Twelve years had passed since the attack by the nine-tailed fox and life in the kingdom of fire resumed its usual routine. The sun had risen for a few hours and warmed something that was still frozen in fire, while the bright rays shone on the roof of the fire temple. "Ronin, wake up, it's your turn to go shopping today and besides, you don't want me to get the bucket, do you?", Tiredly a rather petite boy opened his, for other, unusual eyes that showed the Rinnegan . His long, dark red, almost black hair, he had loosely tied up overnight, and now loosened it with a loose wave of the hand. "It's good. I'm hurrying Toshi.", Now a bit rushed, he put on his monk's clothes and immediately left his room to make his morning toilet.

After a few minutes, the young novice stood in front of the large iron gate of the temple, which was framed by two Tengu statues. His dark red hair was now, braided in a tight, severe braid and the blue and white monk's robe nestled against the delicate figure of the boy, while his feet were in simple sandals. "So, there I am, can we finally go?" Ronin asked his comrade, annoyed. "Oh Ro-chan, don't always be such a spoilsport, since you were brought here nine years ago, you are more moody than a woman while she has her days.", Only Toshi replied, who was three years older than him Redhead. A panting could be heard before the two walked towards Konoha to do the weekly shopping.

As the two walked down the narrow mountain pass that led to Hi no Tera, Ronin looked up at the sky. White puffs escaped his mouth as he sighed softly. He furtively glanced at Toshi out of the corner of his eye, who was whistling a happy melody. The dark, almost black eyes were closed with satisfaction and the sun was shining on the bald scalp. "Tell me, aren't you cold on your head?", The older of the two opened his eyes in surprise, while his whistling stopped before he answered indignantly: "Come on when you are my age and your head will be shaved too." . The redhead had to laugh softly, but quickly fell silent again and sank into thought. An uncomfortable silence spread to the two teenagers, which lasted for another hour before Toshi broke it: "Ronin, are you thinking about this one thing again, about which there is actually nothing to think about?".

Toshi, whose voice was usually quite high for his fifteen years, became unusually calm and deep. The Rinnegan carrier could guess what his friend was getting at and turned his head in the opposite direction in which his bald comrade was walking. "So what? There are worse things.", He only replied and also lowered his gaze.A long sigh escaped Toshi's throat before he comradely put his arm around his protégé, who was three years his junior, as he often looked at him. "Cheer up Ro-chan, life is much better as a monk than as a ninja. You get food, a roof over your head and basic training in Tai- and light ninjutsu, for free, the only thing you have to do for it, is to take care of the maintenance of the temple. As a ninja, on the other hand, you are often out of the village, your life is constantly in danger and you often have to fight hard fights, so leave this constant brooding and come to terms with the fact that you are a monk of the fire temple ", Ronin knew that Toshi only meant well, but for several years he had been plagued by the question of what would have happened if the Hokage hadn't brought him to the temple when he was three years old.

Would he have become a ninja or would he have learned a trade? "Well, let me think about it. I would have liked to have become a ninja, had adventures and would have become a great hero at some point." A slight glitter began to lie in the Rinnegan, which always appeared when Ronin was raving. Toshi just shook his head, he didn't understand the younger one. He just couldn't understand why you wanted to risk your life voluntarily and why the smaller one raved about it so much. "You don't need to go on. You haven't been to the ninja academy, nor have you mastered any Jutsu. The only thing you have to show is your eyes and the basics of Taijutsu, at least that way you can't become a ninja."
Disappointed about the harsh words of his friend and big brother at the same time, the Rinnegan wearer lowered his head, which he had previously raised to look into Toshi's eyes. He knew beforehand that the older one would say something like that and yet he had to express his wishes.

Again there was calm between the two, which lasted until Konoha, but there, was picked up by Izumo and Kotetsu. "Hello you two, well, busy shopping again?", Kotetsu greeted them with a smile. "Of course.", Toshi called to him before they passed through the Konoha gate. "Ro-chan, you get the bread and the rice while I take care of the other purchases. Here, we'll meet again in an hour." behind the next street corner. So now he was standing there on the shopping street of Konohagakure. The young monk looked around curiously, trying not to look directly into the eyes. He had noticed early on that as soon as you saw the Rinnegan, you looked at him strangely.

After a few seconds passed, Ronin had found the path to follow to get to the baker. He passed a forge where kunais were being made.The monk sighed longingly before setting off again. He kept looking at the stone Hokage faces and the Hokage tower below. He could only vaguely remember that he was often at the Hokage's as a small child, but the memories had not yet completely faded. He wondered how Sandaime Hokage and his wife were doing after they had looked after him for the first three years of his life. Looking forward again, he went to the small bakery, where he bought enough flatbreads for at least 50 monks and novices, which he carried in a burlap sack on his back.

"How am I supposed to carry the rice now?" Asked Ronin, adjusting the large burlap sack on his back. Once again, on the still young day, the dark redhead had to sigh, the hunger also made itself felt, which is why his free hand was placed on his stomach when it growled. The boy looked around, looking for something that could be eaten quickly and that could cost him so little time. A few minutes later, he was sitting at a small noodle soup stand and ordered a serving of ramen with bamboo shoots, because a sack of bread was right next to him.

"I've never seen you here before, you don't come from here, have you?", The older man who ran the booth looked at him friendly while he was serving Ronin's ramen. "You are right, I come from Hi no Kuni, but I don't live in this village, but in the fire temple.", Ronin hurried with the meal and only noticed by the way that colorful lanterns were hung outside in front of many surrounding stands everything else was festively decorated. "Oh, then you are a monk?" He was asked further, but he had to shake his head: "Not really, actually you could call me a novice or, to put it another way, a simple student, but tell me why is everything adorned here? ". Teuchi looked at him in amazement, that was the name of the seller, what he had learned from another guest with blond hair. "You don't know? The Chunin selection exams will take place in a month, so the dealers start with the preparations so early."
Ronin's eyes widened and there was a look of anticipation in the Rinnegan. "I have to ask Hansai if I can watch the fights.", The redhead decided inwardly, while he sipped his soup and paid for it. After he had said goodbye and the sack with the bread was on his back, he made his way to the meeting point that Toshi had previously chosen.

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I very much hope that you like the chapter
then I would like to thank Lexii-chan very much,
it was really nice of you that you wrote a commi.Lg. Medi-chan