DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Naruto or Shokugeki no Soma. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki respectively.

A/N 1: This is the completed version of the One-Shot I had intended to post. Based primarily on the first season of the anime. Keep in mind, this is a fanfic and things are bound to change from canon. I HAVE TAKEN PLENTY OF LIBERTIES WITH THIS STORY.

A/N 2: CHAPTERS 1 AND 2 HAVE BEEN REVISED. Not so much on Chapter 1 but more on Chapter 2. This was meant to be one whole One-Shot but it's been split into three chapters.

"Naruto" Normal Talking

'Naruto' Normal Thinking

"Naruto" Flashback Talking

'Naruto' Flashback Thinking

(Naruto) Flashback Voice-over

["Naruto"] Phone Talking

Hope you enjoy

UZUMAKI TOWER – Minato's Office

Somewhere in Tokyo, situated at the very top of a high rising building, as towers were, was a brightly lit office. Uzumaki Tower was the headquarters of the Uzumaki Hotel and Restaurant Chain. One glass wall to give a bird's eye view of the city below. A single, large bookshelf completely encompassing another wall at the opposite end. Said bookshelf was filled. Not a single inch that bookshelf left vacant. Before the shelf was a business table. On it were two large yet empty bowls of what used to be filled with Ramen. Seated around it were three men.

This was the office of one Uzumaki Minato. Uzumaki Tower did not only serve as Minato's HQ. It was also a hotel that served as Minato's home. The other two men with him were his old dorm-mates from their Totsuki days. They were Dojima Gin and Saiba Joichiro or Yukihira Joichiro as he goes by today.

It was not every day these three could come together, not like they used to in their younger days. In fact, Minato and Gin would often meet at least once a year. On the other hand, Joichiro was a different case. He went on to change his name and had a son… without telling them. Ichiraku Teuchi had kept it a secret from them for Joichiro's sake. Minato had taken the effort to find him. It goes without saying, Joichiro had a lot to answer for. Luckily for him, he quickly brought up the reason why Minato called them.

Minato sat on one side. His elbows on the table, supporting his chin which he rested atop his laced fingers. Gin and Joichiro sat on the opposite side. Minato waited patiently for the two men's criticism and judgement of his latest work.

Granted these men were undoubtedly two of the most talented chefs in the world but they weren't the most qualified to accurately judge his work.

"Excellent as always, Minato-san." Gin told his friend

On their faces were traces of fading blushes as well as shortening grins while a small trickle of blood flowed down their nose. Gin and Joichiro took the tissues Minato offered and wipe the blood off.

"Though it does hold some tell-tale signs of you beginning to lose your touch." Joichiro said, causing Minato to narrow his eyed at his fellow redhead. That's right, Uzumaki Minato is a redhead. His hair was still spiky as ever mind you.

"Are you referring to my ramen or the manuscripts you are reading?" Minato asked sternly. He had the foresight to bring plenty of tissues. He didn't want their blood staining his manuscripts.

Speaking of manuscripts…

In the right hands of his two old dorm-mates were Icha Icha Paradise manuscripts. That's right. The main reason why Joichiro had agreed to meet them was to have a preview of the next book. Not that Joichiro had something against reuniting with old friends.

Minato had personally cooked and offered them ramen whilst they read what could be the latest addition to the book series. Minato was a man who seriously took criticism of his work. If someone said there was something wrong with any of his work, that person had better be damn sure to know exactly what was wrong instead of just saying it was bad.

"It's filled entirely with typographical errors." Joichiro said offhandedly as he patted his manuscript with the back of his hand.

Had Gin been any other person he would have face-palmed. It wasn't what Minato was looking for. "Joichiro, that's why it's still just a manuscript." Gin reminded him

Minato yelled in chibi form "And it is not filled to its entirety of typographical errors!"

Joichiro waved one free hand defensively "Calm down, Minato-kun. I was just messing with you." He closed the manuscript and laid it gently on the table beside the empty bowls.

"The story was superb. Quite similar to how Chef Jiraiya used to make them."

The sound of a cellphone ringing was heard in the room. It was coming from Gin's pants. The secretly muscular chef took his phone from his pants' pocket and answered the call. Gin stood up from his seat when he was done with his business on the phone.

He had a disappointed look on his face "Pardon me, my old friends, but it appears I must get back to work. It's important from what I'm told and it can't be put off. Minato-san, Joichiro-san, it was nice seeing you again." Turning his attention solely on Minato, he said "Thanks for the ramen and the sneak preview to the next book."

The manuscript had over thirty-seven chapters. Minato had allowed only Gin and Joichiro to read ten. "Not many could get to claim to have gotten a one-on-one session with the Red Flash of the Kitchen."

"I thought his title was the One Man Kitchen." Joichiro interjected

The three men just shared a short laugh. Minato stood up and bumped fists with Gin. The head chef of the Totsuki Resort was about to walk out the door leading to the emergency fire exit and go about his business when...

"Gin-san, where do you think you're going with that manuscript?" Minato asked him in a seemingly kind manner. The word was seemingly. Minato guarded his unpublished work immensely. Joichiro could only snicker at his friend's attempt.

'Damn' Gin mentally growled 'Here I thought I could get away with the whole thing.' He had no choice but to return Minato's work back to his table. Gin left Minato's office emptyhanded.

Minato sat back down "So I take it your sending your boy to Totsuki?"

"Correct." Joichiro answered. He went over to the wall on his left which had several pictures framed on it. The former second elite of his generation looked around and stopped when he found the picture of Minato and his son when the boy was six years old. "You should send your son too." His thumb pointing at the young child in the photo "It'd be good if he got out of that kitchen as well."

"Already have that taken care of." Minato kept the manuscripts in a drawer and locked it

'Damn. There goes my chance of sweet talking him into letting me read the whole thing.' Cue the light bulb over Joichiro's head. A smirk found itself on his face. "Minato-kun, what say you and I have a cook-off?

Minato's eyes brightened "A friendly duel for old times' sake?"

Joichiro chuckled "No, no. More like," then his face turned quite serious "a Shokugeki."

"Oh!" Minato exclaimed in curiosity "Your terms would be?"

"If I win, you let me read the remainder of your unfinished work." Joichiro said confidently

"It's only five weeks away from being officially published." Minato reminded him "You can wait."

But Joichiro wouldn't have any of that. "I must insist."

"And if you lose?" the chef-slash-writer inquired

"You can cancel my subscription for the next special edition." It was at this Minato determined just how far his old friend was willing to take this. Minato knew his books were good but this was the first time anyone had challenged him to a Shokugeki just for the chance to get a full early reading.

The special editions were meant for those Minato had a close relationship with. Professional or personal. However, since Joichiro had gone under the radar of his friends, most of them anyway, he never got his special editions. Well he did now and the upside of it was that now he had a huge pile of special edition Icha Icha books to go through. And now he was going to risk the next just to fully read the manuscript of the next book.

"Very well. You've convinced me."

"Great." Joichiro said, eager competitiveness lacing his voice "After battling some rather one-sided cook-offs with my son, I can use an actual challenge." Joichiro gave a wide grin to his fellow red

"Careful with what you say. You may just bite off more than you can chew." Minato provoked

Joichiro snorted "We'll see."

ZING!

Minato and Joichiro turned to the sound. There, on the wall with the pictures, opened an elevator. This elevator was the only way in and out of Minato's office. That and the emergency fire exit which Gin had earlier exited from. The framed pictures were all held in place. The elevator opened and from it came a certain busty blue-haired woman.

She spoke "Minato-sama, I've gotten-"

"Ah perfect timing." Minato said as he and Joichiro approached the woman and the elevator. Minato gently pushed her back in just as he and Joichiro went inside too "You'll be our judge."

She couldn't even object as Minato straight away told her "We can worry about business and work later."

She knew what this was. She was to be a judge in another friendly cooking match between two old classmates. Normally it was between Minato and Gin. She gulped for this was both a blessing and a curse for her. The food was she was to judge was the best and she got to eat them for free. But it normally left her in a rather unfavorable state afterwards. She was torn between mentally chanting 'Damn these two!' and 'Bless these two!'

She pressed the button for the kitchens as the elevator doors closed. The elevator music started playing.

"Kibou no Uta" Joichiro pointed out with a happy smile "Good choice, Minato." Minato nodded

ICHIRAKU RAMEN BAR

"Compliments to the chef." A chubby man cheerfully and graciously told his waiter. Ten empty bowls on his table. "No. My waiter is the chef."

"Another satisfied customer." Wearing his eyesore of an orange jumpsuit behind his just as equal of an eyesore orange apron did a sixteen-year-old Namikaze Naruto happily declared.

"My son wasn't exaggerating when he said your cooking was delicious" complimented a chubby man who was patting his big belly

"Well Choji does have a knack for making food sound more delicious than it actually is." Naruto smiled at the thought of his big boned friend.

"Oi, Naruto! We want seconds." Called out a man from another table who held his empty ramen bowl up. The man's companions agreed.

"We want thirds." Shouted a woman from yet another one.

"Hai!" Naruto quickly responded. In a quick dash, Naruto took off with the empty bowls of Akimichi Choza, all ten neat stock upon another, back into the kitchen. A minute later he came out with the bills for three tables. He thanked them for his patronage before taking the orders of new customers.

Before long, he came out again. This time with the bowls for the customers who asked for seconds and thirds.

Naruto looked on happily at the people enjoying the meals he had prepared. He was by himself today. But that wasn't a problem. Naruto was used to running the Ichiraku Ramen Bar by himself. But he normally had Ichiraku Ayame helping him out. But for today though, Ayame had been called by his father for reasons he did not know.

Hours later, Naruto found himself saying "Please come again" to the last customer of the day. It was time to close up Ichiraku. All the customers had gown home satisfied and full. The Ichiraku Ramen Bar typically closed later into the night but that was when Ayame was around to help out. She wasn't about to let Naruto lose some sleep.

Naruto was about to shut off the lights to the main hall when his eyes went over to the wall at the far end. Like the wall at Minato's office, this wall had several framed pictures hanging on it. One of them was a picture of himself as a ten-year-old boy together with a fourteen-year-old Ayame and 'old man' Ichiraku Teuchi between the two. The top photo was a much older picture of Teuchi as twelve-year-old boy together with his childhood and closest friends and their teacher – Jiraiya.

He had gotten a call from Ayame. She told him she won't be coming home until the next day. From what she told him, she had finished her business with his father quicker the anticipated. Then Minato offered she stay the night in one of the hotel suits. She wasn't one to turn down such an offer. It meant a free elegant room and all the room service she wanted. Plus, a spa and a massage.

Ayame was the closest thing Naruto had to an older sister and he loved her dearly as a younger brother should. But on this rare occasion, he cursed her. Though he didn't mind working by himself. He loved it actually. But that didn't mean she gets to spend an afternoon in paradise without him!

So now… now Naruto was bored. Well he could go and do his homework. "Nah!" Naruto brushed it off.

Fortunately, boredom can result in some brilliant ideas. "I know. I'll go visit Soma and see what he's up to." Naruto cheered. Making sure he properly locked up in order to avoid any trouble, the ramen cook made his way to Yukihira

The young blond was just about to open the door when he saw it. Naruto gasped and froze. He didn't move, he didn't even blink. He stood there and waited for the vision to end.

Flashing in his mind like a film was the detailed and high definition image of a naked, busty woman immersed in some kind of yellow fluid. Naruto didn't mind such a sight. This has happened before. Sometimes by his own doing. So he was used to it. He called them "Food Visions" but sometimes… sometimes they were something else entirely.

So what was the cause for concern? Easy. Naruto knew that woman. Aside from familiarity, he had a good reason not to appreciate seeing her naked and hearing her moan. But worse yet, then came the image of three equally naked men also immersed in the same yellow fluid. They too were all moaning, no, screaming in delight.

'Kami-sama, what the hell did you feed them?'

The image of a clear blue sky appeared then and the vision stopped. Naruto shook his head, trying to rid his head of the mental images of could only come from a Foodgasm.

Naruto let himself in only to find the very people he saw in his mind laying on the floor with thoroughly satisfied, even sexually sated looks on their faces.

Naruto quickly went over to the woman "Oi, Minegasaki-san! Minegasaki-san!" Naruto shouted as he held the buxom businesswoman up by the shoulders and shook her roughly.

"Eh, Naruto-kun…" she said in a daze

"Naruto-senpai, you know this woman?" asked the only other occupant in the diner who was still on his feet and focus. Yukihira Soma was genuinely surprised to his friend coming into his family's diner.

Naruto released Yaeko who fell back to the floor with a thud yet the happy look never left her face "Um, yeah. She works for my father." Naruto inspected the three men for any head injury. Thankfully there was none.

"Your father? He sent this woman and her goons to try and shut our place down?"

Naruto was taken aback by the question and dawned a thinking pose, unsure of what to answer.

The answer never came as Yaeko and her men started getting up. Yaeko quickly regain her composure. Granted, the young redhead was quite talented and his dish was wonderful. But she had eaten food which tasted so much better made by more experienced chefs. Her men? No so much. "A woman can only take so much Foodgasms within one day." She was well aware that word existed.

"Eh?" Both Naruto and Soma titled their heads.

FLASHBACK – Hours Earlier

Yaeko had just been fed two of the greatest dishes she's ever had in her whole life. It was one meal after another which took her to a whole new level of delight and pleasure. She released the spoon in her hand unwillingly and without even noticing it. She fell off her seat and would have probably hit her head on the floor had Minato not caught her.

Minato and Joichiro tried to get her to decide a winner but she was already lost to her unconsciousness. Like Minato's skills at book writing, their cooking was that damn great.

"It appears we have come to a draw." Joichiro announced as Yaeko was in no condition to pick a winner "I don't get what I want but my subscription remains." All-in-all no real lose. 'Oh well. Looks like I'll be waiting for the special edition in five weeks' time. No, scratch that. The special editions come much earlier.' Joichiro smiled lightly. He crossed his arms and watched his fellow redhead carry the blue-haired woman bridal style. 'The perks of being his close friend, I say.'

"There you are." Came a voice from the head of the kitchen.

Ichiraku Ayame had entered the kitchen, looking quite pissed. She had been called earlier but thanks Joichiro's impromptu Shokugeki, she had been kept waiting much longer

"Sorry, boss." One of Yaeko's men said as he entered the scene.

"She demanded to let her see you and she got away from us."

It was then Joichiro decided to take his leave. He had other places to be today. He thanked Minato for the day.

END FLASHBACK

Yaeko pulled out a cheque book from her pocket. She wore down a certain amount and signed the cheque. She was still gasping for breath when she slammed the cheque on the counter. "Here, kid. Take this as compensation for the supplies we destroyed."

Soma cautiously took it "Uh, thanks."

"Hmph! We're leaving, men!" The businesswomen told her men

"Send my regards to my old man." Naruto called out when her men had exited the Yukihira establishment. The three men warily nodded their heads. The sound of a car driving off was heard not long after.

"Mind telling me what that was all about?" Naruto kindly demanded an explanation.

"Long story short, she wanted to close Yukihira down to be build what she considered be a hotel with a real restaurant."

"And the part where they ended up on the floor?"

"Oh that? That was just how delicious my new 'Gotcha' Roast Pork was. It was just that good judging from their reactions." Soma declared proudly yet innocently. "Here" Soma presented the last piece of his newest creation to Naruto "Try for yourself and tell me it isn't worth falling over."

Naruto took a bite and almost immediately his eyes widen. He too was now naked and the yellow fluid form before swirled around him. When he snapped out of it, he said "Wow! That was great!" Though he didn't fall over and he certainly didn't moan and groan over it.

"Glad you like it!" Soma proudly said.

UZUMAKI TOWER – Minato's Office… Again

"So let me get this straight. Three fully grown, hardened man lost themselves to the cooking of a teenage cook." Minato looked at them with skeptical and scrutinizing eyes.

Yaeko's men were on their knees and faces. "OUR APOLOGIES, MINATO-SAMA!" An anime-style arc of tears sprung forth from their eyes with their heads still pressed to the floor.

But Minato just shook his head in minor disappointment. He had expected more from the men he left to guard and assist Yaeko. But their task was complete. "Don't worry about it." Minato was at the glass wall and turned to gaze at the city below. 'So you're this skilled, Yukihira Soma.' Minato was genuinely pleased knowing this. "You three are dismissed."

The three left their boss's office via the elevator, leaving behind Yaeko with Minato. The woman stood straight from the get-go, not in any way intimidated by her superior. In her hands was a clip board with the details and profile of the Yukihira Diner. Minato went over and took the clip board from her, stamping a "REJECTED" on it before leaving it on his desk.

"We are never there to acquire the property, were we?"

"No."

"You sent us there to measure the boy's skill?" Minato nodded "If you weren't my boss, I'd…" Minato only laughed which only served to irk her more. "Jerk" she whispered

"Well I'm heading off to bed." He headed for the elevator. He held out his hand to Yaeko. "Care to join me."

Yaeko said nothing more. She took his hand in the elevator and went to his bedroom.

Minegasaki Yaeko was not the only woman Minato has had an intimate relationship in his life. But she was currently the one Minato was bedding. They were more of friends with benefits rather than lovers actually. She has lost count the number of times she has slept and woken up on his bed. But she wasn't about to complain. Uzumaki Minato was an attractive man for several reasons. He was also a one-woman man. While he has her, he wasn't seeing anyone else. It was an unofficial, unspoken rule that Minato could always break but Yaeko was appreciative of that. Heck she herself could end their arrangement and pursue a proper relationship with a different man anytime she wished.

But being his bedmate didn't earn her any special favors. She earned her way as one of his most trusted employees and loyal friend. The best she got out of sleeping with him was the stress relieving sex, the delicious breakfast he'd cook up and the cute little daughter born to them a few years ago.

YUKIHIRA DINER

The next morning Naruto was helping out Soma clean his diner from the mess Yaeko and her goons left behind. Soma never did get why Naruto's father wanted to shut Yukihira down. But Soma found himself not caring. His family diner was saved at the end. That's all that counts.

When Joichiro and Ayame arrived, Soma was sitting on top of the ladder cleaning the Yukihira Diner sign. Naruto down below looking bored with trying to make sure the ladder doesn't accidentally fall over. Soma wasn't in for small talk when cleaning apparently.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun, Soma-kun" Ayame said happily and waved at them.

Naruto and Soma returned the greeting. Like for Naruto, Ayame was the closest thing Soma had to an older sister.

"That sure is a mess." The elder Yukihira noted as he saw the sign of his restuarant "I reckon something important happened while I was away."

"Nope. Not really." Naruto answered first and Soma finished "Just some unruly customer. That's all."

Both Ayame and Joichiro looked serious when they said "Naruto, Soma, for the next three years, Yukihira and Ichiraku are… closing up shop."

The sudden revelation caused Soma to face-fault and fell on Naruto who held the ladder steady.

Ayame held a finger to her chin "I do suppose we'll have to fore warn our regulars and apologize we won't be able to serve them anymore."

