Chapter 12: Hokage's Ramen Talk, Academy Return, and Outdoor Barbecue
"Third Hokage-sama, I was just about to go eat ramen. Want to join me?" Naraku used his childlike innocence to interrupt Hiruzen's impending lecture.
Hiruzen froze for a moment. I'm the Hokage, you know…
Then he smiled warmly. "Sure. Let's go to the ramen shop up ahead—my treat. I'm feeling a little hungry myself."
Naraku grinned. "Thank you, Third Hokage-sama!"
The two sat down together, eating ramen and chatting casually.
"What do you think of the village?"
"The village is everyone's home."
"What is your understanding of the Will of Fire?" Hiruzen pressed gently.
Naraku sensed the old man—no, this Hiruzen was only around forty—was about to launch into a full Will of Fire inspection. He answered without hesitation: "The Will of Fire means our predecessors burn themselves to nourish the next generation, and the next generation does the same for those who come after."
Hiruzen couldn't find fault with that. He probed further: "And what about the relationship between the village and the clans?"
"A village exists because of its clans, and many clans together make a village. Only when the great family of the village thrives can the smaller families live well." (Internally: Provided the cake is divided fairly!)
Hiruzen was impressed by the polished answer, though a pang of regret hit him. Such perfect alignment with the Will of Fire—if only Naraku weren't an Uchiha, he could have been groomed as a future pillar of the Hokage line.
He moved to the core question: "Little Naraku, you have great talent in forging. How do you plan to distribute the weapons you create in the future?"
Naraku had been waiting for this exact question. "I want to become the strongest forger in the entire ninja world! So as long as the weapon suits someone and covers my costs, I'm willing to let every strong shinobi in the village try them. I don't want the weapons I worked hard to make to be stolen by enemies. If the village has good materials, feel free to give them to me—I'm happy to forge for Konoha."
Hiruzen beamed. The boy wasn't limiting his vision to just his clan—excellent. He completely missed that Naraku's vision wasn't limited to one village or one nation either.
Hiruzen leaned in enthusiastically: "The village will be the backbone of your dream. If you ever need help, come to me."
After finishing his ramen, Hiruzen gave a few more encouraging words, paid the bill, and left satisfied.
Naraku thought to himself: Looks like a lot of obstacles just got cleared.
In truth, the ninja world was far from peaceful. Militaristic factions were rising in every village, and border skirmishes never really stopped.
...
Sunlight streamed through the window as Naraku decided it was time for a long-overdue return to the academy—to hang out with his little friends and build some connections.
He was especially interested in Uzumaki Kushina—or more precisely, the Nine-Tails inside her—but right now, his only bridge to her was Namikaze Minato.
Without hesitation, he walked straight into the Uchiha compound. Mikoto was eating breakfast, with Uchiha Aoko serving beside her.
Seeing Naraku, Mikoto lit up and happily invited him to join.
Aoko, however, was openly displeased with the little orphan brat. She couldn't understand why the granddaughter of the Grand Elder would prefer spending time with this nobody instead of Fugaku, the clan head's son. Because of Naraku, Mikoto and Fugaku's relationship had grown more distant.
But she couldn't change Mikoto's mind.
...
Sarutobi Hiruzen (the young instructor) breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the rare sight of Uchiha Naraku in class. He still didn't understand why the clan head had asked him to keep an extra eye on this Uchiha kid. He'd prepared everything, but the boy kept skipping—there was no way he could drag him out of the Uchiha compound.
Minato, ever the caring friend, immediately asked where Naraku had been the past few days.
Seeing the little sunbeam's genuine concern, Naraku didn't hide it: "These last few days I was forging a ninja blade for Lord Orochimaru."
Minato's eyes widened in awe. "For Lord Orochimaru?! Then the blade you made must be incredible!"
Naraku had been waiting for exactly that reaction. "It's just a chakra-conductive blade with two special abilities. At most, wounds it inflicts will bleed continuously for a week."
