Naruto: Choosing from Birth

Bang!!!

Pfft...

Maruyama Shota, who had been drinking milk alone in the shop, was so startled that he spat out a mouthful of Telunsu.

"It's you again, girl. You've kicked my door down twice already. Next time—next time you really have to pay for it!"

The moment Maruyama Shota saw who had come in, his head began to ache.

To investigate the case files, Uchiha Rinne had previously approached three suspects using the identity of this civilian girl.

"I told you already, your poor business is definitely because of that thick, light-blocking wooden door. It makes the whole shop feel gloomy."

"If you want compensation, how about I just replace it with a glass door with better lighting?"

Rinne sprawled herself across the guest table and picked up the drink menu for a look.

"No! Only this wooden door makes me feel safe. Aren't the two big windows beside it enough for lighting?"

I hate glass doors. Do you think my figure isn't eye-catching enough?

Back when village security had been poor, Maruyama Shota's shop had been hit up for protection money several times. It had left him overly paranoid. He needed a solid wooden door to feel even a little safer.

It was said that some of the people collecting protection money had even been members of the Konoha Military Police Force. There had been nowhere to turn for help.

Fortunately, over the past year, the Konoha Military Police Force seemed to have changed drastically, and security in the village had improved considerably as well.

Then Maruyama Shota noticed Uchiha Cheng entering behind Rinne. He was dressed like an ordinary civilian child, though his features were quite delicate.

"And this is?"

"My little brother! Which drinks are on sale today? Bring us two cups."

"As expected of siblings. Not only do you look alike, you're both so handsome. Today's discounted drink is iced strawberry juice. Please wait a moment."

Your eyesight is terrible. How do we look alike? Do all handsome people look the same to you?

Uchiha Cheng looked over the shop. It was clean and neatly arranged, and with the two large windows along the side, the lighting was actually quite good.

It was just that thick wooden door looked completely out of place in such a fresh, tidy setting. The owner clearly had questionable taste.

Mm, his round body, which probably weighed over two hundred pounds, nearly filled the entire counter. That also affected the overall appearance a little.

Thankfully, he was rather clean and not at all as slovenly as people might imagine. He also kept a faint professional smile on his face at all times. After all, he was running a business.

Soon, Maruyama Shota brought over two cups of iced strawberry juice, along with a bottle of milk.

"Nice to meet you, little brother. Uncle will give you an extra bottle of milk."

"Thank you, Uncle."

Uchiha Cheng accepted the drink and quietly took a sip. The taste was only average, not nearly as good as he had imagined. That did not quite fit the image of a shop that had been around for decades.

Perhaps that was one reason business was so poor?

"Uncle, your strawberry juice is so delicious. Why is your business so bad?"

Uchiha Cheng blinked his "pure and innocent" eyes as he spoke against his conscience.

"Hahaha, little brother, you really know how to talk. To be honest, Uncle's drinks are only average. The ones my father made were truly delicious. Unfortunately, I loved eating and playing too much when I was young. By the time my father passed away, I had never properly inherited his skills."

Maruyama Shota's gaze dimmed slightly as he said, "So now, I can only rely on milk that is still relatively close to its original flavor to make a living."

"It's okay. Konoha is gradually getting better, and business will definitely improve in the future."

Uchiha Cheng could only hurry to comfort him. Then he poured the milk into the strawberry juice and stirred it with a straw.

Mm, now it could be called Iced Strawberry Milk!

"Little brother, why did you pour the milk into your drink? Don't mess around; it'll upset your stomach."

Seeing what Uchiha Cheng had done, Rinne hurried over to snatch the drink away.

Huh?

That counts as messing around?

"You've never mixed them together before? Uncle, you've never done it either?"

"No. Milk is milk. Isn't it strange to mix it with other things? It dilutes the milk flavor, so what's good about that? And mixing them like that will upset your stomach."

"Then if I drink the iced strawberry juice first and drink the milk afterward, won't they still mix together in my stomach?"

"..."

"..."

So this world is this lacking in drink varieties too. Uchiha Cheng snatched the drink back from Rinne's hands and happily drank it. Before long, he had finished half the cup, then he said, "Boss, I have an idea that could make your drink shop popular again."

