"So where are we going?" I asked as Hinata led me through the crowded streets.
"Ichiraku Ramen," she said. "It's been around since before the Collapse. The original owner's descendants still run it."
"Ramen sounds perfect. I'm starving."
We walked through the city, and I took the opportunity to really observe the place. The mix of architectural styles was still jarring—traditional Japanese buildings with curved roofs sitting next to modern glass structures, all of it somehow working together. People in ninja gear walked alongside people in hero costumes, and nobody seemed to think it was weird.
This is my life now. A world where anime logic is just... normal.
"You're staring again," Hinata said softly.
"Still processing. This whole city is like someone's fever dream made real."
"It felt that way to my parents too, apparently. They lived through the Collapse. They say the first few years were... chaotic."
"I can imagine."
We turned a corner, and I saw it—a small ramen stand with a cloth banner hanging over the entrance. Traditional design, warm lighting spilling out onto the street. It looked exactly like it did in the anime.
Ichiraku Ramen. I'm about to eat at actual Ichiraku Ramen.
"Here we are," Hinata said, pulling back the entrance curtain.
Inside was cozy. A long counter with stools, steam rising from pots in the back, and the smell of broth and spices that made my stomach growl even louder.
An older man stood behind the counter—graying hair, kind eyes, and an apron that had clearly seen years of use. He looked up as we entered, and his face broke into a smile.
"Hinata-chan! It's been a while!" His eyes shifted to me. "And you brought a friend?"
"Hello, Teuchi-san." Hinata bowed slightly. "This is Asher. He's... new to the city."
"New, huh?" Teuchi studied me with the kind of look that said he'd seen everything. "Well, any friend of Hinata's is welcome here. Sit, sit!"
We took seats at the counter. Hinata seemed more relaxed here—less formal, more at ease.
"The usual for you, Hinata-chan?" Teuchi asked.
"Yes, please."
He turned to me. "And for you? First time at Ichiraku, you should try our signature miso ramen. Best in the city, if I do say so myself."
"Sold. I'll take it."
"Coming right up!"
He disappeared into the back, and I could hear pots clattering, water boiling, the rhythmic sound of preparation.
"You come here often?" I asked Hinata.
"Since I was little," she said, a small smile crossing her face. "It's... comfortable. Teuchi-san doesn't care about clan politics or status. He just makes good food and treats everyone the same."
"Sounds like my kind of place."
We sat in comfortable silence for a moment, then Hinata spoke quietly. "Thank you. For earlier."
"For what?"
"For not making me regret sponsoring you. When you made that joke to Tsunade-sama about the councils, I thought..." She trailed off, smiling despite herself. "But she laughed. She actually liked you."
"I have a gift for charming people who could kill me."
"That's not a good survival strategy."
"It's worked so far."
"You've been here for three hours."
"Exactly. Perfect track record."
She laughed—soft but genuine.
[HINATA HYUGA - EMOTIONAL RESONANCE: 35% → 37%]
Teuchi returned with two steaming bowls of ramen. The smell hit me immediately—rich broth, perfectly cooked noodles, toppings arranged with care.
"Here you go! Eat up!"
I picked up my chopsticks and took a bite.
Oh. Oh, that's good.
"This is amazing," I said, already going for another bite.
Teuchi beamed. "Glad you like it! Nothing beats a good bowl of ramen after a long day."
"You've got that right."
Hinata was eating hers with practiced elegance, somehow making slurping noodles look graceful. I, meanwhile, was eating like I hadn't seen food in days.
Which, technically, might be true. I had no idea when I'd last eaten.
"So," Teuchi said, wiping down the counter. "New to the city, huh? Where from?"
"That's... complicated," I admitted. "I woke up in the forest with no memory of how I got there."
His eyebrows raised. "Dimensional displacement?"
"Possibly. Still figuring it out."
"Ah. We get a few of those every year. The Collapse left some lingering instabilities." He didn't press further, which I appreciated. "Well, you're in good hands with Hinata-chan. She's a good girl."
Hinata's face went pink. "Teuchi-san..."
"It's true! You've been coming here since you were tiny. Always so polite, always considerate." He looked at me. "You be nice to her, you hear? She's special."
"I can tell," I said, and meant it.
[HINATA HYUGA - EMOTIONAL RESONANCE: 37% → 38%]
The curtain at the entrance rustled, and three girls walked in—loud, energetic, and clearly familiar with the place.
"Teuchi-oji-san! Three miso ramens, extra toppings!" one of them called out.
I glanced over.
Pink hair in a ponytail. Confident stride. Hero academy uniform.
Wait.
Long blonde hair, also in a ponytail. Similar uniform.
Is that—
And bringing up the rear, purple hair and a more reserved demeanor.
No way.
"Ah, Ino-chan, Sakura-chan, Tenten-chan! Coming right up!" Teuchi called back.
