As Naruto took the last sips of his second bowl, the shop gradually calmed down and settled into a peaceful silence. While Teuchi hummed a cheerful tune to himself behind the counter, the light clinking of the dishes Ayame was washing in the back room provided a rhythmic accompaniment to the atmosphere. As Naruto played with his chopsticks with a thoughtful expression, Altay’s familiar and instructive voice echoed from the depths of his mind.
"Alright kid, now it's lesson time. Listen to my instructions carefully and never forget this method; it might come in very handy in the future. To pretend as if you are just learning a piece of information that you shouldn't know, first, you do this..."
Listening carefully to this guide in his mind, Naruto instantly grasped how he should act initially. Frankly, this tactic piqued his interest immensely; but what truly excited him wasn't the technique Altay described, but the question he was going to ask. Putting an innocent and curious expression on his face, he broke the silence.
"Uncle Teuchi..."
Teuchi stopped what he was doing and turned to him with a warm smile.
"What is it, Naruto? Are you still hungry?"
Naruto quickly shook his head from side to side with his small hands.
"No, Uncle, I'm completely full, thank you so much! I want to ask you something."
The smile on Teuchi’s face gave way to genuine curiosity.
"What is it?"
Opening his ocean-blue eyes wide, Naruto asked with all his excitement.
"Do you know the strong ninjas of Konoha?"
Although Teuchi experienced a momentary bewilderment at this unexpected question, he immediately let out a booming, fatherly laugh that echoed through the shop. Puffy with pride, he spoke with heartfelt sincerity.
"HAHAHAHAHA! OF COURSE I KNOW! MANY OF THEM HAVE EATEN RAMEN FROM MY HANDS! HAHAHAHA!"
Hearing this, Naruto’s eyes began to sparkle with admiration like two stars.
"PLEASE, UNCLE, WILL YOU TELL ME ABOUT THEM? PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!"
At the boy's enthusiastic insistence, Teuchi chuckled once more. He completely set aside the cloth in front of him, leaned his elbows on the counter, and crossed his arms comfortably.
"Alright! I don't have any customers other than you, and I was getting bored anyway. There have been many strong ninjas in our village's history, and I'll tell you about the strongest ones! Let's start with the 3rd Hokage-sama first, because he is our current living leader..."
Clearing his throat slightly, Teuchi delved into the story of Hiruzen Sarutobi. He fluently narrated the heroism the Third Hokage displayed in the First and Second Great Ninja Wars, followed by the harsh conditions and the desperation experienced during the Third War. When the topic came to the tragic death of the Fourth Hokage, his voice grew a bit serious; he emphasized how the old leader, despite his advanced age, took the initiative and worked for days without blinking an eye to keep the village standing. He detailed at length how the Hokage lived up to his nickname, the 'Professor', and how he was respected as one of the strongest Kages currently living in the world.
Naruto sat at the counter as if spellbound, listening without missing a single word. On the rooftops, blending into the darkness of the night, the ANBU members standing guard also pricked up their ears to this conversation with hidden pride as their village's leader was mentioned. However, deep within the mindscape, the situation was a bit different; Altay and Kurama, who already knew this historical information like the back of their hands, were about to die of boredom. To kill time, they had started playing rock-paper-scissors, and the winner of the day would determine the menu for dinner in the seal space.
Having finished his words, Teuchi looked proudly at the little one across from him with a broad smile.
"How was it, Naruto? The 3rd Hokage is amazing, isn't he?"
Under the influence of what he heard, Naruto nodded rapidly and blurted out with great admiration.
"YES! GRANDPA THIRD IS INCREDIBLE!"
At that moment, the ANBU squad outside nodded slightly behind their masks in approval. While listening to the boy, they also continued their surveillance against potential threats in the surroundings. Unable to sit still, Naruto excitedly added.
"More! Please, tell me more!"
Teuchi chuckled in delight at this endless enthusiasm. Perhaps tired of standing, he pulled a wooden stool from the back and sat down. After opening a bag of chips he took from a drawer and placing it on the counter between himself and Naruto, he picked up his story from where he left off.
"Now let's talk about the 4th Hokage... our youngest Hokage and hero who recently passed away..."
The ramen chef began to describe the times he first met the Fourth Hokage, Minato, in the shop. He talked about Minato's incredible intelligence, flawless mission successes, warm demeanor, and charisma. While touching upon his talent and his unique, slightly quirky personality, he proudly recounted the terror of the yellow flash he inflicted on his enemies on the frontlines and the great sacrifices he made for the sake of the village. As Naruto listened to these heroic words, he felt a strange, inexplicable warmth deep in his heart. On one hand, he felt a great sense of admiration and pride, but on the other, he struggled with a deep, unnamed yearning, a sense of loss and emptiness that made his heart ache. The boy had no idea why he felt this way. Outside, the ANBU soldiers silently listened to the story of their former leader as well. Their chests swelled with the same pride, but when their gazes turned to Naruto, that pride gave way to a silent anger. Of course, their anger wasn't directed at the little boy, but at the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed within his body. The ANBU members weren't ordinary soldiers; they knew very well what the burden of a Jinchuriki meant, yet they were completely oblivious to Naruto's true identity. Reminiscing about the old days, Teuchi paused, a bittersweet smile brought on by his longing for the past appearing on his face.
