Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe

"Three special char siu ramen, and add extra char siu," Daniel Davis said after glancing at the menu hanging in front of him. He ordered the most expensive ramen dishes available.

After placing the order, Daniel took a moment to survey the Ichiraku Ramen shop. The shop was still small at this point, with most of the seating limited to the counter, which could accommodate about six or seven people at a time.

While examining the shop, Daniel noticed Jiraiya subtly observing him. Flashing a friendly smile at the Toad Sage, Daniel then turned his attention to the ramen that was being served.

"The flavor is indeed excellent. The broth is rich, and the meat is tender—no surprise, since it's from the Akimichi clan's livestock," Daniel mused. In the Leaf, the Akimichi clan's large ranch was the main supplier of meat, and during Pain's assault on the village, it was the Akimichi clan's resources that helped keep the village afloat during the tough times that followed.

Daniel had learned this from passing several BBQ shops on his way to Ichiraku Ramen—many of which were owned by the Akimichi clan.

It wasn't unusual for ninja clans to have non-shinobi members running businesses. The Uchiha clan, for example, also had civilians among their ranks. Though theoretically, anyone could refine chakra, in practice, talent played a significant role. If it weren't for luck, people like Might Guy and Rock Lee wouldn't have made it into the ninja academy. In fact, Guy had almost been rejected.

"Naruto, you're finally back! Kakashi-sensei has been looking for you. If you don't return soon, you're going to miss the Chūnin Exams!" Daniel overheard as the door curtain was pulled aside, and two people walked in. Daniel recognized both of them: one was Sakura from Team 7, and the other was a dark-haired young man, Sai.

Despite the age and appearance differences, Daniel immediately recognized Sai.

"Sakura, I'm here now, aren't I?" Naruto said, grinning and putting down his bowl of ramen. He didn't bother acknowledging Sai, who stood behind Sakura.

"Hurry up! Kakashi-sensei promised that if we pass the Chūnin Exams, he'd let us go look for Sasuke!" Sakura urged, her voice full of hope.

"Ahem," Jiraiya coughed loudly from his seat nearby when he heard Sasuke's name mentioned.

"Alright, Naruto, training's over for now. Go meet with Kakashi. I have something else to take care of," Jiraiya said, standing up.

"You're not going to spy again, are you?" Naruto asked suspiciously, clearly not trusting his teacher.

Naruto had initially respected Jiraiya greatly, considering him the teacher of his father, the Fourth Hokage. But after spending more time with him and discovering Jiraiya's true nature, Naruto's respect quickly disappeared.

"Stop saying such nonsense! Jiraiya-sama is one of the Legendary Sannin!" Sakura scolded Naruto, punching him in the head before Jiraiya could respond. For now, Sakura still held the Sannin in high regard.

"Okay, okay, let's go. This time, I'll make Kakashi-sensei see how much I've improved, pass the Chūnin Exams, and then bring Sasuke back!" Naruto declared enthusiastically.

"The Third Hokage was clever, using Jiraiya to handle Naruto," Daniel thought to himself as he watched them leave. Shortly after, other customers began filling the ramen shop. Despite its small size, Ichiraku Ramen was always bustling with business.

"Let's go." After finishing his meal, Daniel motioned for Sasuke and Karin to follow him out of the ramen shop.

"Though the ramen was indeed delicious, Naruto's attachment to Ichiraku Ramen is probably more sentimental than anything else," Daniel mused as they left. While the ramen was good, it couldn't compare to some truly exquisite dishes.

Naruto's love for Ichiraku Ramen was partly due to his rough childhood—living off instant noodles, expired food, and spoiled milk. Ichiraku was the first place where he tasted a proper meal, and the ramen shop's owner was one of the first people to treat him kindly, serving him generous portions at normal prices.

Of course, finances also played a part. Before graduating as a genin, Ichiraku Ramen was one of the few meals Naruto could afford. The Akimichi clan's BBQ restaurants, on the other hand, were far beyond his budget. Even Asuma, a jōnin, had nearly gone broke after a visit there with Kurenai.

