants knew the recipe and gave it away like an idiot too. Alright I can't fail everyone, the girl was at least respectful to us chefs so I'll pass her, how's about that? What do you mean I can't pass just one person either? I don't care I've decided!" She yelled down the phone before hanging up.

"Ok listen up examinees, that girl over there, " she said pointing at Yuuki, "She passed, the rest of you, failures!"

Yuuki shuffled awkwardly as the other participants looked at her and murmured among themselves.

"This ain't fair!" A large man with a ponytail yelled out, "Listen up! I'm going to become a blacklist hunter! I'm not gonna be failed by a measly gourmet hunter! Especially when they let a midget like that pass!"

Leave me out of this please, Yuuki thought. I didn't think she would pass me either.

"Too bad!" Menchi said, "Tell yourself you were just unlucky to be tested by us, better luck next year!"

"What did you say!" The man yelled angrily, running towards her to attack, he was quickly hit aside by Buhara.

"I don't recall asking for your help Buhara!" Manchu said, "Listen up little examinees. Every single hunter is trained in a martial art. It doesn't matter if your blacklist or gourmet." She juggled her knives in the air. "We all have vast knowledge and fighting ability."

"That doesn't justify you failing every examiner but one on the second phase Menchi!" A loud voice spoke.

Yuuki looked up at the airship where the voice was coming from. Down jumped an old man. Yuuki gasped. This was the president of the hunter association, the master of the shigen-ryu school and one of the worlds strongest men, Isaac Netero.