Pushing aside the familiar warm curtain, the rich aroma of bone broth immediately wafted over them. Amidst the rising steam, Naruto, with practiced ease, stepped into the ramen shop he had frequented countless times.
"Uncle, I'm here!" Naruto shouted energetically, "Two miso tonkotsu chashu ramen! Please!"
He stepped aside to make way for the black-haired girl who was following him, standing at the entrance.
"Come on, Satsuki," Naruto said with a smile, pulling out a chair, "Thank you for specially walking me home. As thanks, let me treat you to a bowl of ramen! Uncle Ichiraku's cooking is the best in Konoha!"
Satsuki's ear tips were slightly red. She sat down, feigning composure, "...Since you insist on treating, it's not impossible for me to reluctantly eat with you."
Uncle Ichiraku poked his head out from the kitchen, his face beaming. "Oh! It's Naruto and little Satsuki! Two bowls of miso tonkotsu chashu ramen, right? They'll be ready in a flash!"
Amidst the misty steam, a brown-haired girl was busy at the cutting board. Ayame, Uncle Ichiraku's daughter, looked up at the commotion and gave the two regulars a gentle smile.
As the two sat down, while waiting for the ramen, Naruto rested his chin in his hands on the wooden table, looking at Satsuki across from him with interest.
"How was it, Satsuki?" Naruto's voice held an undisguised anticipation, "Your first day at the Ninja Academy wasn't bad, right?"
Hearing the question, Satsuki tilted her head slightly, thinking for a moment. "...To be honest, it wasn't great." She made a slightly disdainful expression, "Those basic Chakra theories the teacher talked about, my father taught me three years ago."
But soon, her eyes lit up again, "But sparring with you this afternoon was pretty good," she raised her chin slightly, with a hint of challenge, "Let's have another match next time if we get the chance."
This answer was completely within Naruto's expectations, and he couldn't help but laugh. "I can't help it," he shrugged, "Not everyone is like us, training since they could walk. Most of the kids in class are encountering the world of ninja for the first time... the teacher naturally has to prioritize everyone."
Suddenly, Naruto seemed to remember something interesting and unconsciously leaned forward, "Oh, right, did you notice those interesting guys in class?"
"Interesting guys?"
"Yeah!" Naruto nodded. "Many of them, like Satsuki, are children from ninja families. For example, those two guys who raised their hands and surrendered before the sparring session even started, the pineapple-headed one is the heir of the Nara family, and the chubby one is the young master of the Akimichi family!"
Satsuki pondered for a moment, then showed an indifferent expression. "Those two? What if they come from a prestigious family? If they don't even have the courage to fight, they can't become excellent ninja."
Facing Satsuki's proud statement, Naruto just smiled indulgently. Just then, Uncle Ichiraku pushed aside the kitchen curtain and walked over with two steaming bowls of ramen.
"Sorry for the wait, special miso tonkotsu chashu ramen is here!"
As the ramen was gently placed on the table, a rich aroma immediately filled the air between them. Naruto was surprised to find that not only was his bowl piled high with chashu like a small mountain, but Satsuki's portion was equally astonishing—roughly estimated to be at least three times the normal amount.
"Uncle... this is..." Naruto's eyes widened, his chopsticks hovering over the chashu mountain, unsure where to start.
Uncle Ichiraku wiped his hands with his apron, his face full of kind smiles. "I heard, today is the first day of the Ninja Academy, right?"
"Consider it a celebratory gift. Today's ramen is on me, so eat plenty."
"Oh! Really?" Naruto instantly perked up, "That's awesome, believe it! Then, Uncle, could I have some more fish cakes and bamboo shoots?"
"Alright, alright," Uncle Ichiraku laughed heartily and turned around, "Fish cakes and bamboo shoots coming right up!"
The two quietly enjoyed the delicious meal in front of them. Naruto and Satsuki maintained a tacit silence during their meal—except for that one time long ago when Naruto was comforting Satsuki, they never had the habit of chatting while eating.
Satsuki slowly sipped the rich broth, experiencing this novel dining experience. As the daughter of the Uchiha family, her three daily meals were always meticulously prepared Japanese dishes by her mother, exquisitely plated and nutritionally balanced.
Experiences like sitting in a noisy street-side shop and eating commoner food were almost always brought to her by Naruto.
Her memories drifted back to the past. Back then, her older sister would occasionally take her to eat dango. Although Satsuki could never understand why her sister was so obsessed with those sweet, sticky rice dumplings, every time she saw her sister's satisfied smile, she would silently swallow her complaint of "too sweet."
But at some point, her sister became increasingly busy, returning home less and less often, sometimes not being seen for days. What exactly was her sister so busy with?
If it were in the past, Satsuki would have secretly felt sad because of her sister's distance. But at this moment, when she looked up and saw the blond boy across from her, wolfing down his food, the familiar sense of loss in her heart miraculously faded considerably.
Since the day they met, Naruto had been like a ray of sunshine in her life, appearing punctually at their meeting spot almost every day. Unbeknownst to her, this boy who always carried a bright smile had already become a part of her life.
Satsuki gazed at Naruto's profile, enveloped in steam. In the rising white mist, Naruto's eyelashes fluttered gently with his vigorous eating. Broth clung to the corner of his mouth, but he was oblivious, still immersed in the joy of the food.
Watching such a pure expression of happiness, Satsuki's heart felt as if it had been soaked in warm water, unconsciously softening, her gaze gradually becoming focused and tender.
"Um... what's wrong, Satsuki?" Naruto noticed her gaze, suddenly turned his head, and saw Satsuki's rare gentle expression.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
"...Maybe it's because I like you..."
The words slipped out as if they had a mind of their own. The next second, Satsuki saw Naruto freeze completely, his chopsticks clattering onto the table, his clear blue eyes wide, filled with disbelief.
...?
Wait, wait, wait! What did I just say?!
An alarm instantly blared in Satsuki's mind. She finally realized she had unconsciously blurted out something incredible.
Her fair cheeks flushed at a visible speed. She waved her hands frantically, explaining incoherently, "Um... no! I mean! That..."
I must... I must think of something!
Her brain raced, and then a light bulb suddenly went off.
"...That's right! I meant skiing!"
Her voice suddenly rose, "I was thinking if we could use skiing to train Chakra control!"
(Note: The Japanese words for "like" and "skiing" have similar pronunciations.)
Naruto froze for a few seconds, then showed an expression of sudden understanding. "...So that's what it was." He scratched his head and picked up his chopsticks again.
"It might be useful, let's try it when the snowy season comes."
Satsuki secretly breathed a sigh of relief, her heart still pounding unusually fast. She frantically averted her gaze, meeting Ayame, who was clearing dishes. Ayame returned a kind smile, finally allowing Satsuki's tense nerves to relax.
...That's great... It seems I got away with it...
What she didn't notice was that when Ayame turned around, her professional smile instantly transformed into a brilliant grin, as if she had discovered a treasure, and she unconsciously cupped her cheeks.
Oh my god... So cute...! Ayame screamed internally, What is this? An unintentional outpouring of true feelings? Ahhh, youth is so beautiful...!