MLP: Equestrian Shinobi - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: “Finding My Place”

    Several days have passed since Naruto first arrived in Ponyville and during that time, he stayed at the library with Twilight where he would either assist her and Spike with various odd jobs or gather information on Equestria by reading some of the books in the library. Naruto really seemed to enjoy the peace and quiet of the town which is something he could never get used to back in Konoha. The friendly inhabitants were another feature of Ponyville that the shinobi-pony welcomed; he was still oblivious to the looks of attraction he got from the local young mares though. He even grew accustomed to the local cuisine of vegetation and this really surprised him since he would usually turn his nose up at eating fresh vegetables let alone grass and flowers. But Naruto’s favorite feature about Ponyville were his six new friends.
    He really got along with each and every one of them and just loved to hang out with them individually or all together. Naruto enjoyed watching Rainbow Dash’s ‘aerial feats of awesomeness’ as she called them, helping Fluttershy feed the animals, pulling pranks with Pinkie Pie, having conversations with Rarity over a nice cup of tea, picking apples with Applejack, and listening to Twilight’s lectures on magic. The girls felt the same way about him; Rainbow found him to be a real cool dude, Fluttershy believed him to be strong yet sweet, Pinkie thought he was super fun, he was glorious in Rarity’s eyes, Applejack saw he was hardworking and friendly, and Twilight felt that he was just an all around nice guy which she had come to know from personal experience.
    Out of gratitude for giving him a place to stay, Naruto would volunteer to cook most of the meals for the three of them plus Twilight was grateful to have somepony keep Spike company whenever she was out doing errands that took up a lot of time; she was just glad the two of them quickly became friends. The unicorn even had to admit to herself that having a stallion around the house was rather nice because it apparently created the feeling of a cozy three-pony family.
    Applejack introduced Naruto to her family earlier that week and it went off without a problem. Big Macintosh seemed to like him and so did Apple Bloom who took the opportunity to tease her big sister about having a boyfriend. Granny Smith took an instant like to him as well but this seemed to be somewhat bittersweet since the elder pony would sneak up behind him and give his flank a quick slap then mutter something about being a young filly again almost every time he would take his eyes off of her. It was the first time Naruto had ever experienced true fear in Ponyville.
    The little Apple filly even took liberty to drag him away and introduce Naruto to her own friends, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, then the trio introduced themselves as the Cutie Mark Crusaders; he had to admit these three fillies reminded him of Konohamaru and his friends. They explained to him that they went around Ponyville to find out their special talents thus finally obtain their cutie marks. The stallion quickly volunteered to come along with them if they ever needed him and the girls took him up on his offer. It seemed in his eyes Ponyville was no different to Konoha than he originally thought but he kept feeling like there was still something missing . . .

    Today, Naruto was out having a little stroll in town as he tried figuring out the empty feeling in the pit of his stomach; it wasn’t hunger because he just had a snack few minutes ago.
    “What could it possibly be?” he asked himself, “this is gonna drive me crazy until I figure it out. It’s times like this when I could really use a bowl of Ichiraku ramen-”
    He silenced himself and slapped himself in the face as punishment for his stupidity.
    “That’s the problem! I haven’t had a bowl of ramen in almost a week! I’m suffering from total ramen withdrawal,” he said but quickly got melancholy look about him, “except there’s no ramen places in Ponyville so I’m out of luck there.”
    But ramen withdrawal was the least of his personal problems because he had to admit that despite all the fun he had with his friends and doing any errands Twilight had him do, Naruto recently started feeling a little bored. He may be a pony now though he was still a shinobi at heart and needed at least a little excitement in his life or something exciting to do. He came to notice almost every pony in Ponyville had some sort of job to keep them pretty busy during the days; maybe that’s what he needed.
    He donned a thinking look, “But what job could I possibly get?”
    The answer came to him at the speed of thought, “If there’s no ramen places in this town, maybe I could bring the miracle of ramen to Ponyville. I do still remember how to make homemade ramen but how does a pony start his own business here?”
    He quickly returned to the library and told Twilight his thoughts in hopes she could help.
    “You wanna open your own restaurant?” she asked and he nodded in response.
    “Sounds like a great idea,” says Spike, “your cooking is really good so there’s no worries there.”
    “Thanks Spike but I still don’t know how to get started around here,” said Naruto, “I mean I at least need a restaurant.”
    “Hey Twilight, isn’t there a vacant restaurant downtown?” asked Spike.
    “That’s right! There is one but we’d better go see if it’s still available before we get too excited,” she said.
    “What vacant restaurant?” asked the stallion.
    Spike quickly climbed onto Twilight’s back as she answered, “C’mon. We’ll show you.”
    The three of them went right out the door; Naruto followed the unicorn and dragon for at least a half an hour until they stopped in front of a vacant two-story building constructed from wood with yellow walls, green window shutters on the second floor, a brown front door, and a blue roof. It was near the same size as Sugarcube Corner but slightly shorter despite the stone chimney coming from the roof of the second floor with large bay windows located at the south, east, and west walls of the ground floor. There was a ‘For Sale’ sign posted on the door which was a good yet obvious indication of availability.
