Uzumaki Naruto! Here I Come!

In Konoha, there were three ways for ninjas to receive missions:

The first was through requests from ordinary citizens or nobles. Most of these missions were issued by villagers, merchants, or daimyos seeking help with security problems, escorting supplies, or hunting down bandits. They applied to the ninja village through its mission request system.

The second was through direct orders from the country or the village's leadership. These missions often involved national security or strategic deployments and were usually high-ranking, such as spying on enemy nations or assassinating targets. They were typically carried out by Jonin or higher-ranking ninjas.

The third was through special arrangements within the ninja village, such as the Chunin Ninja Exams or Jonin promotion tests. These were functional assessments held within the village.

Uchiha Rei had already accepted an A-rank mission outside the village.

But after he was poisoned, the mission had been put on hold. For the past few days, Uchiha Rei had had plenty of time to rest.

After an intense round of extra physical training with Might Guy that morning, Uchiha Rei spent the afternoon wandering around the village.

He thought about where else he could Sign-in in Konoha.

That afternoon, sunlight warmed Konoha's streets. As Uchiha Rei strolled along, he eventually reached the village center and stopped in front of Ichiraku Ramen.

It was a ramen shop. The wooden sign above the entrance had faded yellow with age, but the words "Ichiraku" still stood out. They said the shop had been around even longer than Konoha itself, though no one knew if that was true.

Uchiha Rei was a regular here. Strangely, though, he had never run into that legendary protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki.

As the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto was Konoha's most important strategic weapon. And ever since Uchiha Madara, the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan had been able to control Tailed Beasts.

That ability had always made Konoha's high-level wary of the Uchiha Clan. So they never allowed Uchiha ninjas to approach Naruto in private.

The Hokage didn't want to see even the slightest sign that the Nine-Tails might be lured away by the Uchiha.

It was still early, and there weren't any other customers in the shop yet. The rich aroma of pork-bone broth filled the air, impossible to resist. The wooden counter had been scrubbed spotless, and a wind chime in the corner swayed gently in the spring breeze.

Inside, Teuchi wore an apron and focused on tending the broth in a large pot. His thick eyebrows and serious expression were as unchanged as ever.

Nearby, someone was bent over, wiping down the counter. It was his daughter, Ayame.

"Uchiha Rei, long time no see!" Ayame looked up, her voice bright with excitement.

She wore a clean white apron over a fresh-looking white short-sleeved shirt, revealing her slender arms. Her short hair was neatly tucked behind her ears, and a faint blush colored her pretty face. Her eyes settled on Uchiha Rei with a shy look.

"You haven't come for ramen in a few days. Have you been feeling unwell?" She stepped a little closer, her voice tinged with concern.

Uchiha Rei looked at her, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "I just got poisoned by accident recently. It was a minor poison, nothing serious."

"You really need to take better care of yourself," Ayame chided softly, though her eyes were full of warmth.

"Same as usual today?" she asked, already reaching for the order board behind the counter.

"Mm." Uchiha Rei nodded. "A large deluxe Miso Ramen with extra chashu."

"Coming right up~" Ayame replied playfully, making a little gesture.

Then she rolled up her sleeves, went over to the stove herself, and started preparing the ingredients.

Teuchi could make ramen all by himself, of course, but strangely enough—

Whenever Uchiha Rei came in, Ayame always made the noodles herself.

She picked up the noodles and flicked her wrist deftly. The pale strands traced a graceful arc before landing in the boiling pot.

Steam rose, and droplets of water trembled on her eyelashes. Without thinking, she brushed the loose hair from her forehead with the back of her hand, letting the mist from the hot broth softly veil her face.

"You always insist on cooking it yourself," Teuchi said with a little pout, though there was no reproach in his voice.

"It's not like that. I just happen to have time today," Ayame replied with a smile, but she sneaked a glance toward Uchiha Rei.

When the noodles were ready, she arranged the chashu especially neatly and added an extra helping of Narutomaki. She carried the ramen to the counter and carefully set it down in front of Uchiha Rei.

"Enjoy. I let today's broth simmer a little longer, so it's even richer," she said warmly. She rested her hands lightly on the edge of the counter and leaned forward a little. The subtle curve of her chest and the closeness made Uchiha Rei turn his gaze slightly aside.

"Thank you." Uchiha Rei looked up, met her eyes for a brief moment, then brought his hands together.

"Let's eat."

