Maruboshi Kosuke

In front of Ichiraku Ramen in Konohagakure.

"Sasuke, this is Ichiraku Ramen." Just as they arrived in front of the shop, Naruto pointed at it and introduced it with great excitement: "Teuchi's cooking is amazing. The ramen he makes is my absolute favorite, that flavor..."

After finishing his sentence, Naruto sniffed the air, looking completely intoxicated.

Sasuke looked at Ichiraku Ramen. In truth, this wasn't his first time here; when he first arrived in this world, he had been full of curiosity about this place, which was touted as the best food in Konohagakure.

He had come to try it once before. The taste was indeed good, but after that one visit, he hadn't returned.

It wasn't that he disliked the taste of Ichiraku Ramen; to be honest, it was much better than the things he cooked himself.

Of course, it wasn't that the nutritional value was lacking either, as Ichiraku Ramen still contained plenty of meat and eggs.

But compared to the various rare, high-end ingredients and medicinal herbs he purchased for his home, those were the things he needed to consume more right now.

Therefore, he had only come once to taste it and never returned.

The reason he came again today was because Naruto had pestered him many times over this period. After they finished their sparring session today, Naruto had once again requested to treat him to Ichiraku Ramen. After a moment of thought, Sasuke had agreed to come.

"Yosh!" Coming back to his senses, Naruto clenched his fists and prepared to walk inside, but out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a pink-haired figure and quickly looked in that direction.

"Sakura!"

Naruto waved his hand and called out loudly.

Naruto saw that it was indeed Sakura. She had grown quite a bit taller over the last two years, and she carried a bit more of a young woman's aura about her.

She was strolling down the street leisurely, and on her shoulder sat a small, liquid creature that darted around her like a humanoid doll, appearing very lively and vivid.

"Naruto?"

Sakura, who had been shopping, turned around upon hearing the call. She was startled to see it was Naruto, and the water-shaped doll on her shoulder turned into a small stream of water and dove into her chest to hide.

Naruto hurried forward and invited her enthusiastically: "Sakura, what a coincidence! Want to come eat ramen together?"

"Forget it, I'd rather..."

Sakura frowned slightly, about to refuse.

Although Naruto had become much more steady over the past two years, he still caused her quite a bit of trouble on a daily basis.

Sasuke!?

Sakura's eyes lit up. She immediately swallowed the rest of her words and quickly changed her tune, asking: "Is Sasuke here too?"

The water-shaped doll seemed to sense its owner's mood, crawling back out to peer curiously in Sasuke's direction.

"Of course!"

Naruto pursed his lips and said.

"Then let's go, I'm starving too."

Sakura grabbed Naruto, looking even more impatient than he was as she walked over.

"Sakura, you've made great progress in your Chakra control."

Taking a look at the water-shaped doll bouncing on Sakura's shoulder, Sasuke offered his assessment.

Sasuke couldn't replicate this kind of training method that Sakura used; after all, his elements were Fire and Lightning.

If Sakura lost control and made a mistake, she would at most get wet.

But if Sasuke made a mistake, this book would reach its series finale early.

Of course, Sasuke didn't envy Sakura; everyone had their own path.

His current Fire and Lightning carving training method was in no way inferior to Sakura's Water Release creature training, and besides training his Chakra control, his carving also improved his knife skills and wrist strength.

Sasuke complimented me!

?!

Thump-thump, thump-thump!

Sakura's heart was beating rapidly. She suppressed the joy in her heart, tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and said softly: "I owe that to you, Sasuke-kun."

She looked every bit the refined young lady.

However, Sasuke heard the sound of her heartbeat, as well as the little figure on Sakura's shoulder, which was jumping higher and higher in sync with its owner's heart.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Why is it that people are always obsessed with my looks and ignore my excellent inner substance?

In the original timeline, both Naruto and Sasuke were very popular with women, but Sasuke usually relied on his superior looks to attract them.

Naruto, on the other hand, inspired those young girls through his actions, going through trials and tribulations with them, which eventually blossomed into love.

"Let's go, let's head inside."

Inside Ichiraku Ramen.

Naruto kept shoveling ramen into his mouth, loudly recounting things he found interesting lately, but neither Sasuke nor Sakura paid him any mind, letting him ramble on at the top of his lungs.

Sasuke truly wasn't interested in what he was saying, and ever since they walked in, Sakura's eyes had been glued to Sasuke, and she hadn't even eaten more than a few bites of her noodles.

Only Teuchi, standing with his arms crossed and a serious expression, pricked up his ears to listen to Naruto's ranting, occasionally offering a response or two.

"By the way, Sasuke."

Halfway through his noodles, Naruto suddenly turned his head and asked Sasuke with a serious expression, "Do you know of any other training methods that could make me stronger?"

Hearing this, Sakura, who was sitting nearby, also pricked up her ears, looking very interested.

Sasuke was silent for a moment before saying, "Read more books!"

To be honest, Sasuke had nothing left in his arsenal. Scientific physical training, basic Wind Release ninjutsu, the Shadow Clone Technique, and Chakra control—he had already taught everything he could.

If it weren't for the fact that Naruto had absolutely no interest in learning Yoga, he could have taught him that too.

Of course, Sasuke wasn't just brushing him off; the knowledge found in the books of this world was truly unique, and he himself had gained a great deal from them.

"Huh!?" Naruto said in disbelief, "What kind of answer is that?"

You have to understand, he was the person who hated reading the most. Although he no longer slept in class, he still couldn't really take much of the information in.

"Strengthen your body, civilize your mind."

Sasuke said indifferently, "Naruto, your physique is already excellent. You should consider reading more to enrich that poor brain of yours."

Sakura, sitting to the side, nodded repeatedly and chimed in, "Sasuke-kun is right!"

"Hmph!"

Naruto let out a soft grunt and buried his head to continue slurping his noodles, as if he were taking his frustration out on the ramen.

Just then, the curtain was pulled aside, and an old man wearing a gray vest over a mesh shirt, carrying a large black pot and several spatulas on his back, walked in.

"Eh? Grandpa Kosuke, hello!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Sakura was startled and quickly stood up to greet him.

"Oh? Sakura, is it?"

The old man smiled kindly. "Are you here for a gathering with your classmates?"

"Yes!"

Sakura nodded, and the old man laughed. "Then I won't disturb you."

Walking forward, the old man said, "One bowl of noodles, to go, Teuchi."

"Not eating here, old man?"

The old man shook his head. "I have a mission later, so I'll just take it to go and eat on the road."

Note: Maruboshi Kosuke is from the TV anime Naruto: Shippuden and the eighth movie, Naruto the Movie: Blood Prison.