"What the hell?!" Naruto yelled "You could apologize to us first."

"Seconded" said Soma "What brought this up anyway? This is all a bit sudden, don't you think?"

"I've been given a new job." Ayame told them with a happy smile

"What kind of job?!" Naruto demanded "I thought you like working at the Ramen Bar."

"A teaching job." was all Ayame revealed but Naruto and Soma both flinched at the thought of Ayame teaching.

Joichiro then spoke "An old friend of mine offered me a job as well. I'll be staying with them for a while. As soon as I pack up all my stuff, I'll be heading out. But don't worry, Soma, I'll send you some money to live on. And if you run out, you could always ask Naruto for some cash."

"Hey!" Naruto shouted. He wasn't a bank after all. "But seriously, why are you closing up? I like working at Ichiraku"

"And I like it here. Dad, I've always wanted this restaurant to…" Soma stopped when his father gently bumped his fist on his chest "Soma, it's time for you to go. Go and figure out what you got."

"You as well, Naruto-kun." Ayame laid a gentle, sisterly hand on Naruto's shoulder "You both can't stay holed-up here. There is only so much you can learn staying in the same spot. You both need to broaden your horizons and learn what you can't here. While we're gone, the two of you are going to Totsuki Teahouse Culinary Academy"

Joichiro and Ayame handed the application papers to Soma and Naruto

"A cooking school?" question Soma "Why now?"

"Think of it as perfect timing. The diners are closed and you boys can earn some High School credit in the meantime."

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun, Soma-kun. It's only for three years. If by the end of it you both still want to return here, then it's no problem."

"Wait a minute" Naruto pointed out as he looked at Ayame with a suspicious eye "Isn't this the same school you went to for three years? You were away for three years. You never visited. Then you return two years ago just one year before old man Teuchi…"

"It's okay, Naruto. The school has breaks and holidays too just like any other school." Ayame said happily but then feigned guilt "It just so happens I gained a lot of friends and met interesting people that I decided not to come back." Ayame laughed, covering her mouth with a hand. Naruto was clearly unhappy with her excuse though. "Just try it out, okay?"

"Fine." Naruto sighed in defeat. He rarely did.

"That's the spirit!" Ayame slapped her younger brother on the back.

"Well I guess I can't let Naruto go by himself. Who knows what hardship and treacherous trials he'll face and potentially fail if I'm not there to save his butt?" Soma said all smug despite placing his arm over Naruto's shoulders in a friendly manner.

"I believe it should be the other way around." Naruto reflected Soma's actions.

"Then it's settled." Jouchiro smiled as Naruto and Soma continued their loop of trading boasts and light insults before ultimately ending in a cheery laugh.

A small truck pulled over. "Yukihira-san" called the driver.

"Eh?" Soma pointed to himself

"Not you, kid. The adult Yukihira."

"That's me." Joichiro stepped forward.

"Delivery for you." Said as he got out. On the back of the truck were four crates. He and his co-worker took one off the truck and, with the use of a crowbar, forced the lip open.

Joichiro smiled like the world's biggest idiot once he got a gander of the interior. His special editions. The delivery men looked at him with envy and hate. 'Lucky Bastard!' they thought.

Soma came over "Hey Dad, what are those?" Joichiro immediately shut the lid back on the crate. "Nothing!" he said in near panic "Just some, uh, cook books. Yeah, that's right."

"Mind if I take a look?"

"No! I mean it isn't mine." Liar "I'm just keeping it for a friend. It wouldn't be right if I let others see them without his permission."

Soma believed him "I suppose you're right."

TOTSUKI TEAHOUSE CULINARY ACADEMY

Naruto had readied the case where he kept his utensils to bring to Totsuki Academy. He turned his eyes to a desk in his room. On that desk were three framed photos. One of them was a picture of his pregnant mother with his father holding her close.

Naruto had inherited his father's spiky hair-style and eye color but he inherited his mother's blonde hair and family name. Namikaze Kushina died giving birth to him. Most of what he knew about her was from those who knew her. Ayame, who was a young child prior to her death, had always spoken about how gentle she was. But she was a demon within the kitchen.

Naruto had said a near tearful good-bye to Ayame and hugged her dearly.

So here he was with Soma at the entrance of Totsuki Academy. Soma had gotten a call from his father just before they arrived. As it turns out, Joichiro was in New York after spending some time in India and Italy. 'Man, that guy sure travels quick.' Naruto thought.

Joichiro informed them through the speaker that Totsuki had a low percentage of graduates. Less than 10%, he said.

He also wasn't lying when he said it was an elite institution.

"Amazing! This place is huge!" Naruto exclaimed "It must take a fortune to run this establishment!"

"Didn't Ayame ever tell you anything about this place?" Soma asked him with dull eyes. The scale of the school came as a surprise to him but he had expected Naruto to have had a better idea of the size of the Academy.

"She said it was big. She said nothing about it being gargantuan and humongous!"

Naruto and Soma heard some screams. Apparently there were some students who got expelled. One parent tried to bribe a mere guard to let his son back in the school.

Naruto turned his attention back to the school in front of him. Had he come by this school when he was twelve, he would have flip the place upside down and painted it ORANGE! Quite literally at that. Luckily for the school, he wasn't twelve anymore.

"Listen up, Soma. If you can't make the cut and be in the 90th percentile and graduate, then you have no hope in ever beating me."

Naruto could swear Yukihira Joichiro was a master manipulator whenever Soma was concerned. He always knew how to egg him on or how to motivate him.

"JUST WATCH ME!" Soma yelled into the phone before hanging up.

Yup. Naruto was right on the bat with that assumption.

Entering through the main gates, Soma was still fired up with his father's challenge. "Just watch me, dad. I'll graduate and I'll kick your ass in the kitchen. Just you wait!" It was then Soma had kicked a bench. Someone was drinking tea when he did so. Soma apologized. The guy seemed friendly enough and offered them to seat on the bench with him. Naruto opted to remain standing.

"Nikaido Yoshiaki" he said his name was.

"I take it you're applying to transfer here too. You aren't wearing the school's uniform after all." said Naruto

"That's right. It's a lively day here in Totsuki. Results for who made it into the High School Division are being released and exams are being held for those who want to transfer in. So where do you guys hail from? My family owns a French style restaurant."

"Well you may not be the only." Naruto said as he observed the people in the immediate area "Seems like a lot of fancy people here all coming from fancy places."

"You always seem to be mindful of your surroundings, Naruto-senpai." Soma stated

"I'm just taking in the potential competition. I wonder if they've actually attended to real customers." Soma couldn't help but think so too.

"Well the guy over there is the heir to a national restaurant. So is that one over there." Yoshiaki pointed at two individuals at the distance. "A lot of applicants for transfer are from high pedigree families in the food world. So competitions abound us."

Naruto smiled confidently "Oh we'll see about that. Anyway, to answer your question, I come from Ichiraku."

Soma added "And I'm from Yukihira."

"Ichiraku, Yukihira…" Yoshiaki looked up in thought "Are those traditional Japanese restuarants?"

Naruto shrugged "You could say that. If you're talking traditional Japanese, then Ramen is as traditional as it gets." He ended with a cheerful grin

"We're not that high class actually. We're just two simple-" Soma was suddenly sent flying off the bench with kicked to the shoulder by Yoshiaki.

A purple aura surrounded Yoshiaki "How dare you sit next to me, YOU COMMONER TRASH!"

Naruto attended to Soma on the ground, helping him up before looking up angrily at Yoshiaki.

"Totsuki Academy is not meant for low class cooks who work in simple diners! You don't belong here. This academy is meant for people like me! The upper echelons of the cooking world! You two won't even make it pass the written exam!"

CRACK!

Yoshiaki ended up with his face on the ground with Naruto grinding his shoe on his head. This wasn't for insulting them and their small time diners. Naruto understood people were entitled to their opinions. He liked proving them wrong anyway.

This was for kicking Soma.

Never mess with Namikaze Naruto's friends.

"Say what you want but nobody kicks my friends! Got it?" Yoshiaki did his best to nod his head with Naruto's foot still on it. Pleased, Naruto lifted his foot and started walking away mad.

Soma pulled Yoshiaki from the ground and started shaking him. "And don't go around talking shit about our diners before you even try our dishes!" Soma added as an afterthought after getting over the shock of seeing Naruto land someone's head into the pavement with just his foot. It wouldn't be the first time something like that happened. He wasn't even upset anymore that Yoshiaki insulted their restaurants. Soma only pitied the fools who were at the receiving end of Naruto's wrath.

It was at moments like this where Soma would wish he had taken up old man Teuchi's offer to teach him martial arts. He remembered that man. He was a good friend of his father. The Ichiraku Ramen Bar was the next door neighbor of the Yukihira Diner. Teuchi's ramen was the first he had ever eaten and undoubtedly the best.

Soma missed Teuchi just as much as Naruto did.

Soma and Naruto went their merry way to the examination hall, all ignoring the condescending glares sent their way from other hopeful applicants. Well, Soma seemed to be oblivious to it all. Naruto had calmed down and mostly ignored what they said. He did however send them back taunting glares.

At the examination hall, where all the aspiring transfer students had gathered, came Nakiri Erina. She took a single in her hand from the table full of fresh ingredients and gave the applicants her test.

"Make any dish with the egg as the main ingredient. My palate must be satisfied or you fail."

That there earn gasps of terror from the other applicants. Naruto and Soma just looked on, curious about the blonde girl's challenge.

"But I am a generous young woman. If you think you can't handle my exam, I am giving you all one minute to withdraw with your reputations intact." She told them.

What happened next was a mass exodus of screaming young cooks. 'By how they ran away from that girl, they might as well have been the ones to lay those eggs. The chickens!' Naruto thought of those who quickly left. 'So much for their talk.' Naruto snorted

Soma, on the other hand… "Hey why's everyone suddenly leaving?" He grabbed the guy who insulted them earlier

"DON'T YOU KNOW WHO SHE IS?!" He shouted in disbelief and anguish

"Nakiri Erina." Naruto suddenly said. He got Soma's attention so the latter released Yoshiaki who ran and stumbled near the door.

"You know her, senpai?"

Naruto nodded "Well I know of her. Granddaughter of Nakiri Senzaemon, the current director and headmaster of Totsuki Academy. She claims to have an ability called the 'God's Tongue' which can detect and identify each and every ingredient used in a dish and even find faults and flaws in them. Her assessments spread quite quickly in the Cooking World. It is said that to be negatively criticized by her can result in the premature end of your cooking career."

"I'm surprised you know all that. You're typically ignorant when it comes to celebrities and the like, am I right, Naruto-senpai?" Soma snickered

Naruto raised a fist and BONK! a fist had landed on Soma's head. "There is nothing wrong with knowing about the famous chefs in the culinary world. But as I was saying, one tale about her God's Tongue is that when she was only three months old she spoke up about how her mother's milk was lacking in flavor or the sort." Naruto snorted in disbelief "As if a three-month old baby could form full, coherent sentences."

Soma nursed his aching head.

Meanwhile, Erina had inwardly congratulated herself for quickly dealing with 'useless' applicants. "I supposed I now have the free time to try out my latest creations in my private kitchens." Naruto and Soma overheard her say.

Surprisingly there was a blush in her companion's cheeks. The two boys watched the exchanged in front of them.

"What's a matter, Hisako?" Erina walked closer to her "You look like you want something." The blonde girl raised the rose-haired girls chin with her hand. "You know, Hisako. You have the privilege of being the first to enjoy my new dishes."

"Yes. Thank you, Erina-sama."

"My, my, you're quite the shameless hussy." The two girls just stared at each other's eyes as they continued to converse.

That was until they started hearing someone in the background chanting softly, almost eagerly actually. "Come on. Come on. Kiss. Kiss."

"Eh, Naruto-senpai," This one was Soma "your perverted side is showing."

"SShhh… Silence, Soma. Can't you see they're about to kiss. I'm curious to know if the legendary God's Tongue has sexual applications as well."

"You can be very weird sometimes, do you know that, Naruto-senpai?" Soma had his eyes lazily half open and he had his clumsy smile.

"We would appreciate it if you didn't act like we weren't in the room!" Hisako spoke out. Speak of the devils and they shall appear. Arato Hisako and Nakiri Erina, with an air of confidence around her, made their way to the two remaining applicants "I'll have you know neither Hisako nor I are lesbians. So rid your mind of such thoughts." Erina ordered "I won't have perverts staining this prestigious school."

"Would you calm down? It's just a joke." Naruto told them a dismissive wave of his hand. 'Partly'

"You don't get to waves us off like that!" Erina and Hisako both screamed. Naruto only gave them wry grin.

Erina stood serious "So you know who I am and what my evaluations can do yet you choose to remain behind."

"Wait a second," A question had just entered Soma's head. "how do you know her, senpai?"

"Well, Ayame-nee and old man Teuchi told me some things about her."

"Why doesn't anybody ever tell me these things?" Soma grumbled and Naruto shrugged.

"Now who's the ignorant one who's interested in celebrities and the like?"

"Ahem!" Erina's faithful assistant, Arato Hisako called their attention "As Erina-sama was saying before you rudely interrupted her…"

"You two must either be very talented or be very brave but stupid if you stayed behind." Erina sent them a smug smile "It's still not too late to back down."

"No way! Namikaze Naruto and Yukihira Soma don't back away from a challenge in the kitchen!" Naruto declared and Soma affirmed with a strong nod of his head.

"Well who am I to stop fools from ruining their careers." Erina said as she brushed her hair with her hand and turned around. "Go ahead and give me your best. Hisako, you judge blondie there. I'll be in-charge of the redhead."

"But Erina-sama…"

"It's all right, Hisako. I trust your judgement." And without even looking at Soma and Naruto, she told them. "Fellow us." She told them.

Erina and Hisako led them to the kitchen they'd be performing "Remember, the egg is your key ingredient. No time limit and no other restrictions. Get cooking. It may just be your last."

"Says you, Tongue Girl." Naruto said back and turned to Soma "Oi, Soma. You do what you do best." Naruto said with a proud smile and confidence "Wipe that arrogant smirk from her face."

"I'M STILL HERE YOU KNOW! I HEARD EVERYTHING YOU SAID!"

"Calm down why don't you?" Soma calmly told her and Naruto added "Yeah, can't you take a joke?" It only made Erina more irritated.

Naruto played with his egg. Up and down from his hand it went. "This'll be a piece of cake." He told Soma "Soma, you better not fail or I'll never let it down."

Soma took the challenge "Right back at you." He removed his headband from his arm and wrapped around his forehead. Naruto did the same. He took out a headband form his pocket and placed it around his head, covering his forehead. Naruto's headband though had a metal plate which served as a forehead protector. The forehead protector had Ichiraku engraved on it.

The two friends bumped fists, ready and eager to serve those girls the best damn eggs they're put in their mouths. Soma went over to this station and Naruto went to his where Hisako was waiting for him.

"Oh that's right. I never got to officially introduce myself. Namikaze Naruto" the young blond held out a hand to the rosette. Hisako was unsure if she should accept the hand or not. She ultimately chose not to but it didn't sour Naruto's mood. "Arato Hisako." She simply said

"May I ask what you'll be preparing?"

Naruto grinned at her. Naruto wasn't feeling creative this time. He felt he should do a variant on a dish a friend of his invented and shared with him. "It's a surprise." And went back to his work.

Hisako could only look at him skeptically. 'He moves fast.' she observed as the blond rapidly collected his ingredients and began the prep.

"TA-DA!" Naruto presented his finished work to Hisako.

Hisako had observed him since he started. She honestly had no idea what he was making but here was the end product.

"A milkshake" Hisako said

"Mm-hmm" Naruto gladly nodded

"It's a milkshake."

"Um, sure"

Hisako looked at him in disbelief "The exam was to use eggs as the main ingredient."

"And I did" That's all he said about it.

Hisako still looked at in disbelief. "Oops sorry." He pulled out a straw and inserted it in "There we go. I call it 'Ichiraku Chocolate-Egg Milkshake'!"

The name Ichiraku rang a bell in Hisako's head. The name was familiar. She couldn't quite put a finger on it but it was enough to give Naruto the benefit of the doubt. She took glass into her hands "I better not taste a raw egg in this."

"Yeah, yeah. Just get to drinking." Hisako frowned at him but nonetheless took the tip of the straw into her mouth and sipped the egg's content.

Hisako's eyes widened. Then Naruto saw her Food Vision. Hisako was wearing goggles. But she wasn't swimming. She was flying. No plane, no glider, just her. Her arms spread opens and her eyes protected by her goggles.

She flew forward, she flew up and down. She spun, she looped and she flipped. She was enjoying it all.

Naruto, who was down on the ground using binoculars to oversee Hisako's flight, could only sigh in relief that she wasn't naked. And even though Hisako was high up in the sky, soaring in the clouds, Naruto could still hear her squeals of glee and joy. Chuckling, he lowered the binocular from his eyes. "Another satisfied customer." He murmured happily.

But Hisako soon floated back down next to Naruto and the Food Vision ended. The rosette quickly gained her composure and professional affect. "It certainly was delicious, Namikaze-san. Did you come up with this dish?" She still held the egg-stand.

"To be honest, I got this idea from my dad who got the idea from someone else. Alice I believe her name was."

"Alice?" The name was familiar to the rosette.

"I wasn't really paying attention at the time. I just added my touches to it. The recipe is original hers. So I don't think I should just spill the recipe to anyone."

"I can understand that, Namikaze-san." Hisako could respect keeping recipes a secret. "Congratulations, Namikaze. You passed."

Naruto was about to leap in joy and mentally thank Alice. But then he saw it. He stood still. Someone else nearby was having a Foodgasm and immediately concluded it was Nakiri Erina's. Naruto sudden pause made Hisako concerned. "Namikaze-san?" Naruto swiftly took Hisako's hand in his own and the young assistant saw it too.

There was her dear friend, Erina, and she was barely clothed. She was surrounded by several tiny, naked Soma-Angels. A few were tagging on what little clothing she had. The rest were tickling her with feathers.

"W-w-what the hell is this?!" Hisako pointed at the sight with a shaking arm. She tried to head towards Erina but she found she was unable to move from her spot. Then she realized Naruto was seeing this as well. In a snap, she clamped her hand over his eyes. "Don't look, you pervert." It was the next best thing she could do. There was no way she was going to allow a man unworthy of her Erina-sama to see her in such a state of undress.

Naruto protested "I am no pervert!" Well he kind of was but he wasn't about to confirm it to anyone.

Setting her sight back to Erina, Hisako cried "Hang in there, Erina-sama!"

It soon ended not long after. Naruto released Hisako's hand. The rosette saw Erina supporting herself on the table.

