"Welcome."
An old man said as Hayate, Yugao and Shiro entered a small shop.
"What are you going to eat?" Hayate asked Yugao.
"I will just take a Tonkatsu Ramen." She replied.
"And what about you?" He then asked Shiro.
"Hmm. What does this shop even sell?" He asked.
"This is a ramen shop?" Hayate said.
"I don't know what to order. I never have ramen before."
"Then do you want to eat the same thing as this sister here?" Yugao asked Shiro.
"No way. I am not going to eat the same thing as you two."
"Do you like spicy food?" the ramen shop owner asked.
"Yeah," Shiro replies with interest.
"Then how about you try spicy miso ramen with crispy tofu?" The owner asked.
"Sure. I will have that." Shiro reply.
"I will have some shoyu ramen," Hayate said as he finished his order.
A few minutes later the old man dropped off all of the ordered meals in front of them.
"So I have to ask how is your first day of school?"
"It's fine. We have a first-day kunai test and I came in second."
"Second? Who came in first."
Hayate asked. He was a little surprised.
He thought that Shiro was going to ace all of his tests and exams since he was prepared compared to normal six-year-old kids.
So he was surprised that he didn't get first place.
"Uchiha Sasuke." He said as he ate a piece of tofu.
"This is really good. It's soft and tender."
"Sasuke? Itachi's brother. He was in the same class as you." Yugao said while looking surprised.
"You know him?" Hayate asked.
"Know him. His brother is very famous. People called him the greatest prodigy that came out of the Konoha since the Fourth Hokage."
"You sound enthusiastic when talking about him," Hayate said.
He would sound like he is jealous if not for the tone of his voice.
"I heard that he might even get an Anbu application. And I won't be surprised if he already got one." Yugao explained.
"Isn't he only ten years old?" Hayate asked.
"So he is only five years older than me."
Shiro said while eating his ramen.
"Can you tell me how much money an Anbu member makes?" He asked.
*****
"Not enough," Sasuke said as he stared at the wall that had multiple shurikens stuck on it.
His whole body was sweating.
I have to train harder. So that I could catch up to him. Sasuke thought as an image of his older brother popped into his mind.
"And I can't let anyone outshine me." He thought as he remembered the laid-back white hair kid that came close to matching his kunai throwing test.
*****
After sending Yugao back home Hayate accompanied Shiro so that he could show him his new place.
"Here it is," Hayate said as he opened the door to a small apartment near the outskirts of the village.
"Take this key." He said as he put a rusted key in Shiro's hand.
"I would have put you in a better place than this hell hole but I don't have authority over that," Hayate explained to Shiro.
There are only three rooms including the living room.
The kitchen is not a separate room but is located near the entrance of the living room.
The living room is empty as it only has a small table and a rug.
The cooking area was not too grand. It has an electric kettle, a rice cooker, a gas stove, a few bowls and plates, a spoon, a pair of chopsticks, and a few plastic boxes.
The bedroom does not have a bed. But it has a futon and a cupboard.
So it was at least bearable compared to the orphanage where he had to sleep on the rug with a few other children.
The toilet was attached to a shower. It also has a sink.
The apartment was not grand but it was better than nothing.
After all, beggars cannot be choosers.
"Your allowance will be around a thousand yen a month. It's not much but If you are frugal enough you might be able to live through it. You will get a thousand extra every time you get into the top 5 in your exams. And two thousand for the first place in the whole school. "
"You could always come to find me or ask your teachers if you want to get a part-time job to get extra income," Hayate said.
"Your school supplies will be provided by the teachers so you can go to them if you ever need a textbook or run out of pencils or books."
"I know," Shiro said.
"And here," Hayate said as he handed a scroll to Shiro.
"What is this?" Shiro asked.
"Your birthday present." He replied.
"This is not my birthday. My birthday was not until the next month."
"Just open it."
Shiro opened the scroll.
"Now what?" He asked.
"Unseal," Hayate said as he used a hand sigh to unseal a weapon that was stored in the scroll.
A katana appeared.
It has a purple handle with four black diamond shapes on each side. There is also a white diamond shape on the tip of the handle.
The blade was a little dark but it still seemed like it was made from tamahagane.
The saya is black with a small golden circle that has a purple spiral pattern near the handle.
"It's a custom-made model. The materials are not very good so don't use it in a real fight." Hayate said while giving a small smirk on his face.
"Thanks."
"Now. Get out."
Shiro then throws Hayate out and shuts the door by slamming it right in front of him.
"Bang."
"That kid. He never changed." Hayate smiled as he slowly walked away from Shiro's new apartment.
*****
"Amazing. So this is a real sword." Shiro said as he examined the katana carefully.
"Musashi." He said as he looked at the sword.
"He didn't tell me what the name of the sword was so I am going to name it Musashi," Shiro said as he raised the Katana above his head.