Unlimited Ramen, So Will You Eat It or Not!

Trails of fire wrapped around the shuriken.

Like a barrage of meteors, they streaked toward the fleeing mercenary ninja!

The ninja scrambled in a frantic panic.

But even with the cultivation of a Chunin, he could not escape his judgment!

This was because while the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique lacked the raw power of the Great Fireball, it possessed a homing effect—it would not stop until the target was dead!

A muffled boom erupted behind the ninja!

First, he had been severely wounded by Sakura's monstrous strength, and now the Phoenix Sage Fire added insult to injury.

In an instant, he spat out a mouthful of blood, then collapsed to the ground, twitching a few times before falling silent forever.

Sasuke had killed four men in an instant, and it had all happened in the blink of an eye.

Seeing Sasuke look toward them, Naruto, Sakura, and Tazuna finally snapped out of their shock.

Although they clearly understood that everything that had just happened was real.

It still felt like waking from a dream, a sense of unreality lingering in their hearts.

Is... is this your true strength?

Swallowing hard, Naruto stared at Sasuke, thinking to himself.

Sasuke, even though I know you don't think much of me, I will wait for you my whole life, and I will work hard for you my whole life, until you are willing to marry me. I will never leave your side...

Her beautiful eyes dazed, Sakura clenched her pink fists, making a secret vow in her heart.

No... could this boy be even more impressive than Kakashi?

But how is that possible?

Kakashi is an elite Jonin, and this boy named Sasuke is so young—could he be at the Kage level?...

But how could that be?

I'm crazy! I must be crazy...

The more Tazuna thought about it, the wider his mouth hung open, until his jaw dislocated, forcing a wail that snapped him back to reality.

He thought to himself, Perhaps the times really have changed...

With a sharp whistle, the sound of wind being torn apart rang out!

Naruto, Sakura, and Tazuna, still immersed in their shock, all felt a jolt of alarm!

They initially thought more ninja were attacking, but when they turned their heads, they saw Kakashi appear on the scene as if he had risen from the dead, grinning with a smirk, seemingly thinking he looked like a warm, caring man...

Seeing this, the three were stunned for a few seconds before they all realized: Kakashi had been perfectly fine all along; he had just been playing dead as a tactical maneuver!

Thinking of this, Sakura and Tazuna naturally didn't say anything.

After all, one was just glad to be alive, and the other was entirely focused on the handsome face of Sasuke not far away, having no time to care about anything else.

But Naruto, that troublemaker, wasn't going to let it slide.

The moment he saw Kakashi's grinning face, his anger flared up.

He stepped forward, pointed a finger at Kakashi, and shouted:

"Hey! Kakashi-sensei! Do you think playing dead like that is funny?"

"Do you have any idea? If it weren't for Sasuke just now, we would have all been killed!"

"And you have the nerve to laugh! Hmph!..."

In the end, Naruto gave a light huff, looking incredibly tsundere.

"Uh... hehehe..."

Kakashi gave an awkward laugh, scratched his head, and tucked Icha Icha Paradise: Season 2 back into his pouch.

Finally, he responded with some embarrassment:

"Well, about that..."

"Of course I knew..."

"The reason I did that at the time was to help Team 7 build some synergy."

"I just didn't expect that, just like the last test, it would turn into a one-man show by Sasuke, hehehe..."

"You!..."

Naruto was left speechless.

Kakashi had made his meaning perfectly clear.

That was to say, if Sasuke had been unable to hold his own, he would have intervened at the critical moment.

However, he hadn't expected Sasuke to take on four Chunin single-handedly; before he could even make a move, the boy had finished the job himself.

Things having reached this point, Naruto couldn't blame anyone else.

After all, when others gave Sasuke an opportunity, Sasuke truly proved his worth!

Returning to the subject of Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi finally circled back from their previous topic.

But as they turned to look at Sasuke again, their expressions changed in unison.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

If you want to thrive in the ninja world, you can't skip looting the bodies.

Sasuke, holding the Sword of Indra, moved between the four corpses.

Each time he passed one, he delivered a cold, precise strike to the heart to ensure they wouldn't revive.

Seeing that the dust had settled, he confiscated the pouches from all four men and tucked them away.

Seeing this, Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

This kid is ruthless, he thought. He doesn't even spare the dead?

But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he reconsidered.

Reflecting on it, Kakashi mused to himself:

"Sigh... perhaps this isn't a bad thing."

"The ninja world is inherently cruel; perhaps only someone as decisive as Sasuke is truly suited to be a ninja..."

Naruto's mouth twitched.

Although he had learned of Sasuke's background and changed his opinion of him, seeing this scene—and being the show-off he was—he couldn't help but sidle up to Sasuke, saying somewhat awkwardly:

"Sa... Sasuke, isn't this a bit too cruel?"

"Cruel?"

Sasuke waved a hand at Naruto, signaling him to step back.

Immediately, his hands blurred through a series of seals, and in the blink of an eye, a massive Great Fireball erupted, instantly engulfing the four fallen corpses.

