It was still early, and the ramen shop had no other customers, making it feel a bit deserted.
The rich aroma of pork bone broth permeated the air, making one's mouth water.
The soul of the noodle shop, Teuchi, was busy behind the stove, apron on, skillfully kneading dough and preparing ingredients for opening.
Beside him, a young man with black hair and black eyes, wearing a similar apron, was methodically washing bowls and chopsticks and wiping down the counter, his movements swift and practiced.
It was Shigure.
"Yo! Naruto!" Shigure heard the commotion at the entrance, looked up, and seeing Naruto and his team, a teasing smile appeared on his face as he greeted them familiarly, "I could hear your loud voice from far away. Why are you here so early today?"
"Hehe! Shigure-aniki!" Naruto was also very happy to see Shigure. He directly plopped down on the tallest stool at the counter and excitedly replied, "We're going on a mission today, and Kakashi-sensei is treating! I want a super-large bowl of luxurious Chashu Miso Ramen!"
As he spoke, he skillfully picked up the menu and added, "Oh, by the way, Shigure-aniki, where's Ayame-nee? How come I haven't seen her today?"
Shigure, while wiping the counter, casually replied, "Ayame-nee? She went to get supplies."
In Konoha Village, Teuchi of Ichiraku Ramen, Ayame-nee, and Shigure, who was adopted later, were among the very few people who didn't look at Naruto with strange eyes.
Especially Shigure, he never discriminated against him.
When the shop wasn't busy, Shigure would often sneak out to play with Naruto, teaching him strange games or listening to his troubles.
Therefore, Naruto trusted Shigure very much.
Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura also found seats and casually ordered the ramen they wanted.
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Kakashi ordered a regular bowl of Miso Ramen, Sasuke ordered Tomato Ramen, and Sakura hesitated for a long time, finally struggling between "maintaining her figure" and "not wasting the sensei's treat," and ordered a relatively light Vegetable Ramen.
"Alright! One super-large Chashu Miso, one Miso Ramen, one Tomato Ramen, one Vegetable Ramen!" Shigure noted down the orders one by one, then skillfully walked to the stove and began to boil noodles, prepare the broth, and add ingredients.
He had been helping in the kitchen here for several years, and Teuchi had already taught him all his ramen-making skills. While he hadn't surpassed his master, he had at least learned seventy to eighty percent of the true art.
'Sigh... To think I, a distinguished psychological counselor from the 21st century, transmigrated to the Ninja World, didn't learn Flying Thunder God or Rasengan, but the first skill I maxed out was... cooking Ichiraku Ramen? What kind of situation is this?!'
Although he was complaining wildly in his mind, Shigure's movements were not slow at all.
Soon, four steaming, fragrant bowls of ramen were ready.
"Here you go! Your noodles, esteemed guests!" Shigure placed the ramen bowls one by one onto the counter.
"Wow! It smells so good!" Naruto looked at the super-luxurious ramen in front of him, piled high with chashu, soft-boiled eggs, narutomaki, bamboo shoots, and seaweed, and his mouth was practically watering.
He clasped his hands together and, full of energy, said, "Itadakimasu!"
Then, he impatiently picked up the bowl, which was larger than his face, buried his head in it, and began his "slurp, slurp" storm-eating mode, splashing broth everywhere, his eating manners indescribable.
"Hey, Naruto, your eating is too unsightly." Sakura, next to him, immediately showed a disgusted expression and didn't forget to turn to Sasuke on the other side, praising him with a sickeningly sweet voice, "Sasuke-kun is so elegant; even the way he eats is so handsome. He truly lives up to being a young master of the prestigious Uchiha clan."
Sasuke ignored Sakura's infatuation, merely picking up a small bundle of noodles with his chopsticks like a nobleman, bringing them to his mouth with standard, elegant movements, chewing slowly and deliberately.
Naruto, hearing Sakura's words, looked up in displeasure, his mouth full of noodles, and retorted indistinctly, "Mmph mph, annoying guy, always trying to act cool. Ramen tastes best when you eat it in big bites, I tell you."
As he spoke, he took another big slurp of the noodle soup, making a loud noise, deliberately to annoy Sakura.
"You..." Sakura's forehead veins throbbed with anger.
Kakashi looked at the three energetic youngsters in front of him, shaking his head helplessly, feeling his stomach begin to ache a little.
He silently ate the ramen in his bowl, while his exposed eye subtly observed Naruto, who was devouring his food.
The time... was almost right.
Kakashi put down his chopsticks and, feigning nonchalance, began, "Speaking of which, Naruto..."
