Chapter 11

As they left the Ninja Academy, Naruto and Hinata ran straight into Sasuke.

The two passed by each other without exchanging a single word.

[Mikoto Uchiha: Naruto, could you approach my son and befriend him? After all, you'll be teammates—it'll be good for both of you!]

[Naruto Uzumaki: Maybe another day...]

[Kushina Uzumaki: Naruto...]

Naruto sighed and, reluctantly, called out to Sasuke before he walked away.

"Hey, duck hair..."

Sasuke turned around in irritation. He absolutely hated that nickname.

"Who do you think you're calling duck hair, idiot?" he frowned.

Hinata, noticing the tension between them, grew nervous.

"N-Naruto-kun... You two will be teammates... Y-you need to get along..." she said timidly.

[Kushina Uzumaki: Well said, daughter-in-law!]

[Hizashi Hyūga: Who do you think you're calling daughter-in-law?!]

[Kushina Uzumaki: My daughter-in-law is my daughter-in-law! Don't you get it?!]

Naruto sighed again and reluctantly nodded.

He didn't have a real problem with Sasuke, but his attitude was annoying.

"If you want, you can come eat with us."

Sasuke turned away without stopping. "Not interested."

At that moment, a loud scream echoed throughout the village.

"SASUKEEE-KUN! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

It was Sakura's voice.

To Naruto and Hinata's surprise, Sasuke stopped in his tracks and turned back, walking toward them with apparent calm.

"I suppose I can go... just this once."

[Tobirama Senju: I don't know why... but I don't like this kid.]

[Madara Uchiha: We all know why you don't like him, Tobirama.]

[Mikoto Uchiha: Do you have a problem with my son?!]

[Fugaku Uchiha: Second Hokage, be reasonable. Sasuke is just a child...]

[Madara Uchiha: Fugaku, don't try to reason with Tobirama. His hatred for the Uchiha Clan clouds his judgment.]

[Tobirama Senju: ...]

[Shisui Uchiha: I remember Sasuke used to follow Itachi and me around all the time when he was little. He was always smiling... but now...]

[Naruto Uzumaki: It doesn't help when your clan gets massacred in front of you, especially at the hands of your own older brother.]

[Shisui Uchiha: Yeah... I suppose that doesn't help.]

The three of them headed to Ichiraku Ramen.

For Sasuke, it was his first time there. The same for Hinata.

"Let me introduce you to the food of the gods! Ramen!" Naruto exclaimed, spreading his arms wide as he entered Teuchi's stall.

"Oh, Naruto, what a pleasant surprise. The usual?" asked the old man Teuchi, pausing his work for a moment.

"Yes! The usual." Naruto turned to his companions. "Come on, sit down and order whatever you want!"

Sasuke sat silently and ordered the same as Naruto.

Hinata did too.

Minutes later, each of them had a steaming bowl of ramen in front of them.

"Once you try it, you'll never be able to stop eating it!"

Sasuke calmly slurped his noodles. "It's okay."

Hinata, on the other hand, finished her bowl in seconds.

"I-it's really good!" she said enthusiastically before ordering another.

Teuchi, delighted, immediately started preparing it.

While Naruto and Sasuke ate at a normal pace, Hinata devoured bowl after bowl without stopping.

The stack of empty bowls beside her grew nonstop.

"I-I've counted around 23..." Sasuke murmured in surprise after a while.

"23...? I thought I counted 24..." Naruto said, incredulous.

In the end, Hinata gave up on her 28th bowl.

Naruto knew that, in the future, she would break her own record, reaching the incredible number of 46 bowls.

And all on her own!

"You're amazing, Hinata-chan!" Naruto exclaimed in admiration.

Even Sasuke gave a silent nod.

It was good that Hinata shared his passion for ramen.

[Mikoto Uchiha: I'm glad to see Sasuke making friends...]

[Fugaku Uchiha: Making friends is fine, but I hope he doesn't neglect his training because of it.]

[Mikoto Uchiha: Fugaku, you...]

Naruto changed the topic, deciding to tease Sasuke a little.

"So, Sasuke... you and Sakura, huh?"

Sasuke frowned. "Don't be ridiculous."

"S-Sakura-chan is in love with Sasuke..." Hinata murmured.

Naruto looked at her in surprise. He hadn't expected her to join in on the joke!

But Sasuke ignored them and observed both of them with suspicion.

"I can see that you two have something going on as well."

Hinata covered her face with her hands, red as a tomato.

Naruto just smiled.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow when he noticed Naruto didn't deny it.

"Just now... you said 'as well'? Are you confirming your relationship with Sakura?" Naruto insisted with a teasing grin.

Sasuke ignored him, scoffing every time Naruto hinted at something.

"You're unbearable, Naruto."

[Tobirama Senju: For a moment, Naruto and Sasuke reminded me of Hashirama and Madara. They're very similar.]

[Madara Uchiha: Don't compare me to them. At their age, I was already the leader of the Uchiha Clan and leading a war against the Senju.]

[Hashirama Senju: But in the end, you always lost to me!]

[Madara Uchiha: Not always!]

[Hashirama Senju: I don't remember you ever beating me.]

[Madara Uchiha: You're unbearable, Hashirama.]

[Izuna Uchiha: Now I understand what you mean, Tobirama.]

When they finished eating, they paid the bill and left for the Academy.

Surprisingly, Sasuke took care of paying for everything.

[Mikoto Uchiha: Thank you, Naruto. Even if it doesn't seem like it, Sasuke is happy you invited him to eat with you. That boy doesn't know how to express himself well—keep that in mind in the future.]

[Izumi Uchiha: Little Sasuke has grown so much...]

[Shisui Uchiha: Izumi?! I didn't know you were in the chat group!]

[Izumi Uchiha: I stayed silent. With so many powerful figures here, I didn't dare to speak.]

[Mikoto Uchiha: This is great! It looks like you'll also have a chance to come back to life in the future!]

[Naruto Uzumaki: You'd all already be alive if you just gave me all your power. You're just playing hard to get...]

The group fell silent at his words.

When they returned to the Academy, most of the teams had already left with their respective teachers.

Even Hinata had left with Kurenai Yūhi, along with Kiba and Shino.

In the end, only Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura remained.

[Sakumo Hatake: What an irresponsible Jōnin teacher. Arriving late to meet his students...]

[Minato Namikaze: Honestly, such behavior is unacceptable.]

Naruto almost burst out laughing.

What neither of them knew was that they were talking about their own son and former student, respectively.

Kakashi Hatake.

[Nohara Rin: My friend Obito was always late too! This feels nostalgic!]

[Naruto Uzumaki: The three of you are in for a surprise...]