Ogimachi Hachiko

Yashui glanced at the tabletop, though he didn't even want to rest his hands on it. The surface was coated in grease, feeling utterly repulsive. Condiments like chili oil, vinegar, and salt were scattered about, but the chili oil had long since lost its potency, and the vinegar looked as if it had been watered down.

This shop was a massive disappointment to Yashui; it didn't even meet the baseline of his expectations. It was nothing like the commercial district in the heart of Konoha, where the service upon entering was impeccable.

"This place has the best Chinese cuisine in all of Konoha. It's so delicious I want to smash the place up!" Hachiko was quite fond of the "Chinese cuisine" here. But why would wanting to smash a place be a sign of affection? Wouldn't smashing it imply hatred?

"Um... I'd like to ask, what exactly do you think 'Chinese cuisine' is, Hachiko?" Yashui asked. He knew far too much about Chinese cuisine to be fooled; he had tasted delicacies from every single regional style.

"Small wontons, large wontons, noodles..." Hachiko said, looking at the menu. "Isn't that what Chinese cuisine is?"

Yashui was left completely speechless by Hachiko's answer. This place wasn't a Chinese restaurant at all; it was just a run-of-the-mill wonton shop. Because wontons happened to be a type of Chinese dish, they had simply slapped a "Chinese Cuisine" sign on the front.

"Listen..." Yashui took a deep breath, steadying himself so he could slowly explain to Hachiko what Chinese cuisine actually was. "While things like wontons are indeed Chinese cuisine, they aren't the entirety of it."

"You know so much, Yashui." Hachiko looked at him with admiration. "I can't even tell that you're a year younger than me. Children from wealthy families really do have a broader perspective."

Yashui frowned slightly. This was the second time Hachiko had said something like that. Terms like "wealthy family" and "rich person" seemed to be sensitive topics in her eyes.

Indeed, Hachiko's surname was Ogimachi. Ogimachi was the name of the slums, arguably the lowliest surname in all of Konoha. Yashui was different; his surname was Sarutobi, and he was the grandson of the Third Hokage—the village's supreme leader. In the eyes of ordinary people, the Sarutobi name was likely the most noble in Konoha.

Hachiko didn't say it outright, but her words always betrayed a sense of envy toward Yashui. She, too, wished she could live in a wealthy household; she wished to be a "child of a wealthy family who didn't know how to save money." Unfortunately, she couldn't even afford a single new set of clothes.

For a child from the bottom of society like her, becoming a ninja was the only path for upward mobility. Only by becoming a ninja could she change the fate that awaited her.

Yashui couldn't help but sigh. In this world, everyone had their own hardships. Everyone was enduring their own kind of pain.

Ogimachi was a slum, and while everyone there wore a smile on their faces and appeared happy and cheerful, beneath that joy, everyone was tormented by their own poverty.

The small wontons were served. The price here was less than half of what they cost in the center of Konoha. One could easily imagine the quality of the wonton wrappers and the meat inside.

To mask the taste of such inferior ingredients, the broth was loaded with excessive seasoning. It was incredibly salty.

Yashui looked at the spoon in his bowl, wondering if it was even clean. He glanced at Hachiko sitting across from him; she had already started eating. Seeing how much she was enjoying it, Yashui began to eat as well.

The moment the first bite hit his mouth, Yashui sensed a familiar flavor.

It was that distinct taste found at street stalls in every alleyway. It wasn't refined, but it was hearty. Everyone, at some point, had sat at a roadside stall and wolfed down a bowl of small wontons.

This was the most satisfying meal Yashui had eaten since arriving in this world. Compared to Japanese or Western cuisine, he preferred this "Chinese food" that wasn't really Chinese food at all. He had already