At five o'clock in the evening, the library doors closed, and Hirito and Kamimura Kaishu left for the day.
Unlike Hirito, Kamimura Kaishu, although also 23 years old, already had a family. Every time he got off work, his first priority was always to return home and be with his wife.
In this chaotic era—an age of war and unrest—every ordinary person simply wanted more time with their loved ones.
Hirito felt a pang of envy.
He walked alone through the streets.
As night gradually fell, despite the times being turbulent, Konoha's public safety remained excellent. Civilians still roamed the downtown alleys, and many ninjas came out for dinner and rest after a full day of duties.
Continuing straight, Hirito arrived at Ichiraku Ramen, casually absorbing chakra from others using the Absorption skill along the way.
By this point in time, young Teuchi had already established the Ichiraku Ramen shop, which was now one of the most well-known ramen places in Konoha.
Many ninjas who enjoyed the taste of his ramen would make it their regular hangout spot.
In the month since Hirito had transmigrated, he had seen many familiar faces from the future eating here.
The Yamanaka,Nara,Akimichi trio, rising ninja like Umino Iruka and Shiranui Genma, had all shown up at some point.
But today was especially surprising. As soon as Hirito walked in, he saw three young ninjas eating noodles at the counter.
At a glance, he was stunned.
Hatake Kakashi, Rin Nohara, and Uchiha Obito!!
Minato's team—the most talked-about Genin team in Konoha at the moment—was right here.
Digging through the memories of his original body, Hirito realized that he actually knew these three.
After all, his original self had been a classmate of Namikaze Minato.
But while Minato had gone on to become a prodigy known across the ninja world, Hirito's original body had been an average ninja with no opportunities.
It was even more awkward knowing that the original Hirito once pursued Uzumaki Kushina, only to be ignored completely.
At the time, Namikaze Minato was already a standout genius at the academy.
He shone so brightly that he naturally drew admiration from many girls.
Uzumaki Kushina was no exception.
So, Minato naturally ended up becoming her focus.
No... calling Hirito a "backup" wouldn't even be accurate. He had been outright rejected.
It was embarrassing—but there was no helping it.
If Hirito had transmigrated ten years earlier, maybe he could've changed all that.
At the very least, he wouldn't have let Namikaze Minato take the lead so easily.
The original Hirito never could've imagined that in canon, Minato and Kushina's union was partially orchestrated by the village.
Otherwise, how could Minato "coincidentally" rescue her from the Kumogakure ninjas and win her heart?
Let's not forget—Kushina was the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. Konoha would never allow a civilian ninja to get too close to her, let alone marry her.
But Namikaze Minato was different. He was a civilian by birth, but a genius, and more importantly, a disciple of Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin. Him being with Kushina was considered a natural, strategic match.
In fact, the reason Minato became Fourth Hokage had a lot to do with Kushina being the Jinchūriki.
As the saying goes, the Nine-Tails' power had to remain under the village's control. With Minato as Hokage, the Jinchūriki was effectively under Hokage jurisdiction.
No risk. Total control. A perfect move for Konoha's leadership.
"Hey! You're Mr. Hirito Kurokawa from the library, right? You're here to eat ramen too?" Uchiha Obito smiled foolishly and greeted him warmly before Hirito could even speak.
Although both were Chūnin, Hirito was a senior—about ten years older than them—and a classmate of their teacher, Namikaze Minato. Respect was natural.
Looking at Obito now, Hirito couldn't help but feel a bit of nostalgia. At this point, Obito was still innocent and hopeful. It was tragic how, in the future, he would become just another pawn in Uchiha Madara's grand scheme.
Even if he struggled against fate, he could never truly escape it.
"You're all here. Minato's not with you?" Hirito asked with a smile, sitting down and chatting with Obito.
Kakashi and Rin also recognized him. After a few polite greetings, Hirito learned that Minato had sent them ahead to wait for him here.
Hirito didn't pry. He ordered a large bowl of miso chashu ramen and quietly started eating by himself.
The trio beside him were chatting happily. Hirito found it hard to join the conversation.
He simply listened in, curious if any of their casual words might reveal useful intel.
Among the three, Uchiha Obito was clearly the most talkative.
Compared to him, Kakashi was quiet and reserved, replying only with a few "hm" and "yeah" here and there.
Rin's tone was soft and graceful, with a demeanor resembling that of a noble lady.
Fifteen minutes passed. The kids were still chatting, while Hirito had already finished his bowl, paid, and got ready to leave.
Of course, he didn't forget to use Absorption on the trio, extracting a portion of their chakra.
Just as he was about to quietly plant Parasitic Seeds on all three, something unexpected disrupted his rhythm.
Namikaze Minato arrived.
His timing was dangerously close to discovering what Hirito was doing.
The two locked eyes.
Had it been Hirito's original self, he would've felt immense jealousy. After all, they were enemies—at least in the eyes of his past self.
Back in school, they hadn't gotten along. Later, Minato won over Kushina, and from that point, the original Hirito saw him as a lifelong rival.
Of course, that was not how Hirito saw it now.
"Hirito, you're here too? Long time no see." Minato took the initiative to greet him, breaking the awkward silence.
The familiar greeting brought Hirito back to his senses.
"It really has been a while—almost half a year," he replied casually. "You're a busy man. Not like us ordinary types who just complete routine tasks."
"I heard you've built quite a reputation lately. People around the village have started calling you the Yellow Flash. So… did you finally master the Flying Thunder God Technique you've been working on?"
Minato smiled modestly. "Ah, no, no. That's just a nickname people gave me. I'm just another ninja."
Humble. Calm. Not easily swayed by flattery.
He looked laid-back, but Hirito knew—he was anything but careless.
End of the Chapter.
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