"What, seeing the Kage Rock makes you feel nostalgic?"
Shikaku asked with a smile.
Ruri didn't refute him. She nodded and said, "Yeah, it is a little nostalgic. Even though I've been away for more than ten years, this sight feels like it was just yesterday. But there is something different: back then there were only three faces carved on the Kage Rock."
"The extra one is the statue of the Fourth, Lord Minato."
"I know. It's a pity he's already dead."
Ruri nodded.
Hearing that, Shikaku's mouth twitched slightly, and his smile froze on his face.
He knew Ruri was just stating facts, without any intention of mocking, but hearing it put that way still made him feel a bit uncomfortable.
And if he remembered correctly, the reason the Nine-tailed broke loose back then was not unrelated to the Land of Demons' under-the-table schemes.
"I always wanted to have a proper match with him. It's a shame I don't have that chance anymore."
Shikaku heard Ruri continue to sigh, but said nothing.
He felt the same regret in his heart. If Minato hadn't died in the Kyuubi Rampage, it would have been better. With Minato's tough stance and his strength, he absolutely could have posed a huge deterrent to the Land of Demons, making them afraid to act rashly.
Konoha wouldn't have become a laughingstock at the Five Kage Summit.
They compromised and backed down before Renegade Ninja, dealing a heavy blow to Konoha's face.
"By the way, is bringing only this few people really going to be enough? That's an entire clan's collection we're talking about."
Shikaku glanced at the few Ninja of the Land of Demons behind Ruri, as well as the cold-faced girl who looked extremely similar to Ruri.
Just a handful of people trying to transport a whole clan's collection—no matter how you looked at it, it didn't seem very realistic.
"It's fine. The Shion Flower medical company's branches in Konoha should be able to spare some personnel."
Ruri said.
During the Land of Wind war, several Shion Flower medical company branches in Konoha had been put under lockdown and surveillance.
But once the war ended, with Hidden Sand and Konoha both losing, Konoha lifted the lockdown and surveillance on those branches, acting like nothing had ever happened.
Once that line is crossed, it's basically giving the Land of Demons an excuse to pick a fight with Konoha.
For Konoha, that would be an entirely unfavorable situation.
In its current state, Konoha couldn't withstand too much turmoil, not after suffering losses this severe.
"Mom, I'll leave the negotiations to you. I'm going to look around nearby."
At that moment, Ichihime suddenly spoke up.
Ruri glanced at her and nodded her consent.
Ichihime had previously studied abroad in Konoha, so she was not unfamiliar with this place, and didn't need a guide.
"Don't cause any trouble."
Ichihime waved her hand, indicating that she understood.
◎
"Teuchi-uncle, one large miso chashu ramen!"
First pulling open the noren curtain, a boy with six whisker marks on his face ran in, cheerfully shouting at the owner behind the counter.
"Oh, it's Naruto. You're a bit late today."
Teuchi, already in his forties, looked at Naruto and showed a kind smile.
"Training wasted a bit of time."
The kid called Naruto answered.
"Naruto really is a hard-working good kid. Your grades at school must be great, right?"
Teuchi said.
"Not really, not really."
Naruto scratched his head and laughed shyly.
Dead last in the class for practicals, dead last in the class for theory—he really couldn't bring himself to say that out loud.
He was even mocked as the boss of the "idiot trio" in class. One day, he was going to become Hokage and make those guys shut up!
"Ayame, one large miso chashu ramen, and be sure to add extra chashu. It's for Naruto."
Teuchi shouted toward the kitchen.
"Got it, Dad."
A clear, girlish voice answered from the kitchen.
Naruto sat there, expectantly waiting for his ramen to be ready.
Just then, the noren was lifted again.
"Welcome, customer. What kind of ramen would you like?"
Teuchi addressed the new customer.
"Two large tonkotsu chashu ramen, to go."
The girl who came in was Ichihime. She spoke to Teuchi.
"All right, two large tonkotsu chashu ramen, take-out."
Teuchi noted it down and had the girl in the kitchen get busy.
"By the way, young lady, your face and your temperament seem kind of familiar. I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."
Teuchi now studied Ichihime's features, as if trying to recall something.
"A few years ago, I lived in Konoha for a while."
Ichihime replied.
"That sounds about right… but this sense of familiarity feels like something from much longer ago. Back then, there was often a trio of one guy and two girls who came to eat my ramen, and sometimes they'd bring their squad's Jonin leader along. One of the girls was an incredible eater—she'd put away dozens of bowls every time, and their Jonin leader always had this pained look on his face."
Because back then, it wasn't him at the stall but his father; he was always busy in the kitchen, so he had very little contact with customers.
"Is that so?"
Ichihime nodded slightly. She knew exactly who Teuchi was talking about.
She'd heard that her Aunt Ayane had been a regular at Ichiraku Ramen.
As for their Jonin leader, that should have been the already deceased White Fang Hatake Sakumo.
She'd seen this person when she flipped through old photos of her elders.
After that, Ichihime sat idly on her stool, waiting for the ramen to be done.
In the midst of waiting like that, it was inevitable that her gaze would wander.
So she looked toward Naruto, who was sitting next to her, a little tense and curious, sneaking glances at her.