    “Is this the place?” asked Naruto.
    “Yes. The previous owner was a talented chef who recently moved to Trottingham, just days before you arrived in Ponyville as a matter of fact,” said Twilight.
    “Think this'll would work, Naruto?” asked Spike.
    “Oh yeah. Now I just need to talk to somepony about buying this place,” answered the stallion.
    “Look no further,” sounded a female voice then the three turned to find the Mayor of Ponyville walking towards them.
    “Madam Mayor, what are you doing here?” asked the unicorn.
    “I was enjoying a nice stroll around town and I couldn’t help noticing you taking an interest in this building,” asked the older mare.
    “Yes we were. My friend here,” she glanced at Naruto then back at the Mayor, “was hoping to open his own restaurant.”
    The Mayor turned her attention to the young stallion, “Well, you couldn’t have chosen a better location Mr. . . .”
    “Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki ma’am,” he finished her sentence.
    “Naruto Uzumaki. For you see, this restaurant isn’t only a restaurant. The second floor is residential housing complete with a living room, two bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a bathroom. And all still in good condition.”
    Everypony turned their attention to the entire building as Naruto spoke, “This place sounds perfect. What is Ponyville Real Estate asking for it?”
    “Well considering the condition and custom build, the asking price is ten thousand bits,” said the Mayor with a straight face.
    Twilight and Spike’s eyes grew wide while Naruto was given a look of pure surprise as he let out a wheeze of disbelief, “T-t-t-t-t-ten th-th-th-thousand bits?”
    “Um . . Mayor, isn’t there another less costly option?” asked Twilight.
    “Yes there is. Ponyville Real Estate is offering a limited time alternative paying method for ponies who cannot pay full price upfront. It works like this - the buyer must at least provide a small down payment upfront in exchange for living in the household and the buyer must continue paying a fee of a certain amount or more every two weeks or so until the full price is met,” explained the Mayor.
    “So . . . it’s like paying rent instead you’re paying to not just live there but to also buy the house,” said Naruto.
    “That’s a good way to put it, yes.”
    He thought for a second then said, “Well, I used to live in an apartment back in my homeland so I could do this, not problem. I’ll take it.”
    “Excellent, I’ll stroll on over to the real estate office and my office to retrieve the proper paperwork and I’ll meet you back here in a hour,” she turned around and walked over.
    “You got it, Mayor!” Naruto said happily and he got a chuckle out of her.
    He turned back to his friends as Spike says, “That solves one problem.”
    “But he still needs to make a down payment, Spike. Or else he can’t move in,” says Twilight.
    “But where am I supposed to get the bits for the payment?” asks Naruto then they all donned thinking faces.
    This lasted a few seconds before a lightbulb went off inside the orange stallion’s head when a quick memory popped into his head.
    “I got it!” he exclaimed, shocking his friends, then he galloped down the street as Twilight quickly followed.
    “Where are you going?” she asked.
    “Carousel Boutique!” he called then he ‘shifted into high gear’ and sped ahead, leaving only a small dust cloud in his wake.
    Now Twilight and Spike were confused as the dragon said, “What does he want with clothes?”
    “No clue,” she answered.

    It wasn’t clothes Naruto was after because when Twilight, exhausted, finally caught up to him at Carousel Boutique, he was talking with Rarity and hooked up to her wagon.
    They reached him in time to hear him say, “Thanks again, Rarity.”
    “My pleasure, darling. I just don’t see why you need to-,” said Rarity.
    “Ask Twilight and Spike. They’ll fill you in,” he said noticing their arrival, “anyway, thanks again Rarity.”
    He ran off again then Rarity asked, “What is ever going on, you two?”
    Since Twilight was busy panting, Spike spoke, “Naruto wants to open his own restaurant and we were able to find a place but he needs to provide a down payment on the place or else he can’t at least move in.”
    The purple unicorn nodded in agreement as Rarity became surprised, “That’s why he needed my wagon to haul the gems he needed to collect? And asked me where I usually found them?”
    Twilight finally regained her breath, “Gems?”
    “That’s his idea to get the down payment?” asked Spike.
    “I guess,” she turned back towards her unicorn friend, “Rarity, could Naru-”
    Said pony was already galloping down the street in the same direction that the stallion went.
    “Not again,” groaned Twilight then she gave pursuit but this time, she was able to catch up with her friend, “what’s the rush?”
    “Naruto will be need my assistance in finding gems,” she answered.
    “Makes sense,” says Spike.
    They were able to find Naruto just outside Ponyville, roaming around a small and barren rocky valley.
    He was looking for a good place to start digging when he saw them approaching, “What’s up?”
    Rarity run up in front of him with a stern glare upon her face, “I will tell you ‘what is up.’ You didn’t tell me why you needed those gems.”
    “I thought it wouldn’t matter to you so much,” Naruto said honestly.
