An Ordinary Ichiraku Ramen Employee

It was still early, and there were no other customers in the ramen shop, making it feel somewhat deserted.

The air was filled with the rich aroma of pork bone broth, enough to make anyone's mouth water.

The soul of the shop, Uncle Teuchi, was wearing an apron and busy behind the stove, skillfully kneading dough and preparing the ingredients needed for opening.

Beside him, a black-haired, black-eyed boy wearing the same apron was methodically washing dishes, wiping down the counter, and moving with practiced efficiency.

It was Shigure.

"Yo! Naruto!" Hearing movement at the entrance, Shigure looked up and saw Naruto and the others. A teasing smile appeared on his face as he greeted them familiarly. "I could hear that big mouth of yours from miles away. Why are you here so early today?"

"Hehe! Big Brother Shigure!" Naruto was delighted to see Shigure. He plopped himself onto the tallest stool at the counter and replied excitedly, "We're going out to do a commissioned mission today! Kakashi-sensei is treating us, so I'm having an extra-large deluxe chashu miso ramen!"

As he spoke, he picked up the menu with practiced familiarity and added, "Oh, right, Big Brother Shigure, where's Big Sister Ayame? Why isn't she here today?"

Wiping the counter, Shigure casually answered, "Big Sister Ayame? She went out to restock."

In Konoha Village, Uncle Teuchi and Big Sister Ayame of Ichiraku Ramen, along with Shigure, who had later been taken in by them, were among the few people who did not look at Naruto with strange eyes.

Shigure in particular had never discriminated against him.

Whenever the shop was not busy, Shigure would often sneak out to play with Naruto, teach him strange little games, or listen to him talk about his troubles.

That was why Naruto trusted Shigure so much.

Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura each found seats as well and casually ordered the ramen they wanted.

Kakashi ordered a regular bowl of miso ramen, Sasuke chose tomato ramen, while Sakura hesitated for a long time. After struggling between "watching her figure" and "not wasting the teacher's treat," she ordered a relatively light bowl of vegetable ramen.

"Alright! One extra-large chashu miso ramen! One miso ramen! One tomato ramen! One vegetable ramen!" Shigure wrote down every order, then expertly headed to the stove and began boiling noodles, preparing broth, and arranging toppings.

He had been helping in the kitchen for years. Uncle Teuchi had long since taught him everything he knew about making ramen. He might not have surpassed his master, but he had learned at least seventy or eighty percent of the real deal.

Seriously... I was an outstanding psychological counselor in the twenty-first century. I got transported into the ninja world, never learned Flying Thunder God or Rasengan, and the first skill I maxed out was... making Ichiraku Ramen? What kind of nonsense is this?

Though he grumbled furiously inside, Shigure's hands did not slow in the slightest.

Before long, four steaming, fragrant bowls of ramen were ready.

"Here you go! Your ramen's ready!" Shigure placed the bowls one by one on the counter.

"Whoa! It smells so good!" Naruto practically drooled at the sight of the ultra-deluxe ramen before him, piled high with chashu, soft-boiled egg, narutomaki, bamboo shoots, and nori.

He pressed his hands together and declared energetically, "Thanks for the meal!"

Then he eagerly lifted the bowl, which was bigger than his face, buried his head in it, and launched into a slurping frenzy. Broth splashed everywhere, and his table manners were beyond description.

"Hey, Naruto, your eating is way too disgusting." Sakura immediately wore a look of disgust. Then she turned toward Sasuke on the other side and praised him in a sickeningly sweet voice, "Sasuke-kun is still so elegant. Even the way he eats is so cool. Just what you'd expect from the young master of the prestigious Uchiha clan."

Sasuke ignored Sakura's fangirling. He merely picked up a small bundle of noodles with his chopsticks like an aristocrat and gracefully placed them into his mouth, chewing slowly.

Hearing Sakura, Naruto lifted his head in displeasure, his mouth stuffed full of noodles as he retorted indistinctly, "Mmph, you're so annoying. He's just acting cool again. Ramen tastes best when you eat it in big mouthfuls, y'know."

As he spoke, he loudly slurped down another mouthful of broth, deliberately trying to annoy Sakura.

"You..." Sakura was so angry that veins bulged on her forehead.

Watching the three energetic brats before him, Kakashi helplessly shook his head, feeling as though his stomach was starting to hurt too.

He quietly ate the ramen in his bowl, while his exposed eye discreetly observed Naruto, who was hunched over and eating with abandon.

The timing... should be about right.