Naruto observed her with curious eyes "Wow that really packed a punch! Almost as if she just had an orga-"

"Shut it, Namikaze!" she ordered him. "I don't know what that was. I don't know what just happened. But I won't let you make such insinuations." But Naruto only lightly laughed

"DISGUSTING!" They heard Erina shout

"WHAT!" Naruto exclaimed in outrage "Soma's cooking… disgusting?! That's a load of bull-"

"Language, Namikaze!" Hisako said on the side

"Now that there is just your pride talking. You were about to fall to your knees from just how good Soma's dish was. Admit it you loved Soma's cooking."

"How dare you speak to me like that! Me? Loving that simple plebeian's food? Preposterous! Hisako, how was his dish?"

"I gave him a pass, Erina-sama."

"I'm overruling that. You fail." She told Naruto "You both fail! Leave this school at once before I call security to toss you out!" She ordered them.

Naruto frowned at her. He could tolerate people's opinions but the Elite Ten member was clearly in denial. Not loving Soma's food? Now that was preposterous. "What stick crawled up your butt?" He turned his attention to Soma. "Soma, let's go."

OUTSIDE OF TOTSUKI

"I can't believe someone actually called my cooking disgusting." Soma wasn't upset. He was just in a daze, still not having processed the fact someone had described his food that way.

"Don't let it get to you, Soma. Princess Nakiri and her high horse couldn't be honest and humble enough to admit a commoner's dish managed to impress her." Naruto placed a comforting arm over Soma's shoulders.

And so the two young men walked into the sunset. They failed to get into Totsuki but all was well. It would take more than failing an entrance exam to hinder Soma from getting the skills to one day beats his father. But for now, it appears they'll just have to settle with Ichiraku and Yukihira. All in all, not the worse that could have happened.

YEAH RIGHT! Nakiri Senzaemon would veto Erina's decision and accept Soma and Naruto into the school. Totsuki Teahouse Culinary Academy, prepare yourself for here comes Namikaze Naruto and Yukihira Soma!

HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION OPENING CEREMONY

Over eight hundred students had gathered for the opening ceremony. Urara had just introduced Erina as the valedictorian and introduced Senzaemon for his opening speech.

"A little harsh, don't you think, Soma?" Naruto said after hearing Director Nakiri's speech

"99% will fail and serve as the sacrifices to hone the remaining 1%. Shouldn't be much of a problem, senpai. All we need to do is make sure we are included in that 1%." Naruto nodded.

"Last but not least," Urara started "we have two transfer students who'll be joining us."

Erina had been seated away when she heard Urara's announcement. "So those two manage to transfer into the school." Her thoughts immediately wandered to Soma and Naruto "As if those two have a place here."

Then Urara broadcasted "Namikaze Naruto and Yukihira Soma."

Erina jumped off her seat after hearing that "WHAT!" she yelled, still not believing those two were here.

Soma began his speech "Hello, everyone. Yukihira Soma here. Sorry to keep you here longer than intended but the director insisted we make a formal introduction seeing as how all of you have known each other for the past few years."

"Make it quick, Yukihira-san" Urara whispered just loud enough for Naruto and Soma to hear

"Naruto-senpai and I never expected to transfer here. While I am here, I don't intend to lose to anyone who hasn't served actual customers. This school is just a stepping stone for me. In short, by the time we graduate, I will be number one." It was an innocent declaration. Soma meant no malice and no insult. But it resulted in nearly everyone hating him right then and there.

Now it was Naruto's turn "And I'm Namikaze Naruto." He said enthusiastically "It's a pleasure to meet you all. From what I gathered, every one of you has been here since you were twelve. Had I met you back then, I would have told you that majority of you are just nameless mooks whom in the long run will be expelled and no one else will give it a second thought." It wasn't meant to be offensive but that got everyone angry at him now too.

"Nameless mooks." Naruto repeated "Except for a couple certain individuals who raise to the occasion and make a name for themselves. Had I met you back then I would have dyed your uniforms orange. Had I met you back then I would have also declared that I'd be number one." Naruto ignored all the death glares.

"But luckily for you, I am no longer twelve. So instead I'll settle for being number seven. More than eight, less than six. So that means only six of you will be higher than me. I wish you luck with that since Soma here will fight you all for the rank of first." Naruto ended with a smile.

Then Soma and Naruto bowed together and said "Let's have fun together in the next three years." They walked off, completely oblivious to everyone making an angry fuss over what they said.

"Not a bad speech if I say so, eh?" Soma gently elbowed Naruto.

Naruto only shrugged. "Well you didn't bite your tongue so I guess it was okay."

Then they walked into the presence of Erina. "Hey you're Nakiri from the entrance exam."

Erina was flabbergasted to see that two. "Namikaze-kun, Yukihira-kun, what are you two doing here?"

Naruto gave her a sly grin "It appears your grandfather overruled your overrule." He and Soma pulled out their letters of acceptance.

"It was genuinely surprised myself getting this." Soma added

Nakiri Senzaemon stood outside listening to the exchange. Erina made it clear she hasn't accepted either of them. Before she left, Soma made a promise that one day he'll make her say his cooking was delicious.

"And I'll be there to film it." Naruto said offhandedly. "So Soma, what your schedule?" he asked as he pulled out his class schedule.

Soma did the same "My first class is in Test Kitchen 3."

"Test Kitchen 2. Looks like we won't be having classes together." Soma said somewhat disappointed but he knew this would happen so he wasn't too upset about it.

"See you after class then?" Naruto held out his fist.

"Yeah" and Soma bumped it with his own. The two exchanged smiles of encouragement before Soma went his way.

That left Naruto and an empty field where the students had gathered. Well almost empty. There was still one student left, a girl sitting at the far end. Even from there, Naruto got a good enough look for her face and hair.

"That's right. I nearly forgot. She's here." The girl was obviously Tadokoro Megumi. The blue-haired girl seemed to be down on her mood. Naruto was about to approach her to talk to her and maybe cheer her up when his cellphone rang.

"Hello." He answered

["Naruto-kun"] the guy on the other line said

"Ah, dad, it's you. What'd you call for? My classes are about to begin soon."

["No doubt they will. I called you because I have something for you to do."]

"What?" Naruto asked with a curious frown. What could his father want?

["I sent Yaeko over to the school. She has something for you which I want you to give to a teacher there at Totsuki."]

"Huh? And what is this you want me to give and which teacher?" Great, first day at school and he was turned into an errand boy.

["What it is, is none of your concern. As for the teacher, you'll find out soon enough."]

"Fine, fine. So when is Minegasaki-san getting here?" Naruto was not in the mood to be late for his first class. Though years back, he took every chance to be tardy he could get.

["She should be there now"] and the line ended

"There you are, Naruto-kun." Naruto turned and found Yaeko.

'Dad wasn't kidding. But how did she find me so fast?' That was a question he wouldn't bother trying to find the answer to.

Her men strangely absent. She brought with her a large white briefcase which she was holding with one hand at her side. With her cellphone in her other hand, she sent Naruto a message. Yaeko lifted the briefcase up for Naruto take. When he did, he found himself nearly dropping it.

'Man, it's quite heavy!'

"I guess I should have told you it weighed a lot." Minegasaki Yaeko was stronger than she looked.

"No kidding." Naruto said with a twitching eyebrow. The weight didn't bother him. He could lift heavier things. It was being caught off guard that irked him.

"I'll leave you to it then, Naruto-kun." She turned around and put on her sunglasses. She waved him goodbye without even looking at him. "I'll give little Hikari your love."

Ah, yes. Minegasaki Hikari. At four years old, she was his youngest half-sister and his father's youngest daughter. Naruto had two more younger half-siblings out there. All born from his father's dalliances or ex-relationships after his mother died. Naruto got along pretty well with all his half-siblings. It was a family bond his father made sure they all developed.

Naruto smiled at the thought of his youngest sister. Which reminded him. He called out "Megumi-!" but she was already gone.

"Damn I missed her." Naruto shrugged "Oh well. I'll just have to find her later."

TEST KITCHEN 2

"Hey look, it's mister number seven." Murmured some of Naruto's classmates. Some just stared angrily at him. Two were giving him a serious, analyzing gaze, two were plainly looking at him and one gave him a rather calm smile.

The Instructor told them "You shall work in pairs in this class. Find a partner and get settled in."

Everyone started pairing up. By the end, that left Naruto with… a girl with short, violet hair wearing a Cheongsam.

"I guess we're partners. Hi, I'm Namikaze Naruto" Naruto introduced himself with a cheerful smile. He held out his hand but the girl didn't take it.

"Hojo Miyoko." She told him "I know who you are, Namikaze Naruto. You and the other guy, Yukihira Soma, made a lot of enemies earlier. Let me make things clear for you. I won't lose to you or any man here in this school or elsewhere. Understand? And you can pass on the message to Yukihira."

Naruto frowned but not because of Miyoko's unfriendly words but because he had been made an errand boy again. Miyoko of course misunderstood and smiled, thinking she managed to intimidate Naruto.

"Just stay out of my way." Naruto would have retorted but was stopped him when another student suddenly approached him. It was the one guy who gave him the calm smile when he entered the class earlier. He was chubby guy with spiky brown hair that pointed backwards.

Somewhere else in class, another blond was looking at the scene quite serious intent. He thought with a near sinister smile. 'Yes, that's it, Isami. Declare yourself his foe and refuse to lose to him. Stump his foot and grind it to show him you mean business!'

"Hi, I'm Isami Aldini. Nice to meet you." He introduced himself with an outstretched hand which Naruto excitedly took and shook it. "Namikaze Naruto."

"ISAMI!" the blond guy yelled as he suddenly appeared behind them all seemingly mad. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? DON'T SHAKE HANDS WITH HIM! WE TALKED ABOUT THIS! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO GRIND HIS FOOT WITH YOURS AND MAKE IT CLEAR YOU WOULDN'T LOSE TO HIM!"

"Relax, Big Bro." Isami told him

'Bro?' Naruto thought

'They look nothing alike.' Miyoko observed

Isami's brother had calm down and made his introduction "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Takumi Aldini, the twin brother of Isami Aldini."

At this point, everyone else in the room had been drawn to the four. None of them could see the resemblance between the two brothers.

"Aldini?" Miyoko crossed her arms "Hojo Miyoko" She said to the Aldini Brothers "Like you, I refuse to lose to him" She pointed a rather accusing finger at Naruto "But I also won't lose to you." That earned her a stern stare from Takumi. But the mood got a little lighter when she asked "You two are half Italian?"

"That is right." Stated Takumi proudly "Our father is Japanese. Our mother is Italian." Then he pointed a stiff and strong finger at Naruto "Listen here, Namikaze. From this day forth, my brother will do all in his power to crush you and any of your dishes." Then he turned around and walked back to his cooking station "Just as I will crush Yukihira."

"Wow-wee, your brother's quite the serious guy."

"Get to know him a while, Namikaze, and his actually a great person."

"Hey the more friends the merrier." Naruto smiled brightly.

"Friends?" Isami asked

"Of course, Isami-san. We're friends now." Isami only smiled and nodded, silently glad to have made a new friend. "And just call me Naruto."

Isami only nodded again before rejoining his brother.

"Ah it's so good to make new friends. Three in just one encounter."

"Three?" Miyoko looked at Naruto condescendingly "That Isami fellow maybe your friend and perhaps his brother. But not I. For today, I am just your class partner. In the school halls, we are just mere acquaintances. Nothing more"

Naruto spun around, looking deadpanned. Then he smiled at her and softly said "Challenge accepted." He'll make a friend of her yet.

"Bonjour, my Apprentis." It was Chef Roland Chapelle

"What's Chef Chapelle doing here?" one student asked

"Isn't he supposed to be in Test Kitchen 3?" asked another.

"Chef Chapelle?" Naruto spoke softly. He took out his phone and re-opened the message Yaeko sent him. His eyes shifted back and forth from his phone to Chef Chapelle. "Well that's one down." Naruto smiled, knowing the universe had just handed to him his first target and spared him the daunting task of actively looking for him.

But once again, Miyoko misunderstand. She thought he was underestimating Chef Chapelle's standards and sternness. "I wouldn't be smiling if I were you. Chef Chapelle is notorious for his strict grading. If he deems your dish undeserving of an A, you'll automatically get an E."

"Today, you shall prepare Boeuf Bourguignon. A staple in French Cuisine. The recipe shall be written on the board for all of you to follow. You have two hours to accomplish my task. Any dish at the end not worthy of an A will get an E."

"Wow, Miyoko-san, you weren't kidding." Naruto spoke quietly into her ear. She gave him no response.

Chef Chapelle ordered them to commence their cooking in French. Naruto didn't know jack about the French language. His only tip that they were to start cooking was how epic Chef Chapelle looked giving that order.

"Oi, Namikaze, I'll do all the cooking. You just get-" CLANK went the sound of a metal tray tapping the table "the ingredients." Miyoko was stunned by how fast he got the ingredients. She looked around. Everyone was still collecting theirs. "You're fast and attentive. I'll give you that."

Naruto grinned "You see. I'm not such a bad guy."

Miyoko rolled her eyes "Don't make me take it back, Namikaze."

"Just call me Naruto, Miyoko-san." Miyoko gave no response again "So are you sure you want to do all the cooking?" he gave her a teasing look but Miyoko was not amused. She merely began the first step in the recipe.

Miyoko was confident she could finish the dish by herself and score an A. But Naruto wasn't about to allow himself stand idly by. This was a partnership for crying out loud. So he went on to prepare the serving dish and utensils. When he quickly finished that, he went on to chop the vegetables needed for the dish despite the irritated stare Miyoko gave him for going against her order.

But prideful and competitive as she was, she was also practical. She wasn't about to throw away what Naruto had prepared just so she could prepare it herself. They may just finish this earlier than expected.

And ultimately they did. While waiting for the beef to be braised, Miyoko's strong and powerful stares sent any would-be saboteurs away. That and Naruto was to be playing with a knife. Miyoko didn't bother trying to stop him. It was his fingers and he should be responsible enough. Naruto beat Miyoko in giving their dish its final touches and placing it on the serving tray.

Naruto held the serving tray in one hand while his other hand brought the white briefcase. It was only now that Miyoko noticed it. Takumi had frowned upon knowing Naruto and Miyoko had readied their dish first. But being first didn't necessarily mean it would be good. Takumi could only wait for their evaluation.

"Your dish deserves an A Rating." Chef Roland told them plainly.

Miyoko smiled triumphantly. Despite Naruto's help, she still viewed the dish as mostly her doing. Naruto was just relieved it got them an A. He never got an A in his life. He should thank Miyoko for this at some point.

To Takumi, this was a near lose. Isami didn't mind. Their dish was finished anyway and ready to be served.

Takumi and Isami were behind Naruto and Miyoko when "Ah, wait a second." Naruto placed the white briefcase on the floor. He bent down to open the case and pulled out its sole content, the source of some of the weight of the briefcase. "A gift from my father to you." He presented Chef Roland the gift.

The wrapping was golden with a silver ribbon. He placed down on the table, gently pushing aside their delivered dish. It was ten inches long, nearly five inches thick and six inches wide. Chef Roland only stared at it for a moment. The other students looked at the scene with curious eyes.

Roland Chapelle raised his head and said to Naruto "Namikaze Naruto, was it?" Naruto nodded. "Young man, did you bother to read the Student Handbook of the school."

"Nope." Naruto said bluntly. His classmates behind him facefaulted.

"Well if you did, you would have known that attempting to bribe a teacher is punishable by expulsion."

The other students' eyes widen after hearing that. They were thinking how stupid Naruto was and that now he was going to be expelled for bribery of all reasons. Takumi though wasn't happy. He wanted for Isami to beat him before he got expelled. Miyoko spared him a glance but that was it.

"But this isn't a bribe. This is a gift from my dad." Naruto explained. He wasn't worried since he wasn't in the wrong in this.

"A gift from a parent still constitutes as a bribe."

Naruto sighed "Just open the gift, Chapelle-sensei. You'll find out it's nothing of the sort."

Chef Chapelle's stoic face betrayed nothing. Being the classed man he was, he slowly and delicately removed the wrapping. What happened next would be forever remembered by all those present.

Roland's eyes widen as he saw it. It was a book. Hardbound, thick with pages of high quality paper with a certain appealing scent to it. It wasn't a dish but it had the French Chef drooling.

He gulped as he run his hand across the smooth cover of the book. "Icha Icha Paradise Volume 37 Special Limited Illustrated Edition." He whispered and only Miyoko and Naruto could hear. He opened the book. It's very first page was a dedication and it read: To my friend and mentor in French Cuisine: Roland Chapelle. Chef Roland, keep teaching those kids what you have always been teaching.

The paper of high quality felt so smooth to the touch.

He looked up at Naruto again. It was only now he was beginning to see the resemblance. But he had to be sure. "Young man, how did your father come by this book?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head while giving a stupid smile "Well simple. He wrote it." The answer caused Miyoko's eyes to widen. Chef Chapelle nodded. It was all the answer he needed. He went over to the very back and saw the 'About the Author'. Uzumaki Minato it said.

Chef Roland Chapelle smiled. It was a very perverted smile.

A third of his students had their jaws dropped. Another third flinched and took a quick step back. The remaining third pinched themselves. This very moment was inconceivable to them. They were all under the impression it would take an exceptional dish to force a smile from the French teacher. Yet the new guy came in. With a book of all things. They were of course ignorant as to what it was so were all wondering what it could possibly be.

Yoshino Yuki took a picture.

"Wait till Megumi and the guys back at the dorm see this." Sakaki Ryoko said excitedly while examining the picture Yuki had taken with her phone.

Roland closed the book shut. "Namikaze Naruto." He called

"Yes, sir!"

"I shall give my thanks to your father personally. But I give you my thanks for handing me this book. It is quite heavy as expected so it must have been an effort to carry it around with you."

"It was nothing," Naruto gave him a wide grin. Despite hating being an errand boy, Naruto enjoyed making people happy. Jiraiya originally started the book series. Naruto remembered all those times he saw the old pervert write them or plan them out. When Jiraiya stopped, his father took over and finished the book series. His work was apparently well received he made his own series.

Namikaze Naruto had no absolutely idea what was written inside those books.

Suddenly Roland Chapelle rose from his seat. He cleared his throat with a small cough. He spoke calmly and with a tone befitting a gentleman "Ahem, attention my young Apprentis. I am going to give you to the count of three. All those who fail to comply shall receive an E. You shall cease any and all activity, turn off your ovens and burners and get the hell out of this classroom. One…"

Well they needed to wait for him to count to two. Everyone immediately shut off their ovens, dropped their tools on the table and made a fast dash to the doors. Violently pushing if they thought it necessary.

The last to leave were Naruto, Miyoko, Takumi and Isami. "Wait a moment, Namikaze." Naruto paused but the other three paused with him. "It would most wise if you read that Handbook. It would be a shame if you were expelled for, let's say, littering of all things." Naruto told him he would. Probably after he has procrastinated a good amount of hours beforehand.

Naruto got one last glimpse of Chef Chapelle starting to read the book with a calm and patient expression. The four had found the hallways near empty. Their classmates have scattered quickly it seemed.

