The Birth of the Ultimate Secret Technique! The Art That Saved the World!

Naruto's expression shifted from surprise, to shock, to fear, and finally to admiration!

"I had no idea Hinata could eat so much!"

"She—she's the complete opposite of how she looks!"

Naruto's inexplicable competitive streak flared up. Unwilling to be outdone, he joined Hinata in eating bowl after bowl.

This was his favorite Ichiraku Ramen, after all!

If he lost at this too, what would happen to his pride?!

Drawing on the sheer perseverance he'd built up through training these past few days, he gamely forced down bowl after bowl.

However...

[Host has eaten enough. Your nutritional needs have been met. Continuing to eat would be harmful to your health. Stop immediately, or you will be subjected to the Baptism of Lightning Release!]

[Warning: countdown, 5...]

Naruto could only grit his teeth and reluctantly put down his bowl.

"Ahhh, I get it!"

"Damn it..."

"But I really am stuffed. I've never been this full before..."

Then he turned his head and looked over...

Hinata was still eating with elegant composure, and the bowls in front of her were stacked into a towering pile...

"H-Hinata?!"

It was as if Naruto had truly met Hinata for the first time. His whole worldview had been shaken!

Hinata finally realized what she was doing and hurriedly spoke, her cheeks turning red.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Naruto-kun..."

"Because you said you'd only accept my thanks if I finished everything, I..."

Naruto froze, then awkwardly scratched his head and gave a couple of sheepish laughs.

"Ahaha..."

"Yeah, I guess so!"

"It's okay, Hinata. What matters is that you enjoy your meal and eat your fill!"

Ayame whispered to her father.

"That Naruto guy seems pretty shaken..."

Uncle Ichiraku nodded with his arms crossed.

"Well, it is his favorite Ichiraku Ramen. Losing to someone else at eating ramen—especially to such a cute little girl—would definitely leave Naruto feeling frustrated."

"But I never would've expected someone so small to put away this many bowls of ramen..."

Ayame nodded too. "Yeah, it's incredible..."

Hinata finished that bowl too, then said with a blush, "Um, Naruto-kun, I'm full..."

Naruto had been surprised at first, but by now he was nothing but impressed.

"Hinata, you're amazing!"

"You totally beat me!"

Hinata asked, "D-Do you think so?"

"Of course! This is the first time I've ever lost to someone at eating ramen!"

"But seeing how much you like my favorite Ichiraku Ramen makes me happy. I guess this is what they mean by having something in common!"

A warm feeling welled up in Hinata's heart.

"I-I'm happy too, Naruto-kun..."

"Thank you."

Naruto laughed heartily. "What are you talking about? I'm the one who should be thanking you!"

"Uncle Ichiraku, how much?"

Uncle Ichiraku smiled faintly.

"Two thousand ryō."

Naruto: "...Huh?!"

Uncle Ichiraku calmly explained, "A large pork miso chashu ramen is 80 ryō. You ate eight bowls, Naruto, and Hinata ate seventeen. That's twenty-five bowls in all, so two thousand ryō exactly!"

Hinata said apologetically, "N-Naruto-kun, I'm sorry I ate so much. Why don't you let me pay for my share..."

Naruto waved his hand. "Don't be silly! I said I was treating you!"

He pulled out his Little Frog Wallet and put on a cheerful, generous front for Hinata. But when he turned to pay, tears and snot were already running down his face...

"H-Here you go, Uncle Ichiraku."

Uncle Ichiraku took the money, then handed half of it back to Naruto.

"Forget it, Naruto. You and Hinata ate so many bowls. You deserve a discount."

"Besides, this is the first time you've treated a girl to a meal..."

"Just pay a thousand ryō!"

Naruto was surprised and delighted, and so touched he nearly burst into tears.

"U-Uncle Ichiraku..."

Uncle Ichiraku laughed heartily. "All right, now that you've eaten, you'd better keep working hard at your training!"

"I've heard you've been working a lot harder lately..."

Naruto clenched his fists. "I understand, Uncle Ichiraku!"

"I'll keep doing my best!"

"All right!"

Naruto and Hinata waved goodbye to the father and daughter, then left the Ichiraku Ramen Shop.

Uncle Ichiraku was one of the few people who had never treated Naruto with prejudice or coldness.

That might have been one of the reasons Naruto loved Ichiraku Ramen so much...

Hinata had also noticed Uncle Ichiraku's kindness toward Naruto, and it made her happy for him.

"Naruto-kun, that Uncle Ichiraku really is a good person..."

Naruto clasped his hands behind his head and grinned.

"Yeah, that's why I love Uncle Ichiraku's ramen so much..."

"You like it too, don't you, Hinata?"

Hinata nodded gently and patted her stomach.

She did love the ramen, but somehow she still wasn't completely full...

Of course, she'd never tell Naruto the truth...

Chapter 22: The Birth of the Ultimate Secret Technique! The Art That Saved the World!

[Host has finished eating. Please begin weighted frog jumps home immediately and continue today's training!]

Naruto had wanted to keep walking and talking with Hinata, but the system's warning sounded again.

"Ah... Hinata, I have to go home and keep training!"

Hinata smiled warmly and nodded.

"G-Goodbye, Naruto-kun."

"See you tomorrow, Hinata!"

Naruto crouched down again and began weighted frog-jumping toward his home.

Their shadows stretched out together beneath the setting sun...

Hinata watched Naruto's retreating figure, her heart filled with sweetness. She waited until he was out of sight before turning toward her own home.

She blinked, then skipped along with light, cheerful steps.

"See you tomorrow, Naruto-kun..."

When Naruto got home, he let out a huge burp.

He patted his stomach. He really had eaten a little too much, but...

He'd still lost to Hinata...

Naruto gave a sheepish laugh.

"I had no idea Hinata could eat so much ramen..."

"She's even more interesting than I thought..."

But Naruto didn't have much time to dwell on it.

Driven by the system, he didn't even have a chance to digest his food before he was forced straight into training mode.

He trained until late into the night.

It was absolutely agonizing, but...

[Host has completed today's Clone Technique training. Proficiency +1. Current Clone Technique proficiency: 60 points!]

When Naruto heard the notification, he was overjoyed.

The Clone Technique!

He'd actually trained his worst ninjutsu up to a passing score of 60!

Now, even if he got a random test on the Clone Technique, at least it wouldn't hold him back.

Naruto could now create one perfect clone.

And it looked real enough to fool anyone.

For him, that was tremendous progress.

He glanced at the clock. It was nearly eleven.

Naruto stretched lazily, ready to go to bed early.

But there was no way the world would grant him such a luxury.

[The host has greatly improved at the Clone Technique, his weakest skill. But to reach his goal of placing in the top ten during the test, he must not only make up for his weaknesses—he must also strengthen his strong points!]

[Begin training in the Transformation Technique immediately!]

"...Huh?!"

Compared to his other skills, Naruto's Transformation Technique really was his strongest.

Even now, his proficiency was at 61 points.

And in the original story, he'd fooled quite a few enemies with the Transformation Technique during various battles.

From transforming into a shuriken while fighting Zabuza, to transforming into a pebble while fighting Pain, he'd proved as much.

And that wasn't even mentioning his ultimate trump card...

Naruto was reluctant, but he still pursed his lips and prepared to start training.

Suddenly, an idea struck him, and a brilliant smile spread across his face...

"Hey, hey..."

"The Transformation Technique doesn't limit what I can turn into, right?"