Yukiko's Treats

On the cobblestone streets of the Leaf Village, Naruto was seen strolling alongside William. It was quite peaceful during this time of day.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Naruto asked with his arms crossed over his head.

William shrugged, "Just thought we'd take it easy. Maybe grab some dango or something?"

"No complaints there!" Naruto exclaimed.

His stomach growled at the mere mention of food, bringing a chuckle from William.

As they turned a corner near the market square, the topic changed. "Oh, by the way," William said, looking slightly concerned, "I forgot to ask you how Asuma was doing yesterday."

"He seemed fine, I think. Why do you ask? Is something up?"

William sighed, glancing sideways at Naruto as they walked. "Asuma's been running an investigation since he came back from some mission. He asked me if I could help him, but I don't have a clue where to start."

"Investigation? What for? What's going on?"

"Well," William began, "he's trying to solve this cryptic message he found on the ground—that's as much as I know."

Naruto could only hope William could find a way to help Asuma if he needed it, just as they had always done for each other. Before he could delve deeper into questions about Asuma's investigation, the two heard a familiar voice behind them.

"Hey, Naruto!" They both turned to see Sakura rushing toward them. She stopped in front of them and said, "I'm glad I found you."

"What's up, Sakura?" Naruto asked, tilting his head.

Sakura glanced at William before turning her attention back to Naruto. "Tsunade has an important mission for you."

"Mind if I tag along?" William eagerly asked.

Sakura shook her head and said, "Sorry, but this one's just for Naruto. It sounded pretty important."

William shrugged, feeling a little disappointed. "Oh well, dude, just be careful. You know how Tsunade can be."

Naruto nodded, giving his cousin a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine! I'll catch up with you later."

With that, he turned toward the Hokage's building. It wasn't long until he found himself pushing open the door and stepping inside her office. Tsunade was sitting behind her desk, sorting through an array of scrolls.

"Ah, Naruto. Come in," she said without looking up. "I've been expecting you."

"What's this important mission, Granny Tsunade?"

Tsunade finally looked up and said, "We have a request for assistance from a bakery restaurant on the outskirts of the village. They've been harassed by a group of lowly thugs, and they specifically asked for your help."

"Me? Why would they want me? It's not like I'm famous or anything."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and smirked, "You'd be surprised of your reputation."

"Really? That's so cool!" Naruto replied, feeling a swell of pride.

Tsunade nodded but then leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "That being said, I was thinking about not sending you, given that the Akatsuki are still out there. I only feel safe letting you go out when you're with Jiraiya, but since this restaurant's close to the borders of the village, I think it'll be okay."

Naruto beamed at the prospect. Not just because he was headed out on a mission, but that it was going to be to a bakery; he wanted to learn how to bake.

"It's a d-rank mission," Tsunade instructed. "Nothing too complicated, but you should still take it seriously. Check in frequently, and come back as soon as you can, got it?"

"Got it!" Naruto replied enthusiastically.

He was already having thoughts of cookies, cakes, and pastries.

With that, he turned and bounded out of the office. As he made his way through the village, he could hardly contain his excitement about the mission ahead. The idea of helping a bakery, confronting thugs, and learning to bake felt like a nice change of pace.

It wasn't long until he began his trek toward the neighbouring town where the bakery had been requesting help. Despite being a relatively short distance from the village, the journey had taken him roughly three hours on foot.

He arrived at the outskirts of the small town. It was quaint, with traditional buildings, market stalls, and townsfolk who went about their business.

It wasn't hard too spot the bakery, a small shop with a round sign above the door that read "Yukiko's Treats."

He pushed open the door, only to see the bakery was empty and eerily quiet.

"Anyone here?" he called out.

He peered around the room, taking in the display of pastries that lined the counters. Croissants, tarts, and colored cakes were seen, yet there was no one to serve them.

Suddenly, he heard a voice: "We're closed! Go away, please!"

Naruto turned in the direction of the voice and saw a girl standing in the back of the shop. Her hands were on her hips, and she looked at him as if he were an intruder.

"Wait! I'm from the Leaf Village!" he shouted back, shaking his hands defensively. "I'm here to help with that problem you're experiencing!"

At the mention of the Leaf Village, she became a tad confused. "You're a ninja from the Leaf?"

Naruto nodded vigorously. "Yeah! Mrs. Yukiko sent for help, right? I'm here to get rid of those guys who've been bothering you!"

"Mrs. Yukiko?" The girl lowered her guard, glancing back toward the interior of the shop. "You're really from the Leaf? We didn't think someone would come help..."

"Yeah, and I'm ready to take care of those guys giving you problems!" Naruto asserted.

After a moment, she approached him cautiously and said, "I'm Aya, the owner's daughter. My mom's in the back, but you should know that those thugs have been hanging out at that old house on the edge of town. They just started harassing us for no reason, and the authorities won't do anything."

"Thanks for the info, Aya! I'll take care of this and make sure they never bother you again!"

The girl was excited to hear that. Had Naruto not come, they would have been forced to shut down their shop.

With that, he exited the bakery and dashed toward the outskirts of town. He didn't particularly have any plan; he just knew he had to confront the source of the problem and deal with it like a shinobi would.

