Chapter 10 - Library And Ichiraku Ramen

After about half an hour of walking and asking for directions Daichi finally reached his destination. A tall building stood in front of him. Beside it's entrance doors stood the words 'Leaf Village Library.'

'Based on the geography, the library is almost in the middle of this village. A public library accessible to all villagers. Just what I need right now. Alright. First thing to do is read up on history. Make sure there are no unexpected surprises. I'm not sure if there is a restricted section in this place… I'll just check out what's public.'

Making up his mind, Daichi went into the library. The moment he went inside a notification appeared.

[You have found Leaf village Library.]

[Quest progression. (4/7)]

Dismissing the notification he observed the place. The building had 3 floors with several shelves on each one. He could see several tables and chairs and saw a few people reading or taking notes. And at the front of the library there was an old lady sitting behind a desk reading a book giggling to herself.

[??] [Fujiko Kaya]

???

Daichi couldn't get any information after using 'observe' on the woman but he could make a few guesses.

'This woman looks like she's over 50 years old. I don't recognize her from the story so she must not be that important but judging from the fact that I can't see her level or information, she must be high chunin or Jonin. In hindsight that should've been obvious. The village wouldn't keep someone weak in charge of their information. Although since this is public I doubt I'd find anything dangerous or classified here. '

As the library had several sections dedicated to many subjects, Daichi decided to ask the librarian the location of the history books. She pointed to a shelf in the corner and resumed her reading.

Daichi came upon a small shelf filled with books of various sizes. He looked at the titles of each book. After a minute he took several books, went to a nearby table and started reading. He found a book that depicted the founding of the village and the different clans that joined shortly after. Although there was some information that Daichi knew from his past life that was not included in the book, there was some that he didn't know. But they were mostly common knowledge and unimportant.

[Due to learning and understanding new information, you have obtained +1 INT]

While reading the books he got a stat point in Intelligence. He read through several books as the hours passed by. From the first world war to the third world war and to the nine tails attack. He also read about the several clans that reside in the village. After reading all the books he found interesting, he had an understanding of the time period he's in and a solid knowledge about the leaf village.

'Hmm. There doesn't seem to be any major changes to the story. The history is the same as the one in the story. So everything is the same until now but since I'm a wrinkle in the time the changes should start to take place from this point forward. But I don't plan on doing anything big so the timeline should stay relatively the same. Right now my biggest advantage is my future knowledge.'

'According to these books the leaf village was formed around 70 years ago. And the Ninetails attack was 5 years ago. Then based on my memories the Uchiha clan gets annihilated almost 3 years from now. And since I'm joining the academy next year there's a chance I'm in Sasuke's year group. Unless I'm mistaken Sasuke joined the academy 2 years before the massacre…'

'The Uchiha massacre huh. Should I tell someone… No. The events are already in motion. Nothing I do will change that. And if I do anything, it will only bring attention to me. Obito, Danzo, the Hokage, Itachi… All of them are dangerous. But the most dangerous one is Black Zetsu. He keeps an eye on everything. Definitely can't get on his radar. Not till I'm ready anyway.'

'And even in the 1 million possibility that I somehow prevent the clan massacre, that will affect who Orochimaru will target. He most probably will go after Sasuke even if the clan were alive since he's Itachi's brother and has a lot of potential but he will definitely switch targets if he can't get to him. Not to mention the ripple effects of the Uchiha clan being alive… Just thinking about all this gives me a headache.'

Daichi thought long and hard about the choices he's going to make and came to a hard decision. 'My first and most important priority should be my life and my survival. I'm not going to jeopardize that… It may seem selfish but I already had one life taken away from me before it could truly begin. I won't let that happen again.'

'I'm truly sorry Sasuke. I'm not gonna do anything or say anything that puts me at risk... It seems the destruction of your clan is truly inevitable. Maybe one day I'll make this up to you.'

'Now I understand where the phrase ignorance is bliss comes from. Having knowledge of the future is a blessing but at the same time it's also a curse. Even though I'm in no way responsible for the horror that's going to happen I still feel like shit for not doing anything.'

Daichi sighed to himself and shook his head slightly. 'I need to clear my head.'

He took a look at the clock. 'It's past noon. I've spent almost 5 hours here. Time to go.'

As he started sorting the books back in their places he thought about what he should do next.

'Need to complete the quest 'Explore the village' as soon as possible. And I need to start on that gardening quest too. I'm starting to feel a little hungry. Hmm… I'll head to Ichiraku Ramen first. Have some of that delicious ramen. Then I'll head to the Hokage Rock and take in the view.'

'My last stop will be the Yamanaka flower shop and I'll buy the flower seeds and fertilizers…. I can't waste time by blindly going in any direction. And asking people for directions will take a little longer than I want. I need a map.'

Daichi went to the librarian. She was reading a book and lightly giggling. Looking at the cover Daichi could make out the name of the book.

Icha Icha... 'Of all the people I run into…Still…'

'A woman of culture. Respect.' Daichi mentally saluted.

"Hello Miss."

The old lady looked up from her book. She had a small blush on her face. "What is it?"

