Chapter 4: The Legendary Otsutsuki Ichiraku

"Goo goo goo..."

Just as Naruto was laughing heartily, his stomach growled at an inappropriate time.

"Let's go, my treat. Let's celebrate our meeting!" Sakura stood up with her umbrella. Although the Haruno family was not as wealthy as the big clans, her parents owned a shop in Konoha, making them a well-off family. Due to Sakura's tendency to be a shut-in, she had hardly ever spent her allowance, so treating Naruto and Iruka to a meal was not a problem.

"Minato, I'm sorry..."

In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage smoked a cigarette while watching the crystal ball in front of him, which showed the images of Naruto, Sakura, and their group. When he saw Naruto introducing himself with a smile, the Third Hokage couldn't help but sigh, and the wrinkles on his forehead deepened.

"But now Naruto has made friends, like Inoichi's daughter and that girl named Haruno Sakura. You're quite similar in terms of your ability to make friends with girls!" Thinking of the little sun who was so popular in the ninja school, the Third Hokage felt complicated. Minato Namikaze was Jiraiya's disciple and his grandson, but he was unable to protect his grandson in the end, and even failed to protect his grandson's only child.

Sakura could vaguely feel the Third Hokage's surveillance, but she was not surprised. As the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox, Naruto was monitored by many people around him. Whoever Naruto had contact with would be reported in a timely manner. Sakura knew about the crystal ball that the Third Hokage used to monitor the entire village, so this vague feeling of being watched was probably due to that.

Ichiraku Ramen Shop, which had a high appearance rate in Naruto, was a place that countless Naruto fans had parodied. The shop was run by a pair of squint-eyed bosses who were known as the legendary Otsutsuki Ichiraku.

Legend has it that Otsutsuki Ichiraku was the mastermind behind the entire Naruto world, with his noodle jutsu being comparable to the Yin-Yang Release of the Six Paths Sage. He usually stayed by the protagonist's side as a ramen shop owner, responsible for handing over ramen infused with chakra to the protagonist to assist in his training. Every time Konoha faced a major crisis, it was his behind-the-scenes actions that saved the village from destruction.

However, these were all just fantasies that Naruto fans came up with when they were bored. In reality, Otsutsuki Ichiraku was just a ramen shop owner. As for how he managed to survive the village-destroying plans of Orochimaru and Pain, it was probably because Ichiraku Ramen Shop invested in the Naruto production team.

"Uncle Ichiraku, I'm here again..."

As soon as they entered the shop, Naruto shouted happily. Uncle Ichiraku and Ayame were among the few people in Konoha who didn't dislike him, and Naruto loved to come to Ichiraku Ramen Shop to eat. However, although the price of ramen was not too expensive, the main source of income was the orphan relief fund, so Naruto couldn't afford to come every day. Therefore, he was always especially happy when he came to eat at Ichiraku Ramen.

"Oh, Uncle Ichiraku, what happened to your hand?!" However, as soon as the three of them entered, they saw Uncle Ichiraku's left hand wrapped tightly in gauze.

"My father wanted to create a new flavor of ramen, but accidentally cut his hand while chopping vegetables!" Ayame looked at Uncle Ichiraku with some reproach and said, "Really, even though you're already this old, you still insist on showing off and chopping vegetables at such a fast speed. Now you've injured yourself!"

"Ah, well, yesterday I talked to Aka and got a little too excited!" Uncle Ichiraku looked embarrassed. He had been inspired by Aka's youthful slogan and had chosen to chop vegetables at his fastest speed, but he accidentally cut his hand.

"If your hand is injured, does that mean there's no ramen to eat?!" Naruto suddenly looked dejected.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. If you want ramen, you'll have to wait until my hand heals!" Uncle Ichiraku apologized.

"Um, Uncle Ichiraku, can I use your kitchen?" Sakura put down her oil-paper umbrella and asked. Besides Ichiraku Ramen Shop, the other famous food in Konoha was barbecue, but Sakura couldn't afford it now.

"Huh? Little girl, do you know how to make ramen?" Uncle Ichiraku looked at Sakura in surprise. A four-year-old child didn't look like someone who could cook.

"I know a little!" Sakura smiled. In her past life, she had been alone and loved to eat, so she had tasted many delicious foods and had learned how to make many of them. When it came to food, she was not bragging when she said that Chinese cuisine could compete with the world.

Wearing the shrunken version of the chef's uniform that Uncle Ichiraku had specially found for her and a chef's hat, Sakura now felt like a professional chef.

When it came to ramen, the most famous in her past life was Lanzhou ramen. Although Sakura didn't know the steps to make it, she knew how to make regular ramen.

She pressed and kneaded the dough in her small hands, then grabbed both ends and pulled and beat it, her movements flowing like water, as if she were creating a work of art.

The ramen gradually took shape in Sakura's hands, and the Power Stone's blessing made it effortless for her. The only trouble was probably the length of her arms. With a four-year-old body, her arms could only stretch so far, so the amount of ramen she could make at once was not enough for a whole bowl.

"Hey, I'll make a little bit first for you to try. If you like it, I'll make more!" Sakura said, placing a bowl of ramen in front of them. She exhaled and controlled her body to land on the ground. With her four-year-old body, even the stove was taller than her, so she had to use the Reality Stone to float herself. As for how the Third Hokage and others would view this, she could just attribute it to her Kekkei Genkai. After all, the ninja world was so big, and no one knew whether there was a Kekkei Genkai that could make people float.

"Oh, okay..." Uncle Ichiraku was surprised by Sakura's series of actions and subconsciously picked up his chopsticks to try a strand of ramen. It was elastic and chewy, and the taste was different from any other ramen he had ever tasted. Although they used the same ingredients as Ichiraku Ramen Shop, the different preparation methods resulted in a different taste.

"Wow, how is it? How is it?" Naruto drooled as he looked at Uncle Ichiraku. Just by looking at it, he felt like eating it. After smelling the aroma in the air, he felt even hungrier.

"It's delicious, completely different from any other ramen I've tasted. Little girl, you've created a new kind of ramen!" Uncle Ichiraku's squinted eyes widened, and he stared at Sakura. "Little girl, you're very talented. Why don't you learn how to make ramen with me?!"

"No..." Sakura refused without hesitation. "Although I love food, I don't want to be a professional chef. It's too tiring!"

"Is that so? What a pity!" Uncle Ichiraku was heartbroken. What a good chef she could have been, but now she was leaving him. He felt really sad.

"However, although I don't want to be a full-time chef, I'm still happy to discuss cooking methods with Uncle Ichiraku in my spare time!" Sakura said, lifting Uncle Ichiraku's spirits.

"Really?!" As someone who had devoted his life to pursuing food, Uncle Ichiraku was now very excited.

"No problem. I happen to know many different kinds of food that are different from what we're eating now. We can work together. And as for our goal, one day, I want our restaurant to spread throughout the entire ninja world!" Sakura said with great enthusiasm. She knew the methods, and Uncle Ichiraku could easily reproduce the delicious food. Her parents and Ayame could manage the shop, and Uncle Ichiraku could research various foods, teach apprentices, and one day, she would spread the delicious food of her past life throughout the world.

"Great, one day, our food will spread throughout the entire ninja world. We are the ones who will change the ninja world!" Uncle Ichiraku's eyes shone. This was the ultimate glory for someone who was determined to pursue food.

"I say, weren't we here to eat? Why did they suddenly become so passionate?" Ino covered her forehead awkwardly, her face showing a headache.

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