TSSITWON Chapter 64: Ordering 100 Ramen

Minato paused for a moment, then chuckled softly while shaking his head. "You always know how to outsmart me, Aoki."

Behind that small laugh, Minato couldn't shake the feeling of anxiety in his heart. Aoki was indeed growing rapidly, but the world outside Konoha was full of dangers.

No matter how strong Aoki's desire to become the strongest swordsman, Minato knew that the path this young man would take would not be easy. However, Minato also knew that he couldn't hold Aoki back any longer. The young man was ready, or at least that was what Aoki believed.

"Alright," Minato finally said. "I will write down what I can, and you can continue your journey tomorrow. But promise me one thing—be careful out there. This world is much larger and more complicated than you imagine."

Aoki nodded, his smile softening a bit. "I promise, Sensei."

"By the way, how did you know about that?" Minato asked with a bittersweet smile, slightly surprised to hear Aoki's words.

"From the library, Sensei," Aoki replied casually, a wide smile still adorning his face.

Minato sighed deeply. "Haaah... alright, I will do it," he finally said, in a resigned tone. "Well then, I’ll take my leave. See you tomorrow, Aoki!" After saying that, Minato hurried off, his steps quick as if he didn't want to waste any more time.

Minato agreed with Aoki's suggestion because he had already promised to teach Aoki everything he knew about Fuinjutsu. Although what he would teach were just the basics of Fuinjutsu, not forbidden or overly powerful techniques, Minato wanted to fulfill his promise.

So, without hesitation, Minato decided to use Kage Bunshin no Jutsu to copy and prepare the scrolls of Fuinjutsu material that Aoki had not yet learned. As soon as he got home, Minato began to work.

Meanwhile, Aoki continued his leisurely stroll around the village. His steps were light and full of enthusiasm. When Aoki arrived at Ichiraku Ramen, he immediately entered and greeted the shop owner with excitement.

"Teuchi-san, I want to order one hundred bowls of ramen, please prepare them for tomorrow morning!" Aoki said with a bright, infectious smile.

Teuchi, who was busy preparing ramen, almost dropped the bowl in his hands. "One hundred ramen?" Teuchi murmured in shock, but when he realized that the order was from Aoki, he smiled, nodded, and began making preparations.

"Alright, Aoki. I will prepare them for you," Teuchi replied kindly.

Aoki smiled happily. "Thank you so much, Teuchi-san. I really appreciate it!"

...

After leaving Ichiraku, Aoki continued to wander around Konoha. The cool evening air made the stroll feel soothing. Aoki stopped by several shops, buying some essential items like food, sweets, water, and other necessities in preparation for his departure the next day.

Although at first Aoki felt that bringing too many items might be a bit excessive, he quickly dismissed that doubt. "Better to be prepared than to regret later," Aoki thought with a small laugh.

The evening was drawing closer to night when Aoki decided to visit the park in the center of the village. There, Aoki unexpectedly saw someone—Shizune. Shizune was sitting on a wooden bench under a large tree, her shoulders shaking, and tears streaming down her cheeks. The sight made Aoki stop in his tracks.

"Hey, Shizune, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Aoki asked with a worried tone, his face filled with confusion and concern.

Shizune was startled to hear Aoki's voice, quickly wiping her tears, but her red eyes couldn't hide that she was hurting. Shizune looked at Aoki with a bittersweet smile. "A-Aoki... oh, it's nothing... just... thinking about something."

However, from Shizune's gaze and her heavy voice, Aoki knew there was something much deeper than just "thinking about something." Aoki sat down next to Shizune, giving enough space so she wouldn't feel pressured, but close enough to show that he cared.