Chapter 204: Kushina's Scroll, Rising Peril
Under the twilight, the sunset cast shifting shadows.
At Ichiraku Ramen, Uchiha Ci sat on a high stool in front of the store, fidgeting anxiously and drenched in sweat, enduring the gazes directed his way.
"Eat, why aren't you eating?"
"This chicken broth is delicious!"
Kushina smiled warmly, using her chopsticks to pick up a narutomaki from the bowl while looking at Uchiha Ci gently.
On Ci's right sat a young Yamato, who appeared pitifully dejected, his stomach growling audibly. Trained to be highly disciplined by the Root, he could only stare longingly at Ci.
His meaning was clear—
"Eat, why aren't you eating?"
As a subordinate, Yamato wouldn't start eating until his superior made the first move.
Adding to Ci's discomfort was the young man behind the ramen stand—the enigmatic Teuchi.
No one knew what lay behind Teuchi's perpetually squinting eyes. Would they reveal the Mangekyō Sharingan, the Rinnegan, or perhaps the Nine Tomoe Rinnegan?
At this moment, Teuchi was staring intently at Ci, his gaze exuding an undeniable battle spirit. With a calm motion, he ladled another scoop of fragrant chicken broth into Ci's bowl.
"Customer, eat. Why aren't you eating yet?"
"Is it that my humble ramen shop doesn't suit your taste?"
The tone carried a trace of grievance.
Looking at the fragrant, beautifully presented Ichiraku Ramen in front of him, Uchiha Ci felt sweat trickling down his forehead.
This is bad!
Teuchi must've heard him call Ichiraku Ramen a "fly-infested shop."
He's mad! Definitely mad!
Did he put a grenade in the ramen?
Under the eager eyes of those around him, Uchiha Ci could only shakily pick up his chopsticks and lift some noodles.
"Slurp~"
The hot, flavorful ramen, infused with the rich broth, slid into his mouth and warmed him from head to toe.
Ci's eyes widened slightly—"Delicious!"
This feeling of eating authentic Ichiraku Ramen in Konoha was as exhilarating as enjoying the most genuine bowl of beef-filled Lanzhou Ramen in Lanzhou itself.
Seeing Ci finally start eating, Yamato—who had been starving—could no longer hold back. He clasped his hands together politely and said, "Itadakimasu!"
The two began to eat ravenously, like starving souls reincarnated. Behind the counter, Teuchi's lips curved into a victorious smile.
Meanwhile, Kushina watched them eat with a knowing smile.
"By the way, Ci," she suddenly asked, "Mikoto told me that Fugaku is helping you gather sealing techniques. Are you learning sealing jutsu?"
"This morning, she even came to me asking if I could sell some Uzumaki Clan sealing techniques to the Uchiha."
Hearing this, Ci froze momentarily.
Indeed, he had a "Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique" scroll to master, but he didn't expect Fugaku to know and take action on this.
However, aside from the Uzumaki Clan's techniques incorporated into Konoha, most of the available sealing jutsu were basic, such as the Single-Lamp Array and the Three-Part Sealing.
These were insufficient for mastering the advanced Reverse Four Symbols Seal.
Fugaku likely had no choice but to approach Kushina, even involving the pregnant Mikoto to assist.
Moved by the thought, Ci turned to Kushina and nodded.
"If you can provide some foundational knowledge about the Four Symbols Seal, it would be a great help!"
Kushina shook her head and said softly,
"Technically, it's not allowed. The Four Symbols Seal, which can contain tailed beasts, is classified information."
"But…"
She suddenly pulled out a scroll from her storage pouch tied to her pant leg, pushing it toward Ci. With a sly wink, she said,
"You didn't see this, and you know nothing about it."
"If the Third Hokage asks, just say you found this scroll lying around."
"Alright, I'm off to visit Minato now."
With that, Kushina stood up, waved at Ci, flashed a playful smile, and left the Ichiraku stand.
"Take care!"
Soon, her figure disappeared into the twilight.
Ci stared at the scroll in front of him, his heart warming.
Then he saw the towering stack of empty ramen bowls Kushina left behind, and his expression drastically changed.
Wait, what?!
She just left? Did she pay for the ramen?!
This is bad.
Not only had Ci insulted Teuchi by calling his ramen shop a fly-infested place, but now he couldn't pay and might even appear to be dining and dashing.
Sweat poured down his face again as he stiffly raised his head.
Teuchi, standing behind the counter, looked at him with a dangerous glint in his half-lidded eyes and asked coldly,
"Customer… You're not planning to dine and dash, are you?"
Ci blinked rapidly and glanced at the young Yamato still eating beside him. Letting out an awkward laugh, he asked guiltily,
"Do you… accept child labor as payment?"
Yamato shivered all over, sensing a chill down his spine. He slowly raised his head and tilted it to look at Ci, their eyes locking.
"???"
---
At the same time, in the Land of Hot Water
In the rebuilding capital city…
In the southern district, at the underground black market hidden in Blackhand Alley…
An elderly woman with graying hair and a murderous gaze walked coldly into a narrow alley. She passed through the entrance of a ninja tool shop and headed toward a funeral home—the local division of the Land of Hot Water's underground exchange.
Ignoring the store owner slumped on a bench, weakly folding paper flowers, she made her way into the funeral home's central hall.
Crossing into a secluded courtyard filled with coffins, she stopped at the fourth coffin in the fourth row.
Taking a deep breath, her face turned cold as she knocked four times on the coffin lid.
A moment later, a bald man dressed in white pushed open the lid and sat up, looking at her with a ghostly calmness.
"Honored guest, what is your request?"
"Kidnapping, extortion, bounties, intelligence, assassination—whatever you desire, even becoming a noble of this country tomorrow—"
"As long as you can pay the price, we bounty hunters will serve you."
The elderly woman closed her eyes, exhaled deeply, and said in a low, grim tone,
"I… want someone dead."
The bald man smiled faintly.
"No problem. Who is your target?"
Her expression twisted with rage as an irrepressible killing intent filled her eyes.
"The Konoha Jōnin, codename 'Asura'—"
"Uchiha Ci!"
"I want all his information revealed and a bounty of 60 million ryō placed on his head!"