A/N: So. This is officially my first completed Naruto fanfiction drabble. I actually wrote this awhile ago but never got around to posting it up. This is just about Naruto and his obsession for ramen. In fact, I vaguely remember eating cup ramen while typing this up... Hm...

Anyway, I hope you people out there enjoy Naruto's view on Life, the Universe, and Everything.

Sincerely,


Ramen

Something about that spicy broth draws me…

The way those noodles seem to blend with the condiments makes my mouth water.

Life is like a bowl of ramen, isn't it? I mean, there're the noodles, the big shots that everyone knows and take up most of people's minds. Then, there are the vegetable pieces that, though not as noticeable as the noodles, bring flavor to the broth. The occasional fish cakes add color and nice to look at. Lastly, the broth is the thing that ties everything together and make them be able to deal with each other without clashing.

But no one notices the little things, things that are invisible to the naked eye.

What about the peppers that were dried, grounded, and made into powder to make the broth? What about the grains of rice crushed to make the noodles? The spices added to the flavor of the whole shebang?

And what about the salt? Salt can bring out even the subtlest hint of flavor in the most bland ingredient. But no one seems to notice it. They take it for granted… everything.

In the end, even though everyone thinks that a bowl of ramen is just some noodles thrown in with broth, but they're wrong.

Peppers, the grains of rice, spices, salt, they all go unnoticed, quietly doing they're job with no praise, no words of encouragement, ignored. On the other hand, noodles receive all the credit instead. Sometimes the broth, the vegetables even rarer…

Ironically, it's the people who don't get any recognition in life are the ones that effect the daily lives of others the most. Not superstars, or prodigies, or people with fancy jobs that pay a lot of money.

It's the little things, hidden and humble, that make the ramen tasty.

Sometimes, I wonder who we all are in the ramen bowl of life.

Sasuke thinks himself a noodle when he's really just a fish cake, small yet taken into account.

Kakashi sensei is a vegetable through and through, noticed but not all the time. Maybe that's how he wants to be.

Hokage is a noodle and salt: a salty noodle. Being Hokage is great.

Sakura… she seems like a fish cake most of the time, not too significant… but she's so much more. I can't figure her out yet. Some days she's a noodle, others a vegetable, but then again salt… she's complicated. Her true potential is still trying to come through, I'm thinking…

And me? That's the most confusing of all. Who am I to judge myself? Maybe someone else could tell me, but I can't. All I know is that one day, in the future…

I'm aiming to be a salty noodle.