Naruto stared at the big brother in disbelief.
This person was too nice—not only did he not hate him, he was even treating him to food.
Tears almost welled up in his eyes.
Ryosuke hadn't expected him to be so moved. It was just treating him to ramen—such a simple thing.
As Ryosuke led Naruto toward [Ichiraku Ramen], two masked men hiding in the shadows watched them. One of them spoke.
"Captain Kakashi, an Uchiha is approaching the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. Isn't that too dangerous?"
"Should we step in and stop him?"
Kakashi waved a hand.
"Though he's from the Uchiha, that one's a taijutsu type. There's no danger."
"We'll stick to the Hokage's orders and guard from the shadows. Don't reveal ourselves."
In truth, his friend Obito Uchiha had also been Uchiha—Obito had even given him a Sharingan at the end. Not every Uchiha was arrogant. Besides, this Uchiha Ryosuke was the "new close friend" Guy had mentioned—also a taijutsu shinobi. Anyone Guy acknowledged shouldn't be a bad person.
Ryosuke quickly brought Naruto to [Ichiraku Ramen] and ordered two hearty bowls.
He wasn't just treating Naruto; he wanted a bowl too.
You could eat this stuff forever and never get sick of it.
The owner of Ichiraku frowned slightly when he saw Naruto, then his expression eased.
The streets might buzz with talk that this kid was a reincarnated fox demon, but how could he believe something so absurd?
The boy had hands and feet—clearly a human child. Who had spread such a vile rumor?
A child being shunned by adults like this—
Forget a child—most grown-ups couldn't endure it either.
He headed to the back to prepare generous bowls of ramen.
"Please wait a moment, it'll be right up."
Seeing the owner's attitude, Naruto relaxed. It was the first time he hadn't been thrown out of a shop.
Even if Big Bro Ryosuke wanted to treat him, if the shop refused them, money wouldn't help.
Now he could finally taste this "ramen" Ryosuke had praised.
The owner soon set down two steaming bowls.
The one in front of Naruto was obviously piled a bit higher; clearly, the owner was being kind.
Ryosuke smiled and beckoned.
"Eat it while it's hot—it tastes better."
Naruto snatched up his chopsticks and slurped the noodles.
It was so good.
He was thrilled—this was unbelievably delicious.
He ate nearly as fast as Ryosuke did.
In no time he polished off the bowl, even gulping several mouthfuls of broth before he sighed in contentment.
Ryosuke had worried a kid his age might overeat, but seeing Naruto perfectly fine, he relaxed.
Boys putting away a big bowl of ramen wasn't strange at all.
All the more so when it was his new favorite.
After both finished their bowls, they sat and rested awhile. Fortunately, the shop wasn't crowded, so they weren't hurting business.
Before leaving, Ryosuke pulled out a thick stack of cash and handed it to the owner.
The owner blinked in surprise.
"Sir, that's way too much—120 ryō is enough."
Ryosuke explained,
"That's 1,920 ryō. From now on, whenever Naruto comes for ramen, deduct it from this. If it runs out, just tell me next time I'm here and I'll prepay more."
As the Uchiha Grand Elder's grandson, he'd never lacked for money.
And Naruto, the son of the Fourth Hokage, certainly shouldn't be short on money either.
Only then did the owner understand and happily accept the cash.
He didn't share the other villagers' distrust of the Uchiha. In fact, the Uchiha Police had enforced the law strictly, catching plenty of freeloaders who tried to eat without paying. He ran a tiny business—if moochers kept taking advantage, there'd be no profit left.
Naruto looked at Big Bro Ryosuke, eyes shining, tears threatening to fall.
Right now, he felt it was wonderful to have been born in this village.
After resting a bit, they left Ichiraku and walked together down the street.
Before they parted, Naruto asked,
"Big Bro Ryosuke, why are you so nice to me?"
This should've been the first time they'd met.
He was truly happy someone treated him like this, but he wanted to know why.
Ryosuke said quietly,
"Because you're a hero's child."
"We don't let a hero's child cry."
The Fourth Hokage and his wife had died protecting Konoha—true heirs to the Will of Fire, with almost no blemishes to their names.
Unlike the Third, who asked others to uphold that Will—that was the difference.
Naruto's eyes went wide.
The words upended his understanding.
"'A hero's child'—then whose kid am I? And why do the villagers call me a fox demon?"
Ryosuke was about to tell him when a white-haired man in a mask appeared beside them and said coldly,
"Don't say another word."
Ryosuke recognized the white hair and frowned. It was ANBU's Kakashi.
So he was protecting Naruto personally.
Naruto was agitated. He'd always wanted to know who his father was, and why he was called a fox demon. He had hands and feet and no tail—how was he a fox?
Were the villagers blind? And now, at the crucial moment, they were being interrupted—his face darkened.
"Who are you? What gives you the right to butt into our business?"