Minato, a civilian-born ninja, had never heard of such a terrifying weapon. His eyes sparkled with admiration. But remembering his empty wallet, he could only offer praise.
Kushina, sitting beside Minato, felt irritated. She couldn't understand what was so great about this pretty-boy Uchiha—he showed up and immediately stole Minato's attention. Minato might be a pretty boy too, but in her mind, she'd already claimed him as her little subordinate. Next step: tame this Uchiha Naraku and become the boss of their little trio!
Kushina challenged him: "I don't believe you can forge something that powerful!"
Naraku ignored the little firecracker and spoke seriously to Minato: "You're my first male friend in the academy. I'll forge a powerful weapon for you—free of charge. Don't refuse right away. When you're strong enough in the future, you can repay me properly."
Minato was hit hard—like a friend casually promising to buy you a house and a luxury car, then saying "pay me back when you're successful."
He tried to refuse out of politeness, but Naraku had given too much. Face red, he could only accept.
(If this were a different setting, he'd probably have said: "If you don't abandon me, Minato is willing to call you father!")
Kushina saw Minato's soul completely captured again and grew even angrier.
Up on the podium, young Hiruzen finally lost patience and kicked all three of them out.
Standing outside the door, Naraku gazed into the distance and felt a rare nostalgia. After high school graduation, he'd never experienced being punished by standing outside the classroom again.
Watching Minato comfort Kushina, Naraku suggested: "Let's go get barbecue!"
The random suggestion completely stunned Kushina. She'd always thought she was the most arrogant person in the academy—yet this Uchiha was even bolder! Completely disregarding the teacher!
Suddenly, this pretty-boy Uchiha looked a little more likable.
She immediately agreed. Minato, the model student, had no choice but to tag along.
It was tough for a good kid like him to end up best friends with two such troublemakers.
The three headed to an open area outside. Naraku dramatically pulled ingredients from a storage scroll.
Kushina curiously accepted the AD Calcium Milk he handed her, took a sip—and instantly found the sweet, delicious drink irresistible.
Chapter 12: Hokage's Ramen Talk, Academy Return, and Outdoor Barbecue
"Third Hokage-sama, I was just about to go eat ramen. Want to join me?" Naraku used his childlike innocence to interrupt Hiruzen's impending lecture.
Hiruzen froze for a moment. I'm the Hokage, you know…
Then he smiled warmly. "Sure. Let's go to the ramen shop up ahead—my treat. I'm feeling a little hungry myself."
Naraku grinned. "Thank you, Third Hokage-sama!"
The two sat down together, eating ramen and chatting casually.
"What do you think of the village?"
"The village is everyone's home."
"What is your understanding of the Will of Fire?" Hiruzen pressed gently.
Naraku sensed the old man—no, this Hiruzen was only around forty—was about to launch into a full Will of Fire inspection. He answered without hesitation: "The Will of Fire means our predecessors burn themselves to nourish the next generation, and the next generation does the same for those who come after."
Hiruzen couldn't find fault with that. He probed further: "And what about the relationship between the village and the clans?"
"A village exists because of its clans, and many clans together make a village. Only when the great family of the village thrives can the smaller families live well." (Internally: Provided the cake is divided fairly!)
Hiruzen was impressed by the polished answer, though a pang of regret hit him. Such perfect alignment with the Will of Fire—if only Naraku weren't an Uchiha, he could have been groomed as a future pillar of the Hokage line.
He moved to the core question: "Little Naraku, you have great talent in forging. How do you plan to distribute the weapons you create in the future?"
Naraku had been waiting for this exact question. "I want to become the strongest forger in the entire ninja world! So as long as the weapon suits someone and covers my costs, I'm willing to let every strong shinobi in the village try them. I don't want the weapons I worked hard to make to be stolen by enemies. If the village has good materials, feel free to give them to me—I'm happy to forge for Konoha."
Hiruzen beamed. The boy wasn't limiting his vision to just his clan—excellent. He completely missed that Naraku's vision wasn't limited to one village or one nation either.
