Chapter 5: A Snack Stall That Makes Money Hand Over Fist
In the evening, Haruko returned to the Ichiraku Ramen Shop.
"Earth Release: Earth House."
Rumble—
The ground vibrated slightly, and soil surged upward, rapidly condensing into the rudimentary form of a stall with a roof and a counter.
The earth-stone structure was sturdy and level, and the counter height was just right.
'Construction cost: one steamed bun per square meter. It just consumes too much Chakra, otherwise, I could probably make quite a bit of money doing construction."
Immediately after, Haruko formed hand signs again, injecting Chakra into the already formed stall.
"Earth Release: Rock Furniture."
The earth-stone structure inside the stall began to be refined. Behind the counter, shelves and a workstation emerged one by one. In front, several fixed tables and chairs rose up.
The rock tabletops were polished smooth like mirrors, and the spacing of the shelves was exactly to his liking.
Finally, he went to the shop next door to draw a bucket of water.
"Water Release: Wash."
The water flowed on its own, scrubbing through every corner and washing away the dust from the newly formed earth and stone.
From an empty lot to a fully functional snack stall, the whole process took less than ten minutes.
Several passersby watched in stunned silence.
"Ninjutsu can be used like this?"
"Even a Jonin couldn't manage this level of precision with Earth Release, right?"
Haruko ignored the exclamations around him and casually hung up a wooden sign—"Haruko Snacks, Open When Fate Allows."
Done and dusted; amidst the complex gazes of the crowd, Haruko sauntered back to his apartment.
Open a shop? Sleep first, then talk.
Haruko slept until the sun was high in the sky.
No missions, no alarm clocks, no KPIs.
'Ah... this is what life is about."
After washing up, Haruko unhurriedly went to the market to purchase ingredients, beginning to prepare for opening the shop at noon.
Finished raw dumplings, marinated meat skewers, and a large pot of mung bean soup.
He pushed a creaking cart, sauntering toward the snack stall he had "constructed" yesterday.
During the lunch rush, the Ichiraku Ramen next door was already full of people.
Ayame snatched a moment from her busy schedule to wave at him, mouthing "Go for it."
Haruko smiled and returned an "OK" gesture, parking the cart.
Light the fire, heat the pan, pour the oil.
The series of movements were fluid and smooth, revealing a proficiency that was completely opposite to his lazy demeanor.
Passersby had long been curious about this stall that appeared out of thin air, and many stopped to watch from a distance.
"Hey, isn't that the kid from the Ichiraku Ramen Shop?"
"It was him yesterday; bam, he just conjured this stall out of nowhere. I thought I was under a genjutsu!"
"What is he selling? It doesn't look like ramen."
Amidst the discussion, Haruko picked up a plump, white dumpling and steadily placed it into the frying pan.
Sizzle—
The moment the bottom of the dumpling touched the hot oil, it made a pleasant sound.
A row of dumplings was arranged neatly. Then, he formed hand signs with one hand, and a faint layer of Chakra covered the bottom of the pan.
"Fire Release: Pan-Fried Dumplings."
This was a daily-life Ninjutsu he had improved yesterday, allowing the temperature at the bottom of the pan to be even in every corner.
When the bottoms were fried to a golden brown, Haruko picked up the kettle nearby and poured a circle around the edge of the pan.
Hiss—
The scalding pan wall met the cold water, instantly kicking up a large amount of steam. White mist rose, shrouding the entire stall.
"Water Release: Steam Circulation."
Another simple daily-life Ninjutsu. This allowed the steam to form a perfect cycle within the pan, ensuring the dumplings cooked quickly while allowing the dumpling skins to absorb just the right amount of moisture, becoming chewy and springy.
In just five minutes, the steam dissipated.
Haruko lifted the lid.
The pork fat was rendered out by the high heat, perfectly blending with the sweetness of the Earth cabbage. That overbearing aroma seemed to grow legs, unreasonably drilling into the nostrils of every passerby.
"Gulp."
Don't know who it was, but the first person swallowed their saliva.
The golden-brown crust connected every dumpling, and the tops of the dumplings were thin-skinned, stuffed full, and translucent, like a perfect work of art.
"Boss! How... how much is this?" someone finally couldn't hold back and asked with a trembling voice.