"Oi, Namikaze! Just what the hell did you give to Chef Roland? Because of that, we never got to present our dish." Takumi demanded an explanation.

"I second that!" Yuki made her and Ryoko's presence noticed. "Tell us, transfer student. What kind of gift made Chef Chapelle act so… so…?" She pressed a finger to her chin while thinking

"Out of character" Ryoko provided

"Yes, that's it!"

"I don't know." Naruto shrugged "It was just a book."

"Just a book? Don't you play dumb with us!" Takumi accused. On the side, Isami tried to calm him down but to no avail. "No ordinary book could make Chef Chapelle smile so serenely. Not to mention make him cancel class and dismiss us right off the bat." The source of Takumi's annoyance was the fact Chef Chapelle cancelled their class thus he wasn't able to judge their Boeuf Bourguignon. It would have been an Aldini victory if they managed to impress Chef Chapelle better with their dish.

"I'll tell you what it was." Miyoko volunteered though she didn't seem pleased. "It was an Icha Icha Paradise Book." The Aldini Brothers gasped with wide eyes. "Not only that, it was apparently a special edition with illustrations."

"No way." Takumi said skeptically.

The two brothers remembered seeing their parents and uncle read those books. They would always have some weird smile on their lips while blushing heavily. When they asked what it was about, they always said to wait until they were legally adults. Of course the brothers weren't stupid and made some near accurate guesses.

"Icha Icha?" Yuki questioned with her cute expression "What's that?"

Ryoko's face was shade of red. She remembered reading five chapters' worth of one book some years ago when her mother had absentmindedly left it unattended on their table at home.

Miyoko also had experience with the book. Her father and his chefs all read them and always hid them from her. If the chefs in her father's restaurant weren't trying to undermine her, they were reading them. Like the Aldini Brothers, she never laid eyes on the books' content but deduced what they were about.

Miyoko, Ryoko and the Aldini Brothers creeped their heads at Naruto's direction. Yuki was pressing Naruto to tell her what the book was about. 'This guy,' they collectively thought after hearing the whiskered blond's answer to the happy-go-lucky girl 'has no idea his father writes smut.' Granted while they were familiar with the book series and it was generally about, they didn't know the name of the author.

"What?" Naruto asked noticing their stares

The four exhaled "Nothing." Best to leave those ignorant, ignorant they supposed.

TEST KITCHEN THREE (Simultaneously Happening)

"The last time I cooked in class was for Home Economics." Soma bounced an onion in his hand, once again oblivious to the hateful stares of those around him.

After Megumi told him why she was repeatedly writing the word "Man" on her palm and their introductions to each other, their teacher arrived.

"Good morning, my young students." A cheerful womanly voice said

"Good morning, sensei." They replied

"Now I know you were expecting Chef Chapelle to be your instructor today but a last minute change was made and here I am. Greetings, I am Ichiraku Ayame." She said with a polite bow.

Megumi gasped in recognition of her name. Other students murmured. This did not go unnoticed by Soma. But before he could ask, Ayame had continued.

"Today, you shall cook and serve" She started writing the name on the whiteboard "Ichiraku-Style Goddess Ramen." Only Soma has heard of it. The keyword is heard. "This ramen is among the higher tier Ramen being served in the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. Your dish must be deserving of an A. Anything less is unacceptable." She told them with a gleeful tone "You have no time limit. You can make it over and over again if you feel it isn't right yet."

They saw some men of the janitorial staff bring in a huge trash can and placed it beside her table. While her aid wrote the recipe down. Ayame took her seat after instructing them to begin. Apparently they also had to make the noodles from scratch.

"Sheesh, Ayame-senpai is being scary again." Soma commented

"W-what do you mean?" Megumi asked him

"Well…"

FLASHBACK – SIX YEARS AGO

(You see, Tadokoro-san, a couple of years back, my dad had to leave for somewhere and left me in the care of Ayame-senpai and her family. She, her father and Naruto are Ramen specialists and I wanted to learn how to cook their Ramen.)

(Eh, Naruto?)

(You know, the guy with me today. So anyway I went through their secret cookbooks and willy-nilly made their Jiraiya Ramen. One of the middle tier Ramen in their menu. And then…)

Nine-year-old Soma held a tray in his little hands with the bowl of Jiraiya Ramen was placed.

"Easy, Soma." Teuchi said "You might spill it."

Soma nodded but went to fourteen-year-old Ayame for evaluation. "Here you go." Little Soma said as he carefully laid the tray on the table. Soma was eager to hear Ayame's thoughts on his work. Ayame took in its aroma but gave no apparent reaction to it. Soma was excited when he saw Ayame dipped her pinky finger into the broth.

It was at that moment where ten-year-old Naruto walked in and saw what was happening. "SOMA, NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he cried but it was too late.

Ayame had already licked the broth from her finger. What happened next was something Soma would never forget.

(And so will everyone in this class, I just know it. Hehehehe…)

The bowl of Ramen Soma prepared was thrown to the nearest trash bin. Ayame had never looked so mad, so sinister, so… evil. "Soma, how dare you serve me such low par ramen… from our own menu for Kami-sama's sake. The Food of the Gods… it's, it's… THIS IS A DISGRACE, YUKIHIRA SOMA!" she roared while Little Soma got even smaller.

Naruto could do nothing but stand at the sidelines.

(To tell you what she said next would bring up too many embarrassing memories but let's just say I got quite the tongue lashing that day. But I also learned to cook Ramen a hundred times better so it wasn't all bad.)

(She's that cruel when it comes to Ramen?)

(Is she cruel? Hardly. Old man Teuchi? Now that was old guy was cruel. Well at least that's what Naruto told me. I was never at the receiving end of Teuchi-san's cruel lectures when it came to Ramen. That was all Naruto-senpai.)

END FLASHBACK

If Megumi was shaking before, her shakes had just gotten a whole lot worse after hearing Soma's tale. She never expected this. Chef Chapelle was notorious with his grading but he never raised his voice when a student failed to meet expectations. And from what she just learned from Soma, Ichiraku Ayame was someone you did not want to displease when it came to Ramen.

Megumi's father had taught her how to cook Ramen before when she was younger but her mother didn't allow her to focus much on it. Now she kind of wished she did. It would be of some help right now.

Even now while Ayame sat quietly and peacefully with her arms and hands rested on the table while benevolently observing her students, Megumi could see a cold, menacing purple aura surrounding her.

"Don't worry, Tadokoro-san, I've improved since then. I'll get us through this. Just trust me, all right." Soma was very confident. He removed his headband form his arm and tied it over his forehead.

Even though Megumi had just met and despite being school enemy number one or two - Megumi wasn't sure -, she found herself believing him. Yukihira Soma, she determined, was someone she could put her faith in.

With some confidence of her own surfacing, Megumi formed an eager fist and told her partner "And I'll gather the ingredients."

Soma smiled at her newfound confidence. He would have told her "That's the spirit" but she took off in a blue blur, not unlike Naruto when he was cooking. Sure, she was clearly slower than Naruto, but he couldn't help but notice the similarity.

Their classmates took notice of it too. How she carefully dashed pass them, acquiring the necessary ingredients. But quickly thought nothing more of it. They did after all have more pressing matters to attend to. Before Soma knew it, Megumi had return with a tray full of ingredients.

"Let's get ourselves an A, Tadokoro-san."

"Yes!"

The pair worked together, taking great care in following the recipe down to the letter. Ayame had given them plenty of time and they would make good use of it. There was no need to rush. Most teachers could appreciate and applaud student when they tried to be creative with a dish. But Soma knew from personal experience not to ad lib without express permission to do so from the Ichiraku chefs.

Soma never did get to try cooking the higher tier of the Ichiraku Menu. So he planned to finally get the good feedback from Ayame which he failed to do years back by properly creating the Ichiraku-Style Goddess Ramen.

"There is no rushing Ramen." Soma muttered. It was a lesson given to him by Teuchi. Well that rule of course only applied to the more elegant and carefully prepared Ramen which was meant to be savored. And while Ramen was intended to be delicious every time it's made, the rule didn't apply to the more commonly made Ramen. Ramen after all was meant to be ordered fast, served fast and eaten fast.

Sometime later, Megumi and Soma's Ramen was only halfway done while everyone else seemed to be nearly finished. They all gave them smug, condescending looks, thinking how Soma and Megumi failed to do it quickly.

From the corner of his eye, Soma saw one pair taking their product to the seemingly docile teacher. With pure sincerity, Soma inwardly wished them good luck. With someone like Ichiraku Ayame as your examiner, you'd need it.

"First comes the aroma test." Soma whispered to himself

Ayame dumped the bowls contents into the trash bin before letting the bowl itself join its former contents.

With frightening narrowed eyes, she glares at the first pair. "The aroma was off. Start over." No need to be told twice, the first pair went to work again.

Then a second pair came forward. "Here comes the pinky dip." Sure enough, Soma saw it.

Ayame had dipped her pinky finger into the broth. And even though it was someone's dish, Soma couldn't help but hold his breath waiting for what Ayame had to say.

CRASH! SPLATTER!

The bowl was immediately thrown into the trash. The sudden noise shocked the students. All eyes were on the new teacher.

'This can't be good.' Soma thought.

"YOU CALL THIS WORTHY OF AN A RATING! THIS PIECE OF CRAP ISN'T EVEN WORTH AN E! THE FLAVOR IS WRONG! IT'S ALL WRONG!" She yelled as she rose from her seat and the fires of hell burnt behind her. The pair in front of her were shaking. "Ramen is the FOOD OF THE GODS and you DARE serve me such low quality ramen! The Food of the Gods is not a dish to be taken lightly! Didn't I give plenty of time to get it right?! The boiling time was off, you added too much salt." And Ayame continued to harshly enumerate what they did wrong. And that was only for the broth. The two students by the end had melted into puddles.

Megumi was once again a shivering mess. "S-S-Soma-kun, is that what you mean by cruel?"

Soma seemed nonchalant about it. He said in a rather goofy manner "Sure is. But don't focus on that now, Tadokoro-san."

"Repeat it!" Ayame ordered "No Ramen of any kind will get an E in my class. None of you shall leave this kitchen until you get an A!"

The pair quickly recovered from the puddle they've become and rushed back to their station. They weren't about to squander a second chance. Even if that chance meant staying within the kitchen longer than intended.

"W-w-wait, Soma-kun" Megumi was worried they'd get the same tongue lashing as the previous two. "Maybe we should start over, you know. Just to be sure."

Nearly everyone else did. As soon as Ayame had told them to start over and continue to cook until they got it right, they had dumped their initial creations. The students were more eager to get it right the first and only time. Partly because they didn't want to remain in the kitchen the whole day. But mostly because they didn't want to be severely berated by that devil of a woman.

A third pair that didn't start over stepped up. Everyone held their breath as Soma did when Ayame had dipped her finger into the broth. To the relief of everyone especially the third pair, Ayame didn't violently throw the bowl into the trash.

"Now for the one bite" True enough, Ayame took a bite from one noodle. And then…

CRASH!

"THAT WAS HORRIBLE!" And she went on to say what was wrong with the noodles this time. After which she told the second pair to start over.

A shaking Megumi held on to Soma. "Soma-kun, is she always like this? I know Ramen is the Food of the Gods but…"

"Nah…" he told her plainly "She's only like this when it comes to Ramen. So was her old man. When it comes to all other non-Ramen dishes, she's pretty much a nice evaluator. When I tried cooking the few non-Ramen meals in their menu, she was quite gentle in telling me what I did wrong. It's just that Ramen is the food of the gods as she and a few other people I know call it that she can get quite violent about it."

Soma rubbed his chin in thought "Honestly, the Yukihira Style Fried Rice should be the Food of the Gods." Soma laughed but Megumi raised a questioning eyebrow at his words.

At this point, their Ramen was done. Before everyone knew it, they were before Ayame-sensei, waiting to be evaluated. Everyone waited for Ayame-sensei to give Soma and Megumi a harsh lecture.

Ayame looked impressed. "Ohh…" No finger dipping, no single bites. She took in the aroma and sighed happily. This time Ayame took a spoon full. She savored all of it in her mouth. Ayame appeared quite pleased. 'The broth tastes amazing. The noodles, the flavor of the vegetables, all of it is just wonderful.'

Now entering Ichiraku Ayame's Food Vision.

The sky was a clear blue with a brightly white light shining down on a peaceful Ayame who, in a plain white robe, was lying down on a bed of wriggling ramen noodles as it ascended to the sky, ascended to the Goddess who was waiting to take Ayame into her loving, comforting arms. Ayame reached out for her though she was clearly still too far away.

In the real world, she had just slurped in the last string of noodle. Then she carefully drunk the whole broth.

"Delicious." Ayame-sensei looked so peaceful saying that

"What!"

"No way!"

"That punk of a transfer student beat us!"

"Yukihira Soma, Tadokoro Megumi, excellent work. Your attention to the details of the instructions as well as your careful preparations has led to such a delicious serving of Ramen. You two get a well-deserved A."

A golden victory for Soma this was. The only thing better would have been to finally beaten his father in a cook-off. Soma removed his headband and proudly declared "Glad you like it!"

Megumi, her hand over her chest, sighed in relief. 'I evaded expulsion. I guess Soma-kun isn't as bad as he made himself to be. Thank you, Soma-kun'

"After you've cleaned up station and returned your all your kitchen tools, you two may do as you please." Ayame gestured to the door. "Next" she cheerfully called out to the others.

Soma took care of their equipment and left Megumi to cleanse their area. Once again, Soma was unaware of the ire of their classmates. Megumi tried her best to ignore them. Afterwards, Megumi approached Soma near the classroom's cabinets and thanked Soma for what he did for her. She was on thin ice and was a step away from expulsion. Thanks to Yukihira, she got to remain a student of Totsuki a little longer.

"I'm looking forward to working with you more in the future." The redhead gave her a thumb's up. "But you should give yourself a pat in the back. You helped out too, you know."

Megumi nodded. "But still, you really helped me out. I was a one E away from being kicked out. Please let me repay you for this. I know a place that serves some really good food. It will be my treat."

Had Soma been any other guy, he would have wrongly perceived this as a date. But Soma wasn't any other guy and Megumi wasn't asking him for a date. "Come now, Tadokoro-san." He waved his hand as a sign of no. "It was nothing really. Even you seemed a little knowledgeable about the dish in subject today." Soma would have pressed further but Megumi spoke up.

"Then think of it as a celebration of our new partnership."

"Funny you should mention that. How about you become my food taster? Try my latest recipe."

"Sure. I'd love to taste your dishes." Hook, line and sinker

"I'm glad to hear that." Soma's voice got suspicious. He took out a squid tentacle soaked in honey with a pair of chopsticks.

"What is that?" the blue-haired girl asked, nervously curious.

"Honey pickled squid." Then he jammed it in her mouth.

Cue the Honey Squid Tentacle Groping vision sequence.

Megumi screamed her immense dislike of the Honey Squid.

THE TEST KITCHEN HALLWAY

Soma and Megumi exited their classroom. Megumi was still shaking from the trauma of the Honey Pickled Squid.

"Hey look," Yuki jumped "It's Megumi-chan" She hugged her friend and dormmate. She didn't seem to notice Megumi's state of distress. "Come on, let's head back to the dorm! You won't believe what happened today! I can't wait to tell you and everyone back at the dorm!" She said cheerfully and began tagging Megumi along with Ryoko beside them.

But they paused and looked back. "Oh we almost forgot. I'm Yoshino Yuki." She told Soma and Naruto

"My name's Sakaki Ryoko." She bowed in greeting.

"Well, we better head back to our dorm" Yuki started running, dragging Megumi along "See you later." She waved at them

"Wait for me, Yuki." Ryoko tried catching up to her.

Naruto looked on as Megumi was dragged away. 'Damn, she didn't even notice me. No bother. I'll talk to her next time.'

"They seemed to be an interesting duo." Soma commented, bringing Naruto out his thoughts.

"So how was your first day?" Naruto wrapped his arm over his friend's shoulder.

"Ayame-senpai is here." Soma said deadpanned, causing Naruto to drop his arm

"Eh?"

"Yeah, surprised me too. Wait, you mean she didn't tell you she'd be working here?"

"No."

"Must have meant to surprise us. Whoops, guess I spoiled it for you." The two friends laughed

Isami, Takumi and Miyoko sweatdropped 'Just what are they talking about?'

"But seriously, Soma," Naruto's face betrayed no other emotion except seriousness "was she harsh?"

Muffled CRASH!

"YOU CALL THAT RAMEN?! IT MIGHT AS WELL BE SHIT SHAPED LIKE A STRING SOAKED IN PISS! AGAIN!" They heard Ayame yelled from within her classroom.

Soma's face mimicked Naruto's "Is the sky blue?"

"I'll take that as a yes."

'What…!' Takumi

'…the hell…!' Miyoko

'…was that!' Isami

Their eyes on the door of Ayame's Test Kitchen. It wouldn't be the first time they've heard a teacher yell because a student failed to get it right. It wouldn't be the first time a teacher has thrown a plate or bowl if that crash was any indication of the sort. But the language… how could any professional teacher use more than one swear word in the same sentence?

Then Naruto remembered the three other students in the hallway with them. "Ah, yes. Perfect timing. Soma let me introduce to you our newest friends." Naruto pointed at Miyoko and the Aldini Brothers.

'When did we become your friends?' Takumi and Miyoko both thought. It wasn't that they truly disliked Naruto. It was just they saw him as someone to not get beaten by.

"The cute girl-"

"Cute?!" Miyoko was taken aback. No one's ever described her as cute.

"-is Hojo Miyoko. The other two guys are-" Naruto stopped when Takumi stepped forward and introduced himself to Soma in his own way.

"Yukihira Soma" Takumi stepped on Soma's foot and grinded it. Normally Naruto would have told Takumi to stop. But Naruto figured this was just his way of making friends with Soma

"I'm correct to assume your grinding of your foot on mine is intentional since it's been about ten seconds." Soma looked the half Italian with smug and confidence.

"I was wondering when I'd get to mess with you. Who would have thought I'd be lucky enough to encounter the two transfer students on the very same day?" Takumi told him. "Listen well, Yukihira Soma. I am Takumi Aldini and I… Will. Crush. You! Just like I crushed your shoe!"

"Oh?"

Naruto cut in "Don't think of it too much, Soma. This is Takumi's way of saying he wants to be friends."

Chibi Takumi yelled at him "NO, IT ISN'T!" Naruto just smiled stupidly.

"And I'm Isami Aldini. I'm Takumi's younger twin brother." Soma nodded though inwardly he pondered on how Isami could say he was twins with Takumi. They looked nothing alike.

"Now that you've made your point," Soma got Takumi's attention back "how's about you take your shoe off my foot!"

"Hmph!" Takumi removed his foot "Isami, let's go! Until we meet again, Yukihira, Namikaze!" he said all cool. Isami gave Soma, Naruto and Miyoko a polite bow and went with his brother.

