Sweet, Sweet Ramen! (Akira and Roku)

It was that awkward time of day that the sun was just above the horizon hanging steadily over some far away land. Its warm light reflected through the clouds, turning them different shades of orange, pink, and purple. The air only moved a slight bit, and it was the exact temperature that Roku loved, just above 70 degrees in that area where he didn’t sweat or chill in the least bit. It was a beautiful day, and had been a long and satisfying day of work.

Now he sat a ramen shop, sitting on a stool right in front of the counter past which was the kitchen. He loved watching these people work. The man would take the order and turn to tell the woman, who’d then tell the chefs and bring the man the food once it was done, who would, in turn, give it to the person who ordered it and collect their payment. If Shinobi could shut up and work like this on the battlefield, rather than bickering over heroics and egos, Konohagakure could be the most powerful village in existence.

The thought amused him. He thought of Ryujin Senju ordering all Shinobi to meet at the training grounds to volunteer to help run a massive ramen dinner held by this shop, and in turn receive training from these people about training and teamwork. A bunch of kitchen chefs training elite Konohagakure Shinobi… the thought was about as ridiculous as it could get. And yet it could probably do some good for the Shinobi System of this village. He also wondered if the elite level teams did the same thing… elite Jounin and ANBU Black Ops; did they bicker over authority and false egos as well?

He was lost in thought when a beautiful teenage girl approached him from behind the counter and asked for his order; so much so, that for a moment, he just stared awkwardly at her, not noticing her, before starting and replying, “Yes! Yes, uh… I want spicy barbecue pork ramen with a side of white rice and some barbecue sauce.” She simply nodded and scurried off, and Roku couldn’t help himself but to stare at her perfectly molded… he mentally shook himself and devoted his thoughts to other things. He was a Shinobi, and there was no reason for him to be immature.