"Hmm? This ramen actually tastes pretty good!"
Erina had mentally prepared herself for disappointment, but after taking her first bite, she found herself pleasantly surprised. The ramen had reached a respectable passing standard for Totsuki Academy, nowhere near the level of elite chefs, but competent nonetheless.
Victor sampled his own bowl and noticed the dramatic improvement since his last visit. "Yeah, this is excellent."
Boss Ichiraku beamed with pride. "Hahaha, I'm glad you like it! This is an improved recipe I developed based on the ramen the Hokage brought me last time. Though my version falls far short of the original, it's leagues better than my old recipe."
"Oh? Tsunade brought you a bowl of ramen?" Victor's eyebrows rose slightly.
He had a pretty good idea where that ramen came from. If memory served, Tsunade had asked him to have Erina prepare some ramen for her not too long ago. She'd probably sent some here to see if Boss Ichiraku could recreate it.
"That's right!" Ichiraku confirmed. "About half a month ago, Lady Hokage sent me a bowl hoping I could replicate the taste. Unfortunately, my skills aren't quite up to par, I couldn't match the original's quality. I've disappointed the Hokage. I'd love to meet the chef who made that incredible ramen in person."
Victor glanced sideways at Erina, who continued eating with complete focus, oblivious to the fact that she was the very chef Boss Ichiraku was praising. The old man would never imagine that the culinary genius he wanted to meet was sitting right in front of him at this very moment.
Victor kept the secret to himself.
After they finished eating, Victor tried to pay, but Boss Ichiraku refused adamantly.
"Master Victor, you're Konoha's benefactor and the most honorable person besides the Hokage herself! How could I possibly accept your money?"
Victor blinked in confusion. "When did I become the most honorable person besides the Hokage?"
"It was announced by Lady Hokage herself!" Ichiraku explained enthusiastically. "On her inauguration day, she issued a proclamation naming you Konoha's benefactor and appointing you as the village's honorary elder. Meeting you is the same as meeting the Hokage!"
Victor was speechless. Tsunade had given him a title without even telling him?
"Even if I'm an honorary elder, I can't just eat for free. Please, take the money."
"No, no, no! You've got it all wrong. Your presence in my shop has already brought me a huge wave of customers. The income from that traffic far exceeds what you and your companions would spend combined!"
"Alright then. I wish your business continued prosperity and success."
Seeing that Ichiraku was determined not to take payment, Victor decided not to push the matter further.
After leaving Ichiraku Ramen, Victor continued strolling through the village streets with the three women. As they wandered, they gradually made their way into a more remote area. It was only when Victor heard the distinct sounds of combat that he realized they'd arrived near the training grounds.
"Want to go up and take a look?" Victor asked the three women.
"Yes, let's!" They were all curious about how ninjas trained and fought.
"Then let's go."
When they reached the training ground, Victor spotted several familiar faces, faces he hadn't necessarily expected to see.
The twelve rookies were there. More specifically, all seven members of Team 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno!
Since Orochimaru had been thoroughly beaten by Crowley some time ago, the rogue Sannin hadn't sent anyone to abduct Sasuke yet. Team 7 remained intact for now.
"Ah! It's you!"
Naruto spotted Victor mid-spar and immediately exclaimed in recognition. His outburst drew the attention of both Sasuke and Sakura.
"Wow! What a handsome guy!" Sakura's eyes lit up instantly. She found herself captivated by Victor's striking appearance and elegant bearing. Suddenly, Sasuke didn't seem quite as attractive anymore.
"Naruto, do you know these people?" Sasuke was more interested in their identities than their looks. They clearly weren't from the village. How had outsiders gotten in during this tense period?
Naruto shook his head, squinting thoughtfully. "I only know the guy. Haven't met the women before."
"Tell me his name, quick!" Sakura pressed urgently.
"Oh yeah, what is your name?" Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly and looked at Victor with curiosity. Although they'd met before, Victor had never actually introduced himself.
"My name is Victor Stone."
Victor reached over and ruffled Naruto's hair affectionately. He had no aversion to the protagonist, in fact, he quite liked this enthusiastic, well-meaning fool.
"Victor Stone, what a nice name!" Sakura's infatuated expression made Kujo Arisa, Erina, and Hisako exchange glances of exasperation.
"Victor Stone?!" Sasuke's eyes widened in shock as he examined Victor more carefully. Was this the same Victor Stone the Hokage had appointed as honorary elder?
Ignoring Sakura's starry-eyed gaze, Victor turned to Naruto and Sasuke. "Were you two just training together?"
"Yeah." Naruto crossed his arms indignantly. "Kakashi-sensei said he'd teach us some ninjutsu, but he took off the moment he got a summons. So we're stuck doing combat training on our own."
Sasuke nodded, equally displeased with the situation.
Victor's interest piqued. "You want to learn new ninjutsu? I happen to know two very powerful techniques. Interested in learning them?"
Both Naruto and Sasuke's faces lit up immediately.
"I want to learn!"
"If they're really that powerful, then I want to learn too!"
The two responded without hesitation.
Sakura, standing off to the side, couldn't help but speak up. "Um, could you teach me too?"
Sakura didn't particularly care about ninjutsu one way or another. She just wanted more opportunities to interact with this gorgeous man.
Victor wasn't sure what was going through Sakura's head, but he declined directly.
"I don't have any techniques suitable for you. If you want to become stronger, go find Tsunade and ask her to train you. Just tell her I sent you."
"W-what? Go ask the Fifth Hokage to teach me?!" Sakura was stunned. She'd never imagined he would recommend her to such a powerful teacher!
Even Sakura had to take this seriously now. If she could become Lady Tsunade's disciple, she certainly couldn't afford to slack off.
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