Being handsome is a lifelong thing!

Following the main road, he arrived at the bustling commercial street, where familiar faces greeted him from time to time.

Everyone clearly liked Nanfeng, the little boy.

Before long, he spotted a familiar storefront not far ahead.

The lights were on inside, and customers crowded outside. Business was booming.

Ichiraku Ramen was not only cheap but delicious, too... Both civilians and ninja frequented it, so this was a common sight.

This wasn't Nanfeng's first time here. He waited outside for a little while, and once he saw an empty seat, he lifted the noren and went in. Raising his hand with a bright little voice, he called, "Uncle Teuchi, I'd like one pork-bone ramen and one seafood ramen!"

"Hehe... Is that little Nanfeng?"

Otsutsuki Ikkaku, standing behind the counter, didn't even turn around. He recognized Nanfeng from his voice alone.

He chuckled.

"That's me!" Nanfeng replied, putting on a cute act.

Ayame, busy nearby, smiled at him, noticing that his clothes were still damp. "Little Nanfeng, where have you been playing...?"

"I played in the water by the river for a while."

Nanfeng made up an excuse.

"You shouldn't do that... You might catch a cold."

Ayame set down the plate in her hands and came over, gently reminding him.

She even affectionately ruffled his hair.

"Okay, I'll remember!"

Before long, Nanfeng's two bowls of ramen were served. The speed was certainly impressive.

"This bowl's on me!"

Teuchi looked at Nanfeng and said.

"Really? Thanks, Uncle!"

Nanfeng's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly thanked him.

Seafood ramen cost more than pork-bone ramen. Teuchi might have been just a shop owner, but he understood the village better than anyone.

He also knew that Nanfeng was an orphan, so he charged him only for the pork-bone ramen.

And it wasn't just Nanfeng. Sometimes, when other kids came in, Teuchi treated them, too.

As an adult, he'd grown quite fond of those children over time.

"Let's eat!"

Nanfeng called out excitedly and began wolfing down his food. He'd trained all day and was famished.

"Slow down. No one's going to steal it from you."

Ayame smiled. "Still... seeing little Nanfeng like this really reminds me of another little rascal..."

"Who?"

At her words, Nanfeng stopped eating and blinked, pretending not to know.

"Another loyal customer, just like you. I'll introduce you sometime."

Ayame kept him guessing.

She hadn't said more because she was mindful of how most villagers felt about Naruto.

Naruto liked Ichiraku Ramen partly because it was delicious, but also because this was one of the few places in the village where people didn't judge him.

But that was only how the villagers who didn't know the truth felt. The major clans and the higher-ups knew all about Naruto's background, including the Third Hokage's concern for him.

Even though news of the Nine-Tails incident had been suppressed, clever people could still piece some of it together.

So... some of the clan kids were still willing to associate with Naruto.

For example, a few of the other Konoha 11...

They just hadn't gotten close to him yet.

"I'm full. Thanks for the meal!"

A little while later, Nanfeng finished both enormous bowls of ramen, even drinking every last drop of broth.

He bowed to Teuchi, the owner, said goodbye, then rubbed his round belly as he left.

"We hope to see you again!"

Teuchi and Ayame's familiar farewell rang out behind him.

Standing in the bustling street, Nanfeng had only to look up to see Hokage Rock in the distance.

Though it was already dark, he could still make out the silhouettes of several Hokage.

They were... the heroes of the village.

They also embodied the dreams of many young ninja and children.

As for Naruto... Nanfeng didn't mind interacting with him. Even if the Third Hokage noticed, he wouldn't think much of it.

After all, it was just kids playing together. Nothing unusual about that.

In fact, he'd already crossed paths with Naruto... Most kids around his age in the village either knew him or had heard of him.

That was because... Nanfeng was the "other people's kid" in many families.

He had no background and was an orphan, and his talent was only average... But he was sensible, knew how to talk to people, and was good-looking. He'd even invented some of the childhood games from his previous life and got everyone playing them... So he was quite well-known among the children.

"Byakugan-eyed freak!"

"All you do is cry!"

"Tch... Aren't you the Hyuga clan's young lady? What are you doing here?!"

"You're not welcome here!"

Nanfeng was walking home along the street. As he turned into a narrow alley, he suddenly saw several children bullying someone beneath a dim light.

A little girl in a kimono and wooden sandals, with short hair, had been shoved to the ground by the other kids. She sobbed miserably, but didn't know how to fight back.

Hyuga?

Nanfeng caught the word. Taking a closer look, he saw that the person crying on the ground was Hinata.

The ringleader among the kids bullying her looked a few years older than she was.

"Hey! Stop!"

As the brats made a game of it, Nanfeng came out of the shadows with his hands in his pockets, acting like a little adult as he called out.

"Hm?"

The brats turned at his voice. When they saw Nanfeng, they looked arrogant. "Pah! What's it to you? Looking to get beat up?"

The boy leading them was seven or eight, with a fierce glint in his eyes.

He was fat and round-faced. To kids his age, he was practically broad as a bear and twice as intimidating.

"You dared to bully the Crown Princess. Do you even want to stay in Konoha?"

Nanfeng sighed softly, thinking to himself.

Actually, this sort of thing happened often in the village.

Naruto's childhood made it clear that the differences between the aristocracy, the common people, and their social classes led to different ways of thinking and different social circles.

It wasn't just Naruto. Hinata and Uchiha Sasuke were also shunned by civilian children. Of course, Sasuke was so proud that he didn't care. The Uchiha had never been well-liked in the village; this sort of attitude was mostly the result of the higher-ups steering public opinion.

This wasn't the first time Hinata had been bullied...

"My name's Akiya Nanfeng."

"Akiya Nanfeng?"

When Nanfeng gave his name, the other children's expressions changed. They whispered to the older boy.

"Oh... So you're that Akiya Nanfeng..."

The chubby boy looked enlightened, then sneered. "Get lost... This has nothing to do with you!"

Nanfeng was famous because the games he came up with were fun, and lots of children liked playing with him... That didn't mean everyone feared him.

There were so many children in the village, with little groups of three or five everywhere. It was only natural that many of them hadn't heard of Nanfeng.

With that, the fat boy suddenly pinched Hinata's ear and continued to taunt her. "Don't come here again. Got that? Your eyes make people uncomfortable..."