"Ugh! I'm starving..."
Walking out of the Hokage Building, Ishikawa clutched his rumbling stomach and grimaced. Earlier, the excitement of learning forbidden jutsu had distracted him, but now that things had calmed down, hunger gnawed at him relentlessly.
"It's only noon, and you're already hungry? Didn't you eat breakfast?" Kakashi, standing beside him, glanced at the sun overhead in mild surprise, then pointed down the street.
"There's an Ichiraku Ramen shop over there. You should give it a try."
"Ichiraku Ramen!" Ishikawa's eyes lit up instantly. He hadn't been able to afford it before due to his tight budget, but now that he had some money, he was ready for a proper feast.
"Oh, right! Please tell Taro and Jiro that you'll be free this coming week." Thinking about the Lightning Chakra Mode training, Kakashi's eyes sharpened with resolve.
"A whole week? Teacher, are you planning to... huh?" Ishikawa turned, about to invite Kakashi to join him for noodles as a thank-you meal, but before he could finish, Kakashi vanished in a puff of air.
"??? Seriously? Are you running away because I might ask you to treat me? I was going to pay and thank you too..." Grumbling, Ishikawa picked up his pace and headed toward Ichiraku Ramen.
Fine, he thought. If he's not coming, that's money saved. After crossing two streets, he finally spotted the iconic Ichiraku sign from the Naruto plot.
"Welcome!" The cheerful, bell-like voice greeted him as soon as he stepped through the door.
"Excuse me, sir. What flavor of ramen would you like? Here's the menu." Before Ishikawa could say anything, the girl behind the counter pointed to the vibrant chart on the wall.
Ishikawa glanced over. The wall displayed bright red prices: Regular Ramen: 60 / Special Ramen: 70 / Vegetable Ramen: 65 / Pork Bone Ramen: 75 / Miso Ramen: 70 / Seafood Ramen: 75...
There were also drinks and side dishes ranging from 5 to 30 ryo.
"Give me a super-sized bowl of pork bone, vegetables, and barbecued pork ramen. Add a house roll, a sausage, and one bottle of juice!" Now rich, Ishikawa placed his deluxe order with confidence and flair.
"Alright, sir!" Teuchi smiled and nodded, clearly happy to see a big spender walk in.
"Here's your drink, sir." Ayame handed him the bottle with a smile before turning to prep the side dishes.
Ishikawa gulped down a few large mouthfuls. Looking at her cheerful, delicate face, he couldn't help but think how stunning she was. Truly, anime world beauties had their own charm.
Though Ishikawa didn't consider himself the type to chase after pretty faces, it never hurt to admire one now and then.
"Guest, your ramen." Soon, the father-daughter duo served a large, steaming bowl of deluxe ramen in under three minutes. Ishikawa, already starving, didn't hesitate and immediately dug in.
'Not bad. No wonder it's the protagonist's favorite food. It's slightly below the Earth's best cuisine, but still satisfying.' He savored every bite as his hunger finally began to ease.
"Uncle Teuchi, I want a big bowl of ramen!"
Just as Ishikawa was slurping noodles, a bright, energetic voice called from outside the shop.
"Coming right up, Naruto!" Teuchi replied instantly.
Naruto? Ishikawa paused mid-bite. Was it really him?
He turned his head instinctively and spotted a familiar blond boy with goggles sitting two seats down. Though still younger than the version in his memories, his cheerful, sunny presence was unmistakable.
It's him. That's really Naruto!
"Hey! Why are you staring at me like that? Do I know you?" Noticing Ishikawa's fixed gaze, Naruto frowned, visibly annoyed by the strange attention.
Damn it, that looks again! Even though he doesn't have the same malicious intent as those people, that obvious change in expression is still annoying!
"I had just heard of a junior who was always at the bottom of the class in the Ninja Academy. I wonder if that was you?" Ishikawa calmly replied, quickly swallowing the noodles in his mouth while pointing to the forehead protector on Naruto's head.
The protagonist really is something! Just one sentence almost made me choke. If I weren't trying to avoid unnecessary trouble, I'd have taught this future junior a proper lesson today.
"The last place...?" Naruto froze at those words, his eyes darting to Teuchi and Ayame nearby. "Ah, well, you must be mistaken! I'm actually one of the elites at the academy! There's no way I'm last!"
"Ahaha... ahahahahaha..."
"Really? Maybe so," Ishikawa replied indifferently. He neither confirmed nor denied Naruto's lie and simply continued eating.
Naruto is still very sensitive at this stage, so it's best not to interact with him too much.
Ishikawa didn't want to attract attention from the Third Hokage or Danzo and end up in trouble!
Naruto, still laughing awkwardly, didn't dare say more. He was afraid Teuchi and Ayame would learn the truth about his poor performance at school and be disappointed in him.
Just then, Teuchi placed a steaming bowl of ramen in front of Naruto.
"Huh? But I asked for regular ramen, not this deluxe pork bone flavor!" Naruto said, pulling out a crumpled ramen coupon with a distressed expression.
"It's a gift, Naruto," Teuchi said casually.
Naruto's eyes instantly lit up with joy.
'So this is the bond between Naruto and Ichiraku Ramen...' Ishikawa glanced meaningfully at Teuchi, quickly finished his ramen, paid, and stood up to leave.
It's way too risky to dine next to Naruto. Better to finish and slip away quietly!
"Who was that guy?" Naruto muttered, scratching his head as he watched Ishikawa's retreating back. He couldn't recall ever seeing such a Genin senior before.
Ah, whatever... Someday, I—Uzumaki Naruto—will become a ninja! Just you wait!!
Meanwhile...
After leaving Ichiraku, Ishikawa ignored Naruto's doubts. He passed along Kakashi's message to his two junior teammates and quickly moved on to the day's plans.
Buy two sets of super-durable, stab-proof ninja vests: 1,000 ryo. Detonating tags: 300 ryo each—buy 100 immediately!! High-grade long sword, stainless kunai, steel shuriken, fine steel wire, Chakra Pills, smoke bombs...
In short, if it boosted his strength or survival chances, Ishikawa bought it.
"Ah, I almost forgot!" As he passed through the fresh food market near his home, Ishikawa stopped at the sight of a half-dead carp lying among the wilted fish. He smacked his forehead in realization.
Thinking of the Healing Jutsu theories he was learning recently, he just picked out a half-dead carp, hauled his heavy bags back home, and began his next task.
"I've still got some time left. Let's give the Spirit Transformation Technique a try." After cleaning up and looking out at the starry sky, Ishikawa muttered to himself.
While he had confidence, he wasn't arrogant. If the technique turned out to be too difficult, there was no reason to waste time on an S-rank forbidden jutsu.
Step One: Use chakra to resonate with the soul...
Recalling the training process, Ishikawa formed hand seals, closed his eyes, and focused deeply. Of course, there was no scroll.
He had spent all that time in the Hokage's Office just memorizing the Spirit Transformation Technique. The Third Hokage had strictly forbidden him from taking any written materials.
He had to rely solely on memory, and if he forgot, he would have to request the instructions again.
Meanwhile, during that same period, the Third Hokage also had Kakashi transcribe the Lightning Chakra Mode into the Scroll of Seals.