A Chance Encounter with Naruto

Well, well, who was this?

Wasn't that Naruto?!

Konoha wasn't exactly small. Sure, Ichiraku Ramen was a place with a high chance of spawning Naruto, but she'd found him on her very first try...

Well, that was lucky.

Chinatsu paused for a moment, then lifted the shop's curtain and walked inside.

At this point in the timeline, Ichiraku Ramen was still quite shabby, but it would eventually become Konoha's number one ramen shop.

That wasn't just because its owner had connections with Naruto, the future Hokage, nor was it simply because Ichiraku made delicious ramen. The main reason was that, through all the disasters large and small that Konoha would face, Ichiraku Ramen remained standing, completely unaffected.

That was why people online even jokingly called him "Ichiraku Otsutsuki," imagining him opening his perpetually narrowed eyes to reveal his Rinnegan, with bowls of ramen covering the black Truth-Seeking Orbs around him...

Remembering that, Chinatsu couldn't help laughing. Both Ichiraku and Naruto instinctively turned to look at her.

"You're a new face, miss. Here for ramen? Order whatever you like! Every kind of ramen I make is delicious!" Ichiraku said with a smile, his hands on his hips.

"Still, I'd recommend the bowl I'm eating, miss. The taste definitely won't disappoint you, though it is a little expensive..."

"Hey, Naruto, I'm treating you to that bowl. And since when was my ramen expensive?"

"Hehe, it's not, it's not."

Grinning, Naruto lowered his head and went back to eating. Ichiraku didn't take his words to heart. He knew that, for Naruto, even his ramen counted as a luxury.

Watching Naruto bent over his ramen, happiness written all over his face, Chinatsu felt a pang of sympathy.

Naruto, the Fourth Hokage's son, should have enjoyed a carefree childhood. In reality, he often went hungry as a child and lived alone in a tiny apartment. His bedroom had no furniture besides a bed and a cabinet.

Why? He was the Fourth Hokage's son. Even if his parents had died, Naruto should have inherited their home. There was no reason for him to be living in such a shabby little apartment.

As for living expenses, although the Third Hokage gave him an allowance, it wasn't enough. Even Ichiraku Ramen was a treat for him. Most of the time, he simply bought instant noodles and soaked them in boiling water at home.

In the original story, Kakashi had once found a carton of milk in Naruto's room that had long since expired. It had been one of Naruto's treasured possessions, something he'd kept putting off drinking.

It shouldn't have been like that. It really shouldn't.

Naruto shouldn't have been treated that way. Even if the Third Hokage had been trying to protect him by hiding his identity as the Fourth Hokage's son, his childhood had been far too miserable. Even his food and housing had barely met the minimum.

Chinatsu pressed her lips together. Back when she'd read the manga and watched the anime, she'd already felt that Naruto's childhood was unfair.

Now, seeing Naruto bent over his noodles in person, drinking every last drop of broth and wearing an expression of happiness, satisfaction, and lingering longing, Chinatsu drew in a deep breath.

"Miss? Is something wrong?"

Ichiraku looked at Chinatsu in confusion. After a brief silence, she calmly took out her wallet and pulled out a sum of money wildly out of proportion to the price of a bowl of ramen.

"How many bowls of ramen would this buy?"

"Th-this... at least a... a hundred bowls..." At the sight of the thick stack of bills, Ichiraku's normally narrowed eyes flew wide open in shock.

With her answer, Chinatsu turned toward Naruto, who still looked like he wanted more and was watching her enviously. When he noticed her looking at him, he immediately lowered his head in embarrassment and said to Ichiraku, "Thanks so much for today, old man. The ramen was really good. If I have the money, I'll come again."

With that, Naruto hopped off his seat and lowered his head, ready to leave Ichiraku Ramen.

"Wait. Are you... still hungry?"

"Huh? Are you talking to me?"

Naruto turned back toward Chinatsu and pointed a finger at himself, looking a little disbelieving.

Most adults in the village never spoke to him. Even the children who got along reasonably well with him gradually stopped playing with him because of the adults' gossip.

He could count the adults who approached him on one hand, which was why Naruto was so surprised.

"Yes, I'm talking to you. You look like you still want more, so you probably aren't full yet, right? I'll treat you today. Eat as much as you like. It's not like you can eat me out of house and home."

Chinatsu sounded just like someone who had suddenly struck it rich. As she finished speaking, everyone else seemed to see a glittering golden aura of wealth radiating from her entire body. Beside her, Ichiraku felt as though the glare might blind him.

"I... I can really have another bowl?"

"No, no, no. Not one bowl. You can have as many as you want." Chinatsu calmly raised a finger and wagged it. Meanwhile, Ichiraku snapped out of his daze and hurried into the kitchen, immediately getting to work making ramen.

Ichiraku brought one fragrant bowl of his ramen after another out of the kitchen. As Naruto breathed in the aroma, his mouth watered, and the sound of him swallowing was distinctly audible.

"All right, all right, stop holding back. I'm only treating you to a meal. Just accept the kindness~" Chinatsu said, sitting with her cheek propped on one hand and smiling at Naruto.

Naruto's gaze kept darting between the ramen and Chinatsu. After his stomach let out an embarrassing "hungry wolf's howl," he finally couldn't resist any longer. He hurried back into his seat, picked up his chopsticks, and began wolfing down the noodles.

He really was starving...

Watching Naruto devour his food, Chinatsu smiled with relief, then reached over to hold her own stomach.

I almost forgot. I came out to eat, too. I'd better finish quickly. If I'm gone too long, little Sasuke might get worried.

Chinatsu could already picture the expression Sasuke would make if he discovered she was gone.

She immediately picked up her chopsticks, ready to eat. Drawing in a deep breath of the ramen's aroma, she was instantly won over.

Ichiraku Ramen really lived up to its reputation!

"Well then... time to dig in!"

Following the local custom, Chinatsu offered the customary polite phrase before a meal, then began taking huge mouthfuls of ramen, completely abandoning any attempt to look ladylike...