It was still early, and there weren't any other customers in the ramen shop yet. The place felt a little quiet.
The air was thick with the rich aroma of tonkotsu broth, enough to make anyone's stomach start growling.
Uncle Teuchi had an apron tied around his waist and was busy behind the stove, kneading dough with practiced hands and prepping ingredients for the day.
Beside him, a black-haired, black-eyed teenager in a matching apron was methodically washing bowls, wiping down the counter, and tidying the bar with quick, familiar movements.
It was Shigure.
"Yo! Naruto!" Shigure heard the commotion at the door, looked up, and grinned teasingly as he greeted them like old friends. "I could hear that big mouth of yours from a mile away. What's with coming this early today?"
"Hehe! Brother Shigure!" Naruto was just as happy to see him. He plopped himself onto the tallest stool at the counter and answered excitedly, "We're starting commission missions today! Kakashi-sensei's treating, so I'm getting an extra-large deluxe miso ramen with super-thick chashu!"
As he spoke, he grabbed the menu out of habit, then added, "Oh yeah, Brother Shigure—where's Ayame-neechan? I didn't see her today."
Shigure kept wiping the counter as he replied offhandedly, "Ayame? She went out to stock up."
In Konoha, Uncle Teuchi, Ayame, and Shigure—who'd been taken in later—were among the very few people who never looked at Naruto with that strange, wary gaze.
Shigure especially had never discriminated against him.
Whenever the shop wasn't busy, Shigure would often slip out to play with Naruto, teach him some weird little games, or just listen to him vent.
So Naruto trusted Shigure a lot.
Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura each found a seat and casually ordered whatever ramen they wanted.
Kakashi got a basic miso ramen. Sasuke ordered tomato ramen. Sakura hesitated for a long time, then fought with herself before ordering a fairly light vegetable ramen—gotta keep the figure.
"Got it! One extra-large chashu miso! One miso! One tomato! One veggie!" Shigure rattled off the order, then went to the stove and started boiling noodles, seasoning broth, and prepping toppings.
He'd been helping in the shop for years; Teuchi had taught him everything, and while Shigure wasn't quite better than the master yet, he'd learned at least seventy or eighty percent of the craft.
Before long, four steaming bowls were ready.
"Ramen up, folks!" Shigure carried them over one by one and set them on the counter.
"Whoa, that smells amazing!" Naruto stared at his mountain of chashu, soft-boiled egg, narutomaki, bamboo shoots, and seaweed. He was practically drooling.
He pressed his hands together, full of energy. "Thanks for the food!"
Then he immediately grabbed a bowl bigger than his face, buried his head in it, and started slurping like a tornado, splashing broth everywhere—his table manners were beyond saving.
"Hey, Naruto, your eating is disgusting," Sakura said with a look of pure disdain. She turned her head to praise Sasuke on the other side. "See, Sasuke-kun is elegant. Even the way he eats is so handsome. Just like a true Uchiha noble."
Sasuke didn't respond to her fangirling. Like a proper young lord, he lifted a small bundle of noodles with chopsticks and ate with calm, refined precision.
Naruto heard Sakura and glared, cheeks stuffed full. "Mmph mmph, you annoying jerk is just posing again! Ramen tastes best when you eat big bites, y'know!"
As if to prove it, he gulped down a huge mouthful of broth with a loud sluuuurp, clearly just to irritate her.
"You—!" Sakura's forehead vein twitched.
Kakashi watched the three overly energetic kids and shook his head helplessly.
He quietly ate his own ramen, but the one visible eye he had kept subtly tracking Naruto as the boy shoveled food into his face.
The timing… should be about right.
Kakashi set down his chopsticks and asked in a tone that tried to sound casual, "By the way, Naruto…"
"Huh?" Naruto looked up, broth still on his lip.
Kakashi met his eyes and, with an as-natural-as-possible voice, asked, "Do you… remember what your parents looked like?"
"Eh?"
Naruto froze.
Those bright, sparkling blue eyes dulled in an instant.
Even the atmosphere in the ramen shop seemed to sink under the weight of that question.
Sakura and Sasuke stopped eating too, staring at Kakashi in surprise. They didn't understand why he'd ask something like that out of nowhere.
Naruto lowered his head, staring at the noodles left in his bowl. He was silent for a moment.
Then he looked up, confused and a little lost. "Ka-Kakashi-sensei… why'd you suddenly ask that?"
Everyone… felt weird today.
First Sakura beat the hell out of him for no reason. Then Sasuke kept giving him a strange look. Now even Kakashi-sensei was asking strange questions…
Naruto pressed his lips together, his voice dropping. "What my parents looked like… how could I know that… I…"
He paused, as if remembering something, then shook his head hard and forced a smile that was more painful than cheerful.
"Since I can remember, I've always been alone… I've never… seen them."
Kakashi's heart clenched at the sight.
He realized his question had been stupid beyond words.
"Ah… sorry, Naruto," he said quickly. "Sensei was just… asking without thinking. I didn't mean anything by it."
"I-it's fine!" Naruto immediately lifted his head and plastered on that carefree grin, waving it off. "I'm used to it already. Doesn't matter who they were if I don't know anyway. Thinking about it won't change anything—eating ramen is way more important! Hehe!"
He said that, but the loneliness hidden behind the smile didn't escape Kakashi.
Naruto was naturally optimistic—or maybe he'd just learned to cover the ache with loud laughter.
This wasn't the first day he'd known he had no parents. It still hurt sometimes, and he sometimes envied other kids, but he always bounced back fast.
He ducked his head and resumed eating, as if only the taste of food could fill that hollow place in his chest.
Kakashi watched him, but his face only grew darker.
So he really doesn't know their faces or voices…
Which means what I saw and heard last night can't possibly have come from Naruto's subconscious.
That completely demolished one of Kakashi's earlier theories.
Then…
Just what kind of being could reproduce Kushina-senpai's image and voice so perfectly in a dream?
And what was its goal?
Question after question pressed down on Kakashi like thunderclouds, and even ramen began to taste bland.
…
The breakfast, tangled in strange tension, ended quickly.
Kakashi paid, distracted and heavy-hearted.
The three kids were full.
"Brother Shigure, we're heading out!" Naruto hopped off his stool, patting his rounded belly with satisfaction. He proudly announced to Shigure, who was wiping the table, "We're going to do great ninja missions now! The kind only real ninja can take—super awesome, super dangerous ones! You just wait here for me to come back victorious, hahaha!"
Shigure smiled like he always did and waved. "Sure. Be careful out there."
You dumb kid… dangerous missions, huh. You're about to go chase cats and pull weeds.
But…
Shigure's gaze lingered on Naruto's energetic back, and his eyes turned quietly meaningful.
Today won't be all bad for you.
At least tonight, you'll finally get to know… what your parents really looked like.
-------
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