It was a warm day in Konoha.
Not too hot, not too cold—just the right balance. The sky was partly cloudy, only adding to its beauty in the eyes of those who looked up.
Even though noon had long passed, children still played in the village streets, their laughter echoing with the pure joy of youth. Their smiles, as bright as blooming flowers, painted the lively scene.
Birds chirped in harmony, and the distant chatter of villagers wove together into a soothing melody.
A gentle breeze occasionally swept through, carrying the fresh scent of nature into Ryuku's garden. Lying on his back in the grass, limbs stretched out, he basked in the simple serenity of the moment.
His eyes remained tightly shut as he took deep, measured breaths—something he had never even had the chance to experience in his bitter past life.
Back on Earth, he had no time to admire nature's beauty. His days were a monotonous cycle of cooking, studying, and working from morning till night—like a machine programmed to function within a rigid schedule.
Working his ass off every single day for a predestined amount of time, like a damn robot. Alive, yet as good as dead… if not for the small joys he found in his obsession with cooking.
But then what?
When he finally got the chance to date the girl he liked, he just dropped dead in his sleep—only to wake up in this world?
Screw that… Who the hell would believe such a thing?
While lost in deep reminiscing, Ryuku let out a quiet sigh before suddenly springing to his feet with a swift kip-up.
"I guess I'll head to Ichiraku since I have some free time left…" he decided.
Having spent the entire morning studying, he had allowed himself a two-hour break.
He was human—an ordinary one at that, at least in terms of chakra and bloodline. No matter how fast his mind worked, he still needed proper rest after such intense mental strain.
Ryuku left the house and headed straight to Ichiraku Ramen, walking casually without using chakra to enhance his movements.
Thanks to the original Ryuku's memories, the faces of those around him no longer felt unfamiliar.
"Good afternoon, Saeko-san." Ryuku greeted his neighbor, a gentle woman with a noticeably swollen belly, a clear sign of her pregnancy. She was returning from the market, carrying a few bags.
Saeko, her black hair neatly tied back, smiled warmly. "My, my, good afternoon, little Ryuku. Are you heading to the market too?"
"Yes, Saeko-san." Ryuku nodded slightly, slowing his steps. "You should rest more. Your belly is already so big—you need to take extra care of yourself in your last month."
Saeko giggled at his concern and simply nodded.
"I'll be going now... and please avoid heavy lifting." With a slight nod, he continued on his way.
Saeko watched him leave, gently touching her cheek. What a sweet child... but how did he know it's my last month?
---
Ichiraku Ramen, Main Market Street
"Argh, where did old man go today…? I'm starving."
A yellow-haired brat stood outside the closed ramen shop, crouching with one hand on his stomach, clearly suffering from hunger.
Staring at the Closed sign hanging on the door, he sighed in disappointment. "Man, I wanted ramen so badly…"
His stomach grumbled loudly, demanding food.
Hearing its call, he decided to eat the leftover vegetables from yesterday. Since he disliked them, he had avoided them last night.
Turning around, he started walking toward his apartment, ignoring the murmurs and complaints from passersby who seemed bothered by his mere presence.
"Tch. What bad luck..."
A woman and her young daughter approached from the other side of the street. Upon seeing the boy, the mother quickly steered her child away, moving to the opposite side. She even covered her daughter's eyes.
"Don't look at him..." she whispered.
Naruto saw them, a flicker of sadness passing through his eyes, but he ultimately did the same—avoiding them.
A moment later—
"Dammit, move faster! What's your problem?" a fish seller yelled, glaring at him.
The yellow-haired boy furrowed his brows in frustration. He had had enough of this nonsense and was about to shout back, but someone else beat him to it.
"What the heck are you shouting for, you bony bastard?"
Naruto turned his head toward the voice and saw a tall boy who seemed somewhat familiar.
The fish seller also noticed the newcomer and scowled. "You have a sharp tongue for someone your age, boy... Hmph, whatever. Let me give you some advice in place of your parents."
He then pointed at the short, whisker-faced boy.
"Stay away from this brat as far as possible, or you'll be cursed and die."
"..." The tall boy fell silent, his gaze locking onto the bony man for a brief moment before he turned away.
Fool...
Without another word, he turned around and nodded at the short boy. "Let's go, Naruto." Then, he started walking.
Naruto blinked a few times before nodding and following after him. "Hey, who are you? How do you know me?"
As he asked, Naruto glanced back at the fish seller—only to freeze in surprise. The man stood there, dazed, his gaze blank and lifeless, as if he had just crawled out of a grave.
