"Ruichi… your name has been showing up on my desk quite often lately. You've been performing very well."
Nearby, Teuchi, who was busy cooking ramen, immediately broke into a broad smile.
"Hahaha! Hokage-sama, you flatter him!"
Dad, please don't fan the flames… Do you really think he came here just to praise me?
Ruichi felt a bead of cold sweat slide down his back. His guard went up another notch.
"No, no, no—I'm not just being polite," said the Third Hokage, waving a hand. "From your mission evaluations during your internship, to your performance at the border outpost, and then the destruction of the so-called Jashin cult in the Land of Hot Springs… I've heard about all of it."
"You're too kind. It was all thanks to my teammates and seniors looking out for me," Ruichi replied quickly. "I was just there to make up the numbers."
"You're being modest," the Hokage said with a smile. "According to Anko Mitarashi and Iwashi Tatami, your chakra control already surpasses that of a Chūnin. And Shisui Uchiha and Iwashi were even more exaggerated—they claimed you can grasp ninjutsu just by looking at it once. But what's even more interesting is this…"
He paused, eyes sharpening as he fixed his gaze on Ruichi.
"According to Yui Iwashiro's report, you once fought a jōnin alone at the border. Your opponent was that famed 'dual bloodline' kunoichi from the Hidden Mist—Mei Terumī. You held out until reinforcements arrived and suffered only minor injuries."
The more Teuchi listened, the more excited he became.
"Really?! Ruichi, you're that amazing?"
"Big misunderstanding—huge misunderstanding!" Ruichi waved his hands frantically, looking genuinely alarmed. "She probably saw I was just a genin and didn't go all out at first. And with the Earth Release I learned from Senior Iwashi, I just burrowed underground and tossed shuriken to stall for time. In the end, I only survived because I played dead until reinforcements arrived."
The moment Teuchi heard how close Ruichi had come to dying, his playful grin vanished.
The Third Hokage studied Ruichi for a long moment, as if weighing the truth of his words. Then he smiled.
"Being able to make good use of available resources shows excellent battlefield judgment. You can wield all five chakra natures proficiently, and you've even developed corresponding life-oriented ninjutsu… With talent like that, isn't running a ramen shop a bit of a waste?"
"Hokage-sama, you don't understand," Ruichi said seriously. "Cooking is the most important thing in life. Besides, life-oriented ninjutsu doesn't have much lethality. In real combat, it barely works against ordinary people—handling a genin is already pushing it. I only developed it so I could be lazy."
"Hahahaha! You're quite the character," the Hokage laughed. "Developing new ninjutsu just to slack off—very few people have that kind of imagination."
Ruichi set the finished bowl of ramen in front of him.
"Your ramen."
"Thank you." The Hokage picked up his chopsticks. "Young people should have ambition. With your talent, you'll become a jōnin someday—a true pillar of the Village."
Pillar my foot! Old man, you just want to dump work on me. I'm not falling for that.
Outwardly, Ruichi kept a straight face.
"I still have a long way to go compared to my seniors. I need to keep working hard."
"Hard work is good, but don't sell yourself short. Someone with your potential—"
"Uncle Teuchi! Big Brother Ruichi! I'm here!"
A loud voice burst in from outside, followed by a flash of blond.
Naruto Uzumaki.
The moment he entered, the tense atmosphere shattered.
Ruichi silently let out a sigh of relief.
Perfect timing, kid.
"Eh?! Old Man Third? You're here too?" Naruto blinked in surprise.
The Third Hokage's expression softened instantly, his entire demeanor shifting. In the blink of an eye, he went from a village leader evaluating a subordinate to a kindly grandfather doting on his grandson.
That face-changing speed… even an Oscar judge would be impressed.
"Hahaha, Naruto," the Hokage said warmly. "Tired from training today? Come, sit next to grandpa."
"Hehe! Grandpa, you came for ramen too!" Naruto plopped down without ceremony. "I learned shuriken throwing today! It's still a little crooked, though."
"Oh? That's wonderful," the Hokage encouraged him. "Naruto, remember—if you keep working hard, everyone will acknowledge you."
