What Put You in Such a Good Mood?

Ichiraku Ramen.

Noon was the restaurant's busiest hour, and the place was packed with diners.

The moment he pulled aside the curtain, the fragrant aroma of steaming broth rushed over him with a wave of heat, making Naruto's stomach growl even louder.

He nimbly hopped onto a stool at the counter and shouted carelessly, "Teuchi, three bowls of ramen to start with! Double the chashu!"

"Coming right up!" Teuchi's hearty reply rang out from behind the stove.

Beside him, Ayame smiled sweetly. "Naruto, you're really early today."

Naruto scratched his head with a silly grin. "Hehe, someone's treating me today, so of course I've gotta eat a few extra bowls!"

"Don't listen to him, Ayame." Sakura sat down beside Naruto as well and smiled helplessly. "Naruto can eat that much no matter who's paying."

"That's true." Ayame covered her mouth and giggled.

She turned around and continued helping her father prepare ramen with practiced speed. Her slender figure in an apron carried a quiet, gentle beauty.

Just then, a clear, mild voice cut in. "What happened? Naruto, you seem to be in a pretty good mood today."

Naruto turned at the sound and saw a familiar face peeking out from behind the ramen counter.

It was a boy around fourteen years old, clean-cut and handsome, smiling at them with narrowed eyes.

"Shigure!"

Seeing an old acquaintance, Naruto beamed even more brightly. "Hehe, of course I'm happy today! Because—"

He mysteriously lowered his voice and drew out his words to build suspense, then suddenly straightened up and raised his fist excitedly. "I'm about to learn a super awesome ninjutsu! When that happens, I'll definitely blow you away!"

Shigure paused in surprise, then raised an interested brow. "Oh? A super awesome ninjutsu? Sounds impressive. Care to tell me what kind of move it is?"

Naruto puffed out his chest and grinned smugly. "Hehe, it's a secret for now! But it's definitely gonna be insanely powerful! Anyway, just wait and see—I'll make you—uh, I'll make your jaw drop!"

As he said this,

his blue eyes burned with fighting spirit and anticipation. There was no trace of the gloomy expression he had worn at the training ground after failing earlier.

Looking at the confident blond boy before him, Shigure could not help being swept up in his mood, and he showed a sincere smile.

"Is that so? Then I'll be looking forward to it."

"Hmph, you're bragging again."

Sakura Haruno crossed her arms and mercilessly exposed him. "Naruto, your basic chakra control is already terrible. Don't fail the training and end up blowing yourself away instead."

"I won't!" Naruto retorted, his face turning red. "This time is really different! Sakura, just wait and see!"

Seeing the two about to start bickering again, Kakashi, seated on the other side, gave a helpless cough. "Ahem. Naruto, no talking about training while eating."

Naruto grumbled and shut his mouth.

Besides, he really was starving. If he kept arguing, he would not have time to properly enjoy his food.

At that moment, three steaming bowls of ramen were placed on the counter.

The fragrant broth and soft white noodles made Naruto's eyes go wide.

With a cheer, he immediately buried his head in his food. His chopsticks flew so fast that the noodles in the bowl were nearly impossible to see, and before long, he had devoured an entire bowl like a whirlwind.

"Another bowl!"

He raised his empty bowl, licked the remaining broth with lingering satisfaction, and called out loudly.

"Coming right up!"

Before long, another full bowl of ramen was placed in front of Naruto.

Naruto immediately lowered his head and began slurping again.

Watching Naruto gorge himself with such blissful delight, Shigure and Ayame could not help laughing.

Sasuke merely gave Naruto a cold glance, his expression thoughtful.

Then Kakashi's casual voice sounded. "Naruto, that ninjutsu you mentioned earlier... did someone teach it to you?"

With his mouth stuffed full of noodles, Naruto answered indistinctly, "Gulp gulp... Huh? Yeah... no, I'm practicing it by myself."

Kakashi's eyes flickered slightly as he looked once more at the ball by Naruto's hand.

In such a short time, Naruto had already entered the second stage of training. That was far too fast.

Not long after, Naruto let out a satisfied burp after finishing three large bowls of ramen.

"Phew—I'm full!"

Naruto stretched comfortably, then seemed to remember something and turned to Kakashi. "Oh, right, Kakashi-sensei, what mission are we doing this afternoon?"

Kakashi lazily opened Make-Out Paradise and said offhandedly, "The same kind of missions as yesterday."

"What?!" Naruto nearly fell off his stool. "Helping people repair their yards, finding lost kittens, stuff like that again?"

Kakashi glanced at him. "What else? As genin, even these most basic commissions are part of your training."

"Tch..." Naruto curled his lips and complained in a dejected drawl, "So boring... I'd rather spend more time practicing ninjutsu..."

"Naruto! Stop complaining!" Sakura knocked him on the head and scolded him with a frown. "We're ninja. Even if it's just errand work, we have to take it seriously."

Naruto covered the spot where he had been hit and muttered unwillingly, "Yeah, yeah, I know. I was just saying..."

Kakashi smiled silently, closed his book, and stood up. "All right, everyone, time to go. This afternoon's commission is a little far from here."

They stood, and Kakashi paid the bill.

Rubbing his satisfied belly, Naruto followed them out of the ramen shop and waved to Teuchi, Ayame, and Shigure. "Boss, Ayame, Shigure, we're heading out! Thanks for the meal!"

"Be careful on your mission, Naruto." Teuchi leaned out with a genial smile and reminded him, "Come eat again next time."

"Yeah! I definitely will!" Naruto nodded vigorously and gave a huge thumbs-up, brimming with enthusiasm.

After watching Naruto and the others leave, the friendly smile Shigure had maintained all along slowly faded somewhat.

"This is getting more and more interesting..."