F.F: Well, I was reading the Ultimate Naruto Guide when I came about a small article that was supposed to tell people of their 'future aspirations.'
Y.F.F: It involved placing objects in front of a child, and whichever one the child picked, that would be their occupation.
F.F: So I thought, how did Naruto get his name? After all, Naruto is a type of ramen, and Uzumaki is the swirly things in Ramen.
Y.F.F: And thus this little fluffy One shot was born.
Ayame cradled the baby blonde in her arms as she watched her father set dishes of Ramen on the floor. Honestly, she who was used to the Ramen Guy's antics was finding this odd. The baby cooed and pulled on one of her brown locks, causing Ayame to flinch in pain and wrestle her hair out of the boy's tiny fists.
The Kyuubi attack had been a month ago, and thankfully Ichiraku Ramen was one of the only food stores left standing. The Third Hokage, who had taken charge after the demise of the Fourth, had left it to Ayame and her father to take care of the baby who had the fox demon sealed inside of him.
Ayame grinned down at the little guy. It was hard to believe that such a little kid had such a monster in him. But she decided she owed him. Snapping out of her thoughts, she turned to her father who was making Ramen once more. At last she decided to break the silence.
"Dad, what are you doing?" she asked as she moved towards her father, careful not to step on the bowls of Ramen littering the floor.
Her father wiped the sweat from his brow before replying, "We need to give this little guy a name. His mother died giving birth to him, and his father died while sealing the fox in him, so neither had time to name him." He puffed out his chest. "So it is our duty as his current guardians to give him a name!"
Ayame sweat dropped and looked at the steaming bowls of ramen once more. "And just exactly how are we going to do that?"
The Ramen guy simply chuckled. "Well, do you remember that little ritual I told you about? The one that said you would become a find chef because you chose the chef's apron over the money and the pencil?"
Ayame nodded. How could she forget? It was a small ritual that they did in Konoha, the outcome was hardly ever right, but it was still fun to do. It gave the old people their kicks.
"But what does that have to do with naming him?" She motioned to the baby she was cradling in her arms.
"Well, whichever kind of Ramen he goes to, that's his name!" the middle aged man proclaimed loudly.
There was a soft chuckle, and Ayame turned to find the Hokage standing. She hastily bowed, still supporting the head of the little one in her arms, and wincing as his chubby little fist reached up and grabbed her hair once more. Sarutobi chuckled again.
"What a clever way of naming you have," He chuckled as he tenderly released Ayame's hair from the child's grasp once more. "I actually came here to ask you about the matter."
The Ramen man grinned. "Well, I try to do my best. We're also going to see which career he chooses."
Sarutobi laughed as the baby's blue eyes stared up at him as though the child were in a trance. "Whatever he chooses," He said with a soft laugh. "I'm sure that it will be great, just like the great line of shinobi that call themselves his ancestors."
At last, everything was set, and the one month old was placed on the ground before five different types of Ramen. His blue eyes gazed over the steaming bowls before his chubby little legs began to move. He approached a bowl, and his chubby little fist grabbed the edge of it, spilling hot ramen all over himself.
The cry the little boy let out nearly broke all the glass within a ten-mile radius. Everyone leapt up; Sarutobi grabbed the little boy and quickly wiped off the steaming water, as well as healing the tiny burns that had started to form. Ayame began to clean up the mess, and the Ramen Man stood proudly.
"His name shall be Naruto!" He proclaimed, having hoped that the boy would have chosen that name.
"What about a last name?" Ayame asked as Naruto's crying died down.
Sarutobi chuckled and pulled an uzumaki out of the blonde's hair. "His name will be Naruto Uzumaki," He said with a laugh.
The ramen bowls were cleared away, and soon other objects were being placed on the floor. There was an apron, a piece of metal…but they needed one more.
Sarutobi lifted his hat off his head and placed it on the other side of the metal. Once again, Naruto was put on the floor.
He didn't start crawling immediately, but gazed at the objects as though he were deep in thought. At last he began to crawl forward, and his tiny fist grabbed the fabric of the Hokage's hat. Sarutobi couldn't help the smile that cracked over his wrinkled face. Naruto crawled under the hat, his tiny body looking absolutely ridiculous with the Hokage's hat on.
"And there you have it!" He said cheerfully as he removed his hat from Naruto's head. "His name is Naruto Uzumaki, and one day he will become the Hokage!"
Ayame rolled her eyes. Old men and their superstitions. Why couldn't they have just named the kid something normal, like Sasuke or Shikamaru? She shrugged. Oh well, what was done was done.
Many Years Later…
The Hokage sat at the Ramen bench, listening to the story that the Ramen Man had been telling him. His blue eyes glistened as the old man hobbled around the kitchen, stopping the story once in a while to curse his old bones.
At last the story was finished, and the Hokage leaned back, a goofy grin on his face. "Well, I guess I picked right!" Naruto said, his eyes twinkling. "Looks like an old man's superstitions were right! I did become the Hokage!"
Ayame smiled as she smeared on some lip-gloss. She had been listening to their conversation, just as she was about to head out on a date with Kakashi. She returned from the back room and pecked her father on the cheek, bidding him farewell. She waved a hand at Naruto as she passed.
"We never doubted that you would become Hokage," Ayame said with a grin. "After all, you come from a long line of Hokages."
Naruto laughed as he paid for his meal and turned to return to the Hokage's Tower. "No one ever doubted that I would become the greatest Hokage ever!" He waved good-bye as he started to trek off.
He paused in the middle of the street before deciding to change his course. Walking along, he couldn't help but laugh. So that's how he had gotten that scar on his stomach! Who would have known…he would have to talk more to those two to figure out more of his baby moments.
He stopped at a fence, and stared out at the stone faces in the rock. The first Hokage, the second Hokage, Sarutobi, his father, and then himself. Naruto Uzumaki, the Hokage who had led the shinobi village of Konoha to greatness in the second Great War. He who had crushed the Sound, and all of Konoha's enemies, he who left no one behind during a battle. No longer was Naruto the loud-mouthed brat he had been dubbed as when he was a child.
Because now, Naruto was the greatest Kage who had ever lived.