Chapter 871 : Meeting an old 'friend'

[A/N: Been a long break. I don't think I've taken such a long break from writing since ending my hiatus. Glad you guys supported me taking the break. It's been a good break to cool off a bit. Also thank you for all the responses in the polls. Gave me several new and fun ideas, which we'll see later in the story. Anyway, let's hit the ground running. We'll follow the same schedule as before. I'll write 6 days per week and take a break on Saturdays. Chapters will be published daily around this time.]

The sun hung high in the sky, casting a warm glow over the stone-paved streets, which bustled with activity as merchants arranged their stalls, craftsmen focused on their work, and villagers hurried about their daily tasks. The scent of sizzling meat and fresh bread filled the air, blending with the rhythmic clang of a blacksmith’s hammer.

Two youngsters ran into each other on these busy streets, their eyes lit up on seeing each other. One of them clenched his fists, barely able to contain himself and exclaimed loudly, “Man! This is freaking awesome!”

His friend smirked and replied, “It is. I learnt the False Darkness jutsu. What about you?”
The first youngster replied, “I learnt the Water Dragon jutsu. Do you know how long I was looking for a strong Water Release jutsu? I can finally show those assholes a thing now!”

His voice brimming with energy, he added, “Lord Third is the best! I can't believe he created something like the Guidance Hall! My only complaint is that he didn't create it earlier!”

His friend nodded, “It is indeed amazing. It's so difficult to learn jutsus that aren't Earth Release in the village. Anyway, I know why Lord Third didn't create it earlier.”

Intrigued, the youngster asked, “Why not?”

His friend chuckled and answered, “Because Lord Third didn't come up with this idea. I heard from one of the instructors that Konoha created a Guidance Hall more than a year earlier. Lord Third simply copied the idea.”

Stunned, the youngster exclaimed, “You gotta be kidding me! Are you saying those bastards have been using something so heavenly for over a year?”

His friend sighed, “Yeah. If we meet them in battle soon, it'll be painful. Luckily, Lord Third acted quickly. Or, it would have been a nightmare. Anyway, we can leave these worries to Lord Third. It's time to…”

The youngster followed his gaze, his mouth salivating at the sight. He exclaimed cheerfully, “Tanizaki Dumplings! What better way to celebrate learning new jutsus!”

The two youngsters rushed into the crowded restaurant. As they stepped inside, the rich aroma of freshly steamed dumplings and sizzling fillings filled their noses, making their stomachs rumble in anticipation. The restaurant buzzed with chatter, laughter, and the occasional clatter of chopsticks against plates.

Amidst the lively atmosphere, a young man sat at a nearby table, stuffing his face with dumplings. He gulped down another bite and exclaimed, “This is too delicious! This is the best dumpling I have ever eaten!”

An old man, with a sturdy frame, neatly tied silver hair and a few scars on his face, stepped forward and said, “Of course, you feel that way. After all, they are the best dumplings in the world.”

The young man nodded and said, “With how delicious they are, they might as well be. Give me three more plates!”

The old man chuckled and brought over three more plates while the youngster cleared every dumpling on his table. As he served them, the old man asked, “This is the first time I have seen you, young man. You aren't from here, are you?”

The young man continued stuffing his mouth while speaking in barely understandable words, “No sir, I'm a traveler. I entered the village last evening.”

The old man's eyes squinted as he observed the young man carefully. However, he didn't sense anything suspicious about him. He thought, ‘His chakra is like a civilian's. Must be a part of some merchant group.’

“Damn! These are still too delicious. How do you make them?” The young man exclaimed as he couldn't stop stuffing his face.

The old man chuckled and thought, ‘He is an interesting one. Most merchants are quite reserved when visiting a hidden village. I wonder if he's carefree, clueless or just spoiled. Whatever, he isn't bad to talk with.’

The old man stroked his beard and explained, “It's all in the craftsmanship, young man. Every dumpling is hand-folded with care, and we only use the freshest ingredients, sourced from the best farms and butchers…”

He continued speaking enthusiastically for nearly 3 minutes, telling what made his dumplings special. The young man listened to his every word carefully, while continuously stuffing his face.

The old man asked, “Why do you want to know it? Young people aren't very interested in these kinds of stuff.”

The young man snorted, “Oh, those are ignorant youngsters. Don't group me with them. This dumpling is so delicious, that I believe more people in the world need to taste it. I'll open stalls around the world for everyone to enjoy. I'll open a few more in this village too. What's the recipe, old man?”