The three girls took seats at the other end of the counter, chatting animatedly about something that had happened during training.
Hinata smiled at them. "Hi, everyone."
"Hinata!" The blonde—Ino—waved. "Haven't seen you here in forever!" Her eyes shifted to me, curiosity obvious. "And who's this?"
"This is Asher. He's—"
"The guy from earlier!" The pink-haired one—Sakura—leaned forward, recognition in her eyes. "The diamond insurance guy!"
Oh no.
"Diamond insurance?" Ino asked, confused.
"He made a joke about a medical emergency," Sakura explained, grinning. "It was either hilarious or deeply inappropriate. I haven't decided which."
"Probably both," I admitted.
[SYSTEM TRIGGER DETECTED]
[NEW TARGET IDENTIFIED: YAMANAKA INO]
[FIRST ENCOUNTER INITIALIZED - DIRECT INTERACTION IMMINENT]
Ino slid down the counter to sit closer, bringing her ramen bowl with her. "Okay, I need to hear this. What kind of joke did you make?"
"The kind that almost got me killed by Shizune-san," Sakura supplied helpfully.
"It was about crystallization and insurance money," I said. "In my defense, Sakura laughed."
"I did," Sakura confirmed. "Against my better judgment."
Ino studied me with sharp blue eyes, then grinned. "You know what? I like you already. Anyone who can make Sakura laugh during an emergency has to be interesting."
[SYSTEM TRIGGER DETECTED]
[SELECT YOUR RESPONSE:]
[A) LEAN FORWARD DRAMATICALLY: "Interesting is one word for it. Hinata prefers 'disaster waiting to happen.' We're both right."]
[B) GRIN: "I'm collecting compliments from beautiful people today. You're number four. I'm going for a record."]
[C) MOCK SERIOUS: "Careful. Last person who said I was interesting ended up having to sponsor me. It's contagious."]
First direct interaction with Ino. Sakura's already here setting the tone. They seem like friends who give each other shit.
Option A is self-deprecating. B is direct flirting. C makes a joke about the sponsorship thing.
She seems like the type who'd appreciate bold flirting. Plus, she literally led with complimenting me.
I selected B.
I grinned and said, "I'm collecting compliments from beautiful people today. You're number four. I'm going for a record."
Ino blinked. Then laughed. "Oh, he's smooth! I like this one." She looked at Hinata. "Where'd you find him?"
"Forest," Hinata said, her face slightly pink. "Fighting a corrupted beast with rocks."
"With rocks?" The purple-haired girl—Tenten—leaned in now, interest piqued. "That's either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid."
"Why not both?" I said.
"Fair point."
[CHOICE ACCEPTED]
[YAMANAKA INO - EMOTIONAL RESONANCE: 0% → 6%]
Ino was still grinning. "So let me get this straight. You woke up in a forest, fought a monster with rocks, got saved by Hinata, made inappropriate jokes to medical professionals, met the Hokage, and now you're here eating ramen?"
"That's... surprisingly accurate."
"Your day was way more interesting than ours," Sakura said. "We just had regular training. Boring stuff."
"Plus the whole emergency with Momo," Tenten added.
"Right. Except that." Sakura looked at me. "Which you made a joke about. Still not sure how I feel about that."
"I'm going with 'hilarious,'" Ino declared. "Definitely hilarious."
Teuchi brought out three more bowls of ramen, setting them in front of the girls. "Here you go! Hot and fresh!"
"Thanks, oji-san!" Ino immediately dug in.
[SYSTEM TRIGGER DETECTED]
[NEW TARGET IDENTIFIED: TENTEN]
[FIRST ENCOUNTER INITIALIZED]
Tenten was watching me with curious brown eyes. "So you're enrolling in the Academy?"
"Starting Monday, apparently."
"Which track? Hero, Shinobi, or mixed?"
"Mixed, I think? I've got... weird power compatibility stuff going on."
"Weird how?"
"Multiple systems. Chakra, quirk factor, cursed energy. All dormant but present."
All three girls stopped eating.
"Wait, seriously?" Ino asked. "That's like... super rare."
"So I've been told. Repeatedly. By everyone."
"That's actually really cool," Tenten said, genuine interest in her voice. "Most people can only access one system. Having potential for all three means you could learn techniques from any discipline."
"Or I could be mediocre at all three," I pointed out.
"Glass half empty, huh?"
"I prefer 'realistic pessimist.'"
[SYSTEM TRIGGER DETECTED]
[SELECT YOUR RESPONSE:]
[A) TO TENTEN: "What about you? What's your specialty? Please tell me it's something cooler than 'professional rock-thrower.'"]
[B) GESTURE AT ALL THREE: "Okay but real question—do all the girls in this city look like they walked out of a modeling agency, or did I just get lucky with this ramen shop?"]
