Was Ichiraku Ramen really that good?
That was something you could ask Naruto Uzumaki. That guy had been eating there from the Ninja Academy all the way through Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.
Of course, Sora Uchiha couldn't travel through time to ask Naruto Uzumaki,
Besides, he had no need to ask Naruto, because he was tasting it right now.
The flavor... The rich broth exploded across his taste buds along with the noodles. It felt like doing military training in forty-degree weather, only to have a cup of iced black tea straight from the refrigerator placed in your hands.
It was that refreshing.
"Little Ichiraku, your ramen is truly one of a kind." Sora Uchiha slurped up a mouthful and gave Ichiraku a thumbs-up from in front of the serving counter.
Ichiraku was only in his twenties or so at this time, looking youthful. However... those iconic smiling eyes were already there.
"One of a kind is too much. It just happens to suit your taste." Ichiraku humbly waved his hand. "By the way, Sora, I heard you came first in the Chunin Ninja Exams. Congratulations."
Sora Uchiha asked in surprise, "Little Ichiraku, you pay attention to ninja affairs?"
"Listen to you. I'm a member of Konoha, after all. How could I not care about the ninjas protecting our home?" Ichiraku rolled his eyes. That movement startled Sora Uchiha,
because rolling one's eyes required exposing one's eyeballs, and Sora Uchiha had never seen Ichiraku open his eyes before.
He curiously leaned over the serving counter and said with a grin, "Little Ichiraku, tell me—are you some sort of hidden master living among ordinary people, like the Sweeper Monk?"
When Pain shattered Konoha with a single Shinra Tensei in the future, this little Ichiraku shop had remained completely unharmed. He seriously suspected that Ichiraku was an unparalleled master.
"You've been reading too many novels." Little Ichiraku cheerfully extended a finger and gave Sora Uchiha a light flick. "To celebrate your coming first in the Chunin exams, your ramen is free today."
"Tsk, you really know how to do business." Sora Uchiha smacked his lips, feeling that Little Ichiraku had quite a high emotional intelligence.
"Ichiraku, two bowls of ramen." A man and woman entered from outside and called out to Ichiraku.
The voice sounded somewhat familiar. Sora Uchiha turned around,
and it really was an "old acquaintance"—Yamashiro Ryuta, whom he had just met the previous night. Beside him was a female ninja wearing goggles.
As if sensing something, Yamashiro Ryuta glanced to the side and saw Sora Uchiha sizing him up. He raised his eyebrows.
"Yo, Uchiha brat. What a coincidence."
The corner of Sora Uchiha's mouth twitched. That title wasn't even a tenth as friendly as Shisui's "big brother."
Yesterday, he had found it novel. Hearing it again today, however, made him uncomfortable.
"Old man, we meet again." He said it just like that.
"Tsk, you should call me big brother." Yamashiro Ryuta clicked his tongue, his expression darkening slightly.
"Ryuta, who is this little brother?" the female ninja asked curiously.
"Oh, this brat? He's an Uchiha. I happened to run into him yesterday."
In Konoha, the name Uchiha had always been controversial.
In the past, Uchiha had been a title belonging to the strong, and the villagers had treated it with awe.
Now, Uchiha was a label for an outsider. With the old Third Hokage's manipulation, the villagers deliberately ignored the Uchiha.
Sure enough, the female ninja had initially looked interested, but the moment she heard "Uchiha," her expression immediately cooled. She gave a flat "Oh" and ignored him.
Sora Uchiha naturally noticed the change in her attitude, but he didn't care. He didn't even know her, so why should he care what she thought?
In Konoha, there were only two kinds of people who wouldn't treat him coldly.
First, the Uchiha clansmen.
Second, the children who had graduated from the Ninja Academy.
He looked up at the busy Little Ichiraku inside and thought for a moment before adding another category.
Third, familiar adults, such as teachers.
These three kinds of people wouldn't deliberately avoid him because of his Uchiha identity.
Everyone else looked at him as though he were an outsider, as though he were trash.
In a sense, Hiruzen Sarutobi had done a fairly successful job of handling the Uchiha.
No wonder Father wants Konoha to descend into chaos, Sora Uchiha thought.
Yamashiro Ryuta naturally noticed that his companion disliked Sora Uchiha, but he didn't say anything.
He simply waited silently for the ramen.
"Ryuta, have they finished investigating the people who died yesterday?" the female ninja asked.
Yamashiro Ryuta shook his head. "No. We've confirmed that one was a Konoha Ninja, while the other two were ninjas from other countries."
"Who knows who killed them? If they were from Konoha, it would be fine. But if they were from another country... Sigh, these are troubled times. Ryuta, you need to be careful, careful, and even more careful from now on..."
"Mm..." Yamashiro Ryuta answered casually.
Sora Uchiha lowered his head and ate his ramen in silence, appearing to be nothing more than an outsider.
In reality, he was secretly listening to their conversation.
They couldn't investigate it?
That was within expectations. After all, he had stripped the bodies and burned the corpses. Under the cover of darkness, it would have been strange if they had managed to find anything.
"The ramen's here." Ichiraku came out carrying two bowls of ramen.
Just then, Sora Uchiha swallowed the last mouthful of broth and was about to say goodbye and leave when Ichiraku spoke first.
"By the way, Sora, after the Chunin exams, you'll be heading to the battlefield soon, won't you?"
"Mm... We still have some time to make adjustments." He answered.
"Sigh." Little Ichiraku sighed. "Because of the Third Shinobi World War, this year's Chunin exams were held much more loosely. I wonder how many people will die on the battlefield."
As he spoke, he seemed to think of something. He glanced at Sora Uchiha and said apologetically, "Sora, don't take it the wrong way. I'm not cursing you. I'm just reminding you to be careful. It's not easy being the top-ranked one."
"Before you leave, come eat ramen here one more time. I'll treat you to the most luxurious set meal."
Sora Uchiha smiled faintly. "I'd be happy to."
With that, he left.
Yamashiro Ryuta silently listened to the conversation between Ichiraku and Sora Uchiha.
After Sora Uchiha left, he turned to Ichiraku and asked,
"Ichiraku, are you very familiar with that Uchiha brat?"
"Who?" Ichiraku froze, then realized what he meant. "You mean Sora? I'm fairly familiar with him. He often comes here to eat noodles, and we naturally became familiar over time."
"Him? He eats here often?" Yamashiro Ryuta was stunned.
The Shinobi World's impression of the Uchiha was uniform: cold and emotionally detached.
When he imagined those Uchiha who had always been proud of their clan coming to eat ramen at this little shop so often...
Well, he couldn't imagine it.
He shook his head and stopped thinking about it before asking again:
"He's the one who came first in this year's Chunin exams?"
"Mm. I heard he won through overwhelming power."
Yamashiro Ryuta fell into deep thought. He had won through overwhelming power.
In other words, this Uchiha brat was extremely strong—possibly even somewhat stronger than those veteran Chunin.
Come to think of it, he seemed to have returned from the direction of the rear mountain yesterday...
Could it be...
Suddenly, he laughed at himself and shook his head, silently scolding himself. Yamashiro Ryuta, he's only a twelve-year-old brat. Don't harbor thoughts like that about him just because he's an Uchiha.
But soon, he fell into deep thought again.
What if...?
Before you continue