N-A-A Chapter 52: Encountering Naruto while checking in, and then going on a shopping spree!
Chapter 52: Encountering Naruto while checking in, and then going on a shopping spree!
"Ugh! I'm so hungry..."
Stepping out of the Hokage Building, Ishikawa rubbed his rumbling stomach and grimaced. He hadn't felt it before because of the stimulation from ninjutsu, but now that he relaxed, the urge to eat was overwhelming.
"You're already hungry at just past noon? Didn't you eat breakfast?" Kakashi asked curiously, glancing up at the midday sun before pointing.
"There's an Ichiraku Ramen over there, you can try it."
"Ichiraku Ramen." Ishikawa's eyes lit up instantly upon hearing this. He hadn't been able to afford it before because he was broke, but now that he was rolling in money, he had to have a big meal.
"Oh, and tell Taro that you're free to do whatever you want for the next week." Kakashi's eyes flashed with determination as he thought of the Lightning Release Armor.
"A week? Teacher, would you like to... uh??" Ishikawa turned around to invite Kakashi to go eat ramen together, but before he could finish speaking, Kakashi, who had instantly disappeared, choked on his words.
"What? Are you afraid I'll ask you to treat me to a meal? Teacher! I even said I'd treat you to a meal to thank you..." Ishikawa complained indignantly and immediately sped up towards Ichiraku Ramen.
It's better that he doesn't go; he'll save money!
After crossing two streets, Ishikawa soon spotted the famous Ichiraku Ramen sign featured in the Naruto storyline.
"Welcome..."
As soon as I walked in, a melodious greeting rang in my ears.
"What kind of ramen would you like, sir? This is the menu." Before Ishikawa could speak, the girl who had spoken earlier continued, pointing to the prominent table on the wall.
石川顺势看去，就见墙上表格白纸红字清晰写道：普通拉面:60/特制拉面：70/蔬菜拉面：65/豚骨拉面：75/曾味拉面：70/海鲜拉面：75……
Besides that, there was a price list for drinks and side dishes, with each side dish ranging from 5 to 30 taels.
"Give me a super-sized bowl of special Zeng-style tonkotsu and vegetable chashu ramen, plus a Meimon roll, a sausage, and a bottle of juice," the wealthy Ishikawa shouted arrogantly as he looked at the menu.
"Okay, sir." The middle-aged man smiled and nodded as soon as he saw Ishikawa order the deluxe set meal, preparing the ramen. This was a rare big customer!
"Here's your drink, guest." Changpu smiled and handed over the drink, then bent down to start preparing the side dishes.
Ishikawa picked up the drink and gulped down several mouthfuls, then looked at Ayame's pretty face and found it incredibly appealing!
To be honest, the quality of anime girls is truly undeniable.
While Ishikawa wouldn't necessarily have romantic feelings for every beautiful woman he sees, pleasing the eye is probably a pleasant experience...
"Guest, your ramen."
In less than three minutes, the father and daughter had brought a steaming bowl of deluxe ramen to Ishikawa. Already starving, Ishikawa didn't stand on ceremony and immediately grabbed her chopsticks and started digging!
"Hmm, the taste is alright. As expected of the protagonist's favorite food, it's only slightly inferior to what I've found in China." Ishikawa chewed on the delicious food in his mouth and made his own judgment, his hunger quickly subsiding.
"Uncle, I'd like a big bowl of ramen."
Just as Ishikawa was engrossed in eating, a bright and cheerful voice suddenly came from outside the door.
“No problem! Naruto.” Ishikawa was unmoved and trying to eat his fill, but the old man’s response made him pause.
Naruto? What a coincidence??
Instinctively, Ishikawa turned his head and saw the familiar blond boy wearing goggles sitting two seats away from him.
Although her appearance was still slightly younger than I remembered, her sunny and cheerful aura remained unchanged...
This is Naruto, the protagonist!!
