Chapter 69: Ramen Shop

  Today, I found out that an author I like actually recommended my article, so I uploaded a bit more. When I'm in a good mood, I naturally upload more.

  Additionally, to readers who have opinions about my writing, please don't bother reading if you're just going to leave hurtful comments that discourage me from writing. If you do want to comment, I'll accept constructive criticism with a clear beginning and end, but please don't keep criticizing my writing style, the protagonist's personality, or the characters' genders. My writing style is what it is; readers who want to see Bai as a female character can go read "Huoying Chuan Yue Zhi Liu Feng" instead - in that work, Bai is indeed female, and the writing is also good. If you're looking for faster progress, I think no other work will be slower than mine. Readers who dislike the protagonist being too gloomy can find many other works that cater to your needs; that's all.

  Finally, I'm very sorry for uploading garbled text and I quickly discovered it and modified it immediately.

  ※※※

  I walked out of the Fire Shadow office building alone, and I looked up at the dark sky with fine rain falling.

  I touched the thing I put in my pocket, the "compensation" that the Third Hokage gave me - a scroll.

  You also think that Konoha owes me, right? Otherwise, why would they give me "compensation" for no reason? It was only worth one scroll to begin with! And I still have to put on a delighted face, this contrast is really unbearable.

  "It's raining."

  I closed my eyes and let the rain hit my face, which gave me a temporary sense of relaxation. This allowed me to return to the wooden leaves with some relief from the oppressive mood I had been in.

  Rarely, I put away all of my chakra shields and let my body directly touch the icy rainwater.

  This is the Hidden Leaf Village, and if I use chakra shield to keep my body from getting wet in the rain, it's too showy. Although my technique of hiding chakra is very good, it's always hard to guarantee that there won't be a sharp-eyed ninja who discovers that a six-year-old child is using such advanced chakra control, and this child is also the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki. This will make my future days full of being observed by other intelligence agencies.

  I just had a conversation with the Third Hokage, which consumed a lot of my mental energy. Especially having to maintain myself in a state close to "Naruto Uzumaki" is doubly exhausting for me.

  It's even more tiring than when I was at Orochimaru's place.

  Bare desire, fake mask, is still simpler than the complex emotions hidden beneath a smile...

  Are you still worried that I will avenge the Wooden Leaf, or are you worried that the "Nine-Tails" will avenge? Otherwise, why keep asking me questions with double meanings? Unfortunately, how can an ordinary six-year-old child understand such complex implications?

  Besides, I didn't question your qualifications either, because trust is mutual.

  As I was still immersed in my own confused thoughts, suddenly, the rain stopped.

  I opened my eyes and found myself standing on the road in the rain, with Bai coming over to hold an umbrella for me.

  "If you're left behind, are you okay?!" White looked at me worriedly as I walked out of the Fire Shadow office without knowing when.

  "Thanks, Bai, I'm fine, what could possibly be wrong with me? What else could I have?" I said to them, who were looking at me with worried faces. "It's just a momentary indulgence, really nothing, let's go for a walk! There are several bustling streets in Konoha, and it's lively even on rainy days." I didn't want to describe my current mood any further, my emotions were already simmering, and couldn't withstand any spark of conversation.

  "But it seems like there are only two umbrellas!" I usually don't use an umbrella when I'm outside because I'm not walking around with a serious face, and the Chakra shield can repel water. Even if I jump into a lake, my body won't get wet. So, only Shirai and Kimimaro have one each. And since it hasn't rained on the days that Jūgo arrived, there was no need to rush, so we didn't buy any either.

  "Alright then, let's share an umbrella!" Anyway, this rain shouldn't be too heavy, I think.

  Suddenly there was a commotion beside me...

  "I want to hold on with the adults!"

  "I'm going with the adults, you're out of here!"

  "Don't be too presumptuous, it's my umbrella, of course I'll share it with the grown-ups." Kimaru insists on his umbrella sovereignty.

  "You're a man and you dare to fight with me, a woman? Don't you have any shame?" This is the most commonly used attack method by women, unexpectedly even 16-year-old Xiao Ye knows this trick.

  "You? Apart from your sex, what makes you look like a girl! If anything, Bai looks more like one!" Junmaru delivers the finishing blow.

  "Ah, this... The fact is that it's hard to refute, our group of people, when we stay overnight, at least one person will be considered a girl each time, but never for sixteen nights in a row... Is the problem with the sixteen nights or is the problem with us three?"

  Moreover, Kimaru and Izayoi seem to be natural-born enemies. Although Kimaru is usually a quiet and calm person, whenever he's with Izayoi, they end up arguing. It's the same for Izayoi; she gets along fine with me and Shiraki, but as soon as she talks to Kimaru, they start quarreling over anything and everything.

  At first I also tried to persuade Bai and them, but found that the two of them were not quarreling at all, and when something happened, they wouldn't quarrel either, so I just ignored them.

