In less than fifteen minutes, Shin-chan and Gamahiro's "kitchen" had completely transformed into the First Dough-Ball Workshop of Mount Myōboku.
The enormous lump of dough that had originally been intended for ramen was torn into evenly sized balls by Shin-chan and distributed among the gathering toads.
Every toad reacted to its new dough ball in almost exactly the same way.
First, they cautiously poked it.
Then they watched it bounce.
Then they smacked it with one paw.
"Watch this!" Gamahiro slammed his dough ball against the ground.
It bounced into the air. He jumped up and headbutted it, sending it flying toward another toad.
That toad instinctively puffed out its cheeks and blew.
The airflow changed the dough ball's direction, sending it toward a third toad.
"Catch it!"
"Coming, coming!"
"Ow! You sent it the wrong way!"
The dough ball struck an old toad who had been dozing nearby squarely on the back.
The old toad opened one eye and smacked the ball back with its tail.
"Pass it! Pass it!" Gamahiro shouted excitedly. "Send it left!"
"The hot spring is on the left!"
"Then send it right!"
The dough ball bounced back and forth between more than a dozen toads.
Sometimes it landed on a mushroom.
Sometimes it smacked a toad directly in the forehead, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
Shin-chan sat cross-legged on a nearby rock, watching the chaotic but joyful scene.
"I guess it doesn't matter that the ramen failed."
He pulled out his little notebook, opened it to the newest page, and wrote:
Mount Myōboku Special Super-Bouncy Dough Ball: Development Successful.
Uses: Entertainment, exercise, strengthening toad friendships.
Side Effect: Occasionally hits someone in the forehead.
Note: Easier to make than ramen, but cannot be eaten.
He closed the notebook.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed an enormous figure slowly approaching from the distance.
"Big Brother Gamabunta is here!" a small toad shrieked.
Every toad immediately froze.
The dough ball bounced twice before rolling pitifully to the feet of a little toad.
No one dared pick it up.
Gamabunta was several times larger than the other toads and had a pipe clenched between his teeth.
"What are you all doing? The whole of Mount Myōboku can hear you."
Every toad simultaneously took a step backward, leaving Gamahiro alone at the very front.
Gamahiro's legs trembled.
"B-Big Brother Gamabunta... we were playing with dough balls."
"Dough balls?"
Gamabunta lowered his head and looked at the small gray ball that had rolled to his feet.
"This tiny thing?"
He reached down and picked it up between the tips of his claws.
"What could something this small possibly—"
He instinctively squeezed it.
The dough ball shot out of his claws.
Smack!
It struck his pipe.
Gamabunta slowly spoke.
"This thing... has pretty good bounce."
He bent down and lightly pushed the ball with the tip of one claw.
It bounced up, hit him on the nose, and bounced back down.
"You lot."
Gamabunta looked over the gathered little toads.
"Come here and teach me how to play."
Gamahiro's mouth fell open.
"Big Brother Gamabunta wants to play too?"
"What, I'm not allowed?"
"Of course you are!" Gamahiro grabbed the dough ball. "Big Brother Gamabunta, crouch down a little first. Otherwise, we can't pass it to you."
"Like this?"
"A little lower... yes, yes! Exactly like that!"
What happened next made every passing toad wonder whether they were hallucinating.
The enormous Gamabunta crouched on the ground, passing a dough ball back and forth with a group of tiny toads.
The ball bounced between Gamabunta's massive body and the smaller toads.
Every time it touched Gamabunta's claws, his strength sent it flying somewhere ridiculous.
"Big Brother Gamabunta, you hit it too hard! The dough ball flew into the mushroom forest!"
"I'll get it."
Gamabunta headed toward the mushroom forest.
The great dough-ball battle continued from noon all the way until dusk.
By the time the setting sun painted Mount Myōboku orange-red, exhausted toads were sprawled all over the clearing.
"I... I can't move anymore." Gamahiro lay flat on his back, limbs spread out. "I've never been this tired in my entire toad life."
"Me neither." Another little toad rolled onto its side. "But that was so much fun."
Gamabunta sat among them.
"Hey, you."
He pointed a claw toward Shin-chan.
"Do you have any more dough balls?"
"Yep." Shin-chan pointed toward the remaining half of the enormous dough mass. "There's enough there to make at least a hundred."
"A hundred isn't enough. From now on, we're having a dough-ball tournament every week."
Gamahiro sprang upright.
"Big Brother Gamabunta, you mean..."
"This is more fun than training." Gamabunta stood. "Starting tomorrow, add one hour of dough-ball time."
All the little toads erupted into cheers.
Gamahiro ran over to Shin-chan, his eyes shining.
"Did you hear that?! Big Brother Gamabunta said we're going to play dough ball every day from now on!"
"I heard."
The toads gradually dispersed in small groups, each one carrying a little dough ball.
Gamahiro also prepared to leave.
Before going, he rubbed his head against Shin-chan's leg.
"Thank you," he said. "Today was the happiest day of my entire toad life."
"You helped me a lot too, even if we didn't manage to make ramen."
"Will you come back next time?"
"I will." Shin-chan nodded. "I still owe you a bowl of ramen."
Gamahiro's cheeks puffed up round.
Whether it was from happiness or because he was holding back something he wanted to say, Shin-chan couldn't tell.
In the end, Gamahiro turned and hopped away, disappearing into the shadows of the mushroom forest.
At some point, Jiraiya had appeared behind Shin-chan.
"Do you know what Elder Fukasaku told me today?"
"What?"
"He said the Child of Prophecy doesn't necessarily have to be some ninjutsu prodigy or great war hero." Jiraiya crossed his arms. "A child who can make the people around him happy is already extraordinary in his own way."
Shin-chan scratched his head.
"That sounds like he was complimenting me."
"He was. And he also said that the next time you come here, he plans to teach you a powerful technique."
"A powerful technique? What is it?"
"I can't tell you yet. Think of it as a promise."
"Then when are you going to fulfill your promise?"
"What promise?"
"You said that after visiting Mount Myōboku, you'd treat me to the best ramen in Konoha."
Shin-chan pulled out his little notebook and opened it to the page where he recorded debts.
"Look. You can read it yourself."
Jiraiya lowered his head.
Written there was:
Jiraiya owes: Ramen × N meals.
Reason: Too many to remember.
Latest Update: One additional meal added after the Mount Myōboku trip. Total: N + 1 meals.
The corner of Jiraiya's mouth twitched.
"I know. I'll pay you back as soon as we return."
In the distance, the constant hiss of hot-spring steam filled the air.
"I should go back to the Daimyo's residence tomorrow."
"You don't want to stay another day?"
"Ai is probably getting impatient waiting for me. And Chashu has definitely gotten even fatter."
"I'll take you back tomorrow."
"What about the ramen?"
"I'll treat you after we return."
"Okay." Shin-chan stood as well. "Then I want an extra soft-boiled egg to compensate for the emotional trauma of eating fried centipedes on Mount Myōboku."
"Didn't you say the fried centipedes were delicious?"
"Delicious is delicious. Emotional trauma is emotional trauma." Shin-chan looked completely serious. "Those are two separate accounts."
Jiraiya looked at the expression on his face, which clearly said, I am seriously calculating this debt, and couldn't help laughing.
~~~
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