"Yukihira Soma" It was Miyoko this time "As I told your friend Naruto and as Takumi told you, I don't intend to lose to you either. If we ever butt heads in the kitchen, I will beat you." Then she left as well.

"Wow, Naruto, you sure do meet the most interesting of people." Soma beamed "And it's only the first day."

"I'm sure things will continued to get interesting and fun around here."

THE PATH TO THE POLAR STAR DORMITORY - Later That Day at Dusk

"Geez, how far is this place!"

Soma, frustrated and upset, was on his way to the Polar Star Dormitory. It was at this moment the size of the school really got on his nerves. He had been walking for some time now and he was getting dead tired. It was at this moment where he started to regret not considering Naruto's offer.

FLASHBACK

"Oi, Soma, come with me to the hotel I'm staying at. We could be roommates." Naruto gave him a thumbs up.

Soma waved him no "Sorry, Naruto. But I think I'll head for the Polar Star Dormitory." In his hand was the map to the place.

"Why?"

"If I can be frank, your room's probably not going to be all that spacious. I don't want to really make your room crampy even in the slightest." The redhead answered

"Actually-"

"More importantly, heading over to that dorm might be my chance to make some interesting friends myself. You already had a head start. 5 to 1, I won't let you beat me in that department, senpai." He pointed a challenging finger at Naruto

"So we're also having a contest on who gets the most friends?" Naruto smiled as he crossed his arms. Naruto knew it wasn't really a contest. He figured Soma just wanted to meet more people "All right then, you go make some friends."

The two bumped fists and went their own way.

END FLASHBACK

"I knew I should have at least asked him where he was staying at!" Soma spat but his mood lightened when the Polar Star Dorm was in sight. "Thank goodness. It was starting to get cold here."

UZUMAKI TOWER

Naruto had found himself in the company of the Aldini Brothers. Not that that was a bad thing. It all started when Naruto had run into them while trying to find a taxi. The brothers were for one to take them to the hotel they were staying at. When one came, Isami made the suggestion Naruto joining them. Provided of course Naruto paid his share. It wasn't a problem. Naruto was more than willing to pay his share.

The brothers took the backseat and Naruto the passenger seat up front. Takumi had told the driver where to take them. Naruto had given him a card.

It was a silent ride. Takumi had taken out a booklet to read while Isami was playing on his phone. Naruto, seated on the passenger seat, noticed the road they were on was familiar and it would pass by a certain hotel.

'So the driver is dropping me off first.' Naruto concluded "Hey you guys, I'm about to be dropped off. How's about we celebrate our first day as friends? Dinner on me. How about it?" He offered.

Takumi looked at him seriously "Where do you propose we eat tonight, Namikaze?"

"Just call me, Naruto." He told Takumi. Just then the taxi stopped. They had arrived at Naruto's intended destination. Naruto got out and announced "This place." His arm gesturing to the imposing tower before them. Naruto paid his share while Takumi looked out of his window. His mouth wide open from being stunned.

The blond Italian quickly shot out of the taxi followed by his brother who had paid for the ride.

'Seems we won't be going home just yet.' Isami thought

"Oi, Namikaze, what game are you playing at?"

"Eh?"

"This is Uzumaki Tower. The main headquarters of the Uzumaki Hotel and Restaurant Chain. The most luxurious, most expensive hotel owned by the franchise and one of the best here in Toyko. Uzumaki Minato, greatest Ramen chef in all of Japan. Not only does he own this hotel but also cooks here. You honestly expect us to believe that you could afford paying dinner for three here."

Naruto answered him plainly "Sure do."

"Very well then. Just don't expect us to help you clean any dishes once you fail to pay up." Naruto smiled and assured them they wouldn't.

The three students of Totsuki entered the hotel's front door. The lobby was filled with people. Either just sitting down and reading, checking in or checking out. Naruto told the brothers to take a seat at the lounge while he went off to get them a table in the restaurant.

"Brother, we're not seriously going to let Naruto pay for our dinner, are we?" Isami asked his older brother

"Of course not, Isami. This is clearly just a prank. We'll just see how far he'll take it. At what point will he come off it and admit this is all a prank? Don't tell me you seriously think he could afford to eat here."

Isami looked down. Naruto didn't seem to be liar. He did look like a prankster for sure but it didn't seem like he was kidding about treating them for dinner. "I don't know. It seemed like he really meant it."

"While I meant what I said. You and I won't be lending a hand if in case he doesn't have the means to pay."

A minute later, Naruto returned with a grin on his face. "Great news, I got us a private Teppanyaki at a Penthouse Suite upstairs."

The latest revelation caused Takumi to jump out of his seat. "What!" Takumi looked mad. He was up in Naruto's face at this point "Now I know you must be pulling our legs! Do you have any idea just how much it would cost? A private cooking performance… in a Penthouse Suite of all places?" Isami tried to get his brother to stop but the elder of the twins won't hear it. Takumi took a step back just so he could point the second accusing finger of the day at the Naruto.

"Just admit it. This is all just some joke. We won't hold it against you if you admit it now."

Naruto just smiled "I kid you not, Takumi-san."

Takumi didn't look pleased. He took a breath. "Fine. But remember what I said, neither Isami nor I will help you clean any dishes afterwards."

"Sure, sure."

An employee came over and guided them to an elevator. The elevator took them to their destination. Once it opened, Takumi couldn't help but remain skeptical. It was the penthouse suite Naruto had told them about. They noticed the deadpan look Naruto was giving the suite. It begged the question why would he? The Penthouse was amazing.

The glass windows gave a remarkable view of the city. It was already night the lights were abound. The three carefully observed the suite. It seemed to have five baths, five bedrooms, a kitchen and an entertainment area. Typically, only the wealthiest of clients and guest stayed in such lavish accommodations. But Naruto seemed to have managed to acquire it for them.

'Man, this place is even bigger than I had given in credit for.' It was partly why he invited Soma to live with him. 'I knew I should have insisted.'

They soon got to the main event. They found the Teppanyaki table meant for them. Their chef had his back turned to them. But it seemed he was making some last minute inspections. Then he turned around as he heard their footsteps.

"Good evening, so you must be the ones I'm cooking for this night." The chef greeted with an eager smile.

The brothers were dumbfounded and struggled to return the greeting. While Naruto appeared to be excited. "Whoa, so you're cooking for us tonight! Amazing!"

Takumi took hold of his fellow blond's shoulders "Naruto, do you know who that is?" He pointed at their chef.

"Of course I do." However, Takumi didn't seem to have heard him.

Keeping one hand on Naruto, he pointed at their chef "That man is Uzumaki Minato, the owner and the head chef of this hotel."

Isami continued further "An alumnus of Totsuki, graduated as the Fourth Seat of the Elite Ten."

"Exactly!" exclaimed Isami "He also won the third Food of the Gods Tournament and because of that he has had a lot of say in regards to the quality of Ramen all over Japanese."

Minato interjected with a caring smile "Now, now, there's no need to tell him all that." He motioned for them to take their seats. "Naruto already knows all that."

The three teenage boys got seated "If you knew all that, why are you acting as though being served by him isn't such a big deal? More importantly, why does it sound as though Chef Uzumaki has a sense of familiarity with you?"

"It is a big deal. It's just that…"

"It's just that," Minato finished for him "Naruto-kun here is my son." He revealed casually

Takumi and Isami were taken aback with the whole wide blank eyes and the dropped jaw. They shifted their heads back and forth from Naruto to Minato.

Takumi jumped from his seat "You're Chef Uzumaki's son!"

"Yup!" Naruto confirmed with a stupid smile.

"But you don't share the same family name."

Isami however was deep in thought. Everything started to make sense. Plus, after giving it some thought, Naruto did look like a younger, blond version of the redheaded Chef. Then at the same time – must be a twin thing – the brothers remembered. This man was Naruto's father. Naruto's father wrote those books of smut. Like a slideshow playing in their minds, the brothers recalled all the times they saw their parents and uncle reading them, the times they would hear loud noises coming from their parents' room at night after they read it. Even to most recently, Chef Chapelle dismissing their class before he got to grade anyone else's.

This time, Takumi's finger of accusation was directed at Minato. Great Chef be damned. "YOU WROTE THOSE BOOKS!"

Minato chose not to entertain that. "Settle down." He told him "So you are my son's new friends."

Isami responded immediately though Takumi hesitated. The elder twin gave it some thought. Naruto had been nothing but nice to them. Friendly even though he has denied them being friends earlier in the day. Even got them here in front of a renowned chef as a way of celebrating their new friendship. His views on wanting to beat both Naruto and Soma didn't change but… 'But maybe having a friend like Naruto isn't so bad.' And he spoke with a small smile "Yeah, I guess we are."

"Well you're in for a real treat tonight." And Minato got cooking.

"A job well done." Minato told himself after seeing the contented looks on the faces of his son and his son's friends.

The three were so immersed in the aftermath that they failed to notice Minato pushed the table into opening in the wall. Minato's Teppanyaki table had wheels apparently and there were some secret tunnels in the Suite.

"That was amazing." Isami cooed as he patted his full belly. "No one back at the academy is going to believe this."

"You said it, Isami-san." Naruto agreed with a contented smile.

Oh Takumi recalled it all. The show Chef Uzumaki put on was amazing. His quick movements, his excellent hand and eye coordination. They didn't have those in Italy but now he was contemplating of doing it when they returned to Trattoria Aldini. His food was heavenly. All three of them felt like that died for a second and got a taste of heaven. Chef Uzumaki lived up to his reputation. All of this served to inspire Takumi to become a better chef and crush Yukihira along the way.

Too bad Chef Minato didn't serve them his infamous Ramen.

"Hey, Naruto, I'd like to apologize for before. I shouldn't have said all those things. I insinuated you were a liar. My brother and I will pay our share."

"Don't worry about it, Takumi. It's all good. But there's no need for you to pay."

If Takumi was impressed or baffled at how Naruto didn't seem to mind being thought of as a liar, Takumi didn't show it "No, Naruto. We insist. We're not some charity case. Regardless of how expensive, we'll give what is due."

"No, no, Takumi-kun. My dad said it's on the house."

"Huh?" That meant they were served by an Elite Chef with no charges at all. "Now no one's going to believe this ever happened." But they found themselves laughing.

"Bro, I'm so full I don't think I can get up and leave."

"Then don't." Naruto rose from his seat. "From now on, you guys will be my roommates."

"Roommates?"

"Yup. This suite is huge! You can't expect me to live here by my lonesome." Minato had insisted Naruto lived here. For a guy who had sent him off with Jiraiya at the age of 7 and remained with the Ichiraku form the age of 9, all for the sake of being humble and all that, it was ironic his father made him stay here. This penthouse was enough to fit ten people comfortably.

"You're going to live here in this Penthouse while going to Totsuki. No wait. That's beside the point." Takumi got up "Don't go making decisions regarding us all random. Besides even if we did agree to live here, our clothes, our belongings are still at our hotel."

Naruto pointed at several bags at the entrance of the kitchen. "Already had that taken care of. Dad had his men gather your things and brought it over. Don't worry. They knew what they were doing and all your possessions are intact."

"What the hell?! What did I just say?!"

"Come on now, Bro. It's not that bad. The view is great too." Takumi had found his brother standing by the glass walls.

"Plus there's a spa somewhere in the hotel in case you want to relax or reward yourself for a job well done at school." Naruto informed him.

Takumi sighed "Fine. We'll stay here and be your new roommates." The blond Italian gave Naruto a demanding look "But under two conditions."

"Name it."

"We'll pay for our share of this suite. We are not a charity case and we never will be." It was matter of pride but Naruto could understand.

"Fine but only a certain percentage. If you and Takumi paid for half the suite, you'll be out of money by the fourth month." It was expensive after all. Takumi agreed.

"So what's the second demand?"

"It's not really a demand, Namikaze. It's more of a clarification. Naruto, my brother and I agreed to be your roommates only because… you begged us."

Naruto lightly smiled "Sure, whatever. And just call me Naruto."

"Also," Takumi digged into one of his pants' pockets. "Here," he pulled out a little booklet and handed it to Naruto, "I overheard a while ago. The thing about you needing to read the Student Handbook. I don't want you getting expelled for something like littering of all things."

"Is the school really that stingy about littering?" Not that Naruto was an inconsiderate litter bug.

"Oh that's just one of the many things the school is stingy about. Now get to reading, Naruto!"

THE POLAR STAR DORMITORY – Earlier that same Evening

Megumi was in Marui Zenji's room where all the Polar Star Dormitory inhabitants were celebrating Soma's membership to the dorm. Duh! Soma sat next to her, noting they're staying in the same dorm. Megumi asked Soma where Naruto had gone to.

"Huh, oh Naruto-senpai, he had his own place to stay. Invited me along but I decided to go here instead." Soma answered

"Soma-kun, if you don't mind me asking. How did you come to know Naruto?"

"You could say we are childhood friends. I met him when I was eight and he was nine. His foster folks owned a small local restaurant next to mine. Sometimes they eat at our place. Sometimes my dad and I eat at theirs." Soma remembered those good times.

Yuki and the others heard "Wait so Namikaze Naruto is older than us first years by one year?"

"What's up with that?" inquire Sato Shoji

Additionally, Satoshi asked "And what do you mean foster folks?"

"I'm not really sure if I have the right to tell you but…" Soma paused. "Naruto lived with his father for the first six years of his life. From what I was told, Naruto took two years off from school when he was seven and eight. He said he travelled around Japan and some parts of the world for two years with someone who taught him how to cook." Soma chuckled "I swear that guy often has the best adventures. While I've never been outside of the city."

'Poor bastard.' His dormmates thought.

But Soma got serious again "But because of that he had to be held back one year when his travelling ended for the school he missed. While everything else was done with extra credit. He grew up with his legal guardians – the Ichiraku – after that and went to the same school as me at the same level.

He meets with his dad every now and then so I guess it's all good between them." Soma ended with a sheepish grin. "I don't think I've ever really met Naruto-senpai's dad myself."

Nobody noticed just how attentive Megumi was to Soma's explanation.

"I see." Said Ibusaki Shun "That's why you addressed him as Naruto-senpai."

"So who did he travel with?" this time it was Aoki Daigo who asked

"I don't remember the family name but if I recall correctly it was someone named…" Soma pressed his fist to his chin as he tried to remember. "Ah that's right. Jiraiya was his name." Soma saw all his new friends in a state of shock and disbelief.

"Did you say Jiraiya?" Isshiki Satoshi wanted to confirm.

"Um, yeah."

"Namikaze-san was taught by none other than the Legendary Jiraiya!" everyone exclaimed

The word Legendary flew right over Soma's head. The redhead scratched his cheek with one finger "Well he wasn't his first teacher. His first experience in a kitchen was with his dad so…" Soma noticed a sudden change in the atmosphere within Zenji's room "I'm missing something here, aren't I?" Soma was in the dark again.

So Zenji explained "Chef Jiraiya was one of the greatest chefs in history. He was not in any way a pioneer or an innovator of the cooking world but his dishes were undoubtedly far superior than most chefs. Though his two closest friends at the time also shared the title of greatest chef. In his life, he had taken in six students. All six became well-renowned chefs in their own right."

"Amazing! So Naruto-senpai learned from the best! Now I have to challenge him in a cook-off!" Soma said excitedly with a short laugh

"I know right! To have been taught by one of the Legendary Three..." Ryoko tried to picture what it must been to be a student of either of them.

"Sadly, he passed away about seven years ago." Shun told Soma

"He passed away seven years ago?" Soma repeated and Shun nodded to answer "But that was when…! I see. He came to live with the Ichiraku after his teacher died." Soma realized sadly.

"Namikaze-kun was Chef Jiraiya's last student." Satoshi pointed out softly.

'If Jiraiya-senpai had lived a little longer, Naruto-senpai may have gone on to become a better chef than he is now. Naruto-senpai, my condolences.'

There was a moment of silence in Zenji's room as everyone looked down. Even Daimido Fumio, who had been listening to them through the specially designed speaking tubes in the dorm, was a little down. She remembered Jiraiya from her younger days. Though he did try to peep on her that one time.

"So Soma-kun, you're saying that Naruto never told you about his old teacher?" Megumi was curious. She had encountered Chef Jiraiya before in the past when she was a little girl.

"No, all that I knew of him is that he was Naruto's teacher for a year. He never told me anything else."

"Well it's possible Naruto could have just been ignorant of the fact." Daigo proposed

"Or maybe thinking about it just brings back a lot of sad memories." Megumi gave her thoughts

"I think it might be best if we didn't broach Naruto-senpai on the topic unless he himself brings it up." Soma suggested and everyone agreed.

"To Chef Jiraiya!" Satoshi raised his glass of Ryoko's Rice Juice and everyone followed suit "To Chef Jiraiya!" and bottoms up.

"Now enough of this talk." Satoshi wanted to change the solemn mood. "Remember we're here to celebrate Soma-kun joining our dorm." Everyone cheered again.

With the party resumed, Megumi sat by while everyone really got into it. Her phone vibrated as she got a message. Opening her phone, she found someone had sent her a photo together with the message.

It was picture of Naruto, Takumi and Isami all enjoying Minato's food. It brought up a rather embarrassing memory but she shook her head to bury it. She smiled, knowing they were having fun. The message read "Wish you were here to join them."

"Oi, Megumi," Yuki called "Come and join the fun!"

"YEAH!" cried everyone else.

Megumi nodded. She would have some fun this night too.

"Check this out." Yuki had shown them the picture she took of a smiling Chef Roland Chapelle.

"No way!" both Daigo and Shoji shouted in unison

"What caused this to happen?" Zenji adjusted his glasses, making sure he wasn't seeing incorrectly.

"Well it actually involved the person we've been talking about: Namikaze Naruto. You see what happened was…" Yuki went on recounting the events.

Megumi smiled as she took in the sight of everyone having fun. Well she had a story to listen to. She answered the message "Maybe next time, Otou-sama."

POLAR STAR DORMITORY - The Next Morning

"Morning." Greeted Satoshi, Megumi, Daigo, Shoji and Yuki to each other as they walked through the hallway leading to the dining room.

At the end of that hallway was Soma waiting for them. Or more rather waiting for Satoshi-senpai. Soma declared his intention of battling Satoshi for his title of number seven in the Elite Ten. It was met with disinterest from Yuki, Shoji and Daigo while Megumi and Satoshi tilted their heads in silence.

Afterwards, Satoshi told him it wasn't that simple and explained to him the details necessary for Soma to challenge him for the rank of seven in the Elite Ten. Soma sighed in disappointment. He was all fired-up for a cook-off against his senpai.

Fumio appeared to them, her fists on her hips. "Good morning, my tenants."

"Hey Fumio-san, when's breakfast coming?" Shoji was hungry thus impatient

"Shut up!" Fumio coughed "As I was saying, it is my pleasure to bring back an old resident of the Polar Star Dormitory." This caught the attention of all those present. "Ichiraku Ayame!"

