Ichiraku Ramen

  “Hey there, Link-, just finished another mission, huh?”

  Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, greeted him with a cheerful smile.

  Link responded with a smile of his own. Officially, ninja missions were fidential, but as a genin, his assigs werely covert.

  For instance, just retly, he’d spent days pulling garbage out of a river—something any passerby could see. Add to that his habit of treating himself to a bowl of ramen after every mission, and it wasn’t hard for the owo guess he’d pleted another one.

  “The usual, please, Ueuchi,” Link said casually, walking over to the refrigerator to grab an ice-cold soda.

  Summer had arrived, and the heat was being unbearable. An ice-cold drink was exactly what he needed.

  “Got it! You’ve ear, kid,” Teuchi called back loudly.

  “Mmhm.” Link responded absentmindedly, his focus on crag open the soda and taking a refreshing sip. He’d just sat down, barely getting fortable, wheiced someoaring at him.

  Turning his head, he saw a blonde boy with spiky hair wearing an e jacket—her than Naruto Uzumaki, the child of destiny himself.

  Naruto’s eyes kept darting toward the headband tied to Link’s arm, his expression full of envy.

  Ah, right. He’s failed the genin exam for three years now, hasn’t he?

  Link thought to himself. Having taken two years to pass his own exam, he uood the frustration.

  Fine. Let him stare.

  Feeling quite pleased with himself, Link took another sip of soda. It ecial kind of satisfa knowing someone envied his status as a genin—it added a certain fvor to his day.

  Soon enough, his ramen arrived. g his hands together, he said, “Itadakimasu!”

  Whether it was the lingering high from pleting a mission, the promise of a hefty reward, or just Naruto’s envious gaze adding fvor to the moment, the ramen tasted especially delicious that day.

  “Burp!” Full and tent, Link sat for a few moments to let his meal settle before heading home.

  There was undry waiting for him, after all.

  …

  On his way back, Link noticed someorailing him—a clumsy shadow keeping a suspiciously close distaiming his turn carefully as he crossed the street, he gnced back quickly.

  It was Naruto.

  Seriously? Does this kid have nothier to do? Why’s he following me?

  Deg not to let it bother him, Li walking. Naruto would probably get bored and leave soon enough.

  Although… I have to say, for the supposed child of destiny, his trag skills are dht terrible. Even Iris and Ami are better at hiding their presence.

  Link had no iion of striking up a retionship with Naruto. The boy was a mag for trouble, aing too close to him meant c disaster.

  Fet the outside enemies eyeing Naruto for his status as the ails Jinchuriki—Konoha’s own higher-ups kept him under stant surveilnce. Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, was likely watg him right now with his telescope jutsu while juggling vilge affairs and missions.

  Getting close to Naruto would do nothing but paint a target on his back.

  Even before disc his cheat ability, Link had decided it was safer to befriend Konohamaru, hoping to ily ect with Naruto. Direvolvement was a recipe for disaster.

  So, ign the blonde’s clumsy attempts at stealth, Li home, washed his clothes, ged into a tracksuit, polished his ninja tools, a again at around 1:30 PM.

  No sooner had he stepped outside than he felt that same awkward, bumbling preseailing him again.

  F out loud.

  Suppressing the urge to front Naruto ht, Link chose patience over impulse. A frontation might feel satisfying in the moment, but it would only lead to trouble ter.

  As he made his way to Training Ground Seven, he reflected ouation. He suspected Ueuchi had said something to Naruto—perhaps praising Link for being a genin so young and perf well on missions.

  Naruto, for all his eventual heroism, was still a brat at this age—a chaotic, attention-seeking child. The kind who’d pull a girl’s hair because he didn’t know how to express his feelings.

  In this sario, I’m the oing my hair pulled.

  fronting Naruto might only make him g harder—or worse, view him as a rival, potentially stealing Sasuke’s spot as the “antagonistic friend.”

  Link didn’t want anything to do with the ails Jinchuriki, so he decided to ignore him.

  By the time Link arrived at Training Ground Seven, his two teammates were already waiting.

  “Boss!” Iris waved enthusiastically, grinniood afternoon!”

  Ami hesitated for a moment, then echoed, “Good afternoon, boss.”

  But Li a sharp gre directed at him. Turning slightly, he realized Naruto’s presence had followed him here. The kid’s gaze was now tinged with something like hostility.

  Ah, right. Iris and Ami were in Naruto’s css at the academy. Makes sense.

  Recalling their shared history, Link scratched his head and walked up to his team. “Good afternoon.” He brushed aside the unease and asked, “Shall we start?”

  “Boss,” Ami said softly, gesturing toward the bushes where Naruto was clearly trying—and failing—to hide.

  Iris, meanwhile, ched his fists, looking eager for a.

  The three had spent enough time together to unicate with a gnce. Link shook his head. “Let him watch,” he said quietly before addressing his teammates directly.

  “Now, let’s go over some of the issues I’ve noticed during the mission…”

  As Link listed their fws, he had them demonstrate, correg their mistakes on the spot.

  In the bushes, Naruto scratched his head in frustration, occasionally cupping his hands around his ears to catippets of their versation.

  “Chakra… bance…”

  “Footwork… water walking…”

  “Stealth…”

  The disjointed words made no seo him, and every time he started to zo, the trio would begin sparring, snapping his attention back with wide-eyed fasation.

  Link, oher hand, had pletely fotten about his unwanted audience. Let him watch—it wasn’t worth the trouble of chasing him off.

  Two hours ter, his throat dry from talking, Link ed up the session. “That’s it for today. Practice what you’ve learned, and we’ll meet here tomorrow at 8 AM to tinue.”

  He gave his teammates a ce to absorb what they’d been taught, pnning to review and build on it the day.

  Standing on tiptoe, he patted Iris’s shoulder before turning to Ami, whose expression had grown… peculiar. Giving her shoulder the same pat, he ignored her increasingly baffled look and headed off.

  As a temporary teacher, fairness is important, after all.