"Haha."
For once, Uchiha Fugaku's normally stony face cracked into something resembling a smile as he glanced at the Third Hokage.
Then, his gaze fell upon his three exhausted sons—Itachi, Sasuke, and Shisui—along with the prime suspect, Satoru.
His expression turned… complicated.
Just what the hell did they get themselves into today?
They'd all been corrupted. Completely led astray by that little menace, Uchiha Satoru.
Meanwhile, the culprit in question was nowhere to be seen.
Satoru had quietly slipped away from the stage and into the back, where he was now grinning ear to ear at a certain ramen shop owner.
"Uncle! Is this the legendary, one-of-a-kind, limited-edition ramen coupon that grants free ramen once a day?!"
His eyes practically sparkled as he clutched the small ticket in his hands like a precious treasure.
Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, laughed heartily. "That's right! With that coupon, you get one free bowl of ramen made by yours truly every day."
Satoru beamed. "Uncle, you truly are a man of culture!"
Teuchi gave him a knowing nod before pulling something else out of his pocket.
"Oh, almost forgot—this is for you, too."
Satoru tilted his head, then squinted.
A pink card?
His cheerful expression faltered.
Wait… it's not… that kind of card, right?
Teuchi, oblivious to Satoru's brief moment of horror, continued with a proud grin.
"This is a 50% discount coupon for the South Street Dim Sum Shop. You can use it as many times as you want for 30 days!"
"Since you helped out a lot today, this is just a small token of appreciation," he added.
Satoru's previous panic vanished in an instant.
"A 50% discount?! For dim sum?!" His face lit up.
Forget the weird thoughts just now—this was amazing news!
"Uncle, you're the best!" He snatched up the coupon like a greedy dragon hoarding treasure.
Teuchi chuckled. "Glad you like it, kid."
Just as Satoru was about to skip away in victory, something struck him. He turned back.
"By the way, Uncle… what's your name?"
Teuchi blinked, looking surprised.
"My name?" He let out a thoughtful sigh. "Haven't been asked that in a long time…"
His expression suddenly turned deep and mysterious.
Satoru held his breath.
Could it be? Was this the moment of a grand reveal? Was the legendary Ichiraku Ramen owner hiding some secret identity?!
Teuchi finally opened his mouth—
Only for Satoru to dramatically cut him off.
"I knew it…!" He gasped.
Teuchi: "…Huh?"
With that, Satoru left the mystery unsolved and headed back to the competition area.
When he arrived, he was immediately met with an unsettling sight.
Everyone. Was. Still. Here.
Not just his dad and his exhausted brothers. Not just Naruto, who looked as cheerful as ever.
No, even Hokage-jiji, Kakashi, and the Akimichi clan head were still hanging around.
Satoru blinked. "Uh… what are you all still doing here?"
Naruto waved excitedly. "Big brother! We were waiting for you!"
Sasuke, who had just barely recovered from his food coma, shot him a glare.
That's my brother. Why are you so excited?
Shisui, standing beside them, had the calmest yet most unsettling smile on his face.
"Yes, Satoru," he said smoothly. "We've been waiting."
Satoru tilted his head. "Huh?"
Why did it feel like there was a hidden meaning in that?
His gaze flickered around, taking in the various expressions directed at him—his brothers' exhaustion, his dad's unreadable stare, Hokage-jiji's amused curiosity, and Kakashi's look of pure 'I'm-too-old-for-this'.
Wait… did he do something wrong?
He thought back.
Let's see… everyone got along just fine. The ramen was delicious. He even got his dad to cheer for them, which was a rare bonding moment!
What a wholesome, heartwarming family experience!
Plus, he even managed to rope in Hokage-jiji!
That was basically a win for world peace!
So why were they looking at him like this?!
Satoru puffed out his chest proudly.
They'd understand eventually.
One day, they'd look back and thank him for this moment.
Probably.
Maybe.
…Okay, fine, they were definitely going to hold this against him forever.
But it was so worth it.
—
(A/N: Don't Forget To Add In Your Collection And Support via Powerstone)