"Welcome...... Oh, it's you, little guy, it's rare to come to Uncle so late, are you going to eat ramen? ”

Just as the ninjas of the Hyuga clan were busy trying to find the long-lost heir of the clan, Miss Hinata, who was the person concerned, was holding hands and leading the door curtain at this moment, and with a red face and helpless hands, she lowered her head and stepped into a small ramen shop with the word Ichiraku on it, which looked inconspicuous but had an extremely hot business.

"Hey, good evening, uncle! Looks like it's just in time, so I'm lucky tonight. Unlike Hinata, who was shy and introverted and curled up behind Naruto's clothes by pinching the corners of Naruto's clothes, Naruto responded to the greeting of Uncle Ichiraku, the owner of the ramen shop, with a big grin, and slowly moved Hinata by himself, sat in the vacant side-by-side double seat in front of the bar of the narrow shop, and after a pause, he smiled as if he didn't see the disgusted eyes of the diners around him, and continued, "Uncle! Two bowls of miso ramen! As before, put more Naruto rolls! ”

"Haha, that's right, if you come a little later, I'll close the door...... Okay! Two bowls of miso ramen! A bowl of ginger soup! The boss was obviously surprised by the strange gazes of the diners around him, and while he quickly took the dough and twisted it to make ramen, his eyes narrowed at Hinata, who was obviously affectionate and trusting Naruto, and his face was full of curiosity and gossip, "Speaking of which, this kid is ...... I can't see it, I haven't seen you for a few days, and you kid has a girlfriend? ”

"Hello......?! Woman...... Girlfriend...... Woo...... Woooooo Hinata, who had buried her face deep in her scarf, was stunned for a moment after hearing the boss's directly hit jokes, and when she came back to her senses, a huge amount of steam suddenly rose from her little head, and she bent down slowly with her hands covering her little face, like a little ostrich, and almost her entire body was hidden under the wooden table in front of her.

"Hey, uncle, don't make such jokes, you see you scared her...... She just happened to meet me when I came home tonight, and it seems that she can't find her way home, and it looks like she's been freezing outside for a while, so I'm going to take her to my uncle's place to eat something to warm up, and then send her home. Looking at Hinata beside him, Naruto mistakenly thought that the child usually didn't have much contact with strangers and was frightened by the overly enthusiastic boss, and while shrugging his shoulders helplessly, he coaxed a child-like habit to reach out and cover Hinata's little head and gently rub and soothe, "Good, good...... Don't be afraid, Uncle is just joking with you, he's a nice guy, and the ramen he makes is the best in the village, very, very, very—delicious! You'll love it! ”

“…… Well...... Good ......" The flush on Hinata's face became more and more visible after noticing Naruto's movements, and after a pause, he still didn't have the courage to raise his head again, but he still responded in a whisper.

"Can't find your way home? It's so late, no wonder you're so scared, what a poor child...... But it doesn't seem like she's repulsive to you at all, so she doesn't like you, right? Now, what do you say, little one. After skillfully turning the tender white dough in his hand into a slender and firm ramen, the boss continued to tease Naruto as he threw the noodles into a boiling cauldron and stirred and boiled.

"Verbosity, uncle...... What the hell are you thinking? It's just because I agreed to send her home that I trust me so much! Looking at Uncle Ichiraku, the soul of gossip was burning, the corners of Naruto's mouth twitched and he didn't retort angrily, but he didn't expect that the uncle in front of him had already beaten him crookedly, making Hinata so shy that he almost fainted, "If you have time to gossip about such a boring thing, it's better to watch some ramen, and it will be mushy if you cook it again, right?" ”

"Huh? Oooh! That's what I said...... "Hearing this, Uncle Ichiraku instinctively lowered his head a little, just in time to see the almost mushy ramen noodles in the boiling water that was bubbling with bubbles, and quickly reached out and stirred it up, and used a strainer to scoop it up and shake off the excess water, poured it into a large bowl that had already prepared a delicious soup, spread a thick layer of accessories, and carefully placed it in front of Naruto and Hinata. "Give! Long waiting! This is the miso ramen that you two little ones ordered, please use it slowly. ”

"Uh-oh! It smells so good! I'm moving! Smelling the tempting aroma of the ramen in front of him, Naruto, who was already a little unfed due to the day's practice, couldn't help but move his index fingers, and quickly took the wooden chopsticks and was about to feast, when the corner of his eye noticed Hinata next to him, who was also attracted by the smell of ramen and slowly raised his head from under the table, and after thinking about it, he turned his head a little and handed the broken chopsticks to someone with a smile, "You should be hungry too, right?" Eat it while it's hot, and you'll be warmed up when you're done. ”

"It smells so good...... Well, thanks...... I got started. Hinata, who is the heir of the Hyuga clan, has never tasted such a common delicacy as ramen, and is curious about how this tempting taste is made, and at the same time, her little stomach growls at the right time, and she takes the wooden chopsticks embarrassedly under the kind eyes of Uncle Ichiraku and Naruto, and begins to savor it in small bites.

