Title: At Heart
Words: 1,515
Characters: Teuchi, Iruka, Naruto, OCs
Timeline: Naruto age 7, Chunin Iruka (~17)
When Teuchi was young he made a lot of plans for his life—he dreamed big and did his best to follow through. His parents were supportive, if often absent. They were ninja from a small bloodline-less clan that had long been affiliated with the Nara. When their friends settled in the newly founded Konoha alongside others, his clan did as well.
Their clan had never been large, but due to the first two shinobi wars it had dwindled to just his father and his two sisters. His father chose to become a ninja, as did one of his aunts. Teuchi, as the last heir to his clan to bear their name wanted nothing more than to make his parents proud and become a ninja like his ancestors.
He tried; he really did try his best. Five years spent as a genin during conflict wasn't anything to laugh at. While he hadn't been taught by a jounin-sensei, he had still graduated among the middle of his class and learned the skills necessary to be placed on C-rank missions by the end of his first year of training as a genin.
Things went sour while his team was escorting a supply train to an outpost. There wasn't supposed to be any problems, they were far from any squirmishes and known enemy holdings. The chunin in charge had been green, new to command after the most recent exam.
They hadn't stood a chance.
Two of his genin teammates had lost their lives and both he and the chunin in charge had been in dire straits by the time the last enemy fell. They were lucky to be alive and if it hadn't been for the chunin's bird summons getting word to a nearby Konoha anbu team returning from a mission they wouldn't have been.
He had nearly died. By the time more than a barely qualified field medic had seen to him it had been too late to repair all of the damage. In the end Teuchi walked away sans a kidney and with a permanent limp, retiring from service.
While he figured out what to do with his life, he had spent a bit of time performing administrative duties. With the war, even those that were no longer able to perform the on-call guard portion of duty required by most of the administrative ninja (the only exception being recovering or pregnant ninja in peace time), he'd been asked to fill a void. That was when he met a quiet kunoichi of civilian heritage. She was a chunin and a couple years older than him. She was petite and although plain by some standards he found her dark eyes and light brown hair gorgeous.
Her parents were civilians, simple working people who enjoyed their work and life within the village—even if they didn't always understand the ninja around them. They were the ones who introduced him to food, both working for different restaurants in town. Cooking hadn't ever been something he'd put much thought into, but watching them on the days Megumi dragged him to her house for dinner he couldn't help but be intrigued.
It was them that introduced him to an old ramen chef, a civilian member of the Akimichi clan, who was looking for an apprentice.
From that day on he threw himself fully into a life he never expected with a beautiful woman and a civilian job. It took years, but eventually he earned and learned enough to open his own ramen stand.
People came for the ramen and came for the conversation. Ninja who remembered him, who knew of him stopped by to support his new endeavor. While he was no longer an active (or even listed in the reserve) ninja, he was still a comrade. They talked to him, knowing he understood things that many of the other, true civilian shop owners wouldn't.
Life went on and his wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Ayame, but died years later defending the village from the Kyuubi. It had been hard, but he'd done his best, persevered and rebuilt alongside the village. He may not wear a hitai'ate anymore, but in his soul he was still a genin.
The first time Teuchi laid eyes on Naruto the boy was seven years old and his pants were grass stained with holes at the knees, frayed and fresh looking with a tinge of red on the strings. The skin that peaked through the holes was pink and unmarked.
"Hello, Teuchi-san," Iruka, a genin and a regular was standing next to the boy looking a bit worn with a few grass stains as well. He knew the boy was a Kyuubi orphan and was a bit startled at his presence next to Naruto.
The younger boy was leaning against the older's side, looking up at Teuchi warily.
"Iruka-kun, you two look hungry," Teuchi stated as he looked over the blond.
He'd heard a lot about the jinchuriki around town and most of it wasn't good. Teuchi knew better than to jump to conclusions, though, especially when it was information perpetuated by civilians for the most part. Fuinjutsu may not have been something he specialized in, but even in the academy they learned the basics of how sealing worked.
