"What's your name?"
Naruto, who had been following closely behind Aoba, did not know why he was following him. He was startled when Aoba suddenly asked him.
Then, he reacted and said with a sunny smile, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto!"
'Of course, I know your name is Uzumaki, Naruto….'
However, he still had to pretend.
"Not a bad name. Your parents must have high expectations of you."
"I don't have parents..."
Little Naruto's mood suddenly became very low.
"Believe me, they love you very much, and they have always been by your side… Anyway, we are similar. I am a war orphan and was picked up by Konoha. I think we are quite fated. How about I protect you in the future?"
Little Naruto immediately raised his head and saw the sincere look in Aoba's eyes.
For some reason, he suddenly wanted to cry.
Being ostracized by the other children, Naruto did not cry.
Being pointed at by the adults with disgust, Naruto did not cry.
Even when he was almost beaten up, Naruto was so strong that he did not shed a single tear!
But now, he could not hold it in anymore.
"So there are still people who are willing to protect me and care about me..."
But just as Little Naruto was about to cry, a rumbling sound broke the atmosphere.
Aoba laughed out loud. Little Naruto bashfully pressed down on his stomach, his face red as if he were drunk.
"Then it's settled. In the future, you have to call me big brother. If anyone dares to bully you, I will help you!"
Little Naruto nodded in confusion and then smiled embarrassedly.
"Let's go. Big brother will take you to eat something good!"
"En, Big Brother Aoba!"
He was quite smart... and much more lovable than that proud Sasuke!
Aoba brought Little Naruto and directly charged toward Ichiraku Ramen. After all, this was the place that Naruto liked to visit the most in the future.
He believed that the uncle here would definitely not hate Naruto.
"Oh, why are you back again? Your two companions have left a long time ago," The man said with a smile.
"I didn't look for them. I didn't eat enough before, so I came back. First, I want two bowls of specially made ramen."
Aoba said as he carried Naruto to his seat.
When Naruto smelled the fragrance, his stomach began to pound again.
Fortunately, no one laughed at him, which made him secretly heave a sigh of relief.
Perhaps the uncle heard Naruto's stomach growling, so his hands moved faster, and he cooked two bowls of noodles as fast as possible and then added half of the barbecue.
"It smells so good. Is it really for me to eat?"
"Eat it. Be careful. It's hot."
Little Naruto immediately cheered. He did not forget to say 'Itadakimasu!'. He rolled up the noodles and put them into his mouth without blowing them. His mouth was so hot that he shouted. The small shop became lively.
In terms of taking care of children, Aoba was indeed incomparable to a careful guy like Itachi. Aoba would not blow the noodles cold before feeding them to Naruto.
However, Naruto was different from Sasuke. His adaptability was very strong, and he was particularly independent. He did not need others to take too much care of him.
And Aoba had never thought of spoiling Naruto into a giant baby.
It had to be said that Naruto's appetite was extremely good.
Naruto ate up such a big bowl of ramen in such a short time, and there was not even a mouthful of soup left.
If it were for Sasuke, it would probably not be possible!
However, the current Naruto was still too young. After eating this bowl of noodles, he was full enough. He covered his mouth several times and almost vomited. However, he was unwilling to vomit. He kept holding on.
In this regard, Aoba did not know whether to laugh or cry.
But he did not stop him.
Then, under the envious eyes of Naruto, Aoba finished five big bowls of ramen in a row. Finally, he took out his wallet and said, "Well, it's good to be full. I have to train later. I can't eat too much."
Naruto was so envious. He only ate one bowl of such delicious ramen, and he was already so full that he wanted to vomit. However, Aoba big brother could eat five bowls in a row without changing his expression.
Aoba, who had unconsciously set an example for Naruto, did not know that from this moment on, Naruto had made up his mind to meet his standards in terms of appetite in the future!
After eating his fill, Aoba prepared to send Naruto home. After all, he could not stay by Naruto's side for 24 hours a day.
However, he still had to remind him about what he needed to say.
"Don't run around in the future. It's very dangerous. Do you understand?"
Little Naruto hesitated for a moment, but he still raised his head and asked, "Why doesn't everyone like me?"
Aoba was silent for a moment. He could not answer this question. —He could not explain it to Naruto right now.
So, in the end, he could only say this: "Because they didn't understand the truth and listened to rumors, that's why they don't like you. When you grow up and become Konoha's hero, they will realize their mistakes and ask for your forgiveness."
Little Naruto seemed to understand and said: "I know, I will definitely become a hero. At that time, everyone will not dislike me, and no one will be willing to play with me."
"Yes, when you become the hero of Konoha, all prejudices and misunderstandings will be solved."
'But at that time, I should have become the enemy of 'hero.'
Thinking of this, Aoba rubbed Naruto's head and smiled. Life was full of unknowns that made it seem so wonderful...
…..
Although little Naruto deliberately walked slowly, it was still time for them to separate.
"Brother Aoba, will you come again tomorrow?"
At the door of the house, little Naruto looked at Aoba with expectation and reluctance.
"Do you want me to come?"
"Yes!" Naruto nodded quickly.
"I might not have time during the day, but I can do it at night."
Little Naruto lowered his head in disappointment, then suddenly raised his head in excitement!
"Really?"
"Well, are you the only one living here?"
Naruto nodded as if he had not recovered from his joy. At the same time, he picked up the rope on the ground and pulled it out forcefully.
Only then did Aoba notice that there was a thin rope tied to the handle of the door, hanging down to the ground. Otherwise, with Naruto's current height, he would not be able to open the door at all. Moreover, the door did not seem to be locked.
However, thinking about it, whether it was locked or not, there was no difference. There was nothing worth stealing inside. Moreover, there were Anbu around. Anyone who sneaked in would be in big trouble!
Aoba helped pull open the door, then followed behind Naruto and walked in.
At a glance, he saw the empty milk box on the ground and a few bowls of instant noodles that had not been cleaned up.
It was really hard to imagine that the son of the Hokage would eat this kind of thing every day.
Moreover, how old was Naruto now? He had to learn to live independently when he was only one year old.
Aoba really wanted to see with his own eyes what kind of expression Minato would have when he was resurrected by Edo Tensei if he knew what had happened to Naruto during his childhood.