"The extra-large tonkotsu ramen is ready! Young man, please enjoy!"
Before long, the ramen was prepared. Teuchi placed the bowl in front of Shiro Akira.
"Time to eat!"
Shiro Akira clasped his hands together briefly, muttered a quick phrase, then picked up some noodles with his chopsticks and slurped them into his mouth under Teuchi's watchful gaze.
"Mm!"
In the next instant, his eyes widened.
Teuchi immediately smiled and asked, "Well? What do you think, young man?"
Shiro Akira gave him a thumbs-up. "It tastes amazing, old man! If you could add some chili sauce, it'd be absolutely perfect!"
Having been from Hunan in his previous life, Shiro Akira wasn't someone who absolutely needed spicy food—but he definitely preferred dishes with a bit of heat.
"Oh?"
Teuchi stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Chili sauce, huh? That might be a good idea. I'll try preparing some next time. When you come again, I'll let you have a taste!"
"Haha! Sounds great! I'm looking forward to it!"
Before long, Shiro Akira finished the entire bowl—he even drank every last drop of the broth.
"Old man! Another bowl!"
"Oh! Coming right up! You've got quite the appetite, young man!"
"Hehe, not bad, not bad! Being able to eat is a blessing!"
"Haha! That's true. Here you go—your ramen. Please enjoy!"
"Thanks, old man!"
In the end, Shiro Akira ate two more large bowls before finally stopping. After paying, he left Ichiraku Ramen.
Back at his small courtyard, he began practicing swordsmanship.
He had already memorized the entire contents of the Senju Swordsmanship Notes and gained a basic understanding of it.
It contained fundamental sword training techniques, and Shiro Akira started from those.
A towering building begins from the ground up—he understood that principle well.
After completing fifty repetitions of basic sword training, Shiro Akira felt his stamina nearly depleted, his arms sore. He stopped and prepared to practice Lightning Release: Thunder Sphere.
Knock, knock, knock!
At that moment, a knocking sound came from outside the courtyard.
"Hm?"
Shiro Akira paused mid–hand seal and walked toward the gate, puzzled. "Who could it be at this hour?"
It was already close to nine at night.
And he didn't know many people.
"Lord Hokage? Why are you here?"
Opening the door, Shiro Akira was surprised to see that it was Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Haha!"
The Third Hokage smiled kindly. "I saw that you hadn't rested yet, so I came to check on you. Also, I wanted to apologize on Asuma's behalf. What happened this afternoon wasn't directed by him, but it still affected you. Won't you invite me in for a seat?"
"Ah! Please come in, Lord Hokage!"
Snapping out of his surprise, Shiro Akira quickly stepped aside and invited him into the living room. He poured a cup of hot tea for the Third Hokage and stood respectfully to the side.
"Sit down. No need to be so stiff."
The Third Hokage waved gently, indicating for Shiro Akira to sit opposite him.
"My apologies."
Shiro Akira didn't insist and took a seat across from him.
The Third Hokage glanced around the room, lingering for a few seconds on the portraits of Shiro Akira's parents before speaking. "Come to think of it, your father, Qianyuan, was once one of my capable subordinates. He helped me a great deal and contributed much to the village."
"These past years, I've been too busy and neglected you somewhat. For that, I owe you an apology. I'll have the village raise your compensation by one level. I hope you'll continue to work hard and contribute more to the village in the future."
Hearing this, Shiro Akira felt a slight surge of joy. "Thank you, Lord Hokage!"
He was short on money right now. Even though the increase wouldn't be much, every little bit helped.
"Haha!"
The Third Hokage chuckled. "It's nothing. Think of it as the village's early investment in you. Child, what do you think about the Will of Fire… and the village?"
"Uh…"
Shiro Akira was momentarily stunned.
What's this?
The Will of Fire?
Is he trying to brainwash me… or test me?
The Third Hokage, unaware of Shiro Akira's thoughts, assumed he had simply been caught off guard. Smiling, he said, "No need to be nervous. Just speak your thoughts. I enjoy hearing the purest ideas from children like you."
Shiro Akira appeared to relax, steadying himself before replying, "Lord Hokage, I've seen the Will of Fire mentioned many times in textbooks and heard it often in your speeches. I've thought about it too… I think what it mainly conveys is the spirit of sacrifice—sacrificing oneself to protect the village and illuminate its future."
"As for anything deeper… I haven't thought that far."
"As for the village… I think Konoha is a wonderful place. The neighbors, the people at school—they're all very kind."
"Being able to live here… I feel very fortunate."
Hearing these sincere words, the Third Hokage felt deeply satisfied.
"This child truly embodies the Will of Fire… Sacrificing oneself to illuminate the village and others—well said."
He felt that Konoha needed talents like this.
"You're a good child."
Nodding in approval, the Third Hokage took out a scroll from his robes and placed it in front of Shiro Akira. "This is a Lightning Body Tempering Technique obtained from Kumogakure. Of course, it's incomplete—the true secret portions are missing. But it should be enough for you for now."
"It should help you further refine your lightning-based nin-taijutsu."
This was his investment.
Without Shiro Akira's earlier response, he wouldn't have given such a thing—even if it was only an incomplete version.
"N-no."
Although a trace of desire flashed in Shiro Akira's eyes, he suppressed it and shook his head. "I can't accept this. I haven't done anything to deserve it."