"What? Eat ramen?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was bewildered, never expecting Lin Yu to invite him for ramen. However, as Hokage, he had very little free time. The idea of accompanying a child for ramen was absurd. He’d rather spend that time with his wife.
Danzō: You scumbag Hiruzen, I dedicate 24 hours a day to Konoha, and you're thinking of slacking off to be with your wife?
"Alas, I knew the Hokage-sama wouldn't agree. Tsunade and Orochimaru-sensei and I had already made plans. Never mind, Hokage-sama, you must be busy." Lin Yu's face was full of disappointment, and his gaze at Hiruzen Sarutobi was akin to looking at a scumbag.
Tsunade and Orochimaru are also going?
A reunion of teachers and students?
It's been a while since he last ate with them. Fine, he had nothing pressing lately. It would be good to have a meal with his disciples and reminisce about youth!
With this thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment, then said to Lin Yu, who was turning to leave, "It's not impossible. Did you set a date? Let me see if I can make time to go."
"Ten days from now! Ichiraku Ramen! Lin Yu quickly pulled out a business card and placed it on the Hokage's desk. Without giving Hiruzen Sarutobi a chance to think, he instantly vanished, leaving with great haste.
"Ichiraku Ramen? A newly opened shop? Ten days from now, there's nothing much going on. I'll make time to go. Let's see if Tsunade and Orochimaru have improved recently!" Hiruzen Sarutobi secretly took a puff of his pipe and tucked the business card from the desk into his sleeve.
...
Konoha Ninja Academy.
It was now lunchtime. In a corner of Class 2-B, a group of people were gathered. They varied in height, seemingly a mix of third and fourth-year students.
The most conspicuous among them were Shikaku Nara with his pineapple-like hair and Choza Akimichi with his spiky red hair, along with Inoichi Yamanaka, another member of the Yamanaka clan, who was also part of the "Ino-Shika-Cho" formation. However, compared to the other two, his long yellow hair was not as noticeable.
This was because standing next to him was another young man with yellow hair, possessing a sunny and handsome appearance and an approachable demeanor: Minato Namikaze.
There were also the Byakugan brothers (for plot convenience, let's imagine the Hyuga brothers were born a few years later, originally they should have been 3-4 years older than the Ino-Shika-Cho, please be gentle with criticism!) and some extra students from the ninja academy.
They were gathered around a podium, facing a small girl with long red hair who sat on the podium with an air of maturity. Her pretty face was stern, looking exactly like a tough female gang leader!
Shikaku Nara, with his pineapple-like hair, said helplessly, "Hey, what's the matter that you called us here for?"
"Yeah, if it's not about food, I'm leaving." Choza Akimichi stuffed a large handful of snacks into his mouth, making Kushina a little envious.
Swallowing, Kushina waved her hand generously, looking at the "underlings" below. "Of course, it's about food! This lady is prepared to treat you to a meal, no, to ramen, super delicious ramen!"
"Super delicious ramen! Are you sure!?" Choza Akimichi's eyes lit up as he looked at Kushina, as if discovering a new continent.
"I guarantee you'll be satisfied, it's a deliciousness you've never tasted before. However, on opening day, each person can only order one bowl." The thought of the delicious ramen made by Teuchi made Kushina's mouth water. But as the leader, she had to maintain her image in front of her subordinates!
"Hmph, sorry, I'm not interested in food. I'm leaving." Shikaku Nara looked bored, wanting only to go back to sleep.
"Shikaku, don't go. You know I spent all my allowance this month on snacks, so... hehe."
Shikaku Nara had no way to deal with this friend and could only pat his pocket. It wasn't the first time, he was used to it.
Choza Akimichi quickly grabbed Shikaku Nara's hand and said awkwardly, "Shikaku, you know my appetite. One bowl isn't enough, so... hehe."
Shikaku Nara's face darkened, and he said helplessly, "Alright, I'll go with you then."
"Inoichi, I want yours too!"
"...Alright."
Kushina breathed a sigh of relief, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was settled. Her beautiful eyes turned to the Hyuga brothers.
Hiashi Hyuga curled his lips and said, "I'm not interested in ramen, so I won't accompany you."
Hizashi Hyuga followed, "Whatever big brother says goes!"
Kushina's small face scrunched up. She didn't know these two brothers well, so they wouldn't be easy to deal with.
Minato Namikaze, standing nearby, suddenly said, "Is this like a reunion of classmates? It sounds interesting. Count me in. I like ramen too."
After speaking, Minato Namikaze gave Kushina a sunny smile. Humph, what a pansy! Kushina muttered inwardly, but on the surface, she nodded friendly.
"Anyone else? This is super delicious ramen!"
"Count me in."
"A gathering of classmates? It seems quite interesting. Count me in."
"The attendees are all the popular figures in the academy. I want to participate too!"
"..."
Seeing so many people supporting her, Kushina almost let out a pig-like squeal of joy. This time, she would make Lin Yu look at her with new eyes! She, Kushina, had many connections too!
"Tsk, I thought it was something important. Just a bunch of kids playing house," a student wearing the Uchiha clan's fan emblem sneered as he passed by, overhearing their conversation.
"What did you say!" Kushina puffed out her cheeks, clenching her fists. She hadn't met this Uchiha before. He probably hadn't tasted her "fist power" to dare speak such arrogant words!
Uchiha Yota sneered, "Isn't it? Do you think the clan heads of the various major clans will go eat ramen that day? The Legendary Sannin? Or our Hokage? Hahaha, that's hilarious."
"You're making me furious!" Kushina's face turned red. She wanted to beat someone up!
"Who says the clan heads won't go! I'll tell my father when I get back!" Choza Akimichi stood up valiantly for Kushina.
"Hmph, what use is the Akimichi clan? A great clan like ours, the Uchiha, disdains to associate with you." Uchiha Yota said.
"You!"
"I've changed my mind. Our Hyuga will go too!" Hiashi Hyuga's eyes glowed as he stared at Uchiha Yota. His Hyuga clan loved to oppose the Uchiha clan!
"Whatever big brother says goes!" Hizashi Hyuga said.
"..." Everyone: We've heard that sentence somewhere before.
"Thank you, thank you all." Kushina was a little touched. Her "underlings" were quite reliable!
"See you then. It's so stuffy with cockroaches here!" The Hyuga brothers waved goodbye.
"It is indeed quite stuffy, it's ruined my appetite! Shikaku, Inoichi, let's go too!" The Ino-Shika-Cho trio left one after another.
"You, don't you look down on us Uchiha! Stop right there and explain yourselves!" Uchiha Yota's face turned red with anger.
But no one paid him any attention. The onlookers dispersed, and soon only Minato Namikaze was left standing there. He gave Uchiha Yota a gentle smile and then walked past him back to his seat. This was his classroom, and class was about to start.
"You stop! Blondie, did you just ignore me!" Seeing everyone else leave, Uchiha Yota decided to pick on the seemingly easy-to-bully Minato Namikaze to establish his authority.
"Me?" Minato Namikaze was a bit speechless. He just didn't want to argue with others, but he was mistaken for a soft target.
"If you have the guts, come out for a one-on-one fight! Only the strong get to speak in our Uchiha clan!" Uchiha Yota provocatively challenged Minato Namikaze.
"Uh... If you insist, I don't mind a friendly match." Minato Namikaze shrugged.
"Then let's go! See you on the training ground! Don't cry if you lose!"
This was destined to be a brutal stomping match...