Chapter 44: A Hearty Meal and a Light Wallet

The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm glow over the village. After their long journey and the emotional reunion with their friends, the group decided to head to one of Naruto's favorite spots—the Ichiraku Ramen shop. Naruto, ever the generous one, had invited everyone to lunch to celebrate their return.

As they entered the shop, Naruto beamed with excitement, his usual enthusiasm lighting up the room. "Ramen's on me today!" he declared, causing his friends to grin and cheer, knowing full well how much Naruto loved his ramen. But there was a slight tremor in his voice as he glanced at his wallet, already feeling the dread of what was to come.

The shop's owner, Teuchi, greeted them warmly. "Welcome, everyone! It's been a while since I've seen all of you together." If you're hearing this, then the person creating this audiobook did not obtain permission. This work was created by shredder121

Naruto grinned, waving it off. "Yeah, yeah, just keep it coming, Teuchi! We've got a lot to celebrate!" He glanced at his friends, who were already taking their seats, excited for a good meal after all the adventures.

The six little summoning beasts took their seats too, each of them eager to dig in. The mini Nine-Tails cub leapt up onto a counter seat, his eyes glinting as he looked at the large bowls of ramen being placed before the group. The dragon, small but fierce, wagged its tail in anticipation, its small claws tapping the counter impatiently. Sakura's pink lion sat beside her, looking up with curious eyes, while Sasuke's dragon stretched out, sniffing the air. Even Guy's summoning beast—a small, muscular creature resembling a mini gorilla—seemed excited to try something new.

The moment the ramen was served, chaos ensued. The little beasts devoured their food with wild abandon, shoveling noodles into their mouths like there was no tomorrow. The little Nine-Tails cub used its paws to scoop up the broth, slurping loudly, while the pink lion gently nudged its bowl closer to Sakura, growling in delight.

Sasuke's dragon curled its tail around the bowl, drinking the broth quickly and occasionally flicking its tongue out for the noodles. Meanwhile, Guy's mini gorilla seemed to have no manners whatsoever, grabbing everything in sight and gobbling it up with great enthusiasm.

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed as the little fox knocked over his bowl, happily slurping up the broth that spilled onto the counter. "Be careful with that! That's mine!"

But it was too late. The cub was already onto the next bowl, trying to grab whatever it could, while Naruto's friends laughed at the chaos unfolding before them. Even Tsunade, who was sitting nearby, couldn't suppress a smile.

"You're going to need to start budgeting better, Naruto," Kakashi teased, shaking his head.

"Yeah," Sasuke added with a smirk, "looks like your wallet's not going to survive this."

Naruto's grin faltered as he looked at his wallet, which now seemed like it was getting thinner by the second. "No, no, I've got this! I promised everyone!" He pulled out the wallet, already cringing at the sight of the few bills left inside. "Maybe I'll just have to put a little on credit…"

Sakura chuckled, reaching down to pat the pink lion, who had finished its bowl and was now eyeing the dragon's food. "It's going to be a lot of ramen runs like this from now on, huh?"

"Tell me about it," Naruto grumbled, watching his little cub devour more ramen, and the dragon happily slurping up the last bit of broth from its bowl. "But hey, at least they're happy, right?"

Guy, ever the optimist, clapped Naruto on the back. "Don't worry, Naruto! You'll work it off with all the training you'll need to do to keep up with your new companions!" His voice was so upbeat that it was almost contagious, and the group couldn't help but laugh.

Obito leaned in, grinning as he watched his pack of wolves snuggle around him, happily gnawing on their food. "Well, they sure know how to eat," he said. "But hey, at least we're all together. It's nice to be back in the village, isn't it?"

"I can't believe we're already back to this," Kakashi added, his one visible eye twinkling. "But it's a good thing. We needed this break after everything we've been through."

Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head at the whole spectacle. "Well, as long as they're not causing trouble… I guess it's alright. But I'm definitely not going to pay for all this ramen."

Naruto looked at him, wide-eyed. "Shikamaru! You were supposed to be my backup!"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "I'm not the one who invited everyone to ramen, Naruto."

Naruto let out a dramatic sigh. "I swear, I'm never going to get a break from this. My wallet's gonna hate me even more."

The group chuckled as they all ate their meals, chatting and catching up on everything that had happened during their absence. The little summoning beasts were content and full, curled up around their new owners, and Naruto, despite his financial woes, felt a warmth in his chest that made him smile.

"This is what it's all about," Naruto muttered to himself, "being surrounded by friends and family."

The Konoha 11, the Sand siblings, and the rest of the group enjoyed the moment, the simple joy of food and friendship making them forget about the bigger battles ahead.

But Naruto knew that the next chapter of their journey was just beginning. And though his wallet may have taken a hit today, the bond between him, his friends, and their new companions was priceless.