A Bowl to Go (open)

[YAJUU REN]

Ren chuckled as he quickly finished his second bowl. "Yeah, the ramen here is great." She took in a deep breath, taking in the scent of the bar. Ren might not be a regular costumer the the Ichiruka Ramen bar, but it was always a treat when she would come in with her family and even her own friends. Of course, today was shocker, she could've brought her brother along, but he denied to go along, saying that he had a mission he needed to go on in a few days; her father having the same explanation. Her mother was home, but said that she wasn't well. And lastly her younger brother is of course in the academy as these two spoke.

"Mmhm." She nodded, as he told her that they could hang out whenever. Ren did get pretty lonely, her mother tried keeping her busy back at the house, but that wasn't enough to keep all of the awesome mission she could be going on. That of course made her mother go up in a huff everyday, getting Ren kicked out to just hand out and find someone else to be with. "Well, if you have nothing else to do today. We can after you're finished eating. You know, hang out." Ren chuckled slight.

[NARUTO UZUMAKI]

"Yeah it's only the best thing in the whole wide world to me," Naruto replied. He may have sounded like he was exaggerating a bit but to him it was true. It was well known now that he liked to eat out here so he was often visited by children wanting his autograph. He felt like a celebrity of sorts but he didn't care about all that. He was just glad to finally be accepted by them. He would wake up in the morning excited about the day and what it might bring. Some mornings he woke up depressed thinking about the old team 7 but he didn't let it keep him down too long. He was an optimist and believed one day he'd get through to him. He didn't care what Madara said about destiny since when did he let that control what he did.

"So...do you have a family Ren? Course you know all about me so you know I don't. I considered someone my brother but he's lost his way in the darkness. Someday I'll bring him back and things will be like they used to be!" At one time that had been a promise to Sakura but now he did it for himself. He would never give up no matter what. He'd die trying to save Sasuke of it came to it. He'd prove it to him someday that much he swore. "Sure I got no plans today. Sure just hang out do some stuff you like!" He then pulled out his frog wallet and set down some money for his meal and for Ren's. "It's the least I can do for a new friend." He smiled sheepishly putting his wallet away now. He felt it was the gentlemanly thing to do since she was a girl.

[SHIKAMARU]

Shikamaru walked casually along his way home. Cigarette in hand, he inhaled and exhaled as he headed by the ramen place. It looked busier than it usually did which was a good thing. Although Shikamaru didn't quite like ramen on the same scale as Naruto or Choji, he would still drop by on occasion. He'd been all over the world on missions and still his village's ramen was the best in his mind. He hadn't been in for a while so he figured he'd drop by for a quick bite to eat. He soon figured out why the place was so packed. As good as the ramen was her, Naruto was the main attraction. It made sense that his fans would frequent his usual haunts.

He put out his cigarette and tossed it in the trash and made his way to Naruto. He carefully maneuvered around the place so as not to disturb anyone's meal. That was a hard feat, even for a ninja like him. The crowd made him a tad claustrophobic but nothing major. He was glad that he wasn't the center of attention, fame wasn't for him, just a simple life as a ninja where he could relax and teach others as Asuma taught him. He managed to creep up behind Naruto.

"Hey Naruto, how's it going? Busy here isn't it?" he said as he took a seat next to him. He looked at the girl that Naruto was chatting with. Though he didn't know her name he had seen her around. As a Chuunin it was common for him to occasionally teach at the academy much like Iruka did. He was a substitute once and had seen her walk by. She had a different teacher so he didn't really know anything about her. She seemed nice enough and Naruto seemed comfortable around her. Of course he was comfortable with just about everyone. He waved hello to her and then ordered his meal as Ayame walked by.

[YAJUU REN]

She tilted her head to the side, hearing about Naruto's 'brother' and how he was going to rescue him
Ren stood up and was about to get her wallet from her jacket, but then she saw that he was paying for her. She was about to protest but then he said he was doing it for a friend, so maybe there was no protest there. "Well, as for my family, I have two brothers, Daitaro and Koji. One that is four years older and the other is four years younger." Ren chuckled, there was no time to be a lady in her home. Even her father would also getting on her cases of having to be stronger emotionally but then her mother would come to her rescue and allowed Ren to cry on her shoulder. "And then there are my parents. We're all guessing our mother is having her next child since she's been feeling slightly sick for a month." She then laughed. "I say it's going to be a girl, but papa and the brothers say it going to be a boy." She crossed her arms, pouting slightly, she hated being told that she was wrong.

"As for the rest of the clan I'm apart of, I consider them family." She nodded slowly, thinking about everyone that was apart of the Yajuu clan, she wasn't the only genin there and she knew she wasn't going to be the last. Ren then looked up to see another person come up. Shikimaru seemed familiar to her, maybe around the academy, never a teacher of hers but maybe for some of the other classes. He then waved at her, which made her happy inside, and she waved back happily.

[NARUTO UZUMAKI]

"Having a family must really be nice," Naruto replied. He had never known his mother and father both had been killed when Madara unleashed the Kyuubi on the village. His father had been the great 4th Hokage Minato Namikaze and his mother Kushina Uzumaki the former jinnchuriki of the nine tails fox demon. Still he knew they were watching over him so he could rest easy. His friends were his family now and he treasured them all equally the same. "Well tell your mother I said congrats. Who knows I may train him or her one day unless I'm Hokage by then." Naruto chuckled lightly he could dream big sometimes but his friends all believed in him. Naruto jumped a little at the sound of Shikamaru's voice. He then smiled sheepishly running a hand through his hair now.

