This One's On Me [Open]

The sun was shining brightly on the vibrant city of Konoha. The villagers were bustling through the streets, each working hard at their trade before the sun fell. On the streets below, thousands of villagers scurried around, much like ants. On the rooftops above, thousands of shin obi dashing about the village fulfilling their duties. All were busy today, except for Isobu.

The large, well fed man had just entered the Ichiraku Ramen eatery and took a seat square in the middle of the shop. He gave a loud roar to announce his presence! "Oi Ichiraku-san! I've decided to stop by again for my Post Lunch, but Pre-Dinner snack!" The man gave a hearty laugh when the shop owners gave an exhausted look at the realization that the man with the bottomless belly had returned.

While Isobu waited, He thought about what the Homage had said to him upon his recent promotion to Jounin rank. He was to carry himself even more so as a leader now that he had climbed the ranks. Isobu wondered how long it would be before he was assigned to look after a team of genuine. A trickle of sweat scurried down his forehead. He couldn't imagine having the responsibility of making sure anyone was well taken care of besides himself. However, just as Isobu was about to reach a moral compromise, 4 bowls of Ramen were presented to him, piping hot. Isobu salivated uncontrollably and commenced to devour his feast. "Its about time!"

[249]

Spite had been training as hard as he could by himself lately. Normally he would train with his father and mother, but as of recently they have been out of the village, leaving him to train on his own. It was strange training alone, though he didn't mind all too much. Today however Spite decided to take a day off and become more familiar with Konohagakure. One would think that he would know the village inside and out, however Spite was secluded up in the Uchiha District by his parents. It wasn't that his parents were strict, it was more so that they were "Over-Protective." Spite got dressed then put on his black Uchiha jacket, he pushed his glasses back up towards his eyes, then left his home. He walked towards the gates of the Uchiha District making his way towards the main area of the village. 

The streets were busy today, Spite managed to bump into a few people while making his way down the crowded streets. "Hmmm... Where should I go today?" he thought to himself. He continued to walk down the streets when a delightful scent invaded his nostrils. Spite turned his head towards Ichiraku, a well known noodle bar famous for its ramen. He heard his stomach make quite a ruckus almost as if it was destiny for him to enter the eatery. "Well, I guess now's a better time than ever to go ahead and eat." Spite began to walk towards Ichiraku, when a loud booming voice erupted from the bar. The voice peaked Spite's interest as he entered the bar, a large, grey-skinned man sat in the very center of the shop, he assumed that the sound had come from this man. The man had four large bowls of ramen in front of him, "Is he really going to eat all that by himself?" Spite thought to himself. He walked over to the counter to order, "I'll just have a large bowl of ramen." The chef nodded as he took his order, Spite then turned around and walked over towards the large man, deciding to take a seat across from him without asking. It was a bit impolite yes, but this man intrigued Spite. He sat down, then introduced himself. "Hello there. My name is Spite Uchiha. What's yours?"


(385)

Isobu continued to ravage his ramen one bowl at a time. The speed at which he ate would be almost blinding to the young Uchiha, who had just taken a seat next to him. The only visible change would be the stacking of ramen bowls one by one, clanking each time. Isobu slurped ferociously as he consumed his meal, and the occasional splash of hot ramen broth would fly in Spite's direction, threatening to mildly scald his skin, or at a minimum, stain his black jacket.

The pudgy shinobi did not hear Spite introduce himself. Even with all his training as a ninja, the sound of the slurping blocked everything else out. Or, perhaps it was Isobu's unbreakable focus on demolishing his supper that prevented him from acknowledging the genin in his presence. The bowls of soup were stacking up one by one. Second bowl...gone. Seconds later, the third bowl was added to the pile. Isobu guided the noodles to his gaping mouth using his chopsticks with such grace and technique, almost as if it was an art. Meanwhile, his other hand, the hand closest to Spite, was reaching out to grab the large bowl of ramen meant for the genin. He had seemingly mistaken Spite's food as his complimentary 5th bowl of ramen. If nothing was done, the young man will find his food at the bottom of Isobu's stomach in a matter of seconds.
"NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM...."

