"Sorry about that. We'll be more careful next time."
Nagato cut Nonou off before she could respond and quickly took over the conversation.
Since they were clearly at fault, an apology was only polite.
After that little incident, neither of them felt like talking anymore and quietly stood in line.
About twenty minutes later, they were almost up to order.
"What are you getting? I'll order for both of us."
Without turning around, Nagato kept looking at the Ichiraku Ramen menu.
"I wonder if they've got anything new?"
Nonou adjusted her glasses with one hand, leaning forward over Nagato's shoulder to take a closer look.
"How about beef ramen?"
Just as Nagato turned his head, it seemed like his face brushed against something.
He froze momentarily, and both of them could clearly hear each other's breathing.
"It's good—they use premium beef from the Land of Lightning."
Nonou quickly pulled back slightly and answered his question while keeping her head lowered.
She hadn't noticed any new menu items—but she might've just accidentally kissed Nagato.
"Uh, then I'll go with the beef then."
"Are you done deciding yet?"
Nagato subtly rubbed his face, pretending like nothing had happened.
Although his heart seemed to beat a little faster.
"I want the tuna ramen."
Nonou glanced up at Nagato. Noticing he didn't seem aware of it, she relaxed slightly.
Maybe she was just imagining things.
"Alright."
Nagato nodded and stepped up once the previous customer had ordered.
"One tuna ramen and one beef ramen, please."
Teuchi was still a young man back then—energetic and full of life.
His lovely daughter Ayame wouldn't be born for some time yet.
"Coming right up—you two can sit down first."
Teuchi said cheerfully while continuing his work. He noticed the interaction between the two and knew they were together.
"Is this seat okay?"
Nagato found a couple of seats next to each other. Once Nonou sat down, he took the seat beside her.
"Here, drink some water first."
Nonou poured two glasses effortlessly.
"Thanks."
Nagato took a sip. Eating those Rasengans really made him thirsty.
"Don't worry about it."
Nonou held her glass, sipping lightly.
She kept stealing glances at Nagato, always making sure not to get caught.
Soon enough, two steaming bowls of ramen were placed on the table in front of them.
"It smells amazing."
Even before tasting, Nagato already felt his appetite awaken.
"Told you—it smells even better once you start eating."
Saying that, Nonou picked up a large piece of tuna and dropped it into Nagato's bowl.
"Then I'll start."
Nagato immediately started slurping the noodles with his chopsticks. The freshly cooked noodles and beef were so hot he had to keep blowing on them.
"Haha, slow down a bit."
Seeing Nagato's awkward struggle, Nonou laughed lightheartedly.
She took off her glasses and set them aside—they were already fogged up from the steam.
"You can see like that?"
Finally swallowing the noodles in his mouth, Nagato curiously asked Nonou.
"I'm just nearsighted—not blind."
Nonou gave Nagato a sharp glare. What kind of comment was that?
"Sorry, I was just curious."
Realizing how awkward that sounded, Nagato hesitated a moment before quickly changing the topic.
"How come you never got it fixed? Wearing glasses must be inconvenient for you as a ninja, right?"
Nagato didn't believe for a second that glasses wouldn't have some impact on a ninja.
It's just a matter of how much it affects them.
"I did think about it, but medical ninjutsu mainly focuses on regeneration."
"And regeneration doesn't help with nearsightedness."
"I once had the chance to ask Advisor Nemu Koharu, and she told me the fastest treatment was to replace the eyes."
Nonou explained. It wasn't that she didn't want treatment.
"Then just replace them."
Nagato didn't think it was a big deal. Replacing eyes wasn't unheard of on the battlefield.
To a medical ninja, it wasn't even considered a major procedure.
"But I don't want to use someone else's eyes. I'm not blind anyway."
Nonou felt some resistance deep down. Bad as they were, these eyes were the ones her parents gave her.
If she went blind, that would be a different story.
"Okay then, is there any way to treat nearsightedness without replacing the eyes?"
Nagato slurped another large bite of noodles. He didn't think Nonou was being stubborn.
Everyone had their own views and sticking points — perfectly normal.
"Not yet."
"Because replacing eyes is so easy."
Nonou gave a bitter smile.
Indeed, since eye replacement was so simple, no one would go research methods to cure eye diseases.
Got an issue? Just swap the pair.
In the original story, even Orochimaru could switch bodies. Compared to that, mere eyes weren't worth mentioning.
"I see. Then let me go ask Lady Tsunade when I get back."
