Chapter 203: Everything is Developing in a Good Direction
Time flies; two and a half years passed.
In the Taobao Shop, Masahiko was half-reclining on a homemade rocking chair, smiling as he watched his two apprentices busy at work.
Over the past two years, Masahiko had taken another apprentice after Obito: Rin Nohara. One reason was to "create opportunities" for his little apprentice Obito, and the other was to free himself from the endless life of compounding medicine.
Since the Taobao Shop started selling pills, it had suddenly become busy. Masahiko's original intention was just to find something to do; he didn't want to be trapped in the shop all day.
Pharmacy wasn't like carving, and Rin was a meticulous girl. In just over a month, she was able to compound simple pills to support the shop's daily sales.
And in these two and a half years, Obito's carving had improved a lot, roughly equivalent to a Level 4 or 5 carving skill. Consequently, quite a few cheap goods appeared in Masahiko's shop.
"Master." Obito's voice interrupted his thoughts. "The Ninja Academy starts again the day after tomorrow, and we plan to apply for graduation at the end of this semester. We'll have less time to come here in the future."
Masahiko was stunned. "Preparing to graduate? Not going to stay for another two years?"
Obito nodded. "I don't want to delay in school anymore."
Masahiko smiled and glanced at Rin. "Why are you in such a hurry to become ninjas? You could even choose not to be ninjas, inherit my little shop, and live a peaceful life. Wouldn't that be nice?"
Rin kept her warm smile, but Obito blushed completely and stole a glance at Rin.
It took a lot of effort for him to shake his head. "Master, I want to become a ninja! I want to become Hokage!"
Masahiko paused, then smiled and shook his head. Although he expected this, he still didn't quite understand.
"Then work hard," he said, looking at the serious Obito. "You have quite a few competitors."
Masahiko thought for a moment. "One is the new Senju Clan Head, Senju Nawaki. Next is the Sannin Orochimaru, then Konoha Jonin Minato Namikaze... Oh, right, your teacher Dan Kato also wants to be Hokage."
"Eh? Sensei also wants to be Hokage?" Obito didn't feel much about the others, but mentioning his "homeroom teacher" put some pressure on him.
Masahiko smiled. Seeing the sky gradually darkening, he waved his hand. "School starts the day after tomorrow, so go back early. You don't need to come tomorrow either; I'll be closing the shop for a few days."
The two looked at each other, nodded, and said, "Master, we're leaving."
Sending them off, Masahiko closed the shop door, unable to hide the smile on his face.
In these two and a half years, everything was developing in a good direction. The growth of his two young disciples was just as he expected; at 13 years old, their strength was increasing rapidly.
And the relationship between Kushina and Minato was heating up quickly. Kushina hadn't voiced her desire to make Minato "marry into" the Land of Whirlpools so soon yet. After all, besides abducting Minato, she was also thinking about abducting the Nine-Tails.
Aside from these, the news he received yesterday made Masahiko the happiest.
"Mikoto Uchiha is finally pregnant. I thought Nawaki really had no descendants." The ten Witness Points Masahiko spent finally took effect. More than four years after marrying Nawaki, Mikoto was finally pregnant. Now, Masahiko could look forward to the birth of the "monster" combining Senju and Uchiha genes.
Additionally, Fugaku Uchiha also married a wife. Her name was surprisingly similar to Mikoto's—Meiling Uchiha (Uchiha Meiling). This put Masahiko's mind slightly at ease.
"Next, all that's left is waiting." Masahiko hadn't gained a single Witness Point in over two years; he was waiting for the plot to unfold.
After a few turns, Masahiko walked to Ichiraku Ramen, preparing to eat a free dinner.
"Uncle Hagoromo, you're here." Teuchi was full of smiles as he served a bowl of noodles. As promised, Masahiko had eaten free ramen for over two years, and Teuchi had no objections, always receiving Masahiko with a smile.
However, his smile was exceptionally happy today, which stunned Masahiko.
"What is it? Did something good happen?"
Teuchi's face was blooming like a flower...
"Uncle Hagoromo, our branch store in the Land of Fire is opening tomorrow. My apprentice will be stationed there permanently. Besides that, everything here will be half-price tomorrow."
"A branch store is opening?" Masahiko looked at the two-story building. The current Ichiraku Ramen was much larger than in the original story. Opening a branch meant they really made a fortune from takeout.
Masahiko smiled. "Good luck. Maybe in the future, you can open branches all over the Land of Fire."
Teuchi shook his head. "One shop in the Land of Fire is enough for now. Next step, I want to open a shop in the Land of Whirlpools."
Masahiko was stunned and looked closely at the smiling Teuchi opposite him. Over the years, Masahiko hadn't felt anything wrong with Teuchi, but occasionally, Teuchi would drop a comment out of nowhere that made him pay attention.
"The Land of Whirlpools? There aren't many people there, you know?" The population there still hadn't risen much.
"The competitive pressure there is small too."
"Is that so?" Masahiko nodded and started eating his noodles.
...
The next day, a long queue formed outside Ichiraku Ramen, a sight not seen in a long time. Since expanding to a two-story building, there was usually plenty of seating, so such a grand occasion was rare.
"Is half-price that attractive?" Masahiko smiled. "True, Ichiraku Ramen is cheap to begin with. Half-price is probably about the same cost as making noodles at home."
How could he miss out on such a lively event?
Masahiko didn't use the Transformation Jutsu this time. Just as he wanted to rely on his "seniority" to skip the line, he spotted two acquaintances.
"Jiraiya, when did you get back?"
Masahiko smiled and walked over.
Jiraiya was pulling Minato, saying something.
"Senior, you're here for ramen too? I just came back yesterday. The novel is finally finished... I didn't expect Ichiraku Ramen to become so popular." Jiraiya had been away for nearly three years and couldn't understand the changes at Ichiraku Ramen at all.
"Elder Masahiko." Minato also greeted him.
Masahiko nodded, looked at the long line, and felt troubled. He really didn't want to be "shameless" in front of Minato.
"Eh?" Masahiko paused, then waved his hand. "Jiraiya, Minato, I'll take you to cut in line."
Masahiko spotted four acquaintances at the front of the line: Kakashi, Asuma, Guy, and Shizune.
Masahiko pulled Jiraiya and Minato to the front. The three boys looked dumbfounded as they realized they were pushed out of the line, and the three adults squeezed in.
"Thanks for saving our spots."
"Elder Masahiko, isn't this bad?" Minato smiled bitterly, while Jiraiya looked calm.
"It's fine. Little boys need more exercise; let them queue a bit longer."
Kakashi: "..."
Asuma: "..."
Guy: "..."
Shizune covered her mouth and giggled.
☆☆☆
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