"All of you, get lost!"
Unable to contain his anger any longer, Shinichi charged forward and shouted at them.
"He's so scary..."
The children scattered at his shout, fleeing back to their homes.
Ignoring the cold stares of the villagers around him, Shinichi let his expression soften.
He put on the gentlest smile he could and held out a hand to little Naruto, who sat helplessly on the ground. "Hey, little guy. Are you okay?"
"I..."
Naruto froze.
As far as he could remember, no one except Grandpa Third had ever treated him as gently as Shinichi did.
"Come on, let's get you up. The ground's cold."
When Naruto failed to respond, Shinichi picked him up and gently brushed the snow off him.
"Thank you, big white-haired brother!"
After haphazardly wiping the blood from his nose, Naruto broke into that familiar sunny smile.
Naruto was still Naruto. Even after what he had just endured, he could quickly muster a smile that came straight from the heart.
Shinichi couldn't help marveling inwardly.
But what the heck kind of nickname is "big white-haired brother"?
"My name's Hatake Shinichi. You can call me Big Brother Shinichi."
Shinichi chuckled. "What's your name, little guy?"
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! My dream is to become a Hokage everyone acknowledges!"
With someone finally willing to talk to him kindly, Naruto couldn't wait to announce his dream.
"Heh, you want to become Hokage? That's a wonderful dream. I hope you make it happen soon!"
Still smiling, Shinichi offered him encouragement.
To think Naruto already has a dream at such a young age. Is this the powerful will of a protagonist? Or is it the result of that old bastard Third secretly brainwashing him with the Will of Fire?
"Big Brother Shinichi, do you really believe I can become Hokage? Why aren't you laughing at me like everyone else?"
Naruto looked puzzled by Shinichi's words.
Before this, Naruto had announced his dream to countless people. But apart from the Third, almost everyone had laughed at him, or even bluntly told him it was impossible.
This was the first time he had met someone like Shinichi, who encouraged him instead of laughing.
"Because your dream is wonderful. Only people without dreams deliberately mock those who have them."
Shinichi's expression turned serious. "Besides... no dream deserves to be laughed at!"
That truly was how he felt.
"Big Brother Shinichi..."
At that moment, in Naruto's eyes, Shinichi seemed to become a beam of light, illuminating and warming his heart, which had been shrouded in darkness.
Drip.
For some reason, fat tears rolled down Naruto's face.
He was happy that someone acknowledged his dream, yet he couldn't stop crying.
That's Naruto! As long as someone acknowledges him, he'll repay their kindness tenfold, a hundredfold.
Shinichi felt an unexpected ache in his heart.
Even though he had come looking for Naruto to use him and extract a new talent trait.
When he actually saw Naruto, he couldn't help feeling compassion for him.
Naruto shouldn't have to suffer such a miserable childhood!
Shinichi silently swore it to himself.
Grrrrowl!
As a jumble of emotions churned inside Shinichi, a muffled rumble suddenly came from Naruto's stomach.
"Hahaha!"
As though trying to hide his embarrassment, Naruto rubbed his head and chuckled. "Big Brother Shinichi, I'd better go home! See you next time!"
"Why go home?"
Shinichi smiled and suggested, "I'm hungry too, actually. How about I treat you to Ichiraku Ramen?"
"Ichiraku Ramen!"
Naruto's eyes instantly lit up, but then something seemed to occur to him, and he hesitated. "But we only just met. Wouldn't it be wrong to let you buy me a meal..."
Naruto was used to being treated with malice, and it was rare for him to meet someone who didn't dislike him.
Even with his naturally carefree personality, he couldn't help treading carefully around Shinichi, afraid of upsetting him.
"There's nothing wrong with it."
Shinichi feigned anger. "You already called me your big brother, so what's wrong with me buying my little brother a meal? Unless you don't think of me as a friend..."
"No, no! That's not it!"
"Then come with me!"
And so the two of them, one big and one small, arrived at Ichiraku Ramen.
"Hey, two big bowls of your specialty ramen! The largest portions you've got, with all the best toppings!"
"Coming right up!"
Seeing Teuchi's warm, honest smile, Shinichi couldn't help getting swept up in the shop's atmosphere. "Naruto, it's my treat today, so eat your heart out! If you hold back out of politeness, I won't come see you again."
What could he say? Having money meant he could splurge!
"Oh, it's Naruto!"
"I'm back for more ramen!"
Naruto chuckled.
Teuchi was one of the few people in the village who didn't shun him. Several times, when Naruto had been hungry without any money for food, Teuchi had offered him ramen for free. Perhaps that was precisely why Ichiraku Ramen had always been Naruto's favorite food.
The ramen's enticing appearance, aroma, and flavor whetted Shinichi's appetite too. After a couple of bites, he couldn't stop eating.
Naruto was even more impressive. Despite being so young, he was already showing signs of becoming a big eater. He polished off a large, adult-sized bowl of ramen and even ate more than Shinichi.
"I'm so full!"
Rubbing his bulging belly, Naruto wore a happy, satisfied smile on his little face.
"That'll be 500 ryo."
Ichiraku Ramen certainly lived up to its reputation: delicious and affordable, with prices anyone could manage.
But Shinichi had money to spare and handed Teuchi 50,000 ryo outright.
"Sir, you don't need to give me this much."
"No, Teuchi, please keep it for now."
Shinichi shook his head, his expression earnest. "Keep the rest on account for me. Whenever Naruto's hungry, let him come here to eat. This is to cover his meals. If it isn't enough, just let me know."
"Well... all right!"
Teuchi was astonished, but he didn't turn down the business.
In truth, even without Shinichi's money, he often helped out the poor boy.
"Big Brother Shinichi!"
Naruto's tears began flowing again despite his efforts to hold them back.
No one had ever treated him as well as Shinichi did. It seemed that, for the first time in his life, he had felt the warmth of family.
"What are you crying for? Don't forget, you called me your big brother!"
With an ache in his heart, Shinichi stroked Naruto's little head and grinned. "If you don't mind, think of me as your family from now on! Even if the whole world dislikes you, I'll be on your side!"
"Waaah!"
Naruto's tears poured out like water through a broken dam, and he could no longer stop them.
His heart brimmed with warmth and happiness. The feeling was simply wonderful.
Even many years later, Naruto would never forget what had happened that day. For the first time in his life, a light had appeared, and that light's name was Hatake Shinichi.
While Naruto was overwhelmed with emotion, Shinichi took the opportunity to pluck a hair from his head.
This is for Naruto's sake too! The stronger I become, the less danger he'll face in the future!
Someone was still comforting himself inwardly, trying to ease his so-called guilt that way.
Whatever the case, he had finally obtained Naruto's biological information!
Before you continue