After a long while, seeing the four ninjas reduced to nothing but ash, he turned back to look at the stunned Naruto and said slowly:

"After this mission, let's go to Ichiraku Ramen. My treat, how about it?"

As he spoke, Sasuke shook the pouches he had just looted from the four ninjas.

Judging by their heavy appearance, Sasuke had made quite a haul from this job...

"Ah, this... but, Sasuke, isn't this a bit..."

Naruto, possessed by his inner contrarian, remained unmoved by Sasuke's bribe and still wanted to say something.

Hearing this, Sasuke waved his hand impatiently to cut him off.

"Eat as much ramen as you want, but the money is coming from these four dead ghosts."

"What's this about cruel or not? Who told them to fail their assassination attempt and get killed instead?"

"I'm just collecting some legal interest."

"Now, Ichiraku Ramen is on the table—are you going to eat or not?"

"Ah, well..."

After a pause, Naruto replied weakly:

"Eat..."

"Then that's settled."

Seeing this, Kakashi, Sakura, and Tazuna were nearly knocked unconscious by Naruto's ridiculous behavior...

Time passed quickly.

Team 7, accompanying Tazuna, had unknowingly entered the territory of the Land of Waves.

The river was shrouded in mist, looking like a fairyland.

On the small boat, the six of them sat together, joined by the Boatman.

As they neared the port, Kakashi, who had been sitting opposite Tazuna, suddenly asked in a low, serious voice:

"Mr. Tazuna, after everything that has happened, don't you think it's time you gave us an explanation?"

Upon hearing this, not only did Tazuna, sitting across from them, look startled, but the three members of Team 7 also turned their gazes toward Kakashi, puzzled by his sudden change in demeanor.

But in an instant, to the surprise of the three Team 7 members, Tazuna let out a long sigh and spoke slowly:

"I'm sorry, I have deceived you all..."

"Deceived? Tazuna-san, don't say that. Our mission is to protect you until you reach the Land of Waves safely, so it really doesn't matter..."

Naruto, who had developed the best relationship with Tazuna along the way, was unwilling to see him look so dejected.

"No, I'm sorry, little Naruto. Kakashi-sensei is right; I did deceive you..."

With his head bowed, Tazuna dared not meet anyone's eyes. After a pause, he continued his explanation:

"I am a bridge builder from the Land of Waves."

"Many years ago, a group of ambitious men appeared in our country."

"They first quietly monopolized all the pillar industries in the Land of Waves, leaving the people in dire straits. Yet, for the sake of survival, the citizens had no choice but to endure their exploitation and oppression..."

"Gradually, some enlightened individuals in the country began to awaken. They decided to pool their funds to build a bridge—the Mother Bridge—that would sustain the people of our Land of Waves."

"By building this Mother Bridge, we hoped to revitalize the development of the Land of Waves and secure a path for the future of our people..."

At this point, not only the three members of Team 7 but even Kakashi nodded in understanding.

Everyone felt that this was a noble endeavor.

To rely on oneself rather than others and seek one's own path—it was a future worth looking forward to.

But just then, Tazuna's tone shifted, becoming filled with grief and indignation as he gritted his teeth and continued:

"But... but those monopolizing merchants couldn't stand to see us succeed!..."

"They kept spending huge sums of money to bribe high-ranking ninjas to assassinate me and threaten the investors!"

"And that recent assassination attempt? I believe it was them who paid a high price to hire those killers to take me out!"

"They know that if I can return home safely this time, the Mother Bridge will surely be completed, and their filthy plans will fail!..."

They continued to walk as he spoke.

Time passed quickly, and by the time he finished, the group had already disembarked from the boat.

At this moment, Naruto asked, looking puzzled:

"But, why can't they just let you build your bridge? Why go to such lengths to sabotage it?..."

This time, before Tazuna could answer, Kakashi crossed his arms and explained in a low voice:

"Because they want to control all the people of the Land of Waves and force them to serve their interests."

"Just imagine, if everyone could live a prosperous life, who would still be willing to risk their lives for those people?..."

"That's too much!... Those people are truly despicable!..."

Although Naruto could be impulsive, he wasn't stupid. Hearing this, he gritted his teeth, sparks of fury flashing in his blue eyes!

Sakura also clenched her fists tightly, feeling that if things had reached this point, it was no wonder everyone in the Land of Waves had risen up to resist.

Unlike everyone else at the scene, Sasuke frowned and fell into deep thought:

"Were those four people really sent by the Land of Waves?"

"But before, they seemed to know in advance that Team 7 would be on this mission. What is going on here?..."

Sasuke suddenly recalled what the four ninjas had inadvertently said:

"Too weak. A proper Jonin, Gekko Hayate, is this all he has?..."

Although it was a minor detail, and with the crisis at the time, no one else had noticed it.

But Sasuke had heard it clearly.

What did this signify?

It could be significant or trivial, but even though Kakashi was leading the team, that man had mentioned Gekko Hayate.

Furthermore, Sasuke practiced the Konoha Style of swordsmanship, which had deep ties to Gekko Hayate.

This only left him more confused.

After all, how would a mere Chunin-hired ninja squad know the identity of a member of the Konoha Anbu?