    Apparently that was the wrong thing to say because Rarity grew angry, zipped right up to his face, and gave him a look that promised doom, “Wouldn’t matter to me?!”
    In that moment, Rarity turned into a visual representation of what would happen if Ino had Sakura’s dangerous temper and the poor orange stallion was scared for his life.
    “How could you say something so horrid? Of course, it matters to me! You’re my dear friend and I can even help you gather a lot more gems with my gem-finding spell. So not only was it horrid but highly inconsiderate,” she ranted then she turned away from him.
    Now Naruto was just confused which was plainly obvious due to his constant blinking and stunning expression.
    “However I shall forgive you this one time and offer my assistance in your endeavor out of generosity,” she said as her horn started glowing and she wandered into a general direction.
    Naruto ws still standing there stunned as Twilight walked up beside him then he asked, “What just happened?”
    She giggled, “Don’t worry about her. She gets a little dramatic at times. Anyway, I’ll give Rarity some help locating gems since she showed me how to perform her spell and Spike can help you dig.”
    The little dragon jumped off her back and gave a small salute.
    “Well, thanks guys. I appreciate the help,” said Naruto.
    “That’s what friends are for,” answered Twilight as she begun searching for gems.
    Over the next half hour, Twilight and Rarity would locate gems and mark the spot with a X then Naruto and Spike would dig them up and put them in the wagon. They had a nice little pile when Rainbow Dash spied them from overhead as she was enjoying a flight among the clouds.
    She flew down to talk with them, “Hey guys, whatcha doing?”
    “We’re helping Naruto gather gems so he could trade them for money at the jewelers,” answered Twilight, coming up with an obvious explanation.
    “Oh . . . . . why?” asked the pegasus.
    “Naruto’s hoping to open a restaurant and needs to at least make a down payment to move in,” said the little dragon, placing a load of gems into the wagon.
    “Really? Where is he?”
    Dash’s answer was revealed when she heard him yell, “Rarity! Is this your revenge? Not telling me that the gems you found where twenty feet under the ground?”
    Naruto was down in a deep hole he just dug to retrieve some gems and Rarity was smirking down at him.
    “Uh . . .  nevermind,” said Dash then she thought for a quick second, “be right back.”
    But before she could leave, Twilight spoke, “Where are you going?”
    “I’m gonna get Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy to help out. You guys are gonna need more ponies if you plan to dig up a lot of gems,” Dash answered then she flew off.
    Twilight quickly told Naruto about Rainbow Dash bringing help and he was totally cool with it then in just a short amount of time, the pegasus returned with the rest of their friends who quickly got to work in gathering gems. Their hard work paid off because they were able to find enough gems that made a pile tall enough to almost reach the height of Naruto’ shoulders; it would have been taller except Spike got a little hungry earlier.
    Naruto marveled at the sight of all those gems then he turned to his friends, “I really appreciate this, everypony. I don’t how I can ever repay you all for this.”
    Rainbow Dash flew right up to his face, “How about free meals for a month at your restaurant?”
    “Deal,” they quickly sealed the deal with a brohoof.
    “We’d better hurry and get these gems over to the jewelers then get to the restaurant before the mayor shows with the papers,” says Twilight.
    Naruto hooked himself up to the wagon and pulled it along as the others followed close by.

    All eight of them reached the jeweler’s and traded the gems which lead to some good results. They were now walking out the store and down the street as they talked about what just happened.
    “Four thousand bits! That should be enough for that down payment,” said Pinkie Pie.
    “I’m just glad the salespony had some extra little money sacks to give,” said Naruto as he looked back in the wagon which was now filled with numerous small brown bags filled with bits.
    “I’m certain that with the money he should make off those gems you gave him, he could afford to buy a lot more bags,” giggled Rarity.
    “We’d better get back before the Mayor does. If you’re late, you might miss your chance to get your restaurant,” said Twilight.
    “Not yet. I need to make a quick stop,” said Naruto as he began trotting in the opposite direction of the restaurant.
    “A quick stop? Where?” asked Applejack.
    “Ponyville Bank,” he answered.
    “The bank?” questioned Fluttershy then they all followed him.
    After the herd of friends arrived, Naruto quickly opened a savings account with the bank and deposited all of his money except for fourteen hundred bits which a thousand were placed into a single large sack that he carried on his back and the last four hundred were split into four smaller bags that he carried around his neck; they even had enough time to make it back to the restaurant though they had to stop by Rarity’s to drop off her wagon. 
    They found the Mayor waiting in front of the building with a unicorn mare and stallion both wearing business attire consisting of jackets, white shirts, and matching black neckties. The stallion’s fur coat was gray as his black mane and matching short tail were in a slicked-back style with a house-shaped cutie mark on his flank and he was wearing a dark green jacket. The unicorn mare had a brown fur coat and her silver mane was done up in a bun with her long tail in its natural state, her jacket was a deep blue, and her cutie mark was a green dollar sign with a roof over it; the stallion was also wearing brown saddlebags containing a clipboard, a quill, and papers.
    Naruto was first to call out as he trotted forward, “Hope we’re not too late, madam Mayor.”
