Yahiko was quite happy. His butt was a little numb from sitting for a whole morning, but the growth of chakra in his body showed that it was all worth it.
"Sensei, are we going to eat ramen again? I really like that taste."
Torifu smiled. "Sure. Then we'll go eat ramen. Konan, is there anything you want to eat?"
"I love Ichiraku Ramen too! I want the deluxe one!"
"Great. Let's go then."
The two little ones followed Torifu's lead as they left the Kumotsuru clan compound. The villagers already knew that the Hokage had taken on two more apprentices. Torifu had also taken Yahiko and Konan to meet Hashirama, and Hashirama liked the two children very much. He was especially fond of Konan. Maybe it was because he felt like he was seeing Tsunade as a child, or maybe he simply thought Konan was well-behaved and cute. Mito, although she didn't know where Torifu had found these gifted children, also liked them very much. She even gave them some small gifts.
When the villagers saw the Hokage go out, they all greeted him. In the past few days of living in Konoha, Yahiko and Konan had figured out what a Hokage was and why the villagers loved the Hokage so much. So they were no longer confused by the villagers' enthusiasm. There was even a hint of pride in them. Their sensei was such an amazing person.
Soon, the three of them arrived at Ichiraku Ramen, which was now the most popular noodle shop in the village. It took only about two months for it to go from an unknown small stall to a popular shop in the entire village. Sometimes, it's not a lack of hard work, but just a lack of an opportunity. Torifu was that opportunity. He saved Teuchi many years of hard work and allowed him to fast-forward to owning a shop. If Teuchi had continued to run his stall, he would have still become Konoha's best noodle shop, but by then, he would have been old.
"Hey, Teuchi, give us three deluxe ramen bowls, all with extra pork."
Teuchi greeted them enthusiastically. "Alright, Hokage-sama. Go find a seat first. The noodles will be ready soon."
Torifu and the others had arrived quite early. There was still an empty table in the noodle shop. If they had arrived any later, they would have had to get take-out. The three of them went to the empty table and sat down. In a little while, the ramen was served. The pork and Naruto rolls on top were practically overflowing.
"Sensei, I heard that you paid for Uncle Teuchi's shop?"
Torifu smiled at his words. "Who told you that?"
Yahiko scratched his head. "I just heard the uncles on the street talking about it. They said you had good foresight and stuff."
Torifu waved his hand. "I paid for his shop, and he gives me thirty percent of the profits every month. It's a partnership, not a free gift."
Yahiko nodded, a little confused. He didn't really understand what profits or thirty percent meant, but it sounded very impressive.
In a little while, the three of them finished their ramen. After skillfully placing the money for the noodles on the table, Torifu left with Yahiko and Konan.
Soon after they left the ramen shop, the Cloud Palace notified Torifu that a group of people had appeared outside Konoha, but according to the color on the map, they didn't seem to have any ill intentions. They were friendly visitors.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
With a pop, a puff of white smoke rose, and another Torifu appeared beside him. This startled Yahiko and Konan. But after they realized what happened, the two of them circled the clone several times. "Wow! Is this a Shadow Clone Jutsu! It looks exactly like the real thing!"
Torifu put his hands on their heads to stop them from circling. "Follow my clone and go home first. Konoha has guests, and I have to go greet them."
The two children nodded, very obediently. "Okay, Sensei. We'll wait for you at home." Then they went home with the shadow clone.
Torifu, on the other hand, went to the main gate of Konoha to see who these people were and what their purpose was in coming to Konoha. When he arrived at the gate, a group of ninjas had already gathered there, and it seemed they were ready to attack at any moment. Torifu knew that this group had no ill intentions, so he told the ninjas not to act rashly. Then he asked the guards, "What's going on? Who are these people outside?"
"Reporting to Hokage-sama, they're a group of samurai. We don't know their purpose in coming to Konoha. Everyone is well-equipped, so they might have bad intentions."
Samurai. Why would samurai come to Konoha? But at this moment, an idea popped into Torifu's mind. He told the guards to open the gate to see if it was what he thought it was.
The gate slowly opened with a creaking sound. Torifu saw a group of samurai standing about fifty meters away from the gate. The leader seemed to be a man with a bandage wrapped around his head. If he had seen anyone else, Torifu might not have been able to recognize them, but seeing the bandage on his head, Torifu immediately confirmed his identity. He then slowly walked forward.
The group of samurai became a little wary when they saw the gate of Konoha open. Although they had come with good intentions, they still had to be wary of the ninjas having bad intentions.
But Mifune didn't think so. His gaze was fixed on the white-haired man walking out of Konoha. Although his face was a bit blurry, it was too similar to the one in his memory.
"Are you Tatsuya Ikeda-sama? Oh, no, I should say, are you Torifu Kumotsuru-sama?"
Torifu walked up and looked at the familiar face. "Mifune-sama, it's been so many years. I didn't expect you to still remember me."
When he heard Torifu's personal confirmation, a look of joy immediately appeared on Mifune's face. "It really is you! You are indeed the Tatsuya Ikeda-sama from back then, the benefactor who gave me a samurai sword and money."
Torifu smiled. He still remembered giving him the sword and the money, but he wouldn't call himself a benefactor. Those things weren't worth much.
"Mifune-sama, you're too kind. I just didn't want to see you confined to that small village of Amada."
"How are you now? Have you become a true samurai?"
A samurai beside them interrupted. "Mifune-sama is now the pride of the Land of Iron. He has become the apprentice of the strongest samurai, Ichiryu-sama."
Mifune immediately told him to be quiet and then apologized. "Please don't laugh at me, Torifu-sama, but I have indeed embarked on the path of a true samurai. I have also endured some hardships to fulfill my path."
Torifu knew what kind of hardship Mifune was talking about: the injury on his head. When Hanzo invaded the Land of Iron, not a single one of the useless fools dared to fight him. It was Mifune, an unknown samurai, who stood up and saved the reputation of the Land of Iron.