The aroma of ramen wafted out from the shop as Deidara pushed aside the curtain and stepped inside.
What the—!
One adult and two kids!
Could this really be a time loop?
No, wait. When Deidara spotted Itachi Uchiha sitting in the corner on the right, he let out a sigh of relief. It seemed the loop had finally broken.
"Takaya, you're here too," Deidara greeted casually. "Takaya" was the alias Itachi was using. He had already rescued Sasuke from Danzo's Root division but couldn't openly reunite with his foolish little brother. Instead, he pretended to be just another customer eating ramen to stay close to Sasuke in his own way.
As for the "one adult and two kids," they were, of course, Jiraiya, Naruto, and Sasuke.
Sasuke, just like last time, sat in the far-left corner. However, this time his face looked thinner and paler, and his body was covered with numerous scars. It was clear he had endured significant abuse.
In contrast, Naruto looked much better. Jiraiya had rescued him on the first day he was taken to Root, and since then, Naruto had been living with Jiraiya. His days had never been so good—his face had even grown a bit rounder.
"What can I get for you?" Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, asked with a smile.
"The most expensive ramen, three bowls!" Deidara declared boldly.
Naruto immediately cast a longing gaze at him, but Jiraiya held him back, shaking his head. "No way, Naruto!"
"I'm running low on money."
"Yeah, right! You're just saving it for the tavern tonight, aren't you?" Naruto retorted loudly, not believing Jiraiya's excuse for a second.
Jiraiya's face lit up with a mischievous grin. "That's called research! You wouldn't understand, you little brat."
Deidara leaned over. "Hey, kid, say 'Uncle is so cool,' and for every time you say it, I'll treat you to a bowl of deluxe ramen. How about that?"
Naruto scratched his head. This scene felt oddly familiar.
But who cared? If it meant getting to eat deluxe ramen, saying a few words was no big deal!
"Uncle is so cool!"
"Uncle is so cool!"
"Uncle is so cool!"
"Good!" Deidara nodded in satisfaction.
Then, without hesitation, he plopped down next to Sasuke and enthusiastically threw an arm around his shoulders. "Hey, kid, how about you say it too? Uncle will treat you to some deluxe ramen!"
Sasuke, clearly uncomfortable with Deidara's overly familiar behavior, tried to wriggle out of his grip. But of course, it was futile.
"Let go of me, you bastard!" Sasuke growled angrily.
"Shh, let me tell you a secret," Deidara whispered into Sasuke's ear. "I know something about Uchiha Itachi."
"If you behave, I might just share a little with you."
The mention of that name made Sasuke's eyes blaze with hatred. He glared coldly at Deidara and threatened, "You'd better not be lying to me!"
"Or you'll regret it!"
"Wow! Does this kid always act so full of himself?" Deidara exclaimed dramatically, pinching Sasuke's cheeks and intentionally speaking loudly.
Nearby, Itachi's grip on his chopsticks tightened noticeably. Though his foolish little brother wasn't being harmed in any real way, Itachi couldn't help but feel a burning anger rising within him.
"Cool uncle, don't bother with arrogant Sasuke. He's always like that, acting all mysterious and aloof," Naruto chimed in disdainfully. He especially hated how all the girls in their class were head over heels for Sasuke, including Sakura, the girl he liked.
Deidara nodded in agreement. "I know, right? I've met another Uchiha like him—always acting so pretentious."
"Exactly! So annoying," Naruto said, slurping up some ramen with such delight that his eyes squinted shut.
"Come on, little Sasuke, give Uncle a smile," Deidara said, reaching out with two fingers to lift the corners of Sasuke's mouth.
Sasuke stiffened, forcing a reluctant smile. His awkward expression made Naruto burst into laughter.
"Takaya, isn't this kid hilarious?" Deidara said, turning to Itachi.
Crack!
The sound of chopsticks snapping echoed through the shop.
"I think you'd look great in a girl's outfit. Want to give it a try?" Deidara teased.
"Enough, Jigo! Don't act so recklessly in someone else's village!" Itachi stood up abruptly and turned to leave. "If you're done fooling around, let's head back."
Deidara shrugged. "Man, my teammate sure is no fun."
"Well, in that case, I'll just enjoy my ramen properly."
"You still haven't told me about that man," Sasuke said, blocking Deidara's path. After humiliating himself, there was no way he'd let Deidara get away without paying up.
"Tsk, you didn't provide much entertainment, so I'll only answer one question," Deidara replied.
"Where is that man?" Sasuke asked without hesitation, eager for an answer.
"You're not planning to go after him for revenge right now, are you? That'd be suicide."
"I suggest you pick another question. Focus on getting stronger before you think about revenge," Deidara advised.
Sasuke fell silent, clearly unwilling, but he knew Deidara was right.
"How strong do I need to be to defeat that man?" Sasuke asked instead.
"Stronger than the current Hokage, Danzo Shimura," Deidara said.
Though beating Danzo was still far from reaching Itachi's level, Sasuke's brother would undoubtedly hold back during their eventual fight. After all, Itachi wouldn't let Sasuke lose.
With that, Deidara finally settled down to enjoy his ramen. Only, there was a small disagreement when it came time to pay the bill.
"Why should I pay?!" Anko Mitarashi protested indignantly.
"Come on, I gave you 700,000 ryo last time for spending the night with me. Can't you treat me to one meal in return? Don't be so stingy," Deidara replied.
"You... you..." Anko stammered, her face turning bright red under the strange looks from Teuchi and his daughter Ayame.
Is the economic pressure on ninjas really this bad? Teuchi thought to himself. Maybe running a small shop like mine is more practical. At least my daughter won't have to resort to that to make money.
"Wait! What are you doing in the village again?" Anko suddenly snapped out of her embarrassment. Now wasn't the time to dwell on the 700,000 ryo—what mattered was why this dangerous individual had shown up in Konoha again. Could he be plotting something?
"I'd like to know that too," a voice chimed in.
It was Jiraiya, who had returned after leaving earlier. He had sensed something off about Deidara and Itachi's interactions but hadn't wanted to confront them in front of Naruto.
Deidara followed them into an alley, dispelled his Transformation Jutsu, and smirked as if daring them to do something. "I'm a guest invited by the Fifth Hokage. If you cause trouble and ruin the alliance between Konoha and Amegakure, the consequences will be severe."
"Konoha would never ally with Amegakure!" Anko shot back coldly. "Don't think I don't know—you and your group were the ones who helped Orochimaru attack Konoha!"
"So what?" Deidara sneered.
"Right now, Danzo calls the shots in Konoha. If you're unhappy about it, take it up with your Hokage!"
Deidara was deliberately stirring up conflict. The more chaotic Konoha became, the better it was for both the Akatsuki and Amegakure.
"I'll report this to Danzo," Jiraiya said sternly. "Anko, keep a close eye on this dangerous individual!"
Jiraiya's expression was grave. With Deidara's abilities, if he acted recklessly in the village, Konoha could very well be reduced to rubble.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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