"Yeah! I'm definitely going to become Hokage someday!"
From the side, Ruichi watched the scene—textbook emotional manipulation.
He's gaslighting you, you idiot…
Seeing Naruto's face light up so easily, fired up and ready to give everything for the Village at a moment's notice, Ruichi felt conflicted.
Was the Third Hokage completely acting? That didn't feel quite right—the pride and gratification in his eyes seemed genuine.
But if he truly cared… why hadn't Kushina Uzumaki's inheritance ever been given to Naruto?
Maybe he planned to wait until Naruto came of age. After all, revealing wealth too early could be dangerous.
Or maybe… he'd already swallowed it.
And then there were the "Nine-Tails" rumors—officially taboo, yet known by the entire Village, with Naruto himself kept completely in the dark.
"Well then," the Hokage said, "to celebrate your progress, today's ramen is on me."
"Whoa! Thank you, Old Man Third!"
Watching Naruto beam with happiness only made Ruichi's thoughts more complicated.
No matter what, the Third Hokage was good to Naruto—providing resources, indulging him, and constantly cleaning up his messes.
Maybe it's both, Ruichi thought. A leader first… a grandfather second. Either way, it has nothing to do with me.
After Naruto drained the broth, wiped his mouth, and dashed out to continue chasing his Hokage dream, the shop fell quiet again.
"Ruichi," Hiruzen Sarutobi said suddenly, watching Naruto's retreating figure. "What do you think of that child?"
Ruichi shrugged. "One of our biggest spenders. Eats a lot, doesn't cause much trouble. A good customer."
"Oh?" The Hokage smiled. "You're not afraid of him? You must have heard the rumors."
"You mean about him being a demon fox?" Ruichi replied calmly. "Leaving aside how ridiculous that sounds—even if it were true, so what? Even if a real demon fox walked in, as long as it eats ramen and pays, it's a customer."
"Treating a demon fox as a customer…" The Hokage nodded slowly. "I suppose you really did grow up outside the Village. You didn't experience that incident."
He seemed satisfied, then casually shifted the topic.
"Before you wandered into Konoha, were you always on your own?"
Ruichi recited the well-polished story he always used in Konoha.
"I grew up in the slums as far back as I can remember. When I got a bit older, I started wandering—going wherever there was food. I was lucky Old Man Teuchi took me in. Otherwise, I'd probably still be fighting stray dogs over bones in some alley."
There were minor discrepancies compared to the version he'd told the Taketori Clan, but the Hokage couldn't exactly cross-check those.
At worst, he could just admit he'd made it up. The other side likely already knew and simply didn't care.
"…A pitiful child indeed," the Hokage sighed.
"Alright, alright, Hokage-sama," Teuchi suddenly cut in. "Let's not keep poking at a young man's scars."
Dad really is the most reliable, Ruichi thought, giving a mental thumbs-up.
Hiruzen paused, then laughed sheepishly.
"Fair enough. I was rambling."
He stood and took out his wallet.
"Oh, right—Ruichi."
Just before leaving, he turned back as if remembering something.
"I heard from Anko Mitarashi that you declined to participate in the upcoming Chūnin Exams?"
"Ah, that," Ruichi scratched his head, looking every bit the lazy slacker. "I don't think I'm ready. A Chūnin has to lead squads and take responsibility for others' lives. I don't feel qualified yet—I need more experience."
"You say that as if you'd pass for sure if you entered," the Hokage chuckled. "We'll let it slide this time. But young people should still have some spirit."
With that cryptic remark, he turned and walked off into the night, hands clasped behind his back.
Ruichi, however, fell into deep thought.
Throughout the entire conversation, the Hokage never mentioned the Uchiha… nor Feng.
With ANBU surveillance, it was impossible he hadn't noticed Ruichi's contact with Itachi, or the presence of a woman from the Taketori Clan in the shop.
Yet he hadn't asked a single question.
"What're you thinking about?" Teuchi patted Ruichi on the shoulder. "He's already long gone."
"Nothing."
If he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't force it.
Today's test was over.
As for tomorrow—
Tomorrow's problems could wait until tomorrow.
------
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