After dinner, Kakashi got up and bid farewell.
The sound of running water and the clinking of dishes came from the kitchen, Kushina was tidying up the tableware.
Naruto bounced around, wanting to play with Menma, but his mother's call interrupted him.
"Naruto, go prepare your things for school tomorrow!"
Kushina's voice drifted from the kitchen.
"I know..."
Naruto drew out his words, reluctantly shuffling upstairs, his footsteps thudding on the wooden stairs.
Menma tiptoed to his father's study.
Under the dim desk lamp, Minato was reviewing documents, and upon hearing the movement, he looked up.
"Menma, do you have something to tell me?"
Minato put down the scroll in his hand.
"Dad..."
Menma walked closer to the desk, his azure eyes particularly bright under the light, "Is the Uchiha Clan in trouble?"
The smile on Minato's lips slightly froze, and his fingertips unconsciously caressed the edge of the document.
"There are indeed some issues."
His gaze passed over Menma and fell on the dark night outside the window: "The conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha has been brewing since the Village was founded... It's not that easy to reconcile..."
"Can it really not be resolved?"
Menma frowned, not understanding why, after decades, this rift was still so difficult to mend.
"Menma..."
Minato reached out and placed his hand on his son's shoulder, the warmth from his palm softening his expression a little, "Just leave these matters to me."
He gently squeezed the still-slight shoulder, "You and Naruto just need to grow up safely and happily."
"Mm."
Menma nodded and exited the study, gently closing the door.
Once the footsteps faded, the smile on Minato's face gradually disappeared.
He stared at the open document on the table, which was Shikaku Nara's latest mediation plan. Outside the window, a fallen leaf gently tapped against the glass, much like his own jumbled thoughts at the moment.
Aside from Shikaku and a few others, almost the entire Konoha high command was wary of the Uchiha. Even the Third Hokage, when discussing the Uchiha, always seemed hesitant to speak.
This suspicion, which had lasted for decades, was like an invisible wall, isolating the Uchiha at the Village's edge.
Passing Naruto's room, Menma caught a glimpse of the mess inside.
Clothes were scattered everywhere, shuriken from his ninja tool pouch were strewn about, and the blond boy was frantically stuffing textbooks into his backpack. He sighed softly and returned to his own room.
With a soft click of the latch, Menma retrieved a stack of scrolls from his system space.
As his fingertips flew, forming a few secret hand seals, ink-black characters gradually appeared on the blank scroll:
"Danzo Shimura: Hokage Advisor, skilled in Wind Release, leader of Anbu's 'Root' organization. Formerly a member of the Second Hokage's guard, same generation as Hiruzen Sarutobi. Controls Konoha's dark side, suspected of possessing forbidden Ninjutsu..."
The ink shimmered faintly in the lamplight, reflecting Menma's solemn face.
This information was hard-earned.
It included, but was not limited to, disguising himself as his father to enter confidential areas, accessing archives under the Third Hokage's name, and even resorting to using Kakashi's make-out paradise collection as leverage... "Homura Mitokado: Senior Advisor, skilled in space-time ninja tools and Ninjutsu. Controls financial power, same generation as the Third Hokage..."
"Utatane Koharu: Senior Advisor, overall head of medical and logistics..."
Menma's fingertips unconsciously tapped the edge of the scroll.
There were also representatives sent by the Land of Fire's Daimyo.
The representatives were not a concern; they only cared about taxes and border security. The real issue was the invisible chasm between the Elder Council and the Uchiha.
"The key is still Danzo and the Third Hokage's attitudes..."
He murmured to himself, his finger tracing the words "Uchiha" on the scroll. The ink gradually faded under the influence of Chakra, and the scroll returned to being blank.
Lying on the bed, Menma stared at the ceiling.
"Dad can maneuver in the open, I must act in the shadows..."
He made up his mind to first clarify the Uchiha's true demands and the root cause of this decades-long estrangement.
"Most importantly..."
Menma's azure eyes narrowed slightly.
A faint blue light suddenly glowed in his palm, and the Rasengan, formed by rapidly rotating Chakra, gradually took on a deep black color.
The high-density energy sphere emitted a dangerous hum in the darkness, reflecting the boy's stern profile.
"Don't let me catch you..."
Menma muttered in a low voice, the black sphere restlessly pulsing in his palm, "Otherwise, I'll hit you directly with a Great Rasengan Ring!"
"Menma, you have school tomorrow, it's time to sleep!"
Kushina's voice came from outside the door.
"I know!"
The black Chakra instantly dissipated, and Menma's voice immediately reverted to the childish innocence it should have.
Listening to his mother's footsteps fade away, he sighed helplessly.
Thinking about going to school with a bunch of little kids tomorrow, Menma couldn't help but palm his face.
But in this family, even his father, the Hokage, dared not disobey his mother's commands, let alone him.
"Forget it... Flowers bloom again, but youth never returns."
He pulled the quilt over his head, the cotton still retaining the scent of sunshine. "I'll just treat it as reliving school life."
The chirping of insects outside the window gradually weakened, and the moonlight quietly crept onto the head of the bed.
On the streets where the morning mist had not yet fully dispersed, two little blond-haired figures stumbled along as if sleepwalking.
Menma and Naruto's shoulders occasionally bumped, their heads nodding off, looking like two sleepy kittens.
"Bang!"
Two sudden blows to the head instantly woke the brothers up.
Kushina stood behind them with her hands on her hips, the morning light giving her red hair a golden edge: "Snap out of it! Do you want to leave a lazy impression on your teacher on your first day of school?"
"We know, we know..."
The two of them covered their reddened foreheads, nodding tearfully.
They no longer dared to doze off while walking, their backs now perfectly straight.
At the school gate, Kushina squatted down to meticulously adjust the collars of both children, continuously reminding them of things to pay attention to at school.
"Respect your teachers, don't fight..."
Menma's thoughts had already drifted far away. From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Shikamaru and Choji, who were also being escorted by their parentsShikamaru was yawning, while Choji reluctantly munched on a bag of potato chips.
This sight made him feel a little more balanced.
"Kushina?"
A gentle female voice came.
Uchiha Mikoto, holding Sasuke's hand, slowly approached. The black-haired boy had a stern face, but couldn't hide the curiosity in his eyes.
"Mikoto!"
Kushina's eyes lit up, and the two mothers immediately began chatting animatedly. Mikoto's gaze lingered on Menma for a moment, slightly surprised: "Even a genius like Menma has to come to school?"
"Children should go to school, of course."
Kushina said so, but her eyes held an unconcealed pride.
Menma noticed Sasuke and Naruto were competingone crossed his arms and snorted coldly, the other grimaced and made a face.
"Two childish brats."
Under the shade of a tree at the school gate.
Hinata clutched her maid's hand, her pure white eyes secretly glancing at the dazzling blond figure. She took a deep breath, gathering her courage to softly call out:
"Men... Menma-kun..."
Her voice was as soft as a falling cherry blossom petal, yet it made Menma stop in his tracks.
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