Of Ramen and Wooden Skates

Silky Black Hair

It was not long before Ichiraku Ramen extended delivery services to customers, as suggested by Orochimaru-kun one day when we had been finishing inventory before closing time. He also suggested that we serve other side dishes like takoyaki and some sushi. By now we had increased our capital to cover some additional perks for our customers, and I agreed at once.

Orochimaru-kun now his hands full. He did delivery errands apart from his original waiter duties, and he also made sushi whenever someone wanted them because I could not make sushi worth a damn. I've seen how his nimble fingers rolled up the rice and wrapped them in seaweed – the way the hands of an expert moved. I asked him where he learned to make sushi that fast and that good, and he said proudly that he learned on his own.

Aside from my ramen, his sushi was popular. Orochimaru-kun never removed his skates while in store premises because a delivery order might turn up at any moment. He even had a hilarious motto for himself: If you don't get your ramen in thirty minutes, it's free! I daresay he has never broken this motto of his.

One fine day, just an hour after opening, Tsunade-hime graced our store once more with her presence, but this time, she brought the other legendary Chuunin Jiraiya with her. I bowed at them while Orochimaru-kun said his customary "Irashai!"

"Two of your best and biggest bowls, please!" Tsunade-hime told Orochimaru-kun. "And some of your sushi, too!"

I turned my back on them to cook as Orochimaru-kun joined me behind the counter to do the sushi for his teammates. Tsunade-hime was tapping her fingers patiently on the table while Jiraiya was busy looking around our humble place. As we prepared the food, they had a faintly interesting conversation:

"So he really does work in a ramen stand." Jiraiya said.

"I told you so." Tsunade-hime replied.

"And he also uses the skates I made for him."

"Apparently he's started a fashion."

"Hmm, this actually looks better than the bath house I'm currently employed in. I wonder if they have a vacancy?"

"You, cook? You can't cook worth a damn, Jiraiya, admit it."

"Hey! At least I can do a hotpot!"

"A hotpot and nothing else. You can't even cook rice! Duh?"

"Well, the bath's better because there are girls there, so..."

"Oh, please..."

There was a ding somewhere and Orochimaru-kun's voice sounded. "Sushi coming up!"

And he went away to serve the sushi to his friends. Tsunade-hime held him back.

"Wait, we have to talk."

"If it's about money, I still won't lend you anything."

"No, silly! Sarutobi-sensei has just given us a new mission. Incognito mission."

"And I think it'll be interesting too, heh." Jiraiya piped up.

There was the sound of a third chair being pulled up. "All right, fill me in."

"We're going to take a sealing scroll from an old whelp who leaves near the Hidden Cloud. But we're going to do this incognito. Well, two of us will serve as distraction while the other will get the scroll." Tsunade-hime explained.

Orochimaru-kun's voice sounded disgusted. "Why the sudden D-rank rubbish? Genins can handle this!"

"Well, we need money." Jiraiya pointed out.

It took Orochimaru-kun several moments to reply. "Fine. So who does the disguising part? The two of you?"

Tsunade-him gave a harsh laugh. "Both of us. Jiraiya will take the scroll."

"What? Why this stupid dolt?"

"Hey! I'm not stupid!"

"Do shut up, Jiraiya! Well? Why him?"

"Because we look like girls. Well, I am a girl, and you are prettier than most girls anyway."

"WHAT?" Orochimaru-kun sounded aghast.

Tsunade-hime went on as if there were no interruptions. "The whelp who has the scroll is easily distracted by pretty girls, Orochimaru. Now, the plan is, we're going to disguise ourselves as amateur geishas."

"That explains her samisen." Jiraiya added.

"Yes. I can play the samisen well. And you can dance better than most of the girls from the Academy. You will dance the Fan Dance while I play for you."

"What-? But I – I don't – I don't dance! What kind of madness is this –!"

"Don't be selfish, Orochimaru. It's been decided. You will do the dancing while I do the playing, and Jiraiya does the stealing – I mean, borrowing of the scroll."

"Hey! As far as I remembered, no one consulted me about the deciding thing -!"

"It's decided, we said." Jiraiya said.

"But -!"

"You better practice your dancing again, Orochimaru." said Tsunade-hime.

"Ramen up!" I said.

Orochimaru-kun did not look happy as he went to retrieve the dishes. As far as I was concerned, he looked ready to stab anything and anyone to death with a blunt kunai.

This mission of theirs took three days at most. When Orochimaru-kun reported back for duty, I was shocked to see that his beautiful black mane was cut short to his ears. He looked like someone had died. I asked him what went wrong. He said that the enemy found out about them anyway because of Jiraiya's stupidity, and a lightning jutsu burned his beautiful hair to crisp – so he had no choice but to cut it short.

The way he spoke of his hair...I suddenly imagined that the ninja who released the lightning jutsu did not die a beautiful death.