In the nearby street, wisps of smoke curled upwards from chimneys.
Menma brushed the dust from his sleeves and saw Naruto running towards him, cheeks puffed out in anger.
"Big Brother is too sly!"
Naruto's golden hair bristled with rage as he crossed his arms. "He tricked me with a Shadow Clone again!"
He deliberately turned his head away, but secretly peeked at his brother's expression from the corner of his eye.
Menma couldn't help but chuckle, reaching out to ruffle his brother's messy golden hair: "Alright, Mom must be getting impatient."
Seeing Naruto's ears twitch slightly, he lowered his voice and added: "I'll take you to eat limited edition ramen in a few days."
"Really? I want a large bowl!"
Naruto's face instantly lit up, not a trace of anger remaining.
Kakashi ambled along behind them, a slight upward curve to his lips beneath his mask. For the past few years, he had almost daily freeloaded meals at his sensei's house.
The three walked along the cobblestone path, where cherry blossoms drifted down, and met the Uchiha brothers at a corner.
Itachi was holding Sasuke's hand.
"Sasuke!"
Naruto darted forward, then flashed a bright smile at Itachi: "Big Brother Itachi! Are you training with Sasuke today? My big brother is training with me too!"
He winked at Sasuke as he spoke.
Sasuke let out a soft hmph, but couldn't hide the envy in his eyes. Ever since his brother joined the Anbu, such time together had become increasingly precious.
Today, he had specifically finished his clan studies early to earn half a day with Itachi.
"Yes, Naruto."
Itachi straightened up, the fatigue in his eyes softened by a gentle smile. "Kakashi-senpai, Menma."
"Big Brother Itachi."
Menma nodded in greeting, his gaze unconsciously lingering on Itachi's eyes.
There seemed to be a weight settled there, beyond his years, reminding Menma of a vague memory fragmentthe Uchiha clan was annihilated!
Menma shook his head, casting aside this absurd thought.
Under his dad's new policies, the Uchiha had long since moved back to the center of the village, and Uncle Fugaku had even joined the jonin squad.
But the faint shadow in Itachi's eyes still made him feel uneasy.
Kakashi and Itachi exchanged a few pleasantries, and soon the Uchiha brothers bid farewell and left. Menma watched their retreating figures, his brows furrowed in thought.
On the way back, Kakashi's steps seemed a little heavy.
Lately, he had also heard some rumors: the higher-ups' attitude towards the Uchiha clan was becoming increasingly subtle, and voices of discontent within the Uchiha clan were growing louder.
He unconsciously touched the forehead protector over his left eye, remembering the name forever etched on the Memorial Stone, and complex emotions welled up in his heart.
"Big Brother Kakashi."
Menma suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
"Hmm?"
Kakashi pulled himself from his thoughts and turned to look at the young man beside him.
"Is something… going to happen to the Uchiha clan?"
Menma chose his words carefully, asking the question that troubled him.
Kakashi shook his head, looking up at the sky. The clear sky had, at some point, gathered dark clouds, pressing heavily over the village, as if foretelling an impending storm.
Menma felt the pervasive oppression in the air and mused: "Can the Uchiha's fate truly not be changed? Can Dad, as Hokage, not stand against the will of the other higher-ups?"
"No!"
He firmly denied this thought in his heart, "Since I could change Mom and Dad's fate, I can definitely rewrite the Uchiha's ending!"
With this thought, he couldn't help but question the system in his mind: "System, have you been too lax lately?"
Aside from issuing a few insignificant missions that granted him water and earth chakra nature transformations, the system seemed to have entered a dormant state.
"Ding! The path to cultivation lies in perseverance. Host should guard against arrogance and impatience, and proceed step by step."
Menma couldn't be bothered with the system's perfunctory response.
He secretly resolved to use his own strength to prevent this tragedy, whether it was to spare Naruto sadness or to prevent Konoha from losing the Uchiha clan's assistance.
Just as they approached their home, Kakashi suddenly stopped.
"Oh, right,"
He scratched his silver hair, "You two are supposed to report to the Ninja Academy tomorrow, aren't you?"
Menma's face instantly fell, his lips unconsciously drooping at the mention of it.
Naruto, however, his eyes sparkling, tugged on Kakashi's sleeve and asked repeatedly: "Big Brother Kakashi! Is school fun? Are there any practical training sessions?"
"Utterly boring."
Kakashi's dead fish eyes narrowed slightly. Seeing Naruto instantly deflate, he turned to Menma and said: "With your strength, there's no need for you to go to a place like that."
He truly couldn't understand why, when he himself was no match for Menma anymore, Menma still needed to waste time at the Ninja Academy.
Menma sighed helplessly: "Mom insists I go. She says something like 'a child who doesn't go to school isn't a good child'."
He mimicked Kushina's tone, even perfectly capturing the aura of her red hair fluttering.
Kakashi chuckled, patting his shoulder: "In your situation, you could totally apply for early graduation."
He pointed to himself, "Just like me back then, and Uchiha Itachi..."
"Let's hope so."
Menma looked at the lit windows of his house, as if he could already see his mother's heroic figure wielding a spatula.
Kushina always insisted that he grow up like a normal childeven though he had already learned all the jutsu from the Scroll of Seals.
A gentle breeze carried the aroma from the kitchen, and Kushina's humming could faintly be heard.
Menma and Naruto exchanged a glance, and in unison, quickened their pace.
"We're home!"
Naruto rushed into the genkan like a whirlwind, directly pouncing on Kushina, who was setting the table. The scent of miso soup wafted from the kitchen, mingled with the aroma of grilled fish.
"Welcome home."
Kushina smiled and pinched Naruto's dusty cheek, then turned to Kakashi and Menma, who had just entered, and said gently: "Dinner is ready. We can eat once Minato comes back."
"Ah"
Naruto groaned, collapsing onto the sofa, his little stomach rumbling in protest, "Dad will definitely be back late!"
"You must wait for Dad to come back! The whole family eats together."
Kushina put her hands on her hips and lectured Naruto. Naruto looked pitifully at Kakashi and his brother for help.
"Ahem..."
Kakashi strategically looked up, studying the cracks on the ceiling.
Menma, on the other hand, meticulously examined Kakashi's silver hair, "Big Brother Kakashi, your hair is… quite unique."
It wasn't until late evening that familiar footsteps were heard from the genkan.
"I'm home."
Minato's slightly tired but warm voice rang out.
"Dad!"
Naruto instantly revived, springing up to the dining table with a carp-like flip, "I'm eating!"
With that, he began to gobble down his food.
"Eat slowly."
Minato smiled, ruffling his golden hair, his eyes full of doting affection. Kushina, beside them, began to nag about table manners again, but didn't forget to ladle a full bowl of rice for her husband.
Menma sat quietly beside his father, watching the grains of rice clinging to Naruto's mouth, and couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.
Under the warm yellow lamplight, Kakashi watched this heartwarming scene, a slight upward curve to his lips beneath his mask.
[Obito... Rin...]
He whispered in his heart, [Sensei's family now is as happy as we once dreamed it would be.]
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