Kakashi put down his chopsticks and asked in a seemingly casual manner, "Come to think of it, Naruto..."

"Hm?" Naruto looked up, broth still clinging to the corner of his mouth.

Kakashi looked at him and asked in as casual a tone as he could manage, "Do you... remember what your parents... looked like?"

"Huh?"

Naruto froze at once.

The bright blue eyes that had been sparkling because of the food instantly dimmed.

Even the atmosphere throughout the ramen shop seemed to grow heavy because of Kakashi's question.

Sakura and Sasuke stopped eating as well, looking at Kakashi in surprise. They did not understand why their teacher would suddenly ask such a question.

Naruto lowered his head and stared at the noodles left in his bowl, silent for a moment.

Looking somewhat lost and confused, he turned to Kakashi. "Ka-Kakashi-sensei... why, why are you suddenly asking that?"

Everyone's been acting weird today...

First Sakura beat me up for no reason, then Sasuke looked at me weirdly, and now even Kakashi-sensei is asking strange questions...

He pursed his lips, and his voice grew quieter, carrying a faint, barely noticeable sense of loss and confusion. "What my parents looked like... how could I possibly know... I..."

He paused, as if remembering something, then vigorously shook his head and forced out a smile that looked worse than crying.

"Ever since I can remember... I've always been alone... I've never... seen them."

Seeing Naruto's expression—putting on a brave face but unable to conceal his disappointment—Kakashi's heart clenched.

He realized that his question had been too direct, too cruel.

"Ah... sorry, Naruto." Kakashi quickly apologized, his tone slightly dry. "Sensei was just... asking casually. I didn't mean anything by it."

"It's, it's fine!" Naruto immediately raised his head and gave Kakashi a brilliantly carefree smile, waving his hand vigorously. "I'm used to it already. I don't know who they are anyway, so there's no point thinking about it. Eating ramen is more important! Hehe!"

Though he said that, the loneliness hidden deep within that smile did not escape Kakashi's eye.

Naruto was naturally optimistic—or rather, he had grown used to hiding the pain in his heart behind a broad, careless grin.

It was not as if he had only just learned that he did not know who his parents were. Though he would occasionally still feel sad and envious, he could quickly pull himself together.

He lowered his head, stopped dwelling on the matter, and continued eating his favorite ramen in large mouthfuls, as though only the delicious food could fill that emptiness in his heart.

Kakashi watched Naruto bury his head in his ramen, but his expression grew even uglier.

Sure enough... he has no idea what his parents looked or sounded like... Then what I saw... what I heard in my dream last night... could not possibly have been a reflection of Naruto's subconscious!

That completely overturned one of his earlier assumptions.

Then...

What exactly was the existence that could so accurately recreate Kushina-senpai's appearance and voice in a dream?

And what... was its purpose?

One question after another weighed on Kakashi's heart like heavy storm clouds, making even the ramen in his bowl seem tasteless.

Behind the counter, Shigure continued tidying up the dishes in an orderly manner, taking in every detail.

Seeing Kakashi's furrowed brow, grave gaze, and the fleeting trace of investigation and wariness in his eyes, Shigure could not help sighing inwardly.

Tsk tsk... as expected of the man who would become the Sixth Hokage—the former ANBU squad captain, the Copy Ninja, Konoha's technician, fifty-fifty... That sharpness, that analytical ability... tsk tsk tsk... But...

Investigate all you want! Even if you're Detective Kakashi and use your Sharingan as a magnifying glass, you'll never trace it back to an ordinary ramen shop.

At that thought, the corner of Shigure's lips curled up again into a pleased and mysterious smile.

Kakashi's efforts were destined to be futile.

The somewhat strange breakfast ended quickly.

Kakashi paid with a troubled heart.

The three members of Team Seven had also eaten and drunk their fill.

"Big Brother Shigure, we're leaving." Naruto rubbed his round belly, rose to his feet in satisfaction, and proudly announced to Shigure, who was wiping the tables, "We're going to carry out a great ninja mission next. The kind of super awesome, super dangerous mission that only real ninjas can take! Just wait here for my triumphant return, hahaha!"

Seeing him so excited, as though he were about to go save the world, Shigure could not help smiling. He waved goodbye. "Alright~ Be careful on the road."

You silly kid... a dangerous mission? Just wait until you're catching cats, walking dogs, and pulling weeds... But...

Shigure's gaze fell on Naruto's energetic departing figure, and his eyes became somewhat meaningful.

Today won't be all bad for you. At least... tonight, you'll finally learn...

What your parents... looked like.