Chapter 19: First outing
Yomi decided on a white long sleeveless frock with a flowery border and an open hair look. She had grown more than her age suggested. In the ninja world, children grow up a lot earlier than you might assume, as they are considered adults at the age of 14-15,
the age when students normally become genin. Due to early chakra activation and constant physical exercise, she had grown to a height of 5.0 feet with a slightly curvy figure, easily confused with girls of 12 or 13 years old.
Kaida also didn't lack in this part. He had gone to extra lengths during physical and chakra control exercises, passing chakra through every part of his body.
He attained a height of 5.3 feet with a muscular build, maintaining both speed and strength. With his already handsome looks, his personality was now enough to turn heads when he crossed any street.
Kaida decided to wear a simple red t-shirt with black patterns to complement his hair, paired with blue jeans and a simple pair of black shoes.
At 7:30, he went towards Yomi's house to pick her up. He knocked on the door twice and waited. When Yomi opened the door, Kaida stood still for a full 30 seconds. When he realized this, a blush appeared on his face.
"You are looking gorgeous, Yomi. I think I should have brought a bouquet for you," Kaida said with an awkward laugh to hide his embarrassment.
This brought Yomi out of her stance too, and she said with a blush, "You are also looking handsome, Kaida."
They started walking towards the market area, with their first destination being Ichiraku's shop for breakfast. After hearing so much about his noodles, Yomi too wanted to try them.
After some time, they arrived in front of the old-looking small shop. Though Yomi had some doubts about the rumors, Kaida was extremely happy to finally try Ichiraku ramen.
They went inside where Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame, were present. Ayame, just a child the same age as Kaida and Yomi, helped her father manage the shop. When she saw Kaida and Yomi, she was stunned and stared at them for 10 seconds.
Not hearing his daughter's usual greeting, Teuchi asked, "What happened, Ayame? Who is there?"
This brought Ayame back, and she exclaimed, "Two customers are here, Dad. Good morning! What would you like to have?"
Kaida was happy to see one of his favorite characters from the anime, as they were among the few who didn't hate Naruto for being a jinchuriki and even helped him. Coming out of his thoughts, he said, "We don't have any pre-decided dish as we have never eaten ramen before. Can you recommend one of the famous ramen dishes?"
"Oh! If it's your first time, I highly recommend you go for one with all the toppings. Though it's a bit expensive, I guarantee the taste," Ayame said proudly.
"Well, we'll have two bowls of that," Yomi said, feeling happy after seeing Ayame's cheerful personality.
Ayame ran back to her father, and after about 20 minutes, they were served a fragrant bowl of ramen. They started eating as soon as it was presented to them.
With the first sip of the soup, an explosion of flavors occurred in their mouths. Kaida thought, 'No wonder Naruto liked this ramen so much; it's so tasty that one could kill for it.'
After eating the ramen bowl in record time, both of them shouted for seconds, which Teuchi presented in an instant. Seeing their confused faces, Teuchi said, "I've run this shop for more than two decades, so I have enough experience to judge how many times a person will ask for another bowl."
They were too focused on the ramen to think of anything else. After eating five bowls each, they left the establishment. Though a little expensive, they decided they could eat this ramen once a week, even if they had to survive on energy bars for the rest of the week.
After eating, they went to the park, sat on a bench, and talked about various topics related and unrelated to ninjas or the academy. At noon, they decided to eat at a restaurant as it was their first holiday in nearly seven months.
They had enough savings to not think about money, at least for today. After eating, they went toward Hokage Rock, where they sat at the top of the mountain and watched the whole village from the top.
To say the sight was mesmerizing would be an understatement. A large village surrounded by forest, with many small forests and playgrounds and numerous buildings of different sizes and structures placed together masterfully. It was beautiful.
After some time, they decided to go back home. On their way back, they saw an old man sitting in the park with a crowd of children surrounding him. Curious, they went to find out what was happening.
It turned out that this old man was a retired ninja telling stories about his missions, exaggerating them a little to make them interesting for the children. Both Kaida and Yomi became interested and sat with the children to listen.
After some time, the old man decided to wrap up for the day. All the children requested him to continue, but he said he had something important to do and went towards the Hokage building. Everyone left for their homes, including Kaida and Yomi.
On the other hand, the old man released his transformation jutsu. Yes, he was none other than Hiruzen, enjoying a little break from all the paperwork. Seeing Kaida and Yomi in the crowd, he decided to continue for a bit longer while silently analyzing their growth, which shocked him.
Their chakra reserves had expanded again, with Yomi having 13 times that of any beginner and Kaida having 28 times a beginner. He went back to his office with a smile on his face.
*****
Next Chapter: Clone Jutsu
(A.N.: Add to the library so you'll be notified as soon as I update the next chapter! I will update a chapter daily for five days a week, and an extra chapter on Saturday and Sunday if your support is good. Also, please share your reviews about the chapter in the comments; both positive and negative feedback are appreciated. :-)