Naruto was also relieved to see Hinata gradually adapting to the environment in the store, and after taking the bamboo chopsticks and breaking them apart, he also threw himself into the battle to destroy the food in front of him.

Of course, if Hinata eats like a well-informed lady, she is elegant and decent...... Naruto's gulping and gobbling up can be said to be as unaesthetic as the reincarnation of a starving ghost, and the contrast is stark, and the sound of snorting and sucking also attracts the attention of more diners.

"Hey, why do you look like this again...... Eat slowly, eat slowly, if it's not enough, you can add it, and no one will grab it from you, don't choke. ”

"No way...... Not...... Grunt...... Hehe, who made the ramen made by the uncle so delicious! ”

"Ahh......h Slow down, slow down, don't choke! ”

As he spoke, Uncle Ichiraku's face did not show the slightest disgust because of Naruto's bad food, but instead nodded slightly with his arms folded in his hands proudly.

You know, there's an unwritten rule in the ramen industry. That is, the louder the noise made by diners when eating noodles, the more it proves that diners appreciate and recognize the owner's craftsmanship. In other words, Naruto's rugged and unrestrained appearance is undoubtedly the best compliment to Uncle Ichiraku's craftsmanship!

"Speaking of which, you promised to send her home...... Do you already know where her family lives? ”

"Hmm...... I already know the approximate location...... Goo-goo...... Ha! Hey! Delicious! A book of satisfaction! While his mouth was stuffed with food and he answered vaguely, the noodles in Naruto's bowl also disappeared at an alarming speed, and in the end, he directly picked up the bowl with both hands, and drank the soup and noodles into his mouth, until the bowl was clean and there was no trace of residue, he put down the bowl contentedly, patted his round little belly and continued, "Next, just go to the vicinity and ask a little, you should be able to find her house soon!" ”

"So fast? I've already broken the previous record...... Every time you eat a ramen bowl that little guy eats, it always feels cleaner than if you had just washed it. While pampering and teasing, Uncle Yile took out two small bowls again, put the ginger soup boiled on another stove into the bowl, and handed it to Naruto and Hinata, "Here, this is a special gift, drinking it will make your body warmer...... Little one, as a man, you must remember to send this child home early. It was already so late, and her family must be worried. ”

"Huh? And giveaways? Hehe, what a blessing! Got it, uncle! Thank you! Naruto, who had long been accustomed to Uncle Ichiraku's special care, was not surprised by this, and naturally reached out to take the soup bowl, raised his head and drank the ginger soup in a gulp, then reached into his arms and took out the crumpled paper that could barely make out the three words of the coupon, put it on the table with a smile and handed it to Uncle Ichiraku, "Two special coupons, thank you for your hospitality, uncle!" ”

"Okay, I did get it, welcome to come back next time!"

……

By the time Naruto and Hinata had finished eating and left, the diners in the Ichiraku ramen shop had already left, and just as Uncle Ichiraku looked at the deserted shop and wondered whether to close early and go home to sleep, the biting cold wind that accompanied the lifting of the curtain made Uncle Ichiraku instinctively shout.

"Welcome! Something? ”

"Long time no see, huh...... Let's have a soy sauce ramen. The visitor responded with bent eyes, while patting the white snow on the thick cloak on his body, combined with the slight tiredness in his eyes, it made people look like they were dusty.

"Oh, it's you, I haven't seen you in a while...... Okay, a serving of soy sauce ramen, wait a minute. After the man took off the cloak to reveal a languid face surrounded by a black scarf and a white hedgehog head, Uncle Ichiraku understood and began to make ramen without asking the person in front of him if he had any other requests, until he threw the noodles into the boiling water and boiled them, and then reopened his mouth and whispered, "Naruto, that kid, even if he is misunderstood and hated by the villagers, is still a good boy who is willing to help...... I just invited a lost child to eat ramen at my place, and promised that the child would take her home. ”

“…… Naruto, he's just been here? Hearing Uncle Yile's words, the diner originally reached out to get the bamboo chopsticks, and then trembled imperceptibly, "Good boy......

"Here, I've been waiting for a long time, this is the soy sauce ramen you ordered, please use it slowly." While speaking, Uncle Yile had already finished making the soy sauce ramen that he had ordered, put it in a large bowl and decorated it with ingredients, and raised his head to look at the person in front of him with a smile.

"If you had come earlier, you would have been able to see for yourself...... I think that when that kid grows up, he'll be like your teacher...... Be as good as his father. ”

"What do you say? Kakashi. ”