The Protagonist of This World, Naruto Uzumaki

While Uncle Teuchi focused on making ramen, Yun Yan observed him with utmost care and attention.

How careful and attentive was he?

Without anyone noticing, he had even activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.

With his Mangekyō Sharingan open, he kept watching Teuchi, observing every single one of his movements.

Yun Yan's purpose in doing this was to test him—to see whether Uncle Teuchi was truly the legendary Ōtsutsuki Teuchi, and whether he really was an ordinary person.

After observing him for quite a while, Yun Yan found nothing suspicious. At most, the man's movements while making ramen were pleasing to the eye, clearly displaying his expertise.

But that was nothing unusual. Practice made perfect. Anyone devoted to a profession could achieve that, and Uncle Teuchi, Konoha's famous ramen shop owner, was clearly no exception.

Even with his Mangekyō Sharingan, Yun Yan could not spot anything wrong.

It was not until his bowl of ramen was nearly finished that he finally shut off his Mangekyō Sharingan and sat back down, waiting for his meal in peace.

Looks like there's no problem after all, Yun Yan thought.

I even used my Mangekyō Sharingan. If even it couldn't see anything wrong, then there really is nothing wrong.

I must have been misled by those memes from my previous life. I've been worrying over nothing and letting my imagination run wild.

Uncle Teuchi was obviously just an ordinary ramen chef. At most, he had some good fortune. He survived from beginning to end throughout the entire Naruto storyline, never encountering any danger, while Naruto and the other protagonists kept patronizing his business.

That meant Yun Yan had nothing to worry about and no reason to keep dwelling on it.

Just as he was thinking that and finally relaxing, the large tonkotsu shoyu ramen with double chashu he had ordered was ready.

"Please enjoy."

With that sweet voice, Ayame placed Yun Yan's ramen before him.

Looking down, Yun Yan saw a large steaming bowl of ramen. The broth was rich, the noodles fragrant, the double serving of chashu spread enticingly across the top, and the various side ingredients complemented one another perfectly.

Never mind the taste of Ichiraku Ramen for now—at the very least, it looked excellent.

At that sight, Yun Yan's appetite was thoroughly whetted. He casually picked up a pair of disposable chopsticks and snapped them cleanly into two.

Picking up the chopsticks, Yun Yan eagerly lifted some noodles and put them into his mouth.

Mm, it was very authentic Japanese ramen.

Whoa, the flavor was incredible!

As expected of Ichiraku Ramen, Yun Yan could tell from the first bite that it was extraordinary.

The noodles were smooth and springy, while the broth was rich and savory. They enhanced each other while bringing out their own flavors to the fullest. It was practically a match made in heaven! The taste was unbeatable!

Savoring such delicious food, Yun Yan immediately picked up the bowl and began slurping down the noodles.

When Uncle Teuchi, who had finished making the ramen, saw the way Yun Yan was eating, he knew that his customer approved of his craftsmanship and was very satisfied.

A customer eating happily was the greatest praise Uncle Teuchi could receive. As he wiped his hands with a towel, he exchanged a smile with his daughter Ayame.

Haha, even this jonin has been conquered by my cooking! My skills are still as strong as ever in Konoha!

Yun Yan did not know about Teuchi's little burst of pride, but even if he had, he would not have cared. His main focus was on the bowl of ramen before him.

This ramen really was no joke. Its flavor was truly first-rate.

After eating noodles for a while, Yun Yan seemed to finally remember the chashu and side ingredients in the bowl. He quickly picked up a slice of chashu and chewed it.

Oh? This chashu was really thick.

The moment he bit down, fragrant juices flowed from the rich, flavorful meat. It was immensely satisfying to eat.

Then he tried the side ingredients.

Those were no ordinary side dishes either. They were well-seasoned yet refreshing, making them a perfect match for the tonkotsu ramen.

All in all, this ramen was probably among the very best in this world. It truly was worthy of being called Ichiraku Ramen.

