Evening, eastern Konoha, Ichiraku Ramen Shop.
Yu sat on a tall stool, gazing at the enormous bowl of ramen on the counter before him!
The broth steamed, and the thin noodles glistened with oil!
A tender, thumb-sized slice of fish cake floated in the center, surrounded by a delicate ring of chopped scallions!
Sliced pork lay stacked on the right, a soft-boiled egg on the left, with pickled mustard greens, seaweed, fried tofu, and all sorts of other toppings neatly arranged!
This single bowl held an entire world!
A world of ultimate flavor!
The rich aroma of the broth wafted into his nose... It was downright intoxicating!
He was drooling!
No, I represent the Hyuga Clan. I can't embarrass myself like this!
Heh... To hell with dignity!
How could dignity matter more than ramen~!
Beside him, Naruto was already wolfing his down!
He had loved this stuff since he was little. He knew the drill.
No matter how much hurt or injustice he suffered, he forgot it all when the noodles touched his lips, and the broth healed him as it filled his stomach!
This tiny little shop was the source of little Naruto's happiness!
Ichiraku, Ichiraku-one bowl, and pure joy!!
For Yu, this was his first experience at Ichiraku, and a first experience deserved a sacred ritual!
He rubbed his little hands together and snapped his chopsticks apart!
"Time to dig in~!!"
Slurp~ Slurp~! He shoveled it in with unstoppable gusto!
Ah~ Ah~ So delicious~!
He had once thought those food streamers on Douyin exaggerated everything when describing how food tasted. Now he truly believed them!
Life's reached peak insanity~, life's reached its climax~!
Let's go... No! This is incredible~!
Why did the Ōtsutsuki see humans as worthless weeds? Because they didn't understand human culture, especially food culture!
So what if they lived forever? That was nothing but fear of death!
So what if they were powerful? When would they ever be powerful enough?
Endlessly evolving, evolving for evolution's sake, reduced to slaves of their genes...
Life had meaning precisely because it was brief.
If strength wasn't used to protect what one cherished, blindly pursuing it was a disaster for oneself and everyone else!
Why was eating ramen giving me revelations like this?
Maybe this was the magic of Ichiraku Ramen!
Yes, just tie up Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Kaguya and feed them each a bowl of ramen. That would solve everything!
"Ah~ Ah~ What terrible table manners that brat has. Huh? It's him? What rotten luck!!"
Just as Yu was getting lost in his meal, a voice behind him ruined the mood!
A drunken Chunin had walked in, supported by his companion. The drunk was the one speaking.
"Burp~!" The drunken Chunin belched, pointing at Naruto with booze on his breath. "Boss~, could you throw this rotten brat out?"
Teuchi, who was rolling out noodles, looked over with narrowed eyes. "Sorry, we don't serve 'could you throw this rotten brat out' here. Why not try another shop?"
The drunken Chunin said, "What did you say? Say that again???"
The sober Chunin said, "Forget it, forget it. You can't get flavor like this anywhere else. Just put up with it. Boss, two bowls of soy sauce tonkotsu~!"
Ichiraku's ramen was so delicious that good people and bad alike found its flavor hard to resist.
There were even rumors... that Danzo had eaten here before becoming the leader of Root.
Teuchi turned back to rolling out noodles. "Ayame, two bowls of soy sauce tonkotsu!"
The two Chunin sat down, deliberately leaving an empty seat between themselves and Naruto, then began talking without the slightest restraint!
"Tch, what are the village higher-ups thinking? Leaving a dangerous brat like that in the village! He's a born murderer. They ought to bring him to justice!"
"Nothing we can do. He's got the Nine-Tailed Fox inside him!!"
His companion hurriedly covered his mouth. "Shh! Don't say that out loud. The higher-ups forbid us from talking about it!"
"Burp~! I'd forgotten with all this drinking. Good thing you reminded me~!"
Teuchi's daughter, Ayame, brought their noodles over and said politely, "Here are your soy sauce tonkotsu bowls. Please add seasonings to taste!"
The sober Chunin took out a cigarette and was about to light it!
Without turning around, Teuchi said, "No smoking in this shop!"
The man frowned. "Since when? I always used to smoke before eating my noodles, and nobody stopped me!"
Teuchi swirled the broth. "The rule started today. I haven't posted it yet!"
"Fine, I'll smoke outside."
He shook his head awkwardly, then told his companion as he stood, "Add some chili powder for me. Not too much!"
"Burp~!"
The drunken Chunin belched again. Glancing at Naruto, who was focused on his noodles, he muttered, "Heh, just my rotten luck!"
He picked up the chili powder on the counter, added a reasonable amount to his own bowl, then began adding some to his companion's!
Suddenly, chili powder poured into the broth in a torrent!!!
The man stared wide-eyed in disbelief at his own hand, which wouldn't stop shaking!!
The crimson chili powder piled into a little mountain on top of the broth!
The sober Chunin returned from his smoke and lost his composure at the sight. "Hey, what are you doing? How am I supposed to eat it with that much chili powder!!!"
The drunken Chunin looked utterly baffled. "I-I don't know... My hand suddenly started shaking and wouldn't stop!"
