“Finally sold out!”
Linbei handed the last Krabby Patty to a customer and leaned against the cart frame, gasping for breath.
He felt more tired than if he had cultivated for three days and nights straight—collecting money, making change, greeting customers, and maintaining order; his mouth, hands, and feet hadn’t stopped for a moment.
Tom squatted on the roof, having already collapsed into a “pancake cat.” His limbs were spread out, his tail hung over the edge of the awning, and the entire cat looked as if a steamroller had flattened him—thin and limp.
Only his ears twitched slightly, proving he was still alive.
“Meow…” Tom let out a weak cry, the sound seeming to drift from far away.
Only SpongeBob remained full of energy.
He stood behind the counter with his spatula resting on his shoulder, humming a tune with a smile as bright as if he had just woken up.
If it weren’t for the steam still rising from the griddle, one wouldn’t be able to tell he had been working continuously for several hours.
“Are we coming back tomorrow?” SpongeBob asked, his voice full of anticipation.
Linbei glanced at him, then at the cat-pancake that was Tom, his mouth twitching.
“…Yes.”
Tom let out a despairing wail.
Back home, Linbei locked the door, placed the money box on the low table, and sat cross-legged.
Tom jumped down from the roof—or rather, he slid off, since he was still in his pancake form.
Once he hit the floor, he slowly regained his original shape.
He padded over to the table, squatted down, and also stared at the money box.
SpongeBob lay on the other side of the table, chin resting in his hands, his two round eyes watching without blinking.
Linbei took a deep breath and opened the box.
The box was piled high with bills and coins—100 Ryo, 500 Ryo, 1,000 Ryo, and some loose 10 Ryo coins.
He poured the money out, sorted it into categories, and stacked it pile by pile on the table.
He counted for ten whole minutes.
“62,300 Ryo.” Linbei looked at the pile of money before him, his voice slightly airy.
62,300 Ryo.
The reward for a D-rank mission was between 500 and 10,000 Ryo.
His income for a single day was equivalent to completing six to twelve D-rank missions.
And this was only the first day.
There were still many people who didn’t know about the Krabby Patty.
Once the word spread in a few days, there would only be more customers.
Linbei leaned against the wall, looking at the pile of money, suddenly feeling that the future of this world wasn’t quite so bleak.
“Prepare more ingredients tomorrow,” he said.
“Ready!” SpongeBob raised his spatula.
Tom rolled his eyes, but his tail swished behind him.
Konoha Police Force Headquarters.
Uchiha Fugaku sat behind his office desk, an intelligence report spread out before him.
The report was thin—just a single page with a few lines of text and a name.
Uchiha Linbei.
Eight years old.
Set up a stall today at the entrance of Ichiraku Ramen on the Commercial Street, selling food called “Krabby Patties.” Business is booming.
Fugaku’s gaze lingered on that name for a few seconds.
“This is your classmate, isn’t it?”
Itachi was also eight this year, having grown quite a bit taller over the last two years.
The childishness on his face had faded somewhat.
Wearing the Uchiha Clan uniform with a ninja tool pouch at his waist, his expression remained as calm as still water.
“Yes.” Itachi nodded.
“Uchiha Linbei.
We entered the academy in the same year, and he graduated last year.
He has a strange summoned beast—a cat wearing a tuxedo.”
“A strange summoned beast?” Fugaku’s fingers drummed lightly on the desk.
“I can’t see through him.” Itachi fell silent for a moment before adding, “I find him a bit difficult to read.”
This was a rare admission from Itachi.
As a genius of the Uchiha Clan, his assessment of people was usually precise.
But Linbei—the Uchiha orphan whose grades in the academy were mediocre, whose Taijutsu barely passed, and who never took the initiative to stand out—was indeed someone he couldn’t see through.
Fugaku didn’t press further, turning his gaze toward Shisui, who stood by the window.
“Shisui, go see this child.
Also,” he paused, “give him the back-pay for his subsidy and the Ninjutsu compensation he’s owed from these past years.”
Fugaku took an envelope from his drawer and pushed it across the desk.
The envelope was bulging, containing not money, but a stack of vouchers—back-pay forms for the Uchiha orphan subsidy and several training scrolls for basic Ninjutsu.