    The older mare caught sight of the young stallion, “Not really. You’re just about on time,” she then introduced her associates, “this is Miss Reality and Mr. Estate, co-managers of Ponyville Real Estate. I brought them along since they are the ponies in charge of this property.”
    “Indeed we are,” said Estate as he walked forward and levitated the contents of his bag to the front of his face, “now on to business. The Mayor has kindly informed us that you wish to partake in our limited time offer of numerous final payments.”
    “Yes . . . . I think,” Naruto answered.
    “Very good but before we can give you any sort of tour or relinquish the main key to you, we must discuss the issue of the upfront down payment. We have concluded that five hundred bits seems to be a reasonable price,” said Reality.
    The realtors were surprised by the sound of a large bag of bits landing at their hooves after Naruto bucked it off his back.
    “There’s your down payment and put the extra five hundred towards the final payment if you would be so kind,” he said.
    They quickly got over the shock then Reality spoke, “Y-yes of course.”
    “Let us just count the coins to make sure it is the adequate amount,” the realtor unicorns started to levitate the bits from the bag then begun counting.
    Naruto was approached by the Mayor, “Seeing as how this might take awhile, why don’t I give you a quick tour?”
    “Oh that would be very nice, thank you,” he answered.
    She chuckled as he and his friends followed her to the door, which was lacking the ‘For Sale,’ then she opened it to show it had been recently unlocked before leading everypony inside. The interior was similar to what was seen in an ordinary restaurant complete with carpeted floors, seated booths lining the lower halves of the east,west, and south walls, a large counter seating area along the north wall, and about four tables placed in the middle of the room; there was a thin layer of dust covering it all.
    “I’m surprised the tables are still here,” said Fluttershy.
    “I’m more surprised of how much dust there is here,” Rarity complained.
    “Yes, the previous owner of this establishment, Spatula Flips, was offered a refurbished new restaurant if he relocated to Trottingham and he took it. Last I heard, his new restaurant was greatly successful,” told the Mayor, ignoring Rarity’s complaint.
    Everypony else started to wander in various directions, trying to get a good sense of the place as Pinkie Pie found what could have been a supply closet located near the right side of the counter.
    She opened the door, took a peek inside, and called out, “Look what I found, guys!”
    They all gathered around her to see what she found and it turned out to be the chairs for the four tables in the room and the stools for the counter.
    “I’m guessing new chairs came with the new restaurant,” Naruto said jokingly.
    The Mayor resumed in showing everypony around the place starting from the left of the counter where the kitchen door was; they walked inside to see that it was fairly large and came complete with a stove, an oven, a counter with a sink, numerous cabinets, a large icebox built into the wall, and a backdoor beside that but in front of a staircase that led upwards. They climbed the stairs which brought them to the living quarters that, like the Mayor said before, consisted of a sizable living room which the only thing left in there was a fireplace along the north wall, two bedrooms each with a window, a small kitchen similar in design to the one downstairs except without an icebox, and a regular sized bathroom with everything needed. Naruto really seemed to like this as it just needed a little cleaning and some furniture.
    By the time everypony came outside, the realtors had finished counting up the bits and were ready to present the papers.
    “Well now Mr. Uzumaki, shall we finish up our business?” asked Estate.
    “Just tell me where to sign,” Naruto answered.
    “Right on the dotted lines if you please,” Reality said, levitating a quill up to him.
    He took the quill into his hoof and signed his name on the first line, then second line, then the third line, and the next five lines after that. He gave back the writing instrument as the two business ponies looked over the paperwork before smiling when they finished.
    “Congratulations, Mr. Uzumaki. Now we’ll be expecting payment every two weeks from you until the full price of this establishment is met,” says Estate.
    “You got it,” said the orange stallion giving a small salute.
    They gave a small nod of farewell and walked away; the Mayor followed suit but not before giving Naruto the key and saying, “I’ll make sure the water and the power is restored to the property very soon and have the sanitation department notified of your recent residential status.”
    “Thank you very much, Mayor.”
    “Of course and if there is anything else I can do for you, . . .” she battered her eyelashes at him, “ . . . don’t be afraid to ask”
    She gave him a wink as his cheeks turned a slight shade of red as she walked away with a slight sway to her hips; he couldn't help but watch her leave.
    ‘I’m not sure but I think the mayor of Ponyville just hit on me,’ he thought as his blush disappeared.

    Naruto turned back to his friends, “Now that the hard part’s over, it’s time for Phase Two.”
    “We’ll help out in any way we can,” said Twilight.
    “I had a feeling you would say that,” he then took off three of the bags around his neck, “gather around and I’ll tell you all the plan.”
    They did just that as he continued to speak, “We’ll split off into teams of two and each team will take a bag of money. This here is a supply mission. We’re gonna do a little shopping and once our missions are completed, we’ll report back here as soon as possible.”
    “Why are you talking like that?” asked Pinkie Pie.
    He quickly realized what he did and came up with a reasonable retort, “No reason really. Just got into the mood.”
