I Choose Orochimaru as Hokage, Ascending to the Moon in Ten Years Chapter 34

"Konoha Iron Mountain Lean!!"

Might Guy shouted.

This move was something he had learned from Uchiha Gin. He felt it was incredibly effective and paired perfectly with his Konoha Steel Fist.

Seizing an opening where Uchiha Gin had left himself exposed, Might Guy intended to use this shoulder bash to knock Uchiha Gin straight out of the wire perimeter.

"Oh no!"

But Might Guy reacted instantly, realizing he had fallen for a trap.

Because Uchiha Gin, who should have been panicked, suddenly curled the corners of his mouth into a smirk.

He had seen this smile many times before; it always appeared whenever Uchiha Gin was about to pull some underhanded trick on him.

Uchiha Gin's right leg, which had been stumbling backward from taking his punch, suddenly hooked its toe around the ankle of Might Guy's driving leg.

The momentum of Might Guy's unstoppable charge was mostly neutralized by this single hook. The impact that Uchiha Gin shouldn't have been able to withstand was blocked entirely; he grabbed Might Guy's clothes with both hands, jerked backward, and sent Might Guy flying.

"Damn it, fell for it again!"

Might Guy exclaimed in frustration while mid-air.

Unless he used ninja tools or summoned a Ninja Turtle in mid-air to gain leverage, there was simply no way to stop his momentum.

Consequently, Might Guy was tossed directly outside the wire perimeter.

"I lost!"

"But next time, I won't fall for that kind of trick again!"

After landing, Might Guy could only stubbornly insist.

"You're treating me to Ichiraku Ramen this time."

Uchiha Gin didn't care in the slightest.

Fixed moves were nothing but openings in actual combat; flexible application was the best technique.

"I'm going to eat ten bowls!"

Might Guy refused to admit defeat; he was going to surpass Uchiha Gin in the number of ramen bowls consumed!

Uchiha Gin and Might Guy headed toward Ichiraku Ramen, bringing Sasuke along.

Sasuke was very excited along the way. Having witnessed a real battle, he had become interested and wanted to learn.

He kept asking Uchiha Gin and Might Guy about the moves they had used during the earlier fight, wanting to go back and show them to his parents and brother.

"Boss Teuchi, the deluxe seafood ramen."

Uchiha Gin ordered the most expensive item without a hint of hesitation.

Might Guy felt his wallet was about to suffer, but he didn't hold back when it was his turn to order.

"Three bowls of tonkotsu ramen to start!"

Might Guy added.

"Uh, I'll have the tonkotsu ramen too."

Sasuke wasn't shy and spoke up proactively.

"Coming right up!"

Teuchi squinted his eyes and said with a smile.

He then began to knead the dough earnestly, making the noodles on the spot, while his daughter Ayame prepared the bowls, chopsticks, and side dishes on the side.

The aroma gradually spread. Sasuke was very excited, feeling that today had gone even better than expected, and he swung his little feet adorably.

However, at this moment, both Uchiha Gin and Might Guy suddenly frowned and turned to look outside the curtain. This was the aura of killing intent that a ninja could not hide.

But after one glance, both of them knew what was going on. It was Naruto, that Konoha fox-spirit, who had appeared outside the Ichiraku Ramen shop at some point.

Wearing dirty, old clothes, his eyes filled with confusion and longing, he was leaning against the doorframe of the ramen shop, peering inside.

Seeing this, Might Guy knew there was going to be some trouble.

At the same time, Teuchi also saw Naruto. Seeing how pitiful he looked, he was just about to speak up.

"Boss, serve this kid a bowl of tonkotsu ramen. This guy is paying."

"Kid, you're very lucky today. This guy won the lottery and is treating everyone to free ramen."

Uchiha Gin spoke up suddenly.

Aside from the fact that he might need Naruto's genes in the future, the kid really did live a miserable life. Moreover, when the Fourth Hokage was alive, he had maintained a gentle attitude toward the Uchiha Clan.

Therefore, treating him to a bowl of ramen was nothing to be stingy about if he happened to run into him, even if it might cause some trouble later. Uchiha Gin didn't care.

Plus, he didn't have to pay for it himself.

Might Guy was stunned by Uchiha Gin's words. Clearly, he hadn't expected Uchiha Gin to get involved in this matter, as the Uchiha Clan was quite a sensitive topic.

Even someone like him, who didn't understand much beyond taijutsu, was well aware of that.

"Right, it's my treat today. If you're willing, come have a bowl of ramen!"

Might Guy, however, was not one to shy away from trouble.

He trusted the character of Uchiha Gin, and after hearing Uchiha Gin's words, Naruto looked at him with such burning, eager eyes that Might Guy couldn't bear to refuse.

"Thank you!"

Naruto thanked him with utmost sincerity.

He felt that these two were different from the people he usually encountered.

Naruto then hurriedly scrambled onto the last remaining chair nearby, grinning happily.

"Captain!"

The Anbu hidden in the shadows grew anxious the moment they saw Naruto sit down.

After all, Uchiha Gin was the number one person strictly forbidden from getting close to the Nine-Tails jinchuriki.

