Chapter 4: Ichiraku Is Really Just a Ramen Seller
Konoha Ninja Academy – Elementary Class.
"He's here! Mingyu's here! Wow, he's so handsome!"
The moment Mingyu stepped through the school entrance, several little girls squealed excitedly, hearts practically sparkling in their eyes.
As a guy who had transmigrated from the 21st century, Mingyu had plenty of tricks for making girls happy. Combined with his good looks and impressive strength, it was no surprise he was extremely popular among the girls in class.
Unfortunately, he was still a bit too young… otherwise…
"Yo, Mingyu! I heard you eloped with Hinata yesterday! Is that true? That's so cool! Why didn't you take me with you?!"
The one speaking was a loud blond boy with spiky hair and a few whisker-like marks on his cheeks — Uzumaki Naruto.
"Uh…"
Mingyu looked at the overly excited Naruto and went speechless for a moment.
You really want to be taken along for something like that?
Still, because their backgrounds were similar (both orphans), they had played together since they were little. Whenever Mingyu had weird missions to complete for his system, he would often drag Naruto along.
Things like peeing on the Hokage Rock or spray-painting graffiti — Naruto was actually really good at that stuff.
Because of their antics, the villagers had nicknamed them "Konoha's Two Troublemakers," with Mingyu being labeled the bigger menace.
"Next time, I'll definitely bring you along," Mingyu promised with a smile.
"Pinky promise! You can't go back on your word, okay?!" Naruto said, pumping his fist in excitement.
From a young age, almost no one wanted to play with Naruto. Only Mingyu was willing to hang out and cause trouble with him. Because of that, Naruto genuinely saw Mingyu as an older brother.
Let's see… Naruto should be stealing the Scroll of Seals soon, Mingyu thought, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly.
The Scroll of Seals contained many powerful jutsu he had been looking forward to. If he could learn them…
But he couldn't rush it. He would have to plan carefully.
"Wah! Mingyu, you're finally here!" Another voice rang out. "I didn't see you yesterday at all. I missed you so much I couldn't even eat! Will you have dinner with me tonight?"
This time it was a girl with bright pink hair and a large forehead — Haruno Sakura. She was looking at him with a pouty, resentful expression.
Why did he elope with Hinata and not me? Am I worse than her?
"Why should he eat with you? He's eating with me tonight!" Another girl immediately jumped in — Yamanaka Ino.
Just like in the original story, the two girls bickered constantly. The only difference now was that they were fighting over Mingyu instead of Sasuke.
"Uh…"
Mingyu stared at the two energetic girls and felt a headache coming on. They were always so enthusiastic whenever they saw him. It was honestly a bit overwhelming.
At that moment, he suddenly felt a sharp gaze directed at him.
He turned his head and saw a brooding boy with stylishly messy black hair — Uchiha Sasuke. The boy was staring at him with clear unwillingness and a hint of frustration in his eyes.
Before Mingyu appeared, Sasuke had been the undisputed genius of the academy. Ever since Mingyu showed up, he had been pushed to second place. And after hearing that Mingyu had defeated several Hyuga chunin yesterday, Sasuke's mood had grown even worse.
Sasuke was extremely proud and competitive. His jealousy ran deep — something that would become very obvious years later when he fought Naruto after the latter mastered the Rasengan.
Mingyu let out a soft sigh when he saw Sasuke.
He knew Sasuke had a tragic life. His entire clan had been wiped out by his own older brother. Carrying that kind of burden at such a young age would twist anyone's heart.
As a fan of the series, Mingyu personally didn't agree with Itachi's choices. What's the point of the Will of Fire if you can't even protect your own family?
But he also understood that everyone had their own beliefs. He wouldn't try to change Sasuke's mind.
Soon, the rest of the elementary class students arrived. After about half an hour, most of the future "Konoha 12" were present — except for Hinata, who hadn't shown up today. Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten were in the higher class, so they weren't here either.
"Good morning, everyone!"
Iruka Umino walked into the classroom with a warm, sunny smile, looking like the friendly big brother type. The two scar marks on his face, however, gave him a slightly fierce appearance.
"Before we start class, I need to seriously criticize one student." Iruka's tone turned stern. "Mingyu, stand up!"
Mingyu stood up with a helpless expression.
"Even at your young age, pulling a stunt like eloping is unacceptable. No one should follow his example. The final exams are coming up soon. Your priority right now is to train hard and become proper shinobi. Understand?"
"Yes!"
Mingyu stayed quiet. He couldn't really argue with Iruka — the man meant well. Their views on life just didn't match.
The rest of the school day passed quickly.
After class, Mingyu was immediately dragged away by Sakura and the other girls for dinner. Naruto tagged along and got a free meal too.
The place they went to was Konoha's most famous restaurant — Ichiraku Ramen.
When Mingyu had first transmigrated, he had actually spent quite some time secretly observing the owner, Teuchi. Back in his previous life, many fans had wild theories that Ichiraku's owner was secretly the final boss — Otsutsuki Teuchi or something ridiculous.
But after years of observation, Mingyu had come to one disappointing conclusion:
The man was really just a ramen seller.
What a waste of time… I could've spent it chasing girls or training jutsu instead of spying on an old ramen uncle.
After dinner, the group split up. Since Mingyu's house was close to Naruto's, the two walked home together.
The streets of Konoha were lit up with warm lights. Most children had already returned to their parents' arms.
Only two lonely figures walked under the streetlights, their shadows stretching long and cold on the ground.
"Mingyu?" Naruto asked when Mingyu suddenly stopped walking.
"If one day you became Hokage… would you want that?" Mingyu asked seriously.
"Of course! I'm going to be the Hokage someday!" Naruto answered excitedly at first, but his expression quickly turned gloomy. "But… I'm just the dead-last in class. Everyone in the village hates me. How could someone like me ever become Hokage?"
"Don't worry. Believe in yourself. You can do it," Mingyu said with a gentle smile. "I believe in you too. From now on, you can train with me."
Naruto looked up at him, eyes wide.
No matter which world he was in, Mingyu had always admired Naruto's unbreakable spirit. If he had been in Naruto's position, he probably would have turned dark long ago.
At the same time, he could finally understand why Sasuke eventually became a rogue ninja.