The Shimura Actually Has Ice Release

What is the Will of Fire?

In Sakumo's heart, the Will of Fire meant using one's life to protect and trust the people who are important to you.

It was because he believed so firmly in the Will of Fire that, when faced with a choice between the mission and his comrades, he chose his comrades.

But the result was...

The other shinobi sneered at him, and even the comrades he had saved personally stepped forward to criticize him.

"Did I really make the wrong choice? Is the Will of Fire not what I thought it was?"

Holding a spatula in his hand, Sakumo had completely forgotten about the food in the pot as he muttered to himself.

It wasn't until a burnt smell reached his nose that Sakumo snapped out of it, quickly rushing to check the contents of the pot.

...

Takeshi stared at the dish in front of him with a strange expression.

Uh… what's that black lump? And that other black lump? And this... this mush...

"Haha... haha... uh, I guess I was a bit off today."

Sakumo gave an awkward laugh and scratched his head, even forgetting to take off his apron.

It seemed this incident had really affected Sakumo deeply.

In times like this, comforting words were useless. What he needed was a boost in confidence.

With that in mind, Takeshi braced himself, picked up his chopsticks, and grabbed a barely intact, unidentifiable piece of food, quickly tossing it into his mouth and swallowing it without even chewing.

"Urgh!"

As expected, Takeshi threw up.

Even after a whole year of eating food made by Danzō, Takeshi had never thrown up—but today, after eating Sakumo's cooking, he finally did.

"Dad, let's go eat ramen."

Using Takeshi's reaction as a warning, Kakashi put down his chopsticks just as he was about to eat and made a suggestion.

Eating ramen meant going out.

And going out meant facing the judgmental stares of the villagers...

Sakumo hesitated for a moment, but when he looked at the faces of the two children before him, he eventually nodded in agreement.

On the way there, the villagers who would usually greet Sakumo warmly now kept their distance. Though they didn't say anything insulting, their obvious desire to avoid him was enough to leave Sakumo feeling disheartened.

This continued until they reached the entrance of the Ichiraku Ramen shop.

Lifting the curtain, the group approached the seats and locked eyes with Teuchi, who was tidying up the dishes.

"Well, if it isn't Sakumo-san! What a rare guest. Please, have a seat!"

Once Teuchi recognized who had arrived, he warmly invited Sakumo to sit down.

"Brought your sons out for a meal today?"

Smiling at Takeshi and Kakashi, Teuchi stood by the stove, chatting with Sakumo while waiting for him to order.

"Yeah, I'll just have a regular bowl. Kakashi, Takeshi, you two can tell Teuchi what you want."

Sakumo nodded along with Teuchi's words, casually ordering a regular ramen before turning to Takeshi and Kakashi.

Judging from his tone, his mood had already improved compared to earlier.

Nice going, Teuchi-san. No wonder you were Naruto's first true comfort in life!

Takeshi gave Teuchi a mental thumbs up.

"Alright! All done—please enjoy!"

After working in the kitchen for a while, Teuchi brought out the bowls and placed them in front of Sakumo and Kakashi.

"Just a moment—Takeshi's special order is still coming."

Takeshi had ordered the deluxe combo meal, which required a tray to carry all the side dishes, so his was served last.

"Uh, boss, in my bowl..."

Seeing Teuchi set down Takeshi's bowl, Sakumo quickly called out and pointed at the large pork cutlet in it.

"Haha, that's a gift from me, Sakumo-san! You've done so much for the village. It's thanks to your efforts that folks like us can safely run little shops like this."

Teuchi gave a hearty smile.

"You know I never had the talent to be a shinobi, so this is my way of showing support."

"I... I'm just a failure, really..."

Faced with Teuchi's praise, a trace of defeat flashed across Sakumo's face, and his tone grew gloomy.

In his eyes, the failed mission that brought loss to the village marked him as nothing but a bitter failure.

"How can you say that? You're the hero of the Second Great Ninja War—the White Fang of Konoha, who single-handedly crushed Sunagakure's mobile unit. I'll be honest—my daughter admires you a lot. I hope you'll meet her one day."

"Is that so? I'd be honored."

Sakumo smiled and picked up his chopsticks, lifting a bite of noodles and eating them in front of Teuchi.

"This is absolutely delicious."

"Haha! As long as you're happy!"

Hearing Sakumo's compliment, Teuchi raised his head proudly.

So, while Teuchi and Sakumo were talking—what was Takeshi doing?

He was eating ramen.

The downside of having too many side dishes was that all the noodles were buried. Every time he picked something up, it was either fish cake or pork.

Still, the group finished the meal in a fairly warm atmosphere.

When it was time to pay, Sakumo insisted on covering the cost of the pork cutlet despite Teuchi's protests. But in the end, he lost that battle—Konoha's mighty White Fang was defeated at the checkout counter by the great Ōtsutsuki Ichiraku.

"It's getting late. I'll walk you home, Takeshi."

As the streetlights flickered on, Sakumo, worried it would be unsafe for Takeshi to go home alone, offered to accompany him.

Takeshi, belly round and full, nodded with some difficulty. The deluxe Ichiraku combo had been a bit too much for him to handle.

But he hadn't forgotten the real reason he'd come here tonight.

"Sakumo-san, in my eyes, you're someone who truly embodies the Will of Fire."

Takeshi looked up and met Sakumo's eyes.

"I... Let's not talk about this, Takeshi..."

Sakumo gave a bitter smile. He knew the boy was trying to comfort him, but...

Recalling the villagers' stares, the brief warmth Teuchi gave him was already starting to fade again.

"No, Sakumo-san. I have to say it. If I don't, you'll sink deeper and deeper into self-doubt and never crawl back out. Hic~"

Takeshi quickly covered his mouth after a loud hiccup.

Kakashi, standing beside him, could only sigh and put a hand to his forehead.

This guy really overate. What a shame—it didn't match his delicate looks at all.

And right at such a crucial moment, too.

"The reason the villagers don't understand your actions is because they don't truly understand what the Will of Fire is."

Takeshi knew that if he didn't help rebuild Sakumo's confidence now, the man might never come back from this.

So he did his best to support Sakumo's ideals.

"The villagers may talk about the Will of Fire, but they don't actually understand it. They just go along with the Third Hokage out of respect. Only you have truly embodied it through your actions."

"That's why you absolutely can't give up. You have to prove, through time and action, that what you did was right. If even you give in, who will lead the next generation of Konoha to understand what the Will of Fire truly means?! Hic~"

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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