"You mean me?"
Seeing Naruto Uzumaki react like that, Tian Yu couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
The son of the Fourth Hokage, the very child of the man who saved the village, yet he was treated like this? This Konoha Village... really has its problems.
"Yes, I'm talking to you."
"Didn't you say you lost your money? I happen to be in a good mood today, so I'll treat you to a bowl of ramen. Don't worry, I'm pretty loaded right now."
Tian Yu casually lifted his bulging coin pouch and shook it slightly.
"!!"
Naruto's eyes lit up like stars.
He stared at Tian Yu, wide-eyed, his gaze brimming with emotion.
No one had ever invited him to eat ramen. No one had ever treated him this kindly before.
He had been wandering the village all morning with a growling stomach, miserable because he had dropped his coins. And now, someone was being nice to him? He was so touched, he felt like crying.
"What are you waiting for? Let's eat." Tian Yu nudged him along.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Naruto beamed and ran to Tian Yu's side. He sat down with a huge grin, rubbing the back of his head. "Heh, then I won't hold back!"
Uncle Teuchi quickly brought over two steaming bowls of ramen.
Tian Yu and Naruto broke their chopsticks at the same time and said in unison:
"Thanks for the meal!"
Slurp slurp~~
The sound of noodles being happily devoured echoed.
Tian Yu had just finished a grueling battle with Might Guy, and his chakra reserves had been nearly emptied. His body was screaming for fuel.
Naruto wasn't faring much better—clearly starving.
Since beginning his intense physical training, Tian Yu's appetite had grown massively. Despite only being seven years old, he could easily out-eat most adults.
One bowl barely scratched the surface.
He glanced at Naruto. As expected, the boy had already finished his bowl and was now eyeing other customers' ramen with a hungry gaze.
"Uncle, two more bowls!"
Tian Yu raised his voice and waved.
In no time, two more bowls arrived.
"Eat up." Tian Yu pushed one toward Naruto.
Naruto blinked, stunned. "This one's… for me?"
"Obviously. If I'm treating you, you better eat until you're full. Don't let the noodles get soggy."
"T-Thank you… Thank you so much!"
Naruto's cheeks flushed red.
His heart swelled with warmth. He couldn't believe it—he'd really met someone this kind.
Not only did this person not scowl at him or whisper behind his back like the others…
He even bought him ramen!
Sniff sniff… What a good guy!
"Uncle, two more bowls!"
Ten minutes later, Tian Yu shouted again.
By the time Tian Yu had eaten five bowls and Naruto had downed three, both of them leaned back in their seats, satisfied and full.
So satisfying~~
Ichiraku Ramen truly lived up to its name.
Tian Yu could feel the energy returning to his limbs, and even the fatigue from earlier had eased.
That's the joy of food-based recovery!
Naruto looked at him with admiration in his eyes.
"Wow, you're amazing! You actually ate five bowls!"
"You're pretty good too—you polished off three."
"Hehe, well… I usually only get to eat once a day. If you hadn't helped me today, I'd probably be going hungry until tomorrow," Naruto said honestly, scratching his head with a sheepish smile. "Oh right, I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I'm gonna become Hokage one day! What's your name?"
Only one meal a day…?
Tian Yu's heart sank.
Just what had Sarutobi Hiruzen been doing all these years?
He looked at Naruto, his eyes filled with a new depth of sympathy.
"I'm Tian Yu."
"Um… Tian Yu… c-can I be your friend?" Naruto asked nervously, his earlier bravado gone. His eyes pleaded, unsure and vulnerable.
The villagers avoided him. No one ever wanted to be his friend.
Would Tian Yu reject him too, like everyone else had?
"Of course." Tian Yu gave him a warm smile.
"But… aren't you scared I'm a fox demon?" Naruto asked cautiously.
He was certain Tian Yu didn't know yet.
He was afraid—afraid that when Tian Yu found out, he'd avoid him like the rest.
"Naruto, you're just a kid around my age, right?" Tian Yu replied lightly, as if brushing off the entire topic.
Naruto froze, stunned.
Then the tears began to flow.
"Hey, hey! Why are you crying again?" Tian Yu exclaimed.
"S-Sorry, I just… got really emotional."
Naruto wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, still sniffling.
"It's the first time someone's treated me like… me. Like Naruto, not the Nine-Tails. It's also the first time someone's wanted to be my friend… wuwuwu~~~"
"Alright, alright, enough tears." Tian Yu patted his shoulder, laughing softly. "Later I'll introduce you to my friends too—you'll have lots of friends. They're all great people."
"Really?! You mean it?" Naruto's eyes sparkled with disbelief.
"Of course." Tian Yu grinned.
At that moment, a familiar mechanical voice echoed in Tian Yu's mind.
> [Ding! Mission triggered: Form a friendship with Naruto Uzumaki.
Reward: Shadow Clone Shuriken Blueprint]
> [Ding! Mission complete!
Reward received: Shadow Clone Shuriken Blueprint]
> [Ding! New Mission: Collect Nine-Tails Chakra (can be infused into the Kunwu Sword).
Reward: Multi-Shadow Clone Shuriken Blueprint]
Collect Nine-Tails Chakra?
What kind of ridiculous task is this?!
Tian Yu groaned inwardly.
When will Naruto even be able to release the Nine-Tails' chakra? Isn't that during the mission to the Land of Waves—at least six years from now?
Does this mean… he'll have to wait six whole years to finish this mission?
Tian Yu sighed and shelved the thought for now. No point stressing over it yet.
Instead, he continued chatting with Naruto.
The two quickly grew close, their conversation flowing like they'd known each other for years.
"By the way, Tian Yu, you've got a ninja pouch! Are you already a student at the Academy?" Naruto asked curiously, pointing to the pouch strapped to Tian Yu's thigh.
Tian Yu nodded. "Yeah. When school starts again, I'll be entering my second year."
"Whoa! That's awesome, Brother Tian Yu!" Naruto said, eyes shining.
"But I'm starting school soon too! I'm gonna become super strong!"
Tian Yu chuckled. "Have you extracted your chakra yet?"
Naruto tilted his head. "Chakra? What's that?"
"…That's the basic requirement to enter the Academy."
"WHAT?!" Naruto shouted. "There's an entrance exam?!"
Tian Yu's face darkened.
He doesn't even know what chakra is.
How in the world did he get into the Academy?
Then it hit him—Sarutobi Hiruzen must've opened the back door.
After all, Naruto carried the Nine-Tails.
His chakra was mixed with that of the beast's—those whisker-like marks on his cheeks were proof.
Because of that, Naruto's chakra control was far harder than a normal person's.
Even by graduation, he still couldn't properly perform the basic Clone Technique, remaining at the bottom of the class.