A World of Gluttons

"This means Gai could be in danger."

Kaede remembered that Gai had once been expelled from school. Only after his father pleaded with the Third Hokage was he admitted to the Ninja Academy as an exception, thanks to his outstanding Taijutsu skills.

Konoha's system was far less developed now than it had been in Naruto's time.

At this point, the Ninja Academy was merely a war machine for training shinobi. Students without talent for ninjutsu were treated brutally and expelled outright. There was no comforting them about their dreams, and the Hokage wouldn't bother with such trivial matters.

The system Tsunade had worked so hard to establish—assigning a medical ninja to each shinobi squad—had yet to be fully implemented.

Konoha Hospital had only a handful of people, and there was no systematic way to study Medical Ninjutsu. Everything was still in its early stages. The woman who would bring change to Konoha was now consumed by grief over her younger brother's death and concern for her lover, while struggling to improve Konoha's medical system.

What she didn't know was that her lover didn't have long to live.

Konoha's system had begun under the First, been established under the Second, and improved under the Third. The Fourth had barely made an impact, while the Fifth would usher in a period of prosperity. At this time, Konoha was still primarily focused on preparing for war. Though the Will of Fire burned brightly, compassion was in short supply.

With lives hanging in the balance every day, no one had time to care about such things.

Gai was lucky to have a father like Dai supporting him.

Kaede had a sudden feeling that before long, many people would be gone for good.

After leaving the Ninja Academy, Kaede wandered aimlessly through Konoha's streets. His mother had gone to spend the evening with the other Uchiha wives, so he had to buy himself something to eat.

Konoha was vast, but Kaede had never really taken a close look at it. Tonight was his first time.

Konoha was lively at dusk. The commercial street was bustling with people, and the place seemed prosperous. It couldn't compare to the world he'd known in his previous life, but in the Shinobi World, only the villages of the Five Great Nations could boast scenes like this.

"Huh! This place looks really popular!"

There wasn't any particular dish in Konoha that Kaede liked. It wasn't that he didn't care about food; it was just that, coming from a country of foodies, he couldn't get used to the unusual dishes here. So he'd settled for eating whatever he could find, as long as it kept him from starving.

But now, he'd followed the delicious smell. When he arrived, he found a long line outside a shop. There were civilians and shinobi wearing green vests alike.

"Mmm~"

He took a deep breath. The smell was wonderful, rich and fragrant. He joined the end of the line. The moon was already bright, its soft light mingling with the aroma drifting out of the little shop.

It was like a dream!

As the line moved forward and the people ahead of him thinned out, he finally saw the name of the little shop through a gap—I ch iraku Ramen.

"Whoa! I should've guessed!"

He looked over the tiny noodle shop and the man sweating as he kneaded dough. A little girl was helping him.

"So this is the legendary Otsutsuki Ichiraku? He looks pretty young! And this pretty little girl must be Ayame. She's already so capable at this age. No wonder she can't find a husband. Heh heh..."

The familiar scene set off his urge to make snarky comments and sparked his curiosity. Then the squinty-eyed Teuchi asked him,

"What would you like, young man?"

"One large bowl of tonkotsu ramen, please."

He pulled out a little stool from beneath the counter and sat down. Kids were such a pain. The height was the worst part: he couldn't even reach the table to eat. It was humiliating.

And who knew when his weapon would finally grow powerful enough to be useful? He had everything he needed to become a lady-killer, but couldn't put it to use. It was rough!

"Hey, miss, you're really good at that."

Once seated, Kaede started teasing Ayame, who was busy stirring the broth.

Startled by someone speaking to her, Ayame almost let the long ladle slip into the pot. She turned and saw Kaede staring at her with wide, curious eyes, looking like an adorable little boy. Her annoyance vanished at once.

No one could bring themselves to scold such a cute little boy.

She gave Kaede a sweet smile and a nod, then went back to stirring the broth.

"Hmph! Annoying Uchiha brat. He's so little, and he's already hitting on girls."

The muttered words from behind him made the smile on Kaede's face slowly freeze.

So what if I'm hitting on a little girl? Did I eat your rice or steal your daughter?

He turned around and glared viciously. Today, he'd be a rabid Uchiha, barking and biting her—woof, woof!

"Damn!"

Kaede's fierce glare instantly gave way to wide-eyed astonishment.

Standing behind him in line was a beautiful woman with long, flowing red hair. She had a hairpin in the bun on the left side of her head, a wrist guard on her left wrist, and a Konoha Forehead Protector. She looked thoroughly displeased.

Her right hand was resting on her stomach as she stood on tiptoe, eyeing the large bowl of tonkotsu ramen Teuchi had placed in front of Kaede. She kept swallowing, her lips glistening with saliva.

She must have been starving, struggling to resist the enticing aroma. Her long red hair swayed in the breeze behind her.

When Kaede glared at her, she raised her right fist and shook it at him. "What are you looking at? Hurry up and eat. Then move aside."

"Sure thing!"

Kaede turned around and began eating in one smooth motion.

He knew the reputation of the Red Hot Chili Pepper.

This woman was absolutely the sort who'd beat him up and get away with it. As Konoha's strategic weapon—the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—

She could beat up a Uchiha kid or even flip over the Third Hokage's desk and still get away with it.

She was someone he couldn't afford to provoke.

"Grr..."

An untimely growl came from behind Kaede. He knew it was a certain woman announcing that she was hungry.

The man beside him, who was eating his noodles, laughed aloud, making Kushina blush for once.

The little Ichiraku Ramen shop could only seat two people at a time.

"I'm done. You can sit here, miss!"

"Thank you so much!"

Kushina bowed gratefully. The man smiled, paid, and left.

"I'd like two large bowls of miso ramen!"

As soon as she sat down, she called out to Teuchi.

"That's so much food. You'll burst."

He grumbled silently and turned to look at her.

"What are you looking at, brat? You want to get beaten up? I'm not afraid of the Uchiha Clan."

"Big sister, your red hair is really pretty. It's just like the Uchiha Gunbai."

"Hmph! Saying that won't make me forget how you glared at me just now."

Clearly delighted, she still lifted her chin in a haughty pose. Kushina folded her arms and sat on the stool, waiting for Teuchi's ramen.

She didn't dare look at the kid beside her. If she looked at him, she'd see the ramen, and if she saw the ramen, she'd feel even hungrier.

"Two large bowls of miso ramen!"

"Thanks! Let's eat!"

Then Kaede witnessed the world of a true foodie. Those two enormous bowls of noodles were devoured in an instant, and she even licked every last drop of broth from the bowls.

Still not satisfied, she checked her wallet and hesitated. Finally, she steeled herself and said, "Another bowl."

As a Jinchūriki, she probably couldn't leave the village for missions and could only get her fill of being a shinobi within its walls. She probably didn't have much money on her.

And Minato Namikaze wasn't with her, which meant Minato must have gone outside the village on a mission. So she'd come for ramen alone.

In an instant, he figured all of this out.