Chapter 48: Ramen Saves the World
A gust of wind swept through the arena, kicking up leaves and dust. A sharp, oppressive stillness settled over the field.
The two figures stared each other down as murmurs spread through the audience.
Team 11 wasn't some obscure team in Konoha.
On the contrary, most of the ninja were deeply curious about this unit that had been assigned the same mission for three straight years.
"Hey, why aren't they fighting already? Hurry up and get on with it!"
The crowd buzzed with impatient whispers.
Down in the arena, however, more experienced ninja frowned as they watched the two figures at the center.
They could feel it—an intense, unrelenting killing intent radiating from Rie.
"This girl... that killing intent is insane. How many people must she have killed to give off that kind of presence?"
"No idea, but it's gotta be a lot. I heard Team 11 was the one that wiped out Kusagakure."
"Kusagakure?! That tiny place got wrecked that easily?"
"You really don't get it. Even a small hidden village isn't something a bunch of Genin could just take down."
"So what are you saying?"
While two ninja were talking, Rie suddenly spoke from below, her voice icy.
"One move?"
A's lips curled into a slow grin. He nodded firmly.
"One move."
Then, in perfect sync, both shouted:
"Lightning Release Chakra Mode, activate!"
In an instant, blue lightning crackled and surged across their bodies.
In the VIP box, watching Rie glow with electricity, Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Reiji—who was mid-yawn—and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.
This was chaos.
He could already picture what Rie would grow up to be.
Spitting, swinging bricks, setting fires, punching people with electrified fists while cursing them out.
It was already bad enough if a guy behaved like that—but Rie was a cute, pretty little girl. It was like the very definition of ridiculous.
...
Back in the ring, both sides were gathering their strength.
Suddenly, Rie flashed a bright smile at A—like a hundred flowers blooming. Her crimson lips moved as she whispered,
"Third Gate of Life, open!"
In an instant, blue lightning mixed with green chakra exploded around her, wild wind whipping her hair in every direction.
"Here I come!"
With a sharp cry, she vanished.
A's eyes widened, and his brows furrowed as he reacted just in time.
A second later, both voices roared out together.
"Lariat!"
Boom! A thunderous shockwave rang out as the two appeared at the center of the arena.
Both struck each other's necks with bent, electrified arms, wind exploding in all directions.
Speechless.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was completely speechless.
Then, under her black sleeves, Rie's lean arm muscles swelled—raw power surging from every part of her body.
She overwhelmed A instantly, despite him being fifteen.
Boom!
Another explosion. A's body shot through the air like an arrow, crashing into the thick arena wall with brutal force.
A gaping hole appeared, and the upper part of the wall trembled violently.
In the arena's center, Rie stood tall and defiant.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was beyond stunned.
What the hell?!
She actually won?!
That whole family's just full of walking disasters!
The audience was dumbfounded. In their minds, ninjas were supposed to use elegant, dazzling jutsu to gracefully defeat their opponents.
Instead, they got a brute and a lightning-powered barbarian Barbie—absolutely absurd.
Half a minute passed before the dazed crowd finally broke into thunderous applause for Rie.
The second match was over. Rie returned to the viewing platform amid strange looks from the other ninja, grinning as she high-fived Teuchi and Fugaku.
...
The rest of the matches became even more underwhelming.
Fugaku Uchiha stepped into the ring. Orochimaru had barely announced the start when his opponent collapsed like a puppet with cut strings—completely drained. The audience immediately started booing, crying foul.
But up in the VIP seats, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the village elites were stunned.
It was obvious—the opponent had been hit with Genjutsu. And not just any Genjutsu. It was terrifying.
That kid's pair of blood-red eyes were nothing to joke about.
Several people, including Danzō Shimura, were suddenly very interested.
But the moment they remembered Fugaku was Reiji's student, they all backed off.
Most villagers might not know Reiji's name—but to Konoha's upper echelons, he was someone best left alone.
As the saying goes:
The more someone has no desires or ambitions... the more dangerous they are.
...
By the end of the morning, the third stage was complete.
There was no need for a "strongest champion" match. Win your bout, and you went home to wait for HR's call.
Villagers left the arena buzzing, swapping impressions and stories.
It wasn't long, but they'd gotten a glimpse of many different fighting styles. Some of them would be bragging about it for months.
Of the six who advanced, three were from Konoha—bringing plenty of glory to the village.
Soon, Rie and her teammates' names began spreading among the villagers.
Three days passed in a flash.
Ninja from every village began their journeys home.
Rie and her team officially became Chūnin, witnessed by a crowd of their peers.
...
Inside the Hokage's Office at the Hokage Building...
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone, focused intently on a report scroll.
It contained detailed intel on the three members of Team 11.
Holding his pipe, Hiruzen kept refining their profiles in his mind.
Teuchi—born to a civilian family. Parents still living. One younger brother, one younger sister. The eldest child.
Cheerful since childhood, always willing to help, deeply loyal to the village, highly empathetic.
Academy grades were average—not great, but not bad either.
After joining Class 11, under the training of Reiji Sakuhō, he successfully mastered the first three gates of the Eight Inner Gates, excelled in Konoha-style Taijutsu, and is suspected of having learned some form of space-time ninjutsu.
All in all, he's an exceptionally good kid.
But—he's incredibly stubborn.
His lifelong dream has been to open a ramen shop, and even now, he's still dead set on that goal.
Overall Assessment:
Loyalty: S
Strength: A
Utility: C (His ramen actually tastes pretty good!)
Rolling his eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a long drag from his pipe—and nearly choked himself.
Reiji Sakuhō... he really didn't know how to judge that man's teaching skills.
He took a kid with average talent and somehow turned him into a Taijutsu expert with real combat experience. From that angle, the guy was clearly a top-tier instructor.
But what the hell was up with raising a kid whose only ambition was to sell ramen?
Was he planning to save the world with noodles or something?!