Hiruzen leaned in enthusiastically: "The village will be the backbone of your dream. If you ever need help, come to me."
After finishing his ramen, Hiruzen gave a few more encouraging words, paid the bill, and left satisfied.
Naraku thought to himself: Looks like a lot of obstacles just got cleared.
In truth, the ninja world was far from peaceful. Militaristic factions were rising in every village, and border skirmishes never really stopped.
...
Sunlight streamed through the window as Naraku decided it was time for a long-overdue return to the academy—to hang out with his little friends and build some connections.
He was especially interested in Uzumaki Kushina—or more precisely, the Nine-Tails inside her—but right now, his only bridge to her was Namikaze Minato.
Without hesitation, he walked straight into the Uchiha compound. Mikoto was eating breakfast, with Uchiha Aoko serving beside her.
Seeing Naraku, Mikoto lit up and happily invited him to join.
Aoko, however, was openly displeased with the little orphan brat. She couldn't understand why the granddaughter of the Grand Elder would prefer spending time with this nobody instead of Fugaku, the clan head's son. Because of Naraku, Mikoto and Fugaku's relationship had grown more distant.
But she couldn't change Mikoto's mind.
...
Sarutobi Hiruzen (the young instructor) breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the rare sight of Uchiha Naraku in class. He still didn't understand why the clan head had asked him to keep an extra eye on this Uchiha kid. He'd prepared everything, but the boy kept skipping—there was no way he could drag him out of the Uchiha compound.
Minato, ever the caring friend, immediately asked where Naraku had been the past few days.
Seeing the little sunbeam's genuine concern, Naraku didn't hide it: "These last few days I was forging a ninja blade for Lord Orochimaru."
Minato's eyes widened in awe. "For Lord Orochimaru?! Then the blade you made must be incredible!"
Naraku had been waiting for exactly that reaction. "It's just a chakra-conductive blade with two special abilities. At most, wounds it inflicts will bleed continuously for a week."
Minato, a civilian-born ninja, had never heard of such a terrifying weapon. His eyes sparkled with admiration. But remembering his empty wallet, he could only offer praise.
Kushina, sitting beside Minato, felt irritated. She couldn't understand what was so great about this pretty-boy Uchiha—he showed up and immediately stole Minato's attention. Minato might be a pretty boy too, but in her mind, she'd already claimed him as her little subordinate. Next step: tame this Uchiha Naraku and become the boss of their little trio!
Kushina challenged him: "I don't believe you can forge something that powerful!"
Naraku ignored the little firecracker and spoke seriously to Minato: "You're my first male friend in the academy. I'll forge a powerful weapon for you—free of charge. Don't refuse right away. When you're strong enough in the future, you can repay me properly."
Minato was hit hard—like a friend casually promising to buy you a house and a luxury car, then saying "pay me back when you're successful."
He tried to refuse out of politeness, but Naraku had given too much. Face red, he could only accept.
(If this were a different setting, he'd probably have said: "If you don't abandon me, Minato is willing to call you father!")
Kushina saw Minato's soul completely captured again and grew even angrier.
Up on the podium, young Hiruzen finally lost patience and kicked all three of them out.
Standing outside the door, Naraku gazed into the distance and felt a rare nostalgia. After high school graduation, he'd never experienced being punished by standing outside the classroom again.
Watching Minato comfort Kushina, Naraku suggested: "Let's go get barbecue!"
The random suggestion completely stunned Kushina. She'd always thought she was the most arrogant person in the academy—yet this Uchiha was even bolder! Completely disregarding the teacher!
Suddenly, this pretty-boy Uchiha looked a little more likable.
She immediately agreed. Minato, the model student, had no choice but to tag along.
It was tough for a good kid like him to end up best friends with two such troublemakers.
The three headed to an open area outside. Naraku dramatically pulled ingredients from a storage scroll.
Kushina curiously accepted the AD Calcium Milk he handed her, took a sip—and instantly found the sweet, delicious drink irresistible.
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