The First Date

A date?!

Pfft!!

At Mitaraishi Anko's words, Uzuki Yugao's cheeks instantly turned crimson, and Yu nearly choked on his own saliva.

It was true that the nine-year-old Uzuki Yugao was remarkably pure and beautiful, and she had shown him plenty of affection.

But as someone who'd crossed over with the soul of an adult, he still couldn't help feeling a little guilty about dating an underage girl from the anime world.

Especially since Yu's body was only six years old. That was a hurdle he simply couldn't get over.

A date? At least wait until I'm a little older!

"Cough, cough... um..."

After an awkward double cough, Yu looked at the blushing Uzuki Yugao in front of him. "Yugao-senpai... you?"

"Enough with the 'senpai'..."

Before Yu could finish, the bashful girl cut him off. "Just call me Yugao!"

"Y-Yugao?"

Well, Yu's lips twitched. It seemed unlikely he'd be able to discourage the girl from dating so young anytime soon...

"But speaking of which... you really are a monster!"

Mitaraishi Anko's voice came from beside them. She was eating dango as she regarded Yu with an utterly peculiar look.

"You graduated from the Ninja Academy in your first year... and you even beat a genius like Uchiha Shisui."

"I was just lucky..." Yu began modestly, only to be interrupted by Mitaraishi Anko.

"Looks like I'll have to work harder too!"

"I can't let a junior brat like you get too far ahead of me."

Mitaraishi Anko swallowed the last dango on her skewer, her dark eyes brimming with determination.

"You two carry on with your date. I won't get in your way! Bye!"

With that, before Yu or Uzuki Yugao could react, Mitaraishi Anko waved and dashed out of sight.

She really was like a female version of Naruto Uzumaki...

Watching the bold Mitaraishi Anko disappear from view, Yu's amber eyes flickered.

But... wasn't she about to meet Orochimaru soon?

A year had passed, and Mitaraishi Anko was already ten. This was the year she'd graduate from the Ninja Academy.

If things followed the original story, she'd soon become a disciple of Orochimaru, one of the Three Sannin, and go on missions with him.

"Anko's just like that."

"I hope you don't mind her calling it a date, Yu-kun."

When she saw that Yu hadn't said anything after Mitaraishi Anko left, Uzuki Yugao, walking to his left, looked at him anxiously.

"Mind? Of course not... I should be grateful for your affection, Yugao."

Coming back to himself, Yu noticed the girl's downcast expression. He paused, then realized what was wrong and smiled reassuringly. "Since I'm calling you Yugao, you can just call me Yu too."

"Okay! Then I'll just call you Yu!"

The bright-eyed girl smiled, seeming to regain her energy.

"Come on. You treated me to dango, so I'll treat you to ramen."

The two strolled along Konoha's bustling streets. When Yu spotted a shop up ahead, the words Ichiraku Ramen caught his eye. He'd already decided what to have for lunch.

"Good afternoon! What can I get for you two?"

They'd only just entered the shop when an unremarkable-looking man greeted Yu and Uzuki Yugao warmly.

"Two pork-bone tonkotsu ramen with chashu, please."

After taking a seat on one of the shop's high stools with Yugao, Yu studied the unremarkable face of the owner and wondered, So this is what the Ichiraku Ramen owner looked like when he was young?

As he looked around the shop—the same one that even Pain's Super Shinra Tensei couldn't destroy in the original story—Yu couldn't help marveling. The legendary Otsutsuki Ichiraku really lives up to his name.

Though he found the white-haired boy's curious stare a little strange, the future Teuchi laughed cheerfully and went off to make the ramen.

"Do you come here to eat ramen often?"

Sitting beside Yu, Uzuki Yugao looked at him curiously.

"No, this is my first time here."

Feeling Yugao's gaze on him, Yu smiled. In his dreams in his previous life, he'd visited this shop plenty of times.

Five minutes later, two steaming bowls of ramen were served.

Yu came back to himself and began devouring his ramen alongside Yugao.

The chashu was rich but not greasy, the pork-bone broth was savory and full-bodied, and the handmade noodles were wonderfully chewy.

Yu and Yugao ate with gusto. The flavor was indeed authentic, and it was no wonder the protagonist Naruto was so devoted to this ramen shop in the original story.

In less than ten minutes, Yu and Yugao had finished both bowls.

After paying the bill, Yu led Yugao out of Ichiraku Ramen.

"I'm stuffed!"

"By the way, now that you're a Genin, what are you planning to do, Yu?"

After leaving Ichiraku Ramen, Yugao rubbed her slightly bulging stomach and turned to look at Yu.

Usually, Genin who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy would be assigned to a team led by a Jonin to carry out missions.

And with the Ninja World War underway and Konoha desperately short on forces at the front, even Genin might be sent to reinforce the front lines or assigned support missions.

"I don't know yet..."

"I might be assigned to the Anbu or something."

At Yugao's question, Yu leisurely rested his hands behind his head.

Thinking of the Third Hokage summoning him and Shisui to the Hokage's office today, Yu was also wondering how the Third Hokage would assign their missions going forward.

"The Anbu?"

At Yu's words, Yugao paused, then let out a sigh of relief.

"That's good. Then Yu won't be sent to the front lines."

The Anbu—their official name was the Special Assassination and Tactical Squad—was a special division much like a force of elite operatives.

Its members were selected from among the village's best ninja. Their main duties were protecting the Hokage and preventing outside enemies from infiltrating Konoha, though they were also sometimes tasked with reconnaissance and assassination.

When on missions, Anbu members wore white animal masks. The nature of their missions and all other information about them were kept secret. They answered directly to the Hokage, and the force was divided into multiple squads, each led by a squad captain who relayed orders and directed the missions.

Although the Anbu carried out dangerous combat missions, Yugao would still rather see Yu serving in the Anbu, defending Konoha, than being sent to the brutal front lines.