I Am Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 350 350 Naruto's New Year's Gift Preparation

Konoha Village, Hokage's Office.

Fine snowflakes drifted outside the window, covering the Hokage Monument in a layer of pure white winter attire.

Inside, the fireplace emitted soft crackling sounds, bringing a touch of warmth.

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, sat behind the large desk, brows deeply furrowed as he carefully read an intelligence scroll spread out before him.

The pipe in his hand had long gone out but was still unconsciously held between his lips.

Kakashi, dressed in Anbu attire, stood silently before the desk, maintaining his somewhat lazy posture, though the single visible eye carried a trace of barely perceptible fatigue.

After a long while, Hiruzen slowly looked up, shifting his gaze from the scroll to Kakashi. His voice held the hoarseness characteristic of an elderly man, yet it was infused with the Hokage's authority. "Kakashi, this mission to infiltrate the Land of Stars, was the process smooth? Were there any unexpected situations?"

Kakashi paused slightly before answering in his seemingly half-asleep tone, "There were no particular encounters, Hokage-sama."

"I disguised myself as a traveling merchant, blended into a temporary merchant caravan traveling between the Land of Birds and the Land of Stars, and passed through the border inspection very smoothly. However, to avoid alerting the enemy, I did not venture deep into the Land of Stars' interior. I only moved about in a few border towns. Even if I spotted Star Ninjas on patrol, I kept my distance. After gathering some publicly available information and books, I withdrew according to the predetermined plan."

He had omitted some details.

For instance, in the border towns, he had indeed glimpsed from afar several figures wearing Star Ninja's forehead protectors, among them even the Uchiha's fan crest and Hyuga's Byakugan.

Among those people were old acquaintances with whom he had once fought side-by-side on missions.

A complex mix of confusion and hesitation made him instinctively choose to avoid contact, not approaching them, and he only mentioned it briefly in the formal report.

Hiruzen nodded, a trace of approval appearing on his wrinkled face. "You did the right thing. According to feedback from the Anbu's Intelligence Division and Root, even Root's most elite intelligence operatives have successively lost contact after infiltrating Star City. The Land of Stars' counter-espionage and internal surveillance capabilities far exceed our expectations. Venturing deep recklessly indeed carries immense risk."

His gaze returned to the intelligence scroll, his fingers lightly tapping the desk.

The scroll not only contained Kakashi's observational records of the Land of Stars' border patrol Ninjas and the standing security force known as the 'police', but more importantly, core excerpts from several books brought back from the Land of Stars.

Especially that booklet titled Will of Star, which propagated ideas such as 'all people are born equal', 'the right to life is an inherent right of every person', 'nobles and Daimyo are parasites feeding on the flesh and blood of the people', 'the power of Ninjas should better benefit the common people', and so on.

As well as that Shura's ultimate goal… 'to unify the Ninja World, to create a peaceful world without war, hunger, or cold.'

The deeper Hiruzen read these excerpts, the more turbulent waves surged in his heart, and a fine layer of cold sweat even broke out on his back.

The Sarutobi Clan, as a traditional Ninja Clan of the Land of Fire, had been rooted here for hundreds of years, long since deeply intertwined with the interests of this land.

They not only formed solid alliances with clans like the Ino-Shika-Cho but also maintained intricate connections with the Land of Fire's nobles, large and small, and even the Daimyo's court itself, including marital ties.

It could be said that the Sarutobi Clan was itself one of the largest vested interest groups under the Land of Fire's existing order.

Precisely because of this, he understood more clearly than anyone the terrifying power of agitation and attraction these ideas propagated in Will of Star held for the oppressed lower-class populace long suffering under the nobility and living below the poverty line.

Once this ideology took firm root and spread widely among the tens of millions of people in the Land of Stars, and was practiced by the new generation of Ninjas trained under this entirely new system, who deeply believed in these ideals...

Then the power that could erupt in the future would be subversive, enough to destroy all existing order in the Ninja World!

In a daze, Hiruzen seemed to already see the tragic scene of the Fourth Great Ninja War: Konoha of the Land of Fire, Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning, Kirigakure of the Land of Water… all forced to form an alliance to defend their own ruling foundations, jointly confronting the Land of Stars waving the banners of 'equality' and 'revolution', and that already completely subservient Land of Earth and Iwagakure...

'No, perhaps by then, whether the Land of Earth and Iwagakure even still existed would be in question.'

He heavily put down the scroll, picked up the pipe from the desk, relit it, and took a deep drag. The thick smoke circled in his lungs before slowly being exhaled, as if trying to calm the inner turmoil.

He looked at Kakashi, his tone grave. "This intelligence... is extremely important, Kakashi. Only by truly understanding who our opponent is, what they want, can we better prepare for... that perhaps unavoidable war."

He waved his hand, indicating Kakashi could rest for a bit. "You've worked hard. Go back and rest for a couple of days. After that, prepare to take over Tenzo's team, succeed him in the covert protection mission for Naruto."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Kakashi bowed to accept the order and was about to turn and leave.

"Wait a moment." Hiruzen stopped him again. Amidst the swirling smoke, his gaze became somewhat deep. "Kakashi, about that child, Uchiha Sasuke... what are your thoughts?"

Kakashi stopped, thought briefly, and replied, "That child, after the tragedy of the [Night of Betrayal], was greatly traumatized. He awakened the Sharingan on his own at merely seven years old. That in itself speaks to the excellence of his talent and the depth of his obsession. Recently, under some guidance from Tenzo... and myself, his progress has indeed been very rapid, visible to the naked eye."

