Reborn in the Shinobi World with an Arceus Inside

Winter passed and spring arrived. Two years flew by in the blink of an eye.

A merchant caravan departing from the Land of Fire was making its way through the Land of Rivers, on its way to do business in the Land of Wind.

As dusk began to fall, an old man in the caravan made a suggestion. "Boss, I remember there's a small village nearby called Twin Rivers Village. The village chief is a pretty reasonable person. We could ask to stay there for the night."

No one would choose to sleep in the wild when they could have a roof over their heads.

The boss made an immediate decision. "Alright. You lead the way."

The caravan skirted a dense forest and followed a river until a village came into view. But the scene that greeted them, bustling with people and wagons, left the merchants completely stunned.

"This is the 'small village' you were talking about? I've seen proper towns that are less crowded than this!"

The old man was baffled, too. "When I was here three years ago, it looked just like it did three years ago, you know?"

"?" The boss felt that something wasn't quite right. "Never mind. The more prosperous, the better. Let's go have a look."

They had no idea what to expect, but what they saw was a shock.

Good heavens, half the people inside were traveling merchants, and many of them were familiar faces.

After settling the caravan's goods, the boss found an old friend to catch up with.

"Boss Kenji, long time no see."

"Well, if it isn't Boss Kenta! I thought you always took the Land of Lightning route. What brings you to the Land of Rivers?"

"Isn't the Land of Wind buying up massive amounts of grain? Naturally, I wouldn't pass up such a profitable opportunity."

"Hahaha."

The two men exchanged a knowing smile.

After chatting for a while, Boss Kenji suddenly said, "Since this is your first time here, you've surely never eaten at the 'First Tower Under Heaven,' have you?"

"First Tower Under Heaven?" Boss Kenta shook his head; he'd never even heard of it.

"It would be a true shame not to try it at least once. Come on, I'll treat you to a meal."

Boss Kenji dragged him along, making sure to introduce the place on the way. "This restaurant has only shot to fame in recent years. Nowadays, many caravans change their routes just to eat a meal here. Twin Rivers Village, which was originally a poor, small village, has developed into what you see today. It's even more prosperous than a regular town."

"So that's how it is." Boss Kenta's interest was successfully piqued. He was intensely curious about what kind of delicious food could be so unforgettable.

"Hey, we're here."

He looked in the direction his friend was pointing. There stood a three-story, tower-like building. But contrary to his expectations, there weren't that many people coming and going. It was a far cry from what he had imagined.

They went inside, found an empty table on the second floor, and sat down. Boss Kenta looked around at the relatively elegant environment and nodded in approval.

But when he saw the menu, his old eyes went wide.

"This expensive?!" No wonder there were so few customers; they couldn't afford it.

Then he looked around the floor, which was nearly ninety percent full, and sighed to himself, 'Just how much money do they make in a single day?'

"Hahaha, don't worry, it's worth every penny. The first floor is for economy meals—the price is cheaper, but the taste is a lot worse. For your first time, you naturally have to try the better dishes."

Under Boss Kenji's enthusiastic recommendation, he endured the pain in his heart and ordered two dishes. With the ones Boss Kenji ordered for himself, they had a perfect meal of four dishes and a soup.

Before long, a young boy brought their food to the table and announced in a childish voice, "Later, the owner himself will prepare a special dish called 'A World of Ice and Fire.' There is only one serving, and it will go to the highest bidder."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Boss Kenji shot up from his seat excitedly, startling Boss Kenta.

Seeing his friend's confused look, Boss Kenji explained, "The owner here is known as the 'Ice-Fire Demon Chef.' His signature dish is 'A World of Ice and Fire.' It's not on the menu, so getting a chance to try it is a matter of sheer luck. We're incredibly fortunate today. No matter what, I have to get a bite."

He closed his eyes, lost in a happy fantasy, the dishes already on the table having lost their appeal.

Boss Kenta, on the other hand, ate with great relish, exclaiming that the trip was more than worth it.

About ten minutes later, a heroic-looking young man appeared on a raised platform in the center of the restaurant.

"He's the 'Ice-Fire Demon Chef'? He's so young!"

Without any unnecessary words, the young man grabbed a large ball of pre-fermented dough. After a series of dazzling spins, the dough transformed into a sky full of dancing noodles.

With a single sweep of his kitchen knife, the noodles were cut into two perfectly even halves and fell into a pot of boiling broth.

A minute later, the young man's one hand lit up with flames while the other condensed with ice crystals. He plunged both hands directly into the pot, grabbing the two clumps of noodles and arranging them on an empty plate in the shape of a yin-yang symbol before drizzling them with a special sauce.

One half steamed with heat, the other gave off a frosty chill. With that, "A World of Ice and Fire" was complete.

Regardless of how the customers scrambled to bid, Kaito, his task complete, simply said, "My apologies for the poor service," and clocked out, returning to the ninja world from his side hustle.

In two years, by relying on his superhuman five senses, he had elevated his culinary skills by several levels, advancing from a talented cook to a master-level chef. By a stroke of luck, he had also earned himself a title that made him want to laugh and cry.

Through the word-of-mouth of traveling merchants, his restaurant's fame had even spread to the neighboring Land of Fire and Land of Wind.

Kaito was responsible for at least half the credit for Twin Rivers Village more than doubling in size.

However, the most "luxurious" building in the village was not Kaito's "First Tower Under Heaven," but the new school managed by Ruri.

The school now had seventy-eight students, many of whom were orphans Kaito had "picked up." After school, they would work as waiters in the restaurant as part of a work-study program.

But rapid development also brought many problems, the most pressing of which was a shortage of teachers at the school.

They could at least hire teachers for cultural subjects with money, but finding an excellent ninja who could teach ninjutsu was an incredibly rare opportunity.

Relying on Ruri alone made it difficult to cultivate a qualified core group, and Kushina and the others were also in desperate need of skilled instructors.

Therefore, Kaito decided it was time for him to venture out and recruit some talent.

At the monthly family meeting, Kaito got straight to the point and announced his intention to leave.

"Mm, it is indeed time to find people," Ruri nodded, agreeing with Kaito's assessment. "But where will you go to find them? You can't just go to a hidden village and snatch people, can you?"

"If you offer enough money, snatching people isn't hard. The real fear is that they'll turn around and sell us out."

Two years had passed, and the hair of Ruri and the others had long since returned to its original color. Seeing so many redheads together would make it easy for their identities to be discovered.

There were still more than a few hidden villages that coveted their sealing jutsu.

"So, my targets are rogue ninja. Preferably the kind who care about money and nothing else." Kaito already had someone in mind.

"Contacting rogue ninja? Won't that be very dangerous?" Ruri said with concern. "Why don't you take Kaori with you? Her abilities could be a great help."

"Yes, I can go with Big Brother Kaito," Kaori chimed in.

Off to the side, Kushina puffed up her cheeks, looking like she wanted to say something but held back.

"Never mind. If Kaori leaves too, what will happen to the restaurant?" Kaito shook his head, refusing. "I'll be fine on my own. You, of all people, should know my current strength, right, Big Sis Ruri?"

"Hmph. Alright, then." Ruri's face broke into a smile. "We'll be at home, waiting for your return."

"Yeah!"

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