Menma and Naruto

The noren curtain was gently lifted from outside as Menma led Naruto into Ichiraku Ramen.

"Welcome—oh, it's Menma." Uncle Teuchi looked up from behind the counter, his smile full of familiarity.

There was still some time before dinner, so there were not many customers in the shop, only two ordinary Genin.

"Uncle Teuchi, one tonkotsu chashu ramen for me. No—"

"No narutomaki, extra bamboo shoots. I know." Teuchi interrupted him with a smile, his hands never stopping.

It seemed that someone in his memories had said the same thing before, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not recall that vague figure.

Naruto followed behind Menma, his steps somewhat hesitant.

When the two Genin eating ramen saw Naruto at the door, disgust appeared in their eyes, frightening Naruto into instinctively shrinking his neck.

Just as Naruto instinctively wanted to run away, Menma pressed a hand onto his shoulder. "What are you spacing out for? Look at the menu and order for yourself."

"Oh, right. I still don't know your name." Menma had already sat on a barstool, raising his brows as he knowingly asked.

"My name is Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto climbed onto the barstool beside Menma and secretly glanced at the wooden menu board on the floor.

Unfortunately, Naruto could not read yet, so he could only imitate Menma. "I-I want a tonkotsu chashu ramen too."

"Coming right up. Please wait a moment, customers." Uncle Teuchi began bustling about.

"Boss, we left the money here." The two Genin finished their ramen and left behind several bills.

As they departed, the two continued whispering to each other.

"That guy just now... was that one, right?"

"Yeah, the one who got the Fourth Hokage killed..."

"What a buzzkill. I feel like throwing up..."

Naruto had his back to the ramen shop's door, but he still heard those fragments of conversation, and his mood sank.

He did not understand what the Fourth Hokage was, nor did he understand what the Demon Fox was, but he could hear the disgust and rejection in their voices.

"Ayame, go clean up." Teuchi's shout broke the stagnant air.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" A little girl of eight or nine, wearing a white headscarf, rushed out of the kitchen like a whirlwind, her blue apron fluttering with her movements.

She swiftly cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, her rag sweeping a smooth arc across the counter.

"Young Master Menma, you brought another friend here." Ayame blinked teasingly, without slowing her work in the slightest.

"Stop calling me Young Master all the time, Big Sis Ayame~" Menma shot back with venom, deliberately drawing out the last word.

The words "Big Sis" made even the rag in Ayame's hand stiffen for a moment as she cleaned.

"Hey!" The little girl puffed out her cheeks in anger. "When talking to girls, you should call them 'Big Sister'!"

Even though she was only eight or nine, being called Big Sis by a child younger than herself still made her bare her teeth a little.

"So his name is Menma." Naruto watched the two bicker, somewhat envious.

"Oh, right. What's this little brother's name?" After finishing the cleaning, Ayame did not rush back to the kitchen. Instead, she leaned toward Naruto.

"H-hello... My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto was at a loss, his cheeks growing hot from being treated kindly for the first time.

Moreover, Naruto could sense that neither Menma nor Ayame held the same malice toward him as the other villagers.

"Hello, I'm Teuchi Ayame. Come to my family's ramen shop often!" Ayame patted her chest.

"Well then, welcome, new customer. I'll make you some Tempura." With that, Ayame folded up the rag and ran toward the kitchen.

Before long, two bowls of ramen and a serving of Tempura were placed before Menma and Naruto.

"Please enjoy!" Uncle Teuchi and his daughter Ayame stood behind the counter, smiling as they bowed slightly.

"Then, let's eat!" Menma picked up his chopsticks and pressed his palms together.

Just as he was about to start eating, he saw Naruto beside him staring at the rising steam, tears suddenly splashing onto the wooden counter.

"Kid, what are you crying for? Didn't anyone teach you what you're supposed to say before a meal?" Menma hated it most when children cried.

"N-no one taught me..." Naruto wiped away his tears.

Ever since he could remember, the people around Naruto had been full of malice toward him. No one had taught him basic things about life either. He could only fumble through this hostile world alone.

"Then learn from me. Let's eat!" Menma frowned and handed Naruto a pair of chopsticks.

Naruto took the chopsticks and looked at the boy beside him, whose mouth was harsh but whose actions were incredibly warm. An indescribable feeling welled up within him.

"I... let's eat!" Naruto copied Menma's gesture, pressing his palms together. After saying the words, he snapped apart the chopsticks.

Slurp, slurp—

The sound of the two eating ramen echoed through the shop. Teuchi did not know what had happened, but he could tell it was probably something heartwarming, so he turned and busied himself.

Ayame, meanwhile, looked at Menma, then at Naruto, somewhat puzzled.

For some reason, she felt as though the two were brothers.

Perhaps Naruto was simply too hungry. Having never eaten much proper hot food before, this bowl of ramen was no different from a feast of delicacies to him. He devoured it ravenously, even drinking every last drop of the broth.

Menma had only eaten half his bowl when he saw Naruto had already set his bowl down and was staring eagerly at the plate of Tempura between them, drool running from his mouth.

"Look at how badly you want it. You can have it all." Menma casually pushed the Tempura toward him.

"But..." Naruto instinctively wanted to refuse.

Menma raised his chopsticks. "First, when you accept someone's help or kindness, say thank you. Second, don't waste someone else's kindness."

Seeing Naruto still wanting to say something, Menma added, "I've eaten enough today. I'm not a starving ghost like you."

With that excuse, Naruto happily picked up a piece of Tempura with his chopsticks, a smile blooming across his face. "Thank you, Menma!"

"Uncle Teuchi, this kid's paying for today's meal." Menma had nearly finished eating as well. After setting down his chopsticks, he pointed at Naruto, who was enjoying the Tempura beside him.

Teuchi looked up through the steam and said with a smile, "Sure. Since he's a new customer, I'll give you a ten percent discount. That'll be ninety ryō."

Naruto, who was eating Tempura, froze when he heard the price and hurriedly took out his wallet to count his money.

Someone brought Naruto money every month, though not much. Konoha had arranged his house, and he barely had to pay utilities or rent. Altogether, Naruto only had about five hundred ryō a month for living expenses.

Ninety ryō was already painfully expensive for Naruto.

Naruto took out a one-hundred-ryō bill and reluctantly handed it to Uncle Teuchi.

Ayame accepted the money, took out a wallet, and gave Naruto ten ryō in coins as change. "Thank you! Here's your change."

The two left the ramen shop one after the other. Menma contentedly rubbed his stomach, while Naruto held the ten ryō in change in his hands, his entire person seeming a little dimmer.