"Do you have a map of the village you could sell me?"

"Why do you need a map?" She asked more out of boredom and a slight curiosity.

"I wanna visit the 'Hokage Mountain' and the Yamanaka flower shop. I also hear there's a tasty ramen stand somewhere. But I'll be wasting a lot of time trying to find the places if I don't have any idea of where I'm going." Daichi replied. "So I need a map. Got one?"

She looked at Daichi for a few seconds and then nodded her head. She took out a map that showed the several important places of the village. There were several famous landmarks and buildings marked on the map.

"That will be 100 Ryo."

Handing out the money, Daichi took the map and left the library. There were several locations marked on the map. Location of clan compounds, famous landmarks, historical and important buildings, and famous shops. His first stop. Ichiraku Ramen.

Looking at the map he had a good idea of where he was and following the directions marked in the map it didn't take him too long to reach the place. In front of him stood a small unassuming store but it's one of the most iconic places in this world. At least in his perspective.

[You have found Ichiraku Ramen restaurant.]

[Quest progression. (5/7)]

'Ichiraku Ramen. I can't...believe it.'

Daichi couldn't help but chuckle to himself at that. 'This is so surreal. Well time to see just how tasty the ramen really is.'

He stood there on the road for a few seconds taking in the view and then slowly went inside. He took a seat and waited. He saw a couple of people eating ramen on the other side. A few seconds later a man who looked to be in his mid 40s came from the kitchen and looked towards Daichi with a smile.

'Observe'

[ LV.12] [Teuchi]

Age: 43

HP: 1255. CP: 287

[Teuchi is the owner of Ichiraku Ramen Restaurant and a ramen chef. He is a kind and jovial man who started making ramen in his early teenage years. He devoted his life to making great ramen and years later opened the Ichiraku Ramen restaurant. He has a daughter named Ayame. He has a slightly good impression of you.]

"Hello young man. Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen. My name is Teuchi. What can I get you today?"

"Hello sir. My name is Daichi. I heard your ramen tastes delicious. So I'm really eager to try it out." Daichi said politely.

[Rep slightly increases with Teuchi.]

Teuchi beamed at the praise. He was happy whenever someone praised his ramen shop. "I'll make sure not to disappoint you young man. So what will you be having? Any preferences?"

Daichi already had an answer to that question. The first ramen he was going to try would definitely be that one.

"One bowl of Miso ramen with pork please."

"One bowl of Miso ramen with pork coming up. Please wait." With that Teuchi went back to the kitchen to prepare the ramen. Daichi sat quietly thinking about his circumstances and got lost in his thoughts. Everything that was happening still felt almost impossible to him.

After about 15 minutes Teuchi returned with a bowl of ramen in his hands. He placed it in front of the young boy. "Here's your ramen. Enjoy." With that he left.

'Observe'

[Miso Ramen with pork]

[A delicious ramen dish made by Teuchi. Miso ramen seasoned with miso paste. It has a nutty, umami-rich flavor that increases the taste of the soup base. The broth is made from pork bones, several vegetables and seasonings. This ramen has 6 slices of perfectly cooked pork belly, one boiled egg, noodles, and additional toppings like Green onions, Naruto(fish cake) and Menma(preserved bamboo shoots). One bowl of ramen restores 11 HP and 4 CP.]

[Skill Observe's level has risen by one.]

Daichi dismissed the notification and was admiring the food.

'This looks absolutely delicious. Smells really great too.'

"Thank you for the meal."

Picking up the chopsticks, Daichi slowly started eating the ramen. 'I can understand why Naruto would come here every chance he gets. This is really tasty.'

"So how does it taste?" Teuchi asked with a knowing smile.

Daichi swallowed and answered "Absolutely wonderful. The guy who said your ramen tastes good was underselling. This is really delicious." Daichi praised the old chef.

[Rep increases with Teuchi.]

"Glad you like it." With that Teuchi went back to the kitchen with a happy smile.

And Daichi resumed his eating. He slowly ate the noodles and pork and savored the broth. He wanted to enjoy the first ramen he had at this place. After about 20 minutes he was done. He chatted with Teuchi about the various Ramen dishes he served. Then paid the bill and left the place with a promise to come back and try each one.

'I'm so happy right now.' Daichi had a silly smile on his face as he slowly walked.

"Alright. Now that I'm full, next stop, Hokage Mountain."

Daichi took out the map from his bag and looked at the fastest route to the Hokage mountain. As he was carefully looking at the map a blue box appeared in front of him.

[You have acquired a map and successfully reached one of the destinations marked on the map. Conditions for activating 'Mini-map' reached. Future maps and locations visited will automatically be added to Mini-map.]

As Daichi looked over and dismissed the box, a holographic round map appeared on the right bottom side of his vision. He was marked as a green dot and based on his movements and change in directions, the map would adjust its position. Every other person on the map was marked white. Daichi had a small rush of information coming to his mind. He had now memorized every route and location on the map. After the information flow subsided a smile came to his face and a single thought ran through his mind.

'I really do love the gamer ability.'