Naruto wandered into his favourite Ramen Bar. In some sense, it was actually a homecoming of sorts, considering the person behind the counter was now his father-in-law, but Naruto still couldn't get his head around that fact. So instead, he greeted the cook like usual.
"Hey there old man, how are you doing? How is your hand?", he asked, recalling his burnt hand a few days earlier.
The man turned around, a pleasant smile on his face. "Ah, morning Naruto. As you can see, I'm all better now, thanks for asking.", he replied, holding up his hand as proof.
"Sure you're still able to make ramen?", Naruto inquired jokingly.
"Of course. Matsu and Nishi are still helping me out, too."
Matsu and Nishi. Naruto shuddered when he heard those names. Weren't those the two completely inept students of Teuchi-san? Who messed up three bowls ramen in a row before getting it right and served properly? "Those two? Are they here right now?", he asked, panicking slightly as his eyes darted around the ramen bar.
However, Teuchi shook his head. "No, they will be here in the evening when business starts picking up.", he explained, but then he laughed as he saw Narutos anxious expression. "Don't look so worried, they've gotten a lot better, you know.", he tried to persuade Naruto, but the memory from their botched first attempts was something that would forever haunt a ramen lover like Naruto.
"Ayame has helped me out a few days ago until my hand got better, too. Since then, I haven't really seen her. Feels really weird being a father, you know?", Teuchi said, trailing off a little.
Naruto of course had no idea what it was like to be a father, although it very slowly began to dawn on him that he might find out sooner than he would like. But he figured he knew what Teuchi was getting at. "I'm taking good care of your daughter, old man, I promised you that. And her, too.", Naruto added, remembering the day of the wedding. How beautiful Ayame had been. How beautiful they all had been.
Apparently, Teuchi was satisfied with that answer. "I believe you. You're a great guy, Naruto, and from what I heard from Ayame, she was really happy about moving into this house with you and your other wives."
Naruto nodded. He could only recall Ayame smiling during the last few days. "Yeah, she really is happy from what I can tell.", he told with a faint smile as he recalled their latest romp yesterday in his bathroom. Of course, he would never dare to speak about this in front of her father. "Can I have a quick bowl of pork ramen?"
"'Course you can, Naruto.", the man answered happily, as if he had only waited for his guest to place an order. Seeing as it was not even noon yet and there were no costumers, the ramen was done in no time.
"Itadakimasu~!", Naruto said cheerfully and began to chow down as the ramen was placed in front of him.
While Naruto chowed down, Teuchi was again gazing into the distance for a moment before he spoke to Naruto. "I might be just saying this because my daughter is one of them, but please remember that you are married to all of these fine girls and women. Don't neglect a single one of them, alright?", he asked Naruto.
"Sure thing.", Naruto answered. As if he even could, they would simply take a part of him if he ever forgot. And he figured, that would be his just punishment. He had vowed to look after them all, love and honor them, and that vow he intended to fulfill. After all, that was his nindo.
Naruto finished his ramen and paid for it accordingly, even against Teuchis protests that he couldn't possibly demand money from a family member. But Narutos argument that it was still his habit and it would feel odd if he got free ramen for life here still trumped that, apparently.
With his stomach filled to his satisfaction, Naruto walked for a few minutes to the Hokage Tower. Climbing the stairs slowly, he still wondered who those women would be that were waiting for him. He strained his brain, coming up with names. There were quite a few actually, but he wanted to remember them all. After all, not recognizing Haku (who everyone involved had believed dead) was more or less forgiveable, but if he would ask another potential bride for her name, he would be ashamed, really.
Anxiously, Naruto knocked on the door to the office of Tsunade. The usual, somewhat gruffy tone that was so common for the Hokage in the morning commanded him inside, and so he entered the room. |