Chapter 67: The Curry House of Fate

Chapter 67: The Curry House of Fate

Asuma examined the map very seriously. It couldn't be said to be close one was in the Land of Rivers, and the other in the Land of Fire but both were within the same mountain range.

After thinking carefully, he said, "I can't rule out a connection between the two, but there's no need to worry too much. Even if hostile ninjas appear, we can handle it. I believe you are all excellent ninjas."

Ino pouted, feeling that his words were somewhat inappropriate, but she didn't dwell on it. Asuma was very strong, and she was probably just being overly suspicious. At this time, Zabuza should be in the Land of Waves. It was impossible for him to cross the Land of Fire all the way to the western Land of Rivers to cause trouble.

Even if these ronin were colluding with the previous bandits, so what? They could just kill them.

Unfortunately, Baki and Tōfu had been taken away for forced labor. Otherwise, they could have gotten some information by questioning them.

The four of them went back to pack their belongings, and an hour later, they gathered at the village entrance.

Every time Ino came to the village entrance, she would greet the gatekeepers, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane, to get familiar with them.

Regardless of whether "Old Iron" was Danzo's illegitimate child, it was always good to build a good relationship.

The Village Hidden in the Leaves had suffered many calamities, but look at these two? They had never been involved in any trouble. Standing at the gate every day like door gods, they had lived peacefully all the way to the Boruto era. That was skill, and you had to admire it.

Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane greatly admired Asuma, almost like fans seeing their idol.

Ino couldn't understand where their admiration came from.

Team 10 wrote down their departure time, number of people, and destination on the registration form at the side. After each of them signed, they left the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

After traveling through the mountains and forests for two days, Team 10 emerged from a jungle and entered the Land of Rivers.

Last time, when they went to exterminate the bandits, it was at least a mission within their own country. This time, going to a neighboring country, they had to be much more careful. Not only did they have to be wary of various ninjas, but they also had to conceal their tracks. Asuma aside, for Ino and the other two, this journey through the forest while maintaining vigilance was already quite exhausting. Fortunately, Choji had learned some decent cooking skills from old man Kosuke, so he could prepare some hot meals for the four of them in the wild, sparing them from having to chew on dry rice balls.

As they walked, Choji suddenly became excited. He pointed ahead and said, "Asuma-sensei! I smell curry! There must be a place to eat up ahead. Let's go check it out!"

Ino and Shikamaru sniffed the air but didn't smell anything.

The four of them walked onto a country road, and before long, they saw a two-story wooden house at the crossroads. Just like in Ino's previous life, where many places would paint a circle on the side of a wall with the character for "demolish" inside, this wooden house also had a large circle on the side of its wall, with the character for "fate" written inside.

"Asuma-sensei, this is it! The curry smells so good!" Choji said excitedly.

"Then let's go in and take a break," Asuma said reasonably, lifting the cloth curtain at the entrance and walking in first.

Choji followed closely behind, and Shikamaru, with his hands behind his head, also walked in. Ino looked around. In this remote wilderness, there was only this one wooden house, which seemed a bit suspicious. She remained cautious as she followed them inside.

Inside, there was an old woman who looked quite kind. Being old, her reactions were a bit slow. It wasn't until the four of them stood in front of the counter that she noticed strangers had entered the house.

Ino, being highly vigilant, carefully examined the old woman her height, weight, chakra, facial skin, and the calluses on her hands not missing a single detail.

Asuma patted her shoulder and then shook his head with a smile, signaling that she didn't need to be so tense. This was just an ordinary old woman.

"Who are you?" the old woman asked.

"Travelers passing by," Asuma replied.

Even though the four of them were clearly wearing the forehead protectors of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Asuma lied without batting an eye, and the old woman didn't notice anything amiss.

"The journey must have been hard! Come, try the unique curry rice of the Curry House of Fate!" The old woman was very enthusiastic. Without another word, she invited them to sit down and quickly brought out several plates of curry rice for them to taste.

There was no wariness, no suspicion, just a kind smile. The old woman didn't seem to fear that the four of them might be bad people.

Ino couldn't help but ask, "Granny, what should we call you?"

The old woman wasn't used to her formal way of speaking. After thinking for a moment, she said, "The people in the village call me Granny Sanshō. You can call me that too. When I was young, my sanshō pepper dishes were the best! But in my later years, I realized that curry is the best food in the world!"

"Yes, yes!" Choji nodded beside her. This guy thought everything edible was a delicacy.

The old woman rambled on about many food-related things, her words jumbled. She would repeat things she had already said three or four sentences earlier.

Ino narrowed her eyes. Granny Sanshō? Are you related to Hanzo the Salamander? But at this point in time, Hanzo the Salamander should already be dead.

"I'll dig in!" Choji, who had been starving for a while, quickly picked up his spoon and started eating. Judging by the way he nodded with delight as he ate, it seemed to be very delicious.

Asuma didn't start eating right away. Sitting by the window, he lit a cigarette first. Seeing Ino's suspicious expression, he smiled but didn't say anything.

Staying vigilant was good, but knowing how to judge friend from foe and conserving physical and mental energy also required experience. This girl still had a long way to go.

Ino waited for about two minutes. Seeing that Choji was already on his third plate, she estimated that the food wasn't poisoned and finally picked up her spoon to take a small bite.

"Ugh!" As she chewed on a piece of carrot, an extremely spicy heat rushed down her throat and into her stomach. Ino felt as if she had swallowed a mouthful of fire, burning from the inside out. Her fair face instantly turned red, and the spiciness made the ponytail on her head stand on end.

"Water, water!!!" She took out her water bottle and gulped down three or four mouthfuls before the spicy taste subsided.

After just one bite, a layer of fine sweat had broken out on her forehead. This stuff was way too spicy! Is this even meant for humans?

She looked at Choji.

Choji: "???"

Wow, the foodie fears nothing, huh? You can eat something this spicy?

Her gaze was so intense that Choji chuckled awkwardly, "Haha... it's just a little spicy."

A little spicy? This is extremely spicy! This so-called "Curry House of Fate" is truly a life-threatening place!

Hearing the commotion, Granny Sanshō hurried over to ask, "Guests, is it not spicy enough? I'll make sure the next pot is a hundred times spicier. I won't let the reputation of the Curry House of Fate be ruined!"

Ino waved her hands repeatedly. Thank you, but this is already spicy enough! That hundred-times spicier version? You can keep it for yourself!

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