Before long, a female ninja wearing a fishnet top under a trench coat arrived.
"So, you're the one who needs a guide?"
"I'm Anko Mitarashi. Nice to meet you." Despite her bold and carefree personality, Anko still maintained a respectful demeanor in front of the envoy.
Tsk tsk! Anko!
Orochimaru's female disciple was indeed sexy, though still a bit lacking compared to the "Leg Shadow" (a nickname for another woman known for her legs).
"Hey! Don't you think it's rude to look at someone like that?" Anko frowned, noticing the man's wandering eyes scanning her up and down.
"Ah, my apologies," Deidara said with a sheepish smile. "It's just that female ninja are so different from the noble ladies I'm used to encountering."
Deidara couldn't help but compare Anko to Junko, a noblewoman he had met before. The two were completely different types.
Anko rolled her eyes. Plenty of people lusted after her body, but for some reason, she just couldn't muster any interest in men.
All her peers, and even some younger friends, were already in relationships.
Maybe it was because she had been corrupted by that man from a young age.
"So, where do you want to go?" Anko asked.
"Hmm, Ichiraku Ramen! I've heard it's quite famous and a must-visit spot for anyone coming to Konoha."
Deidara was also curious to see if Teuchi Ōtsutsuki (a humorous exaggeration of Ichiraku Ramen's owner being a godly figure) was as terrifying as the rumors claimed.
"Ichiraku Ramen?" Anko raised an eyebrow. The ramen was indeed tasty, but it wasn't exactly famous enough to reach the ears of nobles.
Still, since it was the guest's request, she had no reason to refuse.
Deidara and Anko strolled leisurely through the streets. Konoha, one of the more bustling villages in the ninja world, was lively even at night, with plenty of people out and about.
"How many residents does Konoha have?" Deidara asked curiously.
"Um..." Anko scratched her head. Numbers and statistics weren't exactly her forte.
"What the heck? They said you'd be my guide, but you don't even know basic information like this?" Deidara said with a hint of disdain.
"Shut up!" Anko snapped, clearly annoyed and trying to cover her embarrassment. "Why do you even care about something like that? It's obviously fewer than the capital."
"Can't you show a little respect to me as an envoy? If you keep this up, I'll report you to your Hokage!"
"You—!" Anko glared at him furiously but quickly backed down under Deidara's unwavering gaze.
"Fine!"
"Sorry!" Anko reluctantly bowed in apology, her tone filled with frustration. Deidara smiled, clearly enjoying the sense of superiority.
Not bad! This feeling is pretty great!
"In that case, you can treat me to ramen as a sign of sincerity for your apology," Deidara said.
"Fine!" Anko sighed in relief. Treating him to a bowl of ramen wasn't a big deal.
After walking for a while, they arrived at a small ramen shop with a cloth curtain hanging over the entrance. The aroma of food wafted out from inside.
To be honest, Ichiraku Ramen's status in Konoha wasn't particularly high. If business were truly booming, the shop wouldn't be so small, and they wouldn't need to hand out discount coupons regularly.
But that didn't matter—what people loved was the nostalgia!
Lifting the curtain, Deidara saw three customers inside: one adult and two kids.
What a coincidence!
Sitting in the middle was Iruka, with Naruto and Sasuke on either side.
"Oh? New customers! What would you like to order?" Teuchi, dressed in a white chef's uniform, greeted them warmly. His young daughter Ayame, still quite small, stood next to him, just barely peeking over the tall counter.
Deidara rubbed the back of his head. "What's the most expensive item on the menu? Give me three bowls!"
Hearing Deidara's extravagant order, Naruto, who was happily slurping his ramen, suddenly felt his own bowl lose its appeal.
"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto looked at Iruka with hopeful eyes.
Iruka gave an awkward smile. "Naruto, your teacher can't afford that."
As a regular chūnin teacher, Iruka often helped out struggling students, so his finances were limited.
"Hey, kid. If you say, 'Uncle, you're so handsome,' I'll treat you to a deluxe bowl of ramen. How about it?"
Deidara, being the mischievous type, couldn't resist stirring things up when the opportunity arose.
"Really?" Naruto asked, his eyes lighting up.
"Of course!"
"For every time you say it, I'll buy you another bowl—until you can't eat anymore. Deal?" Deidara crossed his arms confidently.
Anko, standing to the side, leaned in with a dark expression. "Hey! Don't go overboard! You're spending my money!"
Deidara gave her an innocent look. "It's just a bowl of ramen for a kid. Are Konoha's ninja really so heartless?"
Having taken the moral high ground, Deidara left Anko with no choice but to pay for the ramen. She glared at him, clearly annoyed.
"And you, kid in the corner. Want a deluxe bowl too?" Deidara asked, looking at Sasuke, who was sitting at the end of the counter.
It seemed Sasuke hadn't come here with Iruka and Naruto but had run into them by chance.
"No," Sasuke replied coldly, not even glancing in Deidara's direction.
"You've got quite the attitude, kid. You remind me of someone I know from the Uchiha clan. His name was Uchiha... mmph!"
Anko quickly covered Deidara's mouth. This envoy was way too reckless—first provoking the Nine-Tails brat, and now the Uchiha orphan. If he mentioned that name, it would be a disaster!
Sasuke shot to his feet, his black eyes replaced by a single-tomoe Sharingan. He stormed up to Deidara, glaring at him with fury.
"Who did you say you know?!" he demanded.
Realizing he might have gone too far, Deidara quickly backtracked. Drawing suspicion from Konoha would be troublesome.
"Uchiha Fugaku! He always had a similar demeanor. You're his son, right? You really do look like him!" Deidara said, smoothly shifting the topic.
Hearing his father's name, Sasuke calmed down. Without another word, he turned and left, leaving half a bowl of ramen behind.
"Hey! Kids need to eat properly, or it'll affect their growth!"
"And you should at least pay for the food you didn't finish. You're not planning to dine and dash, are you?"
Blushing, Sasuke reluctantly returned to pay, clearly embarrassed at being called out in public.
After finishing their ramen, Deidara and Anko wandered through the night market, sampling the famous dango and other treats. It was an enjoyable experience for Deidara, but Anko's face grew darker and darker as her wallet emptied.
"Tsk tsk tsk! Youth, such youth!"
"Getting worked up over something so small—kids these days!" Deidara teased.
Anko finally snapped. If the man in front of her weren't an envoy, she would've punched him by now.
"You bastard!"
"Of course you don't care—it's not your money!"
Deidara shook his head, giving her a patronizing look.
"That's why I said you're still too young."
"Bring me some paper and a pen."
"What for?" Anko asked, confused.
Deidara grabbed the paper and asked, "How much did you spend tonight?"
Anko opened her wallet and counted, her frustration mounting. "A total of 300,000 ryo!"
"Here, take this!"
"What's this?" Anko asked, taking the paper. Written on it was a receipt stating that Anko had spent 1,000,000 ryo entertaining the envoy, signed by Deidara.
The naive kunoichi felt as though a new world had opened before her. "This... this is allowed?"
Deidara patted her shoulder. "That's why I said you're still young."
"Take it and go get reimbursed!"
"The 700,000 profit is my tip for you. You can even brag about it later—tell people you're a woman worth 700,000 ryo in one night."
Anko's face turned red as she shouted, "Who would brag about something like that?!"
"Alright, alright! Just go!"
"One last tip—make sure you collect the money before noon tomorrow!"
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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