Jiraya

Chapter 40 Jiraya.

"Uncle Teuchi, ramen!"

Kiba called out happily as he entered the Ichiraku Ramen shop, taking his usual

seat.

"Ah, Kiba," Uncle Teuchi

greeted him with a smile. "What will it be today? I've just developed a

new seafood ramen, and we still have the usual pork bone and char siu ramen,

and miso ramen."

"Give me a bowl of

each!" Kiba declared boldly. Then he turned and called out,

"Hirohiko, Yukina, let's go big today! Order whatever you want!"

Hirohiko and Yukina walked into

the shop, their faces serious and determined, ready to eat their fill.

"Enlarge tonkotsu ramen with

char siu! Add seafood in it," Hirohiko ordered with his usual poker face.

"I want tonkotsu char siu,

seafood, and miso ramen, with less noodles, thank you, Uncle Teuchi,"

Yukina added smartly, knowing that fewer noodles meant more ingredients.

Uncle Teuchi hesitated for a

moment. "You three... those are very expensive."

"It's okay, Uncle Teuchi,

just do it. Someone else will pay!" Kiba said confidently as Hirohiko and

Yukina took their seats beside him in silent agreement.

Someone else will pay?

Teuchi was puzzled until another

customer walked in—white hair in a spiky style, a braid at the end, and a

forehead protector with the word "oil" on it. It was Jiraiya.

"I'll cover what these three

want to eat," Jiraiya said with a wry smile.

"Oh!" Teuchi realized,

nodding as he went back to prepare the ramen.

Jiraiya found a seat, unable to

suppress the wry smile on his face as he looked at Kiba. This kid really has a

way with words... In the end, I have to pay for their lunch and dinner.

Hirohiko and Yukina glanced at

Kiba, who was eagerly waiting for the ramen, admiration in their eyes. His

eloquence had left Jiraiya speechless and had made him seem like a

"blasphemer against the Will of Fire," a crime against the First,

Second, and Third Hokage.

It earned them a day's worth of

food.

Impressive!

Hirohiko and Yukina were full of

admiration.

Kiba didn't even know where his

arguments came from. When he thought of meat and ramen, his mind filled with

inspiration, and he managed to elevate the situation to a serious enough level

that Jiraiya had no choice but to agree to his terms.

Invite them to eat for a day as an

apology!

Jiraiya never expected that

testing these three Hokage-favored geniuses would cost him two meals.

However, his assessment of Uchiha

Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina satisfied him greatly. But Taki Kiba... except for

his eloquence, his other abilities were disappointing.

He couldn't understand how Kiba

managed to defeat Kakashi with his reaction and vigilance... Could it be due to

his lack of mission experience?

Jiraiya stroked his chin,

pondering.

Meanwhile, Kiba, Hirohiko, and

Yukina eagerly awaited their delicious Ichiraku ramen. They rarely communicated

while eating, being naturally quiet. Hirohiko was the least talkative, followed

by Yukina. Kiba was more talkative but often fell into deep thought, becoming

taciturn.

Together, Uzumaki Kushina often

dubbed them the "gloomy trio."

"Okay, your extra tonkotsu

ramen, seafood ramen, and miso ramen," Teuchi announced as he placed the

steaming, appetizing ramen in front of them.

"And for you, extra tonkotsu

ramen with char siu and seafood."

"Miso ramen, extra tonkotsu

char siu, and seafood."

The five bowls of noodles were

neatly placed in front of the trio, who eagerly dug in. Especially Kiba, who

devoured his ramen as if it would be taken from him if he ate too slowly.

Suddenly, Kiba, mid-bite, looked

up and called, "Uncle Teuchi, another large pork bone char siu ramen with

extra seafood!"

Teuchi, puzzled, looked at the

already large bowls in front of Kiba. "Kiba, can you still eat?"

"No! It's not for me,"

Kiba replied, swallowing his noodles. "It's for this uncle." He

pointed to Jiraiya.

Jiraiya was taken aback, but

Teuchi looked at him and then nodded, going back to make more ramen.

Jiraiya looked at Kiba with a wry

smile. This kid... ordering so freely when someone else is paying.

However, Jiraiya's wry smile

turned into a genuine one as he watched the trio eat happily. These three

children would likely go to the battlefield when the war broke out. Who knew if

they'd have the chance to eat so joyfully in the future?

Thinking of this, Jiraiya felt a

heavy burden, and his smile faded.

"Hi! Your large tonkotsu

ramen with char siu and extra seafood!" Teuchi placed the bowl in front of

Jiraiya.

Despite the enticing aroma,

Jiraiya had little appetite.

However, seeing Teuchi smiling at

the trio enjoying their meal, Jiraiya picked up his chopsticks and added the

uneaten char siu and seafood to the trio's bowls, making them look over in

surprise.

"Eat," Jiraiya said with

a sly smile.

Laughing so wretchedly...

That was Kiba's first thought.

However, why does this smile feel

ominous?

That was Kiba's second thought.

"Let's eat..." Jiraiya

finished dividing the food and began eating his noodles.

Seeing Jiraiya eat, the trio

resumed their meal, albeit puzzled.

Half an hour later...

Kiba, Hirohiko, Yukina, and a

wallet-distressed Jiraiya left the shop, hearing Uncle Teuchi's call,

"Thank you for your patronage."

"See you tonight,"

Jiraiya said, intending to head home.

After a while, he noticed three

little shadows following him, discussing such things as, "So full,

Hirohiko, Yukina, can you still eat tonight?" and "Which restaurant

is the most delicious and expensive?"

"I said... you guys..."

Jiraiya turned slowly, and the trio stopped.

"Why?" Kiba asked.

"Why are you following

me?" Jiraiya asked, a bit helpless.

"I'm afraid you'll renege on

your debt."

"I'm afraid you'll renege on

your debt!"

"I'm afraid you'll

renege..."

Kiba, Hirohiko, and Yukina said

one after another.

Jiraiya felt a drop of cold sweat

form on the back of his head.

These kids! I don't intend to

renege!

Jiraiya frowned.

The trio looked at him with

expressions that said, "We won't let you escape."

Finally, the trio spent the whole

day following Jiraiya, who didn't use ninjutsu to escape.

He tried once, using a shadow

clone to confuse them while he slipped away, but Yukina's Byakugan spotted the

trick, and they cornered him again.

This time, Jiraiya could only

smile wryly at Kiba's arguments. He didn't intend to renege on his debts, so he

let them follow. He even led them around the village, testing their endurance.

Regarding stamina, Jiraiya was

impressed by the trio but developed a new question.

This Taki Kiba... his performance

wasn't outstanding. Compared to Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina, there was

nothing exceptional.

A bit disappointing. And more

puzzling.

How did Kiba defeat Kakashi? He

seems impossible to beat!

As for dinner that day...

Jiraiya would rather not mention

it. He discovered one important fact: Taki Kiba's stomach was like a bottomless

pit when it came to barbecue!

Never again would he take him to

eat barbecue.