"Hey! Why are you staring at me? Do we know each other?" Almost at the same time that Ishikawa was slightly stunned, Naruto asked, annoyed by the strange attention.
Damn it, that look again! Even though I don't mean any harm like some of those people, the distinctly different look in their eyes is still annoying!!
"I was just thinking about a bottom-of-the-class junior from the Ninja Academy. I wonder if it's you?" Ishikawa swallowed the noodles in his mouth and pointed to the ninja headband on his head with a nonchalant air.
The protagonist is something else! He almost choked me to death with just his words. If I weren't afraid of trouble, I would have taught this future junior brother a lesson today.
"Loser!" Naruto's face stiffened upon hearing this, and his gaze subconsciously turned to the side to look at Taiju and Ayame. "Uh, well, you must have mistaken me for someone else. I'm an elite member of the Ninja Academy, how could I be a loser like that?"
"Aha... Ahahahaha..."
"Really? Maybe!" Ishikawa looked at Naruto's awkward smile and remained noncommittal, not exposing his lie and continuing to eat.
Naruto is extremely sensitive at this time, so it's best to avoid contact. Ishikawa doesn't want to attract the attention of the Third Hokage or Danzo and invite trouble!
Naruto, who was awkwardly laughing, didn't dare to speak again when he saw that Ishikawa was silent, for fear that Uncle Tetsuya and his daughter would find out his secrets at school and disappoint them.
While Naruto was in agonizing anticipation, Uncle Tei quickly placed a bowl of ramen in front of him.
"Huh? I ordered regular ramen, not the savory tonkotsu ramen!" Naruto looked at the deluxe ramen in front of him and pulled out a crumpled ramen coupon with a bitter face.
"That was a free gift, Naruto," Taiju said casually, causing Naruto's eyes to well up with tears again.
[So this is the bond between Naruto and Ichiraku Ramen...] Ishikawa gave Teuchi a meaningful look, quickly finished his ramen, paid the bill, and left.
Eating with Naruto is too dangerous; it's better to leave sooner rather than later!
"Who exactly is that guy??" Naruto muttered to himself, scratching his head as he watched Ishikawa's departing figure, completely unable to recall having such a genin senior.
Ah, never mind...
Anyway, one day I, Naruto Uzumaki, will become a ninja! Absolutely!!
Here.
Ishikawa, ignoring Naruto's questions as he left the ramen shop, immediately began his planned operation after relaying Kakashi's message to his two underlings.
Buy two sets of these super durable, puncture-resistant ninja suits, each worth a thousand taels of silver.
Three hundred taels for each explosive tag, buy it, give me a hundred first!!
High-quality steel standard longswords, steel kunai, steel shuriken, premium steel wire, soldier rations, health pills, smoke bombs, etc. Basically, anything related to strength and improving his safety is a must-buy…
"Huh? I almost forgot about this!" Passing by the fresh food street near his home, Ishikawa looked at the wilted live fish and slapped his forehead.
Not wanting to arouse suspicion by buying too much, Ishikawa simply bought a half-dead carp and struggled home with his bags full of purchases.
"Since I have some time now, I'll try cultivating the Spirit Transformation Technique first." Looking at the twinkling stars outside the window, Ishikawa muttered to himself after washing up.
Although he was confident, he was not arrogant. If it was really difficult, there was no need to waste his precious cheat time practicing this S-level forbidden technique.
So, the first step: resonate with the soul using chakra...
Recalling the cultivation steps of the Spirit Transformation Technique, Ishikawa formed hand seals, closed his eyes, and focused his mind.
Of course, there are no cultivation scrolls left!
He spent so much time in the Hokage Building just memorizing the Spirit Transformation Technique, and the Third Hokage even ordered him not to leave any training materials behind. He told people to come to him if they couldn't remember something.
Yes, during this time, the Third Hokage also had Kakashi copy the Lightning Release Armor into the Book of Seals.