Ayame picked up a cloth and pretended to wipe down the counter, her eyes drifting to Uchiha Rei's profile now and then.

Teuchi wiped a bowl, but he couldn't take it anymore. He cleared his throat and said, "Ayame, stop staring at Uchiha Rei all the time. We have other customers to serve."

"I know, I know..." She pouted and straightened up, but couldn't help sneaking another glance at the figure at the other end of the counter.

Teuchi pointed toward the corner outside. "Look over there. That blond kid's here again."

Uchiha Rei followed his gaze. Sure enough, a blond-haired kid was peeking nervously around the corner of the wall outside the ramen shop.

Uzumaki Naruto.

Uchiha Rei raised an eyebrow, a barely noticeable smile touching his lips.

It seemed that after this morning's Taijutsu training with Guy, the Hokage and his people had decided he was just an ordinary Genin and let their guard down around him.

They had no idea he had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. If he had ambitions like Madara or Obito, he could easily set off another Nine-Tails' Rampage.

And now, Uzumaki Naruto was standing at the street corner, hiding nervously.

Teuchi's ramen shop was one of the few places where Naruto found happiness.

Ever since he had eaten that steaming bowl of ramen for the first time on a rainy night, its warmth had been burned into his memory.

After that, whenever he managed to save enough money, Naruto would sneak over.

Yes, "sneak."

He always came in secret. Not because he had done anything wrong, but because the village had never truly accepted him.

The piercing stares, the whispers behind his back, the way people avoided him—all of it had taught him to pretend to be strong.

But Teuchi had never looked at him that way. Neither had Ayame. They treated him like any ordinary customer.

"Welcome!"

"One Miso Ramen, coming right up!"

Those simple words might have seemed perfectly ordinary to anyone else, but to Naruto, they were the last bit of kindness the village had left.

"But I'm just an orphan. I don't have much money. The Third Hokage gives me spending money each time, and I have to use it to buy other necessities. Since I'm a monster, people either refuse to sell me anything or charge me a lot."

"It takes a really, really long time to save up enough to buy ramen here at Teuchi's."

The ramen shop was the only warm place in his memory.

What made it even rarer was that Teuchi never raised his prices just because Naruto was the "Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails." Other shops either charged him more or refused to sell to him altogether. Teuchi, on the other hand, always treated everyone equally.

Naruto always came when the shop was quiet. That way, no one would laugh at him or say, "How dare a monster like you eat ramen?"

And today, he had finally saved up enough money again.

Full of anticipation, he went around the corner and headed for the familiar shop as usual. But he stopped before he got very far.

Because he saw a stranger sitting at Teuchi's counter.

It was an older boy wearing Goggles and a black ninja outfit. His hair was a little long, his features were sharply defined, and he was, well... very handsome.

"I'll go in after he leaves," Naruto thought, clenching the change in his hand. "After he finishes eating... Once he's done, I'll go in."

But Teuchi had sharp eyes and spotted him anyway.

Uzumaki Naruto finally worked up the courage and stepped into the ramen shop.

He looked about seven or eight, and his clothes were worn out.

"I... I'd like one Miso Ramen," Naruto said quietly as he reached the counter, never daring to look up at Uchiha Rei.

He was scared.

Scared that this handsome ninja would look at him the way the other adults did.

"Got it." Ayame picked up the order slip and smiled at Naruto.

Before long, Teuchi brought out a bowl of Miso Ramen, its aroma filling the air.

Naruto took the bowl, then froze.

"Why isn't there any... Narutomaki?" he asked, looking disappointed.

"We ran out of Narutomaki today," Teuchi replied. "But I added extra bamboo shoots. They're really fresh today."

"I don't want bamboo shoots..." Naruto's eyes suddenly welled up. "Ramen with bamboo shoots isn't ramen..."

He muttered, starting to lose control of his emotions. "Why... why does everyone bully me... Even ramen is bullying me..."

The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy.

"I have some extra Narutomaki here," Uchiha Rei said. "I can't finish them. Could you help me out, kid?"

Naruto froze, then looked up at the handsome older boy in front of him.

Uchiha Rei looked at Naruto without a hint of mockery. Instead, he wore a faintly kind smile.

"I... I can?" Naruto's voice trembled.

"Of course." Uchiha Rei smiled gently.

"Thank you, big brother!" Naruto grinned, as if the whole world had suddenly grown a little brighter.