"You mean me?"
Naruto Uzumaki blinked in surprise, pointing to himself.
Seeing his reaction, Kazuki couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
The son of the esteemed Fourth Hokage, treated like an outcast in his own village—Konoha sure was something else.
"Yeah, you."
Kazuki smirked. "Didn't you lose your money? I'm in a good mood today, so I'll treat you to some ramen. Anyway, I'm pretty well-off."
He casually lifted the heavy pouch of coins in his hand.
"!!"
Naruto's eyes lit up. His gaze toward Kazuki was filled with emotion.
No one in the village had ever invited him to eat before. No one had ever treated him this kindly.
Just moments ago, he had been sulking over his lost money, stomach grumbling in protest. Now, he felt like he might cry from sheer gratitude.
"What are you standing there for? Let's eat!" Kazuki urged.
"Coming, coming!" Naruto beamed, quickly sitting beside him. "Then I won't hold back!"
Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, soon placed two steaming bowls of ramen in front of them.
Naruto and Kazuki broke apart their chopsticks at the same time and grinned.
"Itadakimasu!" they said in unison.
The sound of slurping filled the air as they devoured their meals.
Kazuki had just gone all out in a spar with Might Guy, depleting his chakra. His body craved fuel, and he inhaled the ramen as if he hadn't eaten in days.
Naruto, equally hungry, matched his pace.
Since starting intense physical training, Kazuki's appetite had grown significantly. Though only seven years old, he could out-eat most adults.
One bowl down, and he was barely three-tenths full.
Meanwhile, Naruto, now finished with his bowl, was eyeing other customers' ramen longingly. One bowl clearly wasn't enough.
Kazuki chuckled. "Oi, Uncle Teuchi! Two more bowls!"
Teuchi smiled warmly and quickly prepared another round.
"Eat up!" Kazuki pushed one of the bowls toward Naruto.
Naruto hesitated, staring at the steaming dish in front of him. "Is this… really for me?"
"Of course. I said I'd treat you, so you better eat until you're full. Ramen's best when it's hot."
Naruto's cheeks turned slightly red. "T-Thank you!"
Happiness surged through him. What luck! Not only had he met someone who didn't look at him with scorn, but they were even treating him to a meal!
It was almost too good to be true.
"Oi, Uncle! Two more bowls!" Kazuki called again ten minutes later.
By the time they were done, Kazuki had devoured five bowls, while Naruto had managed three.
"Man, that hit the spot!" Kazuki sighed in satisfaction.
The rich, savory broth and firm noodles lived up to their reputation.
As warmth spread through his body, he felt his energy replenishing, the fatigue from earlier fading.
Naruto leaned back, rubbing his stomach with a contented grin. He turned to Kazuki, eyes sparkling with admiration. "Whoa! You can eat a ton! Five whole bowls!"
Kazuki smirked. "You're not bad yourself. Three bowls is impressive."
Naruto scratched his head sheepishly. "Heh, well… my allowance is pretty low, so I only get to eat once a day. Honestly, if it weren't for you, I'd be starving until tomorrow."
Kazuki froze. Once a day?
For a brief moment, his amusement faded.
This was the legacy of Konoha's so-called "Will of Fire"? This was how Hiruzen Sarutobi cared for the son of Minato Namikaze?
Suppressing a sigh, Kazuki softened his gaze.
"By the way, my name's Naruto Uzumaki! I'm gonna be Hokage one day!" Naruto declared proudly. "What's your name?"
Kazuki smirked. "Kazuki."
Naruto hesitated for a second, then clenched his fists. His usual carefree expression faded into something more serious—almost nervous.
"Kazuki… Can we be friends?"
For the first time, he wasn't acting loud and brash. This was a question he had never been able to ask before.
Because no one had ever wanted to be his friend.
He had finally met someone willing to approach him—would he have to reject him as well because of the so-called "Fox Demon" rumors?
"Of course!" Kazuki smiled at him.
"But… aren't you afraid that I'm a fox demon?" Naruto couldn't help but ask.
Deep down, Naruto wondered if Kazuki simply didn't know yet. The villagers had always whispered behind his back, calling him a monster. He had already started seeing Kazuki as a friend, and he didn't want to hide the truth from him. More than anything, he feared that once Kazuki found out, he too would turn away.
Kazuki, however, just looked at him calmly and said, "Naruto, aren't you just a kid, like me?"
It was such a simple response, yet it struck Naruto to his core. He stood there frozen for a moment—then, all of a sudden, his eyes welled up with tears, and he started crying on the spot.
"Hey, hey, why are you crying?!" Kazuki asked, flustered.
"S-Sorry," Naruto sniffled, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "I just... I got too emotional all at once."
Tears kept flowing as he continued, his voice thick with emotion.
"It's just… this is the first time someone has seen me as just Naruto and not a fox demon. And the first time someone actually wants to be my friend... Waaaaah~~~"
"Alright, alright, don't cry," Kazuki said, patting Naruto on the shoulder with a grin. "I'll introduce you to my friends later. You'll have plenty of friends in the future! They're all great people, too!"
"R-Really?" Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Of course." Kazuki nodded, smiling warmly at Naruto Uzumaki.
At that moment, a sudden notification rang in Kazuki's mind.
[Ding! Mission Released: Establish a friendship with Naruto Uzumaki.
Reward: Shadow Clone Shuriken Blueprint]
[Ding! Mission Complete: Friendship with Naruto Uzumaki Established.
Reward: Shadow Clone Shuriken Blueprint]
[Ding! New Mission: Collect Nine-Tails Chakra (can be infused into kunai).
Reward: Multi-Shadow Clone Shuriken Blueprint]
Kazuki's eye twitched.
Collect Nine-Tails Chakra?
What the hell!
How was he supposed to collect something like that?
Naruto wouldn't even be able to tap into the Nine-Tails' chakra until he was pushed to his limits—probably not until their mission in the Land of Waves when he fought Haku! That wouldn't happen for at least six years!
Did that mean he'd have to wait six years to complete this quest?!
Kazuki sighed internally and decided to ignore the mission for now. Instead, he focused on chatting with Naruto.
The two of them continued talking at Ichiraku Ramen, quickly becoming comfortable with each other.
"Oh, right! Kazuki, are you already a student at the Ninja Academy?" Naruto asked curiously, pointing at the ninja pouch strapped to Kazuki's leg.
Kazuki nodded. "Yeah. When school starts, I'll be in my second year."
"Whoa! That's awesome, Brother Kazuki!" Naruto's eyes lit up with admiration. Then, he grinned brightly. "But I'm gonna enroll soon, too! Heh heh! I'll be really strong once I start training!"
Kazuki tilted his head. "Have you started learning how to use chakra yet?"
"Chakra? What's that?" Naruto asked, scratching his head in confusion.
Kazuki froze.
"...Wait, you don't even know what chakra is?"
Naruto blinked. "Uh... no?"
Kazuki's expression darkened.
How in the world was Naruto supposed to pass the Academy entrance exam without even knowing what chakra was?
Then, he realized the answer.
It must have been the Third Hokage pulling some strings.
After all, Naruto had the Nine-Tails sealed inside him. His chakra was already mixed with Kurama's, which made chakra control incredibly difficult for him. That's probably why he had those whisker marks on his face.
Because of that, Naruto's chakra control would be far worse than a normal student's.
No wonder that, even by the time of graduation, he still couldn't perform something as basic as the Clone Jutsu and ended up as the dead last in his class.
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