I Already Had the Vortex Bloodline?!

"Kid, order whatever you want."

Uzumaki Kushina was nowhere near as gentle with Yuki Yuichi as she was with Yuhi Kurenai.

Yuki Yuichi didn't mind.

This was his first time visiting Ichiraku Ramen.

Back when he was running around the streets trying to trigger achievements, he hadn't even thought of this place.

It wasn't that he didn't want to come; he simply hadn't remembered that such a place existed in the world of Naruto.

Now that Uzumaki Kushina had brought him here, he realized this was arguably the most essential spot to check in at in Konoha.

Looking at the menu hanging on the wall, Yuki Yuichi stroked his chin in thought for a moment before saying, "I'll have a bowl of tonkotsu ramen, extra narutomaki!"

"Coming right up!" Teuchi replied with a hearty laugh before turning his attention to Uzumaki Kushina and Yuhi Kurenai.

"I'll have a bowl of salt-flavored ramen," Uzumaki Kushina said with a smile, then turned to Yuhi Kurenai beside her and said gently, "Now, tell him what you want to eat. Don't be shy with your big sister."

Yuhi Kurenai looked at her, then glanced at Yuki Yuichi, and said in a shy, soft voice, "Um... I'll have a bowl of tonkotsu ramen, please..."

"Understood, please wait a moment, guests." Teuchi was still smiling as he got to work.

"Right, I haven't asked your name yet." Once the three were seated, Uzumaki Kushina looked at Yuhi Kurenai and said, "My name is Uzumaki Kushina."

"I'm an elite jonin of Konoha, you know!" Uzumaki Kushina said proudly.

Listening from the side, Yuki Yuichi recalled the mission stats listed in Uzumaki Kushina's official databook.

Sixty D-rank missions, forty-three C-rank missions, twenty-eight B-rank missions, twenty-seven A-rank missions, and twenty S-rank missions.

Even though she was the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, and even though Kishimoto—who didn't understand his own lore—kept retconning things, Uzumaki Kushina was undeniably an experienced elite jonin.

She might be young right now and perhaps hadn't completed that many missions yet, but she likely already possessed the strength of an elite jonin.

And that was while she was still suppressing the Nine-Tails.

She was truly a powerhouse who could beat the Fourth Hokage and Jiraiya of the Sannin to a pulp, didn't care much for the Third Hokage, and was someone even the Seventh Hokage would call "Mom" upon meeting. She was terrifyingly strong.

Just as Yuki Yuichi was lost in thought, Teuchi brought their ramen over, snapping him out of his reverie.

Beside him, Yuhi Kurenai and Uzumaki Kushina were chatting happily, trading sentences back and forth.

Watching the two of them looking so cheerful, Yuki Yuichi stroked his chin. Would Kurenai end up turning into the Bloody Habanero?

The mere thought of his soft, cute childhood friend growing up to punch kids one by one made Yuki Yuichi shake his head in alarm.

"Did you get hit by a genjutsu, kid?" Seeing Yuki Yuichi shaking his head, Uzumaki Kushina teased, "Your eyes were glazed over just a second ago, you didn't respond when I called you, and now you're shaking your head for no reason."

Yuki Yuichi: "..."

"I was thinking about something!"

"Tsk." Uzumaki Kushina clicked her tongue and shook her head. "I'm so smart and you're so dense; I'm starting to doubt we're even from the same clan."

?

"I'm not dense!" Yuki Yuichi retorted immediately, but then he caught the blind spot in her statement. He stood up abruptly, eyes wide as he stared at her. "Same clan?"

"That's right."

"Isn't your red hair proof enough?" Uzumaki Kushina seemed quite satisfied with his reaction and smiled at him. "Your father was also from our Uzumaki Clan."

"!!!"

Yuki Yuichi had always assumed he was a fake Uzumaki, thinking his red hair was just a result of the Seventh Hokage template.

After all, his hair had been black at the start, and it only turned red after he acquired the Seventh Hokage's template.

"Are you sure you aren't mistaken?" Yuki Yuichi looked at Uzumaki Kushina, still finding it hard to believe.

However, looking at her smiling face, he could tell she wasn't joking.

He pondered for a moment, then waved his small hand, deciding to accept this setting while still wanting to act cool. "My strength requires no boost from bloodlines!"

Yuki Yuichi stood on his chair, looking spirited. "I don't need the bloodline of my ancestors to bolster me. Give me time, and I will surpass them!"

Seeing him like that, Teuchi couldn't help but laugh. "Guest, please don't stand on the chair."

"Oh, right." Yuki Yuichi said, then hopped down and wiped the chair he had stepped on with his sleeve.

"You really are a kid who loves to show off!"

Uzumaki Kushina shook her head helplessly. "Eat your ramen. It'll get cold if you don't."

"Itadakimasu!" x3

The three of them didn't speak while eating.

It had to be said, Teuchi's craft was truly excellent.

As the ramen hit his mouth, Yuki Yuichi felt his mouth water. The flavor exploded on his tongue, and the rich aroma lingered in his mouth.

With one bite, the chewiness of the noodles, the richness of the broth, and the unique taste of the toppings all blended together, elevating the flavor of the bowl to a new level.

All these sensations coalesced into two words in Yuki Yuichi's mind.

"Delicious!"

This was the most delicious ramen he had eaten in his two lifetimes.

"On the path of ramen, I would call you the strongest!" Yuki Yuichi gave Teuchi a thumbs-up while stuffing ramen into his mouth.

"Hahaha!" Hearing Yuki Yuichi's praise, Teuchi couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear. "With such high praise, I'm starting to feel embarrassed."

"No, this is the honest truth!" Yuki Yuichi swallowed a mouthful of noodles and grinned.

Just then, a mechanical voice rang in his ears, and a pale blue virtual panel flickered into view.

[Achievement Unlocked: Check-in at Ichiraku Ramen.]

[If there is any place in this world that one must visit, it is this unremarkable little noodle shop; it has witnessed the growth of countless people and the entire life of the Child of Prophecy!]

[Reward: Nintaijutsu: Rage]

[Nintaijutsu: Rage: Passively gain a 20% damage stacking effect. Your attacks and damage are increased by an additional twenty percent. Perhaps you could use a kunai to stab a Susanoo; that should be able to break its defense, right?]

Looking at the description for Nintaijutsu: Rage, Yuki Yuichi felt like it was implying something, but he had no proof.

If he remembered correctly, the description for the previously rewarded Nintaijutsu: Guard seemed to want him to tank a Tengai Shinsei.

Yuki Yuichi shifted his focus, and his personal profile appeared.

[Achievements: Childhood Sweetheart, Rival for Life, The Beginning of a Ninja, Check-in at Ichiraku Ramen.]

[Rewards: Naruto Uzumaki (Ninja Student), Nintaijutsu: Guard, Sakura Haruno (Shippuden), Nintaijutsu: Rage]

[Title: Ninja Student (Equipped).]

[Special Reward: Uzumaki Bloodline.]

Looking at his personal profile, Yuki Yuichi was generally satisfied, though that special reward had tricked him—he had actually thought the Uzumaki Bloodline was a reward.