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  Gojo Kaigetsu didn't rush Pakura back to his pleasure den. Instead, they went to an ice cream shop on the new ercial street aled into a quiet er.

  “Are you curious why a book be so expensive?” Gojo Kaigetsu picked up the menu and casually ordered two of the cheapest sodas.

  Judging by the akura couldn't take her eyes off the book…

  Putting aside the way her thighs gripped the Sunagakure headband as she walked, it was clear Pakura genuinely loved books.

  As ae Jonin of Sunagakure, even though her ine was slightly less than ninjas of the same rank in other vilges, she still beloo the high-ine bracket.

  In Gojo Kaigetsu's words, she was a cssic example of a sophisticated shinobi elite-the primary target audiend er base for "Three Years in the Ninja Academy" and "Iki."

  “If you want to read it, go ahead and open it~”

  At his words, Pakura carefully removed the pstic film from the collector’s edition, her firag the embossed texture of the cover. She marveled at Konoha's advanced development and flourishing ercial ey.

  With this level of craftsmanship, even in the harsh desert winds of Sunagakure, the book would remain pristine.

  ‘Even the cover of a book is made with such exquisite detail.’

  ‘Konoha’s craftsmanship is unimaginably advanced, and the people who buy these books are truly extravagant.’

  Ba Sunagakure, they were lucky to have any books at all, let alone ones protected with such eborate teiques.

  Pakura opehe book to the title page, which listed the numerous revision dates of the "Collector’s Edition: Three Years in the Ninja Academy." She realized the book had been published less than a year ago, with the most ret revision just a ferior.

  She had been pletely unaware of this.

  Gojo Kaigetsu took a sip of his ice-cold soda and casually remarked, “‘Iki’ is a specialty of the Land of Fire, produced here but banned for domestic sale. It’s only sold abroad. ‘Three Years in the Ninja Academy’ is also a local specialty, sold only within the Land of Fire. Outsiders only purchase it with a tempreen card~”

  Of course, Gojo Kaigetsu wouldn’t tell Pakura the true differeweewo books.

  The former was a on for cultural export, while the tter was a shield for promoting morality and virtue withiion.

  Pakura nodded subsciously and looked at the newly added article iest revision: "A Bowl of Pin Ichiraku Ramen"

  A faint smile pyed on Gojo Kaigetsu’s lips.

  This was a gift he had written for Teuchi a few days ago. In the special edition, he specifically sed its pt with "Not Stealing Soldier Pills Out of Hunger."

  Siher vilges had no e to the Uchiha , pg the "Soldier Pills" article too promily might be exploited by those seeking to promote the "Three Years in the Ninja Academy" threat theory.

  Pakura's gaze moved down the page:

  [Shortly after the Sed Shinobi World War ended…]

  [A loablished ramen shop called Ichiraku Ramen, located on Konoha’s old ercial street, was about to close for the night when a shabbily dressed mother awo shivering childreered.]

  [The three of them ordered only one bowl of pin ramen. The oweuchi, didn't discriminate against them but weled them warmly and treated them with respect. He even kindly added extra noodles without their knowledge.]

  [The mother, tears streaming down her face, savored the ramen without any seasonings or toppings. She praised Teuchi and his daughter's smiles and respect as the most delicious seasoning.]

  […]

  [On New Year's Eve the following year, the mother and her childreurned. From their versation, Teuchi learhat the mother had been w tirelessly and scrimping ohing, wearing shabby clothes, to save moo repay the debts her husband had incurred before dying in the war.]

  [Her husband, in order to defend the vilge against the invading Sunagakure forces, had borrowed money from friends and family before departing with the ninja troops to purchase essential ninja tools and the “glorious” explosive tags.]

  [Upon hearing their story, Teuchi sighed and added a sausage and ao their ramen.]

  [From then on, every New Year's Eve, Teuchi would reserve their table, waiting for their arrival.]

  [However, for many years, the mother and her children didn't reappear at Ichiraku Rameeuchi firmly believed they would return. Even during the Third Shinobi World War, he kept their table untouched. This "table of happiness" patiently awaited its "guests."]

