Being handsome is a lifelong endeavor!

Walking along the main road, he reached the bustling commercial street, where familiar faces occasionally greeted him.

Everyone clearly liked this little boy, Nanfeng.

Soon, before he had gone far, he spotted a familiar shopfront.

The lights were on inside, and customers crowded around the entrance—business was lively.

Ichiraku Ramen was not only cheap but also delicious... civilians and ninjas alike frequented the place; such a scene was common.

Nanfeng wasn't a first-timer here either. He waited outside for a while, and only after spotting an empty seat did he push aside the cloth curtain and step in, raising his hand with a crisp shout: "Uncle Teuchi, I'll take one tonkotsu and one seafood!"

"Heh... is that little Nanfeng?"

The man standing behind the counter, 'Otsutsuki Ikkaku,' didn't even turn around—he recognized Nanfeng just by his voice.

He let out a chuckle.

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

Ayame, busy working nearby, also smiled over at him. Noticing the still-damp clothes on Nanfeng, she asked, "Little Nanfeng, where did you go playing..."

"Just splashing around by the river."

Nanfeng made up on the spot.

"That won't do, you know... you'll catch a cold."

Ayame set down the plate in her hands, walked over, and reminded him in a gentle tone.

She even affectionately ruffled Nanfeng's hair.

"Okay, I'll remember!"

Before long, Nanfeng's two bowls of noodles were brought out—one had to praise the speed of service.

"This bowl's on me!"

Teuchi stared at Nanfeng and said.

"Really? Thanks, Uncle!"

Nanfeng's eyes lit up, and he quickly expressed his gratitude.

Seafood ramen was pricier than tonkotsu. Though Teuchi was just a shop owner, he understood the village's situation better than anyone.

He also knew full well that Nanfeng was an orphan, so he only charged for the one bowl of tonkotsu ramen.

It wasn't just Nanfeng—sometimes, when other kids ran in, he'd treat them too.

As an elder, after all this time, he'd grown quite fond of these children.

"I'm digging in!"

Nanfeng shouted excitedly and began wolfing down his food. After training all day, he was ravenous.

"Slow down, no one's fighting you for it."

Ayame chuckled from the side. "Still... little Nanfeng like this really reminds me of another little guy..."

"Who?"

Nanfeng paused at the words, blinked, and asked knowingly.

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

But Ayame was being coy.

She didn't say it outright, partly out of consideration for how most villagers viewed Naruto.

For Naruto, loving Ichiraku Ramen was partly because of the taste, and partly because this place was one of the few spots in the village where he faced no prejudice.

Still, that was just the attitude of villagers who didn't know the truth. As for the major clans and the higher-ups—

They were all well aware of Naruto's background, including the Third Hokage's attention to him.

Back then, the Nine-Tails incident—even if the news was suppressed—smart people could still piece some things together.

So... some of the brats from those clans were still willing to interact with Naruto.

Like a few of the other Konoha 11...

They just weren't close yet.

"I'm full, thanks for the meal!"

A little later, Nanfeng finished both big bowls of noodles, even drinking every last drop of broth from the bottom.

He bowed to the owner Teuchi, said his goodbyes, and left, patting his round belly.

"Come again!"

Behind him came the familiar farewell voices of Teuchi and Ayame.

Standing in the busy street, Nanfeng looked up and could see the Hokage Rock standing in the distance.

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

Those were... the village's heroes.

It also represented the dreams of many young ninjas 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 children playing together—perfectly normal.

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

Because... Nanfeng was what many families called 'the child from next door.'

Though he had no background, was an orphan, and only average in talent... none of that mattered when he was sensible, well-spoken, good-looking, and had invented many of the little games from his past life that the kids played together... So, he had quite a reputation among the children.

"Byakugan freak!"

"All you do is cry!"

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

"You're not welcome here!"

Nanfeng was walking home along the street when, turning into an alley, he suddenly saw several children bullying someone under a dim light.

A little girl in a kimono and wooden clogs, with short hair, had been pushed to the ground by a few kids. She sobbed with grievance but didn't know how to fight back.

Hyuga?

Nanfeng caught the word and looked closely. The one sitting on the ground crying was none other than Hinata.

The kid leading the bullying seemed a few years older than her.

"Hey! Stop it!"

Just as the brats were having their fun, Nanfeng stepped out of the shadows with his hands in his pockets, looking like a little adult, and spoke.

"Huh?"

The brats turned to look. When they saw Nanfeng, their faces twisted with arrogance. "Pfft! What's it to you? Looking for a beating, are you?"

The leader, a boy of seven or eight, had a fierce glint in his eyes.

He was big and pudgy, already considered 'tiger-backed and bear-waisted' among kids his age, quite intimidating.

"Even daring to bully the Crown Princess, do you still want to stay in Konoha?"

Nanfeng sighed softly, thinking to himself.

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

From Naruto's childhood experiences, it wasn't hard to see that nobles, commoners, and different social classes led to different mindsets and circles.

It wasn't just Naruto. Hinata, Uchiha Sasuke, and others were all ostracized by commoner children. Of course, Sasuke was too proud to care. The Uchiha clan had never been well-liked in the village, a trend largely influenced by the higher-ups.

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

"My name is Akiya Nanfeng."

"Akiya Nanfeng?"

When Nanfeng announced his name, the kids nearby changed expressions and muttered a few words to the older boy.

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

The chubby boy's face showed realization, then he sneered. "Get lost... This has nothing to do with you!"

Nanfeng was famous because the games he came up with were fun, and many kids wanted to play with him... That didn't mean they held him in awe.

There were so many kids in the village, forming their own little groups. Many of them had never even heard of Nanfeng.

With that, the fat boy suddenly grabbed Hinata's ear and continued to mock her. "From now on, you're not allowed to come here, got it? Your eyes make people really uncomfortable..."

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