Chapter 39 39: Legendary Ichiraku Ramen.

Hearing Kaito's voice, Ino immediately turned around and said happily, "Kaito, you're here! Where have you been?" Ino's voice was a little loud, and the students around heard it and looked over. Even Iruka glanced over with sharp eyes before turning back to watch the match on the field. This kid's a genius on par with the Fourth Hokage. At such a young age, he's already mastered B-rank ninjutsu like the Shadow Clone Technique. His future is limitless. Not far away, Uchiha Sasuke clenched his fists tightly, his eyes burning with anger. If looks could kill, Kaito would have been incinerated on the spot. Not long ago, Sasuke had poured everything into defeating what he believed to be Kaito. Just as he basked in pride, that Kaito vanished in a puff of smoke. The shock and humiliation of that moment still clung to him. The other students gave him sideways glances filled with unspoken meaning. His pride had been crushed publicly, leaving his face burning and his stomach knotting in shame. And now, with Kaito himself showing up, Sasuke had only one thought in his head — revenge. Only by defeating him could he wipe away this disgrace. "Iruka-sensei! I want to challenge Kaito!" As soon as the match on the field ended, Sasuke strode up to Iruka, his gaze fixed darkly on Kaito. Iruka hesitated. Sasuke had already used up most of his energy against Kaito's shadow clone — and even that was a struggle. The gap between a shadow clone and the real person is immense. Was Sasuke just asking to be humiliated again? But one look at Sasuke's determined expression told Iruka there was no talking him out of it. As a member of the Uchiha clan, he inherited their infamous pride and temper. Recalling how one-sided the earlier fight had been, Iruka sighed internally. "Kaito! Sasuke's challenging you. What do you say?" All the students in the class turned toward Kaito, eagerly waiting for his answer. "No problem. If he wants a beating, who am I to refuse?" Kaito stepped forward casually, stopping beside Iruka. His relaxed attitude only further infuriated Sasuke. "I'll defeat you! I swear it!" Iruka raised his hand. "Ready — start!" What happened next stunned the entire class. Kaito's figure blurred and vanished. The next moment, Uchiha Sasuke's body was sent flying backward like a rag doll. When he hit the ground, he was already unconscious. "Sensei — it's over." Kaito reappeared beside Iruka, his tone indifferent. Iruka was momentarily speechless, then quickly declared, "Match over! Kaito wins!" He immediately picked up Sasuke and rushed him to the infirmary. Kaito, now the center of the boys' conversations again, stayed calm. To him, Sasuke was like an insect. Their strength wasn't even remotely on the same level. There was no glory in stomping a bug. After parting ways with Ino, Kaito returned home. He mentally tallied his gains from this little outing. On the money side, he'd hit the jackpot. Thanks to Tsunade — a walking, talking jackpot herself — even after giving her a cut, he still had more than 80 million ryō left, enough to live comfortably for the next five years. As for ninjutsu, apart from the Summoning Technique and the Hundred Healings Technique, the rest were practically useless to him. He only bothered learning them to eventually pass down to Ino. Kaito recalled that in the original story, Ino had also trained in medical ninjutsu, though her skills hadn't progressed much. As for the Hundred Healings Technique, he had no plans to study it now. His own chakra reserves weren't near the required level yet — what would be the point? "Wait... didn't I forget something for Tsunade-sensei?" Kaito frowned. He remembered intending to give her a farewell gift, but after splitting the money and worrying about her pulling some stunt, he'd rushed off before handing it over. Patting his chest, he pulled a notebook from his inner pocket. "Ah, I really did forget!" The notebook contained detailed training methods for the Six Styles of the Navy. "Guess I'll send it via slug, so she won't come hunting me down for it later." Kaito bit his finger, pressed a palm to the ground, and formed a seal. Bang! A puff of smoke appeared, and a medium-sized white slug emerged before him. "Lord Kaito, what can I do for you?" the slug spoke gently in human language. "Sorry about the trouble — I left in a hurry and forgot to give this to Tsunade-sensei. Could you please deliver it for me?" He put the notebook securely onto the slug and smiled. "Understood, Lord Kaito. I will see it safely to Lady Tsunade. Is there anything else you need?" "No, that's all. Thanks again!" "Then farewell, Lord Kaito." The slug disappeared in a puff of smoke. "This Summoning Technique is something else," Kaito murmured, heading for the door. Now he planned to visit the famous Ichiraku Ramen. He'd never had the chance to before — being too poor and too focused on training to spend money on luxuries. But now, with a fat purse of over 80 million ryō, he could afford to indulge. His home wasn't far from Ichiraku Ramen, and it didn't take long to arrive. Standing before the shop that looked exactly as it did in the original story, Kaito felt a surge of excitement. At last — he was about to taste the legendary Ichiraku Ramen! --- (^▽^) Send Powerstones