A dumbfounded expression appeared on the old man's face. He never imagined that someone would try to be so straightforward in wanting to copy the recipe passed down through his family for generations and open more restaurants to compete with him!

For a moment, he missed his breath and began coughing. The young man looked at him with concern and asked, “Are you alright, old man? If you need some rest, I don't mind taking over this restaurant too… Huh?”

The young man looked at his table only to see the plate full of dumplings missing! He shouted in panic, “Where are my delicious dumplings???”

Everyone in the restaurant looked at him and the owner strangely. The owner scoffed, “As if I'll let someone steal my family recipe! Get lost, you aren't welcome he…”

The old man stopped scolding the young man as the young man and all the other customers in the restaurant looked at the person who had just entered the restaurant. A red-haired person wearing armor entered the restaurant and the entire restaurant became quiet.

A few customers whispered, “Isn't that the Jinchu…”
“Shhh! Don't talk about it right now!”

The old man sighed at the reactions of his customers and thought, ‘Even though he saved so many lives in the last two wars, people still fear him. I suppose he has given up any hopes at this point. If not for Lord Third forcing him to stay inside the village after Han went missing, Roshi might have gone to live in solitude.’

The old man was a retired Elite Jounin of Iwagakure. During the Second Great Ninja War, Roshi saved his life more than once. As such, his impression of Jinchurikis had changed considerably. He was about to greet Roshi, but someone else was quicker.

The young man, who looked just like a normal civilian, somehow appeared beside Roshi. Since Roshi had attracted all the attention, no one saw the young man move. Even Roshi was surprised as the young man patted his back and greeted enthusiastically, “Roshi! Long time no see! How have you been?”

This time, the entire restaurant was stunned! No one expected a civilian to greet Roshi like this. And, that included Roshi himself! He glanced at the youngster and wondered, ‘Who is he?’

Before he could say anything, the young man looked at the old man and loudly said, “Old man, get three full plates of dumplings for my old friend too!”

The entire restaurant looked at the young man with just one thought running through their minds, ‘Old friend? Buddy, you look to be in your early twenties! How can he be your old friend?’

The old man also wondered, ‘When did Roshi make such a young friend? Also, how did the boy move so quickly? No, something about him is off!’

The weird feeling he had been getting got stronger. He immediately raised his guard but didn't show any signs of it as the young man hadn't done anything yet. To his and everyone's surprise, Roshi asked, “Who are you?”

Everyone's eyes widened. They looked at the young man suspiciously and wondered, ‘What the hell? Why is he acting so chummy with someone who doesn't even know him?’
A few wondered, ‘Is Roshi pretending to not know the young man? Why would anyone act so friendly with a Jinchuriki otherwise?’

The young man looked deeply hurt. He asked, “Did you forget me already?”
The pain in his voice was evident to everyone who heard his voice. Everyone looked at Roshi suspiciously. The only one who didn't was the old man as he knew Roshi's nature very well.

Roshi began feeling something off as well and replied, “I don't.”
Just like the old man, Roshi secretly raised his guard. The entire situation felt fishy. The young man sighed and said, “I still remember it like yesterday. You threw a fucking Tailed Beast Bomb at me! I can't believe that you forgot me!”

The eyes of every person in the restaurant widened. The ninjas secretly grabbed their weapons while the civilians immediately rushed out. However, the young man paid no attention to them and instead sat back in his chair. He looked at the old man and said, “Forget about this heartless fellow. Just give those 3 plates!”

Everyone still in the restaurant was stunned once again. No one could make sense of what was happening. The fact that Roshi threw a Tailed Beast Bomb on the young man should imply that he was an enemy, and a powerful one at that considering he was still alive. However, the young man continued acting like everything was fine.

The old man asked in a grim tone, “Who are you? And what purpose do you have here?”

His guard was no longer hidden. Yet, the young man paid no attention to the obvious signs. He raised an eyebrow and answered, “I already said, didn't I? I'm a traveler. Now will you please get me those delicious dumplings?”

The old man snorted and said, “Enough fooling around. You'll need to come with us!”

The young man tilted his head and asked, “Come with you? Are you sure? The last bunch who asked me to do that didn't do very well.”

[A/N: Pretty sure there will be some confusion (though there are some hints in the chapter). Things will clear up in the upcoming chapters and most of your questions will be addressed sooner or later :)]