Ayame entered the scene with a cheerful smile and a happy wave of her hand "Good morning, my old dormmates."

"Not only she is a teacher here at Totsuki now but she'll also work as a staff member here in the Dorm." Fumio seemed delighted

Everyone cheered after hearing that.

"Ayame-senpai?" Satoshi gasped, a look of shock on his face. But that immediately replaced with his happy-go-lucky character "Ayame-senpai! It's so good to see you again!" He hugged Ayame, shaking her slightly.

"Calm your horses, Satoshi-kun" Ayame sweatdropped.

While everyone was surprised to see the new teacher of Totsuki, none were more surprised than Soma. "Ayame-senpai, you never told me you were a former resident of the Polar Star Dorm."

"Eh?" she genuinely surprised to discover Soma was ignorant of such

"I mean I was told you went to this school but I didn't know you used to live here as a student."

"Didn't Naruto-kun tell you?" It wasn't a question really "My, my, Soma-kun. You sure are always un-informed." Ayame giggled as Soma slumped back on his chair "But yes, I did live here as a student. When I graduated everyone else was in the Junior High division."

"Wait a second!" Yuki joined in "So when you said Ichiraku last night you were referring to her?" She pointed at the teacher.

Sheepishly Soma answered "Yup."

"You were living right next to an alumnus and was served her food almost every day and never knew about it!" Yuki was slammed her hands on the table, flustered at Soma's apparent obliviousness and was gasping for breath when she finished.

"Well nobody ever told me these things." Soma simply said. "And it's not as if I get served her ramen every day. But I do get a discount."

His schoolmates except for Satoshi face-faulted.

But the knowledge of Ayame being a former occupant of the dorm explained the recognition Soma saw in Megumi at class yesterday.

"Soma-kun," Megumi said "Ayame-senpai often cooked for us back then."

"We were always eager to try out her newest Ramen and other non-Ramen food items."

"It was a sad affair when she finally graduated."

Fumio interjected "It was a moment to be proud of, you lot. She was ranked six in the Elite Ten when she graduated."

Now Soma looked grumpy "Nobody ever tells me anything." But that reminded Soma "You were with her for at least a year and you never saw that side of her?" he asked his class partner.

"Now, now, Soma. It's not as if I was a teacher back then. Now cheer up, I made you your favorite Ramen." Well that definitely brightened his mood.

"Ah yes, I forgot to mention Ayame would be cooking for us." The brunette returned to the kitchen and when she came back out, she had brought with her a cart with several Ramen bowls.

Soma could see his friends were practically drooling in anticipation. Soma smiled 'It wouldn't be Ayame-senpai if her Ramen didn't get you drooling.' Soma looked up and raised an eyebrow 'I wonder what else I don't know about.'

A bowl of Ramen was politely placed on the table in front of them. "Soma-kun is getting a different kind of Ramen but you all get what I call 'Ichiraku-Style Happy Days Ramen'. Please dig in."

The students at the table closed their hands together and chorused "Itadakimasu!" Thus they dug in.

The ramen was heavenly. As expected of a dish made by Ichiraku Ayame. The ramen had brought back some happy memories. Satoshi was brought back to when he had earned his position as a member of the Elite Ten. Yuki when she was brought along a hunt. Megumi when everyone at her hometown had gotten together just to wish her good luck and farewell. Shoji and Daigo were brought back to a time when they had just finished having a fist fight with each other. What, to them that was a good time.

Ayame took in their relaxed faces except for Soma whose Ramen has made him active. With some lighthearted indifference, Ayame noted she should have made them Ramen that got them ready for the day ahead. She giggled mentally 'My bad.'

"As expected for the Food of the Gods." Satoshi had missed her cooking.

Soma heard that. "Isshiki-senpai, I know Ayame-senpai's Ramen was great. You should try the Yukihira-Style Fried Rice from our secret menu. Now that is Food of the Gods." He then sent an innocently taunting smirk at Ayame "Isn't that right, Ayame-senpai?" Ayame had tried it before and she was very impressed. It was made by his father at the time. But Soma was assured he could make it too and be just as good, if not better.

Everyone looked at him as though he had said something ridiculous. "What is it this time?"

"Yukihira-kun really is stupid, isn't he?" Yuki snickered

"Don't be mean, Yuki-chan." Ryoko lightly scolded her.

"Soma-kun, don't you know?" Soma groaned, "Just tell me already." He grumbled.

"Ramen being called Food of the Gods isn't just some compliment or boast or prideful claim. It is a well-earned title accepted and acknowledged globally." Ryoko explained

"She is correct." Ayame agreed with the red-violet haired girl "The Food of the Gods is a title currently held by Ramen. It has held that title for the last sixty years."

"Huh! No kidding. That long." Soma was astonished "But how? How could a type of dish be recognized as such by the whole world?"

"Soma-kun, you really didn't know?"

"No, I didn't." He pouted like a child

"Yukihira-kun really knows nothing, doesn't he?" Daigo whispered to Shoji and the two snickered.

"To answer your question, Yukihira," Fumio started "Every twenty-five years there is tournament where chefs from all over the world gather together. Big or small, renowned or obscure, self-taught or schooled, professional or not, it doesn't matter. All that matters is what you bring with you and what you bring to the judges.

The tournament is a basically a war where the kitchen is the battleground and the chef's dishes are the weapons. They duke it out until there are only two chefs left. The winner will have earned the title 'Food of the Gods' for his or her dish and all dishes like it."

"And for the next twenty-five years, that title will remain with the winning dish until someone wins it away or wins to keep it that way." Megumi added

"That's right, Megumi-chan." Ayame spoke "This tournament, Soma-kun, is called 'The Food of the Gods Cooking Tournament'."

"Hence the title!" Yuki said as a side comment

"The first one was won by Chef Sarutobi Hiruzen. The second was by Chef Jiraiya. The third and most recent was won by Chef Uzumaki Minato." Fumio listed "Though the latter two have passed on, Uzumaki Minato is still alive and kicking!"

"The winning dish is also expected to have elevated standards and are to be better than ever. The winner also gets a lot of 'political' say on how the dish should be cooked." Zenji unexpectedly entered the scene and educated them on the lesser known aspects of the Food of the Gods Tournament.

"While Chef Hiruzen and Chef Jiraiya had simply won the titles for Ramen. It was Chef Uzumaki who had really set out to standardize the quality of Ramen. Because of him, even 'low level' Ramen served in local dinners taste so much better than before. Well in Japan at least. Chef Uzumaki doesn't really care how Ramen is cooked in other countries." Zenji pushed back his glasses and looked serious.

He added more info. "Chef Uzumaki does not have the right to take a percentage of the earnings a restaurant makes from selling Ramen. That wouldn't be legal as he doesn't own Ramen. But he is allowed to ban a restaurant from cooking Ramen if it doesn't meet the standards he placed."

"I heard that following his victory he spent a few year forcing his new rules over Ramen to all the Ramen serving restaurants in Japan." Daigo said with a raised fist "They either followed or were forced to not serve Ramen until they did."

"Amazing. Such power and say to be gained in the Food and Cooking World by just winning that Tournament." Not that Soma wanted power. He was just pointing it out. "Now I can't wait to be in that contest!"

"The most recent Tournament was ten years ago." Ayame raised a finger "Naruto-kun, my father and I were there to see it."

"My father participated in it." Megumi rarely spoke about her father.

"Ten years ago, huh? Well I wouldn't have notice. Yukihira doesn't serve Ramen." Why would they? Their next door neighbor specialized in Ramen. Sure his dad could whip up some enjoyable Ramen but Teuchi always had him beat.

"Really, Megumi? Your father was in it?" Went Yuki "How far did he get at the Tournament? Was he a finalist? What dish was he representing?"

"Well… um… he…" Megumi looked uncomfortable.

Satoshi took note and shifted the subject away from Megumi. "If you want Fried Rice to be the next Food of the Gods, you'll have to partake in the Tournament and win." Satoshi informed him "The next Tournament is in fifteen years."

Soma mentally digested everything he was told. "Fifteen years, huh? So I have to wait fifteen more years before I can have the one chance to beat Uzumaki Minato's dish for the title of Food of the Gods." Soma said with his usual confidence.

"Well no. Not really" Ayame clarified "You can compete again and again if you lose."

"And if you live long enough to compete a second or third time that is." Shoji added in

"And that." Ayame acknowledged. While such a rule didn't technically exist. Some competitors didn't live to battle it out a second or third time. The tournament is after all once every twenty-five years. "But if you won the Tournament, you're not allowed to compete a second time. That's just how it is."

"So will you compete in the next Food of the Gods Cooking Tournament, Ayame-senpai?" Soma asked. He has always wanted to challenge her to a cook-off and see how he would fare against her.

Ayame waved him no. "No, no. While a dish can have more than one representative, I won't be representing Ramen the fourth time."

"What? Why's that?" Everyone was interested in the answer.

"I'm not the competitive type remember." For she cooked for more than just winning. A simple answer she gave them. Almost disappointing. "If you enter the Tournament, Soma-kun, you'll be faced with dozens, if not hundreds, of Chefs with the same goal as you. It won't be easy even if your cooking skills have vastly improved by then. Not that I am saying I have no confidence in you. I'm sure you'll do great. Oh, a passionate young man like yourself will do just fine."

"And I will see you there, Yukihira!" Yuki loudly proclaimed "I'll make Wild Game Dishes the new Food of the Gods!"

"No, no," Ryoko joined it "It will be dishes which have had a dash of Fermentation that'll be the next Food of the Gods."

"You're both mistaken." Said Shun who had come from his room not too long ago and had been listening to their conversation "It will be Smoked Dishes which will be the next Food of the Gods."

Fumio crossed her arms and had closed her eyes. She was proud to have such tenants with so much flare. "My, my, so many young chefs aspiring to have their dishes be given such prominent title."

"And I'll be there to cheer you all on." Ayame did an eager fist-pump then focused on Soma "But Soma-kun, the most likely person representing Ramen who you'll clash against is-"

TOTSUKI ACADEMY – School Grounds

"Namikaze Naruto!" yelled Takumi Aldini

As their schedules would have it, Naruto never got to meet up with Soma the previous day. Classes took up majority of their time. Aside from now seeing Soma all day, he also never got to encounter Megumi. On the upside, he spent most of yesterday in the company of the Aldini Brothers. He remembered entering the school grounds walking side-by-side with them. Takumi to his left and Isami to his right. He was also partnered again with Miyoko and Ryoko and Yuki were in the same class as them.

Soma and Megumi were on their way to check the available Research Societies in Totsuki when they heard Takumi's yelling. They found Takumi grabbing Naruto's uniform - that's right Naruto was wearing the school's uniform unlike Soma - shaking him slightly while Naruto had a stupid look on his face. They found Isami on the ground vomiting. There was also another paddle of vomit which Soma concluded came from Takumi.

Soma noted awkwardly "Oh boy he must have done it again with them this time."

"Eh?" went Megumi

"Stick around and you'll figure it out first-hand."

"Sorry, sorry, you guys. Should have given you both the heads-up this would happen." Naruto told Takumi and Isami carelessly.

"A little warning would be appreciated the next time!"

Isami was still on the ground, "I never knew anyone could run so quickly."

"Good morning, Naruto-senpai, Takumi-san, Isami-san." Soma made his and Megumi's presence known.

"Megumi-chan!" Naruto joyfully hugged Megumi "I haven't seen you since…? Well it's been quite some time now."

"It's good to see you to, Naruto-nii."

"Eeehhh…!" Soma and Takumi were stunned

Isami crossed his arms "I don't see the resemblance."

"Naruto is Tadokoro's brother?" Soma gazed at the two newly revealed siblings

"You mean you didn't know?" asked the older Aldini twin

"Apparently I don't know a lot of things." Soma shrugged.

"Yukihira, you wouldn't happen to know who Naruto's father is?" Takumi slyly questioned

Soma caught Takumi's tone of voice and immediately understood Takumi was trying to one-up him "As a matter of fact I do."

"Oh?" Takumi raised an eyebrow, just daring to expound further on what he knew about Naruto's father.

It was a rare moment but Soma looked defeated "Okay, I admit it. I don't know his father."

"Naruto told me you two were friends since childhood. I expected you were familiar with his father."

"Hey it's not my fault. Nobody ever tells me these things. I'm a chef! Not a detective or a mind-reader, you know!"

"Relax, Soma." Naruto spoke up "It's partially my fault for not telling you. I guess now's just as good of a time as ever. But first…" He pulled Megumi closer and landed his hand on the top of her head. "Takumi, Isami, this is my younger half-sister: Tadokoro Megumi. Megumi-chan, these are some new friends, the Aldini Brothers. The blondie is Takumi. The brunette is Isami. They are twin brothers."

'But they look nothing alike.' The bluenette thought "Um, yes! Tadokoro Megumi is my name. A pleasure to meet my brother's friends." She gave them a light bow

"How do you do?" Greeted Isami

"So, um, Takumi and Isami Aldini are our friends now?" Soma wanted to know if it was really the case.

"As a matter of fact, we are, Yukihira." Takumi declared "We figured Namikaze wasn't such a bad guy. Besides, me and Isami are good people and it was clear Naruto could use some new friends."

"Yeah, yeah." Naruto waved playfully

"But don't make a mistake, Yukihira! Just because we are now friends doesn't mean I won't come after you! I still fully intend to beat you one of these days in the kitchen." Takumi then got even more serious "And one day, I will challenge you to a Shokugeki!" His words were intense and to the point.

"Come at me then." Soma responded, eager to meet the challenge.

"Oh I will." Takumi assured him

Soma changed the subject "So Naruto-senpai, how are you and Tadokoro-san half-siblings? More importantly why didn't you ever tell me you had a half-sibling?"

"Actually I have three half-siblings." Naruto revealed in a matter-of-fact way, holding up three fingers.

"Three!"

Isami placed his chin on his hand "Fascinating. Who knew Naruto's dad is such a pimp?" He whispered. He meant no malice though. As far as he knew, Naruto's father isn't and never has been married.

"Naruto-nii and I are siblings through the same father."

"Wait a minute! You're saying you are also Chef Uzumaki's child?!" Takumi demanded. At first, he considered the possibility they had the same mother.

He had heard some things said about Tadokoro Megumi. A girl who was always at the bottom of her class, always getting E ratings. Neither he nor his brother had ever been in the same class as her so they couldn't confirm those rumors about her. Examining her closer, he could tell the girl was meek and timid.

A contrast from Naruto who was quick to make friends and had an air of confidence and had earned an A Rating in his first class. Granted he was partnered with Hojo Miyoko. But Megumi had always gotten low grades and Takumi was skeptical of her being the child of such a famous and talented chef.

Takumi would just have to wait for Naruto and Megumi to really prove themselves in the kitchen. Until then, he would reserve his judgment of them as chefs. After all, this was Totsuki. Your origin, your wealth, your connections mattered very little here. Your talent and skill was all that's important.

"Um!" Megumi nodded "I am his eldest daughter."

"But neither you nor Naruto bear his name or have his colors?"

Megumi shook her head "I took after my aunt actually. Naruto-nii inherited his mother's hair but inherited our father's eyes."

"And who exactly is your father?" Soma demanded to know

"Uzumaki Minato." They all responded in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You mean the same Uzumaki Minato who won the latest Food of the Gods Tournament?"

With pride, Megumi and Naruto replied "The one and only."

"We were talking about him just yesterday. Tadokoro-san, why did you not say so?"

"I'm sorry, Soma. But it is knowledge I don't want people to know. When people look me at and see my cooking, I want them to see me for me. For good or bad. Not the daughter of Uzumaki Minato."

"I understand." Soma was satisfied with her reply and respected her wishes. Then he grabbed Naruto's shoulders, frustrated "Naruto-senpai, we're friends, right?" Naruto happily nodded. "Then tell me. Why have you never told me these things? Your father is a renowned chef. You have a half-blooded sibling. Ayame graduating an Elite Ten."

Naruto gave him a plain answer "You never asked." Soma, Megumi and Takumi face-faulted.

Soma quickly got on his feet "Just give it to me straight. Is there anything else you haven't told me?"

"Um, Ayame-nee used to live in the Polar Star Dormitory."

Soma sighed "I already knew that."

"Ayame-senpai is actually living back at the Dorm. Not only is she a teacher here but a staff member of the Dorm." Megumi pointed out.

"Really?" Naruto asked and Megumi nodded

"Well at least Naruto-senpai didn't know something." Soma took little comfort in that.

Takumi then asked "Why exactly does Yukihira call you 'senpai', Naruto?"

"Interesting question to ask, Takumi-san." Naruto stated "I'm actually one year older than Soma. Which also makes me one year older than all of you. It's a long story which I'll tell you another day over a bowl of Ramen."

"I will hold you to that."

"I've told Soma countless times in the past to just call me 'Naruto'. Everyone else did."

"Had you been everyone else, I probably would have. But since you are also a chef, I figured it was only proper to address you as 'senpai'."

"At some point, I just stop telling him otherwise." Naruto told. He then asked Soma "So where were you two heading?"

Soma answered him "We were going to check out the Research Societies."

"Huh?"

Takumi said on the side "They're like Totsuki's version of school clubs."

"Oh. Maybe we should check it out. See if there is a Ramen Research Society. I'm joining it first chance I get."

"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!" Naruto fumed

"An outrage?" Isami inquired

"AN OUTRAGE!" Naruto repeated

"What exactly is the outrage here and why is it an outrage?"

"IT IS AN OUTRAGE BECAUSE THERE IS NO RAMEN RESEARCH SOCIETY!" Naruto yelled. His friends all sweatdropped. His fist clenched tight as he pointed to the board which named all the existing Research Societies. He clearly very mad at the lack of a Ramen Research Society.

There was a Western Research Society, an Eastern one, a Chinese one. Heck there was even a Research Society that was dedicated solely to Train Bento. The very fact Totsuki Academy lacked a Ramen RS was insulting.

"We must form the Ramen Research Society post-haste! Ramen is-!"

"We get it, Naruto. Ramen is the Food of the Gods. A well-earned title no doubt." Isami said

"Calm down, Naruto-nii. Establishing a Research Society isn't that easy."

"She is correct, Namikaze." Takumi said with his arms crossed "In order for a new RS to be established, it needs to be proposed to the Director of the Academy before the school year began. Your proposal must be complete with the intention of the RS, the location you wish to set up the RS as well as your budgeting plan. If the Director approves, you must then contend with the Elite Council. They will run through your proposal as well. They vote on it based on majority. If both the Director and the Elite Council approve, you may start the desired RS."

Isami spoke up too "It's a long process, Naruto. But I am sure a guy as dedicated to Ramen as you will surely-"

"Meh, nobody has time for all the nonsense." Naruto said annoyed yet dismissively, causing everyone but Isami to facefault again.

"So much for all that bravado." Takumi commented.

"As passionate as Naruto-senpai is about Ramen, he hates administrative work." Soma revealed

"Damn straight. Put me in a kitchen. Just let other people do the math and legal work."

