Three years flew by in the blink of an eye.
In the ninja world, a great deal could happen in three years.
But for Son Goten, those three years had been much the same as before, except that he had grown considerably taller and sturdier, shedding his childishness and gaining a touch of youthful valor.
He was sixteen now.
Afternoon sunlight spilled lazily into the Ichiraku Ramen Shop.
"Ayame, another bowl! Extra large!"
Goten slumped over the counter, tapping his bowl listlessly.
"You've already eaten fifty bowls."
Ayame approached with a steaming bowl of ramen, wearing a gentle yet helpless smile.
She deftly set the ramen in front of Goten, then picked up a towel and wiped the sweat from his temples.
"Slow down. Nobody's going to steal it."
"Hehe, you really are the best, Ayame."
Goten raised his head and gave Ayame a huge smile, then shamelessly buried his face in the magnificent softness of her bosom and nuzzled against it.
Ayame's cheeks reddened slightly, but she did not move away, merely patting his back affectionately.
"You're so grown up now, yet you still act like a spoiled little child."
"I'll always be a little kid with you," Goten replied indistinctly, then lowered his head to tackle his fifty-first bowl of ramen.
"Hey, hurry up and get lost when you're done! Stop getting in the way!"
A woman's voice bristling with hostility came from beside him.
Tayuya wore the same chef's uniform as Ayame and was scrubbing a table vigorously, her movements full of resentment.
Three years were enough to wear down a person's rough edges.
The once-defiant Sound Ninja elite had now become the Ichiraku Ramen Shop's most famous hostess, the "Red-Haired Little Chili Pepper."
Her sizzling figure, paired with her icy expression, had instead become a distinctive