"Phew, I made it just in time!"
Lin Yu carefully cradled the first bowl of Ichiraku Ramen, holding it with more care than he would Kushina. He dared not move an inch!
"Lin... Lin Yu, you stole my ramen!" Kushina's hand, still holding chopsticks, hadn't stopped, but the ramen on the table before her had "disappeared." She quickly turned her little head, pouting at Lin Yu.
"Ahaha, Kushina, I was too hungry. Let me have this bowl first." Lin Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he narrowly avoided failing the mission and being forced by the system to give up a skill. He never imagined that a simple ramen-eating mission could be so thrilling, almost leading to disaster!
"Hmph!" Kushina puffed out her cheeks. But seeing Lin Yu not even using chopsticks and eating directly from the bowl, a look of disdain crossed her face. Shameless Lin Yu!
Tsunade and the others were stunned. This wasn't like Lin Yu at all, or rather, it was completely different from the usual Lin Yu. Even Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, suspecting that the Lin Yu before him was someone using a transformation jutsu.
However, in Konoha, there was no one other than his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had mastered the transformation jutsu to such an extent that it could fool his eyes. Thus, this possibility was ruled out. So, what was going on? Could it be that the ramen was just that delicious?
While Orochimaru was bewildered, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained calm. He was gradually coming to understand Lin Yu's tendency to deviate from expectations. It was just snatching a bowl of ramen, not using Shadow Clones to do it!
It seemed Hiruzen Sarutobi harbored a deep resentment towards Shadow Clones!
"What? No takeout! We have to go outside and queue for a numbered ticket! Do you know who I am, a member of the Shimura clan..." a ninja from the Shimura clan said indignantly.
However, as if remembering who was standing nearby, he lowered his voice slightly and whispered to Teuchi, "Boss, can't you make an exception? We can pay double the price!"
"No!" Teuchi, busy preparing ingredients, refused sternly. He had a heavy workload today and no time for idle chat. He lowered his head and focused on cooking the ramen.
Seeing this, the Shimura clan ninja, though angry, dared not express it. He felt a surge of frustration, having never encountered such an "inflexible" businessman!
The seating at Ichiraku Ramen still consisted of a semicircular counter, with Teuchi's live cooking demonstration stage in the center. This allowed customers to see that his ramen was freshly made and served, never leftover!
Beside the counter, there was a facing "children's seat," which belonged to Kushina. Lin Yu was currently sitting there, facing Kushina as they ate ramen.
"Please, everyone, have a seat!" Even in front of the Third Hokage, Teuchi showed no sign of unease. When it came to ramen, he could truly be called "Otsutsuki Ichiraku," unshakable by anyone.
Hiruzen Sarutobi signaled his two disciples to sit. After Might Duy, the Hokage, and the three Sannin were seated, they sat on the other side of the curved counter, with several empty seats between them.
"Finally, I get to eat ramen! It smells so good!" Choza Akimichi entered the ramen shop with his father, the Akimichi clan leader. Smelling the enticing aroma, he licked the drool from his lips.
"Control yourself, Choza! The Hokage is here!" The Akimichi clan leader patted Choza's head, walked over to greet Hiruzen Sarutobi, and led his son to find a place to sit.
"Phew, I'm not late, am I?" Mikoto entered the ramen shop, her face flushed. Her gaze, filled with resentment, fixed on Lin Yu and Kushina, who were sitting face-to-face. Good heavens! While I was outside getting number tickets for you, you, Kushina, are so leisurely!
And Lin Yu too! He invited me to eat ramen but forgot all about me! And he's sitting opposite Kushina in the couple's seats! Hmph!
The gentle and mild-mannered Mikoto was gone. She now resembled a jealous girl. With a dark expression, she walked over, pulled Lin Yu up, and then took a seat opposite Kushina herself. A gentle smile returned to her face as she looked at Kushina.
Kushina: ??? Mikoto, are you going to steal my ramen too!?
Lin Yu: ??? Is it that easy for me to eat ramen!?
"Hahaha, Jiraiya was indeed a mischievous little brat back then."
Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a hearty laugh. They were discussing Jiraiya being tied to a pillar during the bell-grabbing test.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had taken off his Hokage hat, and his slightly weathered face clearly showed his smile. Here, he wasn't the Third Hokage; he was just a teacher, a ninja of Konoha.
"Hmph, if that idiot Jiraiya hadn't held us back, I, Tsunade, would have already..."
Orochimaru quietly listened to Tsunade and Hiruzen Sarutobi recounting the past. A flicker of emotion appeared in his cold pupils. Those days were indeed memorable.
"Hahaha, you've all grown up now and become true ninjas. Teacher, I..."
"Hiruzen! You get out here!"
Danzō's voice interrupted Hiruzen Sarutobi's reflection. Moments later, Danzō, dressed in a kimono, pushed the door open and looked coldly at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Hm? Danzō? Did you get a place in line?" Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his head, confused.
"Hmph!" Danzō snorted, offering no explanation. Heaven only knew what price his Shimura clan had paid to purchase seat number 12 from someone else. As for why it wasn't number 11, that little brat refused to sell it to him even at the cost of his life. What could he do!?
Danzō ignored everyone else, his gaze briefly flickered towards Orochimaru before quickly retracting. He walked to the empty seat beside Hiruzen Sarutobi and sat down, staring intently at this "scumbag"!
Hiruzen Sarutobi found Danzō's gaze strange. He had felt it earlier outside; Danzō was acting very unusually today! However, he couldn't speak directly about it. He smiled and turned to Teuchi, saying, "Boss, can he eat with us?"
No matter how stubborn Teuchi was, he had to give face to the Hokage. Besides, there was an empty seat in the shop. Having only 10 people enter at once was because he could process a maximum of 10 servings of ramen simultaneously. Any more would compromise the flavor of the ramen!
He, Teuchi, was someone who dedicated himself wholeheartedly to ramen! At worst, he would make Danzō's ramen last.
"Hmph." Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi was "sensible," Danzō's snort grew softer. He sat beside Hiruzen Sarutobi and closed his eyes, remaining silent.
He also felt that his actions today were a bit excessive. Why should he, Danzō, ruin his persona for a "scumbag"? He, Danzō, was the "Darkness of Konoha," and he was very busy!
"Here, you eat first, Danzō. Isn't today your Shimura clan's 'Ramen Day'? You must have been looking forward to it for a long time!" Hiruzen Sarutobi kindly placed his ramen in front of Danzō.
"I..." Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi mention "Ramen Day," even Danzō's thirty-year-old perpetually grumpy face couldn't handle it. Those foolish words, how could I have said them just now!
Danzō, rarely, did not snort again. He picked up the steaming ramen and took a sip of the broth.
Danzō: Phew, this broth tastes amazing! (It's worthy of being personally handed to me by Hiruzen!)