"She's got more experience — maybe she'll know something."
Nagato hadn't delved into this area and could only think to seek help from Tsunade.
If even Tsunade couldn't help, he'd have to put it on hold for now.
"I hope so."
Nonou didn't hold much hope for this.
In her opinion, why would Lord Tsunade bother researching something so minor?
And indeed, Tsunade focused on projects like Hashirama's cells and Tailed Beast cells — research capable of shaking the entire ninja world.
"If Lady Tsunade can't help, then we'll research ourselves."
"If eyes can be replaced, I refuse to believe we can't cure something as simple as nearsightedness."
"I'll find a way someday — I'm sure of it."
Nagato could tell Nonou's enthusiasm wasn't high. He prepared for the worst while offering the best possible outlook.
"I believe you."
"Oh!"
Please bookmark Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade at (mobile site).
After hearing these words, Nonou's face lit up with a smile again, looking even happier than before.
She could feel Nagato wasn't just saying things casually — he truly cared about her.
Even if it was just from a friend's perspective, it made her heart feel like honey in her chest.
"Eat faster. I'm almost done already."
Nagato quickly slurped twice more, finishing his bowl.
"You ate too fast — didn't even wait for me!"
Nonou feigned anger, her tone teasingly scolding.
Her bowl was still more than half full — she'd been too caught up in talking to eat much.
"No problem, I'll just have another bowl."
"Shopkeeper, another bowl of tuna ramen, please!"
Nagato raised his hand and shouted toward Teuchi.
"Sure thing, please wait a moment."
Teuchi kept kneading the dough as he nodded in agreement.
"You can finish that much?"
Nonou giggled. Nagato had caught her off guard just now.
"I can finish it. I actually really like tuna too."
Nagato rubbed the back of his head, smiling shyly.
"Right? I'll give you another piece then."
Nonou gave Nagato another slice of fish from her nearly empty bowl, her eyes crinkling shut behind her usual bright smile.
"I'll pay you back later."
Nagato didn't decline, clearly savoring the taste.
Both of them were smiling sweetly.
"So full!!"
After a while, Nagato finished his second bowl of noodles and patted his stomach contentedly.
"It took two bowls to get full? That means you're not easy to feed."
Nonou stood up from her seat and pulled out her cute pink wallet.
"Haha—I can still treat myself to ramen!"
Laughing, Nagato pulled out the large bill Kawaki had given him and paid before Nonou could protest.
"What are you doing?"
"I promised I'd treat you."
Nonou frowned slightly. She was the one who had invited Nagato out after all.
"It's fine. You can get it next time."
Nagato accepted the change from Teuchi indifferently in response.
"Well... okay then."
Nonou's eyes lit up. Next time sounded nice!
After finishing their meal, both left Ichiraku Ramen.
The sky had completely darkened, and the lights along the shopping district were already on.
They wandered leisurely down the streets, without any particular destination.
"The moon is so round tonight."
Nonou stopped walking and lifted her head to gaze at the moon above.
The sky was filled with countless stars—a sure sign of beautiful weather tomorrow.
"Is it nice?"
Nagato also looked up, the bangs covering his forehead parting slightly to reveal half of one eye.
His violet pupils gleamed mysteriously under the moonlight.
"I'll take you somewhere great."
Suddenly remembering something, Nagato grabbed Nonou's hand and started running toward the distance.
"Where are you taking me?"
Still unprepared, Nonou found herself already being carried along.
"You'll find out when we get there."
Nagato teased playfully, quickening his pace.
Hearing that, Nonou didn't ask any more questions. After all, Nagato wouldn't lead her astray.
After running for a while, they began leaping across rooftops.
Soon enough, they saw Hokage Rock.
It was the most iconic place in Konoha.
"Are we going to Hokage Rock?"
Nonou finally realized.
Hokage Rock was tall—indeed an excellent place for moon viewing.
"Yeah."
Without stopping, Nagato continued heading toward Hokage Rock.
Eventually, the two stopped at the top of Tsunade's part of Hokage Rock.
From this vantage point, they could see nearly half of Konoha.
Lifting their heads, the moon seemed closer than ever.
"How beautiful."
As she said that, Nonou took off her glasses. The moon looked hazy to her eyes, as though veiled in mist.
"It's been a long time since I've watched the moon like this."
Cross-legged, Nagato sat atop Hokage Rock, gazing at the sky with a dreamy expression.
A gentle breeze blew past, causing both of their hairs to sway gently in the wind.