Without looking up, Haruko used a spatula to lift the pan-fried dumplings one by one, answering casually: "Six per serving, fifty ryo."
"Fifty ryo?!"
An exclamation erupted from the crowd.
You have to know, a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen only costs sixty or seventy ryo; how dare he sell these six dumplings for fifty ryo?
"A bit expensive..."
"Exactly, exactly."
Haruko really wanted to say, "What's expensive about it?", but he didn't want to argue with customers on the first day of opening.
Just as everyone was hesitating, a timid voice spoke up.
"Um... Brother Haruko, I... I would like one serving."
'Everyone is hesitating, Brother Haruko must be in a tough spot... This time, let me help him!"
The person who arrived was none other than Hinata. She had appeared behind the crowd at some point, her little face slightly flushed, her two index fingers nervously poking at each other.
A gentle smile tugged at the corners of Haruko's mouth.
"Thank you for your patronage! As the first customer, there's a special buy-one-get-one-free offer."
He pushed the plate in front of Hinata and ladled a small dish of his homemade dipping sauce from a small pot on the side.
The eyes of the people around instantly focused on this young lady of the Hyuga Main Family.
Under the gaze of everyone, Hinata was a bit nervous, but she still picked up a pan-fried dumpling, carefully dipped it in the sauce, and put it in her mouth.
"Mmm!"
As soon as her little mouth closed, Hinata's eyes widened sharply!
First was the crispy texture of the bottom, emitting a crisp "crunch" sound between her teeth.
Immediately after, the chewy and resilient dough skin was easily bitten through, and the piping hot, delicious meat juice instantly burst in her mouth!
That extreme umami, a mix of meat fragrance, vegetable fragrance, and wheat fragrance, swept over every one of her taste buds like a tsunami!
Hinata's body relaxed involuntarily, her tense little face also smoothed out, her Byakugan eyes narrowed slightly, and a smile of extreme satisfaction and happiness hung on the corners of her mouth, as if she were immersed in a warm dream.
"Hiss—!"
The onlookers, seeing the reaction of this young lady of the Hyuga Clan, collectively gasped.
"My god! Is it that good? Looking at that expression, it feels like she's about to ascend to heaven!"
"Boss! Give me one serving! No! Two servings!"
"I want one too! Give me one to try!"
"Move aside, move aside! I was here first! Boss, give me three servings, I'm taking them to go!"
The crowd was instantly ignited; people who had just complained about the price were now scrambling, as if afraid that if they were a second late, they wouldn't get to eat.
Haruko's mouth twitched.
'Well, I still underestimated the lethality of delicious food."
While skillfully frying the dumplings with quick movements, he collected money, his mind already calculating whether to prepare more ingredients tomorrow.
Soon after, meat skewers and mung bean soup were also introduced, both equally popular.
The meat skewers, roasted with precise temperature control using Fire Release, were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Sprinkled with secret seasoning, they left a group of Genin with grease-covered mouths, shouting that it was satisfying.
And the sweet and refreshing mung bean soup was even more popular with the girls.
Busy until the sun went down and all the ingredients were sold out, Haruko finally packed up the stall.
He sat in front of the empty stall, counting the money earned today.
A thick stack of bills, the net profit was over five thousand ryo.
This was just the first day, and it had already reached the reward of a C-Rank Mission. (C-Rank Mission 30,000-100,000 ryo; after deducting Konoha's cut and splitting it, one only gets 4,000-15,000.)
And there was no risk, no expenses for ninja tools or medical treatment.
This income level already completely crushed most Genin.
But Haruko couldn't be happy at all; instead, his brows furrowed slightly.
He rubbed his aching waist and looked at his hands covered in grease.
From the moment he opened his eyes in the morning until he packed up just now, he hadn't stopped for a moment.
Buying groceries, preparing ingredients, making snacks, collecting money, giving change, dealing with all sorts of weird customer requests, and having to be distracted to deal with hooligans looking for trouble...
'This... doesn't seem quite the same as the "lying flat" life I wanted, does it?"
Making money is quite satisfying, but the process is too tiring.
This is completely different from the leisurely life he imagined: sleeping until he wakes up naturally every day, selling things in a relaxed manner, and then lying on a rocking chair basking in the sun.
Haruko looked at the money in his hand and felt that it was a bit "hot" to handle.