Chapter 134: The Master of Mechanisms Arc
Ten minutes later, the Roc was kneeling on the ground with a bruised and swollen face, kowtowing and begging for mercy.
Li Jie Xuan withdrew his fist in satisfaction. "Looks like you know what's good for you."
"And if I didn't?"
"Then I'd use the summoning contract to kill you!" Li Jie Xuan said with a smile, nodding at Manda. "Don't forget the binding power of a summoning contract."
"Gulp!" Manda swallowed hard, a wave of lingering fear washing over him. Thankfully, he hadn't stubbornly resisted earlier…
"Since you performed well this time, I'll reward you with this."
Li Jie Xuan casually tossed the Summoning Beast Evolution Pill into Manda's mouth. Manda swallowed it without even looking…
"Not afraid I poisoned you?"
Manda split his wide mouth in a fawning grin. "As long as it's from Master, I'd swallow poison without hesitation."
But before he even finished speaking, Manda's red face instantly turned green…
"Ahhh!!!"
As if enduring the agony of childbirth, Manda howled in heart-rending pain. Seeing this, the Roc smirked in malicious joy. "Serves you right for being a sycophant. In the end, you get nothing…"
Li Jie Xuan felt a bit uncertain as well. It was his first time obtaining this pill—surely it wouldn't actually kill Manda?
Just then, the sound of fabric tearing suddenly echoed from above Manda's head. His crimson scales inexplicably cracked apart, and a sharp horn pushed out from his forehead…
"Th-this is… a snake transforming into a flood dragon?"
Li Jie Xuan's eyes widened in shock. However, the transformation didn't seem complete—at most, he had reached the level of a half-flood dragon.
"Power—immense power is surging through me!" Manda twisted excitedly, the small horn atop his head suddenly releasing a bolt of lightning that split through a nearby hill, turning it into a scorched wasteland.
"This…"
The Roc's eyes bulged in disbelief. Originally, Manda had been far weaker than it. Yet after swallowing just one pill, he had grown so powerful that even it now felt wary. This was simply outrageous!
"Be a sycophant, and in the end you'll have everything!" Manda laughed happily, kneeling beside Li Jie Xuan and panting like a dog. At that moment, the Roc cast aside its dignity…
Maybe being a sycophant bird wasn't such a bad thing after all.
After sending both summoning beasts back to the summoning space, Li Jie Xuan took out the final item.
The Training Scroll!
This wasn't his first time using one of these. With practiced ease, he opened the scroll, and the Hokage Rock came into view…
"This time, it's in Konoha?" His consciousness gradually blurred, and when he opened his eyes again, Li Jie Xuan was already standing in a brand-new Konoha.
"Judging by the modern buildings—very different from decades ago—it looks like this era is still during Naruto's time." Li Jie Xuan raised an eyebrow as he observed ordinary people constructing houses nearby. "But with such a peaceful environment, it's impossible to tell which arc this is…"
For a moment, Li Jie Xuan couldn't make sense of it!
"In that case, there's one thing I absolutely have to do!" Li Jie Xuan said, patting his wallet. "Since I've come to Konoha decades in the future, I have to try Ichiraku Ramen!"
Back when Naruto hadn't even finished airing, countless fan theories imagined Teuchi as the final boss. Even today, some people still cling to that joke. Of course, more importantly, he had to taste Naruto's lifelong favorite—Ichiraku Ramen!
Just how delicious could it be?
The familiar white curtain with red lettering, the Ichiraku lantern—so nostalgically heartwarming. Lifting the curtain, Teuchi and his beautiful daughter stood behind the counter as always…
"Little customer, what would you like?"
"A large bowl of ramen!"
Before long, the ramen was placed in front of him. In the generously sized bowl, springy noodles swirled in golden broth, glistening with irresistible aroma. The thick slices of char siu were both hearty and tender, the crab stick a prized topping, and of course, half of a perfectly marinated egg…
Even Li Jie Xuan, accustomed to the delicacies of the Chinese cuisine, couldn't help but shout, "Oishii~~!"
"Another bowl!"
Li Jie Xuan raised his hand high. It couldn't be helped—Ichiraku Ramen really did have that kind of charm. However, at that very moment, a special chakra presence drifted over.
"That's the Nine-Tails' chakra!" Li Jie Xuan's eyes widened. "And it's getting closer. Is it Naruto?"
With that thought, Li Jie Xuan slapped down ten thousand ryo and decisively left the ramen shop. Until the Nine-Tails' chakra issue was resolved, getting close to Naruto was extremely dangerous. Who knew whether the Nine-Tails might suddenly burst out and kill him?
"Hey, little customer, your large bowl of ramen?"
Teuchi picked up the money, scratching his head in confusion. "Why pay with such old currency? This is basically an antique now…"
At that moment, Naruto walked toward the ramen shop with a constipated expression. His stomach had been feeling strange since earlier.
But when he saw a man in a green hat hesitating at Ichiraku's entrance, he greeted him naturally. "Mister, what are you doing?"
"I'm wondering whether I should go into this shop. Is it good?" the man in the green hat replied casually. "Is your stomach upset?"
"It's nothing!" Naruto scratched his head in confusion. His stomach had inexplicably hurt earlier, but now it felt fine. "Mister, Ichiraku is the best ramen shop!"
"Is that so? Then I'll give it a try!" Naruto and the man in the green hat entered the ramen shop together…
"So it's this arc, huh?"
Watching from the shadows, Li Jie Xuan nodded to himself. "If I remember correctly, that man in the green hat is Gennō—the master of mechanisms who covered all of Konoha with explosive tags!"
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