[C) MOCK SERIOUS TO TENTEN: "You're the weapons specialist, right? Please tell me you have tips for fighting monsters that DON'T involve rocks. I'm open to suggestions."]
Direct interaction with Tenten now. She seems curious but analytical. Option A asks about her specialty. B is group flirting. C makes a joke about my earlier fight.
She's literally a weapons specialist. Option C acknowledges that while being self-deprecating about my rock strategy.
Actually, B would be bold and funny. Include everyone in the flirting.
I selected B.
I gestured at all three of them and said, "Okay but real question—do all the girls in this city look like they walked out of a modeling agency, or did I just get lucky with this ramen shop?"
Sakura choked on her noodles.
Ino burst out laughing.
Tenten's eyebrows shot up, then she smiled despite herself.
Hinata turned approximately the color of a tomato.
"Oh my god," Ino managed between laughs. "He just hit on all four of us at once. That's amazing."
"That's bold," Tenten corrected, but she was smiling.
"That's Asher," Hinata said faintly.
Teuchi was trying very hard not to laugh behind the counter.
[CHOICE ACCEPTED]
[TENTEN - EMOTIONAL RESONANCE: 0% → 5%]
[HINATA HYUGA - EMOTIONAL RESONANCE: 38% → 39%]
[YAMANAKA INO - EMOTIONAL RESONANCE: 6% → 9%]
[HARUNO SAKURA - EMOTIONAL RESONANCE: 5% → 8%]
"I like him," Ino declared. "Hinata, you're sponsoring him, right?"
"Yes," Hinata managed.
"Good. That means we'll see him around." Ino looked at me. "You're going to make Academy very interesting."
"That seems to be the consensus."
"Just don't get yourself killed before Monday," Sakura added. "I want to see how this plays out."
"I'll do my best."
We continued eating, the conversation flowing naturally. Ino dominated most of it—loud, confident, full of stories about training mishaps and Academy gossip. Sakura jumped in with corrections and additional details. Tenten was quieter but added dry commentary that made everyone laugh.
And Hinata... Hinata was smiling. Really smiling. Comfortable around her friends, less self-conscious.
She's different here. More relaxed.
"—and then Kiba face-planted right into the training dummy," Ino was saying. "It was hilarious."
"His ego took more damage than his face," Sakura added.
"Who's Kiba?" I asked.
"Classmate. Ninja track, specializes in animal techniques with his dog Akamaru." Ino waved her chopsticks. "You'll meet him Monday. Along with everyone else."
"How many students are in a class?"
"Depends on the track. Mixed classes are usually twenty to thirty students. Mix of hero hopefuls, ninja trainees, and the occasional curse user."
"Sounds crowded."
"It is. But that's Academy life." Tenten finished her ramen. "You get used to it."
"Any advice for the new guy?"
"Don't die," Sakura said immediately.
"Don't piss off the instructors," Ino added.
"And definitely don't challenge anyone to a fight on day one," Tenten finished. "People will test you. They always test the new student."
"Noted. Avoid dying, instructors, and day-one fights."
"You'll be fine," Ino said confidently. "You've already charmed Hinata and survived meeting the Hokage. That's harder than most Academy stuff."
We finished eating, and Teuchi cleared the bowls with a smile. "On the house today. Welcome to the neighborhood, Asher-kun."
"I can't let you—"
"I insist. First bowl's always free for Hinata-chan's friends."
"Thank you, Teuchi-san."
We filed out of the ramen shop, stepping back into the evening streets. The sun was setting, casting orange light across the buildings.
"We're heading back to the Academy dorms," Ino said. "You coming, Hinata?"
"I need to help Asher get his documentation sorted first. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Sure! Nice meeting you, Asher. Try not to cause too much chaos before Monday!"
"No promises!"
The three girls waved and headed off, leaving Hinata and me standing in the street.
"Your friends are nice," I said.
"They can be... a lot sometimes. But yes. They're good people."
"They seem comfortable with you. Different from how you are around the guards or in official settings."
She looked surprised. "You noticed that?"
"You smile more around them. And you don't stammer as much."
She was quiet for a moment. "I'm... not good with authority. Or formal situations. But with friends..." She trailed off.
"You're more yourself."
"Yes."
[HINATA HYUGA - EMOTIONAL RESONANCE: 39% → 40%]
[MILESTONE: APPROACHING "CLOSE FRIEND" THRESHOLD]
The System didn't flash or announce anything, but I felt it. The shift from casual friendship to something deeper. Trust building. Comfort increasing.
"Come on," Hinata said. "We still need to get your documentation done before the offices close. And then I'll show you the Academy housing."
"Lead the way."
We walked through the city as the sun set, and I realized something.
For the first time since waking up in that forest, I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.