These things should have been distributed to Linbei every month.
The person in charge of the subsidies had been embezzling them; Fugaku had known, but he hadn’t had the time to deal with it until now.
He would use this opportunity to make things right all at once.
“Understood.” Shisui took the envelope and turned to walk out of the office.
Itachi remained in place, his gaze falling on the envelope.
He remained silent for a long time.
“Father,” he suddenly spoke, “why give it to him now?”
Fugaku glanced at him but didn’t answer.
Itachi didn’t ask again.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage’s office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk with a pipe in his hand.
A similar intelligence report was spread out before him.
It was almost identical to the one on Fugaku’s desk.
Uchiha Linbei.
Eight years old.
Set up a stall today at the entrance of Ichiraku Ramen on the Commercial Street, selling food called “Krabby Patties.” Business is booming.
Hiruzen took a puff of his pipe, the smoke slowly rising under the light.
“Delicious Krabby Patty?” He whispered the name, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.
“Isn’t it just a bun?
What’s so special about it?”
The Anbu standing in the center of the office knelt on one knee, hesitated for a moment, and then said, “Lord Sandaime, your subordinate also bought one to try.”
“Oh?” Hiruzen grew interested.
“How was the taste?”
The Anbu hesitated for a second—as an Anbu, discussing the taste of food during a mission report was likely a first.
“It was indeed very delicious.” The Anbu’s tone remained calm, but Hiruzen noticed his Adam’s apple bob—the action of swallowing saliva.
Hiruzen smiled and didn’t press the matter.
“An orphan of the Uchiha Clan…”
He remembered a child.
Two years ago, a teacher from the Ninja Academy had reported something—a student named Uchiha Linbei had inexplicably summoned a cat in class.
At the time, he had sent an Anbu to investigate, and the conclusion was “no threat.” Aside from being able to cook, the cat had no special abilities.
“I remember him,” Hiruzen said.
“The boy who summoned a cat.”
“Yes,” the Anbu replied.
“The cat is still with him.”
Hiruzen fell silent for a while, his gaze falling out the window.
Outside was the night view of Konoha Village, with thousands of lights twinkling like stars.
In the furthest distance, the Uchiha Clan Grounds were sparsely lit, looking like a corner forgotten by the entire village.
An Uchiha orphan setting up a stall on the Commercial Street to sell snacks, with booming business.
It sounded like a small matter.
But Hiruzen knew that in Konoha, anything related to the Uchiha was not a small matter.
After the Nine-Tails’ Rebellion, the Uchiha had been moved to the most remote corner of the village.
Their Police Force had been stripped of real power, and the clan grounds were monitored day and night by the Anbu.
Every move was under the control of the higher-ups.
At a time like this, an Uchiha orphan suddenly appeared on the Commercial Street and caused such a stir.
Was it a coincidence?
Or was someone pushing from behind?
Hiruzen picked up his pipe and took another puff.
“I’ll go take a look tomorrow,” he said, his tone as casual as if he were saying “the weather will be nice tomorrow.”
The Anbu was visibly startled.
A Hokage, personally going to see a small stall?
“Understood.” The Anbu didn’t ask further and disappeared from the office with a Body Flicker Jutsu.
Hiruzen stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open.
The night breeze blew in, scattering the smell of smoke in the office.
He looked toward the Uchiha Clan Grounds and remained silent for a long time.
“I hope I’m just overthinking it,” he murmured.
No one answered him.
The next morning, Linbei went out with his food cart as usual.
What he didn’t know was that not far behind him, two groups of people were watching him.
Uchiha Shisui stood in the shadows at the exit of the clan grounds, watching the orange food cart disappear at the end of the street.
He clutched the bulging envelope in his hand, a gentle smile on his face.
“What an interesting child,” Shisui whispered to himself before following at a leisurely pace.
On the other side of the Commercial Street, Sarutobi Hiruzen had taken off his iconic Hokage Cloak and changed into a plain kimono.
He wore a bamboo hat, looking like an ordinary old man out for a stroll.
He walked slowly through the crowd, heading toward the Krabby Patty stall.
The Commercial Street was bustling with people.
In front of an orange food cart, a long line had already formed.
And beneath this seemingly peaceful street, undercurrents were surging.