Ichiraku Ramen

After leaving the Yamanaka family's flower shop, Tokiju cradled three bouquets in his arms and headed toward the Konoha cemetery.

As the grandson of the First Hokage, Tokiju had certainly been led by his grandmother to pay respects to his grandfather every year.

Therefore, he still retained some memory of how to reach the cemetery.

Before long, Tokiju arrived at the location of the cemetery as he remembered it.

The atmosphere here was as gloomy as ever, and the number of graves had increased significantly compared to his memories.

Arriving before the tombstone of his grandfather, the First Hokage, he saw that a new grave had already been erected there.

"So, they were buried together after all..."

Tokiju muttered to himself; right next to his grandfather's grave stood the tombstones of his grandmother, Uzumaki Mito, and Nawaki.

As for where his parents' graves were?

That was a different matter; Tokiju's mother was actually the younger sister of the previous Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

After his parents passed away one after another, they were buried together in the cemetery of the capital of the Land of Fire.

Thus, Tokiju could not find his parents' graves here in Konoha.

Placing the three bouquets before the three graves respectively, Tokiju sat cross-legged and began to chat with them about daily life.

In his heart, he told his grandfather that although he was an outsider, his upbringing had long since made him accept this place, and he would certainly protect Konoha well.

He told his grandmother that he was sorry he couldn't see her off on her final journey, but he would definitely carry forward the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki Clan.

He said to Nawaki, "Little brother, your death was very suspicious; I will certainly investigate the truth behind it and avenge you."

Tokiju spoke there for a long time; naturally, some things were said explicitly, while others were left unsaid.

Before he knew it, the sun had already climbed to the zenith.

Feeling the hunger in his stomach, Tokiju stood up and said, "Alright, Grandfather, Grandmother Mito, and Nawaki, I'll come to visit you again next time."

As Tokiju was leaving the cemetery, he saw a silver-haired youth walking over, exuding an air of lethargy.

Upon seeing this person, Tokiju recognized him at first glance: wasn't this the Konoha Technician, the fan of Icha Icha Paradise, the man who draws even with everyone, Hatake Kakashi?

Seeing that the other party was also holding a bouquet of flowers, he assumed he had come to pay respects to his former teammates, Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin.

Tokiju did not go up to greet him; after all, the two had no connection at the moment, and initiating a conversation would only invite suspicion.

Seeing Kakashi, Tokiju suddenly recalled a plot point from the original story.

It seemed that the reason Uchiha Obito knew the date of Kushina's labor was that Kakashi had let it slip right here in this cemetery.

After all, Obito was a bit of a psychopath who enjoyed peeping at Kakashi from the Kamui Dimension whenever he had nothing better to do.

At the thought that Obito might be watching Kakashi from nearby right now, Tokiju couldn't help but shiver, goosebumps breaking out all over his body.

Thinking of this, Tokiju quickly quickened his pace and hurried away from the cemetery.

Nearby, Kakashi scratched his head in confusion, wondering why that kid had suddenly run off.

He knew that kid; he was the one who had come to the Senju Ancestral Residence to call for people yesterday.

That was why Kakashi had paid a little extra attention to Tokiju earlier.

After watching Tokiju leave, Kakashi first went to the First Hokage's grave and saw the three bouquets lying there quietly.

He stepped forward to inspect them, and after confirming there were no issues, he returned to the graves of Obito and Rin to begin his respects.

Tokiju was naturally unaware of Kakashi's actions in the cemetery.

He was very hungry now and needed to find a good place to forage for food.

Soon, he spotted a small stall with the four large characters "Ichiraku Ramen" written on it.

Looking at the characters before him, Tokiju immediately felt energized; this was one of the must-visit spots for any Naruto transmigrator.

The reason he hadn't come before was mainly that Ichiraku hadn't been born yet, and there wasn't even a shadow of a ramen shop to be seen.

Now that he saw it, he had to go in and taste it.

Without hesitation, Tokiju lifted the shop's curtain and stepped inside.

The moment Tokiju pushed through the curtain, he heard a greeting from within: "Welcome! What would you like to have?"

Hearing this, Tokiju followed the voice and immediately saw the figure with squinted eyes, looking exactly as he remembered.

It's you, Otsutsuki Ichiraku! Ah, no, it's Uncle Ichiraku.

The current Uncle Ichiraku looked much younger than in his memories, with few wrinkles on his face, appearing quite fresh-faced.

After all, this was thirteen years before the start of the original story; it was quite reasonable for this to be the younger version of Ichiraku.

Tokiju looked at the menu on the wall; there was quite a variety.

"Then, I'll have a large bowl of tonkotsu chashu ramen."

"Coming right up! One large tonkotsu chashu ramen, please wait a moment!"

After placing his order, Tokiju found a random seat and sat down.

It was actually well past noon by now, so the ramen shop was completely empty, appearing exceptionally quiet.

Before long, Ichiraku brought a steaming bowl of tonkotsu chashu ramen to Tokiju and said with a smile, "The large tonkotsu chashu you ordered is ready, please enjoy!"

Tokiju took the bowl, and upon smelling the rich aroma, he couldn't help but salivate.

He took a sip of the broth first, and his eyes immediately lit up; it was truly worthy of being the legendary Ichiraku Ramen, as the taste was genuinely excellent.

He then took a bite of the noodles, which were smooth and chewy, providing a deeply satisfying sensation with every mouthful.

After the meal, Tokiju felt thoroughly content. He paid the bill readily and said, "Boss, the ramen here is really great; I'll definitely come back again."

In other words, Tokiju had just marked a new spot for foraging.

Hearing this, Ichiraku smiled and replied, "A customer's satisfaction is my greatest reward. You are welcome to come again anytime."

Tokiju left Ichiraku Ramen in high spirits, walking home with a great mood.

As he passed by the commercial district, Tokiju stepped inside once more and began to purchase items according to a plan.

He first bought a notebook and a few pens at a general store.

Then, at a fabric shop, he purchased some black, translucent gauze with a loose weave, along with some needles and thread.

Once he had finished buying these things, Tokiju left the commercial district satisfied and headed toward his home.

Naturally, everything Tokiju did today was being meticulously recorded by the Anbu and Root operatives hidden in the shadows.

By evening, this intelligence would inevitably appear on the desks of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō.

After returning home, Tokiju immediately sought out Uzumaki Miku and asked, "Sister Miku, do you know how to sew? I'd like to ask for your help in stitching an eye mask that I can still see through even while wearing it."