Chapter – 10 The Legendary Six Bowls of Ramen? (Patreon)

After his break, Tatsumi decided to work on Shurikenjutsu and took out a few Shurikens. Shurikenjutsu is not that difficult to learn; however, to ensure accuracy and add variations, practice is necessary, so continuous effort is required.

Before he raised his Shurikenjutsu talent to Level 3, he was already quite skilled due to rigorous practice. Now that his talent has once again increased, he should make rapid progress in Shurikenjutsu. With this intention, Tatsumi took out ten Shurikens, five in each hand. He positioned himself fifty meters away from the target, assumed his stance, and then threw them one after another.

Tuk! Tuk! Tuk! Tuk! Tuk! Tuk! Tuk! Tuk! Tuk! Tuk!

One after another, all ten Shuriken hit the target and formed a (+) sign.

The accuracy was exceptional.

"Nice!" cheered Tatsumi as he once again took out ten more Shuriken, five in each hand.

He took a deep breath and then threw the Shurikens. Unlike last time, this time he initially threw the five Shuriken in his left hand first. After they had gained some distance, he threw the five Shuriken in his right hand.

The latter five Shuriken were fast, quickly catching up with the former five. Soon, a series of collisions occurred as the latter five Shuriken collided with the former five, accelerating them and altering their trajectories in five different directions.

Tuk! Tuk! Tuk!

Out of the five, only three hit the target. Meanwhile, the other two deviated a little too much and ended up missing the mark.

"Nice," thought Tatsumi with a grin. What is style? This is style! The movement, the posture, and the strength… all were executed perfectly, making Tatsumi look cool while throwing the Shurikens.

Of course, the two Shurikens that missed their marks could be ignored. 'Not all Shurikens need to hit the target,' Tatsumi thought in his mind, an excuse he could use if any onlookers were surprised by the two misses.

But, of course, this miss was only temporary. Thanks to having a Level 3 talent in Shurikenjutsu, Tatsumi also figured out the problem that led to the two misses.

The strength he applied with his right hand wasn’t appropriate; he ended up exerting extra force.

At this time, the System said, "[Could it be… because of that? Did you already start to put your right hand to its supposed use when alone?]"

"No! I am only five years old! How could it be? No one can do that at such a young age!" Tatsumi quickly retorted, his face flushing. He didn't want to entertain the System's speculative thoughts.

[I wonder?]

"Don’t wonder too much, you will overload yourself!" snorted Tatsumi with a dissatisfied expression.

[......]

The System fell silent, but Tatsumi knew that internally it must be cooking something.

"Anyway..." Putting aside the Malicious System for the time being, Tatsumi continued his Shurikenjutsu training for the next hour.

Thanks to his Level 3 talent in Shurikenjutsu, he was able to grasp more complex angles and positions of Shuriken throwing and also learned the varying degrees of strength required for different results.

After he was satisfied with his Shurikenjutsu, Tatsumi took out a few Kunai.

Based on the information he had read in the Scrolls left to him by his father, he recalled that although Kunai is primarily a melee weapon, it is often used as a throwing weapon in place of Shurikens. Therefore, there are entirely separate techniques for Kunai throwing.

The Uchiha Clan is, of course, at the forefront of inventing these Kunai-throwing techniques.

Changing the direction of Kunai in midair is a very difficult task. Making it curve or deflecting it requires advanced techniques. However, the techniques developed by the Uchiha Clan for Kunai throwing—often used in tandem with the Sharingan—make these feats possible.

As soon as he thought about using impressive Kunai throwing techniques to appear cool in front of cute girls, Tatsumi became enthusiastic about mastering them. Additionally, if he could learn the Flying Raijin technique and combine it with his exceptional Kunai throwing skills, he believed that all the cute girls in Konoha would become his fans.

With this newfound excitement, Tatsumi began practicing Kunai throwing skills. The training continued for another hour, during which he managed to earn a total of 30 points. By the time he stopped, the sun was about to set.

he balance had changed again, displaying: [Current Balance: 1240 Points]

Satisfied with his progress and his point balance, Tatsumi retrieved the used Shurikens and Kunai, then left the forest.

On the way, he paid special attention but was disappointed to find that the trio of Ryota, Kazama, and Hiroshi had disappeared.

Those three must have returned to their homes.

"A pity… I wanted to try my Kunai Throwing Technique on them," muttered Tatsumi with a sigh.

Fortunately, the session would start at the academy the next day. Tatsumi was quite interested in the Ninja Academy, aiming to earn as many points as possible. He had set a small goal for himself: to become the top student at the academy.

With such determination, Tatsumi returned home on his own.

Why not with Mikoto? She returned home early; after all, she had to take care of her Obaasan, so she couldn't train outside for too long.

As he walked back home, Tatsumi looked around. The moon was hazy, and the weather was cool. Many Konoha residents were on the streets, and a lot of people had come out to enjoy this peaceful night. Some were even with girls, doing lewd activities in public like holding hands.

Looking at those people, Tatsumi couldn't help but want to exclaim, 'Perverts!' But he refrained and continued walking. He allowed those couples to engage in 'ecchi' activities. After all, he knew he would also grow up and do such lewd activites. He didn't want anyone to point him out at that time.

Ignoring the shameless teenagers, Tatsumi looked around with a smile.

