Naruto's face turned bright red, from the base of his neck to the tips of his ears.
He scratched his head, wanting to say something. His mouth opened and closed, then opened again, until he finally blurted out a sentence.
"Um, let's go get ramen."
Shion and the Princess of the Land of Snow exchanged a glance, and both laughed.
They had known it would turn out like this.
Naruto led the way, followed by the two girls, with a whole crowd of third wheels trailing behind them.
Teuchi stood behind the counter at Ichiraku Ramen, holding a freshly cooked bowl of miso chashu. Through the rising steam, he watched Naruto walk in with two girls.
He nearly dropped the bowl. After all these years, what hadn't he seen?
He hadn't even panicked when the Nine-Tails attacked the village, but this time, he truly froze for a moment.
Shion and the Princess of the Land of Snow followed Naruto on either side, one with a fluttering purple skirt and softly jingling bells, the other in elegant blue clothes, her bearing delicate and refined.
Naruto walked between them, scratching his head, looking as goofy as ever.
Watching them, Teuchi suddenly smiled. As he smiled, his eyes began to redden.
"Teuchi, three bowls of miso chashu!"
Naruto pulled out a chair and sat down, with Shion on his left and the Princess of the Land of Snow on his right.
Teuchi answered him and turned to cook the noodles.
He wiped the corners of his eyes as he cooked.
Naruto had been coming here for noodles since he was very young. Back then, he had been alone, squatting by the entrance with his bowl and slurping away, with no one beside him.
Later, he had brought friends from his class. One