Chapter 78 – Ramen Before the Mission
The village was wrapped in silence at 4 o'clock in the morning. The streets of Konoha lay empty, lanterns dimmed, with only the distant sound of night insects and the soft rustle of leaves in the wind. Shadows moved across rooftops—ANBU keeping quiet watch, their masks glinting faintly in the dark. On the streets, a few night-duty shinobi strolled with calm vigilance.
Through the silent roads, two figures walked side by side: Akira and Kakashi. Both wore casual shinobi clothes, their breath forming faint mist in the cool predawn air.
Kakashi rubbed his eyes, half-awake, and finally muttered,
"Why… why do you always turn your eyes back to normal? You have the base from of Byakugan, right? Wouldn't it be easier to keep them active? After all it tean to come and go as you go old you eyes are turning base from of you gold byikugan"
Akira glanced at him, calm but a little weary.
"It's not that simple. My Byakugan is still… unstable. My body's chakra network isn't strong enough yet, so it's better to use my normal eyes most of the time."
Kakashi blinked, then let out a soft "oooh" of understanding.
"So that's it."
They continued walking, the silence between them broken only by the faint crunch of gravel under their sandals. Ahead, a small wooden shop came into view, its curtains still closed—the Ichiraku Ramen Shop.
Kakashi stared at the shuttered doorway, unimpressed.
"It's closed. No one's here."
Akira's face lit up with a mischievous smile.
"That's the point. We should be the first to try it, before anyone else."
And added with a wink with his gold eyes " it our Frist "date " afcourse it has to be a special"
Kakashi sighed heavily, thinking to himself, Is he serious? In the dead of night, he dragged me here… this early?
He slouched against the wooden frame beside the shop and exhaled. Sometimes, even after years together, Kakashi couldn't quite figure Akira out. The boy had strange antics some time, unpredictable ideas—half the time annoying, half the time strangely endearing, and sometimes it feels like he knows all the things in the world like..... can't be describe the feeling .
The two of them sat together in silence, waiting for hours.
By six o'clock, the first stirrings of life began. Villagers came yawning and stretching, the streets slowly filled with chatter, and lanterns were lit again. Finally, the curtain of Ichiraku lifted, and the smell of broth wafted out into the street.
Teuchi, the shop's young owner in his thirties, stepped forward and froze in surprise. Two boys were already waiting patiently, clearly having been there for quite a while.
"You two… when did you get here?" he asked, wiping his hands on a cloth.
Kakashi, deadpan, answered honestly.
"Four o'clock."
Teuchi's eyes widened. "That early?!" Then a warm smile spread across his face. He was genuinely moved—his new shop had opened today, and already there were loyal customers who had come before sunrise.
"Well then," he said, cheerful, "what can I get for you two?"
Akira and Kakashi answered in unison, "Miso broth ramen with all toppings."
Chashu pork, narutomaki, green onions, soft-boiled eggs—the works.
The steaming bowls were set before them, and as the two dug in, Akira's mind wandered. He remembered something—an image from the story he once knew. In the original timeline, during the opening of Ichiraku, Kakashi and his classmates had been the ones to come. Later that very day, Minato had appeared and taken Kakashi with him on the mission to Roran. Shibi and Chōza were already there, and Minato had met Naruto in Rōran.
But in that version, Kakashi's role was a mystery. He was shown at the end of the story, but not what he had been doing in between. Maybe now… things are shifting again.
Akira set his chopsticks down, a faint smile curling his lips. "We should buy some to-go bowls. About ten."
Kakashi raised a brow, suspicious. "Ten? Why? We only need three."
Akira waved him off with a grin. "I added a few more people. You'll see."
Kakashi gave him his deadpan stare again, but deep inside, he felt something unexpected. Sitting here, eating ramen in the early dawn with Akira… it wasn't just training, or missions, or duty. It felt almost like a normal life—something precious he could never admit aloud.
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[ Hey it Merin blaze I hope you are enjoying the book the one month is happened I have mid term exam but I still on going so you now I was given the time table that the exam is on date 8/9/2025 and the only 5 exam and 4 more to go ]