[490]

The man ignored Spite and continued devouring his meal, he must not have heard him introduce himself. It was understandable though, anyone would be more focused on their food if they were hungry enough. "Maybe I should try again..." Spite thought to himself. "Um...Hello? My name is Spite Uchiha. It's nice to meet you." The man continued to ignore him. Spite was beginning to become slightly frustrated, he didn't like to be ignored. "Excu-..." Spite tried one last time, but the man continued to obliterate his meal. Spite slumped back into his chair trying to contain his anger. All he wanted to do was introduce himself, but the mans rudeness was preventing him from doing that. Spite began to rub his temples trying to calm down, unfortunately his frustration only grew larger. Finally his bowl of ramen had arrived, "Finally, I'm starving," he thought to himself. As he reached for his bowl the man subconsciously also made a move for his bowl. He couldn't take it anymore, Spite pulled out a kunai from his weapon pouch and quickly planted the sharp blade deep into the wood of the table inches away from the mans hand. He glared deeply into his eyes, "DON'T...TOUCH...MY...DAMN...FOOD!" His voiced exploded throughout the ramen bar. Hopefully Spite's outburst would grab the man's attention.

(607)

Isobu's hand came to a sudden halt just inches away from where the kunai had stabbed into the wooden table. It was as if Isobu had woke up from a trance. He swallowed the food that was already in his mouth with a mighty gulp. The bulge in this throat dropped down to his large midsection and was followed by a splash that could be heard if your ear was pressed up against his stomach. The tension in the shop was increasingly palpable as everyone had stopped moving to observe the scene that the young shinobi was causing. Isobu's now widened eyes floated in Spite's direction. He observed the ninja closely. He especially noticed the Uchiha crest on the back of the ninja's long black coat. Isobu recalled reviewing the shinobi roster in Konoha. He recognized the young ninja to be a genin, just recently promoted. Isobu opened his mouth to speak, but only a load roar of a burp came out. The wind from the belch would blow his hair back and fog up his glasses.

"UUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRP"

Isobu covvered his mouth with his hand immediately after, realizing how rude he had been. Isobu cleared his throat and attempted to make up for his rudeness. "Ahem. Excuse me, I'm so sorry. Were you saying something? My name is Isobu. You look quite familiar." he said. The ninja smiled at Spite, causing his over sized fangs to show.

[727]

Spite continued to glare at the large man, as he pulled his bowl back towards him. He picked up the chopsticks that were next to him and began to take a bite. As he lifted the noodles up to his mouth the man sitting across from him let out a monstrous belch that shook the entire room. The unpleasant wave of air blew through Spite's long hair and fogged his glasses up. Spite removed them from his face and began to wipe the steam off of the glass. He placed them back on his face, then looked back at the man who had covered his mouth with a surprised look in his eyes. The man apologized to Spite and told him that his name was Isobu. Spite finally took a bite of his ramen while Isobu talked, he mentioned Spite looked familiar to him. "Familiar?" Spite thought to himself. With his mouth full of ramen he reached over and pried the kunai out of the table, "I apologize for losing my temper. I tend to do that from time to time." Spite placed the kunai back into his weapon pouch, "Also, I don't believe that we've met so I'm not sure why you would recognize me." Spite continued to eat waiting for Isobu to respond.


(822)

Isobu listened calmly as the young shinobi spoke while his eyes met with Spite's. He analyzed the genin from his appearance to his strength level. He assessed his level of chakra with his sensory skills, and came to the conclusion that the young boy would grow to live up to the Uchiha name. The boy had potential. With one had, the jounin stroked his small, bushy beard, and with the other hand, he rubbed his large belly to stimulate the process of digestion. He recalled all he had heard about the infamous Uchiha clan when he arrived to this village. The Uchiha had a long history of strength as ninja and prowess in Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and especially Dojutsu. As Spite continued to eat his food and speak to him, Isobu continued to meet his gaze. He wondered what secrets lay hidden in young Spite's eyes. He had yet to observe the Uchiha's ability in combat first hand. However, when he pictured his idol, the man who persuaded Isobu to become a member of this village, Viper Uchiha, he had faith that the young genin would not dissapoint.


