Naruto: How to Be an Undercover Shinobi

After finishing his speech, Fugaku stood up slowly, brushed the dust off his pants, and turned to leave.

In the crowd, Kagami stared blankly in the direction Fugaku had gone, his brows tightly furrowed.

He agreed with what Fugaku had said—but training that harsh? That, he couldn't accept.

Not that it was surprising. He wasn't from Reiji's hometown and had never heard the saying:

Heaven bestows great responsibility upon those destined for greatness.

Or—

Only by surviving certain death can one truly live.

In a world where the strong eat the weak, someone without a prestigious lineage who wants to change their fate has to work hundreds, even thousands of times harder than others.

That's reality.

It's fair to say that Fugaku, young as he was, had faced enough life-and-death trials to be far more grounded than Kagami.

At that moment, a young girl next to Kagami was staring at Fugaku's back with sparkling eyes, mumbling to herself,

"So cool... Big Brother Fugaku is the coolest!"

Kagami froze, then turned to look at the little girl with a strange expression.

Mikoto Uchiha.

...

Time passed quickly. Over a month later, the Joint Chūnin Exams were just around the corner.

The three members of Class 11 reunited at Teuchi's newly opened ramen shop.

"Teuchi, how'd you come up with the name 'Ichiraku' for your shop?" Rie asked curiously, tapping the table.

Teuchi scratched his head sheepishly and gave a goofy smile.

"Sensei always said, 'Life's short, so enjoy it while you can!'"

Rie slowly facepalmed, her expression flat.

He said "enjoy it," not "Ichiraku."

And besides—do you even know what "enjoy" means?

She shook her head hard, tossing out the crude thoughts in her mind, then asked, "Teuchi, are you still planning to take the Chūnin Exams?"

Teuchi tugged at his apron with a troubled look.

"I was thinking Genin's good enough. I mean, I'm not taking missions anyway, so what's the point?

But a few days ago, Sensei came by for ramen and told me to enter the Chūnin Exams. Said I wouldn't even have to take missions, and if anyone complains, I should just drop his name.

But like... does his name even carry any weight?"

Fugaku and Rie shook their heads in perfect sync.

To most villagers in Konoha, the name Reiji Sakuhō meant nothing.

On the other hand, the name Dan Shimura was widely known—unfortunately, for all the wrong reasons.

Seeing their reaction, Teuchi's face twisted as if he'd just swallowed something bitter.

But then he thought about Rie and Fugaku having to fight alone without him tanking up front, and he felt uneasy.

After some hesitation, Teuchi sighed deeply and muttered, "So... we go together, then?"

"Done deal!" Rie slapped the table, a bright smile lighting up her face.

Fugaku's lips curled ever so slightly.

They were all Reiji's students. They didn't go for that whole "don't trouble your comrades" kind of gentle idealism.

What they had was the kind of raw, rowdy friendship that said, "Midnight snack? Diet? Screw your diet—grab the skewers!"

Translation: Day off tomorrow? Let's party tonight!

...

Just as the three of them were laughing and chatting, the curtain suddenly lifted, and a group of clearly foreign ninja—probably from the Land of Lightning—walked in.

"Boss, six bowls of tonkotsu char siu beef ramen."

Teuchi immediately put on a polite smile and apologized.

"Sorry, we're not open today. No business—really sorry."

"What about them?"

A spiky-haired teen pointed at Rie and Fugaku.

"Hehe, they're my classmates. Just catching up today," Teuchi replied, still smiling awkwardly.

The teen pursed his lips, gave Teuchi a dissatisfied glance, and turned to leave, muttering under his breath,

"Lame. Shop's closed but still open? Catching up, huh? No wonder you're not making any money."

He wasn't loud, but Rie and the others, with their sharp hearing, caught every word.

Rie's expression darkened as her brows knitted together.

"Got something to say, brat? Say it to my face. Don't mumble like some whiny kid."

The pompadour-haired teen turned sharply, eyes cold as ice, locking onto Rie.

"Oh? You got a problem? How about we settle this right now?"

Though he wore a grin, a faint red glint flickered in his eyes, as if to say:

I might look pretty—but I'm in a bad mood.

The killing intent she'd accumulated over the years seeped out around her.

Beside her, Teuchi's smile vanished. He didn't know why, but his body tensed up instinctively, ready to fight.

Just then, a large hand reached in and pulled the curtain aside.

A handsome face popped in right after.

It was Reiji.

"Yo~ Having fun in here?"

With that single line, the tension shattered instantly.

"Big bro!"

"Reiji-sensei!"

"Raimei-uncle!"

Several voices rang out at once. Everyone—still technically minors—stared at each other, stunned.

Reiji looked at the spiky-haired teen in confusion. After a moment, he seemed to recognize him, wrapped an arm around the boy's neck, and turned to Tsunade.

"This kid's the Raikage's son. Damn, look at you—grown up already!

Last time I saw him, he was running around butt-naked!

Wait... what's your name again?"

The boy glanced at Reiji awkwardly and muttered, "A."

Reiji blinked in surprise, then gave A a curious look.

Already set to inherit the title? Looks like the old Raikage's doing pretty well.

After a moment of thought, Reiji let go and walked to the table. He sat down and knocked on it.

"Ichiraku, I'll have a tonkotsu ramen with five extra servings of char siu!"

Teuchi glanced nervously toward A, chuckled awkwardly, and said,

"Sensei, we're not open today. No service."

Reiji frowned, then gave a slow, sinister smile.

"Alright, smart guy—what are you up to today? Going out to train? Want me to coach you a bit?"

At that, cold sweat broke out on Teuchi's forehead. He shrank his neck in panic and shook his head furiously.

"N-no-no! No training! I'll make you ramen right now!"

"Get lost!"

...

(30 Chapters Ahead)

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