When Carl appeared on Konoha's main street in the form of a shadow, it naturally caused a stir. But soon, members of the Anbu showed up to maintain order. They'd already received orders from the Third Hokage to minimize any unnecessary stimulation to Naruto.
Honestly, where were they years ago? Naruto had been treated like a monster for more than a decade, and the Third Hokage never stepped in to set things straight.
Carl walked down the street, taking in the scenery. The buildings here were built in a traditional Japanese style, which was quite different from the architectural style in the world of the pirates. In that world, things leaned more toward Western designs—except for places like Wano Country.
As he walked, Carl soon spotted a familiar place—Konoha's iconic Ichiraku Ramen.
The shop was basically open-air. On the tall stool at the entrance sat a figure he recognized: a green ninja vest, silver hair… who else could it be if not Kakashi?
Carl smiled faintly and sat down on the stool beside him. Looking at the confused Ichiraku owner, he said,
"One bowl of ramen. He's paying."
Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise—not just because of Carl's casual attitude, but because the shadow could actually talk!
Kakashi's presence here was no coincidence. He'd just received a mission from the Third Hokage—to keep an eye on Naruto's released shadow clone.
According to the intel, this shadow clone possessed a strong degree of independent consciousness but couldn't speak like a normal clone. After all, from the outside, a shadow clone like this was nothing but darkness—no mouth, no voice. That was the natural assumption.
And yet, Carl had just spoken fluently, every word clear and sharp. More importantly, his voice and tone were nothing like Naruto's at all.
Was this really just a clone?
Kakashi felt this was more like a separate being—perhaps even the consciousness of the Nine-Tails itself controlling this body.
...
While Kakashi was lost in thought, Carl's ramen had already been served. Ichiraku had seen Kakashi offer no objection, so he assumed he agreed to treat him.
As an elite jōnin of Konoha, Kakashi wouldn't care about the price of a bowl of ramen. When the bowl was placed down, he continued observing Carl. Ichiraku was staring too, curiosity in his eyes.
Both wanted to know—how was a shadow without a mouth going to eat a whole bowl of ramen?
Under their watchful eyes, Carl calmly picked up the noodles with his chopsticks and brought them to the spot where a mouth would be.
The steaming noodles touched his dark face—and melted away as if they'd never existed, disappearing completely without even a slurping sound.
Ichiraku couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer.
"Hey, customer, can you actually taste it?"
Carl raised his head to look at him.
"Of course I can. It's delicious. No wonder Naruto likes it so much."
At the mention of Naruto, Ichiraku laughed heartily.
"So you're Naruto's friend, huh? I've never seen a customer quite like you before. This bowl's on the house! Make sure you come often!"
Carl smiled lightly.
"Sure. Thank you."
Ichiraku waved his hand dismissively and started cleaning up while muttering,
"It's rare for Naruto to have a friend. He's a good kid at heart… shouldn't have so few friends."
Carl then turned to Kakashi and said quietly,
"If I were to make this whole street disappear, Ichiraku Ramen would be the only place left standing."
Kakashi's pupils shrank. In his vision, countless massive black tendrils writhed behind Carl. Any one of them could easily level the street.
And worse—he couldn't move.
Even the people around them, the passersby and Ichiraku, were frozen in place. Cold sweat began to bead on Kakashi's forehead.
An illusion? When?
"You think it's genjutsu?"
Carl's quiet voice reached him. Staring at that pitch-black, featureless face, Kakashi felt an unfamiliar chill of fear rise inside him.
Then, Carl's finger, resting lightly on the counter, moved. A faint flash of purple light passed by, and Kakashi's mask covering his left eye was pulled away by an invisible force, revealing the scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan underneath.
The Sharingan slowly spun. Kakashi confirmed there was no illusion—what bound him was a real force.
The intel mentioned it… Naruto's Kekkei Genkai—Dark Release.
Even an elite jōnin like him couldn't resist at all. Was this the terrifying power of a Kekkei Genkai?
If this shadow wanted his life, all it would take was a thought.
But Carl didn't harm him. He simply enjoyed the entire bowl of ramen leisurely. Then, leaving behind,
"Pay the bill. After all, in your eyes, I'm not really Naruto's friend," he turned and walked away without looking back.
...
A bitter smile formed under Kakashi's mask. He couldn't even move yet, and the ramen he hadn't touched was already getting cold. How was he supposed to pay now?
Luckily, some Anbu had noticed something was wrong. Once Carl's shadowy figure disappeared completely, two Anbu members appeared behind Kakashi.
Though he still couldn't move, Kakashi could speak. He explained his situation briefly.
The two Anbu exchanged shocked glances.
Kakashi's strength was unquestionable—among Konoha's jōnin, he was top-class. And yet he'd been crushed by just a shadow clone.
They rushed forward to try and help him up, but his body was frozen in place as if cast in iron. No matter how hard they pulled, they couldn't move him an inch. Instead, Kakashi felt the pressure grow heavier, almost crushing him.
Then he suddenly remembered the bill.
"You two got any money? Hurry up and pay for two bowls of ramen!"
The Anbu scrambled to do as he said, putting the money on the counter.
The moment they did, the pressure vanished. Kakashi's body instantly felt light again, and he stood up from the stool in one smooth motion.
After loosening his stiff muscles, he pulled his mask back over his Sharingan. The chakra drain of the three-tomoe Sharingan wasn't something to laugh at.
Then he turned in the direction Carl had left, his brow tightly furrowed.
"His resentment toward Konoha is intense… and that strange power. I need to report this to the Hokage right away."
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+100 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg