For a period of time after that, Hinata Yuzuru went to work as usual.

Until one day in June, on the way to work, he met a friend he had not seen for a long time.

"Yuzuru...Good morning, sir."

Uchiha Izumi hesitated, but finally called out the other person's name.

Hinata Yuzuru turned his head, was stunned for a moment, and then said in a surprised voice: "Did you cut your hair short?"

"Well...long hair can sometimes get in the way."

Uchiha Izumi just showed a faint smile, and then, with a calm expression, he stretched out a finger and lifted the hair on the side of his face: "Is it... okay?"

"Hmm." Hinata Yuzuru stopped and looked at it carefully.

Her short hair is obviously not cut casually. After all, even boys sometimes have to struggle with cutting their hair short, let alone girls?

The short hair on one side only reaches the length of the corner of her mouth, and the bangs in the front only reach the tip of her eyebrows, but the hair on the side with the tear mole is slightly longer. At this moment, she lowers her head slightly, and the hair on that side falls on her delicate side face.

Just above the chin.

Her asymmetrical short hair was perfectly controlled by her. She pushed the side of the short hair behind her ear with her fingers, exposing her obvious jaw line and graceful swan-like neckline.

The light pink lips were shining with the color of lip balm. Although there was no expression on her face at this moment, her bright eyes were just looking at him unblinking, waiting for his comment.

"She's very beautiful and looks mature."

He smiled, looked at the direction she came from, and asked softly: "Did you come back yesterday?"

"Yeah." She pursed her lips, took a step back, and walked down the street with him: "I was about to go to the ANBU to report on the mission."

As a member of the ANBU, her tasks these days are not easy. As a member who has now become the backbone of the ANBU, she has been running around the Land of Fire in the past few days. It was not until before the Chunin Exam that she

Was able to return to the village.

"Want to have breakfast?" Hinata Yuzuru suggested. Uchiha Izumi's footsteps seemed to stagnate for a moment, but soon, he stepped forward naturally: "Would you like breakfast?"

"Well, today Xiaoxun has to go outside Konoha Village to take the exam on my behalf. There is no one to make breakfast for me in the morning, so why not come together? Ichiraku Ramen always opens very early, and there is no one at this hour."

In Naruto's world, people don't have the habit of eating breakfast. Only Ichiraku Ramen has always been diligent, opening the stall at seven in the morning, rain or shine, and not closing until midnight.

The hand-made Ichiraku ramen shop has a hard time running, but it has gradually gained recognition from many people.

Now, not only has the store expanded a lot, but in addition to his daughter, he has also hired an apprentice. It can be said that the business is booming.

But he still sticks to his heart. No matter how late the store is opened the day before, even if it is two or three o'clock in the morning, he must insist on opening the store door before seven o'clock in the morning.

According to the hand-made saying - the more ordinary shops are closed, that's when Ichiraku Ramen should play its role, delivering a bowl of steaming noodle soup to every hungry diner with nowhere to go.

.

"...good."

Uchiha Izumi agreed.

She suddenly raised her head with nostalgia, as if she had thought of something, but soon, a trace of sadness flashed across her face.

The last time I saw him was at Ichiraku Ramen Shop.

At that time, teachers, peers...

Hinata Yuzuru noticed that her eyes seemed to be glazed over because of something she was thinking of. After thinking about it for a while, he came up with the general reason. He paused and was about to say something when the spring behind him froze suddenly like a conditioned reflex.

feet.

The two looked at each other and thought of the same thing.

"I didn't step on your shadow." She rarely showed a lively smile like when she was a child.

Hinata Yuzuru also smiled softly and smiled nostalgically: "I know."

Even though I can no longer remember the specific day, the girl who followed him step by step, stepping on her own shadow and playing without seeing anything, already only exists in the memories of the past.

"I didn't expect you still remember." Quan's smile became a little complicated.

Hinata Yuzuru reached out and lowered the brim of his hat, nodded slightly to the villagers passing by, and then responded softly: "Only you were so childish when you were a child. You could even play with shadows for a long time with great interest.

.”

In fact, there is no point in stepping on shadows at all.

At that time, I probably just thought that as long as I could stay with you, everything would be interesting...

She lowered her eyes, and when she raised her head again, there was only a mature, shallow smile on her face: "I remember Yuzuru-sama at that time, he seemed to enjoy it too."

Hinata Yuzuru's face under the bamboo hat appeared and disappeared in the white thin cloth. The wind blew away the white cloth beside the bamboo hat, and Izumi saw his similarly complicated smile. Only one side of his smile was vaguely self-deprecating.