"What are you thinking, Naruto?"
This time, Naruto spoke not with his cheerful tone, but with the weight of the strange emptiness and loss that had settled in his chest.
"Yeah... he was incredible... I wish I could be like him..."
Teuchi smiled affectionately at the boy's pure wish and reached for his glass to wet his throat. Naruto fell into a strange silence at the counter, his shoulders slightly slumped, lost in thought. Sensing the internal situation and the boy's dropping energy immediately, Altay intervened.
"Keep asking, Naruto, don't lose your focus."
Startled by the clear command in his mind, Naruto snapped out of it, shook himself, and remembered his main goal.
"Uncle, will you tell me more?"
Teuchi looked out through the shop's open curtain at the sky, which had begun to turn navy blue.
"It's getting late, Naruto, we'll talk later. You should go home."
Realizing that it had gotten quite dark, Naruto nodded in agreement with the chef. As he got off his stool and began to gather himself to head home, Altay's voice stopped him.
"Keep going, kid. Rather than staying idle or being alone at home, sit here, complete the task I gave you, and chat with Teuchi."
About to leave his stool, Naruto stayed where he was. He thought to himself; 'Nii-san is right... there is no one waiting for me at home... what will I do sitting all alone in that dark room?'
As he gently settled back into his place, he turned to Teuchi and spoke in a slightly timid and hesitant voice.
"Uncle... couldn't you tell me a little more? There's no one waiting for me at my home... it doesn't matter if I go late, or even if I don't go at all... if you're bothered, I can leave..."
Faced with this innocent yet utterly heartbreaking sentence, our kind-hearted ramen chef Teuchi's hands were tied. How could he send a lonely child out into the street with that sorrowful look in his eyes? Without realizing it, Naruto had touched the chef's softest spot. Although Teuchi felt a pang in his heart and was sad for a moment, he quickly gathered himself and smiled warmly so as not to make the boy feel any more downcast.
"It's no problem at all! Let Uncle Teuchi tell you more! Then let me tell you about the 2nd Hokage, Tobirama Senju! But I only saw him when I was a child..."
Teuchi carefully began to explain the era and accomplishments of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. As Naruto listened to him with rapt attention at the counter, the ANBU soldiers in the shadows also kept their ears peeled. Naturally, they knew everything being told by heart, but they chose to listen to kill time and take pride in their village's history; of course, never neglecting to ensure perimeter security while doing so. While these things were happening in the real world, a very different and intense strategic rivalry was taking place in the seal space within Naruto's mind. Through the system, Altay had requested a large-sized Wizard's Chess set from the Harry Potter universe. With Kurama quickly grasping the rules of chess and taking a seat at the table, the duo had engaged in a fierce match. After all, thanks to the past memories Altay possessed, both of them already knew many things about Konoha's history. Teuchi concluded his story by taking a deep breath. Naruto was spellbound once again by what he heard. Teuchi smiled in delight at his engaged demeanor.
"How was it?"
Blinking his bright eyes, Naruto spoke eagerly.
"Amazing! So he founded the ninja academy too! He even invented a lot of jutsus! He even made the 4th Hokage's signature technique! He's such a cool guy!"
But at that moment, cutting through the boy's pure admiration, came Altay's voice from the mindscape.
"He was also a cruel and ruthless person. Don't admire him too much, kid. Later, I will tell you about the other half of Tobirama Senju, who was inherently wicked. Now focus on your job! Knight to E5, Check!"
Naruto was dumbfounded by the last words he heard. 'Nii-san, what did you mean by that last part? Knight? E5?'
Altay chuckled happily from the inside.
"Ignore that part, I wasn't talking to you. We're playing a game with the Nine-Tails; you focus on your job."
This time, Naruto was completely in shock. Playing a game with the Kyuubi, the most terrifying monster in the world? Even though he was dying of curiosity about what was going on inside, he didn't want to get distracted and disappoint his Nii-san. Still, he couldn't help but mentally ask the real question stuck in his head.
'Was the 2nd Hokage bad?'
Looking at the chessboard, Altay sighed slightly.
"First focus on your task, I will explain it to you when you return home... Oh! Nice move, Kurama!"
Naruto mentally agreed with Altay and focused back on the counter. Before he could even ask a new question, Teuchi began speaking on his own initiative.
"I won't talk about the first Hokage, Naruto. I only know the legends about him, but I wouldn't want to lie to you, so ask someone older about him. However, I can tell you about the Legendary Sannin. They are the favorite students of the Third Hokage. In fact, one of them is the First Hokage's grandchild, and another is the 4th Hokage's teacher!"
