Jokichi used to buy a few steamed buns on the street for breakfast after his morning training.
However, because of the Hot-Blooded Headband this time, he over-trained. The sun was already high in the sky, and there were no more steamed buns for sale on the street.
Jokichi did not mind and prepared to go to Ichiraku Ramen to have a full meal to reward himself.
Earlier, he deliberately scratched Uzumaki Naruto's wrist and wiped a drop of blood from it.
And the system also prompted in his mind at just the right time.
[Ding! Found special materials "Incomplete Sage Blood" and "Residual Asura's Power", can forge special item "Sage Crystal", do you want to forge?]
With Uzumaki Naruto in front of him, he naturally chose no.
After leaving, he was not in a hurry to forge either. Although he was overjoyed inside, his surface was as calm as water, as if encountering Uzumaki Naruto was just an insignificant episode in his daily life.
Konoha in the morning was even more bustling. Besides the people from their own village, there were also many foreign clients.
Jokichi walked through the crowd, smiling and greeting or returning greetings to those he knew and did not know.
Over the past few years, he, who had been running around the village, was almost familiar with all the villagers. Although he could not name many of them, their faces were very familiar.
Moving forward all the way, the crowd in front of him suddenly thinned out, and two ninja wearing black tight suits and animal masks appeared in his field of vision.
Anbu!?
Jokichi's plain face froze slightly, then returned to normal.
He had expected the Anbu to come looking for him.
Uzumaki Naruto's identity was too sensitive. Even if he was born and raised in Konoha until now, his first contact would be investigated.
Amidst his thoughts, an Anbu flashed in front of him. The speed was so fast that it made people mistakenly think it was teleportation.
Jokichi looked up at them with his mouth slightly open, seemingly very surprised.
"Do not be afraid, kid. We are just going to ask you some questions casually."
The Anbu wearing a fox mask standing on the right spoke. His tone was indifferent, making it impossible for people to detect his emotions.
Jokichi also regained his composure and nodded calmly. "Okay!"
The two Anbu were slightly surprised by Jokichi's calmness, but that was all. They did not generate further suspicion.
There are plenty of precocious children in this world. Jokichi was not the first, nor would he be the last.
"What did you chat with Uzumaki Naruto about earlier?"
"Uzumaki Naruto?"
"The child you interacted with earlier at the 14th Training Ground."
"Him! It was nothing, just..."
Jokichi told them the content of his chat with Uzumaki Naruto without half a word of falsehood.
After the two Anbu pressed further and ensured nothing was left out, they left.
Afterward, before Jokichi could breathe a sigh of relief, two more Anbu appeared in front of him.
Although their attire was similar and their expressions could not be seen, judging from their eyes, these two were like emotionless machines.
"Do not be afraid, we just want to ask you a few questions."
The same words and the same indifferent tone, but with an added trace of coldness that made people shudder.
Jokichi subconsciously took two steps back, and the other Anbu appeared behind him, blocking his retreat. The look in the eyes of the Anbu in front of him even carried a trace of killing intent, making people even more terrified.
I am a person of Konoha and have never done anything to betray Konoha. Even if the other party is Root, they cannot persecute a fellow villager for no reason.
He is intimidating me.
Figuring this out, Jokichi closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, seemingly taking away his inner fear along with it. When he opened his eyes, he was already able to look calmly and directly at the other party.
He even saw a trace of surprise in the Anbu's eyes.
"Didn't you just ask a moment ago?" Jokichi asked with an indifferent face, pretending to be ignorant.
Jokichi did not graduate from an art school in his past life, nor did he have the talent of a Best Actor. If he put on an act in front of these experienced ninja, he would definitely be seen through in a second.
But after coming to this world, his parents passed away early, and because his mental age made it impossible for him to play with other peers, he had always been alone.
Prolonged loneliness made him have almost no facial expressions. The only expressions on his face were indifference and polite smiles. The indifferent expression at this moment was almost put on instinctively. Even if the other party was an experienced Anbu ninja, they could not see his inner thoughts.
Sure enough, the Root ninja in front of him stared at his expression for a while and silently withdrew his aggressive gaze.
"We are not in the same department, so some situations need to be confirmed."
"Understood, ask away!"
The questions asked by the Root ninja were exactly the same as the Anbu's, and Jokichi answered just as honestly.
They did not make things difficult for Jokichi either, but only gave a warning before leaving: It is best not to get close to Uzumaki Naruto.
After speaking, ignoring whether Jokichi listened or not, they flashed away.
Jokichi stood in place and pondered for a while, and the expression on his face returned to his usual smile.
His destination remained unchanged; it was still Ichiraku Ramen.
Speaking of Ichiraku Ramen, one has to mention a quote from the great writer Lu Xun: Coming to this world, if you do not have a bite of Ichiraku Ramen, then you came for nothing.
Jokichi had also come to taste it very early on. The taste was indeed very good, and the price was also affordable.
Especially the owner, Teuchi, who was a very nice person and often gave free soup refills to regular customers.
Jokichi basically came to Ichiraku Ramen whenever he dined out.
Of course, this was also related to him having no money.
"Uncle Ichiraku, bring me a bowl of tonkotsu ramen, extra spicy."
Lifting the noren curtains, Jokichi called out and casually found a seat to sit down.
"Okay, coming right up."
Teuchi went inside to cook the noodles, while Jokichi took the opportunity to look around.
Because it was not mealtime, there was only him in the entire shop.
Scanning around with the corner of his eye, especially the places where people could easily hide, he only opened the system after seeing no suspicious people.
"Use Sage Blood and Asura's Power to forge Sage Crystal."
This series of operations was completed in his mind, and outsiders could not know.
As his thought fell, the next second, a green crystal appeared in his hand.
The moment the crystal appeared, Jokichi clenched his fist, wrapping it inside his fist.
Then he threw it directly into the system space.
However, although it was only for an instant, Jokichi still saw the appearance of the crystal clearly.
The crystal was only the size of a thumb, completely transparent, emitting a faint fluorescence. The wooden table relatively close to his hand was illuminated by the fluorescence for a moment and actually bloomed with life again, sprouting tender buds.
At the same time, the information of the crystal also appeared on Jokichi's retina.
"Sage Crystal: A crystal possessing boundless life force. After taking it, the body will gradually be transformed by the crystal's life force into a perfect Sage Body."
After reading the Sage Crystal's information, Jokichi plucked the tender buds on the table and pretended as if nothing had happened.
At this time, Uncle Teuchi's voice came from the back of the shop.
"The tonkotsu ramen is ready."
Accompanied by the voice, the curtain was pulled open, and Uncle Teuchi walked out carrying a large bowl of steaming hot ramen.
"Wow, it smells so good!"
Jokichi stared closely at the noodle bowl with eyes full of expectation. When Teuchi placed the noodle bowl on the table in front of him, he immediately picked up his chopsticks and impatiently started slurping.
Teuchi laughed heartily upon seeing this.
For a chef, a customer wolfing down their food is the greatest recognition of their culinary skills.