Danger Approaches!

Chapter 25: Danger Approaches!

"Slurp... slurp... Ah~ refreshing!"

While Itachi was still finishing his bowl, Qingyu had already wolfed down three large bowls!

Honestly, since arriving in Konoha, this was the first time he'd eaten his fill!

Not only was Ichiraku's ramen chewy, but the broth was also incredibly delicious, and most importantly, the portions were generous!

Also, perhaps because they were still children, Boss Teuchi quietly added an egg to each bowl of ramen and even threw in two side dishes. Truly conscientious!

No wonder so many people loved it, and Naruto even became a lifelong customer of Ichiraku.

Seeing that Itachi was also almost done eating, and not wanting to waste anything, Qingyu generously took out his wallet, slammed it on the table, and shouted, "Check, please!"

Itachi froze for a moment, then quickly swallowed the ramen in his mouth, "Didn't we agree..."

"Haha, I was just teasing! Besides, you treated me to a hundred skewers of three-color dango. If I let you pay for these bowls of ramen too, what kind of person would that make me? If you consider me a friend, don't worry about it."

"Uncle, the bill!"

Boss Teuchi looked at him with some surprise, then revealed his signature squinting smile again and gave him a thumbs-up.

"That'll be 270 ryo in total. Thank you for your patronage!"

Qingyu cheerfully paid the money and then pulled Itachi, who had finished eating, outside.

Meanwhile, Boss Teuchi, who started clearing the tables, sighed, "The current generation is truly remarkable..."

"What's wrong? You've been hesitating to speak since a moment ago. Did you eat something that messed with your head?"

Itachi clearly had a lot he wanted to say, but the words wouldn't come out.

In reality, the word "friend" that Qingyu had mentioned earlier had stirred something deep within him. He realized that he, too, yearned for friendship.

However, his clan would never agree to him befriending an ordinary civilian child. If his family found out about something that would bring shame to the Uchiha, he knew exactly how they would react, and in turn, it would harm Qingyu.

This was why he was hesitating between these two difficult choices.

"It's nothing, I just ate a bit too much. Oh right, didn't you say you wanted to go on a big shopping spree? We can get some exercise." Itachi changed the subject with a smile. He didn't want to cause any trouble for Qingyu over something like this, so maintaining the status quo was best. He was used to carrying everything on his own shoulders.

Qingyu couldn't see through Itachi's thoughts, so he let it go and happily led the future Itachi God to the market.

He actually needed to buy quite a lot of things. Just rice alone, he bought five hundred jin. If Itachi hadn't been there, he probably wouldn't have been able to carry it all back even if he bought it.

Carrying a large pile of things, to the point where they could barely be seen, the two of them were the brightest stars in the vicinity!

In the past, if faced with such a 'conspicuous' situation, Itachi would have probably fled immediately.

But after interacting with someone as carefree as Qingyu twice, he had learned to ignore the strange looks from others.

Although it was still embarrassing, he persevered and walked all the way home with Qingyu.

"Thanks, you really helped me out a lot today. If you weren't here, I wouldn't have been able to carry all this by myself."

After putting down the things, Qingyu stretched his muscles and thanked Itachi.

After these days of training, his physique had improved significantly, and his strength had increased considerably. He was very happy with this progress.

"It's nothing. I'm glad I could help."

"To show my gratitude, how about you try my cooking later?"

As soon as he heard that Qingyu wanted to eat again, Itachi's expression changed immediately. He truly couldn't eat anymore.

"Next time, maybe next time! I should be going back too. I have training this afternoon."

"You're so diligent! Then I won't keep you. Will you come again in the future?"

Itachi hesitated for a moment, but then nodded, "If I have the chance, I'll come again. As long as you don't force me to eat so much."

Oh my goodness!

Even Itachi God is complaining!

Qingyu was clearly taken aback for a moment, then said helplessly, "Don't worry, I can't afford to eat like this every day. If I come next time, I'd like to ask you some things."

Itachi relaxed considerably upon hearing this. "No problem. Well then... goodbye."

Watching Itachi walk away with light steps, Qingyu couldn't help but smile. He could feel that Itachi held many things within his heart.

However, the 5-year-old Itachi had clearly not yet fully developed the aloof and unapproachable personality he would later have.

Moreover, looking back at Itachi's short life, it was not difficult to see that his emotions were more reserved. Aside from his guilt towards Sasuke, he also highly valued the bonds with his companions.

Even after joining the Akatsuki Organization, his charismatic personality still won over his teammates.

Even a rogue ninja like Jūzō Biwa was willing to take a fatal blow for him, and his later partner, Kisame, was even more so. Until his death, he couldn't stop thinking about Itachi and held him in extreme reverence.

And when Itachi learned of Kisame's death, he couldn't help but shed a tear.

It could only be said that some people were born extraordinary and could not be ignored wherever they went.

After a moment of reflection, Qingyu tidied up his things and went outside, preparing for today's training.

Since it was all the same physical training routine, he wasn't afraid of others knowing.

But suddenly, he sensed danger. The feeling of being targeted made his hair stand on end.

Without thinking, he rolled like a lazy donkey, narrowly dodging the sneak attack in an extremely clumsy manner.

Three kunai were embedded in the ground where he had just been, arranged in a triangular formation.

"Huh?"

A figure suddenly appeared before Qingyu, seemingly surprised that a mere child possessed such sharp instincts.

Although it was just a casual attack, not aimed at a vital spot, it still failed to achieve its intended effect.

Upon seeing the conspicuous clan crest on the other person's clothing, Qingyu's heart chilled. If he hadn't dodged in time, he would have been injured for sure.

To think that a proud Uchiha would personally attack a child, and even resort to a sneak attack at that. This person was truly despicable!

"Who are you? Attacking a civilian as a ninja, aren't you afraid of being punished by the Hokage!"

Qingyu shouted loudly, hoping to attract attention, while crossing his arms in front of him, ready to face an attack at any moment.

He knew that if the opponent attacked him with full force, he would have nowhere to run.

Running away would be the stupidest option!

His only hope now was that the opponent would hesitate to act, fearing repercussions. After all, if news spread that an Uchiha attacked a civilian, the attacker would likely face serious consequences.

Not to mention, the Uchiha were in charge of Konoha's police force, responsible for maintaining order and stability within the village.

If this matter escalated, it would be like the police arresting themselves, and that would be quite a spectacle.

PS: Thanks to "Little Boy Tiger" for the thousand-coin reward. I didn't even know what the status was, and my first kill was taken by you, 666!

PS: The contract status has been changed back, it's a miracle! So, can the faceless old man shamelessly ask for some tips~ Also, the update schedule has been temporarily changed to 9 AM and 5 PM. Two chapters daily until the paid release, with an additional chapter for every ten-thousand-coin reward.