The sober Chunin sat down in irritation. "Fine, fine! You're drunk, so I won't hold it against you. Let's switch bowls!!"
Knowing he was in the wrong, the drunken Chunin said, "Sorry... All right."
They switched bowls.
The drunken Chunin stared at the mountain of chili powder in front of him, unsure where to begin, while his sober companion snapped apart his chopsticks and prepared to eat!
But... the drunken Chunin's hand mysteriously rose and settled on the back of his companion's head!
A moment later, before his own disbelieving eyes, his hand slammed down, pressing his companion's head into the scalding broth!
"Aaaaaaaargh...!!!"
A scream rang out!!
The bowl overturned!
With grease, scallions, and burns covering his face, the man glared at his now-sober companion!!!
"What the hell was that?? Got a problem with me???"
"I-I didn't mean to!!"
"You didn't mean to? First you deliberately dumped in all that chili powder, and now you shove my head straight into the broth! You still dare say you didn't mean to!!
"No, I really didn't mean to. My hand suddenly rose on its own..."
"You think I'd believe a lie that wouldn't fool a three-year-old? You've resented me ever since I stole your woman, haven't you? I'm telling you, Xiaomei chose to come with me. You're the one who couldn't keep her!!"
"What did you say!!! If the three of us weren't on the same team, and you weren't the captain, I wouldn't have to keep tiptoeing around you! Fine, I'll say it outright. Yeah, I've got a problem with you today!!"
"Then let's duel, you useless bastard!!!!"
"Both of you, stop!!"
Bang! Teuchi planted his rolling pin upright. "If you're going to fight, take it outside!!!"
With dark expressions, the two had no choice but to stop and head outside.
Teuchi shouted, "Wait! Pay your bill!!!"
After the two left, Ayame cleaned the counter.
"All that broth Dad worked so hard to make, spilled everywhere. What a waste..."
Teuchi folded his arms. "Looks like we'll need another rule from now on. No drunks allowed!"
"Ah~ All full~ All full~"
Naruto set down his empty bowl and held his bulging belly, utterly content~
"Huh? Were people arguing next to us just now, or did I imagine it?"
As it turned out, little Naruto had activated "focus" while eating. Immersed in his own world of ramen, he hadn't noticed any of the commotion beside him!
Gulp~ Gulp~ Yu tipped his little head back, drained his broth, and belched. "Burp~ No idea. Maybe the Zhao family's dog was barking again..."
"The Zhao family's dog??" Naruto scratched his head in confusion. "Whatever..."
Yes, Yu had once again been the mastermind behind it all, using his ever-reliable Michinoue no Mikoto!
Naruto reached into his pocket. "Huh? Huh? Where'd it go!! My Ichiraku discount coupon's gone, believe it~!"
Hearing this, Teuchi rolled up his sleeves. "Naruto!! Trying to dine and dash, are you? Picking up bad habits so young! Let's see what my rolling pin has to say about that!"
Naruto hurriedly pulled out his little Guguta wallet, but unfortunately, it held only a few coins.
"It's fine. I'll pay."
As Naruto floundered in embarrassment, Yu pulled out his little crab wallet!
Looking at the large-denomination money, Teuchi said, "It won't cost that much, and making change would be difficult. Do you have the exact amount?"
Yu put his wallet away. "Hehe, I'd like to buy two VIP Cards~."
Teuchi looked troubled. "But we don't offer that service."
Yu said, "You're the boss. All you have to do is say the word."
"Hmm." Teuchi pinched his chin and thought for a moment. "That could work, but I can only issue one card. It'll only be valid when the two of you come here together!"
"Hehe, it's a deal~."
Holding an Ichiraku VIP Card handwritten by Teuchi himself, Yu left, thoroughly satisfied.
They watched the two boys leave.
Ayame asked, "Dad, why did you make a special exception for that boy?"
Teuchi said, "Naruto has always been alone. Today, he finally had a friend with him. This is just my little way of cheering them on!"
On the way back.
"Sorry, Yu. I said I'd treat you, but you ended up paying."
"Hehe, no need to be so polite with me. We're good friends~."
"Friends... for life?"
"Yeah, for life~ And trust me, we'll have lots of other good friends too~!"
"Really? That's great!"
"My home's this way!"
"Mine's that way!"
"See you tomorrow..."
"See you tomorrow!"
At the street corner where their paths diverged, the two reluctantly parted!
Yu's smile faded as he walked home beneath the streetlights. Suddenly, he stopped.
A man was leaning against the wall at the entrance to an alley.
It was Mizuki... He had followed them the entire way tonight!
Yu gave him a faint, ambiguous smile. "Mr. Mizuki, has your diarrhea cleared up?"
Mizuki spoke with ill intent. "Yū Hyuga, you seem very close to Naruto Uzumaki, but I'd advise you against that!"
Yu tilted his little head. "I don't understand. Why?"
Mizuki tried to drive a wedge between them. "It seems you don't know yet! Fine, your teacher will tell you. Naruto Uzumaki is the incarnation of the terrifying Nine-Tailed Fox! He's inherently evil. Anyone who gets close to him will suffer misfortune! Stay away from him. It's for your own good!"
Before you continue