Chapter 40: Shock at the High Level
Konoha Administrative Building, Hokage Office.
The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his wide desk and took a puff from his pipe. This usually kind old man now had a face full of wrinkles written with solemnity. The Crystal Ball in front of him had just lost its luster, clearly ending a long observation.
"You saw it too, didn't you, Sarutobi-sensei?"
Jiraiya stood with his arms crossed, his gaze looking lazy, but the depths of his eyes were sharp.
"This year's kids, especially those related to that Uzumaki Naruto..." Jiraiya turned his head and looked at Kakashi standing in the corner, "Kakashi, as the Jonin instructor, don't you have anything to add?"
Kakashi's dead-fish eyes were half-open; he scratched his head and sighed: "If I must say... I can only say, it's too strange."
He stepped forward and pointed to a stack of intelligence spread out on the table.
"Hyuga Hinata, the eldest miss of the Hyuga Clan, publicly recognized as having average talent, couldn't even use Gentle Fist well a few months ago. But in the preliminaries just now, her Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms were used very well, the timing and Chakra control were very precise, and she even seems to understand the principles of Eight Trigrams Palm Revolving Heaven. This speed of progress is not normal."
"And then there's Sakura." Kakashi continued, his gaze even stranger, "I remember that besides having good theory and liking Sasuke, her actual combat was basically non-existent. But in the Forest of Death... according to what the examiner Anko said privately, this girl was like she could predict the battle situation, cooperating with Hinata to interfere with Orochimaru."
"Not to mention Tenten, who played with NinjaTools in new ways and even seems to have touched the threshold of space..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe, interrupting Kakashi's words.
"It's not just as simple as talent suddenly becoming better."
The old Hokage exhaled a puff of smoke and said in a raspy voice, "The timing of these strange occurrences is too concentrated, and... they all point to a person who should have been very unremarkable."
The three people's gazes simultaneously fell on the top-most file on the table.
Uzumaki Naruto.
"The container of the Nine-Tailed, Minato's son..." Jiraiya walked to the table, picked up Naruto's photo, his gaze complex, "Although that power inside him is indeed a variable, I've never heard of Nine-Tailed Chakra being able to help others gain enlightenment, let alone a whole group of people gaining enlightenment together?"
"Anko's report also mentioned that when dealing with Orochimaru, she felt her cooperation with Naruto was exceptionally good." The Third Hokagepondered, "This kind of insight, and that intuition that can see through the future... Kakashi, did you teach him this?"
"I wish I had taught him." Kakashi gave a bitter smile, "But the Wind Release he used to instant-kill Inuzuka Kiba just now, his application of Chakranature transformation, to be honest, is already a bit like Sensei back then. Yet he clearly hasn't practiced properly."
The room fell into a brief silence.
This situation completely exceeded the knowledge of these Ninja World experts. No Ninjutsu or Bloodline Limit could explain why a dead last, in just one month, could change himself and the girls around him so much.
It was as if there was an invisible force, centered around Naruto, disrupting the situation of Konohaand the entire Ninja World.
"Orochimaru has appeared, and his intentions for Konoha are also very clear."
After a while, Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe, a flash of decisiveness appearing in his clouded old eyes, "Regardless of why, Konoha needs power right now. The abnormal growth of these children might just be the key to countering this crisis."
He looked at Jiraiya: "Since you're back, don't just focus on 'researching' this month."
"Hai, hai..." Jiraiya shrugged helplessly, "I originally wanted to go to the bathhouse... cough, I mean, go collect intelligence. It seems I'll have to keep an eye on this little monster for you, Sensei."
"Issue an order to the Anbu."
The Third Hokage stood up, his tone becoming majestic, "From now on, secretly protect Uzumaki Naruto, raise the level to the highest. If any suspicious person approaches him, especially spies from other Villages, report to me immediately upon discovery!"
"Yes!"
"Additionally..." The old man looked at the lights outside the window, his voice becoming somewhat low, "I hope this miracle is truly meant to help Konoha."
On the other side, Naruto was completely unaware of the high-level's suspicions, humming a little tune as he strolled through the streets.
Having just finished the exam, he only wanted to have a good meal now.
As for Konoha's crisis, Orochimaru's plot, and the match just now, they were all washed away by the scent of bone broth wafting from ahead.
"Gurgle..."
His stomach growled in cooperation. Naruto's eyes lit up, he quickened his pace, and lifted the Noren curtain printed with the characters for "Ramen".
"Uncle! One extra-large Miso Chashu Ramen! I want double Narutomaki!"