For a time, Yun Yan could not spare attention for anything else and focused entirely on enjoying his meal.

It looked as though Yun Yan had been completely captivated by the delicious food and no longer cared about anything else.

But that was not the case. Yun Yan had always been cautious. No matter how immersed he became in something, he would still reserve part of his attention to guard against his surroundings.

For example, even though he was enthusiastically devouring ramen right now, did that mean he was completely unconcerned with the environment around him? Had he failed to notice Kakashi, who was hiding nearby and watching him?

Of course he had noticed.

Rather, he had noticed the instant Kakashi arrived nearby to watch him, before his bowl of ramen had even been served.

Yun Yan simply did not care.

He truly did not care. At the very least, Kakashi's arrival did not affect his appetite.

Why was Kakashi keeping watch on him from nearby? Yun Yan could figure it out without even thinking. That old man Hiruzen Sarutobi must not have trusted him, so he had sent one of his most capable subordinates to monitor him for a while.

Besides, Kakashi was someone Yun Yan knew. Before Yun Yan left Konoha several years ago to serve as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, he and Kakashi had been acquainted.

Even though they had not seen each other for years, Yun Yan figured he and Kakashi could still be considered ordinary friends who could talk to one another.

There was no need to be too harsh on a friend. Kakashi was only carrying out orders.

Besides, the kid was currently weaker than Yun Yan. He probably still thought he was hiding himself well, unaware that he had already been exposed.

As he enjoyed the ramen before him, Yun Yan chuckled inwardly.

Just as Yun Yan was about to finish the bowl of ramen, an unexpected person arrived.

A short, somewhat frail blond kid in dirty clothes suddenly rushed into Ichiraku Ramen.

After running into Ichiraku Ramen, the blond kid casually took a seat as if he were at home, his eyes shining as he impatiently shouted at Uncle Teuchi behind the counter.

"Uncle! A large bowl of ramen! I want to try something different today—I want seafood!"

Upon seeing the excited blond kid, Uncle Teuchi immediately recognized him and broke into a wide smile.

"Oh, it's Naruto.

You want to try something different today? All right, wait just a moment. Your large bowl of seafood ramen will be ready soon!"

After saying that, Uncle Teuchi rolled up his sleeves once more and began making ramen.

That was right. The blond kid who had rushed in for ramen was the protagonist of this world—Naruto Uzumaki!

Sitting two seats away from Naruto, Yun Yan naturally noticed the boy's arrival and recognized who he was.

As he calmly picked up the last few strands of noodles from his bowl and placed them in his mouth, he discreetly observed Naruto without shifting his gaze.

So this is Naruto Uzumaki, the protagonist of this world.

Mm, but this is Naruto as a child. He looks to be only eight or nine years old, probably having just entered the academy.

Judging by his clothes, his rather thin frame, and his underdeveloped stature, he was clearly receiving the terrible orphan treatment from the original story.

For such an innocent child to suffer this kind of treatment at such a young age... what a sin!

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō, those two old bastards... they're truly inhuman.

However, although Naruto's childhood had been rather miserable, judging from his current state, he had clearly already developed the carefree personality he had in the original story.

Of course, that carefree personality was only what he showed on the surface. Naruto likely had his own pain and resentment, but he had buried them deep within his heart.

The protagonist of this world, a miserable and unlucky kid.

After thinking for a while, that was Yun Yan's initial assessment of Naruto Uzumaki beside him.

Setting down his chopsticks, Yun Yan picked up the bowl in front of him and calmly drank the remaining broth.

The broth was fresh, rich, and not greasy. Naturally, it could not be wasted. Drinking the soup after eating the noodles was already Yun Yan's habit.

Moreover, Yun Yan was not merely drinking soup. As he took small sips, he continued calmly observing Naruto beside him.

He had already observed this little protagonist and formed an assessment of him, so what else was there to observe?

There was plenty to observe.

At the very least, there were currently three things about Naruto that were worth Yun Yan's attention.