Team Badass (A Naruto Fanfiction)

Omake: Naruto and Teuchi's New Ramen Experience

"Teuchi-ossan! I'm here!" Naruto bellowed with joy at the sight of the ol' ramen shop. "I want the usual- wait, no friggin way, you're CLOSED?" Naruto jumped up and down with frustration. "But I've been waiting so long to eat your ramen! No fair. Aww." Stomping his foot childishly, Naruto turned to head back to his house, when a whiff of something delicious caught his nose. "What..?"

Unable to calm his curiosity, Naruto clambered up the walls and peered into the vent on the side of the building.

There, to his utter joy and excitement, Teuchi was making ramen. A new menu, it seemed. The smell was heavenly. "Oomph, I just gotta try that new ramen! OII, Teuchi-ossan! You in there?" Naruto yelled into the vent.

Teuchi tensed, then loosened up. "Oh, it's just you Naruto. Sorry, but the shop's closed for today."

"I know that!" Naruto bounced off the wall with glee. "I just want to try your new ramen! I'll be the best taster there is, promise! Can you let me in?"

Teuchi looked conflicted, but eventually shook his head. "No, sorry, but I still need to work out the finer details of the soup and the broth before I can let anyone taste it. You can come back tomorrow. Sorry, Naruto."

"Aww.." Naruto groaned and jumped off the wall. "I really wanted to try that new ramen... Oh well, see ya later then ossan!" He then turned and hid his smirk with a hand. "Like I'll go away that easy? Let's wait and see!"

Later at midnight, Naruto snuck back to Ichiraku.

"Kekeke, I, Uzumaki Naruto, will never fall back at the chance of tasting new ramen! Hehehe." Naruto snickered, and carefully pried the edges of the vent from the wall. Maneuvering the metal quietly out of the way, Naruto slipped into the darkness of the closed ramen stand. From the piping hot stove, little streams of steam issued from the small holes of the cover. Delicious smell wafted out of the pots.

Giddy with anticipation, Naruto pulled out a spoon and opened the pot. He sniffed. Once. Twice. "ahhhhhhhh," Naruto licked his lips, and reaching out instinctively in the dark towards the delicious aroma, he felt for a bowl, and piled the bowl with soup and soup stock. He couldn't boil the noodles, but that didn't matter for now. He just had to try the new soup!

Naruto dipped his spoon and tried the soup. IT WAS GLORIOUS! He quickly slurped it all up, and poured himself a new bowlful. Prodding with his spoon, he felt for a piece of stock and popped it into his mouth.

Mmm, this texture, this flavor- this flavor?

Unadulterated fear spreading through his veins, like ice, Naruto spat the piece of stock into his palm, ice cold panic pounding at his brain. Unable to see through the thick blanket of the night, Naruto bulleted out of the small building and into the moonlight. He opened his palm, and stared.

And stared.

And stared.

Then he shrieked and threw everything from him as far as possible. Turning, he ran for dear life, goosebumps of shock poking up on his skin, his face starting to go blue in disgust.

In the corner, halfway covered by the shadows, lay the remains of the new strain of seafood ramen. An half chewed piece of oyster lay in the dirt.

Three days later, as Teuchi opened up the shop and took out his broom to sweep the front, he wondered, "Now, what happened to Naruto? He didn't come by for three whole days. And I've just finished developing my new menu."

LIFE LESSON: DO NOT STEAL.