As Naruto's curiosity was reignited by the magnitude of these new names and his eyes sparkled, Altay, waiting for his turn in the chess match inside, chuckled softly.
"At the same time, the teacher of the leaders of the world's largest terror group... thanks to that one-eyed dog, Obito, and Black Zetsu..."
Fortunately, Naruto didn't hear this dark murmuring passing through his mind, for he was not yet ready for political truths of this weight. As Teuchi went on at length about the powers of the Three Legendary Sannin and what they contributed to the village, the mesmerized expression on Naruto's face never faded; he thought he was learning about wonderful ninjas today. This time, Teuchi continued explaining without cutting the topics short, because he saw how hungry this child was for knowledge and wanted to alleviate his feeling of loneliness, even if just a little.
"...There's also the Uchiha clan's current Patriarch, Fugaku-sama, and his father, Hikaku-sama!"
The moment he heard the name Uchiha, Altay, who had been looking at the chessboard, instantly paid close attention to the conversation outside. Seeing his sudden seriousness, Kurama also stopped playing, but instead of listening to the chat, he took advantage of the opportunity to carefully examine the state of the pieces and began formulating counter-tactics. Outside, Naruto tilted his head curiously at these new names he heard.
"What is Uchiha?"
While Teuchi chuckled cheerfully at the boy's ignorance, the very same name caused the ANBU squad on the rooftops to instantly tense up and go on high alert. The situation was extremely delicate. But Teuchi, an ordinary shopkeeper, spoke with his usual sincere and calm tone.
"The Uchiha clan is the strongest clan in our village, Naruto. They are one of the two great clans that founded the village. The people who took away that bad customer when you arrived were from the Uchiha clan. They are also the protectors who maintain order within Konoha. They are very disciplined; they never compromise. They are the reason why the inside of Konoha is so safe and disciplined. Many attacks have been carried out inside other villages, but they have only been able to attack Konoha twice, and both were very unexpected. One was the 9-Tails Rebellion, and the other was the attack of the sky ninjas during the 2nd War. Actually, we owe a lot to the Uchiha because Konoha is this peaceful thanks to them..."
Teuchi paused for a brief moment, sighed, and thought sorrowfully to himself.
'...I wish everyone could see this truth...'
As Teuchi drank water from his glass, the ANBU soldiers hiding in the darkness above had started breaking out in cold sweats. Internally, they were silently praying that Naruto wouldn't get any more curious about the Uchiha. Because the rift between the village and the Uchiha clan was widening and weakening; the last thing the upper echelon would want was for the Jinchuriki and the Uchiha to get closer to each other. Unaware of this political tension, Teuchi continued.
"Ah, I almost forgot! There was also Kagami Uchiha-sama! He was one of the direct students of the 2nd Hokage and one of the 3rd Hokage's teammates. It was said that he was the person with the highest potential to become the 3rd Hokage..."
While Teuchi explained what he knew about Kagami, Naruto leaned a little closer to the counter and listened to every word carefully. By the time Teuchi finished the segment on Kagami and moved on to other names, Naruto was already in awe of him; because Kagami's accomplishments were dazzling. But for some reason, Teuchi hadn't gone into detail about how he died, settling merely for saying that he passed away very suddenly.
"Their previous Patriarch, Hikaku-sama, was a veteran of the 1st Ninja War and also fought in the 2nd Ninja War, where he was heavily wounded. He died in the 3rd War because of this wound. Even though he wasn't as strong as the 3rd Hokage, he was at a close power level. He was a very good strategist, a genius, and strong. He was very good at fire style, as well as genjutsu and taijutsu. He worked very hard for the village and his clan, and died for this cause. As for Fugaku-sama, after his death, right in the middle of the 3rd War, he led all the Uchiha and defeated the enemy with minimal casualties. He was a military genius. He is also very ruthless in combat. People call him 'Wicked Eye Fugaku'. In Konoha, he is someone not to be underestimated in terms of both influence and power. Also, he was one of the candidates for the 4th Hokage, but he chose not to compete... no one knows why... anyway, Naruto, the Uchihas are good people, but they are a bit on edge lately, so try not to make them angry, okay."
While Naruto listened, mesmerized by these acts of heroism coming to life in his mind, Altay in the seal space was nodding in agreement with what was being told.
"Of course that's how it is, exactly as I thought. They weren't as stupid as described in the fanfics... they were just really bad at politics. But this is normal; the Uchiha is a war-focused clan. Especially after an era where a figure like Madara was the patriarch for a long time, it's even more normal. The man was a battle maniac... I wish Izuna had been the patriarch, he was smarter..."
Naturally, Naruto in the outside world did not hear these inner monologues, and Teuchi continued his chat with the same warmth. Meanwhile, the ANBU members, who were secretly listening to them and keeping an eye on Naruto, were practically on the brink of a heart attack. The Uchiha issue had been dwelled upon far too much, and the situation showed that this powerful clan had started to attract the little boy's interest entirely too much.
If you'd like to read the ten chapters in advance, you can find them at p@@tre@@n. The link is in my profile.