Chance Encounter at the Noodle Shop

(Chapter 11: A Chance Encounter at the Noodle Shop)

Mirai could not help but be astonished. One had to know that the Sharingan was extremely rare even within the Uchiha Clan; simply awakening it was a difficult feat. Yet, Mirai had awakened it just like that, which was why he was so shocked.

Furthermore, if the Kekkei Genkai of the Sharingan only cost two points, what about the others? Mirai tapped on the [Wood Release] of the First Hokage.

[Ding--! Your points are insufficient. Exchanging for Wood Release requires 5,000 points!]

Mirai felt his legs suddenly go weak. 5,000 points! An SS-rank mission only rewarded 100 points; was the system expecting him to complete 50 SS-rank missions? S-rank missions were practically death sentences, and SS-rank missions were essentially impossible. As expected, the system shop was always the most unscrupulous. Just a moment ago, he had been grateful that the shop had awakened his Sharingan Kekkei Genkai so easily.

It seemed the primary reason the cost was so low was that he was already a member of the Uchiha Clan. For the first time, Mirai felt the benefit of his Uchiha identity; otherwise, if the Sharingan also required thousands of points, he truly would never have been able to afford it.

Mirai casually tapped on other Kekkei Genkai. Sure enough, even the low-level ones required at least several dozen points. It seemed his dream of being a multi-disciplinary master was shattered.

Initially, he had imagined himself casually unleashing various powerful ninjutsu from different Kekkei Genkai, but now that seemed completely unfeasible.

Suddenly, Mirai saw the shape of another Sharingan appear in the spot where the previous one had been. Mirai tapped to open it.

[Two-Tomoe Sharingan: An evolved version of the One-Tomoe Sharingan. Requires 10 points from the shop.]

It was actually a bundled purchase, but there was no other way. If he had to rely on himself to evolve it, he really lacked the confidence. His parents in this world were both dead, he had no brothers to kill, and as for seeking stimulation or heart-pounding experiences, he would rather find someone else. At least the required points were not high.

Evolving from a One-Tomoe to a Two-Tomoe Sharingan still provided a decent boost. It seemed that in terms of Kekkei Genkai, he would have to stick to a single path for now, though he was not prepared to give up on Wood Release; he would just have to see if there were any new methods in the future.

However, Mirai was already extremely satisfied. Awakening the Sharingan at four years old—aside from those born with it, he had never even heard of such a thing. Even Uchiha Itachi had apparently awakened his Sharingan at seven. Of course, that guy was a genius who leveled up his Sharingan rapidly after awakening it and eventually even evolved it into the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Still, Mirai felt more grounded now. Since arriving in this world, he had been somewhat anxious. Even with a mysterious system shop, it hadn't provided any substantial help, and as someone with low self-assurance, he found that hard to bear. Fortunately, he knew from the plot that he was currently safe, and he finally knew that this system shop was not a hallucination.

"Gurgle~~!"

His stomach suddenly growled. Mirai realized he hadn't eaten dinner yet. In his haste to understand the system shop, he had rushed back. Now that his mind had relaxed, hunger struck. After training intensely for an entire afternoon, he had naturally consumed a lot of calories.

He opened the refrigerator and found it empty, save for some milk and eggs. Forget it, he would go out to eat. He was in a good mood today. Although having a system that was so "considerate" was life-threatening, it had helped him awaken the Sharingan. His awesome life had just begun; time to go out and have a feast.

Mirai opened the door and stepped out. The streets were bustling with people; every day at this time, the streets were lively. Even though the ninja village lived under the constant shadow of war, the villagers had learned to face it with strength, which was perhaps why the people of the ninja world were so tenacious.

Soon, Mirai found his destination: Ichiraku Ramen, the very famous noodle shop from the Naruto anime. Coincidentally, the shop was not far from where he lived, which he had discovered shortly after arriving.

He was a person who enjoyed noodles, so naturally, he came to taste the food that almost every named character in Naruto would visit.

After tasting it once, he had fallen in love with the flavor. Although it wasn't expensive, Mirai's living allowance was low, so he only came to enjoy it occasionally.

"Old man, one bowl of ramen!" Mirai sat down and called out loudly.

"Coming! Right away!" Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, responded loudly.

"Oh, it's Mirai. I heard you started school. How is life at the academy? Have you made any new friends?" Teuchi's daughter, Ayame, smiled and chatted with Mirai upon seeing him.

"Don't use that tone, like an adult worrying about whether a child has made friends at school. You're just Ayame, after all," Mirai said, curling his lip.

"Call me Big Sister Ayame. I'm three years older than you. Otherwise, I won't give you an extra egg today. Besides, aren't you just a kid?" Ayame said with a smile.

Although Mirai wanted to retort that he wasn't a child, what would be the point? In the Naruto world, his identity was indeed that of a child.

Ayame, the daughter of the shop owner Teuchi, was three years older than Mirai. The first time Mirai visited the shop, she had given him extra toppings, or an egg, or beef, or simply a larger portion for the same price. Every time he visited thereafter, he received the same treatment. She took great care of him, and these two were the first people from whom Mirai felt kindness after arriving in this world.

"Alright, Ayame, come help out."

"Coming~! I know, I'll be right there!" Ayame replied. She then pinched Mirai's cheeks with both hands and said, "I'll let you off this time, but next time you absolutely must call me Big Sister." With that, she went inside to help.

Mirai rubbed his cheeks, thinking to himself, A little girl wants me to call her Big Sister? Is my dignity as a man really worth being bought for the price of an egg?

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded beside him. "Huh! Isn't this Mirai? What a coincidence, meeting you here."

Mirai turned around and saw the Fourth Hokage, whom he had met just this morning, standing there with a beautiful woman with long red hair.