Naruto: Rise of the Uzumaki by X009

Chapter 12

Fuu trailed a bit behind Naruto, her hands behind her back and a smile on her face.

Today was yet another on the mint-haired girl's list of good days since she'd been allowed to join in the Chunin Exams. She'd managed to pull her friend out of the funk the morning had put him in, and knowing she'd been able to help him warmed her heart.

And then the tour! It was everything she'd hoped it would be. Konoha was so different than Taki. There were so many sights to see and places she couldn't wait to visit over the next month.

Konoha had a hot spring! How many villages could say that? Not many, from what she knew. Taki didn't, that was for sure. And you could tell from how good the place looked that it saw a lot of traffic. She'd have to take a soak in them at least once before this was all over.

And Kikyo Castle! It was easily the largest building she'd ever seen! It was a shame Naruto hadn't known what it was for, but in some ways, that made it better. She could let her imagination run wild.

Maybe some VIP had sunk a ton of money into it trying to rival the Land of Fire's lord. Or maybe a prince or princess had come to Konoha as part of some agreement. Or it might have been a meeting place for the leaders and clan heads to meet in the past. She and Naruto had fun trading ideas back and forth for a bit.

She knew it wasn't a place for the feudal lord to stay when he came to Konoha; because they had a VIP hotel with a room just for him! Just wow! The Lord of Taki's land never went to the village. Ok, that might have been because Taki was an actually hidden village, but still.

But now, it was almost over. The sun was hanging just over the horizon, dyeing the sky orange, and the streets were beginning to thin out.

It was a shame it was almost over, but she was still excited for their last stop; Naruto's promised best restaurant in Konoha. Her stomach rumbled as she imagined what she was about to try.

She was surprised when he turned and said, "And here we are!" gesturing with a flourish towards the unassuming restaurant nearby.

"Ichiraku Ramen?" Fuu questioned, reading the name on the logo aloud.

"Yep! The number one restaurant in Konoha and the best place for ramen on the whole continent!" Naruto said, turning to the shop and practically bouncing on his feet with excitement. "Come on!" He yelled as he ran inside.

Fuu grinned widely, infected with his enthusiasm. If he was that excited, it had to be good! "Wait up!" She called out as she ran in after him.

"Well, if it isn't our favorite customer?" A man's voice called out just as she entered the shop. She saw it was an older man behind the counter, just finishing cleaning a bowl. "Two days in a row? What's the occasion?" He then turned to her, smiling warmly. "And who's this?"

"Hey, old man Teuchi. This is my new friend: Fuu." Naruto greeted, gesturing toward her as she sat down beside him. "She came from Taki for the Chunin Exams. I just got done showing her around the village and thought I'd finish up with the best restaurant in Konoha!"

Teuchi put the bowl down before turning towards her, smiling warmly with his eyes closed. "Well, nice to meet you, Fuu."

"Same to you, Mister... uh," Fuu began with a smile before trailing off uncertainly.

The chef waved off her concern. "Teuchi's fine." It was then that a young brown-haired woman stepped out from the back of the shop. "And this is my daughter, Ayame."

"Hi," Fuu greeted cheerfully, smiling widely and closing her eyes.

"Hi to you, too," Ayame said before turning to Naruto. "Any friend of Naruto's is a friend of ours."