Nine-Tails

Amid the rising steam of delicious food, the blond boy slammed his hand down on the table.

"Teuchi, I'll have another bowl of tonkotsu ramen!"

"Coming right up!"

Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, agreed with a cheerful smile. After a series of practiced movements, he quickly placed a steaming bowl of fragrant ramen before Naruto.

"Thank you, Teuchi!"

Naruto brought his chopsticks together and pressed his palms together in front of him.

"Thanks for the meal!"

To be honest, Naruto had initially felt embarrassed about letting a stranger treat him to a meal.

But...

This was his favorite Ichiraku Ramen!

Normally, his allowance only covered some bread and milk. He might not even get to eat a hot bowl of Ichiraku Ramen once a month.

Faced with such an overwhelming temptation, Naruto still gave in.

"Urgh..."

"I'm so full."

Naruto easily polished off two large bowls of ramen. He wiped his mouth, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

"I didn't expect you to like ramen so much, Naruto."

Sitting beside Naruto, Kimura had also finished his ramen. Under the warm lights, he wore a kind smile.

"Yeah, I think Ichiraku Ramen is the best food in the world!"

Naruto said it with firm conviction.

Kimura smiled faintly. "In that case, how about I treat you to ramen every day from now on?"

Naruto hurriedly shook his head. "No, no. I'm already very grateful that you treated me to one meal, Kimura. How could I eat for free every day?"

Seeing Naruto state his position like that, Kimura said nothing more.

He looked at the street outside, now completely dark, and said, "It's getting late. We should head back."

"Okay!"

Naruto did not hesitate at all. He quickly got up and waved goodbye to Teuchi.

Teuchi also said to