Night had fallen. Musashi sat on the tatami mats of his new home, a few ninjutsu scrolls spread out before him.
"Let's see... Chakra Control 101, The Clone Technique, Body Flicker, Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu, Lightning Style: Hound Hunt, Wind Style: Air Cutter, Wind Style: Gale Palm, Wind Style: Great Breakthrough, Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets... That's the entire inheritance from the old man," Musashi muttered to himself.
"Except for Vacuum Bullets, which is a B-Rank jutsu, everything else is C-Rank or lower. And the Body Flicker is just the standard version, nothing fancy."
"Still, it's not bad. At least I'm not starting from zero. This is enough to keep me busy for a long while."
Looking at the scrolls, Musashi began to plot his next move.
Back in his previous life, watching Naruto, all he saw were god-tier characters like Naruto, Sasuke, and Kaguya. Even elite Jonin like Kakashi were jokingly used as units of measurement for chakra.
But after two months in this world, Musashi had learned a harsh truth: a random wandering ronin, weaker than even a Genin, could easily end his life.
And a Genin? They were the nameless bodies buried under rubble during the Nine-Tails attack. They were the corpses left in the wake of Pain's "Almighty Push." They were just ground meat on the battlefield.
So, he had to plan for the worst-case scenario: what if he had zero talent as a ninja? What if his destiny was just to be cannon fodder?
Plan B: Marry Ayame, inherit the Ramen Shop, and level up in life that way.
As long as he could survive the Nine-Tails attack and the Pain Invasion, living a long life in Konoha wasn't impossible.
That was his safety net.
But if there was even a sliver of hope, he wanted to make a name for himself.
Flashy, powerful ninjutsu. Superhuman strength.
Of course he wanted that.
But as the child of commoner ninjas, without a Kekkei Genkai (bloodline limit) and not being the reincarnation of some alien god, the odds were slim.
In the ninja world, powerful ninjas without special bloodlines or genetic gifts were rare.
Hiruko, Orochimaru, Might Guy...
Considering the difficulty to obtain, the danger level, and future growth potential, his target was clear: Might Guy's Eight Gates.
The downside? It took forever to see results, the training was torture, and it was easy to accidentally kill yourself.
But as a former grad student, he wasn't afraid of suffering!
"So, the next goal is to lock onto Might Guy."
Musashi picked up the Chakra Control scroll.
"But first, I need to test this body's aptitude."
The scroll in his hand had been passed down through the Ryomiya family for generations. It was covered in dense notes from multiple people, which saved Musashi a lot of trouble.
After studying the key points carefully to ensure he missed nothing, he began his attempt.
Extract physical energy from the body's 130 trillion cells, combine it with spiritual energy accumulated through experience and training in a fixed ratio, and form Chakra.
Some people, like most civilians, couldn't extract either energy easily. Others, like Rock Lee, struggled specifically with spiritual energy.
Generally speaking:
Genius: Masters it instantly.
Talented: Takes a day or a few days.
Dead Last: Takes a long time of grinding just to barely get it.
Perhaps due to the trauma of living two lives, Musashi found extracting and controlling his spiritual energy surprisingly easy. It went smoother than he expected.
But when it came to extracting cellular energy, he hit a wall.
His spiritual energy was ready and waiting, striking a pose, but his cellular energy wasn't reacting.
Musashi's mood dipped. He had prepared himself for this, but facing the reality was still disappointing.
He didn't have the talent of a genius.
He shook off the disappointment, accepted reality, and continued following the scroll's instructions.
In his past life, he had endured advanced mathematics, endless textbooks, grueling projects, and writing a thesis. He was used to the grind of boring persistence.
It had just turned dark. He had plenty of time before he needed to be at Ichiraku Ramen tomorrow afternoon.
One hour, two hours...
Time passed. He stopped thinking about "talent" and focused solely on the repetition of extracting chakra.
The faint energy in his cells became increasingly active. It felt like if he just pushed a little harder, it would slip out and combine with his waiting spiritual energy.
Finally, the first wisp of physical energy was successfully extracted. Then, cells all over his body began to release energy one after another.
