Tanzaku Town certainly lived up to its reputation as the Land of Fire's most famous money pit.
Colorful signs lined both sides of the street. Shouts and the clatter of dice rose and fell from the casinos, and the air smelled of alcohol mixed with face powder.
"Wow! That's takoyaki! And that's teppanyaki squid!"
Naruto Uzumaki pointed at the roadside food stalls, practically drooling onto the ground, his blue eyes full of stars.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya leered at a passing group of geisha, chuckling. "Nice, very nice. There really is plenty of material here. My inspiration is about to explode."
Son Goten ignored those two hopeless fools.
He twitched his nose. That distinctive scent drifted faintly through the air, like freshly steamed milk buns with a hint of fragrant medicinal herbs.
"This way."
Goten completely ignored several young women trying to sell him Ramune and strode through the crowd on his short little legs, heading straight for an outdoor teahouse on the street corner.
"Hey! Boss Goten, wait for me!" Naruto hurried after him, clutching two skewers of dango he hadn't paid for.
A black-haired woman sat at a table in the corner of the teahouse.
She wore a black kimono jacket and held a little pink pig in her arms, frowning at the bill in her hand with a worried expression.
Son Goten stopped three meters away from her, his eyes fixed on the pig in her arms.
Though small, the pig had sleek, glossy skin and even wore a little vest. One look told him she was carefully raised, "premium stock."
"Gulp."
Goten swallowed so loudly that even the customers beside him heard it.
That color, that plumpness-roasted over a fire and sprinkled with cumin and chili powder, she'd taste even better than Ichiraku Ramen's chashu.
Sensing that predatory