"Boss, a seat please."
Yuzuru walked in through the door and called out.
Ayame quickly composed herself and came over to greet him. Taking the opportunity, she quietly reminded the nearby diners, "You should talk less about Lord Yuzuru. Be careful—trouble might come from loose lips."
After saying that, she led Yuzuru to an empty table by the window.
"Lord Yuzuru, long time no see."
Yuzuru smiled and nodded before asking, "Ayame, you don't need to worry about what those people were saying."
Hearing this, Ayame froze slightly, a faint blush appearing on her face.
Oh no...
Lord Yuzuru must have heard everything.
For a moment, she felt a little flustered.
After all, those people hadn't been wrong. Deep down, she really did admire Lord Yuzuru...
She couldn't help asking, "Lord Yuzuru, aren't you angry?"
Yuzuru chuckled lightly. "What's there to be angry about? Everyday life is only interesting because of gossip like that."
Hearing Yuzuru's words, Ayame's eyes sparkled.
No wonder he had charmed who knew how many people. His personality was completely different from those powerful figures who sat high above others.
Ayame placed the menu she was holding in front of him and asked softly, "Lord Yuzuru, what would you like to eat?"
Ever since Ichiraku Ramen expanded, it no longer served only ramen.
The menu now included all kinds of side dishes as well.
Yuzuru glanced through it briefly before finally ordering three large bowls of chashu ramen, one braised pork knuckle, and a plate of smashed cucumbers.
Seeing this, Ayame said quietly, "Lord Yuzuru, my father is sick today, so he probably won't be able to make your ramen personally. I hope you don't mind."
Yuzuru waved his hand casually. "It's fine. I've heard people say that you're the best seasoning of Ichiraku Ramen. As long as you're here, that's enough."
As Ichiraku Ramen grew more and more famous, Ayame had naturally become well known too.
This young and energetic girl could chat freely with anyone, and she always had a bright smile on her face. The regular customers affectionately called her "the best seasoning of Ichiraku Ramen."
Yuzuru knew about this, so he simply repeated it.
When Ayame heard Yuzuru say it himself, two rosy blushes immediately appeared on her cheeks.
For some reason, when those words came from Yuzuru, she felt an inexplicable sense of embarrassment.
"Um... I'll go prepare it right away. Please wait a moment."
Feeling her heartbeat quicken more and more, Ayame hurriedly ran off.
Not long after, the food Yuzuru ordered was served.
After just one bite, Temari and Kankuro's eyes lit up.
"No wonder this place is so popular. This tastes amazing!"
Although the two of them were Rasa's children, they had grown up in the Hidden Sand Village, so they had rarely eaten anything particularly good.
In just a moment, their taste buds were completely conquered by the flavor of Ichiraku Ramen.
Watching the two of them devour their food, Yuzuru didn't say anything.
Only after they finished eating did he speak.
"Your identities and housing have already been arranged. I've also had someone handle your enrollment at the Ninja Academy. Starting tomorrow, you'll attend school."
Hearing this, both Temari and Kankuro nodded.
Kankuro asked curiously, "Lord Yuzuru, does the Konoha Ninja Academy have courses related to puppet techniques?"
Yuzuru shook his head. "No."
A trace of disappointment appeared on Kankuro's face.
Before he could say anything, however, Yuzuru continued, "Kankuro, if you want to study puppet techniques more deeply, I can find you a teacher."
Kankuro immediately looked up and asked, "Does Konoha also have a ninja who studies puppet techniques?"
Yuzuru smiled slightly. "Strictly speaking, he used to be a ninja of the Hidden Sand Village."
"Do you know Chiyo's grandson, Sasori?"
Hearing Yuzuru's words, Kankuro froze for a moment before an uncontrollable surge of excitement rose in his heart.
He forcibly suppressed his excitement and asked nervously, "Of course I know him! Sasori of the Red Sand... the most talented puppet master in the history of the Hidden Sand Village!"
Yuzuru said calmly, "You can study puppet techniques under Sasori from now on."
"Really? That's amazing!"
Kankuro couldn't help shouting in excitement.
If there was anyone in the world he admired the most, it was definitely Sasori of the Red Sand.
The man's mastery of puppet techniques could only be described as terrifying.
Even the two puppets he liked most now—Crow and Black Ant—were works Sasori created when he was still young.
Back then, in order to obtain those two puppets, he had begged his father, the Kazekage, to go through great effort before finally getting them.
Yet now, with just a single sentence from Yuzuru, he actually had the chance to become Sasori's disciple!
Is this what it feels like to stumble into heaven by accident?
This is incredible!
Seeing how excited Kankuro was, Temari quickly reminded him, "Kankuro, hurry up and thank Lord Yuzuru!"
Kankuro came back to his senses and immediately bowed respectfully.
"Thank you very much, Lord Yuzuru!"
Yuzuru waved his hand casually. "It's just a small matter. Work hard from now on."
"I understand!"
Kankuro said firmly, "My sister and I will definitely not disappoint you, Lord Yuzuru. If there's ever anything you need from us, please give the order."
Hearing this, Yuzuru showed a faint smile.
"There will be such a day."
————
————
The news that the Land of Wind had been conquered by Yuzuru quickly spread everywhere, causing a huge stir throughout the ninja world.
If Yuzuru ruling the Land of Fire before had merely been reclaiming what originally belonged to the Uchiha clan,
then conquering the Land of Wind in such a short time demonstrated that he possessed the foundation to unify the entire ninja world.
Many smaller nations that preferred to stay out of conflicts began grouping together for warmth.
Although they knew it wouldn't be of much use, it at least provided some psychological comfort.
Some rulers who had long been accustomed to tyranny even began frequently sending envoys to the Hidden Stone Village and the Hidden Mist Village.
After all, the only forces currently capable of possibly stopping Yuzuru were those two remaining great ninja villages.
However, no matter how they thought about it, they could never imagine that the Hidden Stone Village had just been taught a harsh lesson. It was already trying to keep as low a profile as possible—how could it willingly get involved in something like this?
As for the Hidden Mist Village, it continued to maintain an attitude of staying out of everything, appearing completely indifferent to external affairs.
The attitudes of these two nations finally made many people realize the problem.
Yuzuru's power seemed to be far more terrifying than they had imagined.
For a time, the entire ninja world focused its gaze on Konoha.
Everyone was speculating about Yuzuru's next move.