Ichiraku Ramen

Old Man Ichiraku looked so young...

That was Chiba's first thought upon entering Ichiraku Ramen.

"All right, here are your ramen. Since it's Kushina, I added extra char siu for you." The young Old Man Ichiraku said as he set four bowls of ramen before them.

"Thanks, Uncle!" the three of them said in unison.

"Thanks, Big Brother Ichiraku," Kushina Uzumaki said as well.

The instant the ramen was set down, Chiba's stomach began to rumble. He had just finished his daily training that morning, and it was mealtime now, so it was only natural that he was hungry.

Still, he felt a little embarrassed in front of the two girls, Kushina Uzumaki and Hyuga Yukina.

Sneaking a glance around, he saw that none of the other three seemed to notice. They were all staring at the ramen before them.

"Let's eat!" Kushina Uzumaki was the first to say it, snapping apart her disposable chopsticks.

"Let's eat."

"Let's eat."

Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina also snapped apart their disposable chopsticks and began eating.

Chiba paused, then muttered, "Let's eat..." He quickly broke apart his chopsticks and began slurping down his ramen.

For Chiba, who had been chewing on nothing but steamed buns, Ichiraku Ramen was simply heavenly. He ate with rather poor manners.

Damn, how long had it been since I last ate meat? Chiba nearly wept as he ate. That Weighted Training Gear was simply too expensive. To save up that part of his budget, he had been living on steamed buns and plain boiled water every day.

In contrast, Hyuga Yukina ate with the most refinement. After all, she was a well-bred young lady.

Uchiha Hirohiko ate in a proper, restrained manner as well. The two of them stood in stark contrast to Chiba's ravenous eating.

Although Kushina Uzumaki had been the first to pick up her chopsticks, she had not started eating. Instead, she watched the three of them with a smile.

Old Man Ichiraku... well, he was really still a young man at this point. He stood with his arms folded, watching his customers eat with enjoyment, a smile at the corner of his mouth.

Of the three, Chiba ate the fastest. By the time Hyuga Yukina had finished a third of her bowl and Uchiha Hirohiko had finished half, he had already drained every last drop of broth.

Rubbing his stomach, Chiba realized he was only half full and sighed inwardly. It would be nice if I could have another bowl.

But he was too embarrassed to order another bowl when someone else was treating them.

Just as Chiba sighed, another bowl of ramen was placed before him. The broth was clear, the noodles looked perfect, and Old Man Ichiraku had added plenty of extra char siu.

Chiba turned his head and saw Kushina Uzumaki smiling at him. "Eat."

Chiba looked at the noodles, then at Kushina Uzumaki, and froze.

"Hurry up and eat. It won't taste good once it gets cold," Kushina Uzumaki said again.

"Teacher, aren't you eating?" Chiba was seated beside Hyuga Yukina, with Uchiha Hirohiko on his other side. Kushina Uzumaki sat beside Hyuga Yukina. He looked at Kushina and saw that there was no ramen in front of her. This bowl before him was hers.

"I just remembered that I ate too much breakfast today. I can't eat anymore," Kushina Uzumaki said.

Chiba looked at the noodles before him, frowning in hesitation.

"Hurry up and eat," Kushina Uzumaki urged again.

But then Chiba blurted out, "You haven't eaten any of it, have you?"

His face clearly said, If you've eaten from it, I don't want it.

At once, Kushina Uzumaki's red hair flared up, and before she realized it, she had already raised her fist.

Bang!

"I told you to eat, so eat!" Kushina Uzumaki snapped.

Another red bump rose on Chiba's head, steam practically billowing from it. The pain brought tears to his eyes, but an unconscious smile appeared on his lips as he endured it and said, "Let's eat."

Then he grabbed his chopsticks and buried his head in the bowl.

As Chiba ate with his head down, Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina caught a glimpse of the expression hidden beneath that posture and both froze.

Then they exchanged a look and nodded.

"I'm out of char siu." Hyuga Yukina suddenly reached over and snatched a piece from Chiba's bowl.

"Me too." Uchiha Hirohiko swiftly reached in with his chopsticks and took a piece as well.

But before it could reach his bowl, Chiba snatched it back with his chopsticks without even lifting his head.

At the same time, he took back one of the pieces Hyuga Yukina had stolen.

Seeing the char siu taken back, the two were unwilling to give up and sent their chopsticks in again... And so, stealing and reclaiming, the three of them began to squabble.

Then came three bangs in a row. Steam rose from Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina's heads as red bumps swelled there too. As for Chiba, his hair had turned into a gourd-like mess, with two brightly red bumps on his head.

"Eat properly!" Kushina Uzumaki withdrew her fist, a vein twitching at her brow.

"Yes..." The three lowered their heads and focused on their ramen.

Yet all three of them could not help smiling.

As for Kushina Uzumaki, she fixed her gaze on Chiba. Looking at him, she seemed to see herself when she had first arrived in Konoha—bullied by Boys and called a jinx... just like him.

I should care for him more.

That was what Kushina Uzumaki thought.

Then she looked at Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina, a smile appearing on her lips. I should care more for every student.

Kushina Uzumaki smiled faintly as she watched the irrepressible smiles on the three children's faces.

The other two children, beneath the brilliance of their genius, were probably burdened by endless loneliness too.

After a round of slurping, Chiba drained his broth again. The other two followed suit, lifting their bowls and drinking every last drop.

Thunk!

The three set down their bowls at the same time.

"Are you full?" Kushina Uzumaki asked.

"Full..." Chiba rubbed his stomach. He really was full now, after two bowls of ramen.

The other two nodded as well.

"All right, then let's do some post-meal exercise!" Kushina Uzumaki paid the bill, stood up, and smiled at the three of them.

The moment they saw that smile, Chiba immediately had a bad feeling. He exchanged looks with Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina.

That smile definitely doesn't mean anything good! The three swiftly reached an agreement.

One hour later.

Led by Kushina Uzumaki, Chiba and the other two arrived at an open clearing. Dense forest stood on both sides, thick with shrubs.

Kushina Uzumaki stood before them and said, "All right, let's begin."

Chiba and the other two looked at one another, their sense of foreboding growing stronger.

"You three wait there," Kushina Uzumaki said as she walked backward.

She did not stop until she was twenty meters away. Then she called out, "The rules for this post-meal exercise are simple. As long as you can touch me, you pass! Until you touch me, the exercise won't end!"

The exercise would not end until they touched her? In other words... they were not allowed to stop unless they touched her! Chiba's gaze sharpened.

Sounds pretty simple...

The three exchanged looks, all thinking the same thing.

Then they were dumbfounded.

Kushina Uzumaki formed a hand seal.

Bang, bang, bang, bang...

One Kushina Uzumaki after another appeared across the clearing. In that instant alone, at least thirty shadow clones had been created.

Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!

Chiba recognized the technique at once.

What an enormous amount of chakra!

Chiba smiled bitterly.

The Uzumaki Clan's immense chakra reserves... I'm so jealous!

"Then let the post-meal exercise begin!"

All thirty Kushina Uzumakis spoke in unison.