What happened to him?
Then, a voice reached his ears.
"That's heartbreaking... You don't even recognize your own classmate."
Classmate? He's my classmate?
Naruto touched his chin, rummaging through his memories. Then, suddenly, it clicked.
"Ah! You're that guy who got a week off from academy! What was your name again... Mu... Kyu... Ah, right! Myuku!!"
Well… there you have it… the protagonist…
Ryuku sighed. "It's Ryuku, you idiot."
"Hehe, it's just a name anyway…" Naruto chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.
"..."
"..."
"…Forget it." Ryuku shook his head before deliberately slowing his pace, letting Naruto catch up. "So, aren't you going to ask something?"
Naruto suddenly nodded several times and hurriedly asked, "Yes, yes! What did you do to that guy? You're the one behind it, right? Right??"
Already expecting the question, Ryuku smiled slightly. "Oh, that? It was nothing, just a simple Genjutsu... Nothing to worry about. He'll be fine in an hour."
Maybe...
Naruto's eyes sparkled. "That's so awesome! Can you teach me how you did that? Please?"
Hmm...?
"...Of course. But it's something we learned at the Academy—you should know it too, Naruto. It's called Paralysis Genjutsu. Remember?" Ryuku's voice was calm and friendly.
Naruto scrunched his face in deep concentration, but the expression only made him look comical. He tried to recall anything about Genjutsu, but his mind came up blank. In the end, he gave an awkward laugh. "Hehe, I don't remember..."
"No problem, I'll teach you if you want." Ryuku smiled.
"Uh, thanks?"
Naruto had no idea what was going on. Ryuku was someone he had barely spoken to in the past. Not just him, but most of the students at the Academy. They ignored him, whispered behind his back, and never tried to befriend him—so he did the same. Those who ignored him, he avoided. If they badmouthed him, he shouted back or pranked them until he felt satisfied.
But now?
Now, a classmate of his had stepped in to help him for no reason—and even offered to teach him Genjutsu without hesitation.
And he didn't even have to ask twice.
For a brief moment, he felt like a different person.
---
On the surface, Ryuku wore a friendly expression, but beneath it, his mind was brewing plans he hadn't even considered until recently.
A few minutes earlier, he had noticed Naruto standing outside the closed Ichiraku shop. However, he didn't approach him outright. Ryuku wasn't a fool—he knew the truth. Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, which meant the higher-ups were constantly keeping an eye on him.
If he simply walked up and started acting friendly, he'd likely end up under surveillance as well.
That's why he had followed him quietly, waiting for the right moment.
A moment that would make their meeting seem like pure coincidence.
And that's how he ended up in this situation.
Let's get this done quickly… The more time I spend with this guy, the more suspicious I'll seem… And there are still a few days until graduation—no need to get everything settled just today…
At that moment, Naruto suddenly asked, "Uh, Ryuku, where are we going?"
"My house," Ryuku answered with a small smirk. "We'll be there in a minute."
Naruto's eyes widened, and his heart began to pound. The truth was, he had never been invited to anyone's house besides Shikamaru's. So being led to a classmate's house—without even asking first—greatly shocked him.
Still, he quickly followed up with another question. "Why?"
Ryuku gave him a strange look before replying, "You're hungry, aren't you? Come to my house. I'll cook you something delicious. Believe me, I'm very good at it." He said the last part with a smile.
Naruto suddenly shouted, "Really?! You'll do that for me?"
Ryuku simply nodded. Though, deep down, he cursed Minato silently for making his own son suffer like this.
Naruto beamed like a little child, but just then, his stomach let out a loud growl, causing him to feel embarrassed. "Ahaha…"
Ryuku shook his head in amusement and picked up the pace. "Let's hurry up."
Naruto followed him quietly. Despite his empty stomach, his heart and mind were at ease.
---
At Ryuku's House
"Woah! You have such a big house! It's way bigger than mine…" Naruto marveled, looking around as if he had stepped into a palace.
"Yeah? It actually belonged to my great-uncle. I inherited it after he passed away," Ryuku's voice came from the kitchen. He had already started preparing fish, eggs, and leftover deer meat he had purchased the day before. Since it was already past 3, and Ichiraku wasn't an option, he decided to go all out—cooking extra to save time on dinner later.
Curious, Naruto rushed into the kitchen the next second, watching Ryuku work with astonishing speed and precision. "Woah. You weren't lying," he said, admiring his skills. But a sharp hunger pang quickly reminded him of his empty stomach, and he clutched it with a wince.
