Ichiraku Ramen

The three of them followed Shiri through countless crowded, narrow alleys.

It was not that the road planning in Xiaogu City was poor.

Rather, the entire city was filled with collapsed buildings, and many of the paths in Shiri's memory were either blocked or closed off due to various construction and repair projects.

Shiri and Keisuke were already accustomed to this, while Qiancao and Wuming could only follow behind them, hand in hand.

Just as the sun was about to set, the four of them finally arrived at the place Shiri had mentioned.

The restaurant Shiri spoke of had originally been a small ramen shop where local residents would often come at sunset to order a bowl of noodles, chatting with the owner while they ate, sometimes talking until late into the night.

However, upon arriving today, they saw that the entire shop had been reduced to ruins, with only a tattered sign reading "Ichiraku Ramen" standing at the edge of the debris.

Could this Ichiraku Ramen be the same one from Konoha Village in the future? Qiancao wondered. Or is the Ichiraku Ramen from Naruto just like Lanzhou Ramen?

Seeing the plaque lying in the ruins, Shiri felt a heavy heart. She had thought the owner was a good man when she visited last time, and she hadn't expected that after a short time away, the entire shop would be gone.

Unlike the typical Uchiha Clan members, Shiri still possessed a degree of simple compassion; otherwise, she would not have helped Qiancao survive.

Keisuke, on the other hand, was quite excited, saying to Qiancao and Wuming, "See what I told you? Good people just can't survive in this world."

A nondescript vagrant in the corner spoke up and asked the four of them, "Are you here for Ichiraku Ramen?"

Shiri walked over and asked, "Sir, we are indeed here for ramen. May I ask what happened here? Why has it become like this?"

"What else could it be? Last month, the whole city was Takeda territory. When the city gates couldn't hold, those Takeda samurai hid in the houses to ambush and raid," the vagrant said with a sigh of regret. "As a result, the few decent buildings left in the city were all torn down by that Imagawa lot."

Shiri continued to ask, "I came here once last year and thought the taste of this ramen shop was good, and the owner was a kind person. Is he alright?"

The vagrant smacked his lips as if reminiscing about the taste of the noodles, then continued, "Their ramen did taste good. If you're looking for him, you can find him if you walk a bit further to the west."

After saying this, the vagrant pulled out a gourd from his side and took a swig, though it was unclear whether it contained water or wine, then yawned and ignored them, falling into a deep sleep.

The four of them composed themselves and headed west together. Sure enough, it didn't take long before they saw a light glowing in the gradually darkening twilight.

A man of about fifty was busy in front of a large pot, and the dozen or so tables behind him were packed with people, each of them wolfing down the ramen in front of them.

After finishing their noodles, everyone would conscientiously take their bowls to a nearby water basin to wash them clean, leaving the seat for the next person.

There were a dozen more people waiting nearby, most of them ragged and gaunt, clearly refugees who were used to starving.

Seeing that the man was safe and sound, Shiri let out a sigh of relief, brought the other three forward, and said, "Sir, four bowls of ramen, please."

The man squinted at Shiri and said in a hearty voice, "This isn't the young lady's first time here, is it?"

Shiri nodded happily and said, "That's right, boss. I came to the shop for ramen last year."

The Ichiraku owner smiled with a hint of regret, "Haha, that was before my shop was destroyed."

"I'm sorry, sir, for reminding you of sad things." It was unclear whether she truly felt pity for him or if it was just a ninja's performance.

"It's alright, young lady," the Ichiraku owner didn't seem sad at all. "I'm at this age, what haven't I experienced? No matter how bitter or difficult things are, life must go on!"

At this point, Keisuke stepped forward and asked, "How much for four bowls of ramen?"

"Young man, in these chaotic times, there's no need for money," the Ichiraku owner said solemnly.

The young assistant helping the owner also added, "Ever since the war ended, we've been setting up this free stall here. One bowl per person, just help us wash the bowls when you're done!"

"How could we impose like that?" Keisuke said politely, though Qiancao was certain it was an act.

Feigning embarrassment, Keisuke thought for a moment, pulled a piece of dried mackerel from his pack, and handed it to the Ichiraku owner, saying, "This is a specialty dried mackerel from our hometown. Since you won't take money, please accept this!"

The owner declined sincerely, but when Keisuke threatened to throw the fish directly into the pot if he didn't take it, the owner had no choice but to accept.

Because of this dried fish, the distance between the owner and the group clearly shortened, so Keisuke said casually, "Our parents died of illness early on, leaving the four of us siblings to live by the sea."

"The war last month reached our village, and left homeless, we had no choice but to come and seek refuge with our uncle in Mount Hakkoda."

The Ichiraku owner didn't stop working on the noodles as he said, "Mount Hakkoda? I've heard the terrain there is extremely complex; it's a good place to hide from trouble."

Keisuke continued, looking troubled, "But we only know our uncle lives in the mountains; we don't know his exact location."

The diners nearby heard this and chimed in, "Mount Hakkoda is very high; it's not easy to find someone there."

"I heard a group of rogue ninjas arrived there recently; they're not to be trifled with!"

"Rogue ninjas aren't as scary as those samurai!"

The Ichiraku owner pondered for a moment and asked, "Can you describe your uncle's appearance? Maybe I've seen him."

Keisuke had been waiting for these words. He pretended to think for a moment and said, "I only saw my uncle once two years ago, so my description might not be clear."

He then described the appearance of the rogue ninja who had been selling supplies at the black market, and the owner and the surrounding diners began helping him recall details.

"I have seen this person," a diner at a nearby table spoke up. "It seems like five days ago at the rice shop in the west of the city, he bought a lot of grain and asked the shop owner to deliver it for him!"

Keisuke and Shiri put on a happy face and thanked him repeatedly, which actually made the man feel a bit embarrassed.

The four bowls of ramen were ready. Qiancao took a closer look and saw that the ramen in this world was quite different from Lanzhou Ramen, looking more like ordinary noodles.

With the shortage of supplies after the war, there were very few toppings in each bowl, just two coin-sized pieces of Narutomaki floating on top.

Since crossing over, Qiancao had only been able to eat Uchiha prison food. This was his first time eating normal food, and before he could even taste it, he finished it in three bites, just like Pigsy eating the ginseng fruit.

Seeing that Qiancao liked the ramen, Wuming pushed her bowl, which she had only taken two bites of, toward him: "I'm full, you can have this bowl too!"