Ichiraku Ramen?
Seeing the noodle shop's name, Yuto's face clearly showed a flicker of amusement.
All of Konoha's civilians should have been evacuated to safety by now.
Yet here was Ichiraku Ramen, still occupied. This naturally piqued the interest of Yuto and his two companions.
"A civilian this bold is a rare sight."
Terumi Mei's green eyes shimmered as she chuckled softly.
"But this also shows that Lord Yuto's orders were carried out thoroughly."
Before the assault on Konoha, Yuto had issued a strict command: no shinobi was to deliberately damage civilian property or harm civilians.
The Hidden Mist Village's goal was to unify the entire shinobi world – random slaughter and destruction were out of the question.
"I'm getting a bit hungry. Let's eat together."
Yuto looked toward Ichiraku Ramen and smiled.
Clang… clang…
The half-curtain at Ichiraku Ramen's entrance was lifted, producing the gentle chime of bells.
Yuto, Terumi Mei, and Haku walked in one after another.
A ladle clattered to the floor.
The owner of Ichiraku Ramen, face taut with nervousness, held a frying pan before him like a shield.
Behind him cowered a pale-faced girl, trembling slightly.
This was none other than his daughter, Ayame.
"I-It's the Mist Village people."
Ayame clutched her father's clothes tightly, panic in her eyes.
"What do you want?"
Though terrified himself, he shielded Ayame behind him, swallowing hard as he stammered.
"If you're so afraid, why did you stay?"
Haku's eyes held curiosity as he looked at Ayame and her father.
"This is our home. How could we leave?"
"And we believed the village would win."
He looked at the three Mist shinobi, his voice trembling.
"You villains who destroy other villages!"
Ayame peeked out from behind her father, anger in her voice.
The moment those words left her mouth, her father's face went white. He shuddered.
"Lady shinobi, Ayame was talking nonsense just now."
He quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, panic spread across his face.
"Little girl, saying such things in front of shinobi isn't a smart move."
Terumi Mei brushed a strand of auburn hair behind her ear, a charming smile on her face.
As she spoke, the atmosphere inside Ichiraku Ramen plummeted to freezing.
Yuto watched the scene with a helpless expression, shaking his head gently.
"But you're lucky. I'm in a good mood today."
Terumi Mei's smile remained charming as she spoke softly.
"Our apologies. She was just joking."
"If you don't mind, please make us three bowls of ramen."
Yuto found a seat and sat down, a gentle smile on his face.
Hearing Yuto's words, the owner showed a hesitant expression. Deep down, he refused.
"I understand how you both feel."
"But this war, in the end, is a battle between shinobi."
"You must have seen that after our village's shinobi entered, they haven't harmed any civilians."
Haku seemed to detect their reluctance and spoke with a warm expression.
His gentle smile and voice made it easy to lower one's guard.
The father and Ayame hesitated. What Haku said was true.
Not long ago, a group of Mist shinobi had burst in, but they only searched for hidden Leaf shinobi before leaving.
They had not laid a hand on them or caused any harm.
After a brief silence, the father turned toward the kitchen.
"Lady shinobi, as long as you're not afraid of poison, I'll make as much as you want." Ayame glared at the gentle Haku, her tone slightly annoyed.
"Thank you both."
"Also, I'm male."
Haku maintained his gentle smile, speaking softly.
"Your appearance really does cause misunderstandings."
Terumi Mei found this amusing, a hint of teasing in her tone.
"Seems like erasing resentment among civilians won't be so simple."
Terumi Mei's eyes flickered as she spoke in a low voice.
"Eliminating civilians' loyalty to Konoha in a short time is naturally impossible."
"This is a long-term, even subtle process."
Yuto's face turned serious. After a moment's thought, he continued:
"It seems we need to establish a planning department to address these issues. Additionally, civilian education is an extremely effective measure."
Terumi Mei's eyes brightened, and she nodded gently. "A ninja academy? Through subtle influence, we could erase this loyalty within two or three generations."
"Haku would be well-suited for this task."
Yuto turned to the slightly bewildered Haku and smiled.
"If I can help Lord Yuto and the village, Haku will do his utmost."
Haku was momentarily stunned, then a serious expression quickly appeared on his face as he spoke solemnly.
Not long after, Ayame emerged from the kitchen carrying three bowls of ramen and placed them before the three.
"This looks absolutely appetizing!"
Yuto gazed at the ramen before him, took a deep breath, and praised without restraint.
Meanwhile, on the other side…
Under the dark night sky, a blurred figure approached at high speed.
With each movement, the figure appeared a hundred meters away in an instant, then vanished again.
Before long, the figure had spotted Konoha in the distance.
"It seems the battle here is nearly over?"
The figure gazed toward Konoha, eyes flickering, then stamped down. The figure vanished again.
A sharp whistle of air erupted above Konoha's gate.
Before the shinobi on either side could pinpoint the source, a black shadow plummeted from the sky.
In a blink, the figure struck the ground, creating a massive crater.
Nearby shinobi quickly drew kunai, eyes wary as they focused on the sudden arrival in the crater.
When the crowd made out the figure's features, every body stiffened.
Eyes filled with fear and awe.
"Lord Uchiha Madara."
The Stone shinobi recovered first, stepping forward and bowing respectfully.
[
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