His energetic voice broke the quiet of the small shop. Uncle Teuchi, who was boiling noodles, looked up, his eyes narrowing into slits: "Yo! Isn't this Naruto? I heard you passed the preliminaries? Good boy, today's on me, extra portions at no extra charge!"
"Great! I knew Uncle was the best!" Narutoexcitedly sat on a high stool, picking up his chopsticks and tapping his bowl while waiting for the noodles.
At this moment, a pair of clean hands gently placed a steaming bowl of ramen in front of him.
"Eat it while it's hot, Naruto. This best piece of chashu was specially saved for you."
Naruto looked up and met Ayame's smiling eyes. Today she wore a white headscarf, a few strands of hair hanging by her face, and her apron was very simple, but it made one feel very at ease.
[Ooh! This is heaven!]
Although Naruto held chopsticks in his hand, his old mental habit flared up instantly, even more active than when facing those female Ninjas.
[What's the point of fighting and killing all day? As expected, Sister Ayame is the best. Look at this smile, so healing! Not like Anko-sensei, that violent maniac who wants to poke people with a Kunai at every turn, and not like Granny Tsunade, that humanoid tyrannosaur who can tear down a wall at any moment.]
[This is what they call a Yamato Nadeshiko! Knows how to cook, knows how to care for people, and most importantly... the arm lines developed from making ramen are really beautiful. If I could eat breakfast made by Sister Ayame every morning... or if she wore an apron and woke me up...]
[Hehehe, that would be true Ninja Worldhappiness, wouldn't it? If I could develop a few recipes for medicinal ramen that not only fill the stomach but also restore Chakra... tsk tsk, Sister Ayame would definitely become the dream girl of all Ninjas!]
[It's decided, in this crisis-ridden world, this Ichiraku Ramen Shop is my spiritual harbor! Anyone who dares to touch a single brick or tile here, I'll blast them to smithereens with a Rasengan!]
Ayame, who was standing behind the counter looking at Naruto eating noodles with a beaming smile, suddenly froze.
The table cloth in her hand fell to the ground with a "clatter".
At that moment, the ninja world sky screen, which was only open to Ninjas, actually unfolded before her, a civilian. Naruto's words praising her, putting her higher than powerful female Ninjas, rang in her head without missing a single word.
Dream girl? Spiritual harbor?
And even blasting enemies to smithereens to protect this place?
Ayame's face instantly turned bright red. She was just an ordinary girl making ramen, usually hearing customers rush orders; where had she ever heard such embarrassing yet heart-warming words?
Moreover, that idea of Chakra medicinal food...
[Ding!]
[Detected that key figure Uzumaki Naruto regards you as the "last pure land of the soul" and "ideal wife candidate," and has provided cross-generational suggestions for your culinary career.]
[Although not a Ninja, due to this recognition reaching the pinnacle of the "lifestyle system," a special heavenly curtain exception is activated!]
[Reward obtained: Legendary Recipe · Five-Star Chakra Recovery Cuisine (Cooked food can restore a Ninja's Chakra and physical strength proportionally, and even has a slight effect of healing internal injuries).]
Ayame covered her burning face, her mind suddenly filled with many never-before-seen ingredient combinations and cooking methods. She picked up the rag in a bit of a panic and stole a glance at Naruto, who was still devouring his noodles.
This silly boy... is that how he really sees me in his heart?
"Ayame? What's wrong? Your face is so red, do you have a fever?" Uncle Teuchi, who was chopping green onions, asked with concern.
"No, no! I just got steamed by the heat!" Ayamehurriedly turned around, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve up in a more touching arc than before, "Dad, I want to try developing a... new soup base that can make people feel a hundred times more energetic!"
Meanwhile, as Naruto was drinking soup, a notification sound also rang in his head.
[Ding!]
[Detected that the host's "simp" range has broken through professional barriers, triggering the highest level of attention from the high-level and emotional resonance from ordinary people.]
[System Comprehensive Evaluation: You have evolved from a "troublemaking dead last" to a "strategic resource that Konoha cannot ignore."]
[Obtained Phase Achievement Grand Prize: Random S-Rank Ninjutsu Extraction Voucher x 1.]
[Note: This reward is recommended to be saved for use on the eve of the finals; perhaps it can give that cool and arrogant teammate Sasuke a little shock.]
"Huh? S-Rank Ninjutsu?!"
Naruto almost spat out his soup. He put down the bowl and wiped his mouth, his eyes squinting with laughter.
"Today's bowl of ramen was worth it! Totally worth it!"
He jumped off the stool with satisfaction and waved to Ayame: "Sister Ayame, I'm full! I'll come back next time! I'll definitely have to try your new skills then!"