The two forces met and merged, creating a brand new energy within his body!
When he opened his eyes, it was broad daylight.
---
Ichiraku Ramen
"Uncle Teuchi! Big Sister Ayame!"
"I'm here for ramen!"
"Huh? Have we met?" Ayame looked blankly at the delicate, handsome little boy in front of her.
Musashi wasn't surprised. He gave her a hint.
"Um... three days ago. The little beggar."
"Three days ago... the little... WHAT?!" Ayame's eyes went wide.
She couldn't connect this cute boy with the faceless mud-creature from a few days ago.
Back then, she couldn't even tell the two boys apart under the grime.
"One large Tonkotsu Ramen, please! Thank you." Musashi sat on a stool.
"A large? Little brother, can you finish all that?"
"Don't worry, Big Sister Ayame, I'll eat every bite! And I'll give it a serious review."
Ten Minutes Later
"You want to work at Ichiraku Ramen?" Ayame looked at Musashi in surprise, then turned to look at her father, Teuchi.
"That's right. My father died heroically completing a mission for Lord Hokage. Now I'm living alone, and I need a job to fill my stomach every day," Musashi said, playing the sympathy card hard.
"But... Ichiraku isn't looking to hire anyone right now." Teuchi hesitated.
He could barely manage the shop as it was, but he wasn't planning on expanding the staff.
Plus, they didn't know this kid. Hiring a random brat was risky.
Musashi could see Teuchi's hesitation. He wouldn't hire a stranger on the spot either.
He straightened his clothes, stood in front of Teuchi, and spoke earnestly:
"Uncle Teuchi, business is booming. You and Big Sister Ayame must be incredibly busy, right? Especially Big Sister Ayame—she's so young to be taking on so much work. It must be exhausting for her!"
"I may be young, but I'm very good at working! If I help out, you and Big Sister Ayame can take it a little easier."
"And my wages will be very low!"
Looking at Musashi's sincere face, Teuchi still frowned. "But..."
Musashi: "And I promise! Absolutely! I will not cause any trouble for the shop."
Musashi: "Uncle Teuchi, Big Sister Ayame, please!"
Musashi: (｡◕‿◕｡)
Ayame: "...Father, let's hire him."
"Alright then." Teuchi finally relented. "Starting tomorrow, come here at 4 PM every day. You'll be in charge of cleaning the dishes. I'll pay you the standard rate."
"Work hard, or I'll fire you, kid."
Over the next few nights, the villagers of Konoha began to notice a busy little figure at Ichiraku Ramen.
"Here are your two bowls of ramen, sir."
"Uncle Teuchi, you just focus on cooking! Leave small stuff like wiping tables to me!"
"Big Sister Ayame, what are you doing! Put that down! Those soft hands aren't made for washing dishes. Let me do it!"
"Big Sister Ayame! I'm saying this one last time! Put it down! How can I let a girl pour water? You're challenging my pride as a man! Don't worry, I might be small, but I'm stronger than you."
At the counter, Daiki Nojiri drank the last drop of soup from his bowl, watching Musashi buzz around like a busy little bee.
Since returning to Konoha, Daiki had shed his beggar image.
His hair, black with grime for two months, was now snowy white again. A few bangs covered one eye in what he called an "artist's hairstyle."
Musashi called it the "pervert peek-a-boo cut," convinced Daiki only styled it that way to ogle girls.
Daiki: "So Musashi, are you really not going to hang with me anymore? You're just gonna work here?"
Musashi cleared the empty bowls from the counter.
"First of all, I never agreed to be your sidekick."
"Second, don't think of this as simple labor. From today on, Ichiraku is my home, and I am an Ichiraku man."
"Finally, if you're done eating, please give up your seat. Don't block other paying customers."
Daiki: "→_→ I really don't get you. You could be living the easy life with me."
"Fine, work if you want. When you're free during the day, come find me at the Shueido Bookstore. A new shipment of Make-Out Paradise just came in. We can appreciate it together."
Teuchi: Σ(￣д￣;)!
Musashi: "...Sorry, Daiki. I have more important things to do."