Ichiraku Ramen

"All right, that's it for today. Come to the classroom tomorrow, and we'll begin the graduation test. Anyone who passes will receive a Forehead Protector and become a ninja. Tomorrow's test will be on the Clone Technique, so go home and prepare. Dismissed." After the teacher finished speaking, he left the classroom.

With graduation just a day away, the students didn't leave right away. They all started celebrating and catching up, asking after one another and talking about how they'd look out for each other once they went out into the world.

"Yin Xiang, I wrote this for you. It's a gift!" A girl ran up to Yin Xiang, her face red. Yin Xiang had only just stood up and was getting ready to leave the classroom.

"Why, it's a love letter, Yin Xiang." Tenten rested her forehead against her wrist as she spoke from nearby.

"..." Yin Xiang said nothing. He simply accepted the letter from the girl, gave her a small smile, and left.

The envelope was thick. It looked like it held more than one letter. Huh, I never thought I'd see the day I got a love letter. As he walked, Yin Xiang glanced at the letters in his hand, then leaped onto the rooftops and soon made it home.

After opening them, he found that they weren't all from the same person. Almost every girl in the class had written one, except Tenten.

Yin Xiang smiled, gathered the letters, and casually set them on a cabinet nearby.

Thump.

With a thump, the Shadow Clone on Kage Rock vanished. The rock had been thoroughly cleaned.

"Obito, Obito... The Nine-Tails killed my parents, but you were the one who released it. If only I didn't have memories of my past life. Then I could take revenge on you without feeling conflicted. But then you got redeemed later on... I really don't know what to think." Yin Xiang made himself some tea on the veranda outside and spoke as he drank.

"Thinking about it now won't do any good. Even if I wanted to kill him, I'm nowhere near strong enough." Yin Xiang shook his head with a self-mocking smile.

By then, evening had fallen. Yin Xiang sat outside for a while, ate a little, then went to bed.

The next day, Yin Xiang passed the test with ease and successfully received his Forehead Protector.

He fastened it around his waist and headed to Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto wasn't the only one who loved the place—Yin Xiang loved it too. Ichiraku's ramen really was incredible.

"Hey, Yin Xiang! The usual?" Uncle Ichiraku said as soon as he saw him.

"Yeah, the usual." Yin Xiang nodded with a smile.

"Coming right up!" Uncle Ichiraku replied and went to cook.

"Uncle Ichiraku! I want chashu ramen today!" Naruto's voice rang out from a distance, and then he came rushing into the shop.

"Hey, Naruto! Come on in and sit down." In all of Konoha, apart from Yin Xiang and the others, Uncle Ichiraku was the only one willing to treat Naruto kindly. But why was Uncle Ichiraku so good to him?

Because Kushina loved ramen too, and she often brought Yin Xiang along to eat. Naruto's name had naturally come up over their meals, so Uncle Ichiraku knew who Naruto really was.

"Naruto, shouldn't you be in class right now?" Yin Xiang said. He was sitting right beside Naruto.

"Huh!? Y-you—you!" Naruto jumped up from his stool when he saw Yin Xiang and pointed at him. "What are you doing here?!"

"What's wrong? Am I not allowed to be here?" Yin Xiang smiled at Naruto. "I just taught you a lesson yesterday, and you've already forgotten?"

"I-I get it! I'll go back right now!" Naruto turned to run, but Yin Xiang grabbed him by the collar. That kid had actually put on the new clothes Yin Xiang had given him. They looked much sharper than the ones he'd been wearing before.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!" Naruto struggled in Yin Xiang's grip.

"Sit down and eat. My treat. When you're done, you're going back to class." Yin Xiang lifted Naruto and set him back on the stool.

"Huh? You're treating me to a meal? You're not so bad after all!" Naruto cheered up the moment he heard Yin Xiang was buying.

"What's wrong with me treating you to a meal?"

"Of course there's nothing wrong with that. It's just that nobody's ever treated me to a meal before." As Naruto spoke, Uncle Ichiraku set two bowls of ramen in front of them. "Dig in, haha." Uncle Ichiraku smiled as he watched them sitting together. It was rare—so rare to see the two of them like this.

"Let's eat!" Naruto pressed his hands together, then picked up his chopsticks and started eating. Yin Xiang watched him wolf down his food with a smile. Though he'd come from another world and had always watched Naruto from the perspective of an outsider, now that he was Naruto's older brother, he couldn't help doting on him.

"What's wrong? Aren't you eating? If you're not, I'll have it!" Naruto felt uncomfortable with Yin Xiang staring at him.

"Sure, you can have it all." Yin Xiang smiled and pushed his bowl toward Naruto. "Uncle, another bowl, please," he said to Uncle Ichiraku.

"Great!" Naruto didn't hesitate. He picked up Yin Xiang's bowl and started eating from it, even though he hadn't finished his own. "Mmm! This is so good. What flavor is it?"

"This is Mom's favorite, Miso Seafood Ramen. She likes salty food, so they add extra salt." Yin Xiang smiled at Naruto.

"So this is your mom's favorite? I think it's really good too! Uncle, I want this next time!" Naruto called to Uncle Ichiraku.

"Sure! One Miso Seafood Ramen, coming right up!" Uncle Ichiraku quickly brought a fresh bowl over to Yin Xiang.

"Let's eat," Yin Xiang said quietly, then picked up his chopsticks and began eating. His table manners were a world apart from Naruto's.

A moment later, Naruto had finished both bowls without leaving a single bite. "Thanks for the meal," he said with a grin. Yin Xiang was still eating, so he just nodded and swallowed the noodles in his mouth.

"Go back to class, Naruto. And don't skip school again," Yin Xiang said earnestly.

"..." Naruto didn't reply. He just narrowed his eyes and stared at Yin Xiang.

"What is it?" Seeing Naruto's expression, Yin Xiang put down his chopsticks and looked at him.

"Why are you so nice to me? Apart from Uncle Ichiraku, everyone else hates me when they see me. You even treat me to food and tell me to study hard. It feels like... you're my big brother." Naruto spoke slowly, then quickly shook his head. "What am I saying? You're just a brat one year older than me. How could you be my big brother?"

After saying that, Naruto ran out. But he didn't run off somewhere else. For some reason, he went straight back to the classroom.