Morning.
The first light of dawn crept in.
Konoha Village, after a night of slumber, slowly stirred back to its usual bustle.
Shops opened one by one, villagers hefted hoes for the day's work, and a certain green-clad, watermelon-headed guy burst out of his house, brimming with enthusiasm for his morning training.
"What a radiant sunrise! Before breakfast, I'll do 100 laps around the village—on my hands! If I can't manage that, I'll do 1,000 push-ups!"
By lap 15, Might Guy spotted someone.
A girl.
She looked young, maybe 12 or 13. Her features were delicate, her skin pale, with long black hair spilling behind her like a slightly messy hedgehog. She wore a deep blue dress styled like something from the Warring States era. It wasn't exactly strange, but her outfit and appearance felt oddly out of place in modern Konoha.
As Guy noticed her, she stopped walking and looked back, a flicker of something—recognition?—passing through her eyes.
(*Someone I know?*)
The thought crossed Guy's mind, but he quickly shook it off. He'd never been great with names. Apart from childhood friends like Hatake Kakashi, he rarely remembered anyone he'd met, so there was no point dwelling on it.
But then the girl spoke. "Excuse me, is the residential district this way?"
"You got it! So, young lady, wanna join me in igniting the flames of youth?"
Still in his handstand, Guy flashed a thumbs-up and a grin so bright his teeth practically sparkled.
"…"
The girl's mouth twitched. Then she asked, "Did you bring any money?"
"?"
Even Guy, with his boundless energy, was thrown off by the random question. He blinked, then shook his head. "Nope!"
"…Alright then."
She eyed his green spandex, lingering on his waistband as if checking for a wallet. With a disappointed sigh, she walked off.
Guy scratched his head, baffled, then shrugged it off and resumed his youthful sprint.
---
Half an hour later.
Konoha Village, central residential district.
Uchiha Hikari paused by a flowerbed, sitting down to rub her calves and ankles while scanning her surroundings. Within a hundred meters, wide streets buzzed with people weaving in and out of shops. Among them, clear as day, was a small ramen joint with a sign reading "Ichiraku Ramen," visible from a road crossing a hundred meters away.
"Finally made it."
Since last night, Hikari had been walking on and off for six hours, mostly over uneven forest paths.
Even with the comfy sneakers Bulma had sent her, her feet were sore, and her stomach was growling like crazy.
But… she had no money.
As a "relic" from the Warring States era, Hikari was essentially a ghost in this time—no identity, no cash, her pockets cleaner than her face. When she'd run into Might Guy earlier, she'd briefly considered knocking him out and swiping his wallet. But she'd dropped the idea.
For one, she wasn't even sure Guy *had* a wallet. And to knock him out? Pure taijutsu wouldn't cut it—she'd likely need to use her Sharingan's genjutsu. All that for a meal? Not worth it.
"Whatever, food first."
"Uncle Teuchi at Ichiraku should be reasonable. Maybe I can work out a tab…"
Hikari rubbed her face, stood up, and marched straight into Ichiraku Ramen.
In the chat group:
**Bulma @Nameless: Yo, Hikari, any luck finding that Konoha place?**
**Bulma: You haven't replied in a while. Everything okay?**
**Forever Little Sister: She should be fine. Konoha's pretty welcoming to outsiders. As long as you don't force your way in, even ninjas from other villages can enter. That said, Hikari-san's from a different era, so she might run into things that don't make sense to her. If she needs help, she can always ask me.**
**Bulma: Hope so.**
**Bulma: By the way, @Iron Head Kid, you still hacking at that rock? Is that kind of challenge even humanly possible?**
**Iron Head Kid: Uh, my name's Tanjiro…**
**Iron Head Kid: I know the boulder's huge, but if Master Urokodaki says it's possible, then it must be! Plus, Forever Little Sister-san and Hikari-san both said it can be cut, right?**
**Bulma: Sometimes I wonder if you guys are even human. Are you sure you're not aliens posing as people…?**
**Nameless: Ever consider… maybe *your* world has the most alien monsters?**
At Ichiraku Ramen's kitchen.
Hikari stacked the last of the cleaned dishes, wiped her hands, and checked the group chat.
Yeah… since she had no money, she'd worked out a deal with Teuchi: an hour of dishwashing for a bowl of tonkotsu ramen.
Now, with her stomach full, she was ready to leave the shop and keep her promise to Namikaze Minato.
"Wait, young lady!"
As she reached the door, Teuchi called out from behind. Under her puzzled gaze, he handed her a bag.
"Take this."
Teuchi grinned. "It's instant cup noodles we use for delivery. Not as good as what we serve here, but they keep for a while. Good for dinner. And if you've got nowhere else to go, you can work here for a few days. Pay's not great, but you won't go hungry."
Hikari blinked, then took the bag with a small smile. "Thanks. If I need to, I'll come back."
She waved goodbye.
After leaving Ichiraku, Hikari reached out to Minato in the chat.
**Nameless @Forever Little Sister: Fourth Hokage, I'm at Ichiraku Ramen. Can you tell me how to get to your place?**
**Forever Little Sister: Sure. First, check your surroundings, then head east… You should see a place called 'Yakiniku Q.' It opened during the Third Shinobi War, so it's probably still there. After that, go south, then turn left at the crossroads…**
**Nameless: …No need for directions, Fourth Hokage.**
**Nameless: I think I've already spotted your son.**
At the crossroads near Yakiniku Q.
Hikari stopped, her gaze fixed across the street.
There, in front of a toy shop, a burly shopkeeper was shooing away a blond kid with a broom. A few passersby stood nearby, pointing and muttering with disapproving looks.
*(End of Chapter)*