Under normal circumstances, such a situation would never occur; they would have immediately created a disturbance to drag Naruto away the moment he approached Uchiha Gin.

Today, Naruto had been hungry but lacked the money in his pockets, lingering around Ichiraku Ramen for a long time, and Uchiha Gin had appeared suddenly with Might Guy and Sasuke, leaving them no time to intervene.

Creating a scene on purpose would only alert Uchiha Gin, potentially giving him an opening, so they could only watch from the sidelines.

"We can't force him away. I'll go over."

Kakashi spoke up.

It was his turn to be responsible for guarding Naruto today; generally, Anbu members had no leave after returning from missions and were immediately assigned to watch over the Nine-Tails jinchuriki.

He remained wary of Uchiha Gin, but with Might Guy present, he figured the situation should be safe enough.

Kakashi then removed his mask, quickly changed into civilian clothes, and walked straight toward Ichiraku Ramen.

"Boss, beef ramen."

Kakashi skillfully lifted the curtain; his teacher Minato used to bring him to this shop for ramen often.

Teuchi recognized Kakashi and asked Ayame to bring out another chair, squeezing it in to the side. Since two of them were children, they managed to fit five chairs along the front.

"Kakashi!"

"When shall we have a heated contest!"

Seeing Kakashi, Might Guy acted as if he'd just eaten an energy bar, instantly fired up.

Although he knew Kakashi was likely here because of the Nine-Tails, he didn't mind.

Ever since Kakashi joined the Anbu, he saw him less frequently, and it was usually he who took the initiative to find Kakashi at his home.

"Next time."

Kakashi replied perfunctorily.

He felt listless lately; aside from missions, he couldn't find much meaning in his existence, and he would just wallow in emo moods every time he returned home.

"I've learned quite a few good skills from Gin recently, and I've been saving them just to use against you!"

Might Guy said, full of enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, everyone's ramen was served one by one; since Kakashi arrived later, he had to wait a moment.

"Guy, to deal with Kakashi, you only need to get your hands on the latest version of Icha Icha Paradise. When you're in a match with him, just spoil the plot directly. He'll cover his ears and close his eyes, and you can seize that opportunity to beat him up however you like."

Uchiha Gin suddenly interjected.

Upon hearing this, the pupil of Kakashi's right eye dilated instantly.

"You're too terrifying, Gin!"

He looked at Uchiha Gin with a horrified expression, never expecting his only weakness to be exposed like this.

"Really!"

Might Guy, however, was extremely interested.

After all, he and Kakashi were eternal rivals, and he hadn't found a suitable flaw in all these years; he never imagined he'd actually found one.

"Captain Gin, what is Icha Icha Paradise?"

Sasuke asked suddenly, assuming it was some powerful technique he wanted to learn.

"You can only touch that when you're sixteen."

Uchiha Gin didn't answer directly, using the classic line for children: you'll understand when you're older.

Naruto, sitting to the side, felt envious of the lively atmosphere. At the same time, he memorized the name Icha Icha Paradise, thinking that when he grew up, he would definitely learn that technique.

They then buried their heads in their noodles. During the meal, Might Guy chatted with Kakashi from time to time. The atmosphere was incredibly relaxed, a stark contrast to the tension outside, where two Anbu squads and a team from the Uchiha Police Force were locked in a standoff.

"Sasuke, I've come to pick you up."

Just as they were finishing, Itachi appeared. He had been very worried about Sasuke's situation over the past few days, especially since Sasuke was still so young.

When Uchiha Gin came for ramen, he had sent a crow to inform Itachi that they had changed locations.

Sasuke hurriedly finished the last few bites, jumped off his chair, and clutching his stomach, ran excitedly toward Itachi to tell him about everything that had happened today, looking absolutely delighted.

"Remember to pay up."

Uchiha Gin rose to leave, patting Might Guy on the shoulder as he offered this final reminder.

Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief; it was best if nothing went wrong.

However, catching a glimpse of Naruto casting an envious gaze toward Sasuke out of the corner of his eye, he felt a bitter pang in his heart.

Although he had tried to numb himself to it, he still held special feelings for Naruto.

"This is the fate of a hero."

Suddenly, these words reached the ears of Kakashi and Might Guy.

Both men stiffened, recognizing the voice as Uchiha Gin's, and were shocked that he would dare to discuss such a topic.

Yet, they quickly fell silent, for the Uchiha Clan was indeed that arrogant—otherwise, they would not have been targeted so severely.

Kakashi clenched his fists, wanting to say something, but he saw Uchiha Gin, Itachi, and Sasuke already walking away.

"Sensei... what should I do?"

A look of confusion appeared in Kakashi's eyes.

Chakra Armor Flight Test

Today, many people gathered at the Ninja Tool Development Department.

Due to the addition of new personnel, the Chakra Armor had been improved within a mere half-month, resulting in a first-generation semi-finished product.

Uchiha Gin and Orochimaru had both arrived today to test this prototype.

"The armor is equipped with a chakra shield and can deploy specialized wings. These thin wings are infused with chakra metal and inscribed with wind-style Cursed Seal, allowing the user to inject chakra while gliding to achieve flight," Itachi explained to Uchiha Gin and Orochimaru.