Peace was truly wonderful and calming to his heart. Although he had only been in this world for the past five years, ever since he realized that he had been reincarnated into the Naruto world, Tatsumi had a constant sense of crisis that made him feel extremely anxious. Only such peaceful nights could calm him down occasionally.

As he walked through the streets, Tatsumi suddenly noticed a long queue in front of a store with red lights.

Is this Konoha's Red Light District?

No! It’s not!

Cough it’s the newly opened Ichiraku Ramen with red lanterns at the entrance.

The aroma of freshly prepared Ramen wafted all the way to the next street. Tatsumi was naturally tempted; he could already imagine the mouth-watering taste of the Ichiraku Ramen.

"Come to think of it, it’s almost dinner time," muttered Tatsumi, and thought to himself, ‘Let’s not trouble Mikoto and her Obaasan tonight. I will rely on Ichuraku Ramen tonight.’ He then joined the queue.

The business at Ichiraku was always booming; there was never a shortage of people lined up outside his store. Tatsumi even suspected that the title of the richest in Konoha belonged neither to the Senju nor the Uchiha, and certainly not the Hyuga… but to Ichiraku. Of course, this was just a joke. How could a newly opened store compare with Clans with a history of a millennium?

Although… if he really is an Ōtsut–just kidding, some things should never be spoken, they can only be thought of, but can never be spoken. There are some unspoken rules of survival.

What if they end up being true? Tatsumi certainly doesn't want to face the Ramengan and the Six Paths of Ramen.

As Tatsumi hushed himself to stay quiet, it was finally his turn.

As soon as he sat in his chair, Tatsumi placed his order, “Uncle… Two large bowls of Tonkotsu Ramen!”

The owner of Ichiraku Ramen nodded enthusiastically, “Coming right up!”

The current owner of Ichiraku Ramen is still not Teuchi. After all, that guy is still a ten-year-old kid; he hasn’t grown into a legendary existence.

As Tatsumi looked at the younger Teuchi, suddenly the owner’s voice resounded, “Teuchi… serve this to the customer!”

Tatsumi, who was a little dazed, was taken aback. ‘This uncle hides so deeply…’ he muttered to himself, “Is it the long-lost Lion’s Roar Jutsu?!”

Unaware of Tatsumi’s thoughts, Teuchi immediately ran toward the owner (his father) and brought the Ramen.

As soon as Teuchi brought the Ramen, he was surprised, “Huh? Tatsumi-chan, it’s you!” and asked, “Are you eating by yourself today?”

“Yes…!” nodded Tatsumi with tick marks.

It’s fine to consider me young, however, why use -chan? Teuchi’s words subconsciously reminded Tatsumi of the penalty that he would have to face if he doesn’t raise the level of one of his attributes to Level 8 before graduating from the Ninja Academy.

Not noticing the tick marks, Teuchi continued to ask, “Will you be able to finish all this?”

“Of course,” nodded Tatsumi.

“Ohh? In that case, I will keep an eye on you,” said Teuchi.

“Suit yourself, but don’t stare too much… I don’t like being stalked by men… if you were a gi–… no forget what I just said.” For a moment, the image of Teuchi as a woman appeared in his mind, and he felt like puking. Tatsumi even felt that his taste in girls would drop if he imagined such an ugly guy as a girl.

“……”

Teuchi looked at him with tick marks on his forehead, but Tatsumi completely ignored the ugly guy and started to eat the delicious Ramen.

“Umaaiii!” he exclaimed and sped up.

This is not Ramen; this is the food of the Gods!

As he finished the first bowl, he paused for a moment and asked Teuchi, “Hey… do you know how to make Ramen?”

“Yes, but the taste is still not as good as the Ramen made by Chichiue,” answered Teuchi.

“Oh…” nodded Tatsumi and encouraged Teuchi, “don’t worry… practice more, and you will also become good…”

“Yes…” nodded Teuchi with a smile.

Suddenly, Tatsumi thought of something and asked in a hushed voice, “Come to think of it… does your Chichiue add something special to the Ramen he makes?”

“Huh? N… No…!” Teuchi shook his head.

“There has to be something!” said Tatsumi, and asked secretly, “Come on, think of me as your best friend and tell me… you shouldn’t lie to friends; the Kami of flavor becomes angry if you lie to your friend.”

The feeling was faint; however, Tatsumi felt some reaction to his Chakra as soon as he finished eating the first bowl of Ramen.

“…… No!” said Teuchi while shaking his head vigorously. He appeared a little nervous and thought to himself, ‘Did Tatsumi realize our secret?’

Tatsumi blinked as he said in a confident tone, “Oh… it’s useless to deny; I already know the secret!” He was attempting to break Teuchi and his father’s disguise.

“… Really now!” said Teuchi while shaking his head and hands vigorously.

It’s just that his dark face was flushed, which looked very suspicious.

“Really? Then why do I feel some swelling in my stomach as soon as I finished eating!?” asked Tatsumi with a sharp gaze.

“Because you ate too much!” shouted Teuchi with a shark face.

“Sure enough… you are not an ordinary person,” muttered Tatsumi. He was sure of it now.

“……” Teuchi shook his head, but he was sweating buckets.

Is he really an Ōtsut–?

Before Tatsumi could complete it, Teuchi suddenly ran to his father and whispered nervously, “Tou-sama, Tatsumi seems to have discovered that we have a special recipe for the Ramen broth.”

“……” The owner looked at Tatsumi with a peculiar glint in his eyes.