After finishing his speech, Fugaku slowly stood up, patted the dust off his pants, and turned to leave.
In the crowd, Kagami stared blankly in the direction Fugaku had disappeared, his brows furrowed.
He agreed with what Fugaku had said, but he couldn't accept such grueling and extreme training methods.
It wasn't surprising—after all, Kagami wasn't from Rinjin's hometown and had never heard the sayings from that place.
"Heaven burdens those it entrusts with great responsibilities!"
And,
"Only by facing utter despair can one find rebirth!"
Living in this dog-eat-dog world, if one had no special bloodline but still wanted to change their fate, they would have to put in a hundred or even a thousand times more effort than others.
Such was the reality.
Perhaps it could be said that Fugaku, who had already endured so many life-and-death trials at such a young age, was more realistic than Kagami.
At that moment, a little girl standing beside Kagami, her eyes sparkling, was staring intently at Fugaku's retreating figure and muttered softly:
"So... so... so handsome! Fugaku-nii... you're the coolest!"
Hearing this, Kagami was momentarily stunned, then turned to look at the little girl with a strange expression.
Mikoto Uchiha...
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed. The joint Chūnin Exams were just around the corner.
The three members of Team Eleven had finally gathered again at the newly opened ramen shop run by Teuchi.
"Teuchi, why did you name your shop 'Ichiraku'?"
Rii tapped the table, her curiosity evident.
Hearing this, Teuchi scratched his head in embarrassment and chuckled sheepishly.
"Well, our teacher often says: 'Life is short, so seek joy wherever you can!'"
Hearing this, Rii slowly covered her forehead, her expression turning utterly speechless.
He's talking about joy, not Ichiraku.
Wait, do you even know what joy means?!
Shaking her head vigorously to clear her mind of inappropriate thoughts, Rii continued to ask:
"Teuchi, are you still planning to participate in the Chūnin Exams?"
Hearing this, Teuchi tugged awkwardly at the apron he was wearing.
"Well, I was thinking that being a Genin is good enough. I mean, there's no real issue with not taking on missions.
But a few days ago, our teacher came by for some ramen and specifically told me to participate in the Chūnin Exams.
He even said that becoming a Chūnin wouldn't mean I'd have to take on missions. If anyone talked behind my back, I could just drop his name.
By the way, do you think our teacher's name carries any weight?"
Upon hearing this, Fugaku and Rii shook their heads in unison.
In the eyes of the villagers of Konoha, the name Rinjin Sōhō was practically unknown.
On the other hand, the name Shimura Tantantan was widely recognized.
Unfortunately, it was notorious for all the wrong reasons!
Seeing Fugaku and Rii shake their heads, Teuchi's face twisted into a look of despair, as if he were wearing a mask of pain.
However, the thought of Rii and Fugaku fighting alone without him there to play the role of tank made Teuchi uneasy.
After much deliberation, Teuchi let out a long sigh and reluctantly said, "Alright... let's go as a team, then?"
"It's settled!" Rii slammed the table, a bright and cheerful smile lighting up her pretty face.
Beside her, Fugaku's lips curled into a slight smile as well.
They were all students trained by Rinjin, and none of them subscribed to the overly considerate "don't trouble your comrades" philosophy.
What they had instead was a bold camaraderie akin to: "Midnight snacks? Dieting? Screw your diet, let's go for skewers!"
In simpler terms: "Day off tomorrow—let's chug a bottle first!"
As the three of them chatted and joked, the shop's curtain was suddenly lifted, and a group of individuals who were clearly from the Land of Lightning entered.
"Boss, six bowls of pork bone char siu beef ramen."
Seeing this, Teuchi immediately put on a friendly smile and apologized:
"Sorry, we're not cooking today. No business today, really sorry."
"What about them?"
A boy with a slicked-back, spiky hairstyle pointed at Rii and Fugaku.
Hearing this, Teuchi smiled awkwardly. "Hehe, they're my classmates. They came to catch up with me today!"
The boy pursed his lips in dissatisfaction, shot Teuchi a disdainful glance, and turned to leave, muttering under his breath.
"Ridiculous. Not open for business but still open for chit-chat. If this shop makes money, I'll eat my hat."
Though spoken softly, the words were loud enough for the sharp-eared trio to hear.
Hearing this, Rii's brows furrowed deeply as she said in a low voice:
"Hey, kid. If you've got something to say, say it to my face. Don't mutter like a little girl!"
In an instant, the spiky-haired boy turned his head sharply, his cold eyes locking onto Rii.
"Oh? Not convinced? How about we settle this?"
Though her face carried a smile, the occasional glint of red in her eyes seemed to warn the boy:
I may look pretty, but I'm not in a pretty mood.
Years of accumulated killing intent unintentionally seeped out.
Beside her, Teuchi's smile also slowly faded. For some reason, he instinctively entered a combat-ready stance.
Just then, a large hand suddenly reached in and pulled aside the curtain.
Moments later, a handsome face appeared.
It was none other than Rinjin.
"Yo~ Having fun?"
With that one line, the tension between the two sides instantly dissipated.
"Big brother!"
"Rinjin-sensei!"
"Uncle Raimei!"
Several voices rang out simultaneously. The group of teenagers looked at each other, momentarily stunned.
Rinjin glanced curiously at the spiky-haired boy. After a moment, realization dawned on him. He threw an arm around the boy's neck and introduced him to Tsunade:
"This... this kid is the son of my big brother, the Raikage. Man, time flies! He's grown so much!
When I first met him, he was still running around butt-naked!"
Then he turned to the boy and asked, "What's your name again?"
The boy glanced at Rinjin awkwardly and lowered his voice. "A."
Hearing this, Rinjin was momentarily stunned. He looked at A with some surprise.
So, they've already decided on his name? Looks like my big bro is doing pretty well for himself!
After a moment of thought, Rinjin let go of A, walked over to the table, sat down, and tapped it.
"Teuchi, I'll have pork bone ramen with five extra servings of char siu!"
Hearing this, Teuchi glanced at A outside the counter and chuckled nervously:
"Teacher, the kitchen's closed today. No food."
At this, Rinjin frowned, then smirked mischievously.
"Well then, what are you planning to do today? Go train? Need me to coach you?"
Hearing this, a bead of cold sweat appeared on Teuchi's forehead. He shrank back in terror, shaking his head like a rattle.
"N-no... no training! I'll cook... I mean, I'll make noodles for you!"
"Get lost!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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