Treating Naruto to Ramen

For the entire class, Naruto sat quietly in his seat without doing a single thing that broke the classroom rules.

In fact, whenever Iruka asked a question, Naruto was the first to raise his hand. Even though Iruka rarely called on him, and most of his answers were wrong, he never got discouraged. He would just scratch his head and grin, then raise his hand again for the next question.

During class, Iruka even secretly pinched himself. If not for the pain, he would have thought he was under a genjutsu.

He remembered the look in Naruto's eyes when he had walked into the classroom before class. Naruto had seemed expectant, yet there was a hint of guilt in his expression.

Iruka looked away and slowly walked down the stairs.

His feelings toward Naruto had always been complicated.

It wasn't that he hated him. Not really.

Rationally, he knew Naruto himself had done nothing wrong. The Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside him was to blame.

When that disaster happened, Naruto had been nothing but a newborn baby. He hadn't known anything or done anything. Logically speaking, Iruka shouldn't blame him.

But whenever Iruka thought of the flames that night, his parents' bodies, and the empty home he'd woken up to the next morning, he couldn't look at Naruto with an open mind. And yet he couldn't truly hate him, either.

This contradiction weighed on his heart, impossible to put into words, like a tangled knot that couldn't be undone.

Iruka sighed and quickened his pace toward the office.

In the classroom, students were gradually making their way out.

"Ugh, Iruka-sensei's lessons are so boring. They're nothing like Qiushui-sensei's." Ino Yamanaka lay sprawled over her desk and complained listlessly. She'd been distracted throughout class and had nearly fallen asleep several times. It wasn't that she didn't respect the teacher; it was just that the class was truly dull.

"Mm-hmm, I think so too. Qiushui-sensei teaches like he's telling a story. The whole class flies by before you know it. Iruka-sensei is so stiff, like a machine with no feelings." The girl beside her nodded, agreeing as she packed her schoolbag.

On the other side of the classroom, a circle of girls had gathered around Uchiha Sasuke's desk, as usual.

"Sasuke-kun, want to go to the food street with us tomorrow night?" A girl clasped her hands to her chest and blinked, her voice full of hope.

"Sasuke-kun, let's walk home together!" Another girl leaned closer, a sweet smile on her face.

Uchiha Sasuke didn't even look up.

He calmly slipped the last book into his bag and zipped it up. Then he stood and said coldly, "I'm not going. I won't waste my time on something so pointless."

With that, he slung his schoolbag over his shoulder and headed straight for the classroom door. The girls automatically stepped aside to make way for him.

However, the moment his back disappeared through the doorway—

"Wow, Sasuke-kun is so cool..."

"Exactly! That cold expression of his is so awesome!"

"It's worth getting rejected just to hear him say no!"

The girls covered their burning cheeks, their eyes sparkling. They weren't the least bit dejected about being rejected.

Watching Sasuke receive so much adoration, Naruto couldn't help feeling envious. If only he could live like that!

At the back of the classroom, Shikamaru Nara looked at Choji Akimichi, who was sleeping soundly beside him, and felt a little helpless.

Choji was sprawled over his desk, his face squashed out of shape by his arm. A small puddle of drool ran from the corner of his mouth. He was probably having a wonderful dream, because every now and then he smacked his lips.

"Choji." Shikamaru gently shook him.

No response.

"Choji, class is over."

Still no response.

Shikamaru sighed and used his trump card. "Time to eat."

"Eat?" Choji suddenly sat up. His eyes weren't even fully open, but he was already mumbling, "What are we eating? What?"

Shikamaru pressed a hand to his forehead.

A figure suddenly flashed past the window. Inuzuka Kiba vaulted out and, on landing, even barked like a dog. "Woof!"

Fewer and fewer people remained in the classroom. Their chatter gradually faded into the distance.

Naruto didn't rush off. He waited until everyone had left, then picked up a broom from the corner and started cleaning.

After putting away the equipment, Qiushui didn't return to the office. Instead, he went upstairs and headed straight for the Class 1 of the 4th Grade classroom.

He planned to check on Naruto and tell him about the training.

"Qiushui-sensei!"

A clear voice rang out at the entrance to the school building.

Ino Yamanaka had been competing with Sakura Haruno to see who could get out of the building first. But now she forgot all about winning and hurried over, her eyes lighting up.

Sakura Haruno followed, a delighted smile on her face as well.

"Hey, sensei, why didn't you teach our class today?" Ino sighed, her voice tinged with a little complaint. "The other teachers' classes are no fun at all. I nearly fell asleep."

As she spoke, she gave an exaggerated yawn.

Sakura Haruno nodded vigorously beside her, clearly in agreement.

Qiushui smiled warmly and explained, "It can't be helped. Even though I'm your homeroom teacher, I still have classes with other groups. Besides teaching, I also have plenty of other work to take care of."

The disappointment on Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno's faces was plain to see.

The two of them thought at the same time, If only the school had Qiushui-sensei teach our classes every day...

Qiushui: I hear you, and thank you.

"Well, we'll be off, sensei!"

Ino and Sakura waved, then turned and ran toward the school gate.

Qiushui watched them go, then turned and continued toward the fourth-grade classroom. When he reached the door, he immediately saw Naruto and Hyuga Hinata cleaning the room.

Hinata kept her head lowered, staying far away from Naruto.

Naruto happened to look up and saw Qiushui standing in the doorway. His eyes lit up, and he jogged over to him. "Qiushui-sensei, what brings you here?"

Leaning against the doorframe, Qiushui said, "I came to tell you where we'll be training tomorrow."

Naruto was just about to ask—

"Grrr..."

A loud rumble came from his stomach.

Naruto's smile froze on his face.

He scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

The lunch break was only an hour, so there wasn't enough time to go home and eat. When he tried to buy something at the shops, the owners would frown as soon as they saw him. Some even chased him right out.

The bottle of milk and cup of instant noodles he'd had in the morning had long since digested. He'd spent the whole afternoon enduring his hunger.

Seeing how awkward Naruto looked, Qiushui was about to say something when a message appeared in front of him.

[Daily Mission: Treat Uzumaki Naruto, an SSS-grade, high-quality talent, to a delicious meal of Ichiraku Ramen]

[Mission rewards—granted after a comprehensive evaluation based on mission completion]

Qiushui froze slightly, then said, "As it happens, I'm about to go eat. We can talk while we eat."

Naruto jerked his head up, his eyes wide and his mouth opening. For a long moment, he couldn't say a word. After several seconds, he finally stammered, "R-really?"