"Time to eat."
Ryu snapped his wooden chopsticks apart, pressed his palms together briefly, and dove into the bowl. He didn't waste a second. The rich smell of pork bone broth hit him like a physical blow, reminding him just how empty his stomach really was.
"Busy day again, huh?"
Teuchi wiped his hands on a rag, eyeing the grime on the boy's tunic.
It was crazy, honestly. A five-year-old kid waking up before the sun to chase odd jobs until the moon was high. In a normal world, people would talk. Child labor wasn't exactly a good look. But here, survival came first.
Teuchi couldn't help but respect the grit. Ryu found work every single day, no matter what.
The kid was a war orphan. He'd bailed on the orphanage to survive on his own, and that hardened a person. Even a little one.
"Yeah, today was packed!" Ryu gulped down a mouthful of broth and let out a long sigh. He looked up, grinning through the steam.
"Is that right? Good on you." Teuchi smiled. The kid was covered in dust, his clothes were patched to hell, but his hair was clean and his eyes were bright. That kind of optimism was rare these days.
"Oh, and Uncle—no tab today. I'm paying."
Ryu slurped the last noodle, drained the bowl dry, and slammed it onto the wooden counter with a satisfied clatter. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"You only owed me once, kid. Don't worry about it," Teuchi said, sounding half-amused.
He wanted to just give the kid the food, but Ryu had this weird maturity about him. Handouts would just piss him off.
"Can't have you losing money on me, Old Man."
Ryu dug into his leather pouch and pulled out enough copper coins for two bowls, covering his debt.
"Business is booming, kid. You aren't gonna bankrupt me." Teuchi chuckled, but he took the coins anyway.
"Glad to hear it. Hope you make a killing." Ryu hopped off the stool and headed for the canvas flaps at the entrance.
"Hey, Ryu."
Teuchi's voice stopped him.
"I'm drowning in orders lately. I need an extra pair of hands tomorrow. You interested? I pay well."
Ryu blinked.
He'd asked for a job here weeks ago, and Teuchi had shot him down immediately—said he wasn't running a sweatshop. So, Ryu had been hauling crates and scrubbing floors elsewhere, only treating himself to ramen every few days.
Seeing the shock on the kid's face, Teuchi cleared his throat, trying to sound professional.
"Well? If you want the work, show up. If not, I'll find someone else."
It wasn't charity. It was business. At least, that's what his tone said.
Ryu's eyes lit up. "Deal! Don't you dare hire anyone else."
"Right. Dawn. Don't oversleep."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
Ryu waved and slipped past the heavy canvas into the night.
He knew the plot. In the original story, Teuchi never hired anyone but his daughter Ayame for years. This was an exception.
"Softhearted old bastard," Ryu whispered, smiling.
Under the cold starlight, he blew on his hands to keep the feeling in his fingers. To Teuchi, it was just a wage. To Ryu, it was a lifeline. No more begging for scraps of work from the guilds or merchants. A steady gig at Ichiraku meant food, money, and safety.
Things were finally looking up.
Halfway home, a shiver ripped through him. He stopped, looking at the horizon.
The air felt colder tonight.
His name was Fuchigami Ryu. He was a transmigrator.
Back on 21st-century Earth, he'd been Sato Hiro—a burnt-out college grad who realized the world didn't care about his dreams. He'd settled for a quiet, boring life.
But the universe had a sick sense of humor. He died and woke up here.
And 'here' was arguably worse.
Being an orphan in Konoha was like playing Russian Roulette with five bullets. The orphanage was basically a recruiting ground for Danzo. If you showed even a flicker of ninja talent, you didn't get a scholarship—you got dragged into Root.
The Hokage's ANBU were dangerous, sure. But Danzo's Root? That was a black hole. You went in, you lost your name, your emotions, and eventually your life. An orphan with no clan backing had zero chance of saying no.
So, he ran. He found the rotting shack his predecessor's parents had left behind and claimed it.
A few days after he moved in, some clerk from the village administration showed up with a couple of prospective buyers, looking to sell the land. It was awkward, but the place was such a wreck the buyers walked away.
Ryu kept the shack. He didn't know if the village would come back to seize it later, but for now, it was a roof.
He stepped inside and shut the door against the wind. The room was dark. He fumbled for the flint and lit the oil lamp, casting a dim, flickering yellow glow across the peeling walls.
Crumbling plaster, drafty floorboards. It was a dump.
He grabbed the copper kettle and set it on the small coal stove to boil water for a wash. As the coins from his day's work clinked into his piggy bank, a familiar, translucent blue screen flickered into existence in his vision.
In the top right corner, a gold coin icon sat next to a number.
Gold: 3,000
"Finally."
He mentally tapped the shop icon, focusing on the golden frame he'd been staring at for months.
[Newbie Discount (90% OFF): S-Rank Character Card – Minato Namikaze | Cost: 3,000 Gold (Orig. 30,000)]
[Newbie Discount (90% OFF): S-Rank Character Card – Jiraiya | Cost: 3,000 Gold (Orig. 30,000)]
[Newbie Discount (90% OFF): S-Rank Character Card – Hiruzen Sarutobi | Cost: 3,000 Gold (Orig. 30,000)]
[Note: One-time purchase only. Choose wisely.]
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