"No apologies necessary! 'Protect your food with your life', is my motto. HAHHAHHAHHAHH!" Isobu replied. He allowed the ninja to finish his meal before carrying on with their discussion. He wondered what things he could learn from the young Uchiha. He turned back to face the owner of the ramen shop. He was still eyeing the young man who had just moments ago thrown a small temper tantrum. He was, without a doubt wondering who would pay for the hole that had just been stabbed in the counter. Isobu let out a hearty laugh, while he reached into his kimono. From his kimono he pulled out a large sack of money. The sack was shaped like a shark, with the zipper cleverly placed where the teeth of the shark should be. He emptied out just enough to cover the ramen for both he and Spite, and also for the damages. "That should just about cover the damage done, eh big guy?" he said, addressing the ramen shop owner, who was ironically MUCH smaller in size compared to Isobu himself. Turning his head back to face Spite, he continued "Maybe you're right. But perhaps our paths will cross on the training fields someday. I'm actually heading there now"

[1127]

Skills Used

Spoiler:

Spite finished his meal and continued to chat with Isobu. He had calmed down for the most part now and forgave Isobu for his rude actions from earlier. He also continued to apologize for losing his temper. He looked down at the table, examining the hole where the kunai had once been implanted. He felt really bad for damaging that which was not his property, he turned around towards the owner of Ichiraku. "I sincerely apologize for the damage I've caused to your table. Is there anyth-..." Before Spite could finish his sentence, Isobu interrupted stating that he would pay for the damages, along with Spite and his meals. Spite's face flushed red, he felt embarrassed over his actions. "Th-Thanks... Isobu..." Spite's tone was quiet and guilt filled. Isobu mentioned that there paths could possibly cross once again, then said that he was heading towards the training grounds. Spite hesitated for a moment before asking, "Um....Do you mind if I tag along? Normally I train with my parents, but they have been out of the village for some time now. I could use the practice, and you seem like you could be a good teacher..." Spite waited for Isobu's answer, hoping he would accept his request.

(1029)

Isobu noticed how hesitant the boy was when he spoke. It was surprising to him, given Spite's outrageous outburst just moments earlier. When the child spoke out to him in gratitude, Isobu replied, "No worries. This one's on me." It would seem that Spite Uchiha had an interesting dynamic that made Isobu curious. However, not so curious that he would actually take him on as a student. Isobu was much to busy looking for ways to fill his stomach to accept that kind of responsibility. That would require teaching the young boy about what it means to be a shinobi, how to defend himself, as well as how to defend others. While all these excuses sounded good in Isobu's head, deep down, he truly feared that he would be an incompetent teacher. As far as shinobi went, Isobu was not the strongest, fastest, or the stealthiest. In fact, it's a surprise that he wears the rank of Jounin at all! He continued to stroke his facial hair as Spite waited for his reply. He stepped off the stool, removing himself from the cesspool of self doubt, and began to walk out of the shop and into the street. He would stop briefly after so that his back was facing Spite.

On the other hand, this was a rare opportunity to observe the growth of an Uchiha seedling. Isobu's idol, Viper, is also an Uchiha, after all. Still knowing very little about them, Isobu would have to find a way to study their abilities if he was to ever be of use to the strongest warriors in the village. This situation was precisely that opportunity. He resolved that this exchange could benefit the both of them, and so finally, with his conclusion met, Isobu finally responded.

"Well, I guess I could see what you've got. Are you up for a little spar?" As he spoke, he pointed his thumb in the direction of the training field over yonder.

[1454]

Spite waited for Isobu's response, for a moment he wasn't sure what his reply would be. Isobu just sat there seeming as if he was struggling with the thought of training Spite. Then suddenly Isobu sat up out of his chair, turned around and walked towards the exit of Ichiraku. Spite's spirits were low, maybe Isobu didn't want to train him. Just when he thought Isobu had turned his back on him and refused Spite's request, he stated that Spite could come with. Isobu wanted to spar and test Spite's abilities. Spite's eyes widened with joy, though he held back his excitement. Instead he bowed respectively towards Isobu. 

They left Ichiraku and began to make their way towards the training grounds. "So... I don't mean to be rude or anything, but are you from Konoha originally? It's just that...I've never seen anyone in the village with your looks, your greyish skin I mean..." Spite didn't want to offend Isobu, he just wanted to get to know him a little bit better.


(1201)