The smile on his lips was a little strange.

"Um."

He did not deny it, but instead raised his head and said meaningfully: "Because, it seems that only when I am with you... can I not think about anything and just be a child."

What does this mean?

Quan was elusive for a while.

But she thought of what Hinata Yuzuru had said to her before, and her heart suddenly tightened. When she came back to her senses, she felt her pulse beating faster than she had for a long time.

Hinata Yuzuru just walked with her and said in a relaxed voice: "At that time, although sometimes I had a headache and I didn't know what to do with you, but sometimes, it was really fun."

At that time, she probably just played with her with the mentality of a baby. Sometimes she felt like her daughter, and sometimes she felt like her sister. But now, when Hinata Yuzuru looks back, the cold girl has changed from the past.

The appearance in memory is completely different.

"Really..." She responded noncommittally.

But his steps were a little brisk.

Even though life is very hard, whenever she occasionally thinks back to the fact that she may be Hinata Yuzuru's only true friend since she was a child, she will feel a little despicable and secretly happy.

Although the only reason why I can become his friend is probably because I am useless and not worth his calculations...

But, this is the result.

"We're here." He stopped.

Quan raised his head, his eyes were a little disappointed, and he looked at the plaque on Ichiraku Ramen with some sigh: "I haven't been here for a long time, and things have changed a lot here..."

Today's Ichiraku Ramen is no longer a small shop with only a long bar-style table for sitting and a kitchen behind it.

After Hyuga Yuzuru opened the Konoha Bank from the Ministry of Finance and standardized and rectified the once chaotic private loans, he quickly launched commercial loans and housing loans to help qualified villagers expand their businesses or complete basic survival.

need.

The owner of Ichiraku Ramen, Soda, hesitated and expanded his business because of his suggestion. Today, Ichiraku Ramen is already a large shop with more than a dozen tables. You know, with the table turnover rate of ramen, so many tables

, you can imagine how popular the business here will be when it’s time for dinner.

Hinata Yuzuru knocked on the door first, then opened the sliding door and stepped in.

"Sorry, but also...Hokage-sama!?"

The somewhat hurried voice of a girl who was busy came from inside, but when the girl raised her head from the semi-open kitchen and saw who was coming, she couldn't help but exclaimed.

As her voice fell, a series of footsteps sounded in the kitchen, and the hands-beating uncle and two short-haired boys emerged from them.

"Hokage-sama, good morning." Teichi showed a slightly awkward and respectful smile. Hinata Yuzuru didn't take it seriously and just looked at him with apologetic eyes: "Can we eat noodles now? I know it's a little early, I can wait.

Will do."

"I'm very sorry, it will take about ten minutes..." He turned his head and glanced at the kitchen.

Fortunately, Ichiraku Ramen always prepares the soup base for the next day when it closes the store, so it is convenient to make it at any time.

"It doesn't matter, just do it slowly. Anyway, no one will remember me as late."

Hyuga Yuzuru sat in the corner with a smile and nodded to the two children who were looking at him with stars in their eyes: "What? Do you want me to sign your autograph? Come on, there is nothing to do now anyway."

This really wasn't the first time he met someone who wanted his autograph.

Strangely enough, although there are a lot of people who respect him, there are still some girls who will come to him with a "terrifying" aura and ask him for autographs or photos.

He usually won't refuse.

"Please!" Before the two timid boys could say anything, Changpu ran out of the kitchen behind the stage in excitement, and Changpu didn't even react to stop her. He could only stare uneasily.

Looking at her, I hope my daughter will not make big news.

Iris ran a few steps first, then realized that she didn't take anything, so she turned back to get the pen on the bar, and then ran up to Hinata Yuzuru: "Hokage-sama! I like you the most!"

Quan held his hands in front of him, and gently lifted one leg wrapped in tight black trousers and put it on the other leg. The two strong but rounded long legs were staggered.

The movement of Erlang's legs actually looks a bit elegant.

She looked at Hinata Yuzuru with a smile in her eyes, her meaning was self-evident.

But Hinata Yuzuru just looked at his hand beating the calamus with a gentle smile, and whispered: "Where do you want to sign?"

"Here! Here!" Chang Pu turned around without hesitation, revealing the white chef's uniform on his back: "Please be sure to write deeper!"

Hinata Yuzuru raised his eyebrows, simply put down the pen, and used his fingers to use a finger-engraved seal to sign Hinata Yuzuru's name on her clothes. This sealing technique was of great significance to him, and the written words

, as long as no one breaks the seal, the writing will not disappear.
To be continued...