Bald Bully

Uncle Ichiraku made noodles quickly. Before long, two steaming bowls of octopus ball char siu ramen were set before them.

"I'm digging in!" Iruka clasped his hands together, then heartily dug into the char siu ramen before him. Ye Lan copied Iruka and said the same, then began wolfing his down as well.

Ye Lan and Iruka thoroughly enjoyed their char siu ramen, especially Ye Lan. He had never expected Ichiraku Ramen to be so unbelievably delicious. The seemingly ordinary ramen had noodles that were both soft and chewy, while the broth was a rich, thick stock. Topped with a generous layer of octopus balls, Ye Lan was nearly certain that he had never eaten noodles this delicious in over a decade in his original world.

Ye Lan casually asked, "Iruka-sensei, I heard you have a good relationship with Naruto Uzumaki."

At the mention of Naruto Uzumaki, Iruka's eyes narrowed into crescents, and a smile appeared at the corners of his lips.

"Oh? Didn't Ye Lan just arrive in Konoha? Do you know Naruto too?"

Ye Lan smiled. "I only heard about him from the villagers. They say he's a troublemaker. Even though he's still young, he dared to paint the Hokage's stone faces. He's quite famous in the village."

Iruka beamed. "Naruto's just like that. He's very lively."

Ye Lan smiled, tilting his head with an attentive look.

Iruka said thoughtfully, "Naruto... all people see is his mischievous, prank-loving side. But I know he's a very, very good child. He lost his parents when he was young and grew up all alone, yet he's managed to keep smiling every day until now. He always looks so happy. Our experiences are very similar, but his determination surpasses even mine. One day, he may truly stand at the pinnacle of the ninja world. And he's also my favorite student."

Ye Lan smiled and nodded.

Iruka had a sharp eye, and he was completely right.

Iruka was clearly getting interested and continued, "I forgot to tell you, Naruto also loves the ramen here, and he's close with the owner. I'll introduce you when there's time."

Ye Lan laughed. "Iruka-sensei, I became Kakashi-sensei's student this afternoon. Starting tomorrow, I'll be training with Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke."

"Really? That's wonderful! Naruto is easy to get along with. You'll definitely become very good friends."

Just as they were chatting happily, several people suddenly arrived outside. The leader was a bald, burly man with a face full of flesh. He looked like someone no one should provoke.

The Bald Bully led the others straight to a corner table and sat down brazenly. Then he slammed the table and shouted, "Ichiraku, get out here!!"

Ichiraku, who had been making ramen inside, quickly came out with a frown upon hearing this. But when he saw the Bald Bully, his face immediately broke into a smile. "Lord Xiaojing, what brings you to my humble shop?"

The Bald Bully said, "Quit your fucking nonsense. Of course I came to eat. Bring each of my brothers a bowl of the best ramen you've got. And remember, have Rainbow bring the noodles over."

When the burly man mentioned Rainbow, the greed in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Ichiraku naturally knew what the bald man had in mind, but he could not resist. The Bald Bully was a notorious local tyrant. Ichiraku knew no Ninjutsu and could only endure it.