Three minutes later...
"Hehe, this new Ninja is quite powerful."
Kakashi muttered, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"What? What? Let me see."
Naruto had just finished a match. Although he lost again, it didn't affect his mood.
After all, he hadn't won a single match yet.
Naruto leaned over to take a look.
'[Complete victory]! And the opponent is...'
'The Strongest Uchiha?! Isn't that Sasuke?'
"Eh? Didn't Sasuke say he was going back to train? Why is he here fighting Kakashi-sensei?"
Kakashi clearly knew what was going on, but he just smiled without saying a word.
"Wow! Kakashi-sensei is amazing! You actually beat Sasuke!"
Seeing Naruto's slow reaction, Kakashi didn't say much. At this moment, he was quite enjoying the praise.
"Hehe... want to learn? I can teach you."
---
By the time Yuto's shop was about to close, Kakashi finally left with Naruto. Sakura had stayed in the shop for a while but left early on the pretext of practicing Ninjutsu.
Now, only Zabuza, Haku, and Yuto remained in the shop.
"Hey, do you two know how to cook? Never mind... I'll just take you out to eat."
After answering his own question, Yuto went from eating out alone to bringing two followers along for a meal.
By this time, it was early evening. Most ordinary shops had already closed, but since Yuto's shop didn't have fixed hours, it mostly depended on his mood, or more accurately, when he felt like eating dinner, which was when the shop would close.
In theory, Yuto could have asked Kakashi, who often idled in the shop, to bring him some food before leaving.
However, the night in Konoha was quite lively.
Even if it wasn't a festival, and the time on his phone showed it was before 9 PM, there were still quite a few people out and about.
The foot traffic could be said to rival that of the daytime.
So, entertainment and dining establishments wouldn't close early at night.
This scene made Yuto, who had just crossed over to this world, sigh with admiration.
'No wonder Konoha had managed to transition from an industrial-era Ninja Village to a modernized society in just a few decades.'
Well, 'industrial' was just Yuto's assumption based on some of the tools and devices in this world.
But judging from the overall appearance of this world, it still felt closer to an agricultural society.
"Do you two have anything specific you'd like to eat?"
Yuto asked, but when neither of them responded, he continued, "If not, how about we go eat Ichiraku Ramen again?"
Again, neither of them objected. That bowl of ramen was truly unforgettable.
As they strolled through the bustling streets of Konoha, which were far more prosperous than other Ninja Villages and regions, Zabuza and Haku were overwhelmed by the sights.
"Zabuza-sama, this place is so beautiful..."
Hearing Haku's admiration, Zabuza couldn't help but agree.
'Compared to Kirigakure... Konoha was truly enviably prosperous!'
'I wonder if that woman and Elder Genji can transform Kirigakure into such a magnificent human world after they dispelling the Bloody Mist.'
Even Zabuza, who had spent his entire life immersed in the darkest aspects of the Ninja World, had to admit Konoha's advancements in this regard.
---
"We're here... this is Teuchi-san's ramen shop. The miso ramen we had last time was from here."
After arriving, Yuto gave a brief introduction and then led Zabuza and Haku inside.
"Good evening, Teuchi-san."
"Good evening, young man. Will it be miso ramen or Naruto rolls today?"
Yuto frequented this place, and although Teuchi had never asked for his name, over the past few months, they had become quite familiar.
"Hmm... miso ramen, with Naruto rolls as a side dish."
Then, Yuto turned to Zabuza and Haku.
"What kind of ramen would you two like?"
Zabuza said, "Anything is fine. I'll have the same as you."
Although Zabuza no longer had any intention of causing trouble, his mere presence made it clear he wasn't someone to be trifled with.
Haku smiled, "Me too..."
"Alright, three bowls of miso ramen, with some Naruto rolls on the side."
---
At this moment, Yuto noticed a small figure huddled by the stools.
"Hmm? Isn't that Naruto? What are you doing here... what's going on?"
Naruto's huddled posture... really reminded Yuto of the kids he used to see loitering outside shops to leech Wi-Fi in his previous life.
Naruto looked so focused that Yuto felt his question was almost redundant.
'It seemed... this kid might really reach the Super Kage-level in the game someday.'
A few seconds later...
"Sigh... lost again, ahhhhh! Why haven't I won a single match?"
Naruto said dejectedly.
Yuto recalled that he hadn't lowered Naruto's account's 'win rate' while also setting his drop rate to the minimum.
In fact, Yuto hadn't implemented a complex matchmaking system that could control win rates...
However... looking at Naruto's dismal record, Yuto reconsidered his earlier thought.
'This kid might not be cut out for esports after all...'
It was only then that Naruto noticed Yuto and the others.
"Eh? Manager... and Uncle Zabuza and pretty sister? Why are you all here?"
"Naruto-kun, we just arrived to have some miso ramen. We were just wondering why you're here too. Boss asked you earlier..."
Haku replied with a smile.
At this point, Naruto's face lit up with a grin, seemingly unfazed by his earlier losses.
"Hehehe, is that so... I wanted to eat ramen, but all the money from my last mission was spent on 'gacha' by Kakashi-sensei, so now I can't afford ramen."
As he spoke, Naruto's stomach growled loudly, as if protesting.
"Gacha?"
Hearing this unfamiliar term, Haku frowned slightly, not quite understanding its meaning.
But Yuto quickly explained: "Gacha is great! Gacha is great! I'll treat you to this bowl of ramen!"
But Naruto had no money? This was a bit unexpected for Yuto.
After all, Minato and Kushina had completed so many missions during their lives, and Minato had even become Hokage, while Kushina was a princess from the Land of Whirlpools. Their savings should have been substantial, right?
'Could it all have been embezzled by the Sandaime Hokage?'
'This shouldn't be the case, right?'
But then Yuto remembered a theory in his previous life... the reason Naruto had no money was because he couldn't cook, so he spent all his money on ramen and milk, even letting them expire.
The rest of his money went to buying paint or other things for pranks.
'While this explanation seemed a bit far-fetched, it was the most plausible one.'
'After all, it's normal for a kid to have poor money management skills.'
---
After finishing the ramen, Haku and Zabuza spent the night on the wooden beds on the second floor of the store.
As for Yuto, there were still many things he needed to take care of.