"Your training is finished here, Naruto boy. Now you can return to the village. Do your best, Naruto boy," Lord Fukasaku said to Naruto as he was about to leave Mount Myōboku after completing his sage training.
"Thanks for the training," Naruto said as he bowed deeply in front of Lord Fukasaku.
At the Leaf Village
"So, Naruto's sage training is completed already!?" Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, asked, sitting at her Hokage desk. Naruto stood in front of her, and Lord Fukasaku sat beside her on a small table.
"Yes. Naruto boy has completed all the necessary training for sage learning and mastered it to its fullest," Lord Fukasaku answered.
"Well, that was quick," Tsunade said, genuinely impressed and confused at the same time, considering how tricky and powerful that form of Jutsu was.
"Yes. In comparison to the others who learned this technique, Naruto boy learned it much quicker than expected. That's maybe due to..." Lord Fukasaku suddenly stopped, as if contemplating something, then looked up and continued, "Just as Jiraiya boy predicted." He changed the subject quickly. Tsunade noticed something in his tone but didn't think it was necessary to ask, so she moved on.
"So, what's the progress on the Pain investigation the village was doing?" Naruto finally spoke after entering the Hokage office. Tsunade slightly turned her head toward Shizune, who was standing next to her.
"...Yes, it's going well. With all the information and evidence left by Master Jiraiya, the investigation is going well. Though, I can't really share too much information yet," Shizune replied.
"That's okay. I guess I'll have to wait a little more," Naruto said.
Just as he replied, there was a knock at the door. Tsunade called for the person on the other side to come in, and the door of the Hokage office swung open.
"Oh, Naruto! You're back already. When did you come back?" Sakura said, a bit taken aback by Naruto's sudden appearance in the Hokage office.
"Yeah, I came back just a few moments ago and came directly here. How are you?" Naruto asked.
"I'm good. I just came here to deliver some documents back to Lady Tsunade," Sakura replied.
Tsunade gestured to Shizune to pick up the documents from Sakura's hands. Shizune nodded and walked forward to take them.
Naruto gave Sakura a nod, then turned to Tsunade and Lord Fukasaku sitting nearby. "So, should I leave, or is there anything you'd like to tell me?" he asked.
"You can leave, Naruto boy. But remember what I said to you—what you've learned is a great power. Use it for the right cause," Lord Fukasaku said.
Naruto nodded with a smile. "Of course, that goes without saying. I'll use this power to... no, at first, I want to avenge Pervy... Jiraiya-sensei, and then I'll think about other things," Naruto said, with a few pauses in his sentence. He bowed again to Lord Fukasaku and added, "I'll leave then."
As soon as he said those words, he disappeared from their sight completely. Tsunade and Shizune shared a surprised glance, while Sakura stood there, wondering how much Naruto had grown since their academy days.
"Can he really be the child of prophecy?" Lord Fukasaku thought to himself as he watched Naruto disappear. Then he turned to Tsunade and said, "Now, Princess Tsunade, I'll take my leave as well."
**Meanwhile, Naruto**
After leaving the Hokage office, Naruto immediately headed to his favorite and most important place in the village.
"Hey, Ayame! How are you? Long time no see, huh?" Naruto said as he entered the Ichiraku Ramen shop. At the moment, Ayame was standing inside the shop, and there were no customers. It seemed Teuchi had left the shop to Ayame for a while, something he had been doing more often lately as he planned to hand over the shop to her.
"I'm fine, but when did you return to the village?" Ayame asked with a bright smile.
"Just half an hour ago. Anyway, that's not important. What's important is that I'm starving, and I need some of your special ramen really quick," Naruto said impatiently.
"Okay... okay, I'll make the special ramen as quickly as possible," Ayame replied as she started preparing the special ramen for Naruto. Naruto took a seat on one of the stools inside the shop.
---
Naruto waited for a while, and after some time, Ayame finally appeared with a hot, steaming bowl of ramen. She placed it in front of Naruto and said, "Here you go. My new special ramen, only for you." She smiled happily. "Now, taste it and tell me how it tastes!"
"What do you mean, new special? What happened to the last one?" Naruto asked curiously since he had asked for the previous special ramen, not a new version.
"Don't complain... I tweaked the recipe to better suit your taste now... That's why it's a new recipe," Ayame explained.
"...Or," Naruto said, raising an eyebrow and acting as if he were interrogating her, "you prepared this new recipe and you're not sure if it's good or not, so you're letting me taste it firsthand just in case. I believe this version sounds more accurate."
Ayame laughed, shaking her head as she leaned slightly over the counter. "You caught me, Naruto! But I promise, I made it with you in mind. Consider it my special experiment just for you," she said with a wink. "But I have a feeling you'll love it. After all, you're my number one customer!"
"Yeah... that's right," Naruto nodded. He didn't wait any longer and focused on the ramen instead of talking anymore.
Ayame watched eagerly as Naruto picked up his chopsticks and took a big slurp of the ramen. "Well? How is it? Be honest!" she asked, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Naruto savored the first mouthful, letting the flavors spread on his tongue. His eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Wow, Ayame! This is really good!" he said, genuinely impressed. "I think you've outdone yourself."
Ayame beamed with pride. "Really? I'm so glad you like it! I wanted to make something extra special since it's been a while."
Naruto nodded, taking another slurp. "You never disappoint, Ayame. Your ramen always feels like a welcome home."
Ayame's cheeks flushed slightly, and she gave a playful shrug. "Well, the shop's a little quieter without you around."
Naruto chuckled, setting his chopsticks down for a moment. "I guess I've been pretty busy. But I've really missed this place—and your ramen, of course."
They shared a smile, and a comfortable silence settled between them. Naruto continued eating, while Ayame watched him with a soft gaze.
"You know," Naruto said, breaking the silence, "coming back here and having your ramen always reminds me of why I love this village so much."
Ayame met his eyes, her voice soft. "I'm glad. It's always nice to have you back. The shop feels more lively with you here."
Naruto grinned, feeling a slight flutter in his chest. "Well, I promise I won't stay away too long next time."
Ayame's eyes sparkled. "I'll hold you to that, Naruto."
As Naruto finished his bowl, he leaned back, feeling satisfied. "Thanks, Ayame. This was exactly what I needed."
"Anytime," Ayame replied, her smile lingering as Naruto stood up to leave. "Don't be a stranger, okay?"
Naruto gave her a nod, a soft smile on his lips. "I won't. See you soon, Ayame."
With a final wave, Naruto left the ramen shop. After leaving, he decided it was time to head back to his apartment, which he hadn't visited yet, since returning from his sage training.