Chapter 7: Adorable Uchiha Mikoto
Ding-ding-ding
The bell rang right on time. The teacher strode into the classroom just as Mikoto, prompted by Ling Yu's quiet nudge, turned back to face the front.
Bang bang!
"Alright, everyone—back to your seats! Class is starting!"
Teacher Yamano clapped his hands on the desk with a stern expression, silencing the previously noisy room in an instant.
Everyone hurried to their places.
"Good. Today we'll continue with Konoha's history. Last time, we left off at…"
Satisfied with the sudden order, Yamano nodded and began the lesson.
Ling Yu had zero interest in class. He flopped forward onto his desk, staring blankly out the window.
After a while, boredom got the better of him. He lifted his head and scanned the room.
Shikaku Nara was propping his chin on his hand, zoning out at the blackboard. Choji Akimichi was sneakily stuffing snacks into his mouth. Inoichi Yamanaka was flat-out asleep on his desk. The Hyuga twins were whispering excitedly to each other with barely-contained energy.
Aside from top students like Minato Namikaze and Mikoto Uchiha, almost no one was actually paying attention.
Same as always. Nobody takes this seriously.
Ling Yu sighed inwardly, then shifted his seat slightly to Mikoto's right-rear angle, letting his gaze settle on her.
Class was boring—who cared about history when he could admire his future wife instead?
The little girl sat ramrod straight, listening attentively and jotting notes from time to time.
Perhaps sensing the intense stare from behind, Mikoto paused, tilted her head, and blinked her big, watery eyes back at him as if to ask: What is it? Why are you staring?
"Let's grab ramen after school."
Ling Yu flashed a gentle smile and mouthed the words clearly.
"Mm!"
Mikoto gave a small nod and a shy smile before turning back to the blackboard—she was a good student, after all.
Time ticked by slowly until the morning classes finally ended.
"That's it for the morning. Remember—practical combat training this afternoon. Dismissed!"
Teacher Yamano shook his head helplessly, gave the afternoon reminder, and left the room.
He knew most of the students weren't really listening, but they came from powerful clans with private tutors anyway. There wasn't much point in scolding them.
The moment the teacher was gone, the classroom exploded into life—completely different from the dead silence during class.
The Hyuga twins bolted out immediately. Rumor had it their clan was top-tier and extremely strict; one of them was destined to inherit the head position, so they were drilled relentlessly from childhood with almost no free time.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio, on the other hand, were far more relaxed. Their clans were mid-tier—no constant pressure—so they just needed to meet training quotas at their own pace.
"Finally free! I'm starving. Let's hit the barbecue place—I've got a 70% off member card!"
Choji swallowed the last of his snacks and eagerly proposed.
"Sounds good. I slept through class and I'm hungry now too."
Inoichi rubbed his eyes, looking like he'd just woken up, and agreed.
"Sure, but Choji—you've been eating snacks the whole lesson. Can you even fit more?"
Shikaku nodded, then stared at Choji's belly with his signature dead-fish eyes.
"Don't underestimate my appetite!"
Choji jumped to his feet, fired up at the challenge to his stomach capacity.
"Fine, fine—I know you're a bottomless pit. Let me ask Minato and the others first. We'll go together after."
Inoichi calmed Choji down and headed toward Minato's group to invite them.
"Ling Yu, wanna come eat barbecue?"
Shikaku walked over and extended the invitation.
Ling Yu had just finished packing up and was about to leave.
"Nah, I already invited Mikoto out to eat. You guys go ahead without me."
He shrugged casually, making it clear he had plans—and that eating with a cute girl alone beat hanging with a bunch of kids any day.
"Got it. Won't interrupt your date then."
Shikaku raised an eyebrow, shot him a knowing guy-to-guy smirk, and walked off.
This Naruto world really matures kids early…
Ling Yu shook his head in mild exasperation.
He headed straight for the door, spotted Mikoto waiting outside in a daze, and smiled.
"Let's go."
Without hesitation, he reached out and took her soft little hand.
"Mm…"
Mikoto's face flushed pink. She gave a tiny tug, but when she couldn't pull free, she let him hold on—trailing shyly behind him.
Ling Yu caught every bit of her reaction. Seeing no real resistance, his mood soared, and his steps became noticeably lighter.
"Look—Ling Yu's coming out!"
"Ling Yu's so handsome! Who's that girl with him? I'm so jealous…"
"She's super pretty too. They look perfect together—like a match made in heaven!"
"I wish I could hold Ling Yu's hand…"
"Damn it, my goddess is getting taken!"
"Who's that pretty boy? How dare he hold my goddess's hand! I challenge him to a duel!"
As they passed the training field during peak dismissal time, students spotted the intimate hand-holding and erupted in a mix of awe, envy, and jealousy.
Mikoto was thin-skinned. Hearing the commotion, she tried to yank her hand free—but after several futile tugs, she gave up and pressed closer to Ling Yu, burying her face against his back.
Don't look at me, don't look at me, don't look at me…
She chanted desperately in her mind.
…
Konoha Commercial Street – A Small Ramen Shop
Hand in hand the whole way, Ling Yu arrived at the ramen stand in high spirits.
"Boss! Two bowls of ramen! And two glasses of juice!"
This was the same place Naruto would frequent in the future—recommended by that lecherous Jiraiya to Tsunade as a way to score points. Unfortunately for Jiraiya, Tsunade hated ramen and never came, so his efforts were wasted.
That left Ling Yu as the beneficiary. He'd tried it once on a whim, loved it, and became a regular.
The owner wasn't the future Ichiraku Teuchi, but a hearty man in his fifties. By timeline math, little Ichiraku was probably four or five right now, playing house somewhere.
"Oh, Ling Yu! Brought your little girlfriend this time? Sit tight—I'll get your order going!"
The boss looked up, grinned warmly at the familiar customer, seated them like old friends, and headed to the kitchen.
They settled at a quiet corner table. Noticing Mikoto's lingering blush, Ling Yu spoke up to ease the atmosphere.
"This is my usual spot. The ramen here is really good—you'll like it."
He slid the menu over.
"Take a look—want to add anything?"
"No need. This is already plenty. Any more and it'll go to waste."
Mikoto had mostly recovered from her embarrassment. The red on her cheeks faded as she gave him a gentle, warm smile and declined politely.
"Alright then. If we're still hungry later, we can order more."
Ling Yu nodded, set the menu aside, and relaxed.
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