Since the matter was settled, the group decided to find a restaurant in the village to eat. Everyone was a little hungry from the long walk, except for Torifu and Naori, who had eaten the soldier pills.
It was the first time for all of them to come to this small fishing village, so they naturally didn't know what the local specialties were. They saw a restaurant on the street with a lot of people and went in. The restaurant owner immediately came out to greet them. The people in the village all knew that a team of shinobi had arrived. He, of course, got the news right away, but he never expected that the shinobi would actually come to his restaurant.
"You must be tired from your journey, shinobi-sama. I am the owner of this restaurant. Please, come in."
The owner led Torifu and his group to the best and largest private room in the restaurant. This way, no one could disturb them. Torifu and the others were already used to this. The status of a shinobi in the Land of Fire was second only to the Daimyō. Not even the officials of the royal city could compare. They would be treated with respect and special treatment everywhere. After all, if a shinobi was angered, killing a few commoners wouldn't be a big deal. However, if they were found out by the Hidden Leaf Village, they would be severely punished.
"Owner, this is our first time in Gyokai Village. Just serve us all of your specialties. Don't worry about the cost."
When the owner heard Torifu's words, he beamed. "Alright, shinobi-sama. Please wait a moment. I will instruct the kitchen to get started." He then humbly retreated.
"Shinobi have a really high status, huh?"
Kagami said helplessly, "We can't help it. Ordinary people don't understand us. They might be afraid that if their service isn't good enough, we'll kill them all."
Torifu smiled. "You should be used to this by now. They might not even encounter a shinobi once in their lifetime. It's normal for them to be afraid." Torifu then told his companions about his conversation with the boatman.
"That boatman said that the Land of Whirlpools has closed its borders, so he can only take us to the coast near the Land of Whirlpools."
Everyone understood. Given the situation in the Land of Whirlpools, it was completely normal for them to close their borders. Even during peaceful times, fishing boats weren't allowed to get too close.
Naori thought for a moment and then said, "Since we're sailing at night, we still need someone to keep watch. Although a boatman isn't much of a threat, we need to be prepared for any possibility."
As shinobi, being careful and cautious was their motto. Not being arrogant because of their strength was something their teachers had taught them since the beginning of their schooling.
"Naori is right. I'll take the first watch." Torifu was the first to respond to Naori's call. He then looked at her, and the two smiled at each other.
Koharu looked at them helplessly. "You two are enough. Can you stop giving each other googly eyes?"
Everyone then laughed.
Before long, the dishes were brought out one by one. They came out very quickly, but it was hard to tell if the taste would be affected.
"Shinobi-sama, this is steamed sea crab, this is steamed egg with sea urchin, this is braised sea cucumber with green onions... and charcoal-grilled scallops."
There were more than ten dishes in total, and every single one was seafood. Since this was a coastal village, seafood was naturally their specialty. But why did all the names of the dishes sound so familiar?
No one cared about that. They all picked up their chopsticks and got ready to eat. It was rare for them to come to a coastal fishing village, so they naturally didn't get to eat these things on a daily basis. So everyone was ready to feast today. The people here didn't have the speed of shinobi. If they were to transport seafood by land, it would no longer be fresh by the time it reached the Hidden Leaf Village. That's why there were very few seafood dishes in the restaurants in the Hidden Leaf Village.
After everyone started eating, the owner stood at the door with a smile until Koharu said that the food was delicious! Only then did he wipe the sweat from his forehead, bow, and retreat.
Torifu was currently gnawing on a crab. Whether in his past life or this one, he hadn't eaten more than ten crabs in total. So he was bound to be a little wasteful. Everyone else was the same, so no one laughed at anyone else.
As they ate, they chatted, and it felt more like they were going on a picnic than a mission.
Hiruzen let out a big burp. "Ah, if my son knew I was out here eating a seafood feast, I wonder how much he would cry."
Torifu was already a little full since the soldier pills from the morning hadn't been digested yet. He put his chopsticks down on the plate and said to Hiruzen, "Just bring some back for him. I can use Ice Release to keep it fresh."
At this moment, not only Hiruzen but everyone else also stared at Torifu. Torifu understood their expressions and said helplessly, "Alright, alright. You can all take some back with you."
Naori was very happy to hear this. "If you hadn't said that, I would have forgotten about your Ice Release. But you never really use your Ice Release for anything serious."
When Naori said this, Torifu realized that he really hadn't done much with his Ice Release. Before refrigerators were invented, he could still use it for things like preservation and cooling. But after refrigerators and air conditioners were invented, there were fewer and fewer places for him to use his Ice Release, and he had almost forgotten about this jutsu. If the people of the Hōzuki Clan knew about this, they would probably gather their entire clan and come to the Hidden Leaf! Their proud Ice Release was only being used by Torifu for refrigeration!
After a while, everyone was full.
"Alright, everyone. Let's go. I hope you won't get seasick from being so full."
Amidst their disapproving looks, Torifu pushed the door open and left. The owner saw Torifu and immediately came to greet him. "Shinobi-sama, are you finished?"
Torifu nodded. "Yes. The food was great. How much do we owe you?"
The owner bowed slightly, a smile on his face. "As long as you liked it, shinobi-sama. This meal is on me. No charge."
Torifu waved his hand. "Don't think we shinobi are here to bully people. Haven't you people changed your minds after all these years?"
The owner's face turned pale. "You misunderstand, shinobi-sama. I simply wanted to treat you to a meal. If you insist on paying, the meal is thirteen thousand ryo."
Without a second thought, Torifu took out the corresponding amount of money from his ring. "Keep it. Next time you see a shinobi, you don't have to act like this. Just treat them like a normal customer. If they don't like it, just tell them it's the Third Hokage's order."
The owner immediately nodded repeatedly. Torifu and his companions then left the restaurant, leaving the owner standing at the door in a daze.
"What did that shinobi-sama just say? The Third Hokage's order? But isn't there only the Second Hokage right now?"
"Could it be that the Second Hokage is going to retire! And this person is the new... Third Hokage!"
......
chapter end
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TN: My editor has me at gunpoint. They say they'll only holster the weapon if this chapter gets 50 power stones. Please, I'm too young to be unalived over fictional characters!