With the refined movements of a seasoned cook, Ryuku cracked eggs effortlessly, filleted the fish within seconds, and coated the deer meat with his homemade seasoning before moving on to the next step.
Naruto stared at his hands, completely mesmerized, momentarily forgetting about his hunger.
Then, out of nowhere, he asked, "Um, Ryuku, can I help?"
To his surprise, Ryuku actually nodded.
Naruto's face lit up with excitement, his blue eyes shining like gems. "What should I do? What should I do?"
"You can pour some juice from the refrigerator for both of us. I can trust you with that, right?" Ryuku said calmly, gazing at Naruto.
"Yes, yes!" Naruto nodded eagerly before rushing off to complete his task.
Hm, he's really excited over something so simple… Right, it's not every day someone puts their trust in him. Being given a task must feel unusual for him… One more reason to hate Minato.
Ryuku quickly finished his preparations. Now, all that was left was to wait for the food to cook.
He stepped out of the kitchen and entered the dining room—only to freeze at the sight before him.
An empty bottle of mixed juice.
A satisfied-looking Naruto, patting his belly.
What the…
"Oii, are you seriously planning to fill your stomach with just juice?" Ryuku sighed, though he couldn't hide his amusement.
"Hehe, sorry. But it was so good, I couldn't help myself…" Naruto apologized, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish laugh.
It was the truth—he had never tasted something so delicious before. That's why Ryuku let it slide and changed the topic.
"Since you're not that hungry anymore, let's start your first Genjutsu lesson right now."
Naruto instantly perked up. "Hell yeah!"
"Alright, before you can even grasp the basics of Genjutsu, you first need to learn how to control your chakra and its natural flow…"
Ryuku continued explaining, and while Naruto listened with full attention, he only managed to understand bits and pieces. Time passed quickly as they went through the lesson.
Finally, the food was ready.
"It smells delicious…" Naruto muttered, taking deep breaths as the mouthwatering aroma filled his senses. His stomach growled in anticipation.
"Go on, have a bite," Ryuku said with a smile.
Naruto didn't wait for an invitation—he dug in immediately. But the moment he took his first bite, his eyes widened, and before he realized it, tears began to spill down his cheeks. Yet, he kept eating.
"T-this is s-so good… I've never had anything this delicious in my life…" he mumbled between bites.
"Don't talk while eating, idiot. You'll bite your tongue." Ryuku sighed, feeling a little guilty for making a kid cry.
Minato, you bastard…
He simply vented his frustration on Naruto's dead father.
Naruto's mood shifted almost instantly. One moment, he was crying tears of happiness; the next, he was grinning ear to ear, scarfing down the food like a starving beast.
Ryuku didn't mind. It was all worth it. Besides, there was still plenty left in the kitchen.
Once they were done, Ryuku led Naruto to the market and bought a bunch of eggs on his behalf, as the civilians' hatred toward him made it impossible for Naruto to get quality items despite saving money from his monthly orphan stipend.
After purchasing some essential groceries, Ryuku handed them over and patted Naruto's shoulder. "My free time is over, so I have to go now," he said casually, preparing to leave.
But Naruto's voice came from behind immediately. "Hey, Ryuku, we're friends now, aren't we?"
Ryuku looked back at Naruto's beaming face, a wide smile plastered across it. He chuckled lightly and nodded. "Of course, you idiot."
With that, he gave a small wave and walked away.
Naruto felt truly happy today. After everything that had happened, he had made a new friend. Humming to himself, he joyfully skipped toward his apartment.
---
Hokage's Office
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen—an elderly man known as the Professor and the God of Shinobi—tapped his desk lightly while taking a deep puff from his pipe.
In the next instant, an ANBU ninja wearing an animal mask appeared in the room, kneeling.
"Report," Hiruzen ordered.
"Yes, Hokage-sama." The ANBU took out a rolled parchment and handed it over.
Hiruzen took another deep puff before scanning the contents. A small smile crept onto his wrinkled face. "Ryuku... interesting."
---
Ryuku closed the door behind him, his expression turning serious as he placed a hand on his temple, massaging it gently.
Damn ANBU…
He had been aware of their presence the entire time he was with Naruto. From the moment they met to the second they parted, he could feel their watchful gaze.
It was thanks to his heightened chakra sensitivity from yesterday's hot spring training and the Spiritual Sense technique he had developed.
Without wasting any more time, he headed straight to his room and resumed his studies.
He had spent an extra hour with Naruto, but he didn't regret it. If wasting a few hours meant securing something he desired, he'd gladly do it again.
And so, Ryuku's fourth day in this world came to an end.