Sakura spoke with fiery passion. She knew all the recipes—Ichiraku had the skill to recreate every single dish perfectly. At that time, her parents and Ayame would manage the shop while Ichiraku focused on researching delicacies, taking apprentices, and training chefs. One day, she would spread the cuisine from her past life across the entire world.
"Great! One day, our dishes will reach every corner of the ninja world. We are the ones destined to change it!" Ichiraku's eyes gleamed with excitement. For someone devoted entirely to the art of cooking, this was a dream beyond imagination.
"Hey, aren't we here to eat? Why did things suddenly get so intense?" Ino awkwardly covered her forehead with her hand, clearly frustrated by the situation.
Chapter 5: The Third Hokage's Resolve
"Excuse me, may I have a bowl of ramen too?!"
Just as Sakura finally finished preparing all the ramen and placed them on the table, a slightly aged voice suddenly called out from outside the Ichiraku Ramen Shop.
"Lord Third!" Ichiraku shot up in surprise, completely confused as to why the Third Hokage would appear here.
"Now that you're here, can I really say no?"
Sakura rolled her eyes secretly. She already knew that this perverted old man, the Third, had been watching them through his crystal ball all along. Still, she never expected him to actually show up at this exact moment just to crash their meal.
"Ahhaha..." The Third chuckled softly, clearly embarrassed, sensing how unimpressed Sakura looked at his sudden appearance.
[What a pain...]
Behind the Third, a silver-haired ninja wearing a mask boldly walked in and plopped down at the table without hesitation.
Kakashi Hatake—the moment she saw him, Sakura recognized who it was. Throughout Konoha, who else could possibly have such distinctive silver-white hair, wear a face mask, and cover his left eye with a forehead protector other than Kakashi Hatake?
But what unsettled Sakura was the aura Kakashi currently exuded—dead silence, coldness, and nothing but darkness within his heart. This felt more like Danzō's Root than the Anbu loyal to the Third.
Recalling his experiences in detail, Sakura understood. Right now, Kakashi was still drowning in the shadow of losing all his teammates and his teacher. Especially after Obito sacrificed himself to save Kakashi, only for Rin—who Obito entrusted to him—to die by his own hands, that he hadn't totally broken down mentally was already the best possible outcome.
Seeing Kakashi staring at her with that blank, lifeless gaze, Sakura helplessly sighed, almost resignedly turning around to prepare another bowl of ramen.
[This... is a Kekkei Genkai?!]
As he watched Sakura float slightly above the ground, confusion flickered through the Third's mind. Although the shinobi world contained countless bizarre and wondrous Kekkei Genkai, activating any bloodline limit required chakra. But Sakura was merely a four-year-old child who hadn't even begun learning how to use chakra—how could she possibly activate a Kekkei Genkai?
The thought barely surfaced before disappearing. Sakura's parents were native Konoha residents, making them utterly implausible as spies. Most likely, this was just another unusual Kekkei Genkai.
"Itadakimasu! (I'll have this meal now – a traditional Japanese expression said before eating)"
Naruto began devouring his bowl of ramen. Watching him, the Third Hokage suddenly felt a pang in his heart. Thinking about his three apprentices—two had defected and one refused to return to Konoha—and Minato's only heir living such a harsh life, he couldn't help but feel deeply ashamed as the Third Hokage.
"Hey, Naruto, do you have any dreams?" the Third suddenly asked.
"Eh? Dreams?" Naruto widened his eyes and looked at this old man who occasionally brought him food and orphan's allowance. After some thought, he asked, "What's a dream?"
"It's something you really want to accomplish!" replied the Third.
"Hmm… something I want to accomplish," Naruto put down his chopsticks, tilted his head, and thought for a while before saying, "I want to protect Sakura, Ino, Mr. Ichiraku, Ayame-nee-san, and everyone else. I also want to eat until I'm full every day. And most of all, I want everyone to acknowledge me—to stop calling me demon fox!"
"So you want to protect your friends and also be acknowledged by others, huh?" For a moment, the Third was reminded of Minato Namikaze—same golden hair, same brilliant blue eyes, and that particularly similar radiant smile. But when he heard Naruto mention his second wish, a bitter feeling welled up inside him. Reflecting on Minato's untimely death, the Third found himself overwhelmed with complex emotions.
"Well then, Naruto, do you want to become the Hokage?" the Third asked.
"What's the Hokage?" Naruto questioned curiously, clearly not understanding what exactly the Hokage was.
"The Hokage is the one who protects Konoha!" the Third smiled. "Every Hokage is greatly loved by the Konoha villagers!"
"Then, if I become the Hokage, people will acknowledge me?" Naruto asked hopefully.
"They certainly will!"
"Then I'll definitely become the Hokage!" Naruto raised his hand and shouted loudly. He'd been hated ever since he was a kid. What he wanted most was for them to accept him—more than anything else.
"Just becoming the Hokage doesn't necessarily mean you'll be acknowledged," Sakura turned her head and said to Naruto. "Rather, it's those who are already acknowledged by others who become Hokage."
"Eh? How are those different?" A huge question mark appeared over Naruto's head. At his age, he was far from comprehending the meaning behind those words. However, the Third's eyes lit up beside him.
"That is the Will of Fire."
After finishing their meal, everyone returned to their homes. Just as the Third and Kakashi entered the Hokage Tower, they saw a familiar figure walking toward them.
"Danzo?!"
"Hiuruzen, I've heard that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki brat has made contact with outsiders?"
Danzo leaned on his cane, his expression dark and grim. As someone who believed jinchuriki should be emotionless weapons, he certainly didn't want Naruto making friends. Secretly, he wished Naruto would go berserk within Konoha once, providing him with a legitimate reason to carry out his plans.
"I have my own plans," The Third didn't want to say more to Danzo. His old classmate's mind worked in ways that were just too dark.
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