    “Oh . . . . . what?” she asked.
    “Nevermind. This is how it is gonna work: Team One will consist of Applejack and Fluttershy whose mission is to go and collect groceries and ingredients,” he said as he handed Applejack a bag.
    “You got it, pardner,” said Applejack as Fluttershy walked up beside her.
    “Great but be sure to get wheat flour and salt,” he added.
    He turned to Rarity, “Okay Rarity, you’re in charge of finding linens for the restaurant tables and curtains for the living quarters since you have an eye for fabrics. You and Spike will be Team Two,” he held out a bag and she levitated it to herself.
    “I’m glad you noticed,” she said as Spike looked at him and silently mouthed, “Thank you.”
    “Rainbow Dash, you and Pinkie Pie will be Team Three and you’ll be in charge of purchasing kitchenware, tableware, drinkware, cutlery, and all that kind of stuff,” he said to the blue pegasus.
    She took a bag from him and said, “No problem.”
    “That just leaves me and Twilight, as Team Four, to find some furniture,” he said.
    “Furniture?” asked Twilight.
    “For the living quarters. I at least need a bed,” he explained.
    “Good point.”
    “Okay everypony, let’s do this! See you all back here later,” said Naruto then the four teams split off to fulfill their appointed duties.

    Team One was in the process of gathering food for groceries and ingredients for Naruto at the marketplace; Applejack was buying fruit and vegetables as Fluttershy returned with a sack of wheat flour and a box of salt in her left saddlebag.
    “I was able to find the flour Naruto needed and some salt,” said the pegasus.
    “Atta girl. I wonder what he’s gonna use it for anyway,” said Applejack.
    “Must be for something special.”
    “And tasty too. I think we got enough for now. We outta head back.”
    Fluttershy nodded in agreement then they exited their location.

    At the local fabric store, Rarity recently picked out some maroon-colored linen to use as tablecloth and Spike was holding it as she was looking over some lightweight fabrics on a rack to see if she could use any for Naruto’s curtains.
    She was inspecting some orange fabric, “This one seems lovely. It matches the color of his coat,” she rubbed her hoof on it, “and it’s soft . . . just like his own fur.”
    She levitated the fabric up to her then started to snuggle into it like a foal with a blanket, “Oh my sweet Naruto. How I long to snuggle into your chest as you hold me so close and tenderly.”
    Spike was getting irritated and the sight of Rarity thinking that fabric was Naruto was making him sick to his stomach, “Should I leave you and the fabric alone?”
    The unicorn quickly snapped out of her fantasy then she cleared her throat with a smile, “This fabric shall suffice quite nicely.”
    She took about a roll of the orange material, paid the clerk for both fabrics, and Team Two exited the store.

    “Ooooooh! Which one would Naruto like the most?” asked Pinkie Pie as she stared into the shiny surface of a large soup pot; it was one of a large assortment being displayed on a nearby table.
    “Does it really matter?” asked Rainbow Dash as she paid a clerk ten bits for a set of pans.
    They were in a section of the marketplace where kitchenware, cooking utensils, and other such products were being sold. They had already bought eating utensils, cooking utensils, and now some pans; both kinds of utensils were being carried in Dash’s saddlebags.
    Pinkie grew shocked by Rainbow’s question, “Of course it matters! What if the pot I choose is too big? Or too small? Or too tall? Or too wide? It could make the food taste disgusting!”
    “It’s just a pot, Pinkie. You’re starting to sound like Rarity. Just pick one so we can move on already,” said Dash.
    Sweat started to flow down Pinkie’s forehead as she stared at the numerous pots. This decision was one of great magnitude and could affect the outcome of food destined to be cooked by Naruto. Her mind was racing, her heart was pounding, and her fear was raising. She had to make a choice . . .  and fast!

    Twilight and Naruto, a.k.a. Team Four, were browsing through the bed section of a furniture shop about the size of a small warehouse that had display stands showing off various pieces of furniture ranging from stools to drawers to beds and many others; Naruto was basically looking for a single-sized bed but they have only found doubles and larger so far.
    “See anything you like, Naruto?” asked Twilight.
    “Not yet. Every bed here is a bit too big for just me,” he said.
    They were soon approached by a orange-coated, gray-maned, strong-looking stallion with a stool-shaped cutie mark on his flank and wearing a blue vest.
    “Looking for something in particular?” he asked in a gruff voice.
    Twilight turned to the employee, “What bed do you have for someone moving into a new home?”
    The stallion thought for a second then said, “I think I know the perfect thing. Follow me.”
    The employee pony led the two of them down the aisle where more beds were being sold and they stopped in front of a nice wooden double bed frame with a mattress inside it.
    “Whatcha think?” he asked.
    Naruto responded with his own question, “It’s a little big, isn’t it?”
    “But the perfect size for a couple such as yourselves.”    
    When the stallion said that, Twilight and Naruto gained a hint of pink on their cheeks as she quickly spoke up, “Nonononono. We’re not a couple, we’re just friends. He’s the only one that’s moving into a new place.”
