Ichiraku Ramen

He had used the Transformation Technique to disguise himself as a ninja from another village and test Naruto and Sasuke's reactions. He had grabbed Moegi as bait, but Naruto caught up with him before he had run very far, and then his neck went numb.

Then everything went black.

Iruka instinctively raised a hand to touch the side of his neck. Feeling a patch of bruising that had not fully faded, he could not help but reveal a somewhat complicated wry smile.

"Naruto, I never expected you to become this strong. Your teacher did not even have time to react before you knocked me out."

There was relief in Iruka's tone, along with a faint, indescribable sense of loss.

Of course, a teacher would be happy when his student surpassed him, but the first time one experienced the feeling of being slapped dead on the beach, it was bound to sting a little.

"Iruka-sensei, don't do this again."

Naruto set down the basic taijutsu textbook in his hand and looked at Iruka. "This time, I was the one who knocked you out. But what if I had misjudged things and failed to hold back?"

"What if I had thrown a kunai instead of using a knifehand strike?"

Iruka froze for a moment.

He had originally thought Naruto would proudly boast about how he had caught up and taken him down in one move.

That was what the Naruto he knew was best at.

But Naruto did not do that now.

He simply reminded him to be careful, in an entirely ordinary tone.

After a moment, Iruka smiled softly.

Naruto really had changed.

Naruto pulled his chair a little closer and watched Iruka sit up in bed and lean against the headboard, then handed him a cup of water.

Iruka took the cup, drank some water to moisten his throat, and cleared it.

"The Chūnin Exams—you already know about them, right, Naruto?"

"Although the official notice has not been issued yet, the atmosphere in the village lately already says enough."

Naruto nodded. "And I just ran into Sunagakure genin. We had a direct encounter."

"Sunagakure? Did you fight?"

Iruka straightened slightly, concern immediately appearing on his face.

"Not exactly. There was a little friction, but neither side suffered a loss, and neither side was disrespectful."

Naruto briefly recounted what had happened on the street: Konohamaru had bumped into someone, Naruto had stepped in to stop things, the other side had backed off, and the Sunagakure ninja had left on their own.

Iruka relaxed after hearing this, but his expression remained serious. "The genin Sunagakure sent this time are not simple."

"Their leader is Jōnin Maki. I saw his name at the registration office yesterday. That man holds a very high position within Sunagakure."

"The examinees he personally leads definitely will not be weak."

Naruto nodded without responding.

Of course he knew Sunagakure's examinees were not weak. Gaara was the strongest examinee in this year's Chūnin Exams, without question.

And Maki was not only the jōnin leading Gaara's group of three, but also Sunagakure's public liaison for the Konoha Crush Plan.

But that was how the plot would unfold next. This was not the time to discuss those things with Iruka.

"Back to the main matter."

Iruka set down his cup, his expression turning solemn. "Naruto, your jōnin instructor, Kakashi, has already submitted the three of your Chūnin Exam application forms."

"The main reason I put on this act today was because of that. I was worried about you taking the Chūnin Exams, so I wanted to personally test your strength and ability to handle unexpected situations."

"As for the results... how should I put it?"

Iruka gave a wry smile. "Every one of you exceeded my expectations, especially you, Naruto."

Naruto did not act modest. He only smiled faintly. "I went to the Land of Waves and experienced some things."

"I saw what real ninja battles were like, and I saw how truly powerful ninja survived on the battlefield."

"I guess from then on, I felt like I had wasted too much time in the village before."

Iruka looked at Naruto and remained silent for a long time.

He had taught Naruto for years. From Naruto's first day at the Ninja Academy, to when he stole the Scroll of Seals for his retest, to when he finally put on his forehead protector and joined Team 7, Iruka had been there through every stage.

He understood better than anyone what kind of environment Naruto had grown up in.

Precisely because he understood, the relief and pride that welled up inside him at the sight of Naruto now were so intense that his nose even stung.

"Naruto..."

Iruka's voice softened. "You've grown up..."

Iruka sat up straight in bed and patted his knee. "Even though you nearly broke my neck today, your teacher can still afford to buy you a meal."

"Come on. Ichiraku Ramen. Eat all you want."

Naruto smiled from the bottom of his heart.

As night fell over Konoha's streets, streetlights lit up one after another, their warm yellow halos spreading across the stone pavement like a flowing river of lights.

Iruka and Naruto walked side by side toward Ichiraku Ramen. The surrounding shops were closing for the night, while the sign on Ichiraku Ramen's noren stood out especially clearly in the darkness.

The aroma of broth wafted out from behind the noren, spreading down the entire street.

Iruka lifted the noren, and Naruto ducked in after him.

Ichiraku was wiping bowls. Hearing the curtain rustle, he looked up, and the moment he saw that blond head, his eyes immediately lit up.

"Yo! Isn't this Naruto? Long time no see!"

"Long time no see, Uncle Ichiraku."

Naruto sat down on a barstool and smiled.

In Konoha Village, Ichiraku Ramen was one of the few places where the original Naruto did not have to watch people's expressions.

Ichiraku and his daughter had never treated him differently because he was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. His money was money, and everyone else's money was money. Here, he was no different from any ordinary customer.

The original Naruto had once regarded Ichiraku Ramen as one of the most important things in his life. Other than Iruka, Uncle Ichiraku and his daughter were probably the only two people he could be completely at ease around.

Naruto now remembered this feeling of being treated with sincerity as well.

"Uncle, two bowls of your signature tonkotsu ramen!"

"Uncle, add bamboo shoots to mine!"

Iruka sat down beside Naruto and held up two fingers.

Naruto added his own request.

"Eh, bamboo shoots?"

"Coming right up, two bowls of signature tonkotsu..."

Though Uncle Ichiraku was puzzled, he still picked up the noodle strainer, his movements smooth and practiced.

Before long, two steaming bowls of tonkotsu ramen were set before Iruka and Naruto. They were filled to the brim, nearly overflowing, with five full slices of chashu arranged on each bowl.

"Let's eat..."

Iruka broke apart his chopsticks and pressed his hands together.

Naruto did the same, then picked up a mouthful of noodles, blew on them, and put them into his mouth.

The noodles were springy, and the tonkotsu broth was rich without being greasy. It tasted exactly like the ramen the original Naruto remembered eating, but this was the first time Naruto himself had tasted it with his own tongue.

He picked up another slice of chashu. The layers of fat and lean meat melted in his mouth, while the soft yolk from the marinated egg flowed over the noodles. One bite filled him with satisfaction.

"How is it? Tastes pretty good, right?"

Iruka watched Naruto's expression as he ate and asked with a smile.