New Family Members

When he was buried in debt and working odd jobs to pay it off, he looked at the somewhat rundown Ichiraku Ramen and came up with the idea of partnering with Teuchi.

A boss is always better than a wage slave.

Although Teuchi had excellent cooking skills, he wasn't a native of Konoha, nor was he a ninja. Doing business in Konoha, he couldn't even buy land, so he set up a small stall by the roadside and sold noodles.

From time to time, he was harassed by the Uchiha district officials.

And Kaede had his eye on Teuchi's skills. After getting to know him, he learned that when Teuchi first arrived in Konoha, he worked under someone else until he couldn't take the harassment anymore and went solo. His biggest dream now was to have his own ramen shop where he could happily cook with Ayame.

This was exactly what Kaede wanted. After discussing it with Teuchi, Kaede decided to invest money in him and help him grow Ichiraku Ramen big and strong.

First, set a small goal: become the number one restaurant in Konoha.

For that, he was already in debt to his father for the price of an Asuma. How could he not care about the business's performance?

"Kaede, you're back!" said Ayame, her face bright and lovely, smiling radiantly.

"Ayame-chan, you've gotten even prettier," Kaede said.

Ayame squinted her eyes and laughed happily, sweetly. She was a pure girl, and her smile had a kind of magic that purified the heart. Perhaps it was because of that smile that Ichiraku Ramen's business kept getting better, and his wallet was slowly swelling.

"Kaede, you're back! Great!" Just as he was peacefully eating his noodles, a delighted voice came from behind him. Before the words had even finished, the person was already sitting at his table.

The current Ichiraku Ramen was quite large. Sitting at someone else's table without permission was very rude, and this was a private room, not the main hall—you couldn't just share tables. But the person in front of him showed no embarrassment at all, only joy.

"Kushina, here for ramen again? Don't you get tired of it?" Kaede asked, looking at the red-haired female ninja sitting across from him.

"Ramen is so delicious, how could I get tired of it?"

Kushina glared at Kaede, clenching her fist as if to punch him for daring to insult her beloved ramen. The next moment, the sunny and handsome Minato pushed aside the curtain and walked in, saying, "Sorry for the intrusion, Kaede."

He naturally sat down across from Kaede, next to Kushina.

"Kushina, don't run so fast, and you always trouble Kaede."

Minato had just said that when—

"Bang!" Kushina slammed the table. Even though she held back her strength, it nearly broke it.

"Kaede is my little brother, isn't that right, Kaede?"

"Whatever the boss lady says. This meal is on me." Kaede waved his hand grandly, gritting his teeth as he took on the bill.

Letting her eat one meal meant today's Ichiraku Ramen profits were gone.

"Ha... ha... Kaede, sorry to trouble you again." Minato squinted and laughed awkwardly.

Kushina was always like this, acting on impulse. They were long used to her willfulness.

Just as they were ordering, someone else came in.

"Sorry to interrupt, Kaede. Can we join you? We heard Kakashi's Jonin instructor is here, and we wanted to meet him. Is that okay?" A timid, soft voice spoke.

"Long time no see, Lin, Obito, and Kakashi. Come on in, it's pretty spacious here." Kaede saw that they were all acquaintances and invited them in.

Once the three entered, the six of them filled the private room.

Kakashi's face was gloomy. Even with his own Jonin instructor present, he showed no intention of greeting anyone. Ever since his father died, he had been like this.

Even though the Third Hokage had assigned him to the gentle Minato, it hadn't resolved the issues in his heart in such a short time.

"You're Kakashi's friends, right? I'm his Jonin instructor, Minato Namikaze." Seeing that Kakashi had actually been invited out to eat, Minato was quite surprised.

He had tried hard for a long time just to get this gloomy kid to talk to him.

"Minato-senpai, we're really sorry for interrupting your meal, but Kakashi..." Lin blushed as she explained.

"Don't worry, leave it to me. I'll take care of him. By the way, you're still students at the Ninja Academy, right?" Minato changed the subject.

"Yes, Minato-senpai, we haven't graduated yet!" Lin said.

"Tch~" Obito clicked his tongue in jealousy, turning his head away from Kakashi and Kaede. Both of them were people he hated—they had the nerve to graduate early without waiting for him. Damn them.

"What lovely kids. I'll take care of Kakashi. For now, let's enjoy the delicious ramen!"

A decision had already formed in his mind.

This was an early gathering, and only Kaede, an outsider, had joined in. But the parties involved had no idea what was happening.

Minato took the stuffed Kushina home, and Kaede said goodbye to Kakashi and the others. Obito was going to walk Lin home, so he had no time to return to the clan compound with Kaede.

"Tch~ Simp. In the end, you'll have nothing." Kaede muttered to himself and walked home quietly.

His sixth sense had been telling him that someone was watching them just now. With no Anbu tailing them, it could only be the Third Hokage's [Telescope Technique].

How rare. The Third actually had time to observe here instead of staring at the women's bathhouse. That was way too unlike him.

Back home, Kaede lived an ordinary life. But he knew the time to face the Third directly wasn't far off. The Third had taken an interest in him, and given his identity, he was sure the man would seek him out.

Still, for the past month, he hadn't had the mind to care about any of that. His mother, Xiang, was about to give birth. Both father and son were nervous. To be safe, they called Tong over.

Her medical ninjutsu was excellent now, and it would be crucial in a critical moment.

But clearly, they were a little paranoid. Xiang had a natural delivery. Though she was a bit older, both mother and child were safe.

When Tong came out holding the newborn baby...

"I have a daughter," Mingye said.

"I have a little sister," Feng said.

"Congratulations," Tong said.

New life always carries new hope, naturally bringing joy to everyone.

"By the way, Father, have you decided on her name?" Feng asked curiously.

"It was decided long ago. Your name is Feng, and hers is Quan. The Maple Forest and Hot Spring in the Land of Hot Water are where your mother and I fell in love. Your names commemorate that place—the names were set long ago."

"Uchiha Quan. Quan, you're so adorable." Though the newborn was still wrinkled, his own little sister was absolutely the most beautiful.

He gently touched the baby's somewhat rough skin, feeling a deep affection and closeness from the heart.

In his joy, a flash of light passed through his mind, and he suddenly recalled something.

"What was her name again?"

He asked Tong beside him.

"Quan... didn't Uncle Mingye just say so?"

"Quan? Uchiha Quan? That Quan?" A sudden panic surged in Feng's heart, a feeling that something important was slipping away, making it hard to breathe.

Before his eyes, time seemed to freeze completely, as if he had stepped into a tunnel of time, crossing through it, and saw a ninja wearing a Spiral Mask with a Scarlet Magatama dragging a little girl with an iron chain, piercing her heart with a Kunai.

His gaze was fixed on it, but his body couldn't react at all, like sleep paralysis.

"Feng, are you okay?" Tong poked Feng and asked.

Her interruption brought him back to reality, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

"I'm fine, just too happy. Haha."

He masked his panic.