Elsewhere...
Naruto had also found Yechen and explained why he had come.
"You're their leader, and you're still afraid you can't beat Hinata? Why not just have her surrender when you enter the ring?"
Yechen teased him.
But Naruto grew anxious when he heard that.
"I'm not the kind of person who throws his weight around. I want to beat Hinata fair and square."
"And after you beat her?" Yechen asked with a cheeky grin.
"Then..."
Naruto scratched his head, unsure what Yechen meant.
"Then I'll be the Ninja Youth King! How cool would that be?"
After thinking for a while, he came up with that reason.
Yechen's mouth twitched at his answer. He had been overthinking it. What did Naruto know about love at his age?
"Yechen, please help me! I'll treat you to ramen!"
Naruto had made a momentous decision. He felt his toad-shaped wallet, a gift from Jiraiya that he treasured and always carried with him.
Why was it such a momentous decision? Because everyone knew Yechen had an enormous appetite and ate a great deal at every meal. Treating him to ramen was the most affordable option Naruto could think of.
After all, he was still a child. He had never carried out any missions and had little pocket money. Minato Namikaze was very strict about that, and even Kushina could not oppose him on everything.
When it came to things that were good for Naruto, Kushina was still reasonable.
"Treating me to ramen, huh?"
Yechen murmured with a smile.
"Yechen, does that mean you'll help me?" Naruto cried happily.
"That depends on how sincere you are."
With that, Yechen waved a hand, opened a spatial passage, and stepped inside. Naruto followed close behind.
Half an hour later, the two walked out of Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto