Ramen

Hokage Office.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Come in."

"Lord Third Hokage, long time no see."

"Ah! Boss Chiba."

Seeing Chiba enter the office, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave him a kindly smile.

"It's been a while."

After greeting him, Hiruzen Sarutobi put out his pipe and set it down.

"It's been half a year, hasn't it? How did your scouting trip around the Land of Fire go?"

Tetsuya smiled and shook his head.

"To be honest with you, Lord Third, the trip was quite a disappointment."

"Oh? If you don't mind, could you tell me what happened?"

"Ah, nothing really happened. It's just... the world outside the village was rather different from what I'd imagined."

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's curious expression, Tetsuya began telling him about everything he had seen and heard over the past six months.

"In short, after making the rounds out there, I feel that Konoha is far, far better than anywhere outside.

Apart from a few major cities, I honestly don't think the places outside the village even deserve to be called towns."

After hearing Tetsuya out, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed with feeling.

"Ah, Mr. Chiba, what you saw is the true face of the Shinobi World."

"You're right, Lord Third Hokage. Still, the trip wasn't fruitless. I found a few reasonably viable locations."

"Haha, did you? Good, good. Then let me wish you a thriving business in advance, Mr. Chiba."

"Here's hoping your good wishes come true."

Tetsuya smiled and took his wallet out of his pocket.

"Enough about that, Lord Third Hokage. Let me settle the payment for this mission first."

At the sight of the money, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes narrowed into a smile.

"Haha, of course, of course."

After paying the fee, Tetsuya left the Hokage building.

At the Chiba Ramen Shop, Tetsuya, who had originally planned to go straight home for a good sleep, decided to stop in as he passed.

"Welcome."

Teuchi bowed to welcome his customer. When he looked up, his eyes went wide, and he excitedly pulled off his hat.

"Ah, Boss! You're back!"

"I'm back. Thanks for all your hard work these past six months, Teuchi."

Tetsuya smiled faintly and patted Teuchi on the shoulder.

His clone had vanished on the eleventh day after he left Konoha, so Teuchi had essentially been running the shop for the past six months.

"It was no trouble. You taught me your craft, Boss. Getting to practice while looking after your shop was a blessing."

Tetsuya smiled. What a fine thing to say. Teuchi was practically born to be an employee.

"Oh, Boss, please wait a moment."

Teuchi hurried behind the counter, then came running back with a ledger.

"Boss, these are the accounts for the past six months. Please take a look."

The ledger in Teuchi's hands was nearly full. Tetsuya shook his head and pushed it back.

"No need. I trust you."

Seeing how much Tetsuya trusted him, Teuchi bowed deeply once again.

"Thank you for your trust, Boss."

Tetsuya smiled.

"I still prefer it when you call me Teacher, like you did when you were learning from me."

"Yes, Teacher."

Tetsuya glanced around the shop and, after a little thought, spoke.

"Teuchi, how would you feel about taking charge of this shop from now on?"

"Teacher? What do you mean...?"

"Don't get the wrong idea."

Tetsuya sat down to one side and explained.

"I'm planning to open a branch in the capital of the Land of Fire. Once it opens, I can't keep running back and forth between the two, can I?"

"You're right, Teacher. The capital really is a bit too far from Konoha."

"So I'm planning to make you the manager of this shop in Konoha."

"Me?! Can I really do a good job as manager?"

"Haven't you been doing a fine job these past six months?"

"Really?"

"Haha, all right, don't get excited just yet. Opening the branch will still take some time."

"Boss Teuchi, one signature ramen, please."

A familiar figure, the easygoing Jiraiya, walked into the shop.

"Whoa! Boss Chiba!"

Jiraiya's mouth fell open when he saw Chiba.

"Hey, long time no see, Jiraiya."

Tetsuya smiled and waved.

"It's been six months. You've grown taller."

"Long time no see, Mr. Chiba! I heard you spent the past six months traveling around the Land of Fire. Was it fun out there?"

Jiraiya looked at Tetsuya, his eyes brimming with curiosity.

Tetsuya thought for a moment, then smiled.

"Jiraiya, everyone sees the world differently. What I find fun might not be fun for you. So whether it's fun out there is something you'll have to see for yourself."

"What? I just wanted to ask what it's like out there. Why give me such a long speech, Mr. Chiba?"

Listening to Tetsuya spout all those lofty principles, Jiraiya curled his lip.

Looking at Jiraiya as he was now, Tetsuya thought of the man who would one day roam the world searching for the Child of Prophecy, and he couldn't help shaking his head.

"Never mind. You wanted a bowl of signature ramen, right? I'll make it myself."

With that, Tetsuya headed into the kitchen.

"Teacher, let me do it."

Teuchi wanted to make the ramen for him, but Tetsuya stopped him.

"What, you want to take over my job before I've even opened the branch?"

"No, no, no! That's not what I meant."

"Haha, just sit down. It's been a long time since I properly made ramen. Let me do it."

Teuchi had no choice but to sit down.

Soon, the aroma of ramen drifted out of the kitchen.

Before long, Tetsuya emerged carrying two bowls of ramen. He handed one to Jiraiya and the other to Teuchi.

"Teacher, this is..."

"It's been so long since I made ramen that I got the portions wrong, so I made you a bowl too. Go ahead and try it. See whether I've lost my touch."

Teuchi nodded and picked up his chopsticks.

"Time to dig in."

By the time Teuchi had finished saying that, Jiraiya had already wolfed down several mouthfuls.

"Mmm, that's Mr. Chiba for you. It tastes just as great as ever."

Tetsuya sat to one side, smiling as he watched the two eat.

Jiraiya ate with loud gusto, looking as though he hadn't had a proper meal in quite some time.

The kid had probably spent another long stretch at Mount Myōboku, eating insects for every meal.

Teuchi, meanwhile, ate much more slowly and carefully, as though savoring every nuance of the ramen.

"I'm done!"

Jiraiya set down his bowl and chopsticks, licked his lips in satisfaction, and patted his stomach.

"I'm finished too. Thank you for the meal."

Teuchi set down his chopsticks and spoke with feeling.

"As I thought, my cooking still doesn't measure up to yours, Teacher. Even though we use exactly the same ingredients, somehow your ramen is more refined, and its flavor is richer than mine.

Perhaps that's why you're the teacher."

Tetsuya smiled and patted Teuchi on the shoulder.

"What are you going on about? All right, now that we've eaten our fill, let's all head home. Time to get some rest."

"I should head home too. Goodbye, Mr. Chiba, Boss Teuchi."

Jiraiya waved and left the ramen shop.

Tetsuya left Teuchi to close up the shop and headed out first.