Chapter 15: Going to Ichiraku for Ramen
"Iruka-sensei, I think I really am not the demon fox… How could the demon fox keep ending up in the hospital all the time?"
Naruto lay on the hospital bed, looking at Iruka who was desperately trying to comfort him. A helpless smile appeared on his pale little face.
"You definitely aren't the demon fox. So from now on, you need to take good care of your body. Once you return to school, study hard. If you want to become a ninja, you need a strong physique. You can't neglect either ninjutsu or taijutsu…"
Iruka had been visiting the hospital almost every day these past few days. When he arrived earlier, an auntie had even stopped him to ask which nurse he was interested in…
Now that Naruto's body had mostly recovered, Iruka could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The Hokage's mission was really not easy to complete!
"Mhm…"
Naruto nodded, but his expression clearly showed he was still uneasy about the idea of hitting people.
Because of his sudden fainting spell, the Hokage's side had temporarily stopped testing him. For the short term, he had been given a small break.
But there were still some things he needed to do — for example, the shop owner who had kicked him out and then stomped on him a few more times, as well as certain adults and children who had beaten him before…
Not everyone needed to die. Some could be left alive to suffer slowly.
"To celebrate your recovery, sensei will take you out for ramen today! The owner of the ramen shop is super nice!"
Iruka realized he hadn't brought any food, so he decided to take Naruto out to eat.
The Third Hokage had already sent someone to greet the ramen shop in advance, so bringing Naruto there shouldn't be a problem.
"Can I really go?"
Naruto thought of the legendary Ichiraku Ramen — the only place said to serve him. He was genuinely curious why the owner was willing to accept him.
After all, once he ate there, many civilians would refuse to come near the shop.
Running a business to make money… surely no one would willingly give up that opportunity?
It was precisely because he understood this that he only planned to target those who had physically hurt him. As for shop owners who had simply driven him away, Naruto had never intended to go after them from the start.
"Of course! Let's go, sensei will take you for ramen!"
Seeing the surprised joy in Naruto's eyes, Iruka decided he could order him a large portion later.
When treating someone to a meal, you had to make sure they ate their fill.
"Thank you, Iruka-sensei!"
Naruto changed into his own clothes and followed Iruka out of the hospital with a big smile.
When they arrived at Ichiraku Ramen, just as expected, there were no civilians around. The only customer in the shop was a ninja.
And…
If he wasn't mistaken, that was the Anbu known as Yamato (Tenzo).
They had replaced the previous watcher with the one who could use Wood Style to seal him. Were they afraid he would suddenly go berserk?
He was really disappointed in Konoha's leadership. They were so wary and harsh toward their own villagers, yet so soft and submissive toward other villages. The Third Hokage had grown old and cowardly — now he could only bully the people inside his own village!
"Boss, two large bowls please…"
After entering, Iruka deliberately let the owner see Naruto standing beside him.
"Please take a seat!"
The owner of Ichiraku Ramen was indeed a friendly middle-aged man. After glancing at Naruto, he treated him like any normal customer and invited them to sit and wait.
"Naruto, don't be polite with sensei today. Eat as much as you want — I'll make sure you're full!"
Iruka watched Naruto climb onto the stool and sit down, then generously declared his offer.
In his eyes, a child not even seven years old only needed one bowl. At most, a small extra bowl. It wouldn't cost much.
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