  [Finally, ten years ter, after the Third Shinobi World War ehe two grown children and their mother returo Ichiraku Ramen. They had persevered through difficult times, both children following in their father's footsteps and being in after enduring the trials of war. They never fot the ramen shop that had offered them warmth.]

  [It was that bowl of pin Ichiraku Ramen that had sustaihem spiritually, enabling them to repay their debts, overe the most challenging period of their lives, and bee in through the trials of war.]

  [The standard ninja tools and explosive tags that their father had to borrow moo afford were now, thanks to the efforts of the Fourth Hokage and his advisojo Kaigetsu, affordable even for normal ninjas.]

  [Later, war orphans who had lost loved ones ihird Shinobi World War heard this story and, with heavy hearts, came to Ichiraku Ramen. They would quietly ask Teuchi, "I… need a bowl of pin ramen." Teuchi, uanding their plight, would serve them a bowl of pin ramen with extra noodles, words of encement: "Everyone faces hardships in life. Fet the past, live in the present, and look forward to the future!"]

  [May everyone remember the pain of war and cherish the present peace.]

  [If… you are also fag difficulties in life, please don't give up. Perhaps, you try finding a new dire in life at Ichiraku Ramen.]

  [Upon hearing this story, Hokage Advisojo Kaigetsu personally visited Ichiraku Ramen and awarded Teuchi two huhousand ryō, encing him with these words: "One day, a ninja strohahe God of Shinobi, will smile with happiness after enjoying a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen."]

  After reading the st word, Pakura sighed deeply, her eyes slightly moist. She closed the book. Just the first story had moved her profoundly; the rest were perhaps best not read in a public setting.

  Through the story of Ichiraku Ramen, she seemed to glimpse the beauty of humanity within Konoha and deeply empathized with the resilience of the mother and her children.

  As for the ter mention of the "stro ninja… smile," Pakura naturally assumed it was artistic embellishment. owerful ninja would find happiness in a bowl of ramen?

  The spirit of rising against adversity and never bowing to fate… how simir it was to the ninjas of Sunagakure!

  The harsh enviro hadn't broken the spirits of Sunagakure's ninjas; instead, they fought tooth and nail to escape their barren nd. Despite being a stantly defeated vilge, Sunagakure opped striving fress.

  Ironically, the hardships faced by the mother and her children iory were a direct sequence of Sunagakure’s invasion of Konoha during the Sed Shinobi World War.

  Had Sunagakure been wrong all along?

  Pakura couldn't help but reflect.

  Sunagakure's unfavorable geographical location dictated its path. If it didn’t actively fight for survival, it would eventually be swallowed by other vilges.

  No matter how abundant its natural resources, other vilges wouldn't allow Sunagakure the time to develop peacefully.

  Like a fair petitive game, knowing the oppo was a te-game powerhouse, how could o harassing them early on? Even temporary peace was merely a temporary fix. Once a hawkish fa took power in another vilge, the attacks on Sunagakure would resume.

  Currently, Sunagakure had a military alliah Kumogakure and an eid cultural alliah Konoha, all for the sake of buying time. The ultimate goal was to achieve suffit development before the Shinobi World War.

  Sunagakure had to prioritize military strength. For its vilgers to thrive, avoidance wasn't a solution; actively striking out was the only way forward.

  It wasn’t Sunagakure that was wrong, it was this shinobi world!

  Pakura’s eyes hardened with resolve, but then dimmed again.

  From her perspective, the vilge’s current policy of redug military spending was akin to slow suicide. However, her voice held little weight; all she could do was ply with the vilge's policies.

  Moreover, in the eyes of her vilge, she was already dead. In Konoha’s eyes, she had vanished from Sunagakure. And in her own eyes, Pakura had bee a ghost drifting through Konoha…

  “Pakura-san~ what are your thoughts after reading that?”

  “Shouldn’t you atone for the sins Sunagakure itted against Konoha?”

  Seeing no one paying attention to them, Gojo Kaigetsu subtly tugged on the attached to her colr, reminding her of her situation.

  Such words were, admittedly, a bit harsh.

