At this moment, no one besides Torifu knew that on this seemingly ordinary morning, a dazzling yellow light was about to shine across the entire shinobi world.
"Alright, let's go get some breakfast. You'll need some energy to show off your ninjutsu in the graduation exam."
"Okay!" Minato nodded, then ran back into the house to put away the scroll. He then left the clan compound with Torifu. The old houses were renovated because of the expansion, but the basic style was still the consistent Konoha village style.
The morning market was bustling with people, but it wasn't too noisy. Everyone intentionally kept their voices down to avoid disturbing others who were still sleeping.
"Boss, two bowls of ramen."
"Coming right up!" The stall owner was a young guy who looked energetic and full of drive. Perhaps because of his passionate personality, there were many customers in front of his stall. It was Torifu's first time eating breakfast at this noodle stall. He had never seen this person before.
After a while, the boss brought over two bowls of noodles, a smile plastered on his face. "Please enjoy, customers." Just as he was about to leave, Torifu stopped him. "Boss, are you new to Konoha? You seem unfamiliar."
The boss scratched his head. "You have good eyes. I'm indeed new to Konoha. I just finished my identification registration the day before yesterday." Torifu nodded. "I see. Go back to work." The boss nodded and then turned back to his noodle pot to continue cooking.
Because they saw the Hokage eating there, many people also wanted to try the food. In an instant, the small stall was packed with customers. The boss was flustered, but he seemed to be enjoying it.
"Big Brother, this ramen is so delicious. The soup is very fresh. This is the first time I've ever had such delicious ramen!" After tasting it, Torifu also nodded repeatedly.
"It's indeed good. This young man will definitely make a name for himself in Konoha in the future." When Minato heard his Big Brother's certainty, he looked at the boss, who was seriously busy in front of the noodle pot. Sweat dripped down his face, but the smile on his face didn't falter. This was also a person worthy of respect, Minato thought to himself.
In a little while, Torifu and Minato finished their ramen. Minato licked his lips, still wanting more, but he was full. He could only come back tomorrow.
"Boss, the bill."
"Coming right up!" The boss walked over to Torifu. "Two bowls of pork bone ramen. One hundred ryo in total." This price was not considered cheap for the morning market, but it was definitely worth the money.
After Torifu paid without any hesitation, he was about to leave. But the boss stopped him.
"Sir, this is my contact information. If you need delivery service, you can call me at any time." Torifu took the card the boss handed him and didn't check it right away.
"Your way of thinking is very advanced. No one in the village has provided this kind of service yet. You're a smart one. I have a good feeling about you." Then he left the noodle stall with Minato. After the two of them walked away, a customer next to them said to the boss, "You're going to make it big."
"Huh? Why do you say that?" The person smiled. "You're new, so you don't know, but that person just now was our village's Hokage-sama! A noodle stall that even Hokage-sama says is good—if you use that as your sign, you'll become popular in Konoha in no time!"
"What? That person just now was Hokage-sama? He's so humble. He's a really great person." The boss looked at the direction Torifu left with a look of admiration, while the customer next to him kept patting his shoulder.
"Hey... hey... hey, hey!"
"Huh? What's wrong?" The boss looked at the customer blankly.
"Were you even listening to what I just said?! You're going to become popular in all of Konoha soon!" When he heard this, the boss just laughed heartily. "I don't really care about that. Whether I become popular in Konoha is based on everyone's approval of me, not based on Hokage-sama's name. It's enough for me that Hokage-sama approved of my ramen."
Seeing the boss's silly smile, the customer next to him shook his head. "Sigh, what a simple-minded guy. You don't know how a small grilled meat shop owner back then rose to prominence by using Hokage-sama's name."
"What you said is reasonable, and I'm aware of it, but I have my own aspirations. Thanks for the advice." Then the boss patted the customer's shoulder and went back to the noodle pot to continue cooking.
Konoha was starting to come back to life. The sounds of vendors hawking their goods began to fill the morning market. Walking on the road, Torifu took out the thin card. A string of numbers and a name were written on it.
"Ichiraku Ramen, Teuchi. Contact information: 132...46. I guessed it right. It's really this guy. I remember in my previous life, I wanted to try Ichiraku Ramen so much. I didn't expect it to become a reality."
"Big Brother, what are you talking about?" Torifu put away the card in his hand and ruffled Minato's hair.
"Nothing. Let's go home." Minato had grown a lot taller. Before, Torifu had to squat down to reach his head. Now, he could just reach out his hand and ruffle it, which was a lot more convenient for Torifu, but it still felt spiky.
"After the graduation exam, you'll have to seriously learn from your jōnin instructor and also seriously train the Flying Thunder God."
"Don't worry, Big Brother. I know."
The two of them went home to rest for a bit, and then it was time to leave. Minato arrived at the exam venue early to undergo various tests to prevent cheating. As the proctor, Torifu only needed to arrive on time and had no other restrictions. So, he took the time to play two games. When he saw that it was almost nine o'clock, he transformed into a cloud of mist and flew toward the Ninja Academy.
At this moment, Naori was sitting in the exam venue, waiting for the proctor to arrive. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew open the window. Naori didn't even raise her head. She just said with a hint of helplessness, "Thank goodness. You're actually early."
"I have a good sense of time. I'm never late."
Naori laughed. "Alright, alright. Sit down. The exam is about to begin." After about two minutes, Sarutobi Suiga, the principal of the Ninja Academy, and the homeroom teacher of the graduating class also entered one by one. After bowing to Torifu, they sat down next to him in a row.
Sarutobi Suiga asked Torifu, "Hokage-sama, everything is ready. The examinees are waiting outside. Shall we begin the graduation exam?" Torifu lightly tapped the table with his finger, making a crisp sound. "Let's begin."