"It's actually gathering dust…"
After seeing off Hiashi Hyuga and his daughter, there were no more customers in the shop. Ruichi stretched out and flopped straight onto the rocking chair in the back courtyard.
"Come to think of it, I've been running around nonstop lately. Ever since I ran into that bunch of lunatics in the Land of Hot Springs, I haven't had a single proper break… It's all the Uchiha clan's fault…"
Thankfully, his goal of finding a way out had basically been achieved.
The anxiety that had weighed on his heart for so long finally eased. As the rocking chair creaked back and forth, his consciousness slowly drifted away…
"…Big Brother! Big Brother!"
Ruichi was shaken awake—roughly.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Tayuya grabbing the rocking chair and shaking it hard. The sky had already darkened; he had slept straight through until dusk.
"Stop shaking it!" Ruichi flicked her on the forehead. "What is it?"
"Two brothers came to the shop. Boss Teuchi told me to come get you."
"Tch… Can't I even get one day off…" Ruichi rubbed his temples. "Got it. Go help Feng in the kitchen—and don't come out front for now."
There were very few people who could make Teuchi come looking for him. Even guessing with his feet, Ruichi knew who it was.
Uchiha Itachi.
And bringing Uchiha Sasuke along… probably just showing him the place, so if something happened later, Sasuke would know where to come.
He's looking for a way out too… and he's overestimating me.
---
When Ruichi returned to the shop, it was exactly as he expected.
Itachi Uchiha sat at the counter, with a little "bean sprout" trailing behind him—Sasuke Uchiha.
Sasuke looked unhappy, muttering under his breath.
"Brother, why come to this place? That dead last comes here all the time…"
"Sasuke."
Itachi's voice was gentle—but carried unquestionable authority.
Sasuke immediately shut his mouth, though the displeasure on his face only deepened.
The two took seats at the counter. Sasuke kept glancing around the shop, his expression clearly saying This is it? Meanwhile, exhaustion was written all over Itachi's face.
"My younger brother, Sasuke," Itachi said softly. "Sasuke, this is the person I told you about—"
"You're Ruichi?" Sasuke suddenly cut in.
"Yeah."
"Are you classmates with my brother? He talks about you a lot." Sasuke looked him up and down. "You don't look like anything special."
Ruichi rolled his eyes. "Then what were you expecting—three heads and six arms?"
"Do you really have them?" Sasuke's eyes lit up with excitement.
"…?"
Ruichi narrowed his eyes at Itachi, who quietly looked away.
"I never said that."
"I didn't ask either." Ruichi waved it off. "The usual?"
"Yeah." Itachi nodded, then added, "Make one for Sasuke too."
"I don't care." Sasuke was far more interested in the earlier topic than the food. "Hey, do you really have three heads and six arms? Show me!"
I think you're the one with one head and two arms.
Ruichi gave him a look, clearly unwilling to indulge this.
"Sasuke," Itachi said, his toes practically digging into the floor, "what I meant was that Ruichi is as capable as if he had three heads and six arms—not that he actually has them…"
Ruichi found Itachi's embarrassment oddly amusing.
He started preparing the ingredients, and before Sasuke realized it, his gaze was glued to Ruichi's hands.
With one hand forming seals, Ruichi precisely controlled the flame's temperature.
The skewers sizzled over the fire, releasing a rich aroma.
"Is that… Fire Release?"
"Daily-life ninjutsu," Ruichi replied casually. "Fire Release: Barbecue."
"Tch—That's it? I can use Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique," Sasuke said defiantly.
"Oh."
Sasuke bristled at the indifferent response. "What do you mean by that? You don't believe me?"
"I believe you." Ruichi plated the skewers. "But if you used that to grill meat, it'd be burnt on the outside and raw inside."
"What?"
"Creating fire with chakra isn't hard," Itachi explained. "Controlling the heat—that's the hard part. Controlling it to his level is extremely difficult."
"Hmph… Brother could do it too," Sasuke muttered.
Ruichi set the skewers in front of Sasuke. "Eat while it's hot. It won't taste good once it cools."
Sasuke hesitated, then took a bite.
Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. The juices burst forth, the seasoning enhancing the meat without overpowering it.
"So?" Ruichi asked with a grin.
"It's… it's just okay…" Sasuke replied stubbornly—
—and immediately took another bite.
Itachi watched from the side, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Soon, the ramen was served as well.
"Brother… this shop isn't bad."
Though he said not bad, Sasuke ate faster than anyone. The bowl was cleaned out in no time, and the gyoza and skewers disappeared just as quickly.
"Yeah," Itachi said gently. "We can come here more often."
Ruichi's hand paused for a moment, then resumed as if nothing had happened.
During the meal, Itachi tried several times to speak, but each time he swallowed his words.
Ruichi noticed. He also noticed something else—
There were more people watching than at noon.
Across the street, a man leaning against the alley wall was smoking. He could see Itachi's back clearly—and he'd already gone through three cigarettes. Behind the shop, everything had gone completely silent the moment the brothers arrived.
"Lately, the Uchiha—" Itachi finally made up his mind—
"Old Man Teuchi's been experimenting with new ramen flavors lately. Come try them another day."
Ruichi cut him off, casually picking his ear and flicking a glance with his eyes.
"…Yeah. I will," Itachi replied, understanding immediately. He stood to pay. "Let's go, Sasuke."
"Huh? Already?" Sasuke hurried after him.
At the door, Itachi paused. "By the way… there are more people in the shop now. That lady—"
He was looking at Feng, who had just come out to clear the bowls.
Does he think she's ANBU? Ruichi shrugged.
"Our shop's newly hired beautiful employee—and 'security guard.' Pretty, right?"
"Very." Seeing that Ruichi knew exactly what he was doing, Itachi didn't press further. "Then I won't disturb your rest."
"Take care."
As the brothers left, Ruichi leaned against the counter and let out a long sigh.
"Not many peaceful days left…"
Feng slipped over and wrapped her arms around his.
"Does Lord Ruichi really think I'm pretty?"
The soft warmth made his thoughts wander for a split second—but he lowered his voice instead.
"Remember those two, especially the older one. Stay away from them. Customer and shopkeeper only. Anything more will bring serious trouble."
"…I understand."
After gently pulling his arm free, Ruichi waved her off.
"Alright, back to work."
"But you still haven't answered—"
"Yes, yes, you're the most beautiful in the world. Now go."
He barely managed to push her back into the kitchen before turning around—
—and finding an old man sitting quietly at the counter.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Ruichi's muscles tensed for an instant before he forced himself to relax.
He came right after Itachi left… Please let this be a coincidence.
Clinging to that fragile hope, Ruichi put on a stiff smile.
"Welcome. What would you like to eat, Hokage-sama?"
"I've heard the ramen here is quite good," Hiruzen said kindly. "Give me a bowl."
He paused, smiling.
"By the way… shall we have a chat?"
Hope shattered.
------
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