Ramen Friendship

"Uncle, give this beautiful lady another bowl of ramen!"

"Hmph! Who wants your stuff, you little brat? Get lost."

Kushina loved ramen, but her pride would never allow her to accept gifts or pity from anyone.

Not even from a child.

"I apologize for my rudeness earlier. This bowl of ramen can be my compensation, how about it?"

Kaede hopped down from his stool and apologized to Kushina.

Getting close to Minato Namikaze started with winning over Kushina—that was the right move. Minato seemed sunny and easygoing, treating people warmly, but his IQ was sharp; a sudden approach would put him on guard.

On the other hand, hot-tempered Kushina, though she seemed hard to get along with, had no scheming nature and was easier to breach.

He was drooling over the [Flying Thunder God].

I am Uchiha Kaede. I will surpass that man and become the fastest man in the ninja world.

To get [Flying Thunder God], option one was to go to the Third Hokage—checking the Scroll of Seals was a dead end for him. Option two was Minato Namikaze, where at least there was a tiny sliver of possibility.

"Well, I'll accept your apology then, kid."

The ramen was already served, and Kushina, half-resisting, half-accepting, started eating.

"My name is Uchiha Kaede. Big sister can call me Kaede. May I ask what a beautiful big sister like you is called?"

Mumbling through a full mouth—

"Uh... call... Uzumaki Kushina."

Her cheeks were stuffed full. For a foodie, the worst time to bother her was when she was happily eating.

Watching her struggle to swallow, Kaede felt he wasn't hungry anymore. Was this the charm of a food lover?

"Ah~ I'm finally full. This is the fullest meal I've had in three days. Kid... no... Kaede, thanks for the apology."

"My pleasure!"

Kaede broke into a bright smile. His sunny, handsome face reminded her of Minato. Thinking of Minato made her angry—he'd been out of the village so long and still hadn't come back.

"When can I get to see outside the village?"

Kushina wished in her heart.

If Kaede knew what she was thinking, he'd definitely say—

If you actually got out of the village, that wouldn't be good news. That would mean Konoha was preparing to release a nuclear weapon—the Nine-Tails.

"Kaede, I owe you for today's meal. When I have money, I'll definitely pay you back."

Having already walked out of Ichiraku Ramen, Kushina suddenly turned around and said to Kaede.

"No need. I already said it was compensation."

"I said I'll pay it back, so I will."

She clasped her hands together and stood in front of Kaede, the threat heavy in the air.

"Ha... well, if you want to pay it back, go ahead. I don't mind." Kaede silently took a step back. He'd heard the Uzumaki clan had considerable strength.

What a temperamental, violent beauty! With her tendency to throw hands at the drop of a hat, he wondered how Minato put up with her.

"Well, it's pretty late now. My mother's waiting for me at home. Boss lady, I'm heading back!"

He was afraid that if he stayed with this violent girl any longer, he'd get beaten up sooner or later. Even if he could beat Kushina now—which he couldn't—he wouldn't dare lay a hand on her.

Not to mention that Kushina's sealing techniques, inherited from the Uzumaki clan, were no joke. If she hit him with a Four Symbols Seal, he'd be on his knees.

Better to slip away first. Kushina seemed to have a good relationship with Mikoto Uchiha. If he paid attention, he could run into her again near the Uchiha clan grounds.

Getting this close today was enough. Any more would seem too deliberate. Even if Kushina didn't notice, it would definitely alert the people behind her.

"Kaede, remember to come find me! I already told you my address. Next time, I'll treat you to ramen."

"Got it! See you later, boss lady."

Kaede was already far away, calling back to Kushina from a distance.

"This Uchiha kid isn't as annoying as I thought."

After Kaede turned into another street at the corner, Kushina, still wearing a smile, finally moved to leave.

"That kid just now was from the Uchiha clan. He made contact with the jinchuriki. Should we report this to the Third Hokage?"

Lurking in the shadows of the darkness were none other than the famous Konoha ANBU.

This was a three-man ANBU squad. Right now, only two were tailing Kushina from a distance. One had followed Kaede.

"Swan is following him. We'll decide when he gets back." The ANBU ninja who seemed to be the captain, wearing a cat-faced mask, signaled to his companion beside him.

As a jinchuriki, Kushina's safety was Konoha's top priority. From the moment she inherited the role of the Nine-Tails' vessel from Mito Uzumaki, she had lost her freedom.

When Minato wasn't around, the Third Hokage couldn't afford to skip security measures.

Kushina's chakra sensing ability wasn't weak. These ANBU could only silently tail her from a distance, not daring to get close. If they slipped up, they'd be the ones to suffer.

In terms of strength, the three of them might not even be a match for the jinchuriki.

All communication was conducted through coded signals, not a single sound dared to escape. They suppressed their chakra fluctuations to the absolute minimum, like the dead—this brought them some peace of mind.

Even after Kushina returned home, they only dared to keep their distance, concealing their forms on the rooftops across the way, protecting her in secret.

"Captain, I'm back."

"How's that brat? Any issues?"

Their impression of the Uchiha clan was not one they would bring into a mission. But when it came to the jinchuriki, they had to be doubly cautious. Any Uchiha approaching the jinchuriki put their nerves on edge.

"No problems. Just an ordinary Uchiha kid. I took the liberty of checking his records at the school. Decent talent, but not the top student—roughly in the upper tier of his year."

"Also, I asked around with classmates who know him. He hasn't used the Sharingan. Given his age and talent, he probably hasn't awakened it yet."

In just a few hours, the surface traits Kaede displayed had been thoroughly investigated by the Anbu.

"Though all signs point to this being a chance encounter, for safety's sake, 'Sparrow,' tail him covertly for a few days. I'll report today's events to the Third Hokage."

That the Sharingan could control tailed beasts might be a secret to civilians, but as Anbu directly under the Hokage, they knew far more secrets than most.

And this particular secret was one they were well aware of. So any Uchiha approaching the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki was something to be wary of—even if it was just a child.

At the Hokage Tower, though it was already midnight, the lights still blazed.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was still pushing through paperwork. Being Hokage was no simple task—and being a Hokage recognized by the entire village was even harder.

At that moment, he frowned, took a drag from his pipe, and stared at the document in his hands.

"Sigh... such a headache."

First Mikoto Uchiha, and now this Uchiha Kaede popping up. Kushina getting too close to the Uchiha was not a good thing.

He had just warned her not to go near the Uchiha compound alone.