Li Zhenwu's family has a small ninja tool shop, so their living situation wasn't too strained.
As Li Zhenwu stepped out of his house, his tail swayed gently behind him. He tucked his hands into the small pockets of his clothing and started whistling softly while heading toward his parents' ninja tool shop.
He didn't have any money with him, so if he wanted to eat, he had to ask his parents for some.
As he strolled down the street, the villagers encountered him and subtly avoided him.
Almost everyone in the village knew Li Zhenwu; even if they didn't, the unique tail behind him was a clear identifier.
The reason his tail was exposed wasn't intentional; rather, if he tucked it away in his clothes, it would be quite uncomfortable.
As he walked, children ran away from him, keeping their distance.
Li Zhenwu didn't mind this and continued on his way to his family's tool shop.
Just as he turned a corner, he spotted his cousin Rock Lee coming towards him, accompanied by the dejected Uzumaki Naruto.
"Cousin!" Rock Lee shouted excitedly, already displaying his characteristic talkative nature.
Rock Lee, filled with enthusiasm and with his thick brows furrowed, shouted, "My cousin! Are you here to welcome me?"
Li Zhenwu maintained a blank expression, with the corner of his mouth twitching. "Not really."
"I'm just going to eat," Li Zhenwu clarified.
"Eat?" Rock Lee's eyes lit up. "Perfect! I'm hungry too; cousin, treat me to a meal!"
Rock Lee's request to be treated was completely natural, given their close blood relation.
Li Zhenwu's father was Rock Lee's father's brother.
However, both of Rock Lee's parents had died during the Nine-Tails incident, and he was now adopted by Guy sensei.
Despite this, he often came over to eat at Li Zhenwu's house.
"Then let's eat together," Li Zhenwu nodded.
Rock Lee exclaimed in joy, "Cousin, let's go to Ichiraku Ramen!"
"Sure," Li Zhenwu didn't refuse; he was so hungry that he felt like he could eat anything.
As he glanced back, he noticed Naruto looking at them with a hint of envy but also a bit downcast.
Li Zhenwu spoke up:
"Naruto, do you want to join us for ramen?"
"Can I... really?" Naruto looked up, his eyes filled with hope.
"Of course," Li Zhenwu smiled.
...
The three boys first went to the tool shop, where Li Zhenwu quickly asked for some money.
Then, they set off for Ichiraku Ramen.
In the Naruto series, Ichiraku Ramen was a magical place that frequently appears in all chapters.
It's quite popular throughout the village.
Upon arriving, the three of them took the only available three seats out of five at Ichiraku.
As soon as they sat down, Li Zhenwu called out, "Uncle, bring us three bowls of ramen, with extra toppings, and prepare ten more bowls for me!"
"Sure thing," the uncle at Ichiraku replied cheerfully.
Rock Lee, surprised, said, "Wow, cousin, your appetite has increased again!"
"Just a little," Li Zhenwu modestly nodded.
Since birth, due to his physique, he had always had a big appetite.
Now, after completely transforming into a Saiyan, his hunger had only intensified.
Asking for ten bowls of ramen was just the warm-up.
Fortunately, Ichiraku Ramen was famous for its delicious food at reasonable prices, which was why Li Zhenwu could afford it.
Soon enough, three large bowls of ramen arrived.
Japanese ramen differs from Chinese ramen, as it is richer in ingredients, with egg and meat, and sometimes the meat in a bowl topped with extra servings exceeds the noodles.
When the ramen arrived, Naruto and Rock Lee's eyes lit up. They immediately grabbed their chopsticks and began eating.
Naruto, living a difficult life, often faced rejection from ordinary villagers.
He could only drink expired milk and mostly ate old food.
If it weren't for the Third Hokage looking after him in secret, he might have starved long ago.
Rock Lee, now under Guy sensei's care, went without certain conveniences of life and seldom had the chance to enjoy ramen like this.
Thus, they all ate heartily.
Li Zhenwu used his chopsticks rapidly, his mouth seemingly never closing. A bowl of ramen quickly disappeared into his stomach.
"Uncle, another bowl!" Li Zhenwu called out after finishing.
He ate quickly, and the feeling of hunger slowly subsided.
After finishing the third bowl, Li Zhenwu turned to see that Rock Lee and Naruto had also finished theirs. Rock Lee seemed satisfied, while Naruto looked longingly at his empty bowl.
Although a large bowl of ramen is enough to fill an adult, Naruto, as the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, naturally had a bigger appetite.
"Uncle, get Naruto another bowl," he said.
Little Naruto's eyes brightened immediately.
Soon, a stack of big bowls piled up before them.
"Hmph, you really can eat!" a small voice huffed disdainfully.
Li Zhenwu turned to see a little boy with white eyes looking at them with haughty disdain.
Behind him stood a shy little girl with white eyes, peeking at them.
"Hinata Hyuga and Neji Hyuga?" Li Zhenwu recognized the two before him.
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