Ding!
[Special Mission: Cheer Up the Hero]
[Mission Description: As the future Supreme Culinary God of the Naruto World, how could you possibly let the protagonist walk away unhappy?!]
[Mission Objective: Win the hero's sincere admiration.]
[Mission Reward: Genin-level Chakra Aptitude]
[Mission Complete. Reward Delivered.]
The moment the system's message dropped, Yuuta felt a surge of energy rising from within his body.
At first, it was like a drizzle, numerous but scattered, not yet cohesive.
But gradually, it coalesced, forming streams that rushed through his limbs and meridians like flowing rivers.
The sensation of possessing power… was almost enough to make Yuuta groan in pleasure.
He clenched his fists.
At last… I'm no longer just cannon fodder in this world.
Now, for the first time since arriving in the Naruto world, he felt he had a real chance to face whatever lay ahead.
Just then, Naruto ruined his moment of glory.
"Boss, from today on, you're my leader!"
"…Huh?"
Yuuta blinked, staring oddly at the kid.
When did this brat start acting like Konohamaru? Since when could you just randomly pledge yourself to someone as your 'big bro'?
No way. Yuuta was a man of ambition. A dreamer. His goals were as vast as the sea of stars.
To be burdened with a loud blond kid…?
Wait. No. This isn't Konohamaru.
This is Naruto. The Naruto.
How could I possibly reject that?
While Yuuta was still stuck weighing the pros and cons of accepting Naruto as a lil bro, his silence only deepened Naruto's awe.
Look at that quiet, profound demeanor. That calm, measured silence. This guy… he's the real deal!
Naruto's heart was pounding.
I was ready to give up on the exam. Totally done.
Then I eat one bowl of ramen from this shop, and boom, I master the Clone Jutsu?! That's insane!
If I don't cling to this guy right now, I may never get another chance!
His eyes sparkled with sincerity, almost like a fangirl meeting her celebrity crush.
Yuuta, under that intense stare, began to feel uncomfortable.
"…Alright, alright. Fine," he said, waving dismissively like he was reluctantly accepting a burden. "I'll take you in as my little bro."
"Yes!" Naruto grinned ear to ear. "Boss, how did I suddenly master the Clone Jutsu?! You have to tell me!"
He looked up expectantly. Now that he'd pledged loyalty, surely the master would reveal his secrets, right?
After all, he had to explain somehow when he asked Iruka-sensei for a re-exam.
"…You really want to know?"
"Of course! Tell me, Boss!"
"Well, didn't you already eat it?"
"Eat it?"
Naruto blinked, confused. He rubbed his belly reflexively.
Yuuta smacked him on the head.
"Idiot. I mean the bowl of beef ramen you just ate!"
"HUH?!"
Naruto's eyes went wide. His expression practically screamed:
"Are you freaking kidding me right now?!"
Yuuta smacked his head again.
God, it was so satisfying to bop the protagonist on the head.
He straightened his back and said with a solemn tone:
"The ramen in this shop… is not ordinary."
He continued:
"Wheat, as you may know, was first cultivated in the Land of Rivers. It's considered the birthplace of wheat cultivation in the shinobi world."
"From there, the wheat spread upstream along the Southern Naka River near the Valley of the End and eventually took root throughout the Land of Fire. During the First Great Ninja War, wandering refugees brought it even further, into the Lands of Wind, Earth, Water, and Lightning."
"Eventually, as durum wheat was cultivated in the Grasslands, it hybridized with wild goatgrass. After natural chromosome doubling, we got what we now call 'common wheat.'"
"This restaurant uses a first-generation natural hybrid wheat, an elite strain with over 50% vitreousness. It's classified as hard white wheat, prized for its thin hull, high flour yield, and creamy hue."
"This wheat is reserved exclusively for Daimyōs and Kage-level leaders."
In short?
"This is the kind of wheat served only to kings."
Naruto didn't understand most of what Yuuta just said…
But he didn't need to.
What mattered was, this boss wasn't bluffing.
He could tell. The way Yuuta spoke, the confidence, the detail, it all screamed: expert.
He even has wheat that's used by the Hokage?! That's insane!
But one problem remained.
"Okay… but why did it help me learn Clone Jutsu?!"
Yuuta smiled.
"Let me ask you, do you know where chakra comes from?"
"Of course!"
Chakra theory was covered early at the academy.
Naruto recited from memory:
"Chakra is the result of perfectly blending two types of energy, one is physical energy extracted from the body's cells…"
"The other is mental energy gained through experience and training."
Yuuta nodded.
He could've gone into Sage Chakra and Nature Energy, but for now, this would do.
"Then here's the answer: the beef you ate contained chakra."
"Those slices of beef came from low-tier summonable bulls, their meat taken from the strongest part of their bodies: the thighs."
"Through my restaurant's secret method, that meat was processed to retain its chakra-rich energy, just enough to boost a young ninja's chakra circulation."
Naruto's jaw dropped.
What the hell?!
He didn't even know what "summonable beasts" were, but just hearing the name gave him chills.
To think… something like that had been turned into ramen and eaten by him.
His view of the world had been shattered, completely overturned.
In that moment, Naruto's respect for Yuuta surged like a tsunami, crashing over his heart with unstoppable force.
Of course, Yuuta knew the real reason Naruto had succeeded in using Clone Jutsu.
It wasn't just the meat.
Naruto had always had an absurd amount of chakra thanks to the Nine-Tails sealed within him. But that overwhelming chakra made fine control nearly impossible.
The energy from the summoning beast meat, however, was completely his, it circulated naturally, letting him access just the right amount of chakra to perform a stable jutsu.
Still… better he doesn't know that.
Unbeknownst to Yuuta, his small act of kindness had already disrupted Mizuki's plans.
In the shadows…
A conspiracy targeting him was quietly beginning to unfold.