    The employee gained a sheepish look upon his face and chuckled, “Oops. Sorry about that. It’s just that whenever we have a couple walk in, it is because they are moving in together.”
    “Don’t worry about it,” Naruto said as their blush faded, “anyway, do you have any single beds?”
    “Actually, we don’t. That’s another reason why I brought you to this bed. We’re having a sale on double beds and this one has the lowest price. We are even supplying the mattresses during this sale at no extra charge,” said the employee stallion.
    “Well if you don’t have anything else, I guess I’ll take that one.”
    “Excellent choice!”
    “I’m wondering how we’re gonna get it back to your home, Naruto. I could levitate the entire bed out of here,” said Twilight.
    “Oh that won’t be necessary,” the working pony looked back at the bed, “this is just a floor model. The actual frames are actually those do-it-yourself kits stored in the back. And for an additional five bits, we’ll loan you one of our wagons to help carry out your purchases.”
    “Sounds great,” says Naruto.
    “Alright then. I’ll just go get everything and in the meantime, why don’t you two look around at some of our other merchandise? ” the worker suggests.
    “Why not?” said Twilight as the three of them split up with her and Naruto going one way and the other stallion going the opposite direction, towards the back storage area.

    The first to arrive back at the restaurant was Team One then Team Two showed up right after them. It was apparently clear their missions were successful since Applejack and Fluttershy had saddlebags full of food as Rarity was levitating the orange fabric while Spike was still carrying the linen.
    “Judging from the fullness of your saddlebags, I’m guessing the grocery shopping went well?” Rarity asked as she caught sight of her friends’ saddlebags
    “You bet! Plenty of fresh ingredients for Naruto to use,” said Applejack as Fluttershy nodded in agreement.
    “Wonderful,” Rarity giggled slightly, “I just know Naruto will also adore my contribution,” she then levitated the orange fabric before her, “what do you girls think?”
    “Oh Rarity, it’s beautiful,” praised Fluttershy.
    “Yup. That will sure make some fancy napkins,” said Applejack.
    The unicorn gasped then pulled the fabric back to her, “Absolutely not! This fabric will be Naruto’s lovely new curtains. Nopony will be wiping their mouths on this!”
    The sound of squeaking quickly filled the air and everypony there looked around until they found the source of the sound being Twilight and Naruto pulling a fairly large wagon with a picture of a couch on its side and was filled with two large, flat cardboard boxes and a mattress; one box contained the dissembled bed while the other box held the pieces of a small dining table that they had picked out at the store.
    “Hey everypony! Been waiting long?” called out Naruto.
    “Nope. We just got here a couple of seconds ago,” answered Spike.
    “Great, now we just need Pinkie and Rainbow to show up and we can get started.”
    “Somepony say my name?” Rainbow Dash came flying up with saddlebags full of pans and utensils as she carried a couple of small wooden crates, one on top of the other, in her front hooves.
    “Whatcha got there, Dash?” asked Naruto.
    The blue pegasus lowered to him then she placed one crate on the ground in front of him and he saw that inside it were bowls.
    “Just some bowls,” she brought the one still in her hooves up to his face which gave him a view of plastic cups, “and some cups. They were on sale.”
    “Awesome,” the stallion praised then took notice of the missing pink pony, “where’s Pinkie?”
    A loud metallic clang burst through the air and what approached them was a pink pony wearing pots whose sheer appearance radiated intimidation and that was apparent since Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind Applejack.
    The pony lifted the pot off its head and spoke, “Hi everypony!”
    “I was wondering if you were gonna catch up, Pinkie,” said Dash.
    “Pinkie, what are wearing?” asked Naruto.
    “These are your new pots!”
    “W-what?”
    “You see, I couldn’t figure out which cooking pot you would like so I decided to get you a lot of different ones just be sure I got you the right size. And since Rainbow Dash had her hooves full, I volunteered to carry the pots and lids.”
    “Oh . . . but why are wearing the pots?”
    “Because my saddlebags are filled with the lids. Duh!” she giggled showing him the lids.
    “Okay . . . I guess that makes sense,” Naruto turns to everypony else, “Alright everypony, let’s get to work!”

    The work began with cleaning and dusting which was easily accomplished by opening every window in the building then having Rainbow Dash fly in a circle around it, creating a sort of vacuum tornado that sucked in the dust and dirt then spat it out; the only problem was Dash let it go too soon and the debris hit her friends but she summoned a strong breeze to clean them before Rarity had a chance to cry out in disgust. Everypony quickly began doing all the other work with Applejack, Twilight, and Naruto putting together the furniture as Rarity took the linen and fabrics back to her boutique so she could make the table clothes and curtains with Spike as her assistant while Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie set up the chairs and stools, did any last minute sprucing up, and set up the kitchen.
    In fact, Pinkie Pie was handling the largest pot when Naruto came in and said, “ Hold on, Pinkie. Let me have that.”
    “Sure,” she gave him the pot then he took it over to the sink, filled it with water, placed the pot on the stove, and turned on the burner.
