"Ha--I'm alive again!" Naruto was the first to down most of the bowl, lifting his head, his lips glistening with oil, a bit of soup on the tip of his nose, his blue eyes narrowed into crescents, "Uncle Teuchi's noodles, the best in the world!"
"Mmm! It's delicious!" Rock Lee ate quickly, but didn't forget to give a serious review, "The soup is very rich, the noodles are chewy, and it provides a lot of energy!"
Looking at her two companions who were engrossed in eating, Shira felt that strange, dimensional-crossing feeling of reality become even more real.
Having almost finished eating, Naruto slowed down. Naruto poked at the few remaining noodles in his bowl with his chopsticks, then suddenly spoke, his voice slightly languid from being full. "Hey, Rock Lee, Shira, how are your families? Lee, where do you live?"
Rock Lee swallowed the food in his mouth and shook his head. "It's not far, just on the east side of the village, in a small apartment building near the training ground. I live there alone, so it's very convenient to come and go."
"You live alone?" Naruto blinked, a little surprised. "Where are your parents? Don't they care about you?"
Rock Lee's hand holding the chopsticks paused almost imperceptibly. He looked down at the half-full bowl of soup, his thick, dark eyebrows furrowing slightly, but quickly relaxing.
When he looked up again, his expression was calm, even somewhat matter-of-fact. "My parents... saved their lives in a mission when I was very young. The village arranged accommodation for me, and I receive a monthly allowance, which is enough."
He spoke very simply, as if he were saying the Tenten. There was no complaint, no particular sadness, just a calm, factual statement.
The shop fell silent for a moment. Only the soft sound of water as the uncle washed dishes behind the counter Teuchi. The noise from the street outside seemed to fade into the distance.
Naruto's chopsticks, which were poking at the noodles, stopped. He turned his head and looked at Rock Lee's calm profile. For the first time, a clear and empathetic look of bewilderment appeared in those usually energetic blue eyes.
He opened his mouth, his voice unconsciously lowering, tinged with a cautious probing. "They're all... gone? Just like me..."
Rock Lee turned his head and looked at Naruto, his eyes a little confused. "Huh, the same as you?"
"Hmm." Naruto lowered his head, unconsciously stirring the soup in his bowl with his chopsticks. His voice was muffled, much softer than before. "I... I've never seen my parents. I don't know what they look like, what their names are... Everyone in the village says I'm an orphan."
He paused, as if wanting to explain something but unsure how, and finally just muttered even more quietly, "Anyway, I live alone."
Shira's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the chopsticks. He slowly raised his head, shifting his gaze from the two boys in front of him who were looking down at their respective soup bowls, and looked across the glass door of the small shop towards the distance across the street.
There, the Hokage Rock stands silently, and the young and handsome face of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, is clearly visible in the midday sun.
His rock face seemed to be protecting the entire village.
Shira's gaze lingered on that face for a moment, and her throat felt as if a wet wad of cotton had suddenly been stuffed in, a bit constricting, a bit astringent, and a bit of indescribable absurdity.
He quickly averted his gaze and looked again at the blond boy beside him, who was completely unaware of the situation and was vaguely resonating with the feeling of being "fellow sufferers." The warmth that had risen in his heart because of the food and friendship instantly cooled down, leaving only a fine, pricking pain.
Naruto, your father is Tenten you every day from that mountainside, but he can't say a word about it.
After listening to Naruto's words, Rock Lee remained silent for a few seconds. He looked at Naruto, then at the soup in his bowl, and then nodded very seriously:
"I see. Then we all need to work even harder. Everyone should live a fulfilling life, for their sake too!"
Rock Lee's words reflect a simple and unpretentious understanding: since their parents are no longer here, they have to walk their own path, and walk it even better.
Naruto looked up and met Rock Lee's clear, earnest eyes. There was no pity or avoidance in them, only a frankness that said, "I understand, let's do our best together."
His nose suddenly felt a little sore, but more than that, his chest felt full and warm.
He gave a strong "Mmm!" and then nodded heavily.
Their gazes simultaneously turned to Shira, a mixture of curiosity and perhaps even a hint of envy they themselves were unaware of.
" Shira, what about you?" Rock Lee asked.
Shira was brought back to his senses by the question. He looked at the two pairs of eyes staring at him, one pair clear and bright blue, the other dark and earnest.
He put down his chopsticks, picked up the water glass next to him, and took a sip. The cool liquid slid down his throat, slightly easing the feeling of dryness.
"I have parents," he said, his voice a little dry. "They run a small general store in Sunagakure. My mother is a bit of a worrywart, and my father is a man of few words."
He tried to describe it in a normal way, but images flashed through his mind of his mother Rira, nagging as she straightened his collar, his father Shiya, giving him a thumbs-up, and the warm space of the family shop that always carried the smell of dust and old goods.
He spoke simply, but the words "have parents" seemed to carry weight in the small shop. Both Rock Lee and Naruto listened quietly, without interrupting.
After he finished speaking, the two looked at each other, then turned to look at him again. Naruto's eyes were filled with undisguised, sparkling envy, as well as a simple joy for his friend.
Rock Lee's gaze was more complex, containing not only envy but also a hint of understanding, as if he understood why Shira always possessed a calm and confident aura that neither of them had.
"That's great..." Naruto whispered, poking at the bottom of his bowl with his chopsticks, his voice devoid of any jealousy. "Having people waiting for us at home, it'll be quite a lively meal, won't it?"
Rock Lee didn't speak, but simply nodded, indicating his agreement with Naruto's question. He then lowered his head and took a large gulp of soup, but Shira noticed that his fingers, gripping the rim of the bowl, seemed to unconsciously tighten slightly.
The shop fell silent again, with only the faint sound of broth being sipped.
The sunlight outside the window was bright, and on the Hokage Rock, the Fourth's lips seemed to curve downwards slightly.
The broth at Ichiraku Ramen was still warm and delicious, but there seemed to be something else in the air, something heavy and indescribable.
Shira looked at her two companions beside her, who had once again buried their heads in their food, seemingly trying to fill the void left by their absence. The words, "They love you very much, but..."
The words rolled on the tip of his tongue, eventually turning into a silent sigh, which he swallowed back down with the ramen soup.
He knew that Rock Lee and Naruto envied him. But looking at the two bowls of noodles in front of him, completely devoid of soup, and seeing these two children who had become orphans because their parents had sacrificed themselves for the village, he felt a pang of sadness.
Even the boy who suffered loneliness and rejection because of this, when he said "I have parents," felt no joy at all, only a heavy feeling, so heavy that he could hardly breathe.
He didn't know how to comfort them. Should he say, "Your parents are great"? They didn't need that empty praise; what they needed was a real hug from their memories, a bedtime story, or simply, at this moment, a smiling figure across the table saying, "I'm home."
In the end, he said nothing. He simply picked up the kettle on the table, refilled Naruto's empty cup, and then looked at Rock Lee: "Want some more noodles?"
Rock Lee shook his head, wiped his mouth, and his face regained its energetic smile, though a slight hint of melancholy lingered in his eyes. "No need! I'm full! We'll continue training this afternoon!"
"Yes!" Naruto nodded vigorously, finished the last bit of soup, and his blue eyes lit up again. "Let's continue training!"
Some gaps cannot be filled. But at least for now, the piping hot noodle soup can warm the stomach, and the companions beside me can stand shoulder to shoulder.
The road ahead is long, and they must move forward step by step in their own way.
Even if there are always two empty seats next to you, seats that no one knows about but are incredibly important...