When he arrived at the outskirts, the house was ramshackle, with peeling paint and broken windows. As he approached, it was clear that this was where the thugs liked to hide out.

He neared the house and already could hear raucous laughter and shouts. Naruto crouched low, peeking in through a broken window. Inside, he spied three burly men lounging around a table, likely counting their ill-gotten gains while bellowing drunkenly about their "power" over the bakery.

That was all the evidence he needed.

Without a second thought, he burst through the front door, joining the fray with a loud shout: "You guys just messed with the wrong bakery!"

The thugs jumped to their feet, surprised by the sudden intrusion. When they saw it was just a boy, they grinned. "Well, well—if it isn't a little ninja. What are you going to do, kid?"

Naruto didn't hesitate. He launched himself forward. The thugs acted quickly, but Naruto was faster, dodging the first thug's clumsy swing. He then twisted around to land a kick to his stomach, sending him crashing into the table.

The remaining thugs quickly regrouped, but Naruto didn't let loose. He leaped into the air and executed a spinning kick, taking down another thug before the last one could even react.

Moments later, the last thug finally understood their chances had vanished and turned to flee.

"This isn't over, you brat!" he shouted, trying to run out the door.

Who was Naruto to let him run? He pulled out a shuriken and threw it, grazing the man's leg. Yukiko and Aya again, he'll be back to do much more damage.

The thug repeatedly apologized, stating that they'll never return there again. Naruto needed assurance, so he asked why they were even harassing the bakery. The thug, however, didn't give a real reason; he only stated that he wasn't even from here and promised not to return.

Naruto didn't ask any further, confident he had made his point.

With the thugs dispatched, he decided to leave. "Guess that takes care of that."

Back at the bakery, Aya asked, "What happened? Are they gone?"

"Yep! All taken care of!" Naruto said.

Aya's eyes widened. "You really did it? Just like that?"

"Just like that," he confirmed, grinning.

Aya was impressed, for it looked as if Naruto hadn't even broken a sweat. He was gone thirty minutes at best.

As if on cue, Mrs. Yukiko emerged from the back room. Seeing Naruto standing there, she blinked in surprise. "Did you really do it? Are they really not gonna come back?"

"Those thugs won't bother you anymore!" Naruto declared, bringing his fist up with pride.

Mrs. Yukiko became joyous, and she rushed forward, wrapping him in a bear hug. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much! I'm so relieved!"

Aya grinned at her mother's relief, then turned to Naruto. "We're so grateful. How can we repay you?"

At the mention of payment, Naruto rejected the idea, only to remember that he didn't know how to bake. "Instead of paying me, how about you teach me how to bake a cake or something?"

The two females looked at each other, surprised that that's all he wanted. And with that, Naruto spent the next few hours in the kitchen with Mrs. Yukiko and Aya. They donned aprons and set to work with flour flying and laughter punctuating the restaurant.

"Let's start simple," Aya said, gesturing to a collection of ingredients. "How about we make some sweet cream puffs?"

"Okay?" Naruto agreed, unable to contain his eagerness.

"First, we need to make the choux pastry," Aya guided, leading him through the necessary steps. "Here, mix the flour with this boiling water."

Naruto focused, trying to remember everything. He poured the flour into the bowl and mixed it with the boiling water. But in his zeal, he poured too much in at once.

"Oops, too thick! More water!" Mrs. Yukiko chimed in.

Blushing, Naruto quickly added more water, but this time he went overboard and ended up with a soupy mixture that splattered everywhere.

"Whoa, not like that!" Aya giggled, helping him fix his mistake with a laugh.

It was clear to the two that Naruto, while a skilled ninja for certain, wasn't the best baker.

After a few adjustments, they finally created the right consistency for the choux pastry.

"Now we need to pipe them into small mounds on the baking tray," Mrs. Yukiko instructed.

Naruto filled a piping bag. However, as he squeezed the bag, a huge blob of pastry plopped onto the tray—far larger than intended.

"Ah! That's way too much!" Aya exclaimed.

"Umm… Maybe I should just stick to ramen!" Naruto joked.

With their encouragement, he continued decorating the tray. Another batch collapsed, and a third attempt sputtered everywhere, coating the kitchen in flour and cream.

"Take your time, Naruto!" Mrs. Yukiko gently said, showing him how to properly pipe the dough.

He watched closely, finally starting to get the hang of it. After much laughter and a few more tries, they finally managed to pipe a perfect batch of choux pastry. Naruto stepped back and breathed a sigh of relief as the tray was ready to go into the oven.

Once the pastries were baking, he found himself excited at his achievement. "That was a lot to learn!"

"You did good!" Aya praised.

After a while, Mrs. Yukiko pulled the tray from the oven, revealing a beautiful golden-brown batch of cream puffs. "Now for the filling!"

They whipped up a sweet cream and began to fill the pastries, perfecting the final product together. Naruto's face lit up as he decorated the éclairs—this was a lot different than boiling broth.

Finally satisfied, they plated the pastries and sat at a small table in the corner of the bakery to sample their hard work. Naruto took a bite, and his taste buds jumped with excitement.