Takumi and Isami rubbed their chins with their hands as they recalled certain events the day before "That definitely does explain the D Rating he got yesterday in Kitchen Management." Megumi and Soma snickered while Isami did his own unique laugh.

"My own flesh and blood has betrayed me." Naruto deadpanned

Soma went back to his search, leaving Megumi to ask "Takumi-kun, Isami-kun, are you two members of any Research Society?"

"No. Not really." They answered

"The Donmono Research Society" They heard Soma say curiously "Maybe it'll inspire some new menu items for Yukihira Diner. All right then. Everyone, let's go check it out."

And so Soma, Naruto, Megumi, Takumi and Isami headed for the Donmono Research Society. Along the way, Takumi couldn't help but whisper to his brother "Why again are we going with them to this RS?" Isami shrugged. "Just go along with it, Big Bro."

THE DONMONO RESEARCH SOCIETY

There the group of five found the one and only occupant and member of the RS feeling all gloom and doom as he sat on a chair. He looked someone more suited of being a member of a biker gang than a student of Totsuki.

"Hey, you guys should just go." Man, was the guy depressed! "This RS is about to become nothing more than a memory." The five deadpanned. But then gave him their names.

"Yukihira, Tadokoro, Namikaze and Aladdin."

"IT'S ALDINI!" Chibi Takumi snapped

"Sorry, sorry. Anyway, I'm Konishi Kanichi, the leader of the Donmono Research Society."

"What's the matter, senpai?" Soma inquired.

"Yeah, you seem to be down in the dumps." Both Naruto and Soma didn't like how saddened their senior was.

"Laugh all you want but I couldn't save the Don RS."

Megumi had picked up a recipe book from the floor. It was filled with handwritten recipes gathered together by the Don RS and came with hand-drawn depictions of the completed dish. Soma was impressed which seemed to have lifted up Konichi's spirits.

"You understand us." He got off his chair.

He crept like a zombie, causing Megumi to flinch before talking hold on Soma's shoulders and crying his name. He began explaining what Don was all about before declaring he can't die until he creates the penultimate Don. He sat back down as he told them the situation involving a certain Nakiri Erina and how a Shokugeki would be his last chance to save the Don RS. Naruto, Takumi and Isami listened intently. Although this was all old news to the Aldini Brothers.

The doors to the RS opened and came in some contractors and finally Mito Ikumi. She was first year like Soma, Naruto, Megumi, Takumi and Isami but she already gained a reputation as the Meat Mistress.

The tanned girl with blonde hair and green eyes wearing her variation of the school's uniform with a knife strapped to her thigh. She obviously was not afraid or ashamed to flaunt her assets. She walked in the RS as though she had officially owned the place. She walked in and her boobs jingled as she did.

One certain blond had definitely gained her attention.

"Mito, where are you doing here!?" demanded Kanichi

"Just making a survey. I already know the outcome, after all." She stomped her foot on the wall beside Kanichi, trapping him in.

She called Don and its ingredient low class. Though she was only quoting what Erina said. But that had gotten Soma's attention.

"Well, she's confident in her skills. I'll give her that." Isami observed and Takumi agreed. Mito Ikumi was not to be taken lightly.

Kanichi had called Ikumi by her unofficial nickname of 'Nikumi'. That resulted in Ikumi grabbing the nearest knife off a table and slicing off half of Kanichi's hair. It fell on the floor with a thud.

"Impressive knife work." Naruto couldn't help but admire her skills with the knife. Not to say he condoned such a dangerous act. Knives were nothing to be played with.

"So Mito-san is your Shokugeki opponent."

"Who the hell is she?" Both Naruto and Soma asked in unison

"Mito Ikumi, that's who she is." Takumi told them with arms crossed over his chest.

"Correct." Megumi agreed "She's known as the Meat Mistress. She's earned herself high ratings all the way back in junior high."

Isami added "Any meat dish she has ever served has never earned a rating lower than A. Her know-how of all things meat is top-notch in the academy."

She swung her knife "All ingredients bow before the worthy meat." And raised it up.

"Careful now. Knives shouldn't be played with." Naruto told her but she ignored him.

Ikumi's attention was back to Kanichi. She was still brandishing her knife when she told him that all his dishes would be useless before her super high-quality meat.

It was then Soma stepped up and told her she gave cooking a bad name if the price of her ingredients was all that mattered. Soma pushed Kanichi back "Senpai, let me fight against her in the Shokugeki." He offered.

"No, no. That won't do." Naruto walked towards them "I want to take her on." As he got closer to Ikumi, he said it again to her personally "I will take you on." He pointed a finger at Ikumi's nose.

"Eh, Naruto-senpai." Soma let out a short silly chuckle "Her eyes are just above what your finger is pointing at."

Naruto's eyes had been on Ikumi's cleavage for some time now. They didn't even move as he addressed Soma "Oh I know perfectly where her eyes are at."

"Naruto-nii, you shouldn't stare. It's rude." Megumi calmly reprimanded her brother.

'Nii? Those two are related?' Ikumi thought as she observed the blond and the blunette "Oh let him look. That's all his getting in the end."

Ikumi questioned "I don't know who you two are but those who have nothing to do with this should just butt out." Then she recognized them "I see. You two are the transfer students back at the opening ceremony. I've been wanting to talk to either of you. You both look like you've got confidence in your skills if your willingness to fight in a Shokugeki in someone else's behalf is any indication."

Naruto countered "You've got confidence as well with how you came in as though you already won. Since either I or Soma will be competing against you…"

"Why don't we fight on your terms? Meat."

"My thoughts exactly, Soma."

"But it will either be I or Naruto-senpai who'll win of course." This little claim got Ikumi's eyes all narrowing.

"And if I win, whoever of you who fought against me has to leave Totsuki. Can you accept that?"

Naruto snorted "You bet." Surprising Ikumi "And I speak for both me and Soma."

"If whichever of us wins, you however will have to join the Don RS." Soma presented his terms. "That's right. Join this RS and contribute to the future and advancement of Don. Call it penance for bothering us."

Naruto added "Also if I personally win against you, you must… give me full, unrestricted access to your boobs." Everyone was inwardly stunned and stood silent for a while.

Until Ikumi snapped of out it. "Now hold on there! It would take more than just the end of the Don RS and your expulsion to let you fondle my girls." She bounced her breasts.

Megumi had never wished for large breasts but she strangely felt jealous of the tanned girl's bountiful bosoms.

"Fine then" Naruto smirked "You can expel everyone in this room if I personally lose."

"EEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Went everyone especially Takumi. Everyone was also wide-eyed.

"Plus a full year free past to any of the Uzumaki Hotels in the Japan. Not just for you but for Nakiri-san as well"

"Now I know for sure you have to be bluffing." Ikumi pointed at Naruto "There is no way a commoner like you could guarantee such a prize."

"I assure you I can. Believe it or not, my father is pretty high-up in the Uzumaki company."

'No kidding.' The Aldini Brothers thought

"I can guarantee it." Naruto sent her a look which told her he was deadly serious.

But she was still skeptical. In her mind, there was no way either of these two newcomers could win against her. "You better have our rooms ready for when you lose, Namikaze." She smiled somewhat evilly. She set her sight on Soma "Oi, Yukihira, you might as well be the one to fight me if you feel sorry for the rest of your friends."

She called for the contractors and told them they were done for the day and left after reminding them of the main ingredient being meat, the theme being Don and the match being in three days.

"Why did you do that, Yukihira, Namikaze?"

It was Soma who responded "I speak for Naruto-senpai as well. As two kids who grew up in simple Diners, we just couldn't take how she went on about high-priced and high-quality like it was all that."

"NAMIKAZE!" Everyone saw Takumi make a mad dash for Naruto. The half-Italian violently grabbed his fellow blond's shirt and started shaking him "What did I tell you about making decisions regarding us at pure random?!" Naruto dawned a careless, stupid look as Takumi shook him. "My brother and I don't plan on getting expelled just so you can fondle a girl's breasts!"

"Calm down, Bro." Isami rested his hands on his older brother's shoulders. Takumi released Naruto and took a deep breath.

"Have some faith, Takumi-san. I won't let you get expelled over this." Naruto straighten his uniform, not at all upset at Takumi's actions. "It's all right really. I cook for more than just myself. I cook for my friends."

Megumi stepped forward "Naruto-nii, Soma-kun, you two have a plan, right?"

Naruto spoke up, looking all stern, before Soma could say anything. "Of course we have a plan!"

"Then what's the plan?!" demanded Takumi

"I'll let you know you know as soon as me and Soma think of one." Such a carefree response.

"I knew it" Megumi panicked. Takumi stood still but in the inside, he broke. Isami heard it. 'What kind of a lunatic did we just become friends with?'

"Listen up, Namikaze! You told me last night that friends have each other's backs. Well consider this a test of your own words. If you lose, I and my brother cut all connections with you. I will never forgive either of you if you lose!" Takumi snorted "Isami, we're leaving!"

Takumi went over the door. Isami followed his brother out but not before giving the others a small bow of farewell.

And so Naruto, Soma, Kanichi and Megumi spent the next two days thinking of what dish to serve against Meat Mistress, Mito Ikumi. When their conversation become a discussion on the graded quality of meat, Soma took some comfort after learning Naruto was just as ignorant about it as he was.

Takumi and Isami also came by. They gave their ideas to help out but none seemed to be of great use against Ikumi. For majority of their time in the Don RS, Takumi read while Isami was back to playing on his phone. When they got bored of that, they started playing with cards. At one point Takumi got so flustered at repeatedly losing to his brother.

It was determined they'd use beef against Ikumi despite Kanichi's objections. It was time to buy the ingredients but the Don RS had no money left. So Soma volunteered and ran like a mad man to the nearest ATM only to discover the amount of money his dad had left for him. Sure he was making his contribution but had he stayed a little longer, he would have heard Naruto's offer of pitching in for the ingredients.

When Soma returned, stacks of recipe notebooks were gathered and ready. Thankfully, Takumi and Isami helped out. Though strangely enough, when time came to taste the food, Takumi refused to try, said something about trying only what they would pick as their serving dish. Takumi sat by, listening to Kanichi and occasionally Isami's input. They praised the dishes but admitted they wouldn't be enough to beat Ikumi.

The search for the right Don continued to the following day. But the winning dish was yet to be discovered. Isami relaxed on one of the tables. He had apparently eaten too much. Kanichi got all depressed again so Megumi splashed him with a bucket of water. And Takumi… Takumi was relaxed as relaxed can be. Takumi figured worrying about it wasn't going to solve anything. It wasn't a guarantee that Namikaze would be Ikumi's opponent in the Shokugeki. It was of course only Naruto's terms that he and Isami would be expelled if Naruto lost. If it was Yukihira who battled Ikumi and lost, this Don RS which he cared very little about, would be scrapped and Yukihira would leave Totsuki.

Soma then got an epiphany. The end result was a Chaliapin Steak. Well, Naruto determined it was good enough to beat Mito Ikumi. Megumi had a Food Vision. Thank goodness it was just a Vision. Naruto would have gouged his own eyes out if he ever saw Megumi naked.

And so with the dish decided, it was time to determine who would battle Ikumi in the Shokugeki. But deciding on who it would be was harder than expected. Neither Soma nor Naruto were willing to back down. So then Isami stepped up and offered a solution.

"This method is the oldest, cleanest, most professional way to determine a fifty-fifty split." He said "We must," he dug a hand in his pocket "do a coin toss."

"Yes of course, a coin toss." Agreed Kanichi "Why didn't we think of that sooner?"

"It is an unbiased, fair way to determine who wins in certain disputes." Soma explained

"I pick heads." Naruto called it first

"Damn. I wanted heads."

"Tough luck, Soma."

Isami flipped the coin without even being told to. The coin landed on the floor, its metallic ringing drew the elder Aldini. The coin spun around for about ten seconds before finally lying flat on the floor.

"Well what do you know?" Soma said as he examined the outcome.

SHOKUGEKI STADIUM

"Ladies and gentlemen," began Kawashima Urara "The administration has deemed this an official Shokugeki match."

The stadium was filled to the brim with students who roared loudly in eager to anticipation of the Shokugeki for the fate of the Don RS. Among them were the students from the Polar Star Dormitory minus Isshiki Satoshi. On a special viewing deck was Erina and Hisako. In both their minds, Mito Ikumi's victory was assured. A complete victory in the Tenth Seat of the Elite Ten. The Don RS would be gone, Yukihira would be gone and she'd have a new kitchen.

Urara introduced herself cutely, earning the admiration of several boys in the audience, match to the ire and dismay of the girls.

"What is this? A cooking duel or a wrestling match?" Naruto noted the platform lying dead center in the stadium as he peeked out of the door to their waiting room.

"It is where the Shokugeki will commence, Namikaze." Takumi whispered to him

"Um, Naruto, if you don't mind me asking." Isami pointed at what Naruto was wearing "Why are you wearing the hooded cloak? It's covering up everything but your face."

"Dramatic purposes, Isami! I'd like to give a dynamic entry!" He gave them a thumbs up. "Anyway, I'm so glad you guys came over to support my Shokugeki."

"Of course we'd be here. What are friends for?" Isami said

But Takumi was of a different reason "I'm here so I'd know immediately whether you won or lost." Isami lightly elbowed his brother "Oh all right, I support you too. But don't lose."

"Yes, yes." Naruto reassured them. "It's as I've said. I cook for my friends."

"The contestants will be coming from each corner!" Urara announced

"Yup, definitely like a wrestling match."

"Firs to enter is none other than Totsuki's own Meat Mistress, MITO IKUMI!" Ikumi came in flanked and guarded by two men in suits. Everyone cheered as she came into view. Her name flashed on the big screen above.

From the Don RS side, Naruto and his friends noticed what Ikumi was wearing. A black hooded cloak like Naruto.

"Naruto-senpai, you didn't plan this, did you?" Soma asked sheepishly to which a flat-out "No." was the response he got.

"And here comes the other contestant." Naruto's name flashed above as well. The male audience were hurling out insults and chorused "BOOOOOOOOO..."

"One of the transfer students that everyone seems to be talking about, Namikaze Naruto-kun."

Naruto was flanked by Soma, Megumi, Takumi and Isami and Kanichi.

"Hey look, Namikaze copied Mito by wearing a black cloak too." Everyone laughed

"Between him and Ikumi, the winner has already been decided." One student claimed

"He'll be expelled for sure. Too bad he had to drag those Aldini Twins and that one girl from the Polar Star Dorm." Said his friend

Kanichi told Soma and Megumi about his previous Shokugeki. It was only attended by the judges and some stray dogs attracted by the smell of what they were cookin. It was vastly different from the one happening now with its equally vast audience in attendance.

"Why do you and Namikaze-san have so many haters?" He also heard the audience insulting Soma. He took a look at Naruto he seemed to be making things worse by waving at his haters.

"Beats me. I don't think Naruto-senpai and I did anything wrong."

Urara continued her announcements. "We have our judges today ready to give their input. The Shokugeki's theme is Don and the main ingredients meat. This Shokugeki will decide the fate of the Don RS.

If Mito Ikumi wins, not only will the Don RS be shut down and remodeled entirely but Namikaze Naruto will be expelled along with Yukihira Soma, Tadokoro Megumi, Takumi Aldini, Isami Aldini and Konishi Kanichi. In addition, Namikaze Naruto-kun will provide both Mito Ikumi and Nakiri Erina-sama with a free access pass to any Uzumaki restaurants all over Japan for one full year."

"That has to be joke!"

"No way can that punk acquire those."

"Uzumaki restaurants are expensive as hell."

"However," Urara continued "If Namikaze Naruto wins, the Don RS remains untouched, Mito Ikumi will join the RS and Namikaze Naruto will get full unrestricted access to her breasts." For some strange reason, the entire stadium fell silent.

'That bastard…' The boys gritted their teeth, knowing full well of Ikumi's bountiful assets.

'That pervert…' The girls gritted their teeth, knowing full well of Ikumi's bountifull assets.

Erina, from her spot above, stared down at Naruto intently. 'Namikaze Naruto-kun, I can't wait before you go down on your knees asking forgiveness when you can't provide your end of the deal when you lose.'

"Namikaze, I'm flattered that you copied my outfit. But flattery will get you nowhere!" Ikumi pulled off her cloak and tossed it in the air. Ikumi stood in a bikini with a fire design and mini-shorts.

The boys howled at her sexiness. The girls growled as shadows enveloped them and their eyes glowed red.

"I hate to disappoint but I didn't put on my cloak to impress you." He spoke seriously but then he smiled "I'm glad I flattered you." Takumi facepalmed "But I'm afraid I'm going to have to steal the show." Naruto pulled off his cloak and tossed in the air.

A strong orange light spread throughout the stadium. The students, the judges, Urara and Ikumi had to shield their eyes due to its intensity. Or was it?

"Oh my Kami-sama!"

"What matter of eldritch abomination is that?!"

"My eyes! My eyes!"

"What the hell is Namikaze wearing?!" Yuki gasped

"At times like this, I'm glad my hair covers my eyes." Stated Shun

"Release my eyes at once, Hisako!" Erina ordered Hisako who had covered her eyes.

"My sincerest apologies, Erina-sama but I can't let you see what Namikaze-san is wearing." But ultimately Erina pulled Hisako's hand off.

Erina's eyes widen at the sight. "Mazui…" she whispered

The bright light of Naruto's outfit hadn't faded. "Soma, thanks for the heads-up." Isami, Takumi, Megumi, Soma and Kanichi were wearing sunglasses. Isami was most grateful.

"It's no big deal." Soma informed them yesterday of what Naruto would be wearing to the Shokugeki thus had the foresight to bring sunglasses. "You can thank Kanichi-senpai for providing the sunglasses."

Kanichi nodded proudly "Mm-hmm." He didn't look at them but just gave them a thumbs-up.

When the light died down, Naruto was wearing a pure orange variant of the school's cooking uniform. It was an eye soring orange. He also wore the Ichiraku headband.

Ikumi snorted, not at all caring for Naruto's choice of clothes. Urara grimaced at the sight. It certainly took the attention away from her but she didn't mind. It wasn't a girl who did it.

"Contestants to your stations." Urara told them.

Ikumi brought out a huge slab of meat. A mighty, impressive piece of flesh just waiting to be chopped out and cooked. The Mistress of Meat started to slice her main ingredient well-placed slashes from her butcher's cleaver. It certainly drew everyone's eyes on her. Even Naruto observed her with careful eyes.

'Such strength, such speed, such proficiency. Truly a fine piece of meat being cleaved by an even finer piece of meat. What a woman.' Naruto mentally commented as Ikumi had begun the actual cooking.

After Ikumi had placed her meat in the oven, she turned her attention to Naruto… who had brought out nine cups of instant ramen.

The audience were just as surprised as Ikumi.

"Why the hell is he cooking instant ramen?"

"The damn fool must have realized he was screwed from the very get-go and isn't even going to bother trying."

