Seven guests arrived all at once, so Uncle Teuchi had to get a little busy.
Fortunately, the order was simple—seven bowls of miso ramen.
Uncle Ichiraku's daughter, Ayame, was wiping the counter clean with a rag. She quickly cleared a large space around the corner seats and arranged for Naruto and the others to sit in a row.
Hashirama looked around the shop, nodded in approval, then turned to Ayame and asked, "Young lady, how much is a bowl of ramen these days?"
Ayame smiled and replied, "Sir, is this your first time here? The prices of our ramen are posted on the wall. You can check them yourself."
Hashirama nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed. He hadn't expected that such a casual question would make it so obvious he was a first-timer.
Tobirama frowned and said, "Brother, just eat the noodles. Stop asking random questions."
Hashirama huffed, "Can't even ask a simple question?"
The Third Hokage chuckled softly and leaned closer to whisper the history and origins of the ramen shop into Hashirama's ear.
Hashirama listened intently and nodded often.
He hadn't imagined that Ichiraku Ramen would become so iconic in Konoha. It had now become one of the village's landmark establishments. Visitors from other countries would come to Konoha just to eat a bowl of ramen and snap a photo.
Minato recalled that when Ichiraku Ramen first opened, he was on a mission and looking for Kakashi and the others. At the time, he ran into Jiraiya at the entrance. Jiraiya had proudly shown off his newly perfected Rasengan.
Minato had praised him briefly before heading off. Later, he found Kakashi inside the ramen shop, and they set off on their mission.
As for the first time he ate here, it had been with Kushina. He smiled and looked at Naruto, saying, "Naruto, do you know when I first had this ramen?"
Naruto quickly grabbed Minato's hand and shook his head with a serious expression.
Minato's heart clenched—he was too relaxed, and the memories were rushing back.
Uncle Teuchi, who was cooking the noodles, paused, slightly surprised. Naruto?
He turned around curiously, looked at Minato and Naruto, and asked with confusion, "Your name is Naruto?"
Naruto quickly waved his hands. "Ah! No, no! My name is Menma. That's just a nickname my father uses. Menma!"
Minato nodded hurriedly. "Yes, yes."
Uncle Teuchi nodded. "Oh," he said. The pronunciations of Menma and Naruto were quite similar in Japanese.
But then he frowned slightly. Wait... Naruto doesn't have a father. That boy's always been alone. Where is he now?
He'd heard that Lady Tsunade had led a group of ninja to war again. Why were peaceful times so rare in this era?
Naruto let out a slow breath, and Minato looked down, a guilty expression in his eyes.
It reminded everyone present that they were all villagers of Konoha now. When speaking publicly, they couldn't use their real names.
"Here it comes! Miso-yaki Ramen!"
Uncle Teuchi brought out bowl after bowl, placing them in front of the seven guests.
As the scent wafted up, everyone was overwhelmed by emotion. Each had their own memories.
Shisui looked at Itachi. Itachi looked back at Shisui. They both knew what the other was feeling.
"It's been a while, huh?"
"Yeah... a long time."
They smiled at each other and began eating. But soon, they stopped chewing, looked at each other again, and chuckled softly. Then, to everyone's surprise, they began to cry.
Uncle Teuchi was puzzled. He turned to his daughter Ayame, who frowned and asked, "Dad, did you mix up the mustard again?"
Uncle Teuchi raised his hands. "I didn't put any in!"
Naruto jumped in to save the moment. "Hahaha, Uncle! Your ramen is so delicious, they've never had anything this good before!"
Shisui and Itachi nodded quickly, confirming Naruto's explanation.
Relieved, Uncle Teuchi laughed loudly. "Oh, I see! I didn't expect you boys to love my ramen that much!
Hahaha! Say what you will, but when it comes to ramen in Konoha, I'm confident I make the best!"
Ayame also sighed in relief. She'd thought her father had mistakenly added mustard. Still, she was curious. How could ramen make someone cry?
To her, the flavor was just average. Maybe she was too used to eating it every day.
Minato blew on the hot noodles and ate quietly. He couldn't cry—his eyes stayed dry—but memories of Kushina, of Konoha, flooded his mind.
Obito, Kakashi, Rin.
Master Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade, Shikaku, Choza, Shibi Aburame, and so many others.
They had all come here once, shared laughter over a bowl of ramen.
It was true—a simple bowl of ramen from your hometown could bring back so many unforgettable memories.
The Third Hokage also ate with satisfaction. After all, Ichiraku Ramen was established during his reign. Back then, the Third Great Ninja War had just ended. Konoha was in ruins.
Uncle Teuchi believed instant ramen was unhealthy, so he insisted on hand-pulled noodles, carefully selected ingredients, and rich bone-based soup. When it was launched, it became a hit across Konoha!
As they ate, a commotion broke out outside.
"Seriously! You treat me like a kid. Why can't I go to the battlefield?!"
"Don't be mad. Lord Hokage is thinking of our age."
"That's right. We're still too young."
"Hmph! Who's a kid? In wartime, ninja went to the battlefield at age six!"
Naruto frowned slightly upon hearing the voices. What's this?
The Third Hokage turned to look as well.
Sure enough, the shop curtain parted—and Konohamaru stepped in. "Uncle! One miso-yaki ramen, please!"
Uncle Teuchi turned and smiled. "Alright, young master!"
Ayame noticed him and teased, "Oh, who made our young master angry today? You're so fiery!"
Moegi replied, "Lord Hokage rejected his battlefield application. He's still sulking."
Udon sniffled. "We're still too weak. Hokage-sama won't let us go."
Konohamaru slammed the table. "Weak? I'm not weak! I'm already a Genin! An elite Genin at that! I can even use the Rasengan, the A-rank technique Naruto-nii taught me!"
Naruto, who had been sipping his noodles, burst out laughing. The broth sprayed out, splashing onto the ground.
He quickly grabbed a few napkins and wiped his mouth.
Konohamaru huffed, glaring. "What? You think I'm a joke?"
Naruto waved his hands, still smiling. "No, no. I just choked."
Hashirama, watching the boy's antics, leaned closer to Tobirama. "Who's this little guy? He's kinda cute."
Tobirama, annoyed, grumbled, "How should I know? Go ask him!"
He pointed directly at Naruto.
The Third Hokage covered his face in embarrassment.
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