"We are," Iruka grinned and helped Naruto settle up onto a stool.
The younger boy was still watching Teuchi, his bright blue eyes occasionally taking the time to dart around his surroundings. Teuchi was suddenly reminded of another blonde with blue eyes who visited often—most often almost physically dragged into the stand by an exuberant red haired kunoichi who could eat her own body weight in ramen.
"What can I get you?"
"I'll take a beef ramen," Iruka nudged Naruto gently causing the kid to turn and blink at him.
"What?"
"What flavor would you like?"
Naruto frowned and turned to look at the menu, his hands clutched at the counter as he leaned forward. "I dunno. I've never had ramen before."
"Well that's just horrible," Teuchi hummed and turned to grab a few of the smaller bowls usually used for really little children. "How about I make a few different flavors for you to try?" He considered the orders that he was currently working on for other customers. "I'll make you a bit of chicken, miso, and beef to start?"
Iruka cringed, but before he could say anything Teuchi waved him off. "On the house today, Iruka-kun. I've got a new customer to convert." The kid smiled at that, relaxing the tension that had been in his body.
Teuchi wasn't stupid and, no matter the fact that he was a ramen chef, he was still a shinobi. He knew the difference between a kunai and a sealing scroll.
He listened as he worked to their conversation; apparently Iruka had been teaching Naruto some basic pre-genin skills. Chakra control had apparently taken some convincing to work on and as incentive Iruka had decided to display the genin level skill of tree climbing. That was where the grass stains and (formerly) skinned knees had come from, Naruto had decided to skip the basics and follow the teenager up the tree. He'd also failed. But at least the fall had apparently convinced him to start smaller.
As he set the bowl down in front of the blonde, blue eyes squinted up at him. "You're bright . . . are you a ninja?"
Iruka blinked and looked around. No one else had seemed to notice the odd comment.
Teuchi glanced at the little boy and considered before choosing his answer. "I'm a ramen chef heart and soul, but no one ever stops being a shinobi."
Naruto accepted that answer and a pair of chopsticks before peering down into his bowl, considering.
"You better start eating before it gets cold," Iruka said as he pulled his own chopsticks apart.
"Itadakimasu!"
The blond took his first bite of noodles and his eyes widened. Immediately he dug in with a vigor Teuchi rarely saw his customers display unless a shinobi was particularly worn out and near chakra exhaustion.
Teuchi turned with a smile wide on his face as he began to ready the next flavor for the boy. The kid might look a lot like his father what with the blond hair and blue eyes, but his love of ramen was entirely from his mothers. Even though he didn't know for sure, hadn't seen the birth certificate or a blood test, Teuchi knew that Naruto belonged to those two.
He knew it with the same certainty that he knew that little boy was not the reincarnation of a demon.
No matter what the villagers said, no matter how many people stopped eating at Ichiraiku's, Naruto would always be welcome here. Naruto was keeping them safe, had been since the day he was born and his father gave his life to seal away the Kyuubi.
That boy was a shinobi at heart, a comrade, no matter that he lacked training or rank. He'd been a shinobi since birth.
Just like Teuchi.
Fin
Note: Teuchi's whole history here (outside of Ayame) is my AU as far as I know. Ramen is a big thing for Naruto and he needs it . . . hence chapter! Naruto may not end up the exact same as canon since he has Iruka and others helping him understand things academically (in this world it was Iruka who taught him to read along with Mayu and school . . . but Iruka's the reason he puts effort into it instead of being completely unable to stay still), but he'll still be rather similar. I'm having him learn fuinjutsu as a tribute to his heritage . . . I've always found it a shame that no one seems to have taught him much of it, if any, in canon. He still isn't that good with concentrating here, but when he has a goal that gets somewhat negated. He really, really wants to make explosive tags . . . and if he has to do calligraphy in order to be taught how to make tags then he's doing so. Naruto won't be a 'genius' or top of his class . . . or super powered. What he will get is a good basis in ninja skills that he was too impatient to develop (and didn't have the support to do so) in canon.
