40 - Jiraiya

"Uncle Teuchi, Ramen!" Chiba cheerfully entered the Ichiraku Ramen shop and skillfully took his usual seat.

"Chiba..." The young Teuchi looked at Chiba with a smile. "What will it be today? I've just developed a new seafood ramen, or would you prefer the pork bone char siu ramen? Miso ramen?"

"Give me one of each!" Chiba confidently declared, then shouted, "Hirohiko, Yukina, today we're eating like kings! Order whatever you want!"

As soon as Chiba's voice fell, Hirohiko and Yukina entered the shop, their faces etched with serious determination as if they were on a mission to eat.

"Add extra pork bones and barbecued pork to the ramen! And throw in some seafood," Hirohiko ordered with a deadpan expression, stringing together his ambitious order.

"I'll have the pork bone char siu, seafood, and then miso ramen, but with fewer noodles, thank you, Uncle Teuchi," Yukina said. Clearly, she had a strategy, knowing that fewer noodles meant more room for the good stuff.

Teuchi, taken aback by the trio's orders, hesitated. "You three... ordering all these together. It's going to be costly."

"It's okay, Uncle Teuchi, go ahead with the order. Someone will cover the bill!" Chiba reassured, with Hirohiko and Yukina taking their seats beside him.

Teuchi was puzzled but then noticed another figure entering his shop. With white, spiky hair, a braid at the back, and a forehead protector emblazoned with the "oil" symbol, it was none other than Jiraiya.

"Oh, it's..." Teuchi recognized the legendary Sannin of Konoha.

"I'll cover whatever these three kids order," Jiraiya said with a resigned smile.

"Ah!" Realizing the situation, Teuchi quickly went back to prepare the ramen.

Jiraiya found a place to sit, his wry smile lingering. He looked at Chiba, thinking, 'This kid is quite the negotiator...' In the end, he was persuaded to pay for their lunch and dinner.

Hirohiko and Yukina also glanced at Chiba, who was eagerly anticipating the ramen, their eyes shining with admiration.

Chiba's rhetoric had effortlessly swayed Jiraiya, even leading to Jiraiya's involuntary sponsorship of their meal, showcasing Chiba's unexpected persuasive power.

In fact, Chiba wasn't entirely sure how he managed it. When the thought of meat and ramen filled his mind, his inspiration flowed, and he elevated the situation to a convincingly critical level. Eventually, even Jiraiya found himself unable to refuse Chiba's demands.

Jiraiya hadn't anticipated that his simple test would end up costing him two meals for the trio, highly regarded by the Third Hokage. However, while Hirohiko Uchiha and Yukina Hyuga left a good impression, Chiba's cunning left Jiraiya both surprised and slightly disappointed.

Jiraiya pondered Chiba's potential, wondering how he could possibly outmatch Kakashi in terms of reaction and alertness. Was it the lack of mission experience?

As Jiraiya mused, the trio eagerly awaited their delicious Ichiraku ramen. They rarely spoke among themselves, with Hirohiko being the most silent, followed by Yukina, and Chiba, who often drifted into his thoughts, becoming silent and introspective.

Thus, Kushina Uzumaki often referred to them as the "sullen trio."

"Okay, here are your big pork bone char siu ramen, seafood ramen, and miso ramen," Teuchi announced, placing the steaming bowls in front of them. The aroma was tantalizing.

"And yours, extra pork bone barbecued pork ramen with added seafood."

"Miso ramen, pork bones char siu, and seafood."

The five bowls of ramen were neatly set before them, and they couldn't wait to dig in, especially Chiba, who devoured his meal as if it would disappear if he ate too slowly.

Suddenly, mid-gobble, Chiba looked up. "Uncle, let's have another round of pork bone and barbecued pork ramen, plus extra seafood."

Teuchi was startled, looking at the three bowls in front of Chiba. "Chiba, can you still eat?"

"No!" Chiba said after swallowing his noodles. "It was for this gentleman here," as he pointed towards Jiraiya.

Jiraiya was momentarily taken aback, but after glancing at him, the owner quickly went to prepare the ramen.

Jiraiya looked at Chiba with a wry smile, thinking to himself, 'This kid... really knows how to order without worrying about the cost.'

However, Jiraiya's wry smile turned into a genuine one as he observed the joy of Chiba and his friends.

'These three kids will go to the battlefield when the war breaks out. Who knows if they'll have the chance to enjoy such moments again,' Jiraiya thought, feeling a heaviness in his heart, and his smile slowly faded.

"Hai! Your super pork bone char siu ramen, and two seafood ramens!" The large bowls of ramen were placed in front of Jiraiya.

He could smell the aroma but had lost his appetite.

However, seeing the cheerful expressions of the Chiba trio, he picked up his chopsticks and distributed the char siu and seafood into their bowls. Everyone looked on.

"Let's eat," Jiraiya said with a squinted smile.

'What a mischievous smile...' This was Chiba's first thought.

'But, how can this smile give off a bad vibe?' This was Chiba's second thought.

"Let's eat..." After Jiraiya finished distributing, he picked up his chopsticks and started eating his noodles.

Seeing Jiraiya eating, the Chiba trio were slightly puzzled but began to eat as well.

Half an hour later...

Chiba, Hirohiko, Yukina, and a wallet-concerned Jiraiya walked out of the shop, hearing the owner say, "Thank you for coming."

"Then, see you tonight," Jiraiya said, about to head home.

However, after walking a bit, he noticed the three little tails following him, discussing things like, "I am so full, Hirohiko, Yukina, can you still eat tonight?" "No!" "I guess I can't eat anymore." They were debating whether they could eat dinner.

There were even discussions about "Which restaurant in our village is delicious and expensive."

"I said... you guys..." Jiraiya slowly turned around, and the Chiba trio also stopped.

"Why are you following me?" Jiraiya was a bit exasperated.

"We're making sure you don't go back on your word!" Chiba, Hirohiko, and Yukina said in unison.

Suddenly, Jiraiya felt a cold sweat trickle down his forehead.

'These two boys and girl! I didn't plan to ditch them!' Jiraiya frowned.

And the three of them looked at him with an "You're not getting away" expression.

Finally, that day, they followed Jiraiya everywhere, and he didn't use ninjutsu to escape.

In fact, he tried once, using the *Shadow Clone Jutsu* to confuse them while his real body fled, but was spotted by Yukina's Byakugan, and they caught up to him again.

This time, Jiraiya felt a sense of defeat and could only smile wryly. However, he didn't intend to ditch them, so he led them on a vigorous tour around the village to test their stamina.

As for their endurance, Jiraiya was very impressed with all three, but he had a new concern.

'This Chiba Taki... doesn't seem outstanding compared to Hirohiko Uchiha and Yukina Hyuga. Nothing about him seemed exceptional...' Jiraiya thought, feeling a bit disappointed.

Then, more puzzled, he wondered, 'Why did Chiba defeat Kakashi? In my opinion, it shouldn't have happened!'

As for dinner that day...

Jiraiya didn't want to talk about it for a long time, but he also discovered something important.

Chiba Taki had an insatiable appetite when it came to barbecue!

Absolutely, he couldn't take him to a barbecue again.