Although he asked less than a minute before the official start, since it was Naruto, his entry request was still approved by Teuchi.
Those who recognized Naruto naturally wouldn't object, and those who didn't… even less so.
Hadn't they seen his physique?
Besides, the owner didn't mind.
"Alright, then! The competition will officially begin now! Contestants, please get ready!"
At Ayame's words, the other contestants also turned their attention away from Naruto.
Though the stool felt a bit cramped, Naruto managed to sit down.
Well, consider it the price to pay for good food.
Although Naruto could have used [Life Return], or simply a Transformation Technique, to take on a more low-key appearance.
But… he wanted to appear in Konoha in this form.
Maybe this was the small indulgence of a powerful individual.
Only after sitting did Naruto casually observe the other contestants.
Looking, he noticed several familiar faces among them.
"Yo! Isn't this Shino and Kiba! Long time no see!"
Among the contestants, Kiba and Shino were the ones he remembered most vividly.
The former because they had played together since childhood. After he became an Otsutsuki, many forgotten memories resurfaced. Perhaps this was another 'benefit' of being Otsutsuki?
After all, those guys often lived for thousands of years… with bad memory, they might even forget their own plans.
As for Shino, he benefited from association with Kiba. Since they were in the same team, Naruto, after his first return from the One Piece World, gradually gained some impression of this quiet guy.
"Long time no see."
Shino spoke with the same slight coolness as Sasuke used to, but Naruto sensed neither aversion nor fear from him. It seemed that was just Shino's personality.
"Haha, Naruto, you've been gone for ages!"
Kiba, on the other hand, was much more natural.
Despite what had happened before, which had strained relations between Naruto and the village's upper echelons and some Elite Ninjas, as a childhood friend, Kiba didn't overthink it.
"I won't lose to you, you know! Being an eating champion isn't just about having a big build!"
Kiba was clearly full of fighting spirit, unlike Shino beside him who had already lost his will to compete.
Naruto just smiled and didn't continue the topic.
The victory declaration could wait until after the contest.
Then, as if remembering something, he turned his head and spotted, behind another contestant with unusually pale skin, a figure trying to hide.
"I knew your Team 8 should have one more member."
Saying this, ignoring the curious look from the pale-skinned contestant, he directly greeted the girl trying to shrink into the shadows beside him.
"Long time no see, Hinata."
He had a pretty strong impression of Hinata… not only from remembering his childhood acts of 'protecting the weak', but also because he'd met her during the last Tailed Beast crisis.
Watching steam begin to rise from the girl's head again, Naruto mused that this girl was too easily embarrassed… hopefully she wouldn't faint like last time.
Hinata, looking at Naruto now, was filled with many thoughts.
On one hand, her pure admiration for Naruto hadn't diminished despite their long separation.
On the other, she remembered the little girl from their last meeting who claimed to be Naruto's 'daughter'.
'Naruto-kun… already has a child?'
No one could answer her last time, and probably no one could this time either.
With Ayame's announcement, "Time limit: thirty minutes. Begin!", Hinata instinctively picked up her chopsticks and began bringing the ramen before her to her mouth.
The usually beloved Ichiraku Miso Chashu Ramen lost its familiar flavor in her mouth as she mechanically took small bites.
The other contestants weren't slow either… soon everyone finished their first bowl.
Naruto, however, didn't immediately open his mouth wide and swallow bowl and all… though he could.
He knew this contest was inherently unwinnable for anyone else.
Compete in eating with a Baku Baku no Mi user? Even the greatest eater on the seas probably couldn't claim that.
Naruto was just here for the fun of it.
Like Hinata, he chewed slowly, savoring the aroma of the ramen and broth blooming in his mouth, and the few fond childhood memories this deliciousness evoked.
This was a rare treat for him.
For other contestants, perhaps there was no such leisure.
Kiba and two unfamiliar contestants took the lead, quickly downing three bowls each.
But then the difference between them became apparent.
Kiba's pace visibly slowed after the third bowl.
While the two unfamiliar contestants still maintained their rhythm.
Kiba, however, suppressed his urge to vomit and continued eating.
At the tenth minute, Shino, whose appetite was never large, conceded, collapsing face-first onto the table.
At the fifteenth minute, Kiba couldn't hold on either, his face pale as he was carried out on a stretcher by Medical-Nins.
The pale-skinned contestant was eliminated third, fainting in the arena at the twenty-ninth minute.
Now only Naruto, still slowly savoring memories, a round-eyed Ninja with a forehead protector, and the preoccupied Hinata remained.
"Time's up! Now let's tally the results!"
With Ayame's announcement, the eating contest concluded.
Each of the three remaining contestants had several stacks of bowls before them, quite a spectacular sight.
And judging by their normal complexions, this wasn't their limit.
"First, let's look at Yamato's score! Oh!! An astonishing thirty-one bowls! Breaking the previous record!"
Yamato, formerly of Root but now in Anbu, showed a victorious smile, apparently confident.
"Oh? You're also called Yamato?"
Naruto was somewhat surprised by the name.
"Indeed, Naruto… sir, you know me?"
Yamato looked at Naruto with complicated feelings.
Strictly speaking, he had nearly died at Naruto's hands before.
He was originally among the Root's Ninjas Danzo sent to contact Naruto, but Danzo later replaced him, considering his Ninjutsu would leave distinctive traces.
As for the rest, everyone knew…
"No, no, I just have a friend also named Yamato… Hmm, I'll bring her to meet you sometime."
As Naruto finished speaking, Ayame finished calculating Hinata's score.
"Hyuga Hinata's score is… forty-six bowls! Oh my! Am I seeing correctly?!"
The surrounding crowd gasped in shock, obviously not expecting this seemingly delicate girl to eat so much.
Yamato's confident smile froze on his face.