"Oh hey Shikamaru I thought Baa-chan would have you off on a mission. Yeah it's always busy when I'm here I am their most important customer after all. What you been up to today?" He flashed a cheesy grin while setting his chopsticks down beside his bowl of ramen. "Well this is RenYajuu but you probably already know her huh. So where's Choji and Ino aren't they usually with you?" He'd probably say Ino was running her family flower shop if she wasn't off on a mission and Choji well he was probably pigging out on barbeque or something.

[SHIKAMARU]

"I just got off a mission actually. I've been pretty swamped lately with help setting up the Chunin exams, cleaning up after the Pein attack, doing some substitute work at the academy, training, and since taking down Hidan the missions are growing." Shikamaru answered. He was much busier than he wanted to be. He didn't have the time to really do anything he wanted to do anymore like hang out with friends or play go or shogi. He didn't complain outwardly like he used to though. He did make a promise to himself and his village, he would do his best to train the next generation of ninja as Asuma did for him. Even so, this workload really was a drag as he would put it.

He took out some chopsticks as his ramen was finally served to him. Seafood was his favorite, so the fish cakes intoxicated him with their great smell. He paused for a second, he was beginning to think like Choji. He smiled as he took a few slurps. "I just managed to get some downtime. Not exactly sure where Ino or Choji is at the moment, I've been finishing up some paperwork. As leader of my squad I'm the one stuck with the bureaucratic nonsense, such a drag."

He spied the headband on Ren and smiled. He gave a thumbs up. "Good to see you graduate. You're one of us now. If you need any help let us know." he said as he started eating again. He preferred mackerel over the tuna in his ramen but even so, this was excellent ramen. Maybe he and Choji should eat here more often. Hanging out at the barbecue place was getting a little dull, though he doubted Choji felt the same. But still it a place has good food, Choji will want to go there or return there eventually.

[YAJUU REN]

Ren looked between both of the boys. She wanted to be apart of the conversation somehow, but then that would be awkward and Ren wasn't about having an awkward conversation. But she was doing something her brother wanted her to do, be quiet during other people's conversations. Whoa, never saw this coming. She thought pressing her lips together.

She then looked up to hear her name be brought up. Her eyes flickered up and she smiled big. "Good to see you graduate. You're one of us now. If you need any help let us know." Ren nodded and touched her forehead protector. "Haha, thank you." She leaned back in her seat, happy to be acknowledged by another. "And I will ask if I need any help. But not like I need any." She looked over the side with a sly look to her face. If she was in any trouble, maybe that would help with her bloodline would activated. But thinking in an other kind of trouble, that would suck. Ren thought to herself.

[NARUTO UZUMAKI]

"Gah speaking of Chunin exams I cant believe I'm still a Genin," Naruto replied with a sigh. He then picked up his chopsticks and began digging into his bowl of ramen. It was pretty embarrassing for someone his age. Though technically he was gone for three years so it wasn't his fault. He was just as strong as any chunin ranked ninja his age but it was still embarrassing nonetheless. "Woah you weren't kidding man. Sounds like you are quite busy but your a genius unlike me so i'm sure you can handle it." Shikamaru was practically the smartest person in the village if not the world. He set his bowl down a sheepish grin on his face now. Typical Shikamaru always complaining about work whether it was hard or easy. One day he'd be Hokage so he'd have to do paperwork too which as Shikamaru would say was a drag. Perhaps he'd make Shikamaru his personal assistant in charge of that. He then glanced at Ren when Shikamaru spoke to her.

"Sure thing I'm available anytime like I said earlier," Naruto added in. He then brought the bowl to his lips drinking the rest of the broth now. Ayame came around asking if he wanted more but he simply replied no turning back to Ren and Shikamaru now. He wasn't sure he'd ever become a Chunin at this rate since the rest of his squad were Chunin already. Still he was a special exemption wasn't he getting missions Genin weren't supposed to get ones that Chunin or Jounin usually got. He wondered what jutsus Ren might have coming from the Yajuu clan. Clans normally had a kekkai genkai or some special kind of jutsu. He knew little of his own clan name or whether they had one or not not that he cared the kyuubi made him different enough.

[SHIKAMARU]

"I'm sure once the exams are ready you can enter the exams again. I doubt it would even be a real challenge to you considering you can beat Pein an S rank threat. Not bad for a genin huh? I don't see why Tsunade hasn't promoted you anyways by now. Seems like a waste of time for you to have to take that childish exam again. You proved yourself qualified already. Making you do the exams again is a waste of man power, time, and the paperwork is just a hassle. But hey what do I know, I'm just a chunin not the hokage." Shikamaru replied to Naruto as he kept eating. He respected the hokage but he could not always see her reasoning with things. Maybe, she was holding on to tradition or not wanting to give Naruto special treatment. The truth was though, Naruto was special.

Shikamaru rarely ever got the chance to shoot the breeze with Naruto. It seemed like every time they talked it was about their assignments. It was good to forget the duties of a shinobi for a little while and just talk as regular guys. He had much respect for Naruto and he knew he felt the same for him. It was nice to actually socialize for a change.

He turned to Ren so as not to leave her out of the conversation. " So, have you been assigned to a squad yet? Hope you get a good jounin to coach you. I'm sure it isn't going to be a problem. There are excellent teachers around here. One reason why our village has one of the largest rates of promotion. "

[YAJUU REN]

Once more Ren listened on the chunnin exams. If only I had the experience then I would be going into those. Still no team yet. And it was almost as if Shikimaru had read her mind, he asked if she was on a team of her own.

Ren chuckled slightly before answering. "I'm not a squad yet." She rubbed the back of her head. "But I do hope as well that I do get a good teacher as well." Ren nodded slowly, wondering when a free Jounin will be free to teach a team of their own.

"I'm guessing once I'm on my team, we're allowed to go to the chunnin exams?" She asked hopefully, her eyes had a little sparkle to them.