"Hmm?" Naruto looked up, soup still clinging to the corner of his mouth.
Kakashi looked at him and asked in a tone that tried to sound as casual as possible, "Do you... remember what your parents... looked like?"
"Eh?"
Naruto froze, startled by the question.
His bright blue eyes, which had been sparkling with delight from the food, instantly dimmed.
The entire atmosphere of the ramen shop seemed to grow heavy because of Kakashi's question.
Sakura and Sasuke also stopped eating, looking at Kakashi with some surprise, not understanding why their sensei would suddenly ask such a question.
Naruto lowered his head, looking at the remaining noodles in his bowl, and was silent for a moment.
He looked at Kakashi with some confusion and bewilderment: "Ka-Kakashi-sensei... wh-why are you suddenly asking about this?"
Everyone today... feels strange.
First, Sakura inexplicably punched me, then Sasuke looked at me with strange eyes, and now even Kakashi-sensei is asking such a weird question...
He pursed his lips, his voice dropping, carrying a hint of imperceptible loss and confusion: "My parents' appearance... How could I possibly know... I..."
He paused, as if remembering something, then shook his head hard, forcing a smile that looked worse than crying:
"Ever since I can remember... I've always been alone... I've never... seen them."
Kakashi looked at Naruto's expression, feigning strength but unable to hide his disappointment, and his heart clenched.
He realized that his question just now might have been too direct, too cruel.
"Ah... Sorry, Naruto." Kakashi quickly apologized, his voice a bit dry, "Sensei was just... asking casually, no other meaning."
"N-no, it's fine!" Naruto immediately looked up, giving Kakashi a carefree, brilliant smile, and waved his hand vigorously, "I'm used to it already. Anyway, I don't know who they are, so there's no point in thinking about it. Eating ramen is more important! Hehe!"
Although he said so, the loneliness deep within that smile did not escape Kakashi's eyes.
Naruto was naturally optimistic, or rather, he was accustomed to using a big, cheerful smile to hide his inner pain.
It wasn't his first day not knowing who his parents were. Although he occasionally felt sad and envious, he could quickly adjust.
He lowered his head, no longer dwelling on the question, and continued to heartily eat his favorite ramen, as if only the deliciousness of the food could fill the emptiness in his heart.
Kakashi looked at Naruto, who was engrossed in eating his noodles, and his expression grew even more grim.
'Sure enough... He doesn't know what his parents looked or sounded like at all... Then what I saw... what I heard in my dream last night... absolutely couldn't have been a subconscious projection of Naruto!'
This completely overturned one of his previous conjectures.
So then...
What was that entity that could accurately reproduce the image and voice of Kushina-senpai in a dream?
And what was its purpose?
One question after another, like heavy storm clouds, weighed on Kakashi's mind, making the ramen in his bowl seem somewhat tasteless.
...
Behind the counter, Shigure, who was methodically cleaning the bowls and chopsticks, took all of this in.
He looked at Kakashi's furrowed brow, his solemn gaze, and the fleeting glint of inquiry and wariness in his eyes, and couldn't help but inwardly sigh.
'Tsk tsk... As expected of the man who would become the Sixth Hokage, former Anbu squad leader, Copy Ninja, Konoha's technician Gojo... This perceptiveness, this analytical ability, tsk tsk tsk... However...'
'Go ahead and investigate! Even if you're Detective Kakashi, using your Sharingan as a magnifying glass, you'll absolutely never find anything at a plain, ordinary ramen shop.'
Thinking of this, the corners of Shigure's mouth curved into a pleasant and mysterious arc once again.
Kakashi's efforts were destined to be futile.
...
A breakfast with a somewhat strange atmosphere quickly came to an end.
Kakashi paid the bill, preoccupied.
The three young members of Team 7 were also full and satisfied.
"Shigure-aniki, we're leaving." Naruto rubbed his round belly, stood up contentedly, and proudly announced to Shigure, who was wiping tables, "We're going to perform a great Ninja mission next, the kind of super amazing, super dangerous mission that only true Ninja can take! You just wait here for my triumphant return, hahaha."
Shigure looked at his excited demeanor, as if he were about to save the world, and couldn't help but smile, waving goodbye: "Okay~ Be careful on your way."
'Silly boy... a dangerous mission, indeed... You'll be waiting to catch cats, walk dogs, and pull weeds, but...'
Shigure's gaze fell on Naruto's energetic back, his eyes becoming somewhat meaningful.
'Today isn't entirely bad for you, at least... Tonight you'll finally know...'
'What your parents... truly looked like.'