"Come and taste our delicious grilled fish!"
"Chicken, tuna, salmon, and bonito flake onigiri! One bite and you'll have energy for the whole day!"
"Freshly baked gyozas, for only 25 ryo!"
"Takoyaki! Takoyaki! Takoyaki!"
"Fresh vegetables just brought from farms outside the village! Cheap and high quality!"
Street vendors selling vegetables, fruits, and hot food shouted through the streets, calling out to hurried pedestrians.
Michael inhaled the mixture of aromas flooding the air. He had always wanted to travel to Japan as a tourist and had plans to do so after graduating. Unfortunately, those plans had vanished with his current situation.
Naruto's apartment was three or four kilometers from the commercial district. Luckily, he had managed to get there by following large groups of villagers.
The problem will be getting back… he thought, expertly dodging the vendors.
Overhead, several children jumped from one roof to another, all wearing headbands marked with the emblem of the Hidden Leaf Village shinobi.
He tried his best to appear calm and natural, but he knew his movements were stiff. He wanted to head toward a less crowded area, but he preferred being pickpocketed unknowingly to being mugged in an alley—or worse.
He fervently regretted his choice of clothing. He would have preferred to go out with something that covered his face.
He moved forward until he reached an area where the tumult of people began to normalize.
He saw a boy and a girl who couldn't be older than sixteen. They wore blue pants and shirts. The shirts had long sleeves, and on their right arms, the headband identifying them as shinobi was visible. Additionally, both wore caps with a yellow four-pointed star and the Leaf symbol in the center.
The girl had red fang-shaped markings on her cheeks. When she opened her mouth, Michael noticed her canines were longer than normal.
No need to ask: he knew those two were from the Police Force, and he could assume the girl was a member of the Inuzuka clan.
The Uchiha are still dead. That's good news. I don't want to run into more crazy people with gifted powers. The three still alive are enough.
Although his train of thought was dark, he couldn't imagine what he would do if there were an entire clan with magic eyes. He owed Itachi one, though he'd prefer never to meet him.
He skirted around the shinobi, avoiding eye contact. It might be rude, but he preferred that over a possible interaction.
He stopped in front of what seemed to be a convenience store. Opening the door, he heard the chime announcing a customer's arrival.
It wasn't a particularly large place. He could see three refrigerators with dairy products and several plastic containers with various foods he wouldn't expect to see in ancient Japan.
While looking at the price of rice, he heard the door next to the counter open, and a woman in her forties entered. Upon seeing him, her practiced smile transformed into a sincere one.
Michael knew instantly that the lady knew Naruto. He couldn't believe his bad luck.
Of all the places I could have entered, I came right into one owned by someone who might notice my strange behavior…
His thoughts were cut short when the lady said:
"Oh, good morning, Naruto. Did you run out of your ramen supply already?" she asked affectionately.
The woman seemed to be very familiar with Naruto. Michael had experienced situations like this in his past life: friends of his parents who had known him since he was little, whom he didn't remember.
But this was different: here they must interact at least once a month. Before he could formulate a plan, a name appeared in his mind: Yumi.
"Good morning, Miss Yumi! I still have some ramen left. I was passing by and took the chance to buy a few things," he replied, attempting his best Naruto impersonation.
Judging by the lady's reaction, he hadn't done a very good job.
How do I know her name? I've tried accessing the boy's memories and got nothing…
He didn't have time to form conjectures. He had to focus all his gray matter on keeping the conversation natural and free of suspicion.
"That's good. You do well not to eat only ramen; that way you can grow more. Have you been sleeping well?" she continued. "At this rate, you'll turn into a panda."
He knew she was teasing him about his height, shorter than other children his age. But he couldn't blame her: he would have said something to Naruto too.
"Haha, you know how it gets on Saturday nights. I've been a light sleeper lately," he said. It wasn't a complete lie: there had been quite a lot of noise while cleaning.
Luckily for him, another customer entered the store, and the lady got distracted attending to him. He didn't know how much longer he could endure if the conversation continued.
He was tempted to leave, but he thought it would be suspicious to walk out empty-handed.
So he put a kilo of rice for thirty-five ryo and a dozen eggs for twenty-five into his basket.
Heading toward the register, he passed the refrigerators. He ignored the dairy products out of habit, until he remembered this wasn't his body and that he had thrown away a carton of expired milk that morning.
He grabbed a one-liter carton and felt, for the first time, a small advantage of having transmigrated. Minimal as it was.
The other customer finished his purchase, and his exit was heard by the chime of the bell. Michael lifted his basket so the lady could see his products, and while Yumi made mental calculations, she paused briefly, looked at him, and asked:
"Do you want a bag to carry your things?"
He couldn't help but swallow hard. He didn't expect the question to be so mundane; he was too on edge. He relaxed his shoulders and replied:
"Yes, please."
"Excellent. Then the bag would be five ryo, and added to the rest, that makes a total of eighty ryo."
He took the frog-shaped wallet out of his pants pocket and picked out two fifty-ryo coins, trying to ensure she didn't notice his trembling hands.
She accepted them with a smile and gave him back a twenty-ryo coin. And as he was leaving, she said cheerfully:
"Come back soon!"
Already exhausted by the whole situation, he waved goodbye and limited himself to a contained smile.
Fortunately, the rest of the shopping wasn't as problematic. He had spent a total of two hundred thirty-five ryo; the most expensive item had been the meat.
On his way back, he saw some shops selling things cheaper than the place where he had bought them.
I should bring a notepad to write down prices. Plus, I need to learn to cook healthier meals.
He was no longer a college student who could live on rice and noodles. He was still a student, yes, but one training to become a shinobi: people who could beat up any elite athlete from his world.
It wasn't that he was a bad cook; he could prepare any meat without burning it or leaving it raw, but he had to eat balanced meals, in addition to following strict training routines.
I hope some of the scrolls have instructions. If not, I'm going to have to get a book…
Something he preferred not to do. Although he had bought food for several days, he had gone over his budget, which was already quite tight.
Before he could move forward, he stopped suddenly.
Which way was it? he thought, annoyed. It was the only thing missing.
Not only was he lost in a giant village where he could run into someone who knew Naruto, but it was also already noon, and he was starving.
But without warning, an indescribable sensation ran through his body, making his hair stand on end.
He didn't know how or why, but he was certain that if he took the street to his right, he would reach the apartment. The closest way to describe it was a sixth sense guiding him.
"At least this is better than nothing," he whispered, walking toward his home. The day wasn't over yet; he had many preparations to make for his first class at the academy.