'Is he even taking this seriously?' Hisako thought 'Wait. Why am I concerned about what that little pervert does?'

"Oi, Namikaze, is this really the perfect time to eat ramen!?" Takumi growled from his spot.

Naruto rapidly opened their lids halfway, poured hot water in all of the cups without spilling a single drop and closed them tightly. This was all old news to Soma but some got a good preview to Naruto's speed. "Just relax, Takumi-san." It was then he started to cook his dish. He minced all his onions in a few seconds flat. Faster than Urara could comment on it. The male blond chef of the contest then brought out from the cooler a cheap Sirloin Steak brought at half price from a cheap grocery store.

Soma chuckled "Naruto and I were lucky to have found those at half-price. Pretty good deal if you ask me. Neat, isn't it?"

This resulted in an uproar from the audience as there was no way, in their minds, this would ever match up to Ikumi's A5 meat. Kanichi and Megumi were shaking. Takumi gave Naruto a powerfully stern stare. Isami found a chair. As did Soma. Naruto said nothing and instead slurped down all the contents of one his instant cups of Ramen. He didn't listen to Ikumi's passing verbal jab.

Naruto went on to manually tenderize the meat. His hands and hammers were a blur. It seems he was making more than three servings.

"Namikaze-san is ambidextrous." Noted Kanichi

"Not really," Soma explained "It just so happens Naruto has some skill in using both of his hands. But you should see his handing writing when he is using his left hand. It's atrocious." Soma laughed

The second time Ikumi tried to insult him was when his meat were in the pans. Naruto said nothing again. That was because his mouth was filled with Ramen noodles.

"Hey, I know Ramen is the Food of the Gods but you are taking it way too far with this." Ikumi told him

Naruto quickly swallowed "Don't be ridiculous. A man can never have too much Ramen!" Naruto huffed.

"Ramen can enjoy its title while it last. Fifteen years from now, a meat dish of my creation shall be the next Food of the Gods." Ikumi proudly declared.

"Shhoo yo cwaim." Naruto had another mouthful of Ramen

"DON'T SPEAK WITH YOUR MOUTH FULL!" Say what you want about the Meat Mistress but she was a stickler for basic table manners.

Naruto chewed and swallowed "My bad. I meant to say 'so you claim'. I'll also be there in fifteen years to make sure Ramen keeps the title."

Naruto went back to his cooking as he told her "But enough of this talk. Aren't chefs who talk too much in the kitchen normally the ones without any skills?"

"Don't you dare make fun of-" Naruto shook the minced onions in the pan and it had an effect on Ikumi who got a whiff of it. Even Naruto had his eyes on his food, that little precursor to a Foodgasm was caught by his eyes. Naruto smiled at that. 'This was going to be good.'

A little while later they had finished with their dishes. The judging had begun. The entire time Ikumi had given their judges her dish and was being praised for it, Naruto had sat by on a stool and ate the rest of his ramen.

"Wow, that transfer kid really loves his Ramen." The audience muttered.

"It's almost as painful to watch as his orange uniform."

'There is no way that can be healthy.' Hisako told herself

"My turn." Naruto got up and gave the judges his dish.

The three weren't enthusiastic at first but were munching it down with great gusto. Naruto looked at his group and gave Soma a thumbs up. To Soma, it meant "Those last tweaks last night were a brilliant idea." Soma returned the thumbs up which to Naruto said "You bet."

When the judges had finished their bowls, they were asking for more. Luckily for them. Naruto had the foresight to prepare extra. Extra which they soon consumed with great indulgence. When Ikumi had seen her garlic rice half-unfinished, Naruto had explained that her rice had competed with the Grade A Wagyu Beef.

"It looked like a Don and no doubt it tastes great but it isn't really a Don. As Kanichi-senpai said, a Don is a complete package."

Of course, Ikumi rejected all that but Naruto gave her bowl of Don to eat. Hesitant at first, she took the steamy Don into her hands and ate it. One bite after the other. It tasted great and it spoke to her, told her to just be herself and brought her back to her childhood and what her strict father had told her. 'Be strong, Ikumi. Our family has no need for an heir with ladylike mannerism.' She recalled her father telling her as she picked up her broken Teddy Bear. But she soon cried as the Don's words encompassed that of her father. 'Be yourself.'

While Ikumi ate, Naruto had given his group their share of the Don. There Foodgasm was simple enough. Megumi, Soma, Takumi, Isami and Kanichi were on a giant bowl of Don. All were clothed in simple white robes. Soma and Kanichi sat back to back while they dug in with their bare hands. Megumi swam in the rice while stuffing it in her mouth. Takumi was relaxing in the corner of the bowl, half-immersed in the food. Isami was on his belly, quickly dragging himself across the bowl like a worm while jamming as much as he could.

'So this is the result of Namikaze and Yukihira's efforts.' Takumi thought about it 'Is this a good trailer for an upcoming award winning film or is this already the sum of two parts? Which is it?'

When Naruto turn to Ikumi again, he saw her tears. 'Oh shit she's crying. I made a girl cry! I made a girl cry!' Naruto would have tried to console her as he didn't understand why she was crying. But then he saw it. Ikumi's Foodgasm. She was screaming in delight while on top of the Don, partially covered by the cooked onions. All thoughts of him consoling Ikumi were gone. 'Phew the onions covered her up. That was not the way I wanted to see her naked.'

The judges determined Naruto to be the winner in a unanimous decision. Naruto picked up his black hooded cloak and covered himself. "Another satisfied customer."

Megumi cheered, Kanichi cried, Soma gave Naruto a thumbs up, Isami sighed in relief and Takumi kept his serious look and crossed his arms.

Inwardly Takumi was a bit glad. Not just because Naruto won thus they weren't expelled but because Naruto kept his word.

The Polar Star members also cheered. But the rest of the audience was in disbelief. Ikumi looked up and saw Erina staring down at her in contempt. She already knew what this meant.

"Inform her that she has to return the kitchen we provided her with." Erina told Hisako.

Erina may have left but Hisako stayed. The Shokugeki was done and a winner decided but it wasn't over. Not yet. 'Will Namikaze-san go through with it?'

"Ikumi-chan…" Naruto spoke in a tone reminiscent of that of a stalker as he slowly walked towards her. The black hooded cloak he had worn again only added to his creepiness.

"As per the terms of the Shokugeki, Naruto now has…" Urara did not want to say it, "full unlimited access to Mito Ikumi's breast." Urara broadcasted

"S-S-Soma-kun," Megumi stammered "Naruto-nii isn't really going to fondle her, right?"

Soma looked at the situation with a thinking expression. Then he shrugged "Beats me. I rarely see this side of him."

The boys in the audience raised a shaking a fist. 'That bastard…'

The girls in the audience raised a shaking a fist. 'That pervert…'

Ikumi stood straight. Her chest puffed out. She would uphold her end of the deal. She was ready. Actually no, she wasn't. Ikumi gulp as her legs started to shake. More memories re-emerged.

'Ikumi-chan, you're developing into a beautiful young woman. Remember, you mustn't let just any boy touch you especially your girls. The one man who touches your breasts must be the one you'll marry, all right.' Her mother said her with care in her voice.

'Ikumi, if any boy touches your breasts, you better be sure he is of equal standing for he shall be your husband!' Her father sternly told her. Say what you want about her old man, she's still his little girl.

Naruto continued his approach. His hand outstretched. His finger ready to bury themselves in her fleshly globes. There was a mix of sinister and delight in Naruto's smile. His eyes shadowed by his hood. Everyone in the stadium held their breath. Naruto's hand was only a quarter of an inch away from Ikumi's breast. Ikumi's face was a shade of red.

"Gotcha!" Naruto quickly raised his hand upward and playfully flicked Ikumi's forehead.

"Huh?" went Ikumi

"HHUUUHH?!" went everyone else.

Takumi face-palmed while Soma titled his head with a stupid look on his face. Isami did his unique laugh. Hisako, Megumi and Kanichi stood with wide blank eyes.

Naruto then wrapped his arm over her shoulders and stood real close to her, his hood falling over as he did. "Ikumi-chan!"

"D-don't speak to me with that suffix!"

"Oh?" Naruto pressed a finger to his chin

Soma approached them "Then perhaps your nickname Nikumi would be better."

"NO, IT ISN'T!" She pretty much yelled right next to Naruto's ear but he didn't seem affected.

"Eh, why not? It's cute when written in Hiragana." Soma announced.

Then Naruto dawned a thinking look "But then again, a cute nickname may not work for such a strong, talented and beautiful young woman like you. That way you cut that beef earlier was impressive."

Ikumi's face got even redder at his words. She rapidly shook her head and moved slightly away from Naruto. "You jerks! Thanks to you, Erina-sama has cut off ties with me." She semi-screamed.

"Now, now. Don't make sound like it's my fault. But look on the bright-side." Naruto beamed

"Yeah the bright-side." Soma repeated

"WHAT BRIGHT-SIDE?!" Ikumi demanded

"If Erina cut off ties with someone as good in the kitchen as you, then that's her lose." Naruto extended his open hand to her "You know if you hang out with us, we would have some fun and a wonderful time. So what you do say? Why don't you become our friend instead?" He offered gently and sincerely.

Ikumi looked at Naruto with curious eyes. No one has ever genuinely asked to just be her friend. She felt her heart beat looking at the tranquil smile Naruto was giving her. She… she didn't know what to do with his open hand.

"Can we try out your Don as well?" Soma came over with the rest of their group "You may not have won but it looks so damn good." Soma also presented his hand "We look forward into working with you in the future, Nikumi-chan."

Ikumi yelled "You jerks!" And hightailed her butt out of the stadium.

Soma waved at her "Don't forget to come by the RS."

Naruto made to go after her but was stopped by Kanichi.

"Namikaze, Yukihira, you two are really something. Thanks to your efforts, the Don RS is saved." He placed one of his hands on one of their shoulders "You two can lead the Don RS into the future. You two are the new Don of the Don RS."

Megumi clapped as did the rest of the Polar Star Dorm. The Aldini Brothers stood by quietly.

"Well, uh, we hate to break it to you, senpai, but…" Naruto started

And Soma finished "But we aren't joining the Don RS."

Megumi and Kanichi's mouths dropped in shock.

Soma reasoned out "Well you see I was just looking for a new Don recipe to add to my Diner's menu. Thanks to this, I did."

"I was just tagging along. I wanted to join the Ramen RS."

"But there is no Ramen RS!" Kanichi pointed out

"I know right." Naruto snapped around with a shaking fist "IT IS AN OUTRAGE I TELL YOU. AN OUTRAGE."

Takumi shouted out "We get it, Namikaze! We get it! It is an outrage! No need to declare it out for the whole world to know." Then he turned to Kanichi "That goes double for us."

Naruto looked at him with tear-filled eyes. "Takumi-san, you agree with me that the lack of a Ramen RS is an outrage?"

"No." Takumi rolled his eyes "I meant that we won't be joining the Don RS too."

"Sorry, Konichi-senpai" Isami apologized

"Now then" Naruto stepped up between Takumi and Isami "We have a new friend to bring with us back to the hotel." He grasped each of Takumi and Isami's wrists. "Kanichi-senpai, Soma, we'll see you all later. Megumi-chan, we'll talk some time, all right?"

"Oh no, not again!" Takumi started to panic

"Hold on to your lunch" Soma carelessly advised.

Naruto quickly dragged them out of the stadium, leaving behind only a trail of dust and smoke. They were gone in half a minute flat.

"Damn he is fast." was Urara's last comment for the day.

"I best get going too." Soma said with a wave goodbye. "I'll come around sometime, senpai."

SOMEWHERE IN TOTSUKI

"There you are, Ikumi-chan!" Ikumi turned around and found a fast approaching Naruto with the Aldini Brothers being dragged with him.

Naruto abruptly stopped and released the brothers from his grasps. Both brothers went to the nearest bush and vomited.

"Na-Namikaze!" She was surprised he caught up with her so quickly. It was one thing to be fast in the kitchen, it was another to be fast like a sprinter. "What do you want?"

"We came to invite our newest friend to live with us."

"Live with you?" Ikumi's face once again reddened momentarily. "Why would I want to do that? I already have a place to stay."

"Because I won the Shokugeki."

"Nothing in the terms of the Shokugeki said anything about me living with you!" She exclaimed

"Think of this as an exchange. Instead of the full unrestricted privileges to touch your boobs, you will live me and the Aldini Brothers."

Ikumi took a few steps forward and stop just short of Naruto's face with a hard look. "You're not going to sneak into my room in the middle of the night and try to sleep with me, will you?"

"I assure you. Nothing of the sort will happen." Naruto dawned a sly expression "Unless you want me to."

Ikumi jumped back "Idiot, of course not!"

"Then it settled then." Naruto was happy with this outcome.

"You're going to love it there." Isami said as he got closer to them "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Isami Aldini." Isami offered his hand. Naruto smiled when Ikumi took it.

"And I'm Takumi Aldini. Isami and I are twins."

"Naruto said you guys live together." The twins nodded "How did that happen?"

"An incredibly long story." Was Takumi swift reply.

"But one with a happy ending."

Ikumi inquired "So where do you live anyway?"

UZUMAKI TOWER - Entrance

Ikumi was a gaping mess when she stood at the entrance of the hotel. She raised a shaking finger, trying to point at the building in front of her. "T-t-t-there's no way you can afford to live here." Her head struggled to turn to look at the boys behind her "This place is-"

"Expensive? Yes, we know. That's why my brother and I only pay a certain percentage of the rent if you well."

"How? How can you afford to live here? Just who are you, Namikaze Naruto?" Ikumi wanted answers

Isami answered for him "He is the son of Uzumaki Minato. I believe you know who he is, what he does and what he owns so I don't think I need to go on about who he is."

"You're kidding?"

"He kids you not, Ikumi-chan. I am indeed Uzumaki Minato's son. His eldest son."

And Ikumi added "His son with Namikaze Kushina, a graduate of Totsuki who ranked ninth in the Elite Ten of her year."

Naruto nodded "That's my mother all right. Though I am surprised you know of her. She died before she could really make a name for herself aside from being an alumnus of Totsuki."

"Namikaze-"

"It's okay, Ikumi-chan. She died giving birth to me and I have long accepted that fact."

"So that's how she died."

"Ikumi-chan, how do you know about my mother?"

"An easy answer to question. My parents are wealthy members of the Cooking World. Words get around and I once overheard my parents talking about Uzumaki Minato and Namikaze Kushina. Also I looked the old year books in the Totsuki Library."

Naruto, Takumi and Isami accepted her answer. "Come on, let's go in. Let me show you to your new home for the next three years."

Naruto's Penthouse Suite

"Just set it there, guys." Naruto told the bellhops who did as they were told. After setting down the bags, they left with a respectful bow.

"You live here?"

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Takumi commented "There's free room service but Isami and I insist in making our own food."

"And the view from here is magnificent." Isami said

"And you say I can use the spa in the lower levels?" Ikumi reaffirmed Naruto's earlier offers.

"Yup!"

Naruto then showed her to her designated room. It came with a Jacuzzi and one of the bigger closets. Like Takumi, Ikumi was starting to realize it might be so bad to be Namikaze's friend. After all the insults she's hurled at him, he never really hurled any back. He wasn't such a bad guy after all and was being quite kind to her.

"Namikaze-kun, I accept your offer to live but I want it to be under the condition as the Aldini Twins. I want to pay a certain percentage of what it cost to live her. I am no charity case."

"Fine. Whatever. And you could just call me Naruto, you know. Anyway I'll go cook us some dinner." He offered while Ikumi explored the rest of the Penthouse. "There's still enough room for three more people." She heard Naruto say from the kitchen.

Ikumi eventually came to stop at the glass wall. The chubby Aldini Brother wasn't lying. The view was magnificent.

"Hold it right there, Namikaze." She said loudly as she run to the kitchen "I'm cooking tonight. This night we're having Steak."

"No, no. I'll cook tonight." Takumi volunteered "I'll cook the Aldini Special Pasta."

"But I was going to cook Ramen." Naruto half-whined

"No way, Namikaze!" the blond Aldini outright refused "We had Ramen last night. It's time we ate some Italian around here." Takumi strongly insisted

"Huh!" Ikumi raised an eyebrow "We can have Italian some other time. Tonight we're having Steak."

And so the three friends went on to have a terrible triangle of insisting what to cook for dinner that night. Isami stood in the background, happily content at watching his brother and their friends argue. "It's getting livelier here already."

Ikumi had woken up at three in the morning. She didn't plan this. She didn't want this. It just happened. It was late so early in the morning. The rest of friends and roommates were already wandering through dreamland. It took a while last night but they final resolved their little problem on who would be cooking their dinner. Isami had suggested they decide the matter with a quick game of Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Much to Ikumi's joy, she won.

She heard a noise outside of her room. Her curiosity got the best of her so she dressed herself in a bathrobe since she slept naked and got out of her room. The lights were mostly still save for the kitchen. Ikumi easily guessed someone was in the kitchen.

Wearing just her panties and a short tank top that should her navel and pronounced her nipples, she threaded silently form her room to the kitchen wondering who could be awake at this time. Well she was but she wasn't the one who got out of bed just to go to the kitchen. There in the kitchen she found Naruto sitting on a chair at the table. With a bowl of Ramen.

'Seriously, this guy. Who wakes up at three in the morning just to eat a bowl of Ramen?' Apparently Naruto did.

Her fellow blond was wearing a Kitsune-themed pajamas complete with nine tails. The tails were lying on the floor motionless.

"Ikumi-chan" He suddenly called her name. Well he seemed happy to see her. "Come sit down with me. I made extra." His hand gestured to the counter behind him which had three more bowls of Ramen.

Suddenly, as inexplicable as it was, one of the tails rose from the floor, stretched out to grab a bowl and stretched even more in order to hand the bowl over to Ikumi. Here it was. A tail that was supposed to be just a part of Naruto's pajamas extending and moving like it was a real part of Naruto's body.

'What sort of insanity is this?' She thought as the extended tail swayed slightly up and down with the bowl of Ramen in front of her.

'What is this? It doesn't make any sense. Could it be I'm just saying things due to waking up early? No, that can't be it' She took the bowl from the tail which then shrunk back and laid lifelessly once more on the floor. She was still surprised by that but Naruto acted like nothing out of the ordinary happened and resume eating.

She sat across him. She did nothing for a while, expecting some other kind of inexplicable event to occur. Yet none happened. So when she began eating, one thought, only one thought came crossing through her mind. She leered at her newly found friend as he gleefully slurped down his favorite meal. 'What kind of a weirdo did I just become friends with?'

And that's Chapter One!

A/N 3: You readers may have noticed that this fic had very little to no actual cooking. That's because I don't know squat about the complexities of cooking like the ones shown in the anime/manga. This fic was meant to be a collaboration between me and GlobalBlob1340 who would provide all the know-how on cooking. But he moved away and is too busy to help me out.