Naruto, Mr. Ramen
In the dimly lit recesses of a basement, a shinobi sat cross-legged on the floor as he concentrated on a circle drawn on the stone. Candles were on that drawn chalk mark and flickered due to the slight draft, illuminating the lower half of the man's face. The corners of his mouth slid upward in a satisfied smirk for a moment before he grit his teeth as he focused.
He should have known that it was never a good idea to attempt an original jutsu when staving off pangs of hunger. As much as he tried to ignore his hunger and stare at the statue he'd created in front of him, he kept thinking about the instant ramen he had on the kitchen counter. The first taste of that thick, nutty broth and those chewy noodles -
A pulse of orange chakra left him the next second and travelled upstairs, searching for its destination. The orange glow seized the instant ramen bowl, and began to expand three times its size.
The Miso Ramen bowl sprouted legs and hopped off the counter.
####
Naruto leaned back against the wall, lying on his bed and clutching his growling stomach. He was so hungry! There was nothing to eat in his small apartment and he was exhausted from all the training he had done today. Time to go to Ramen Ichiraku. He still had money from his pay and so he wasted no time in springing from his bed and leaving the apartment in a rush.
One minute of jumping was all it took before Naruto became too hungry to exert himself so much anymore. In fact, he was almost too hungry to notice the soft footfalls behind him. Almost.
"Who's there?" he asked as he turned around with a kunai at the ready. The knife dropped from his hand. His eyes widened.
In front of him was the strangest person he had ever seen. A girl stood there, somewhat shorter than him with wild, tangled, and bright orange hair and mustard colored eyes, along with an orange dress labelled 'Miso Ramen' dress that fell to her knees. A few seconds passed before he realized this girl smelled like bean paste and pepper.
She moved towards him, her somewhat stocky frame casting a shadow on the dirt road. Her nostrils flared for a moment as if she was smelling him. That was just weird, wasn't it? "Miso Ramen," said the girl matter-of-factly.
Naruto blinked. That was not a name, that was food, and food that he happened to crave right now. "That's a weird name." Focus. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I'm going to Ichiraku's right now! They have the best ramen there. So delicious…" He rubbed his stomach in anticipation.
His words caused her eyes to shine a dangerous flash, but she shone a smile instead and confused him. "You don't need to go anywhere." Before he had a chance to ask, Miso grabbed a barrel that had gathered rainwater after a recent storm and started to drink it without stopping. Naruto gaped as he saw this unusual person doing this and wondered what would happen next. Seconds passed and she set the barrel on the ground.
She formed a few seals and said, "Warm Spicy Broth!" At once, she emitted warm, slightly fiery chakra and he smelled the same pepper and spice as before. Then, to his shock, the girl started to transform into a ramen shaped bowl although she kept her arms and legs.
More seals flashed. "Bubbling Brew Flame!" Her head had enlargened and rounded to reveal the top of the bowl; the insides appeared to be ramen ingredients more and more by the second and the water started to bubble.
The scent now intoxicated him and he tried to ignore it. Impossible. A smile crossed her face, which was now the front of the dish facing him. "I am definitely tastier," she said, which looked odd coming from a ramen bowl.
Naruto could not deny the appeal of the largest bowl of ramen he had ever seen and liked anything to do with free food. His stomach won over his brain (as it often did) and he withdrew his pair of chopsticks to rush over to Miso Ramen. He started to stuff his face, not even wondering about whether or not he was eating her insides. The temperature of the broth was perfect and he ate three quarters of the ramen before he was full and somewhat dizzy. Best ramen of his life! Concern prickled at the back of his mind. "I didn't eat your legs or arms, right? I don't eat people." He made a face at that thought.
"No." Miso Ramen began to change into her human form, paler than normal, which was difficult to see in the evening light. "I just need to replenish my chakra by eating vegetables and drinking water." Typical ramen ingredients, of course.
Naruto grinned in relief. "Ohhh. You really were good! Thanks!" His voice became quieter then as he drifted into thought for a moment. With an ability like that, he'd never go hungry again.
Since Naruto had his fill, Miso stretched and glanced around as if she searched for excitement. "Come on, follow me!" her voice was so enthusiastic that he had no choice but to run after her when she darted down the road. He had never had so much fun with a bowl of ramen in his life.
They ran and jumped around down, on various buildings and down the street, taking pleasure in their freedom. At last it was late and Naruto needed to be up in the morning for training and missions anyway.
"I don't have anywhere to stay," Miso stated. "I want to stay with you!"
He had no problem with that. "All right. But I want to eat you for breakfast." So it was a deal.
Naruto and Miso were tired for different reasons, so they collapsed – Naruto on the bed, Miso on the sofa. They slept so soundly that they failed to hear the pounding on the door right away. Naruto returned to consciousness after a minute and then went to the door in his shirt and boxers.
Sakura stood there with the angry expression she often had before punching him. "Good morning, Sakura-chan!" he said.
"It's time to go!" Sakura told him and just glowered at him instead of the punching he expected.
"Where are you going?" the slightly husky voice of Miso appeared behind him. Sakura just stared.
"Training and a mission!" answered Naruto.
"Wonderful! I want to see you in action! Also you might become hungry and I can give you something to eat." Miso was nothing but excitement and confidence despite facing Sakura's stare.
Naruto grinned in agreement and looked at his teammate. "Just wait a minute, Sakura-chan. I'll get dressed now." Naruto disappeared back to his bedroom and Miso waited in the doorway, humming. She still failed to see if Sakura was angry or shocked.
Really, she was deep in thought. "Have you ever eaten a frozen banana covered in chocolate? I think I'll try one today. I like spicer food mostly, but today will be the exception." Sakura growled, or made a similar sound in the back of her throat.
Miso giggled, amused by the odd sound. She could do odd noises as well. To prove it, she trumpeted like an elephant. Just when Sakura took a step back out of disgust, Naruto returned and announced that they should go now. Miso copied Naruto's spirited determination and rushed off by his side. Naruto thought that he heard Sakura sigh behind him, but he decided it was only the wind.
###
A/N: Inspired by GoXC and her Naruto in the fic Qualities. Check it out!