Namikaze Minato stared blankly at Hyuga Shinichi's gentle smile. His tears, which had stopped earlier, began streaming down his face again, startling Hyuga Shinichi.
"Hey! Don't cry. It's okay if you don't agree—you can say no. I'm asking a bit much of you."
"Waaah... No... Thank you... Can I call... call you... Zhen... Zhenyi-nii...?"
Hyuga Shinichi finally understood. He hugged Namikaze Minato and ruffled his thick blond hair.
"Of course. Then can I call you Minato?"
Hyuga Shinichi felt the blond boy in his arms nod and relaxed. Then he felt his sleeve grow damp and realized something was wrong.
"Hey, Minato, you've got snot all over my chest."
"Hahaha, sorry, Zhenyi-nii."
Seeing that his comfort and offer to take him in as a little brother had brought Namikaze Minato back to his usual sunny, cheerful self, Hyuga Shinichi smiled. The long bridge of snot connecting Minato's nose to his chest did ruin the moment a little, though.
"All right, it's nearly noon, and you haven't eaten yet, have you? Come on! Your big brother's treating you to something delicious. We'll celebrate becoming family."
"Okay, thank you, Zhenyi-nii."
Konoha was developing rapidly. People had started putting up power poles, and there were many more shops selling all sorts of goods at high prices. That was why Namikaze Minato's parents had planned to join a group heading outside the village to look for things they could sell.
For the past few days, a ramen cart had sat by the roadside, drawing no customers. It was run by a man named Maruda and a boy. That boy was Teuchi, the future "Uncle Ichiraku," who wouldn't shun little Naruto for being a Jinchūriki and would even treat him to free ramen.
For now, he was supposed to run the ramen shop with his father. Later, he'd retire and leave the craft to Teuchi, leading to the Ichiraku Ramen of the future. Teuchi was only eleven and had been born in Konoha's twenty-first year.
(I changed Teuchi's backstory a bit. In the original, he probably learned cooking from someone else and had a junior apprentice. Here, he learns from his father, Maruda, an original character created for this story. The original Teuchi also spent over thirty years developing ramen, so the timeline works out to about this age.)
"This is the place, Minato. Don't let the fact that it's just a food cart fool you—the ramen is definitely good."
Although Maruda was cooking and his son Teuchi was helping, someone who could teach Teuchi to cook that well had to be good himself. Hyuga Shinichi was the first to discover the ramen cart and its first customer, after all. He'd already tasted Maruda's cooking.
"Uncle Maruda, I'm back. This time I brought the little brother I just took in to celebrate."
"Oh, it's you, Shinichi! Thanks for bringing your friends to support my business last time."
"Hahaha, that's because your cooking is so good, Uncle Maruda."
After trying the ramen once, Hyuga Shinichi had brought Nawaki, Inuzuka Gai, and Aburame Tomohiro to sample it. They'd all said it was delicious.
"What'll it be today? It's on me."
"No, no, I can't hurt Uncle Maruda's business. We'll have two Deluxe Tonkotsu Ramen."
The "deluxe" in Deluxe Tonkotsu Ramen came from the fact that it had every topping.
"Shinichi, you don't have to do that for me. I—"
"Come on, all right. I'll pay the regular price, but add one extra large slice of char siu. Then it'll be your treat. We're hungry, so we can eat a lot. What about you, Minato?"
"I'm fine. I can't eat that much."
"How can you say that? You're still growing. No wonder you're so skinny, eating so little."
Like the future Teuchi, Uncle Maruda was very fond of children, though he was more outgoing and warmhearted.
"Minato, don't be shy. If you can't finish, I'll eat it."
"All right. Thank you, Zhenyi-nii, and Uncle Maruda."
"What are you thanking me for, kid?"
"Hahaha, kids have to eat plenty if they want to grow tall."
With that, Uncle Maruda started cooking. Hyuga Shinichi glanced around, saw no sign of Teuchi, and asked:
"Uncle Maruda, where's Teuchi?"
As soon as he asked, Uncle Maruda's face fell. Hyuga Shinichi couldn't figure out what was wrong before the older man sighed.
"Teuchi says he doesn't want to inherit my craft. He wants to become a ninja."
Hearing Maruda's answer reminded Hyuga Shinichi of a scene from the anime. Teuchi spotted Naruto and Choji peeking at him from the roof and hit Naruto with a rolling pin. He must have had some ninja training.
"I'm here to help. Huh? Shinichi, you're here?"
"Yeah, I brought my little brother to eat ramen."
Speak of the devil. Teuchi had arrived to help at the ramen cart, and when he saw Hyuga Shinichi inside, he greeted him.
Hyuga Shinichi continued:
"We just became brothers. I felt like this blond kid and I really clicked."
Teuchi gave a brief nod, clearly not in high spirits, then put on an apron and helped Uncle Maruda prepare the ingredients.
Soon, two large bowls of ramen piled high with toppings were brought over. Hyuga Shinichi took one and set it in front of Namikaze Minato, then brought the other to himself.
Namikaze Minato took a pair of disposable chopsticks from the container and handed them to Hyuga Shinichi. Hyuga Shinichi accepted them with a smile, then gestured for Minato to dig in.
"Let's eat!" x2
The sound of them slurping noodles filled the ramen cart. Hyuga Shinichi had loved noodles in his previous life, and after living in this world for so long, he'd finally found a ramen shop that served something delicious.
Hyuga Shinichi slurped up a mouthful of noodles, picked up a big slice of char siu, and took a hearty bite. The braised pork had been seared until golden on the outside. Flavorful juices burst from the tender meat, filling his mouth.
Then he lifted the bowl, blew on the tonkotsu broth, and took a sip. This ramen, made by hand with no shortcuts, was absolutely delicious.
Beside him, Namikaze Minato was still being rather reserved. He spooned up some broth, placed a few noodles and toppings on the spoon, and blew on them. But after one bite, his eyes widened. He stopped holding back and began slurping just as enthusiastically as Hyuga Shinichi.
The two exchanged a glance. Their cheeks were puffed with food, and their mouths were slick with oil. They both burst out laughing.
Watching them enjoy his food so much was the best compliment Uncle Maruda could receive. He happily stood with his hands on his hips as they slurped away. Teuchi, meanwhile, stared at them in a daze.
Of course, Namikaze Minato couldn't finish such a large serving. The toppings alone filled him up, and the extra-large slice of char siu left him stuffed. In the end, Hyuga Shinichi transferred everything to his own bowl and finished it. He couldn't let good food go to waste.
"Thanks for the meal. We're heading out now. I'll bring some other friends next time."
"Thanks for the meal."
After paying, Hyuga Shinichi led Namikaze Minato away. Once they'd left, rubbing their full bellies, the ramen cart fell quiet. At last, Uncle Maruda spoke.
"How did the exam go?"
He meant Teuchi's Genin exam that day. Although he'd looked troubled while talking to Hyuga Shinichi earlier, it wasn't because Teuchi refused to inherit his craft. He'd been worried about Teuchi's exam.
Uncle Maruda knew his son's ninja talent was poor compared to that of other boys his age. He would quietly support Teuchi, but he still worried that failing might discourage him.
"I didn't pass..."
"I see. Keep working hard, and you'll make it next time."
Before you continue