Megumi finished his bath and put on a black kimono. Ready, he headed downstairs to meet his mother, Kaede.
"I'm ready," Megumi announced.
On their way to the Hokage's office, Megumi couldn't help but overhear the villagers. They were talking about a young boy from the Nara clan who had been killed. This news was unsettling, and Megumi's mind immediately went to the darkness of the situation. This is not good, he thought.
As he walked, holding his mother's hand, he heard some people whispering curses at him while others praised his power.
"Hey, Mom," Megumi said, stopping and looking up at her. "When you left, a girl came by asking for you. She left something for the wolves in a bag." He paused, his stomach rumbling. "I'm hungry, let's go to Uncle's ramen shop!"
Kaede remembered the two summons, a black and white wolf, that she had taken to the Inuzuka clan. She had hoped they could be healed, but they couldn't. Only Megumi, their true master, could heal them.
"I'll go see them," she said. "You go to Ichiraku Ramen. I'll join you there." Without another word, she turned and left, abandoning Megumi on the street.
"I hope ramen doesn't start growing on my head," Megumi said with a smile, walking toward the shop.
"Hey, old man!" Megumi announced before he had even entered the shop.
He stepped inside and found the shop wasn't crowded. He found a seat, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and waited.
"I'll have the usual, Uncle," Megumi said. He was about to settle in when a familiar voice spoke up.
"Why can't you just shut up and walk in like a normal person for once?" It was a girl his age, who was standing behind the ramen counter.
"Who's talking?" Megumi asked, waving his hand around in a dramatic show of not seeing her.
"Look down, you freak!" she shot back, leaving her post to confront him.
Megumi looked down and saw his friend, a girl in a white kimono with a dark blue apron.
"Oh, there you are, Ayame!" he giggled. "I didn't think you'd be helping Uncle today." He looked at her and smiled. "Want a reward? Don't worry, I'll give you a head pat."
Ayame's face turned red as she hesitated before replying to his teasing. "Shut up! It's not your business. And there's no credit here. After you eat, you have to leave. This isn't your home to sleep in."
Each word was like a dagger to Megumi, a reminder that everything she said was true.
Ichiraku, used to Megumi's playful teasing of his daughter, placed a bowl in front of him. "Here's your ramen."
Ayame watched as Megumi ate, feeling happy that he was her only friend. She wondered how he would cope when he started the academy.
"Megumi, do you still want to go to the ninja academy?" she asked.
Megumi stopped eating and looked at her. He knew she was worried he would get bullied. "Yes," he replied.
"Why do you want to become a shinobi?"
"I never said I was going to the academy to become a shinobi," Megumi said without looking up, knowing she would want to talk more about it.