"No, no, no, you have to let me pay. This meal was my idea in the first place!"
"No, no, Shin'un, I ate more than all of you put together. You have to let me pay. Besides, my family owns a share of this place, so it'll be cheaper if I pay!"
"How could I let you do that? Sigh, I suppose I'll have to let you pay.
Chōza, don't worry! Next time, it's definitely my treat!"
Creak.
Pushing open the door of Yakiniku Q, Shin'un rubbed his bulging stomach with his left hand and felt his still-plump wallet with his right. For once, he was in a good mood.
He moved away from the entrance to give his friends room to leave the restaurant.
"What are we doing next?"
Uchiha Mikoto, who had remained silent and seemed rather reserved, asked the question.
Hearing Uchiha Mikoto's question, Shin'un was momentarily at a loss for words.
Weren't they supposed to go their separate ways after eating, each heading home to their own mother?
"Oh, right, I know a great place! Want me to take you there?"
Kushina Uzumaki, usually the liveliest and most energetic of them, had clearly thought of a good spot and couldn't wait to share it with everyone.
The girls immediately agreed and, without allowing any argument, dragged Shin'un and Minato Namikaze along.
Along the way, they also pulled Akimichi Chōza, who had eaten himself round, into their party.
Although Kushina was very secretive about this "great place" and wouldn't tell them even when asked,
as time passed and they drew closer to their destination, Shin'un still managed to guess where Kushina was taking them.
"On top of Hokage Rock?"
As they climbed the winding stairs, Kushina finally stopped keeping it a secret.
"Yep! Let me tell you, nobody lives on top of Hokage Rock. There are only buildings for a few of Konoha's departments, so there's a huge open space."
"It's the highest spot in Konoha, with a really wide view. You can look down over the entire village from there. You'll love it."
With Kushina leading the way, they soon reached their destination.
Just as Kushina had said, there was a large open space on top of Hokage Rock, with no obstructions and a wide-open view.
Reaching the edge of Hokage Rock, they began taking in the scenery of Konoha.
Buildings spread out around the Hokage Building at the very center of Konoha, and all the scenery lay before their eyes.
Especially now that it was afternoon, the sun had begun its gradual descent, giving off an almost golden-yellow glow that bathed all of Konoha in warm tones.
Together with the expansive view atop Hokage Rock and the breeze that occasionally brushed their cheeks, it all felt natural, relaxed, leisurely, and simple, making them want to find somewhere to lie down and rest.
Once the thought occurred to him, Shin'un found a patch of grass shaded by trees nearby and lay down.
Minato Namikaze and Akimichi Chōza followed his example, lying down beside Shin'un and emptying their minds as they watched the clouds overhead.
Only the girls remained by the edge of Hokage Rock, sitting against one another as they gazed out at Konoha.
Time passed, and soon the sky grew dim. Everyone had enjoyed themselves to their hearts' content.
Grrr.
A strange sound suddenly came from nearby, and Shin'un turned toward it.
Akimichi Chōza sat up, rubbing his stomach with an embarrassed smile.
"Sorry, I haven't eaten all afternoon. I'm hungry."
"Then let's go get something to eat!"
Kushina's voice rang out.
"I just found a really good noodle shop these past few days."
"Perfect."
As she spoke, Kushina looked at Shin'un, who was lying on the grass.
"You said you'd treat us today, but Chōza ended up paying. This time, Shin'un pays."
The corner of Shin'un's mouth twitched. He hadn't expected his wallet to fail to escape disaster after all.
Refusing again would make him seem stingy, so Shin'un could only agree.
"Sure. Where's this noodle shop you mentioned?"
Although he asked, Shin'un already had a fairly good guess which noodle shop Kushina meant.
Naruto, Konoha, noodle shop.
Those keywords pointed far too clearly to one place.
"Come on, I'll take you there."
Kushina took the lead and headed down Hokage Rock.
Ichiraku Ramen.
Standing in the street, Shin'un looked at the name on the noodle shop's sign.
"I really didn't expect the Ichiraku Noodle Shop to have opened this early."
Lifting the entrance curtain, Shin'un stepped inside. An aroma immediately reached his nose, making his eyes light up.
Although he hadn't tasted the ramen yet, that aroma alone told him it wouldn't taste bad.
Looking around, Shin'un soon spotted the legendary ramen chef, "Ōtsutsuki Ichiraku," behind the counter.
At this point, Ichiraku had no wrinkles on his cheeks yet. He stood straight and looked full of energy, far younger than when he appeared in the original story.
Besides that, the kitchen assistant beside him wasn't his daughter Ayame, but a pretty woman who looked rather unfamiliar.
Judging by how intimate this woman was with Teuchi, she was most likely his wife, who had never appeared in the original Naruto story.
Although still young, Teuchi already had his signature narrowed eyes. As soon as he saw Shin'un and the others enter, he said with a smile:
"Welcome! What kind of noodles would you like?"
"One Ichiraku signature ramen!"
"I'll have the chashu pork."
"Scallion noodles?"
"..."
Shin'un looked at the menu hanging on the wall. Although it offered only noodles, there really were quite a few varieties when he examined it closely.
In the end, Shin'un ordered a bowl of Ichiraku signature ramen, then casually found an empty seat and sat down.
Teuchi worked quickly, and all six bowls of ramen for Shin'un and the others were soon served.
Snap!
Splitting his chopsticks apart, Shin'un looked at the bowl of ramen in front of him.
Pale white pork bone broth formed the base, with a coil of noodles tucked within it. More than a dozen thick slices of chashu pork covered the top, with a halved soft-centered egg and narutomaki at the side, and a few emerald-green pieces of chopped scallion floating in the broth.
Shin'un lifted a chopstickful of freshly cooked noodles. Steam immediately rose, and the aroma of pork bones and teriyaki meat filled his nose.
Slurp.
With one mouthful of noodles, a little chewing was enough to reveal their springy texture. Any firmer and they would have been too tough to chew; any softer and they would have been mushy.
Shin'un carefully savored the flavor of the noodles in his mouth, then took a sip of broth.
His eyebrows immediately rose. It tasted good, and he promptly raised his chopsticks and got to work.
The bowl of ramen was a generous serving, and Shin'un was full after finishing his own.
Meanwhile, Akimichi Chōza had already started on his third bowl.
Fortunately, Shin'un had checked the ramen prices on the menu when he entered. Even ordering every ramen on it once would cost less than their barbecue lunch.
"Ah, I'm full."
When Akimichi Chōza reached his seventh bowl, he finally hit his limit. He rubbed his stomach contentedly and leaned against the counter where they ate.
Shin'un stood up to settle the bill. The pretty woman who seemed to be Teuchi's wife, and appeared to have the same generous disposition as Kushina, rounded down the total. The final price was two thousand ryō.
With everyone fed and the hour late, the group parted outside Ichiraku Ramen after their day of fun, each going their own way.
Walking home, Shin'un looked at the pure white, perfectly round moon in the sky. Remembering that his parents were still at home waiting for him, he couldn't help feeling even more at ease.
But when he thought of the current tensions throughout the Shinobi World, Shin'un still couldn't help worrying.
War had reached the point where it could break out at any moment. Each day could be the last day of peace.
All Shin'un could do was step up his training every day and prepare for war early.