Chapter 4: A Meal and a Curse
"I never expected Minato to be so generous. He truly deserves to be the Fourth Hokage!"
After receiving a series of donations from Minato Namikaze, Ren Arakawa immediately gave this great father a thumbs-up in his heart.
Accepting the gifts!
Ren's strength skyrocketed once again.
Especially in terms of taijutsu and combat experience.
It had even reached the Kage level.
It felt as natural as breathing.
Outwardly, he still appeared to be a young ninja academy student in his early teens.
But his true overall strength had already reached the level of a jōnin.
Of course.
If he could fully refine everything he had gained today!
Who knows, it might even reach a higher level!
Even if it didn't reach the true Kage level!
Reaching the peak of the jōnin level would be absolutely no problem.
Thinking of this, Ren couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
Starting out as a peak jōnin—that didn't seem too bad.
However.
A mere peak jōnin was not his ultimate goal.
As a transmigrator who had come to the Naruto world,
If he couldn't reach the Six Paths level, he would be letting down his identity!
Having taken someone's things, he had to do them a favor.
Having accepted Minato Namikaze's donation, Ren naturally wouldn't go back on his word.
He straightened up and then looked seriously at that blockhead, Naruto Uzumaki.
From the memories that had merged with his past self, Ren learned that he and Naruto Uzumaki were childhood friends.
Moreover, because they were both orphans, the two had always gotten along very well.
Even more coincidentally, they were both at the bottom of the class rankings.
He was second to last, while Naruto Uzumaki was dead last!
That was why Naruto Uzumaki had come over to greet him when he saw him.
"Ren, why are you staring at me like that? We're already late. If we don't get to the academy soon, we'll miss the test and be the worst students again this semester!"
Seeing Ren staring at him so intently, Naruto Uzumaki felt a chill run down his spine and his butt clench.
This guy... did he have some kind of weird preference?
Naruto swallowed hard, wanting to leave as quickly as possible, but just as he was about to move, Ren grabbed him!
"Don't rush off, Naruto! You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Come on... I'll treat you to ramen!"
Ren was in a great mood. Seeing how much Minato and his wife cared about Naruto, he had found a way to make a quick fortune.
How could he let Naruto Uzumaki go so easily!
As for the ninja academy's assessment test, he didn't take it seriously at all.
Naruto Uzumaki had originally wanted to say he had already eaten breakfast.
But as soon as he heard the word "ramen," his eyes lit up, and without another thought, he followed Ren to Ichiraku Ramen.
"Boss, two bowls of ramen, with all the toppings!"
Upon arriving at the ramen shop, Ren generously ordered two servings of the most expensive ramen on the menu.
He completely ignored whether his empty pockets could actually afford the meal.
This made Naruto Uzumaki, who had always only eaten the cheapest ramen and expired food, look at him in a new light.
He never expected his usually stingy friend to treat him to such an expensive bowl of ramen today.
"Two generous servings of ramen with all the toppings, coming right up! Enjoy your meal!"
Old Man Teuchi truly lived up to his reputation as the hidden boss who survived from the beginning to the Boruto era. In no time, he brought out two large bowls of steaming hot ramen from the kitchen.
[Minato Namikaze: Wow~ I never expected Teuchi to still look so young! I remember he looked exactly the same when I died. Now Naruto has grown so much, but he hasn't changed at all!]
Seeing Teuchi approach, Minato Namikaze couldn't help but sigh, as if reminiscing about his past life in the human world.
However, when these words reached Ren's ears, they reminded him of something terrifying.
Ageless and immortal!
Was the legend of Teuchi Ōtsutsuki true?
The fragrant ramen was served.
Naruto Uzumaki couldn't wait to roll up his sleeves and devour the food, praising as he ate, "Mmm~ So delicious! Teuchi, your skills are getting better and better!"
Teuchi chuckled, his eyes crinkling. "That's because you always used to eat the cheapest ramen. You get what you pay for, you know?"
"Hehe~ The old man Hokage only gives me that little bit of living allowance every month. Being able to eat this is already pretty good. You have no idea, I eat expired food for breakfast because that supermarket often has sales, so it's cheap!"
Naruto Uzumaki said this casually between mouthfuls of noodles, eating with great relish.
Minato and his wife saw this and felt their hearts ache deeply.
They never imagined that the son they had entrusted to the village would live such a miserable life all these years!
Not only did he rely on a meager living allowance to get by, but he also ate expired food.
[Minato Namikaze: Damn it! Before I died, didn't the Third Hokage promise to take good care of Naruto? Is this what he calls taking good care of him?]
[Kushina Uzumaki: Sigh~ If I had known it would be like this, Minato, you shouldn't have sacrificed your life for the village!]
[Minato Namikaze: I died for Konoha, I'm a hero, and I was the Fourth Hokage before I died. I never thought that with all these honors, my son would end up like this!]
[Kushina Uzumaki: I've heard that eating expired food often can not only affect intelligence but also physical development, and might even lead to infertility. Minato... what should we do?]
[Minato Namikaze: That damned Third Hokage! I, Minato Namikaze, curse him to be utterly alone within two years, to die a horrible death, and to find no peace even in the afterlife!]
"Pfft~"
Hearing this, Ren almost laughed out loud.
If the plot continued to develop, it seemed Minato Namikaze's curse might actually come true!