When Aoba arrived at Ramen Ichiraku Noodle House, it was already past eight o'clock in the evening. The surrounding shops were all flickering with faint lights. It was already past the peak hour, and it was close to the time for closing the shop.
There was no customer in Noodle House; only Teuchi was present, silently finishing his work.
"Big Brother Teuchi, I'm here."
Aoba lifted the curtain of Ramen Ichiraku Noodle House and walked in with a smile.
This time, his mood was different from before.
When he smelled a bit of ramen fragrance, his stomach growled.
"Aoba?"
Teuchi stopped what he was doing and looked at Aoba. His slightly narrowed eyes showed a smile, and he asked, "What do you want to eat?"
"Give me a big bowl; add whatever you can!" Aoba said generously. He was Ramen Ichiraku's distinguished VIP. There was still a lot of money on the card, so he had confidence in his words.
"Okay!"
Teuchi responded and immediately kneaded noodles, ready to treat Aoba well.
"Why haven't I seen you during this period of time?"
"I was still thinking about chatting with you about the card!"
"Tell me the truth..."
"Did you secretly go back to work?"
Teuchi rubbed his face and chatted with Aoba. After the conversation about the card last time, the relationship between the two became closer. After all, Aoba was also a little partner of Ramen Ichiraku.
"Yes, I went back to work during this period of time. I am tired!" Aoba put his hands on the table and rubbed his temples with his two thumbs. His face was full of exhaustion.
"You, I knew you wouldn't be able to stay idle. The vacation that Minato applied for you with great difficulty was ruined just like that." Teuchi smiled slightly. Regarding Aoba's vacation, he was there and secretly helped.
"Hey, hey, hey. You can't be too idle. There will always be trouble coming. Let's not talk about this. Brother Teuchi, have you thought about the card system?" Aoba raised his head and looked at Teuchi. There was a hint of a smile in his eyes. As long as Teuchi agreed, this place could become an intelligence-gathering point in the future.
"Of course! Such a good idea. If I don't use it, it will be a waste. Wait for me to cook a bowl of noodles for you first, then heat a pot of wine. We brothers can have a good drink and talk slowly!" Teuchi's tone was full of excitement. It could be seen that he had been waiting for Aoba for a long time and was ready to ask all the questions in his heart.
"No problem." Aoba nodded. He suddenly felt that Teuchi was not bad, especially when he said "brother", which gave him a feeling of closeness.
Just as Aoba finished speaking, Ramen Ichiraku's curtain was lifted up, and then a young girl came in.
She was about the same age as Aoba.
She was wearing a purple ninja robe with a pair of gloves on her arms, and her black hair fell behind her like a waterfall, giving people a tranquil feeling.
"Big brother Teuchi, give me a bowl of ramen."
The girl familiarly greeted Teuchi.
Her tone was gentle, and her voice was pleasant to hear.
"Mikoto, it's you. Why are you here so late? Quickly find a place to sit!" When Teuchi saw the young girl walk in, he narrowed his eyes and revealed a kind smile, as if an elder brother was concerned about his little sister.
"Yes."
The young girl nodded. Her big black eyes swept over Aoba, who was sitting in the corner, and then she walked to another corner.
Ramen Ichiraku Noodle House was not big.
Even if it were two different corners, the distance between them was not far.
The thing was.
Aoba was the only customer in the store.
This inevitably aroused a trace of curiosity in the young girl.
This young man, who was about her age, was very unfamiliar. She had never seen him before.
Even if Konohagakure was a large place. Most of their peers of the same age group were familiar with each other.
Even if they had not spoken, they should have met a few times.
Who was this person?
A small question mark appeared on the girl's head. Not only did she have a curious side to her nature, but it was also because of the work nature of her family. It made her instinctively think about it after encountering strange things.
...
Aoba only glanced at the girl when she came in and did not pay too much attention.
But.
When Teuchi said Mikoto.
Aoba suddenly thought of something.
Mikoto?
Which Mikoto?
Uchiha Mikoto?
Aoba had no interest in any youths of the same age as him in the village.
But that didn't mean he didn't want to know the identity of this girl.
All of a sudden.
Aoba slowly closed his eyes and began to search through the memories of Uchiha Sekai that he had read in his mind.
Scenes after scene appeared.
He had searched Sekai's memories before. At that time, his focus was on the missing people case. Now, he was looking pertaining to the Uchiha clan.
Not long after.
He found a young girl in the memory.
She was wearing a purple ninja outfit. Her black hair reached her waist, and she had a determined heart under her gentle and quiet appearance.
Suddenly.
Aoba opened his eyes.
He looked at the girl not far away.
This girl looked exactly the same as the one in Sekai's memory.
It was Uchiha Mikoto!
"Sure enough."
Aoba confirmed the identity of the young girl. It could be said that he had recognized both Naruto and Sasuke's parents.
However.
Just as Aoba looked at Mikoto. Coincidentally, Mikoto was also sizing up Aoba.
The moment their eyes met. Mikoto suddenly stood up and walked towards Aoba.
This action stunned Aoba.
Under Aoba's gaze, she walked to the seat next to him and sat down.
"Hello, my name is Uchiha Mikoto."
She turned to look at Aoba, her dark eyes observing the stranger.
She introduced herself first.
Her purpose was to let the young man in front of her tell her his identity as well.
According to her family elders, the village was now in trouble times. There were both internal and external troubles. If she met a strange face, she must be careful.
Maybe it was a spy sent by the other village to inquire about information.
In Mikoto's heart, she has already marked the teenager in front of her as a spy.
"My name is Yamanaka Aoba."
Aoba said lightly; he did not look directly at Mikoto. Instead, he shifted his gaze to Teuchi.
Suddenly being stared at by a girl, as a standard otaku before transmigration. It was still somewhat unnatural.
"Yamanaka Aoba..."
Mikoto repeated Aoba's name in her mind; her big eyes were staring at Aoba, never moving away, as if trying to find some clues from the latter's expression.
"So you are a member of the Yamanaka clan?"
"You guess."
The corner of Aoba's mouth twitched, and he replied snappily. Wasn't this asking a question that you already know the answer to?