A/N: Wee! It's good to be back!
So this is my sixth fic. It's going to be multi-chapter. But, I have learned my lesson from Confessions on a Training Area; you shall never begin to write a multi-chapter and have no idea of what is going to happen later in the fic… So I've made a mind-map for this fic. It's going to be quite long, but I've written ahead a bit so that I can update soon. That is, if I get the right amount of reviews. –nudge nudge wink wink-
Here it is, folks, the first chapter of Chocolate Ramen! Enjoy!
Chapter 1
Chocolate Ramen!
Naruto strolled down the streets of Konoha. He was heading to Ichiraku's Ramen shop to eat his morning-ramen. He stopped next to a wooden fence where a part of the fence was horizontal instead of vertical.
"Ohayo, Konohamaru!" He said cheerfully and began walking again.
"Oi, teme! How'd you know I was there?" he heard Konohamaru scream after him.
"Because I'm the number one ninja in Konoha, of course!" Naruto said proudly as Konohamaru ran up to him and walked beside him.
"No you're not, the number one ninja in Konoha is the Hokage!" Konohamaru stated.
"That old baa-chan?" Naruto yelled, "She can't do anything, she's too old! A ninja has to be able to fight!"
"How do you know that she can't fight?"
"Well, she never has!" Naruto said after a moment of thinking.
"Maybe not that you've seen!" Konohamaru yelled.
"Oi, gaki!" Naruto yelled, getting annoyed, "I'm the number one ninja in Konoha, I just know!"
Konohamaru was silent.
They walked for about five more minutes before they came to the Ichiraku stall.
"Hey Naruto, won't you buy me ramen too?" Konohamaru asked.
"Nope, I haven't got enough money. Now go, I want to eat!" He pushed Konohamaru away, and the boy sulkily turned and left.
Naruto hopped up on his usual chair.
"Ohayo, Naruto!" Ichiraku said with a grin, "The usual?"
"The usual!" Naruto confirmed eagerly, taking a pair of chopsticks. Ichiraku turned around and began making the ramen.
"Oh yeah, I wanted to tell you…" he said over his shoulder, "There's some company that makes ramen, that's come up with a new sort."
"Really? What sort?" Naruto said, tapping the chopsticks against the disk.
"Chocolate!" Ichiraku said and laughed, "Can you imagine?"
"Wow!" Naruto said, eyes gleaming, "I wonder what that tastes like! Can you make chocolate ramen?" he added hopefully to Ichiraku.
"Sorry, but the company that makes it keeps the recipe a secret."
"Oh…" Naruto said and hung his head down, but immediately cheered up when Ichiraku served him a steaming bowl of ramen.
"But couldn't you buy it?" Naruto said with his mouth full of ramen.
"Me? Buy it?" Ichiraku said in an offended way, "At Ichiraku's we make our own ramen! We don't buy it from some big-time company!"
"You're right, of course…" Naruto said apologetically and put down the now empty ramen bowl.
"But… I guess you could buy it somewhere. They should have it in some shops."
"Thanks, ossan!" Naruto yelled over his shoulder, as he went out from the stall.
"Hmm…" Naruto said to himself, "I want to find that chocolate ramen… I want to know what it tastes like… I'm gonna go look for it in some shops!"
He skipped along the street until he came to a food store. He grinned and went in.
"Excuse me," Naruto said to the fat lady behind the disk, "Where do you keep the ramen?"
"Over there." the woman said and pointed to a corner in the shop.
Naruto ran over to the corner and scanned the packages of ramen. No sign of the chocolate ramen. He dejectedly walked out of the store.
"Well, the next shop will probably have it." he said and walked along until he found the next store.
But they didn't have it either. And neither did the next one. Or the next one. Or the next one.
When the sun just was about to set over the horizon, Naruto walked out of the last store in Konoha. He had run around like a maniac trying to find the chocolate ramen, but none of the stores had it.
He walked home with his head hung down in defeat. When he came home, he made himself a cup of instant ramen, but when he ate it, he didn't feel the usual happy feeling he always got when eating ramen. The only thing he could think of was how it would have been if it was chocolate ramen he was eating.
When he went to sleep, he had a very odd dream. He was in a store, looking for the chocolate ramen. He had been looking for ages, when he finally spotted it on a shelf! He ran to the shelf with his arms stretched out to take it, but just as he was about to grab it, it grew legs, and danced away from him! Naruto tried to dance after it, but failed miserably, since his samba wasn't that good anymore.
The store suddenly turned to an empty stage. There was nothing but darkness around him. Then, all of a sudden, he felt someone shove him forward, and he realized that he was now standing on a rope! He looked down, he couldn't make out ground. He also noticed that he was dressed in ballerina clothes, and he understood that he had to dance on the rope. He jumped up high in the air, trying to do a pirouette, but he failed and fell down. In the last second he managed to grab onto the rope.
The rope felt soft and slender, and he realized that it was a ramen-noodle! A CHOCOLATE-RAMEN-NOODLE!
He immediately tried to bite it, but as he did he lost his grip, and tumbled downwards in the black void.
He woke up in a cold sweat. He breathed heavily, and clasped himself on his chest. He could hear the birds chirping outside, so he realized that it was morning.
"Might as well get up…" he muttered and threw his legs over the edge of the bed.
When he was finished getting dressed he had already decided on what to do. He would go to Tsunade first thing after breakfast, and ask for permission to leave.
He had to go to the other Hidden Villages to see if they had the chocolate ramen. He simply had to have it.
"No," he said after a moment of consideration, "I'll do it before breakfast. The ramen isn't any good anyway."
So, he went to Tsunade's office.
"Tsunade-obaa-chan, I want to ask permission to leave Konoh." he said when he had entered her office and sat down.
Tsunade raised one eyebrow.
"For how long?"
"Some time. I'm not entirely sure yet, but it should take about four months, give or take."
"Why?" Tsunade asked, wondering what made this boy want to leave his beloved home for so long.
"Well, I have to search for something. I can't tell you, 'cause you might not like it, but it's absolutely necessary."
Tsunade thought for a minute.
"If you're sure of it then," Tsunade said finally.
"I am. Bye, obaa-chan! See ya' in a few months!" Naruto said, almost knocking over Shizune, who was carrying a pile of papers, on his way out.
"That kid sure is strange." Tsunade said to Shizune, shaking her head.
A/N: Review and you will get a cookie! And a Gaara-plushie!