    “You’re gonna start cooking now?” asked the pink pony.
    “Well what I’m gonna cook is gonna take some time to make and by the time we are all done with everything, it will be ready to eat.”
    “Ooooooo! What is it? What is it?” Pinkie started jumping excitedly.
    “If I told you, then I’d spoil the surprise.”
    *GASP* “You’re right! That must not happen. EVER.”
    He chuckled, “Ok ok Pinkie. Let’s just go help the others.”
    “Okie dokie lokie!” she trotted out of the kitchen with the stallion close behind.
    The rest of the work was basically final touch ups around the building with cleaning the tables, arranging the furniture, washing the windows, and hanging up the curtains and laying down the tablecloths Rarity made; there was even enough linen to make a few napkins and enough fabric to make a blanket for him.
    During this time, Naruto was going back and forth to the kitchen to finish the dish he was preparing by chopping celery, carrots, onions, radishes, and spinach then adding them to the boiling water in order to make a sort of vegetable broth. He quickly added some salt and pepper before stirring the contents of the pots; the broth was done by the time Naruto returned to the kitchen after he returned the wagon to the furniture warehouse. He tasted the soup and quickly peeled, chopped, crushed, and dropped in a piece of garlic. 
    Naruto came back into kitchen in time to make the most important part of the dish: noodles. He poured out the wheat flour onto the countertop, made a small hole in the pile, cracked about five eggs and poured in the insides along with some water into the dent, and quickly took a glance at the door.
    “Time to cook . . . . ninja style,” he brought his hooves together to channel his chakra, “Shadow Clone Jutsu.”
    Two more Narutos poofed into existence as the original gave out orders, “I need one of you to watch the door to keep an eye out for the others in case they try to come in.”
    “You got it,” said one of the clones as he took his post by the kitchen door.
    “You and I will get started on the noodles,” Naruto said to his other clone then they moved to the flour pile.
    “You know what to do,” the original held out his hoof as the clone started to gather and mold chakra until it formed into Naruto’s signature technique: the Rasengan.
    He placed the spinning chakra sphere into the assortments of ingredients which began to spin around as the eggs and water mixed into the flour to form into a sort of sticky dough then he canceled the jutsu. Even if it was just for a few seconds and used for mixing, Naruto was ecstatic to perform the Rasengan again. He quickly regained his focus and proceeded to the next step of making the noodles. 
    He channeled chakra into his front hooves, “My punches may not be as strong as Sakura’s but they should still work.”
    He started to slug the dough at an even pace but careful enough to leave dents in the counter; he ceased his assault once he saw the dough was ready for the final step.
    “Just one last thing to do,” said Naruto to his clone which nodded in agreement.
    The two Narutos took hold of the dough on opposite sides, slowly stepped away from each, then started to pull and swing the dough about so it would stretch. They kept it up until Naruto gave the signal to stop once he saw the dough had become noodles. The long strand of noodles was placed on the counter then the original took out a knife and cut the long strand into smaller sections and placed them into the broth to cook; he quickly put the lid on.
    “Now we just wait but there is still one small thing to take care of,” Naruto turned to the clone at the door, “I have a new job for you.”
    “What?” asked the clone.
    The original answered, “Go get some money, get a small stack of paper, some tape, and something to drawing with, then return here as soon as possible.”
    The clone gave a salute and was about run out of the kitchen before Naruto stopped him, “Not that way! Go out the back door so our friends don’t see ya.”
    He did just that as the original turned to his last clone, “You stay in the kitchen until he returns then I want the both of you to go upstairs.”
    “What for?” asked the clone.
    Naruto quickly told his other self his plan who quickly understood everything and begun waiting as his creator went outside to keep everypony else unsuspecting.

    An hour passed and the work was finally done, the ramen was cooked, and the clone that Naruto had sent out had returned then he and his twin went upstairs to get started on their boss’ plan. Right now, the Mane Six and Spike were lounging in one of the westside booths as they took a good look at their hard work.
    “Finally, we’re done,” sighed Rainbow Dash.
    “Sure has been a long day,” said Applejack as she gazed out the window to see the sun starting to set.
    Pinkie Pie quickly caught the scent of something, “But it smells like it will all be worth it.”
    Rarity got a whiff as well, “Mmmm, what is that appetizing aroma?”
    The kitchen door burst open and out came Naruto with a large tray carrying seven bowls, spoons, and forks being balanced on his back as he walked casually towards them.
    “Who’s hungry?” he asked with a smile.
    “Starving. What are we having?” asked Twilight.
    “One of my hometown’s favorites,” he placed one of the tray’s edges on the table and slid it off his back then pushed everything towards them.
    His friends were slightly confused as Dash asked, “Soup?”
    “It’s called ramen and it’s more than just a soup, it’s a masterpiece. It has no equal in taste and only a few can truly bring out the full potential of this miracle among food and I was given the great honor of being raised on its goodness. Give it try before you pass your judgment,” said Naruto in an almost dramatic fashion.
