The introductions continued in the classroom.
"My name is Shikaku Nara. I don't have any hobbies. I hate troublesome things and specialize in my clan's secret techniques."
"I'm Inoichi Yamanaka. I like gardening, dislike rude people, and also specialize in my clan's secret techniques."
After hearing their short introductions, Reiji stroked his chin, deep in thought.
Honestly, whether he taught them or not didn't really matter—they each had their own clan techniques to rely on.
Still, now that they were under his care, there was no way they'd graduate without going through some serious trials.
Inoichi for support, Shikaku for control, and Chōza for offense—not a bad lineup. But they were still lacking in coordination.
With that thought, Reiji gave a sly grin before looking up at the three, his scheming expression vanishing in an instant.
"Alright then. From today on, Team 11 is officially formed.
Let's go get some ramen!"
He turned and left the classroom first. Behind him, Chōza was quick to follow, moving with surprising agility for his size.
...
Soon after, Reiji led his three students to Ichiraku Ramen.
Even before they reached the entrance, the thumping beat of lively music blared from inside the shop.
"Bei-bei-bei-bei-bei!"
Mixed in were all sorts of bizarre shouts from men.
"Ho-ya, hey! Ha! Mm! Ugh!"
Reiji's face darkened immediately.
What the hell is Teuchi doing now? Has he given up on Ayame?
Or has Konoha completely changed in the past three years since he left?
With a scowl, he pulled back the curtain—and his face turned even darker.
Behind the counter, two men were radiating bright green chakra as they aggressively kneaded dough.
The poor dough constantly changed shape—round one second, flat the next—as if it had no will of its own.
Damn it! I think I just lost my appetite!
As he kneaded, Teuchi shouted at the guy next to him, who was dressed in a full green bodysuit.
"Duy! What's wrong?! Running out of strength?!
Where's your youth?! Pour your youth into it!"
With a loud roar, the teen—around sixteen or seventeen—clenched his fists and shouted back.
"My youth will never fade!"
Watching the two of them in full-blown passion mode, Reiji trembled and covered his eyes.
Unbelievable. Just watching them knead dough is getting me fired up... They're insane—insanely good!
Next to him, three little heads peeked out from behind the curtain, all frozen in shock.
What the hell?!
There were no words for this kind of chaos.
Just then, Teuchi, wearing a white apron, spotted Reiji and his eyes lit up.
"Sensei!"
Sensei???
The three kids immediately turned to look at Reiji, shrinking back instinctively.
Wait—no way.
Are we gonna end up like that someday?
That's so embarrassing!
Reiji, who had been planning to quietly slip away, froze mid-step, let out an awkward chuckle, and stepped into the shop.
"Uh, Teuchi... long time no see."
"Long time no see, Sensei! I missed you so much!"
Teuchi bolted over the counter, arms wide for a hug.
In a blur faster than the eye could follow, Reiji jumped back and pressed a hand to Teuchi's shoulder, ducking his head as he spoke quickly.
"Teuchi, calm down. Let's talk—just talk, alright?"
Teuchi nodded enthusiastically, then looked at the kids behind Reiji in confusion.
"Sensei, who are they?"
"Oh, right—I totally forgot."
Reiji waved Chōza and the others in, gesturing for them to sit down.
"These three are my new students. Technically, that makes them your junior brothers."
Teuchi froze for a second. Memories of those hellish three years came flooding back, and he suddenly grinned mischievously, eyes narrowing as he looked at the three.
"Heh~
Hehe~
Hehehe~
Good luck! I believe you'll all become super amazing shinobi!"
Watching Teuchi's beaming eyes, the three kids felt a chill run down their spines.
Something... something bad was definitely about to happen.
Just then, Teuchi leaned in with a mischievous grin and whispered to his teacher,
"Sensei, heading out on a mission after this?"
Reiji shot him a surprised glance.
Oh? This kid's been with me long enough to figure me out, huh?
"Of course. Once we're done eating, we head out.
You know how I am, so..."
Before he could finish, Teuchi thumped his chest with pride and nodded firmly.
"Don't worry, Sensei! Last supper—got it! I'll make sure the junior brothers are fully fueled with some top-tier ramen."
Reiji nodded in satisfaction.
They exchanged a glance and shared a sly smile—both eyes gleaming with mischief.
...
Across the table, Shikaku Nara felt a cold chill crawl down his spine.
From the moment he stepped into the shop, he'd been quietly observing, gathering intel.
As a member of the Nara Clan—one of the Ino–Shika–Chō—his upbringing had gone far beyond what the Ninja Academy typically offered.
Truth be told, his starting line was already way ahead of most civilian-born shinobi.
And yet, despite all that, seeing Teuchi today had rattled him.
It wasn't that he hadn't been to Ichiraku before—he and Chōza had visited plenty of times.
But never had he sensed such thick, almost gleeful malice from the young owner. No—this wasn't just malice. It was pure schadenfreude.
Right then, all Shikaku wanted was to rush home and scream at his dad, asking what kind of lunatic he'd assigned them to, and maybe get his mom to give the old man a good beating while she was at it.
Inoichi Yamanaka felt exactly the same.
As for Chōza Akimichi, he was too busy drooling over the pot of steaming ramen to notice anything else.
...
Soon, the ramen arrived.
Reiji had a simple bowl of tonkotsu. Lately, he'd been eating too much seafood back in Kirigakure, and his knees were acting up—probably gout.
Next to him, Chōza was served a monstrous bowl piled high with char siu, pork cutlets, naruto rolls, kombu, and soft-boiled eggs. It was so luxurious it practically glowed.
Across the table, Inoichi and Shikaku each received identical bowls of seafood shrimp ramen.
Reiji glanced at them with a knowing smile.
"Inoichi, Shikaku—so, you two like seafood, huh?"
Both boys instantly shrank back in their seats, sensing something ominous in the question.
After a brief pause, Shikaku, still unsure why he felt such a threat, slowly nodded.
Reiji's expression turned warmly approving.
Good kids. You like seafood?
Well then, in a few days... Uncle Reiji's gonna treat you to your heart's content.