I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 6 Did you bring any money?

early morning.

As dawn broke.

Konoha Village, which had been asleep all night, gradually returned to its usual bustling state.

Shops opened one after another, and villagers carrying hoes got up to work. One man with a large, watermelon-shaped haircut and wearing a green bodysuit rushed out of his house with great enthusiasm to start his morning exercise.

"What a brilliant sunrise! Before breakfast, let's run 100 handstand laps around the village! If that's not possible, then do 1000 push-ups!"

When we reached the 15th lap.

Matt Kai saw someone.

A girl.

She was young, probably only twelve or thirteen years old. She had delicate features, fair skin, and long black hair that was slightly loose down her back like a little hedgehog. She was wearing a dark blue Sengoku-style dress... While not exactly strange, her attire and appearance seemed out of place in Konoha Village during this era.

When Kai noticed her.

The girl stopped and looked back, a strange glint flashing in her eyes, as if...

(Someone you know?)

Kai subconsciously had this thought, but quickly shook his head—he had never had much talent for remembering names. Apart from Kakashi Hatake and others he had known since childhood, he wouldn't remember the names of others even if he had met them, so there was no need to think about it in detail.

But the girl suddenly spoke up: "Excuse me, is this the direction to the residential area of ​​Konoha?"

"Yes, that's right! So, little girl, interested in burning with youthful passion together?"

Kai stood upside down and gave a thumbs-up, revealing a set of dazzlingly white teeth.

"..."

The girl's lips twitched slightly, and she asked again, "Did you bring any money?"

"?"

Even someone as thick-skinned as Kai was taken aback by this absurd question before shaking his head: "No!"

"……Oh well."

The girl stared at the green bodysuit for a few moments, especially at the position of the belt. As if confirming that she really didn't have her wallet, she sighed and walked away with a hint of disappointment.

Kai scratched his head, a little confused, then ignored the little incident and continued to burn with youthful energy.

……

After half an hour.

Konoha Village, central residential area.

Uchiha Hikaru stopped by a flower bed, sat down, and rubbed his calves and ankles while looking around. Within a hundred meters, there were wide streets and shops bustling with people. Among them, a small shop with a sign that read "Ichiraku Ramen" was clearly visible at the intersection a hundred meters away.

"We've finally arrived."

Since midnight last night, Uchiha Hikaru has been walking on and off for six hours, most of which was on rugged dirt roads in the forest.

Although she was wearing the athletic ankle boots that Bulma had given her, her feet were still a little sore after walking for so long, and her stomach was growling with hunger.

but……

She has no money.

As an "old-timer" from the Warring States period, Uchiha Hikari is practically an unregistered person in this era, her pockets are emptier than her face. When she encountered Might Guy on the street earlier, she actually considered knocking him unconscious and stealing his wallet, but in the end, she gave up the idea.

Regardless of whether Kai had any money on him, knocking him unconscious wouldn't be possible with just taijutsu; it would most likely require using the Sharingan's ocular power. Doing that for a mere meal's worth of money... it's not worth it.

"Never mind, let's eat first."

"Uncle Ichiraku Otsutsuki should be quite easy to talk to. We can always discuss it and let him buy on credit..."

Uchiha Hikaru rubbed his face, got up again, and walked straight into Ichiraku Ramen.

In the chat group.

[Bulma @ Anonymous: How's it going, Hikaru? Have you found that village called Konoha yet?]

[Bulma: She hasn't replied yet, could something have happened?]

[Yongdai-chan: It should be fine. Konoha is very friendly to outsiders. As long as they don't force their way in, even ninjas from other villages can enter... However, Miss Hikari isn't from this era, so she might see many things she can't understand. If you need anything, feel free to ask me.]

Bulma: I hope so.

[Bulma: By the way, is @IronHeadKidXizhilang still chopping rocks? Is that even a human being capable of doing that?]

[Iron-Headed Kid: Um, my name is Tanjiro...]

[Iron-Headed Kid: Although I also think this rock is a bit too big, since Master Urokodaki said so, then it can definitely be done! Besides, didn't Mr. Eitai and Ms. Hikari also say that it can be cut?]

Bulma: That's why sometimes I wonder if you guys are even human, or maybe you're some kind of alien monster disguised as humans...

[Anonymous: Is it possible... that your world has the most alien monsters?]

The kitchen of Ichiraku Ramen.

Uchiha Hikaru piled up the washed dishes and chopsticks, wiped his hands, and started paying attention to the messages in the group chat.

Well... since she didn't bring any money, she negotiated with the hand-chopping uncle and traded washing dishes for him for an hour in exchange for a bowl of tonkotsu ramen.

Now that she has filled her stomach, she is ready to leave the ramen shop to fulfill her promise to Minato Namikaze.

"Wait, little girl!"

Just as she was about to leave, Teuji suddenly called out to Uchiha Hikaru from behind, and then, under her slightly puzzled gaze, handed her a bag:

"Take this with you."

With a smile, Shouda explained, "These are instant noodles that our shop uses for delivery. The taste is a bit worse than the ones served in the restaurant, but they can be stored for a long time, so you can save them for dinner... If you don't have anywhere else to go, you can come work for me for a few days. The pay may not be high, but you'll still have enough to eat."

Uchiha Hikaru paused for a moment before taking the bag and smiling slightly. "Thank you. I'll come again if I need anything."

They waved goodbye.

After leaving the ramen shop, Uchiha Hikaru began to contact Namikaze Minato.

[Anonymous@Yongdaimei: Fourth Generation, I'm currently in front of Ichiraku Ramen. Could you tell me how to get to your house?]

[Yongdai Mei: Okay, first check the surrounding directions, then head east... there should be a restaurant called "Yakiniku Q" there, it opened during the Third Shinobi World Championship, it should still be there. After you see it, head south, then turn left at the intersection...]

[Nameless: ...No need for directions, Fourth Hokage.]

[Anonymous: I think I've already seen your son.]

The intersection near the barbecue restaurant Q.

Uchiha Hikaru stopped and looked across the street.

Over there, in front of a toy store, the tall shop owner was using a broom to shoo away a blond-haired child. Several passersby stood nearby, pointing and whispering with disapproving expressions.

(End of this chapter)