The shop curtain lifted gently as Menma led Naruto into Ichiraku Ramen.
"Welcome—oh, it's you again, Menma," Teuchi greeted with a familiar smile, looking up from behind the counter.
It wasn't quite dinner time yet, so the shop was relatively quiet—only two ordinary genin were seated inside.
"Uncle Teuchi, one tonkotsu chashu ramen for me. And no—"
"No narutomaki, extra bamboo shoots. I know, I know," Teuchi finished for him with a chuckle, already getting to work.
For a brief moment, Menma felt as if someone else had once said those exact words before. But the memory remained blurry and out of reach.
Naruto followed closely behind, his steps hesitant.
When the two genin noticed him at the entrance, they shot him looks of obvious disgust. Naruto shrank instinctively, almost turning to flee.
Before he could, Menma pressed a firm hand onto his shoulder.
"What are you spacing out for? Look at the menu and order."
Menma climbed onto a stool, then added casually, "By the way, I don't even know your name."
"I—I'm Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto!" he answered quickly, scrambling up onto the stool beside Menma. He glanced nervously at the wooden menu board on the floor.
Unfortunately, Naruto still couldn't read.
So he copied Menma instead.
"I… I'll have a tonkotsu chashu ramen too!"
"Coming right up! Please wait a moment," Teuchi replied cheerfully.
The two genin finished their meal shortly after.
"Boss, here's the money," one of them said as they left a few bills on the counter.
On their way out, they whispered to each other.
'That kid… that's him, right?'
'Yeah. The one who killed the Fourth Hokage…'
'Totally ruined my appetite. I feel sick…'
Naruto sat with his back to the door, but he still heard every word.
He didn't understand what "Fourth Hokage" meant. He didn't know what "demon fox" meant either. But he understood one thing perfectly—the hatred aimed at him.
His expression dimmed.
"Akemi, go clean that table," Teuchi called out, breaking the tense air.
"Coming!" A lively little girl around eight or nine rushed out from the back, white headband tied neatly over her hair.
She swiftly gathered the dishes and wiped down the counter with practiced ease.
"Menma, brought another friend today?" she teased while working.
"Stop calling me 'young master,' Akemi big sis~," Menma shot back, dragging out the words on purpose.
The word big sis made her freeze mid-wipe.
"Hey!" she puffed up her cheeks. "You're supposed to call girls 'older sister,' not 'big sis'!"
Even at her age, being called "big sis" by a younger boy still stung a bit.
'So his name is Menma…' Naruto thought, watching the exchange with quiet envy.
Akemi turned to him with a bright smile.
"And what's your name, little guy?"
"I—I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" he replied nervously, face flushing from being spoken to kindly for the first time.
Unlike everyone else, neither Menma nor Akemi treated him with any malice.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Akemi, Teuchi's daughter. Come back anytime!" she said with a grin.
"Since you're a new customer, I'll make you some tempura on the house!"
A few minutes later, two steaming bowls of ramen and a plate of tempura were set before them.
"Enjoy your meal!" Teuchi and Akemi said together with a warm smile.
"Time to eat!" Menma clapped his hands together.
But just as he picked up his chopsticks, he noticed Naruto staring at the rising steam—tears dripping onto the wooden counter.
"Oi, what are you crying for?" Menma frowned. "Didn't anyone teach you what to say before eating?"
"N-no… no one ever taught me," Naruto sniffled, wiping his face.
From as far back as he could remember, Naruto had lived surrounded by cold glares and cruel words. No one had ever bothered teaching him basic manners—or anything at all.
"Then copy me," Menma said gruffly, handing him chopsticks. "Say it."
Naruto looked at him, feeling warmth from the boy who spoke harshly but acted kindly.
"I… I'll dig in!" he repeated, pressing his hands together before splitting the chopsticks.
Slurp slurp—
The two boys began eating side by side.
Teuchi smiled softly as he returned to his cooking. He didn't know the full story—but he knew he was witnessing something gentle and precious.
Akemi, however, kept glancing at them.
For some reason… they looked oddly like brothers.
Naruto devoured his ramen with astonishing speed.
Having grown up on instant noodles and scraps, a proper bowl of hot ramen tasted like heaven itself. He even drank the broth clean.
Menma was only halfway through his meal when Naruto finished and began staring hungrily at the tempura between them.
"Here. You can have it," Menma said, sliding the plate over.
"B-but…" Naruto hesitated.
Menma raised his chopsticks.
"Rule one: when someone helps you, say thank you. Rule two: don't waste kindness."
Then he added bluntly, "Besides, I've eaten plenty today. I'm not a starving ghost like you."
With that excuse, Naruto happily grabbed a piece.
"Thank you, Menma!"
After finishing, Menma wiped his mouth.
"Uncle Teuchi, today's bill is on this guy," he said, pointing at Naruto.
Teuchi laughed. "Alright then! Since it's your first visit, I'll give you a discount. Total comes to ninety ryo."
Naruto froze.
He fumbled with his wallet, counting carefully.
His monthly allowance wasn't much to begin with, and most of it mysteriously disappeared on cup noodles. Ninety ryo was… painful.
Still, he reluctantly handed over a hundred-ryo note.
"Here's your change," Akemi said, handing him ten ryo back.
As the two left the shop, Menma stretched contentedly.
Naruto, meanwhile, stared mournfully at the ten coins in his hand, looking like his soul had just taken critical damage.
"Man… my wallet…"
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