Once Naruto became a genin and started earning, he could afford better meals, but by then, he was already used to Ichiraku Ramen.

"They want to bring you back. Isn't that touching?" Daniel teased Sasuke as they returned to their lodging.

"Idiots," Sasuke replied coldly.

Though Sasuke wouldn't admit it, seeing Naruto and Sakura again did stir some feelings. They had spent considerable time together in Team 7, and the bonds they formed had changed Sasuke. But now, standing on opposite sides, he could no longer share Naruto and Sakura's naivety.

With that, Sasuke retreated to his room and began training. Though they were in the Leaf, certain types of training were still possible, like chakra refinement and improving his hand seal speed.

For a ninja, mastering hand seals was crucial. In battle, the speed at which a ninja could form seals could mean the difference between life and death. And there was only one way to improve—through constant practice.

During his time in the Sound Village, Daniel had trained in hand seals himself. Although magic in Kamar-Taj also involved gestures, it was nowhere near as intricate as ninja hand seals.

"Such tight security—being able to freely deface the Hokage Rock must be one of the Second Hokage's privileges," Daniel muttered that night as he slipped past the ANBU guards and barriers surrounding the Hokage Rock. After leaving a shadow clone in his room, he quietly made his way to the monument.

Though Naruto had been allowed to paint the Hokage Rock with impunity, the monument was actually heavily guarded, with hidden ANBU patrols and concealed barriers in place.

While Daniel regretted not being able to openly stand atop the Hokage Rock and survey the village, sneaking around in secret would have to suffice.

"Being so conspicuous could bring you unnecessary trouble," said a familiar voice as Daniel encountered Kabuto, who had arrived in the Leaf ahead of him.

Though Kabuto spent most of his time in the Sound Village, he had a cover identity in the Leaf, where he had participated in the Chūnin Exams six times, never passing and still officially a genin.

This time, over eighty genin from the Leaf were participating in the exams, compared to only about thirty from the Sand Village.

"You didn't come just to tell me that, did you?"

While Daniel wasn't born in the ninja world, and he understood its workings well, his thoughts and actions still sometimes differed from the norms of shinobi society.

For instance, openly wandering around with Sasuke and Karin had drawn attention, something a typical ninja would avoid.

"About that matter, do you know anything more?" Kabuto asked.

"You're not planning to use this opportunity to kill Danzo, are you? Remember, he's one of Orochimaru's important allies. Killing him would go against Orochimaru's interests," Daniel warned, aware that both Sasuke and Kabuto harbored grudges against Danzo.

"Right now, Orochimaru's most important ally is you. Danzo is no longer relevant," Kabuto replied coldly.

"How pragmatic of you," Daniel remarked with a smile. "As for Nonō Yakushi, I've told you everything I know. Wait, there's one more thing—someone who grew up in the same orphanage as you is now a ninja. They're still hoping to reunite with you."

There was a long pause before Daniel heard Kabuto's voice again, this time sounding strangely distant. "Is something wrong?" Daniel asked.

"It's nothing," Kabuto replied, his tone still slightly off.

"If you're planning to kill Danzo, go ahead. Sasuke wants him dead too. But he's not easy to kill. As Orochimaru's right-hand man, you should know how powerful Danzo really is."

Though Danzo had seemed foolish in his battle with Sasuke, squandering his many Izanagi in a losing effort, his opponent had been Sasuke, with Uchiha Madara lurking in the background. He was not to be underestimated.

"That's none of your concern. As for the Scroll of Seals, we're still tracking it down. I'll let you know once we've found its location," Kabuto assured him before departing.

"The infamous Icha Icha Paradise—Jiraiya's writing is truly something else. No wonder Kakashi can't put it down," Daniel mused the next day as he wandered the village with Sasuke and Karin. They also took the opportunity to enjoy a meal of BBQ, with Daniel picking up a copy of Jiraiya's popular novel.