  After all, for the sake of Sunagakure, Pakura had willingly chosen to wear this humiliating colr.

  But Pakura's expression remained unged. Even the shame and anger from earlier humiliations had vanished.

  She simply raised her head, meeting Gojo Kaigetsu's gaze calmly. "I want to go to Ichiraku Ramen and have a bowl of noodles."

  “After that, I will give you what you want.”

  “Oh? I want a lot of things.” Gojo Kaigetsu raised an eyebrow, sensing the determination in Pakura’s eyes. “Very well, your wish shall be granted~”…

  *Ichiraku Ramen*

  Teuchi wiped the sweat from his brow, looking apprehensively at the crowd of Konoha locals and out-of-town visitors packed in front of his shop.

  He pulled his daughter aside and asked in a low voice, “Ayame, what’s going on tely?”

  “Why are there so many ers? This is… unbelievable.”

  Ichiraku Ramen had always enjoyed good business, mainly frur ers and word-of-mouth among Konoha's long-time residents. The younger geion teo flock to the trendy spots in the new ercial district.

  But since a few days ago, the number of ers at Ichiraku Ramen had multiplied several times over.

  Business had never been this booming.

  For days, Teuchi had been like a spinning top, w around the clock. Eve night, the flow of ers never ceased.

  There was even a ninja who looked like he had spent all his money on ninja tools and then gone bankrupt after a failed mission. He looked like he couldn't even afford a meal, his face flushed as he approached Teuchi and asked,

  "Owner, I have a bowl of pin ramen?"

  How much could a bowl of pin ramen cost?

  Usually, Teuchi might hesitate before serving such a er.

  But now, with business so brisk, he didn't even think twice about the cost of ingredients and simply gave the Genin two free bowls of pin ramen.

  Uedly… business exploded even further!

  Apparently, Genin had their own unication els.

  Many Genin emerging from his cousin's ninja tool shop, Taiten Ninja Tool Shop, walked straight into Ichiraku, prog, "I 't afford pre-paid ninja tools, but 't I offer pre-paid ramen?"

  “ive me ten bowls of deluxe tonkotsu ramen and put them on the… oh, there’s no spa the wall. Just put them oable!”

  “Let the elderly and childre first.”

  “Huh?”

  Faced with such situations, Teuchi could only scratch his head in fusion, assuming it was due to the rapid development of the shinobi world and the ever-ging mi of the vilgers. Before middle-aged folks like him could react, the times had already ged.

  Due to the excessive amount of pre-paid ramen, for the first time, Teuchi posted a request on Boss Zhipin in the Hokage Tower, issioning Genin to distribute the pre-paid ramen throughout Konoha.

  It was all so surreal.

  Fortunately, Teuchi’s daughter, Ayame, was more attuo current trends. She expio her father, “It’s the new publication, ‘Three Years in the Ninja Academy.’ Someone wrote a story about our Ichiraku Ramen a it to the publisher, and it got published.”

  “These ers are probably here because of that.”

  Ayame briefly reted the story to her father, then tapped her finger on her thoughtfully. “But… I don’t remember a mother and two children ing to our shop for ramen ten years ago? And not retly either.”

  “Dad, do you remember?”

  Teuchi: “Huh? Was that me making the ramen?”

  “When did Advisojo award me two huhousand ryō? I treated him to a twenty ryō soda that day.”

  Teuchi was pletely bewildered, then subsciously asked, “Then… what’s with the pre-paid ramen?”

  “That’s from Uaiten's ninja tool shop. They have a ‘pre-paid ninja tools’ system where Us free ninja tools on the wall for ninjas in need.”

  “Then, ninjas started buying two tools, one for themselves and oo give to a stranger.”

  Ayame’s face was filled with admiration. “Uaiten is amazing. Every day, I hear people praising him. The other day, when I passed by his shop, I heard a ninja tearfully expressing his gratitude.”

  “Ah… really? Taiten has really ged.”

  Without dwelling orange causality, Teuchi's thoughts were interrupted by the familiar voice of the Hokage's advisor at the entrance:

  “Owner, one bowl of pin ramen!”

  ...

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