"This Sealing Jutsu really is amazing."
In the kitchen of the Chiba Ramen Shop, Tetsuya kneaded dough while sensing the chakra inside his body.
He clearly had at least three Kakashis' worth of chakra now, yet under the effects of the chakra Sealing Jutsu, it felt just like when he had first extracted chakra.
Sakuya had even brought Sakumo over for ramen several times lately, and neither of them had noticed anything unusual about him.
Lately, though, he had also sensed that something was off.
While buying ingredients over the past few days, he had noticed prices rising for stockpile staples such as rice and flour.
Usually, a rise in the price of those things meant something big was about to happen.
A Shinobi World War.
Madara Uchiha had controlled the Nine-Tails and attacked Konoha. Someone had spread word that Hashirama Senju had been injured in his battle with Madara Uchiha, and suddenly the hardliners in the other Shinobi Villages had come sniffing around like sharks scenting blood.
Most importantly, there had been less and less news lately about the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
No one knew what condition he was actually in.
Once Hashirama Senju's death was confirmed, then...
"Unless something unexpected happens, a Shinobi World War is about to begin."
The Shinobi World had only managed to remain peaceful because Hashirama Senju was there to keep everyone in check.
Once he was no longer there to hold them down, that brief peace would shatter.
More than half his shop's income now came from shinobi. After all, although his ramen was already quite cheap, ordinary families still couldn't afford to eat it for every meal.
If a Shinobi World War broke out, large numbers of shinobi would be sent to the battlefield, and his income would instantly drop considerably.
"Tsk, what a pain. Hashirama, oh, Hashirama, you've got to hang in there until I've made enough money."
Tetsuya put the prepared noodles into the pot, then donned his signature smile and carried the cooked ramen out.
"Here's the signature ramen you ordered. Enjoy."
"Boss!"
Suddenly, a rather young but extremely loud voice rang out.
Three figures walked into the shop.
One was a boisterous boy with spiky white hair, another a pale, delicate-looking boy with long black hair whose appearance made it hard to tell whether he was male or female, and the last a blonde girl with her hair in a ponytail.
With appearances that distinctive, Tetsuya recognized them immediately. Weren't these the future Konoha Sannin—Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade?
"What would you three like to eat?"
Tetsuya smiled and asked, pretending not to recognize them.
Jiraiya patted his chest.
"Boss, give yours truly an extra-large signature ramen. He's paying."
He sounded incredibly generous, then immediately shoved Orochimaru forward.
Tsunade glanced at the menu.
"Boss, I'll have an Assorted Ramen."
"Of course. And what would you like?"
Orochimaru looked over the menu, apparently finding nothing that appealed to him.
Before Orochimaru could speak, Jiraiya hooked an arm around his neck and offered a recommendation.
"Listen to me, Orochimaru. Get the signature ramen. I'm telling you, a shop's best, tastiest dish is always its signature dish."
But Orochimaru clearly wasn't particularly interested in the signature ramen.
Tetsuya spoke up at just the right moment.
"Is there nothing to your taste? Then would you like to try something we're still developing—cold noodles? Since they're still in development, how about I only charge you the cost of the ingredients?"
"Cold noodles?"
Hearing a name he had never encountered before piqued Orochimaru's interest. Though he didn't particularly like cold food, his curiosity about the unknown still made him quite interested in these cold noodles.
"Sorry for the trouble, then. I'll have the cold noodles."
"Of course. Just a moment."
Tetsuya hurried into the kitchen and got to work.
Outside, the future Sannin found a table and sat down.
Jiraiya asked bluntly.
"Tsunade, what's going on with you lately? You've seemed really distracted during training."
Tsunade forced a smile.
"N-nothing. I just haven't been sleeping well."
Orochimaru spoke in his distinctive voice.
“You don't look like you've just been sleeping poorly. Something's clearly on your mind. Tsunade, we're teammates. You can tell us if something's wrong.”
"Yeah, exactly! Orochimaru's right. We're teammates! Whatever the problem is, just tell yours truly, and I'll solve it for you!"
As he spoke, Jiraiya patted his scrawny arm, looking utterly confident that he could handle anything.
Tsunade pursed her lips and replied.
"Telling you wouldn't help. There's nothing you could do."
"How do you know I can't help if you won't tell me?"
Jiraiya kept noisily pressing her for an answer, but Tsunade clearly didn't want to talk.
Tetsuya watched the entire exchange from the kitchen.
Tsunade's reaction further confirmed his suspicions. Something must have happened to her grandfather, Hashirama Senju.
"Your ramen's here. Give it a try."
Tetsuya brought the three their ramen. As he served Orochimaru his cold noodles, he smiled.
"Please try our new cold noodles. They're still in development, so I hope you'll give me some feedback and suggestions afterward."
Orochimaru nodded, looked at the noodles in his bowl, and compared them with Tsunade's and Jiraiya's ramen.
They were indeed different. Steam visibly rose from the other two bowls, while touching his own revealed that it was actually slightly chilled.
"So these are cold noodles? Orochimaru, can I try some?"
Even with an extra-large bowl of signature Tonkotsu Ramen in front of him, Jiraiya's attention had immediately been drawn to the cold noodles. Orochimaru hadn't even taken his first bite, yet Jiraiya already wanted a taste.
Unable to stand it, Tsunade punched Jiraiya in the head.
"You idiot, Jiraiya! Those are Orochimaru's noodles. He hasn't even tried them yet. What are you thinking?"
"Sure."
Yet Orochimaru readily agreed to Jiraiya's request.
"Huh? Orochimaru, why would you agree to such a rude request?"
Orochimaru gave a rare smile.
"Like I said earlier, we're teammates."
At that, Tsunade fell silent. She understood that Orochimaru was telling her teammates should help each other.
But there were some things she truly couldn't tell them.
"Mmm! 'S delicious!"
After one mouthful of cold noodles, Jiraiya's eyes widened.
It was unlike anything he had ever eaten. Cool on the tongue, sweet and sour without being cloying, and wonderfully refreshing—it was the sort of food that made you want another bite as soon as you finished the first.
Seeing Jiraiya's reaction, Orochimaru took a bite too.
His eyes immediately lit up as well. It was a flavor he had never tasted before, and one he liked.
Still, it was a little too cold for his liking.
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