  "Alright! I'm going with Bai, you two can continue slowly!" To stop their quarrel, I had to take drastic measures. I pulled on Bai's wrist and we walked forward together.

  Give them a stir, I just want to be melancholy and can't get started, let me take sixteen nights with me, won't he just use her for this purpose? He's quite capable.

  Only to see, Junmaro and Izayoi saw me walking out of the Fire Shadow office, with a somewhat depressed mood that seemed to have improved a bit later, exchanged a smile, stopped arguing, and quickly followed up.

  ※※※

  Although the sky was still gloomy, the rain stopped after a short while.

  I originally planned to let everyone go shopping on their own and gather somewhere later, but they all preferred to follow me, so that's it. Anyway, there will be about six years left afterwards, and there will always be opportunities to shop around.

  "Let's go eat first! I heard Konoha's Ichiraku Ramen is very famous, it's just at the corner of that street." I remember Naruto Uzumaki's favorite food was this, let's go try it? I left Konoha when I was a little over three years old and wasn't brave enough to go eat ramen by myself.

  A wooden storefront, with curtains from some era, orange-yellow lighting, giving off a warm feeling, is this the reason why Whirlpool Roar likes this store?

  I quietly observe this ramen shop.

  "Hey! Little friends, I don't think I've seen you before. Are you tourists? Where are your parents?" The boss of the noodle shop enthusiastically greeted the four strange children who had just entered the store.

  "We just arrived in Konoha today and we don't have any parents." Hatake Kakashi, who was looking around the store's decorations, replied to the shopkeeper's question.

  "Alright then! Today, I'll treat you kids to a free meal as a celebration of your arrival in Konoha! Kids, what do you want to eat?" The shop owner looked at the four adorable children with a mix of emotions, thinking that their parents must have been killed by bandits or something similar, which led them to become homeless and end up in Konoha.

  "Thanks!" It's always good when someone treats you to something, especially since I think that for the next few years I won't be able to casually go out and make some extra money by killing people. Being frugal is a must.

  "It's too... expensive! Isn't it? Let's go eat something else?" Bai still thought they should pay!

  "It's nothing, Bai, we can just come and eat more often in the future," I said.

  "We're all hungry, we haven't eaten since noon and now it's almost evening." Kuma reminded Bai that the adults hadn't eaten yet either.

  "Right! White Big Brother, Shi Liu Ye is also hungry!"

  I forced a wry smile, wondering how I ended up looking like a bad guy, and then I was pulled into the seat.

  "Hey, cheer up a bit, it's your first time eating ramen, don't be shy!" I said to Bai, pinching his still-smiling cheek.

  "Shōbu, prepare four bowls of our special ramen." The boss yelled towards the kitchen.

  "Dad! The special dried bamboo shoots are all gone! The others that were smoked aren't ready yet." A delicate voice came from the kitchen in the back.

  "That's alright, boss, we can eat other types of ramen instead." Being treated to a meal and still complaining about this and that, I don't have the nerve for that.

  "No way, I said we're having the signature special ramen today, and that's what we're going to have! A man's gotta keep his promise!" The boss slammed his hand on the table with great force to show his determination.

  It shouldn't be that exaggerated, right? I looked at the ramen shop owner with sparks flying out of his eyes and began to suspect a blood relationship between him and Iron Blood Kay.

  "Shanpu, really no special dried bamboo shoots at all?" The boss asked again reluctantly.

  "Dad! You seemed to have given all the remaining bamboo shoots to Aunt Akai who lives nearby the day before yesterday. Shall I go ask if there's any left? Aunt Akai lives alone, so she should still have some!"

  "Alright, anyway there are no other guests now, you go get it quickly!"

  It seems that the boss insisted on treating us to their signature special ramen today.

  Before long, the boss's daughter, Irises, appeared at the entrance of the store.

  "Dad, I told Ah-Qing Auntie, and she said that since she was going to eat anyway, why not invite these few kids to join her for dinner? We can have ramen another day!"

  "Is that so! Did she say that? She's also very lonely, then let's give it to her! Kawabata, take these few kids to Kōei's house. Kids, come back another day to eat ramen! Uncle still owes you one time!"

  The noodle shop owner, who was very firm just a moment ago, let out a sigh and promptly transferred the right to treat us to food.

  Can't we ask for our opinions? But going to someone else's house to eat! That should be a home-cooked meal, right? The boss is looking at us as orphans and thought of letting us go eat. After all, we shouldn't have the chance to eat again in the short term.

  "How about it? Let's come back another day to eat ramen, now there is a family who wants to invite us for dinner, do you want to go?" I asked the opinions of the other three people.

  "It's all right, if there's leftover food, just take it away."

  "Agreed."

  "I agree."

  I was just asking for your opinion, don't take it seriously! From now on, you must develop your own ideas well, and since someone is waiting, let's just forget about it for now.