Jiraiya had earned quite a reputation in the literary world with Icha Icha Paradise, and it had made him a lot of money. His bank account was filled with a long string of zeros.

Finally, the Chūnin Exams began. Daniel, Sasuke, and Karin arrived at the testing site separately from the trio of Sound ninja. The genjutsu at the entrance to the hall posed no problem for any of them.

"So they're using this trick again, huh?" Daniel muttered as he watched Kabuto approach the group of Leaf genin, particularly Team 7, and strike up a conversation. While Naruto and Sakura seemed to trust him, the others, especially Shikamaru, remained wary.

"The questions are pretty tough. No ordinary ninja would be able to solve these," Daniel thought as he looked over the exam questions. Given the six-year education at the ninja academy, only someone like Sakura, an academic prodigy, could answer these. Even Sasuke, who was second in his class, couldn't solve them all.

At the academy, Sasuke had always been top in practical skills, but when it came to academics, Sakura was unmatched.

Though the questions were easy for Daniel, he had no interest in answering them. He wasn't here to actually compete in the Chūnin Exams—he was just here to satisfy his curiosity. The same was true for Sasuke and Karin.

Since Daniel had no intention of answering the exam questions, he instead observed how the other genin went about cheating, each using their unique abilities to gather information.

Most of the participants in this joint Chūnin Exam were younger genin, as the exams were meant to showcase the villages' younger generation. Even the smaller villages like the Grass and Rain had sent their younger ninja.

Though some ninja, like Kakashi, had become Chūnin at an exceptionally young age, most didn't advance so quickly. Even Might Duy, who had defeated the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, had remained a genin his entire life.

"Gaara and Kankuro's cheating methods are impressive," Daniel noted, watching as the Sand siblings used their unique techniques to gather answers. The proctors were all elite jōnin, including the head examiner, Ibiki Morino, a master of interrogation. They were fully aware of who was cheating and who wasn't.

The goal of the exam wasn't to prevent cheating—it was to test how discreetly the genin could cheat. Those who were too obvious would be eliminated, while those who cheated skillfully would pass. Techniques like Gaara's Third Eye were allowed, as it didn't draw attention.

The only one who was completely lost was Naruto. After seeing the exam questions, he sat there, fidgeting in his seat, torn between wanting to cheat and being too scared to try.

Daniel, Sasuke, and Karin, meanwhile, were the calmest in the room. Daniel had used his Tianlai ability to transmit a message to both Sasuke and Karin, reassuring them that even if they didn't answer a single question, it wouldn't matter.

Though Sasuke could have answered a few questions, he abandoned the effort after hearing Daniel's message. As for Karin, she couldn't answer any of them—her education in the Grass Village had been minimal, and she only knew how to read because the village had needed her for certain tasks.

Daniel wasn't concerned about the outcome of the exam, nor did he care about participating in the second round, which involved surviving three days in the Forest of Death and battling for scrolls. It seemed pointless.

"The Ino-Shika-Cho trio is impressive," Daniel noted, watching as Ino used her Mind Body Switch Technique to obtain answers and share them with Shikamaru and Choji. Shikamaru didn't even need to use his Shadow Imitation Technique to help them cheat.

"As expected, here comes the tenth question. Ibiki is playing a psychological game," Daniel observed as the final question put intense pressure on the remaining genin. Many, especially those from the Leaf and Sand Villages, chose to leave, unwilling to risk their futures as ninjas.

For ordinary genin, the biggest draw of becoming a Chūnin was the significant increase in income. Not every ninja had lofty ideals about serving their village.

Those who stayed were bolstered by Naruto's impassioned speech, which renewed their resolve. Even Ibiki couldn't help but shake his head in frustration—if Naruto hadn't spoken up, many more genin would have dropped out.

"We're withdrawing," Daniel announced as the second round of the Chūnin Exams approached, surprising the proctor, Anko Mitarashi. Though puzzled, she didn't press the issue and allowed the trio to leave.

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