A single leaf floated down from above, landing perfectly on top of Nagato's head.
"Do you always stay busy these days?"
Nonou naturally reached out and plucked the leaf from Nagato's head.
"Not particularly busy, just... nothing memorable comes to mind."
Nagato smiled. Not everyone has an interest in moon gazing. Compared to him, Minato and the others preferred chatting indoors—it felt too dull for them.
"I can't even remember when I last looked at the moon."
Sitting beside Nagato, Nonou started chatting with him. Since Tanzō selected her into Root, she hadn't had any free time left. Training barely sufficed—when would she have time for moon gazing?
She already felt content with her current life. The only thing that never changed was that she still lived alone.
"I used to watch the moon with Mama when I was little. Now the moon remains, but I'll never see her again."
"Later, I wandered with my companions, struggling just to fill our stomachs."
"Who had time for moon gazing then?"
Nagato spoke slowly, briefly recounting those tragic years. His tone remained calm—as if he'd long made peace with it.
"I wasn't much better off either. At least I never went hungry."
Nonou was also an orphan who lost both parents, so she deeply understood Nagato's feelings of longing for family. In this moment, they seemed to share a deeper connection than ever before.
"Do you know? It was Konoha ninjas who killed my parents."
"To this day, I still remember their faces."
This was the first time Nagato had mentioned this since arriving in Konoha.
[Author interjection: likely dramatic pause or audience address]
Please remember to bookmark: Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade
He'd always tried to avoid talking about his hatred toward Konoha.
"Eh? Konoha ninjas did that?"
Nonou showed surprise. She couldn't understand how Lord Kawaki could bring someone with such deep blood feud against Konoha back to the village. Nor could she comprehend why Nagato would be willing.
"Shocked, aren't you?"
"It's because my teacher has a kind heart, pitying us poor kids."
"Besides, I've already taken revenge."
"You might not believe it, but I don't hate Konoha."
"It's war I truly despise."
"If there were no wars, wouldn't there be fewer orphans like me in the Ninja World?"
Nagato spoke with a maturity beyond his years. Because he had once been caught in the rain, he wanted to hold an umbrella for those who came after.
"Yes, definitely."
"How wonderful it would be without war."
Nonou nodded firmly. Her original intention for becoming a Medical Ninja wasn't to treat injured soldiers from the battlefield, but to heal ordinary people. Though their current strength remained insufficient, she believed one day they would make it happen.
Nagato pushed both hands through his bangs, revealing two glowing Rinnegan eyes fixed directly on Nonou. This was the first time Nonou saw Nagato's entire face this thoroughly—not particularly handsome or attractive—the eyes even gave off a slightly eerie vibe.
Yet the smile on Nagato's face erased any sense of fear.
"We definitely will."
"I believe in you."
Nonou knew how difficult it would be, but she still chose to believe in Nagato without hesitation.
What girl doesn't have dreams?
Nagato, with such grand ambitions, seemed even more admirable to her.
"Haha~ I've never told anyone these things before."
"You're the only one."
Nagato chuckled at Nonou's serious expression.
He himself wasn't fully confident, and he couldn't understand why Nonou believed in him so strongly.
"That makes me honored."
"I'll share a secret with you too."
Covering her mouth as she giggled mischievously, Nonou looked just like a child sharing secrets.
"Cool."
Nagato showed clear interest. He was curious to hear what secret she had to share.
"I want to become a Medical Ninja surpassing Lord Tsunade."
"I want the entire Ninja World to know my name—Nonou Yakushi."
"Pretty impressive, right?"
Nonou looked at Nagato with expectation after speaking.
It was a wish she had never shared before.
"Amazing."
"Our wishes are both hard to achieve."
"Yours seems slightly easier though."
"But I have to give you a reality check."
"The accomplishments your teacher's wife has achieved in Medical Ninjutsu may already surpass anything we can imagine."
"You still need to work really hard."
As Nagato spoke, he started laughing, sincerely patting Nonou's shoulder.
He knew a few things about the research room, but couldn't say them directly.
"How could you do that?"
Nonou was very upset. She had been supporting him, yet this guy poured cold water on her dreams.
Shouldn't he be saying he believed in her abilities?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, not thinking clearly.
Her small fists pounded on Nagato like falling rain.
"Haha~ Pressure builds determination."
"I'm just being honest."
Ducking and laughing loudly, Nagato responded.
"That still isn't acceptable!"
Nonou refused to let go, and the two tumbled into a playful scuffle.
...
Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade Please bookmark: (mobile)