4. Ramen loving Raven.

Late at night, Kitahara once again saw Uchiha Itachi's delicate nature ; He actually got up in the middle of the night to help a crow cover a small quilt, and even after Kitahara was startled by his actions, he whispered, "I'm sorry, are you thirsty?"

"...Gah..."

Kitahara turned his head to look at the doubtful little boy. He was thinking about a lot of things: the source of chakra and ninjutsu in his body, how to activate it, the future crises and trends of the ninja world... and Uchiha Itachi.

The little weasel with the Sharingan—right now, he was still a kid, a kind and natural scumbag!

Kitahara gradually became accustomed to living with Itachi. Every morning, they went to the woods to train with shuriken and practice basic physical skills. In the afternoons, they wandered around the village, occasionally stopping by the bustling district for tea and listening to the stories of other ninjas.

Several techniques had already activated in his body. According to his observations, it seemed someone needed to mention the techniques around him for them to unlock. But the problem was that the ninjutsu that had activated so far seemed... unimpressive.

Clone technique and substitution technique—basic skills. So, could only simple things be activated?

Kitahara's mood stayed low for a few days until he activated the shadow clone technique, which finally gave him hope. At least now, he could prove that it might be possible to activate a forbidden technique: the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.

At the small training ground in the woods, Kitahara stood on a tree stump, struggling to knock down a wild fruit that had been pecked full of holes. Suddenly, a strong wind blew through the forest, scattering dust and leaves onto the fruit.

"Gah!"

The crow's cry was filled with dissatisfaction.

A figure stomped on the ground and leapt into the air, four shuriken flying from his hand. Each shuriken struck a wooden target with precision. Landing lightly, Itachi turned to Kitahara and said, "Sorry about that. I'll treat you to some cake later."

"...Gah? Gah!"

Kitahara was clearly not satisfied. The little boy should reward him properly!

Through their chakra link, Itachi seemed to understand Kitahara's meaning. Scratching his cheek helplessly, he replied, "But every time we go to Ichiraku Ramen, you behave strangely..."

Kitahara had no retort. He did have a habit of glaring at the shop owner or staring down other ninja customers. Itachi had tried to correct this behavior many times, to no avail.

Still, if they went out, there was a chance his mother would ask about improving her recipes. She might wonder if her cooking wasn't good enough. Today, though, his mother was visiting the hospital in the morning... so maybe he could go to Ichiraku just this once.

"Gah!"

Kitahara flapped his wings, fanning dust off the fallen fruit. The thought of Ichiraku's ramen rekindled his determination. As the go-to spot for Konoha's ninjas, it could provide an opportunity to unlock more abilities.

Shadow Clone Technique!

This was the new ninjutsu Kitahara had activated yesterday, and it would be useful now.

"Huh?"

Itachi looked at Kitahara's shadow clone in surprise and instinctively mimicked the seals. Naturally, his chakra wasn't strong enough yet for the technique to succeed.

"It's not just a normal clone technique," Itachi muttered, observing closely. Finally, he patted Kitahara's shoulder. "Alright, let's go get ramen."

Kitahara nodded excitedly, landing on Itachi's shoulder. As they passed a nearby training ground, his shadow clone flew ahead—only to be shot down by a shuriken.

The ninja training ground wasn't a place to wander carelessly. A moving crow was as good as a live target.

"We need to pick up my mom later, so we can't stay long," Itachi reminded Kitahara, placing him on the counter at Ichiraku Ramen. He climbed into the seat next to him and glanced at the menu.

Kitahara tapped the menu with his beak. "Gah!"

"One BBQ pork ramen and one miso soup ramen, please," Itachi ordered.

"Got it! You brought your crow along again, huh?" The shopkeeper greeted warmly, setting down a plate of soybeans for Kitahara. "This guy really likes ramen, doesn't he?"

"...Yes. Thank you," Itachi replied, bowing slightly.

"Ha, no need to be so formal, kid!"

Among Ichiraku's customers, Itachi stood out—not just for his polite demeanor, but for the unique companionship of his crow.

The shop wasn't too busy. With the Third Ninja War freshly concluded, Konoha was focused on rebuilding. Missions to stabilize alliances and reconstruct strongholds left many ninjas too busy to frequent the ramen shop.

Of course, one person in Konoha could not leave the village for missions—Kushina Uzumaki, host of the Nine-Tails.

"Itachi? What are you doing here?"

"Aunt Kushina?" Itachi looked up in surprise.

She rested a hand on his shoulder, laughing. "Don't be so formal, little guy. Where's Mikoto?"

"She went to the hospital this morning for a checkup," Itachi replied.

"Is she sick?"

"No, it's just a routine check," he answered, recalling his parents' awkward expressions earlier that day.

As Kushina settled in, her gaze fell on Kitahara, who was happily pecking at soybeans. "This crow of yours... likes ramen?"

Itachi nodded. "It must be because Mr. Teuchi's ramen is so delicious."

Kitahara, however, had turned his attention to Kushina—or more specifically, the overwhelming chakra radiating from within her. There it was: the Nine-Tails.

The beast, now sealed within its second host, lay subdued but potent. Its reputation, however, was far less impressive. From being controlled by Madara Uchiha to its defeat by Hashirama Senju, its history was a series of humiliations.

And now, it was reduced to being a tenant, enduring its confinement in the most unremarkable circumstances imaginable.