Naruto : The System Files

Chapter no.102 Ramen Reunion

[ You have slept in your bed. HP & CP are fully stored. ]

Opening his eyes, Uzumaki stood up. The daylight was a little brighter but still, the trees masked the sun. It was time to run back down, have a shower, and change into something more relaxed.

A little less than three more hours later -the boy's clock showed quarter to noon when the blond came back to his cell- and Naruto was freshened, dressed in something definitely civilian, and en route to Ichiraku's ramen stand. A team of clones was wandering around the library, mask on, and a lone replica was in his room, working on his brush stroke and poetry. He had until eleven tonight to do what he pleased.

For the first time in a week, Naruto was wearing his hitai-ite.

He had exited the ANBU lair the same way he had entered it the very first time, seamlessly blending in with the flow of disparate civilians climbing up and down the Hokage monument. At this hour of the day and on this day of the week, they were mainly couples intend on sharing lunch in the park just above the hieratic heads. Sakura season was over and people were free to pick cherries if they could or simply enjoy the jasmine which had just started to blossom white. As he reached the end of the stairs, Naruto created a clone who scurried away toward the Sarutobi compound.

It took the blond half an hour at a leisurely walk to cross Konoha and find his way back to his favorite place ever.

"Hey, Teuchi-Jiji! Hey Nee-chan!" Naruto greeted with enthusiasm before sitting on a stool. The blond's entrance was ignored by the other customers. Everyone eating at Ichiraku's knew that that boy had the favor of the owners.

Delicious ramen was stronger than short-sighted bigotry in this case.

"Naruto!" A joyful shout was his answer as Ayame Ichiraku whirled around, wiped her hands on her apron, and hugged the blond boy. "Where the Flames were you this week?"

Naruto returned the hug with a grin and scratched the back of his head at the question. "Eh eh, well, they kept me really busy at the Hokage Tower."

"The Tower? Why were you there?"

"Well, I'm hum… Kinda… Repaying Konoha for all my pranking?" Said Naruto in a questioning tone, index finger on his lower lips and eyes looking upward, as if unsure how to properly put it. "Yeah, I think that's how they call it."

Ayame guffawed behind her counter. "Ah ah ah, so they finally caught you huh? Well, it was fun while lasted, right?" The cook asked with a large grin.

Naruto answered with a smile on his own. "Sure. I'm a ninja now, I need to be serious, 'ttebayo!"

"Eh, I bet you won't hold a month without turning the Tower on its head," challenged the brunette.

"What? No way Nee-chan! I'm all serious now!"

"As if, you're just biding your time," claimed the older girl with a nod of her head, convinced by her wise words, before she smiled again. Deserting her various saucepans for a second, the girl propped her elbow on the counter to support her head. "So what do you even do there?"

Naruto waved his hand. "Eh you know, carrying papers, carrying messages, Hokage Tower stuff I'd say."

Ayame's eyes opened as large as saucers. "No way! And you haven't gone crazy yet?"

"Oy, Nee-chan!" Naruto exclaimed with a look of indignation and a fake pout. "I'm not that bad!"

"Sure you are, you can't sit still for a minute!"

His long meditation sessions came to the blond's mind and Naruto grinned widely. "Well, I'm way better now. And anyway, they let me have my work out, so I can burn some energy before my day begins," continued the boy, shuddering a little at the memory of his first run up the Warmer.