"You mean pairing drinks together the way you just did?"

"That's right. Not just strawberry milk. Watermelon milk, mango milk, and so on would work too. If you don't believe me, try mixing them yourself. Of course, milk should still be the main ingredient, and you'll need to adjust the proportions properly."

"Alright! I'll try it right now!"

Business was half-dead anyway, so he might as well try this new thing. If it didn't taste good, he could just forget about it—he had nothing to lose.

Acting immediately, Maruyama Shota quickly mixed another cup of Iced Strawberry Milk.

The first sip still felt a little strange, but seeing how much Uchiha Cheng was enjoying it—

He gradually drank it all down with patience.

Sure enough, a different sensation soon emerged. The fresh sweetness of strawberry juice combined with the rich fragrance of milk, leaving an endless aftertaste. It was far better than the monotonous way they used to consume them separately.

His eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Although Maruyama Shota's skills were nothing special, he had his own keen judgment when it came to food. Otherwise, how had he gotten to two hundred jin? He had eaten his way there.

He could tell that this new type of drink would definitely have a market, and there was a high chance it would become wildly popular.

"Little brother! You've been a huge help."

"If business really picks up in the future, I'll give you ten percent of the profits! No—twenty percent, as thanks."

"Thank you, sir. I only mentioned it casually; there's no need to repay me. But if you really want to thank me, can I drink for free whenever I come to your shop from now on?"

There was no real technical skill involved in this. It merely broke through the ingrained assumptions people here had about drink combinations.

If it caught on, a second and third drink shop of the same kind would soon appear.

Still, as the original shop, this place would be able to build its reputation through it.

More importantly, he wasn't short on this little bit of money. He could certainly use his experience from his past life to establish a thriving chain store, constantly introducing new products such as milk tea and lemon tea. That would absolutely give him the greatest competitive edge in the market! But without question, it would also take some effort.

That would be putting the cart before the horse. Making a little money now and then to add some variety to life was enough. His ultimate goal was to conquer the entire ninja world.

Besides, Uchiha Cheng had not forgotten the real purpose of coming here.

"No problem! Not just you—even any friends you bring will drink for free."

"Then let's not delay. We'll test how well these drinks do today. To build up our reputation quickly, let's offer free drinks for everyone. We can help out too, right, Sis?"

Uchiha Rinne stared from the side in utter amazement. Her "little brother" had gained the owner's trust and gratitude so quickly.

He had even come up with something new and found an excuse to stay here indefinitely.

No wonder the clan head had dared to hand the Konoha Military Police Force entirely over to his still-young youngest son.

Was this the true brilliance of the "vice-captain"?

After that, Uchiha Cheng and Rinne stayed in the drink shop to help out.

Calling it helping was a stretch. They were really just acting as adorable kids at the entrance, shouting a few lines:

"Don't miss out, passersby! Free grand opening special! The latest Iced Strawberry Milk, watermelon milk, mango milk—drink as much as you want for free..."

Sure enough, this novel style of hawking drew quite a few people over.

Of course, the real attraction was probably the word "free."

After customers tried these mixed drinks they had never tasted before, every one of them showered them with praise. In less than two hours, the line outside the drink shop had become even longer than the one beside it at the beef shop.

Then Rinne and Maruyama Shota became so busy that they could barely catch their breath, one handling customers and the other mixing drinks.

The beef shop owner, Hayakawa Hayato, came over curiously with two rolling pins in hand. "Well, well, when did you start showing your stuff, fatty? Did you suddenly figure things out and inherit some ancestral craft?"

"Get out of here. This is all thanks to this little brother. He came up with it—I wouldn't dare take the credit."

"Really? He's that amazing? Is he some kind of lucky star? Little brother, why not come sit in my shop? I'll let you try the cooking that's famous all around these parts."

Hayakawa Hayato looked at Uchiha Cheng in disbelief. Though the fat man's business was poor, he was honest and never lied.

Even so, seeing that Uchiha Cheng was still so young and dressed in commoner's clothes, he couldn't believe the boy could do anything remarkable with beef. He simply wanted to treat him as a lucky star, bring him into the shop, share in some of his good fortune, and boost his own luck a little.