The Shopkeeper of Konoha

Aoto was overjoyed to learn of the early approval. He didn't expect that Hiruzen pulled strings for this. He opened the store and helped the first customers, then he and John left to visit the blacksmith who was assigned to complete the cart. The license arrived quickly, but unfortunately, the actual physical labor was not as quick.

They were feeling down and were about to turn around when Aoto spotted a chicken shop. He instantly had a thought.

"System, am I able to sell items beyond what you provide?" Aoto asked the system in his mind.

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The host is free to choose which products to offer for sale. The sale will be assessed by the system, with bonus incentives awarded if certain criteria are met.

]

"What? I can't believe you didn't tell me that sooner." Aoto was frustrated that he hadn't been told about it. Aoto had low hopes for a response from the system and received none. He left to go to the store and returned with two chickens. John didn't say anything because he assumed he was buying groceries for himself.

By the time Aoto returned it was already evening so the customers were less. He took John to the kitchen of his home and brought out the chicken.

"Why am I here?" John did not understand.

"Are you able to cook?" Asked Aoto.

"Beyond the wall, I cooked some meat over fire. Don't know more than that." Truthfully, John said it.

"I want to sell fried chicken along with the other two items." In Aoto's words.

"What? Fried chicken? What is that?" John did not understand. Aoto then prepared a dish he had learned to make in the United States. There fast food was common and Aoto loved eating fast food but hated spending money on it.

So he taught himself how to cook, and now he could make fried chicken, as well as burgers. Aoto had considered opening a burger joint, but ultimately decided against it. He didn't have people who knew how to cook and it was better to leave for the future.

However, fried chicken was an item that could be offered alongside such products. John could perform the second fry in his shop, while he took care of the first one at home. He planned to install a cooktop on it. That would work perfectly.

Aoto spent the next two hours breaking down the steps required to make fried chicken. John had low expectations for what Aoto was creating, but after trying some of the fried chicken, he gazed at Aoto as if he were a god.

Later, when Hot Pie and Arya had the chicken, they too concluded that only God could have created such a flavorful dish. They had tried ramen and its flavor, but the soupy consistency turned them off. In all sense, they hadn't tried a true dry food as of yet. Ramen, rice, noodles, everything had water.

This fried chicken, however, was prepared in oil and had any excess moisture squeezed out of it.

"So what do you think? Can you make it?" Asked Aoto. John finally grasped it after a hard struggle; he could become an expert in just a day or two. He was relieved to realize he no longer needed to rely solely on Aoto for support. Arya made the choice to aid his sibling.

"Don't gorge yourself. No more than once every two weeks, and no more than once a month for Hot Pie." The rules were very clear from Aoto.

"Why? Wow, this is delicious." Arya was confused.

"If you don't want to die because of obesity and heart attack, then don't." In Aoto's words.

"What are those?" A question was posed by Hot Pie. Aoto then proceeded to explain how this food was bad and even if they did exercise, the cholesterol level will definitely fuck up. They got scared by this and Arya decided to only eat once a month.

Hot Pie meanwhile didn't seem to care that he might die soon due to excess eating. Food was one of his greatest passions. But out of deference to Aoto, he committed to once-a-month eating. Without much reflection, John was confident in his ability to maintain self-control.

He invited Ayame and Teuchi to eat the fried chicken before it officially launched. When they both had their first bite, they both had stars in their eyes.

"Aoto, you have really made me proud. This is a masterpiece." Teuchi said.

"But Uncle, it's unhealthy. You have already seen the process." In Aoto's words.

"You think constant ramen is very good for health. Some of the extra things we put on special dishes aren't good at all." Says Teuchi.

"But you control the process and it isn't that bad." In Aoto's words.

"Don't worry, Aoto; this dish will be a hit wherever you take it. People can make their own decisions after learning about the potential health risks." Teuchi said. Ayame appeared uninterested in the discourse as she munched away. Aoto made a formal introduction to Teuchi, his employers, and the new fried chicken was a hit with everyone.

Since there was nothing like tonkatsu in the ramen market at the time, Aoto gave Teuchi pointers on how to incorporate tonkatsu into unique ramen preparations. Teuchi was enlightened and almost ran back to his place to make Tonkatsu with pork.

Aoto could almost taste the Tonkatsu ramen that he knew was on the way from Ichiraku. Instead of going with his father, Ayame stayed and chatted with Arya, who was almost her age. John was relieved to hear that Arya had found a place to call home after her move from the city.

After getting some pointers from Teuchi and Hot Pie, the bakery implemented the sale of fried chicken with sauce the next day. People were initially perplexed by the presence of chicken in a bakery, but then they remembered that this particular establishment also sold cigarettes.

Needless to say, the few curious customers who sampled it were blown away by the flavor and requested for more. In the morning, Aoto brought 15 chicken to the water hole to see how they would fare. In under two hours, he and John sold out of their whole batch of fried chicken.