    His friends each took a spoon and a bowl each filled with the mixture of broth, vegetables, and noodles. They took hold their spoons, dipped them into the broth and scooped some out, brought the spoons to their lips, and sipped the soup; their faces instantly lit up with amazement and delight.
    “Delicious,” Fluttershy praised happily.
    “This is absolutely delectable, darling. I have never tasted something so amazing before,” said Rarity.
    “Boy howdy, this is sure some tasty soup,” said Applejack.
    “Just wait until you‘ve tried the noodles,” said Naruto.
    His friends each took a fork and did the same thing they did with their spoons except they scooped out some noodles this time. They quickly ate up and gained expressions similar to those that they had before.
    “Yummy!” said Pinkie.
    “I gotta say that this ‘ramen’ stuff is almost as awesome as me,” said Rainbow Dash.
    “Absolutely delicious! Don’t you agree, Spike?” Twilight looked over at her assistant to find him face deep in his food, gobbling away.
    “I’ll take that as a yes,” chuckled Naruto.
    “By the way, what are you gonna call this place?” asked Twilight.
    Before he could answer, Naruto’s mind surged with the sudden rush of information he received from his clones as they poofed away.
    “I’ll show you in a second,” the stallion rushed into the kitchen then returned quickly with a sheet of paper in his mouth.
    “Check it out,” he placed the sheet on the table and revealed that the paper had a picture of his cutie mark with his smiling face beside it, a bowl of ramen near the bottom right corner, some writing in the lower left corner, and the top had the words ‘A Little Taste of Konoha’ all done in crayon.
    “A Little Taste of Konoha? What’s Konoha?” asked Dash.
    “It’s the village where I grew up before I began my travels,” half-lied Naruto, “I have already made a small stack of these fliers to put around town.”
    “You want some help with those?” asked Twilight.
    He lifted his hoof and chuckled, “Please, you guys have done enough for me today. Don’t go spoiling me now. So . . . anypony want seconds?”
    He received his answer when his friends pushed their bowls towards him and smiled as he let out a quick laugh.
    “You got it!” suddenly a low grumble sounded from his own gut then he laughed nervously, “I’d better have a bowl myself.”
    The girls giggled at his funny yet cute expression; Naruto went into the kitchen to get their food and at the same time, he summoned one last clone to take the fliers and tape them up around Ponyville. He joined his friends at the table then everypony there proceeded to enjoy their dinner. Naruto was genuinely surprised at how good his ramen came out even though he wasn’t a master ramen chef like Old Man Ichiraku. By the time his friends left for the night, Naruto’s clone had returned from its job and poofed away before the real Naruto locked up the whole place, went upstairs, and fell asleep in his new bed as he snuggled into his new blanket.

    The next day arrived and Naruto had butterflies in his stomach for today was the grand opening of ‘A Little Taste of Konoha.’ Even though the restaurant didn’t open until twelve o’clock pm, the orange stallion got up early to make a whole new batch of his vegetable ramen which was ready when Twilight and the others showed up to support him . . . . and begin collecting on their deal from yesterday. They were all sitting in the booth from last time, eating their ramen as Naruto stood behind the counter as noon rolled by.
    Thirty minutes later . . . . and nopony showed up; it was safe to say that Naruto was getting worried.
    “I don’t think anypony’s gonna show up,” said Naruto.
    “Don’t say that, darling,” says Rarity.
    “Rarity’s right. It’s only been a half an hour,” says Spike munching on some noodles.
    “That’s right, Naruto. Just give it some time,” says Twilight.
    “Yeah. You’re only doomed if nopony shows up for the rest of the day,” says Dash.
    “Rainbow!” scolds Twilight.
    The stallion groaned and slammed his head down on the counter but the sound of the door opening caught his attention and there he saw Lily, Rose, and Daisy entering his restaurant.
    “Daisy? Lily? Rose?” wondered Naruto.
    “Hi Naruto!” greeted Rose.
    “We saw the fliers and just had to stop by,” said Daisy.
    “And it looks like we made it before the lunch rush,” Lily said happily.
    “Well then, just take a seat anywhere and I’ll be right with you,” Naruto moved out from behind the counter as the three mares settled down at a table.
    As he approached his newest customers and was about to tell them the specialty of the house, two more ponies came in who Naruto told to take a seat anywhere.

    In no time at all, the whole place was packed with ponies chowing down on Naruto’s homemade ramen which he was selling at five bits per bowl with refills and drinks being two bits each. The best part was he created a small group of Shadow Clones to work in the kitchen and make ramen; he would even send out a clone to go buy more ingredients whenever they were about to run low on food. Naruto had to use all his pots to keep up with the supply and demand of the customers. His food seemed to be a real big hit and practically everypony, including the Mayor and the realtors who came in for lunch, seemed to enjoy the vegetable ramen but the orange stallion knew he was gonna have to make up some more items so as to not be a ‘one trick pony.’ He was glad that he was making some money but the shinobi-pony was more pleased that he had finally found his place in Ponyville.