As the dawn broke, in the western part of the village stood the Aji No Takumi restaurant.
The shop restaurant owner, Fujiwara, was a capable middle-aged man. He was standing at the shop entrance, with a ruddy complexion, directing several quick-witted employees as they worked busily.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Set the flagpole up firmly! A little higher on the left! Yes, just like that!"
He looked up, his voice exceptionally loud.
Brand new congratulatory banners were erected, lined up neatly on both sides of the shop entrance, red with white lettering, fluttering in the wind.
The first few banners read: "Congratulations to Shinichi Higashino, the champion of the Land of Fire's first culinary tournament!"
"Commemoration of the title, Master Chef!"
"Aji No Takumi, Lifetime Honorary Culinary Master!"
At the end of the line of banners trailed a string of slightly smaller ones: "In Gratitude: Half Price on All Items for Three Days."
"Not just our store!"
Boss Fujiwara waved his hand triumphantly while pointing to both sides of the street: "All the neighboring stores that have already spoken to me, hang up your congratulatory banners! And put up banners at both ends of this street too! We want everyone who passes by to know that the champion came from our street, from our Aji No Takumi!"
Under his organization, the entire small commercial street quickly became filled with connected banners and flags. Rows of shop-front banners stood like a forest. When the wind blew, they rustled loudly together, creating an atmosphere as joyful as a festival.
Passersby stopped to watch and discuss the scene, and many regular customers even congratulated Fujiwara with smiles.
Team 10 has not yet returned to the village after completing their mission, but Shinichi Higashino's name has once again swept through the streets and alleys of Konoha in another unexpected way.
That afternoon, Team 7, having completed yet another D-rank mission, happened to pass by this street, decorated with fluttering flags and banners, on their way back to the Hokage building to hand in the mission.
"Wow, it's so lively!"
Obito Uchiha was the first to be attracted by the array of flags and the bustling crowd. He looked around curiously, and his eyes quickly locked onto the tallest and largest congratulatory flags at the entrance of Aji No Takumi.
He squinted and slowly read aloud: "The winner... Shinichi Higashino... Land of Fire's first culinary tournament... Excellent..."
He stopped abruptly halfway through his reading, blinked, and looked utterly bewildered. He then turned sharply to Kakashi, who stood beside him with a cold expression: "Huh? Kakashi! How come this culinary master, Shinichi Higashino, who won the culinary tournament, has the exact same name as that guy, Shinichi?"
Kakashi didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, his hands in his pockets, and only uttered one word: "Idiot."
"What did you say?! You bastard Kakashi!"
Obito bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on and waved his fists angrily.
"It should be the same person, Obito."
Rin Nohara's gentle voice rang out just in time, easing the impending daily argument.
She smiled at Obito and reminded him, "Have you forgotten? When Shinichi graduated early last year, didn't he hold a big thank-you banquet at Aji No Takumi restaurant and invite a lot of people? We came together at the time, and when Mr. Fujiwara gave his speech, he proudly said that Shinichi was the best chef in their restaurant."
"Ah! That's right!"
After Rin's reminder, Obito slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing the situation, but then his face was replaced by even stronger disbelief: "But, but that's cooking! The first national culinary tournament! Isn't Shinichi a ninja? He's already so strong, and he actually went to participate in the tournament and won the championship? He's a top-level chef?"
He stared at the fluttering flag, then at the bustling scene inside and outside the shop, opened his mouth, and finally choked out, "This is just too unfair!"
Minato Namikaze, listening to his students' conversation while maintaining his signature warm smile. He glanced at the prominent banners around him, then at the three students with varying expressions, and said with a smile: "As expected of Shinichi! Not only has he made rapid progress in the ninja way, but he has also reached such a level in cooking, even winning the championship."
He then clapped his hands and suggested, "Perfect timing! Our Team 7 hasn't had a proper meal together since it was formed. After we hand in our mission, this is a rare opportunity. I'll treat you to a meal at Aji No Takumi. It'll also be a way to celebrate for Shinichi."
"Wow! That's great! Minato-sensei is the best!"
Obito Uchiha immediately raised both hands in agreement, his eyes shining as if he could already smell the delicious aroma.
"Really? Thank you, Minato-sensei!"
Rin Nohara also smiled happily and thanked him politely.
Both of them reacted enthusiastically. However, amidst the cheerful atmosphere, Kakashi remained silent, standing in place with his hands in his pockets, his head slightly lowered as he stared at the ground.
"Kakashi?"
Minato Namikaze keenly noticed his student's unusual behavior and asked gently, "Shall we come together?"
Kakashi remained silent for a moment before slowly raising his head. His gaze swept over the excited Obito and Rin, finally meeting Minato's gentle blue eyes.
He quickly looked away, shook his head, and said in a somewhat somber voice: "No, Minato-sensei, I still have some training plans to complete. You guys go ahead."
"What's wrong with you, Kakashi!"
Obito Uchiha immediately complained while moving closer to him. "You're such a killjoy! Why are you always thinking about training? Training can be done anytime! It's rare for Minato-sensei to treat us, and it's good that Shinichi won the championship. Let's all have some fun together! Stop being so unsociable!"
Rin Nohara gently tugged at Obito's sleeve, signaling him not to get too agitated, then looked at Kakashi with concern: "Kakashi, are you really not going? You work so hard every day, it's okay to relax a little once in a while."
Minato Namikaze looked at Kakashi quietly, a hint of worry flashing deep in his eyes.
Training, training, and more training.
Ever since Kakashi suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Shinichi Higashino, and even the White Light Chakra Sabre, a symbol of clan heritage and his father's glory, was broken, a significant change has occurred in this child.
Shinichi's sharp, incisive words may indeed have been like a potent medicine, piercing through some of the knots in Kakashi's heart that he had long used to numb himself with the supremacy of rules and trapped in the shadow of his father's death, forcing him to confront some issues that he had been avoiding.
However, the old obsession was forcibly pried open, and a new, more intense, yet more singular obsession swept through his entire mind like wildfire, to become stronger!
Become stronger at all costs!
Over the past month, Minato, as the Jonin leader of Team 7, has witnessed everything.
Kakashi remains efficient and calm when carrying out missions, leaving no room for error.
However, if he has even a minute of free time between missions, he will immediately immerse himself in various physical training, chakra control, or swordsmanship practice, like a wound-up, tireless machine.
It was a near-obsessive, self-punishing, frantic pursuit.
It was as if he wanted to use extreme physical exhaustion and rapid improvement in skills to fill the huge void in his heart that had been carved open by Shinichi's words and the sound of the broken sword, a void called weakness and confusion.