By the time they returned to the town's inn, the sky was already beginning to brighten.
Seeing Ruichi come back with a little girl in tow, the three of them were stunned.
"Ruichi! Where… where did you kidnap this little girl from?!"
"I picked her up on the way to the Daimyō's Estate to collect the bounty," Ruichi replied casually, as if he'd just picked up a stray cat by the roadside. "She was homeless and pretty pitiful, so I brought her along."
He pulled a stack of money from his robe, took out a portion, and handed it to Anko.
"Anko-sensei, this is the payoff from the mission. We sold the bandits' weapons and equipment, plus the bounty money—everything's here."
Anko took the money and nodded, asking no further questions.
Under Ruichi's influence, Anko herself had become far more open-minded. The money in her hand was clean, and the little girl clearly wasn't a ninja. She had asked what needed to be asked; even if Ruichi was hiding something, it had nothing to do with her.
Ruichi then handed another portion to Ichi and Makire.
"Here—your shares."
The two exchanged glances, both looking a little embarrassed.
"Uh… you basically handled everything yourself," Makire said softly. "We didn't do much. It doesn't feel right taking this…"
"What do you mean you didn't do anything?" Ruichi shoved the money into their hands.
"You protected the caravan and held back the bandits. Without you, I wouldn't have had the chance to deal with them. Take it—you earned it."
The two finally accepted the money solemnly.
Watching the harmonious scene, Ruichi felt no emotional ripples at all.
Done.
Money secured. Assistant acquired. Teammates pacified.
Next step: return to Konoha and continue enjoying my laid-back, leisurely life of lying flat.
---
Hokage Office
"Anko, I've read your mission report," the Third Hokage said, sitting behind his desk. His cloudy eyes were calm and deep.
"You're requesting to have Ruichi transferred out of the team so he can officially begin accepting missions?"
"Yes," Anko replied. "Ruichi has performed exceptionally well on missions. His abilities fully meet the requirements."
"Hm… aside from his strength, what's your personal opinion of Ruichi?"
Anko hesitated, her expression complicated.
"That kid… I can't quite see through him. He's extremely talented, but he uses all that talent just to make his life easier. He has absolutely no interest in anything else."
The Third Hokage didn't respond right away. He took another slow puff of his pipe, lost in thought.
This Ruichi had been completely unremarkable until recently.
According to the records, he was an orphan taken in by a ramen shop. His academy grades were mediocre, and the ninjutsu he developed were all simple techniques made for laziness and convenience…
"…What an interesting little fellow."
---
Meanwhile, Ruichi had already returned to Ichiraku Ramen with Kin.
Ever since entering Konoha, Kin had clearly grown more restrained, curiously observing everything around her.
Inside the shop, Uncle Teuchi was busy as usual, while Ayame helped prepare ingredients nearby.
When she saw Ruichi, Ayame's eyes lit up.
"Brother Ruichi, you're back!"
Teuchi also looked up with a warm smile.
"Good work on the mission, Ruichi."
Before Ruichi could respond, Teuchi's gaze landed on the little girl timidly hiding behind him.
"Hm? And who's this child?"
"Oh, her name's Kin Tsuchi," Ruichi said, scratching his head.
"I picked her up on the road. She looked pretty pitiful, so I brought her back. Old Man Teuchi, can she help out in the shop?"
"Teuchi-sama, Ayame-sama, I can do anything!"
Kin hurriedly bowed, clutching the hem of Ruichi's clothes.
"Please let me stay!"
Teuchi looked at the thin girl with determined eyes, then at Ruichi.
He knew there was a story here, but he didn't pry. Instead, he smiled gently.
"Since you're here, don't call us '-sama' anymore. We're all family. I'll make you a bowl of ramen."
Ayame enthusiastically pulled Kin toward the backyard.
"Come on, let's get you cleaned up and changed first. You must be exhausted after walking so far."
Teuchi, meanwhile, dragged Ruichi into the kitchen.
"Ruichi, you little rascal," Teuchi said, unusually stern.
"What do you mean, 'picked her up'? After all this time, you didn't even bother tidying her up."
"Old man, I—"
"No need to explain," Teuchi cut him off.
"Don't I know you well enough? No matter what you're planning, remember this: that child is a person, not a tool. Since you brought her back, you're responsible for her. You can't think of her as something to use."
"…I understand," Ruichi sighed.
He knew Teuchi genuinely cared—for him and for Kin.
"Besides the regular mission payout, I also made some extra money," Ruichi said, changing the subject. He pulled out a cloth bag and set it on the counter.
Teuchi's eyes widened.
"So much? Ruichi, you didn't do something shady, did you…?"
"What are you thinking?" Ruichi said indignantly.
"I wiped out a group of mountain bandits. On top of the bounty from the Daimyō's Estate, someone gave me a private reward."
He rattled off half-truths, mixing in a portion of the looted money.
Teuchi still hesitated.
"You earned this yourself. I can't take it."
"Old man, this is extra," Ruichi said seriously.
"I've been eating, drinking, and living here for free all this time. Just consider it me paying you back a little."
Seeing the determination in Ruichi's eyes, Teuchi finally relented.
"Alright. I'll take it," he said.
"I'll put it to good use—consider it an investment in the shop. When the shop makes money, you'll get a share."
Ruichi was instantly delighted. The material foundation for his future life of lying flat had just grown much sturdier.
Teuchi picked up a steaming bowl of ramen and handed it to Ruichi.
"This one's for Kin. Take it to her," he said gently.
"Tell her that from today onward, this place is her home."
---
And so, Ichiraku Ramen returned to its usual routine—warmer and livelier than ever.
Kin adapted quickly to life in the shop. Though young, her sharp instincts as a merchant's daughter and her talent for bookkeeping soon became obvious.
In her spare time, she even helped Ruichi with daily chores, making his laid-back life even more comfortable.
Only—
What a pain. I'm really bad at teaching people.
At Teuchi's urging, Kin's education was entrusted to Ruichi.
He'd planned to teach her himself, but quickly realized he had no idea how to do it. He knew everything instinctively, yet couldn't explain it—and he genuinely couldn't understand why things that came so easily to him were so hard for others.
Whatever. No rush. If it really doesn't work, I'll just send her to the Ninja Academy.
Then there was the money.
Even after distributing a portion, a large amount remained. Money with an unclear origin would inevitably attract attention if exposed.
He hid it away for now, but that wasn't a long-term solution. He needed a way to launder it properly.
What a pain… forget it. No rush. I won't need the money anytime soon anyway. I'll deal with it when the chance comes.
In the end, Ruichi decisively left all those problems to his future self.
For now, he just wanted to enjoy this peaceful, comfortable everyday life.