The noren curtain was gently lifted as Menma led Naruto into Ichiraku Ramen.
"Welcome—oh, it's you, Menma." Teuchi looked up from behind the counter, his smile warm and familiar.
It wasn't quite dinner time yet, so the place was mostly empty, save for two ordinary Genin slurping their noodles.
"Teuchi-san, one tonkotsu chashu ramen, no..."
"No naruto, extra menma… got it." Teuchi chuckled, already moving before Menma could finish.
For some reason, the order felt familiar, as if someone else had once said the same thing. But the memory remained frustratingly hazy.
Naruto lingered behind Menma, hesitant.
When the two Genin who were eating ramen saw Naruto at the door, their expressions twisted with disgust, causing him to instinctively shrink back in fear.
Just as Naruto was about to run away out of instinct, Menma placed a hand on his shoulder, "What're you spacing out for? Pick something from the menu."
"By the way, I still don't know your name," Menma said, already sitting on a high stool, raising an eyebrow as he feigned ignorance.
"My name is Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto scrambled onto the stool next to Menma and peeked at the wooden menu board on the ground.
Unfortunately, Naruto couldn't read yet, so he just copied Menma, "I-I'll have the tonkotsu chashu ramen too!"
"Coming right up! Please wait a moment, you two." Teuchi called out as he got busy.
"Boss, we're leaving the money here." The two Genin said after finishing their ramen, placing some bills on the counter.
As they left, they muttered under their breaths.
"That guy earlier… he's that thing, right?"
"Yeah, the one who got the Fourth Hokage killed…"
"Ugh, what a mood killer. I almost threw up just now..."
Naruto sat with his back to the door, but he still caught their words, his mood sinking.
He didn't understand what 'the Fourth' meant, nor did he know what the 'demon fox' was, but he could tell they despised and rejected him.
"Ayame, clean this up," Teuchi's voice broke the heavy silence.
Coming! Coming!" A little girl of about eight or nine, wearing a white headband, rushed out from the kitchen like a whirlwind, her blue apron fluttering with her movements.
She deftly cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, her cloth drawing smooth arcs across the counter.
"Menma-sama, bringing friends again, huh?" Ayame teased, blinking playfully, her hands never pausing in her work.
"Stop with the 'sama', Ayame-nee~" Menma shot back sarcastically, deliberately dragging out the last syllable.
The word 'nee' made the cleaning cloth in Ayame's hand freeze mid-motion.
"Hey!" The little girl puffed up her cheeks in indignation: "You shouldn't make girl sound old!"
Even though she was only eight or nine, being called 'nee' by someone younger still made her grit her teeth.
'So his name is Menma…' Naruto, who is nearby, watched their banter with a hint of envy.
"By the way, what's your name, little guy?" Ayame asked, having finished cleaning but not rushing back to the kitchen. Instead, she leaned closer to Naruto.
"I-I'm… Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto stammered, his cheeks flushing from the unfamiliar warmth of being treated kindly.
What's more, Naruto could sense that neither Menma nor Ayame held the same malice toward him as the other villagers did.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Teuchi Ayame. Feel free to come to our ramen shop anytime!" Ayame patted her chest proudly.
"To welcome a new customer, I'll make you some tempura." With that, Ayame folded her cloth and dashed back to the kitchen.
Soon, two bowls of ramen and a serving of tempura were placed before Menma and Naruto.
"Enjoy your meal!" Teuchi and Ayame stood behind the counter, bowing slightly with warm smiles.
"Itadakimasu!" Menma picked up his chopsticks and pressed his hands together.
Just as he was about to dig in, he noticed Naruto beside him staring at the rising steam, tears suddenly splashing onto the wooden counter.
"Hey, kid, why are you crying?! Didn't anyone teach you what to say before eating?" Menma hates crying children the most.
"N-no one taught me…" Naruto wiped his tears.
From the moment he could remember, the people around Naruto had been filled with hostility. No one had taught him basic life skills, and he'd had to navigate this cruel world alone.
"Then follow my lead. 'Itadakimasu'!" Menma scowled but handed Naruto a pair of chopsticks.
Naruto took them, looking at the boy beside him who cursed harshly but acted so kindly. A strange warmth surged in his chest.
"I-Itadakimasu!" Naruto mimicked Menma's gesture, pressing his hands together before clumsily splitting the chopsticks apart.
Slurp, slurp-
The sound of the two eating ramen filled the shop. Teuchi didn't fully understand what was happening, but he could tell it was something heartwarming and quietly returned to his work.
Meanwhile, Ayame glanced curiously at Menma, then at Naruto.
For some reason, the two of them almost seemed like brothers.
Perhaps because Naruto was so hungry and had never eaten a proper hot meal before, this bowl of ramen tasted like a feast to him. He devoured it ravenously, even drinking every last drop of the broth.
Menma had only eaten half of his ramen when he noticed Naruto had already set down his empty bowl, staring longingly at the plate of tempura between them, drooling slightly.
"Look at you, practically drooling. Here, you can have it all." Menma said, casually sliding the tempura toward him.
"But..." Naruto instinctively wanted to refute.
Menma raised the chopsticks in his hand: "First rule: When someone helps you or offers you kindness, you say thank you. Second rule: You don't waste that kindness."
Seeing Naruto still hesitating, Menma added, "I've eaten enough today. Not like you, who looks like he's starving."
With that excuse, Naruto finally grinned, picking up a piece of tempura with his chopsticks: "Thank you, Menma!"
"Teuchi-san, today's meal is on this kid." Menma said as he set down his chopsticks, pointing at Naruto, who was happily munching on the tempura.
Teuchi lifted his head from the steam and said with a warm smile, "Sure! Since it's a new customer, I'll give you a 10% discount. That'll be 900 Ryo."
Naruto, who was eating the tempura, was stunned when he heard the price, and quickly picked up his wallet to count.
Someone would send him money every month, but the amount was not much. The house was arranged by the village, and he basically didn't have to pay for water, electricity, and rent. When calculated every month, Naruto's living expenses were just average, so he should be able to afford a few bowls of ramen.
But somehow, Naruto always ended up broke from eating instant noodles every day. He could never figure out where his money went.
For Naruto, these 900 Ryo still stung.
Naruto took out a thousand-Ryo bill and handed it to Teuchi reluctantly.
Ayame took the money, took out a 100-Ryo coin from her pouch and handing it back, "Here's your change."
The two stepped out of the ramen shop, Menma patting his full stomach in satisfaction while Naruto clutched his measly 100-Ryo coin, his entire aura dimming in despair.