"With Sasuke's current strength, he far surpasses his peers at the Ninja Academy, even among Genin he is outstanding."

"I believe, by the time he graduates from the Ninja Academy, he will likely already possess Chunin-level strength. Such talent, even in the Uchiha Clan's history, which was full of geniuses, is extremely remarkable."

He cleverly blurred his actual contribution in the training, not wanting to admit that most of the time it was Tenzo doing the hard work while he provided 'tactical guidance' from the sidelines while reading Make-Out Paradise.

Hiruzen stood up, paced to the window, looked at the increasingly heavy snow outside, and said in a low voice, "Yes, Sasuke is a genius. But even such a Sasuke, within the Ninja Academy, is still not the top student of this year."

Kakashi was slightly taken aback. A flash of surprise passed through his visible right eye, and then he recalled the name Sasuke had mentioned many times in mission reports and regarded as a target to catch up to. He frowned. "Is it that... child named Menma?"

"Mm." Hiruzen nodded, took another drag of his pipe, and slowly exhaled. "According to Iruka's teaching reports, that child is very intelligent, with extremely solid theoretical knowledge. His understanding of the Will of Fire and written test scores are almost always above ninety-five."

"Even more remarkable is that he's only in his third year but has already mastered the Three Basic Techniques proficiently, and even... merely through observation during daily sparring with Sasuke, has independently grasped several D-Rank and C-Rank practical Ninjutsu that Sasuke used."

Hiruzen's voice carried a trace of complex emotion, as if lost in some memory. "This astonishing talent for applying knowledge flexibly, drawing inferences about other cases from one instance, and that calm yet somewhat sunny personality... I've only seen it in one person before."

Kakashi's right eye pupil trembled almost imperceptibly. A warm and dazzling figure instantly flashed across his mind.

Also of common birth, also an orphan, also displaying exceptional talent during academy days...

He murmured softly, his voice so light it was almost inaudible. "Is it... the Fourth Hokage-sama..."

"Where tree leaves dance, one shall find flames." Hiruzen turned around, his gaze from behind the smoke settling once more on Kakashi, carrying a heavy entrustment.

"Konoha's future ultimately relies on these young people. So, Kakashi..."

His tone became extremely solemn. "You must watch over their growth carefully. Whether it's Sasuke, or Naruto, or that child named Menma... they are all Konoha's precious seedlings, also the new generation to stand against the Land of Stars in the future. They absolutely cannot perish in the storms."

Kakashi straightened his posture, shedding his lazy demeanor. He bowed deeply, his voice firm.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I understand."

…

In a park in Konoha Village, thick snow adorned everything in a silvery-white attire.

The cheerful laughter of children broke the winter silence.

Naruto, Kiba, and Choji were enthusiastically building snowmen.

Naruto was trying to build a huge snowman, as tall as an adult, patting the snow pile with hands and feet. Kiba was adding a fierce-looking dog head to his own snowman. Choji, while building a round, chubby snowman, would occasionally sneak a snack into his mouth.

Shikamaru leaned against a bare tree, a dry stalk of grass in his mouth, watching the three over-energetic guys. His face was filled with expressions of 'what a drag' and 'can't understand', muttering under his breath, "Weather like this is clearly more suitable for lying at home and spacing out..."

Not far away, by the swings, was another scene of quiet warmth.

Menma was gently holding Hinata's small hand, which was clad in woolen gloves, lowering his head with a serious air as if 'studying' it, a gentle smile playing on his lips.

"Hmm... let me take a closer look," Menma said with mock seriousness, his fingertip tracing imaginary lines just above her palm. "This line represents the future... Hmm! Hinata, in the future, you will definitely have a pair of very cute children. The little sister will be gentle like you, the older brother might be a bit more lively and mischievous."

Hearing this, Hinata's fair little face flushed bright red instantly, all the way to the tips of her ears.

She lowered her head in embarrassment, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum. "Me... Menma-kun..."

She wanted to pull her hand back but was reluctant to lose that warmth. In the end, she only moved it slightly as a token gesture before letting him continue holding it.

Just then, a burst of noisy argument erupted from the center of the park.

"My snowman is bigger! Look, it's almost as tall as me!" Naruto declared loudly, pointing at his crooked snow pile.

"Nonsense! Obviously, my snow dog is bigger and more majestic! Right, Choji?" Kiba retorted, unconvinced.

The two argued until they were red in the face, gesturing animatedly, accidentally bumping into Choji's round, chubby snowman.

The snowman wobbled, and the snowball head on top fell off with a 'plop', revealing a figure behind it that had almost blended into the snowy scenery… Aburame Shino.

He had been silently and meticulously sculpting a structurally intricate snow sculpture with insect-like contours. Suddenly exposed, he pushed up his sunglasses, silently glanced at the source of the commotion, then lowered his head again to focus on his work.

The friends laughed and played, even in thick winter clothes, fine beads of sweat appearing on their foreheads, sparkling in the winter sunlight, brimming with carefree joy.

The sky gradually took on the hues of dusk, the sunset's afterglow painting the snowy ground a warm orange-red.

The tired children began to bid each other goodbye and head home.

"Kiba, Choji, Shikamaru, Shino, see you next year!" Naruto waved vigorously.

"Mm, see you next year!" Kiba waved back.

"Bye..." Choji's mouth was still full.

"Ah... finally over." Shikamaru yawned.

Shino just nodded silently.

Menma called out to Naruto, who was about to run home. "Oi! Naruto, wait a second."

Naruto stopped and turned, his blue eyes questioning. "What is it, Menma-nii?"

Menma walked up to him and said with a smile, "In a few days, it'll be New Year. Remember to come to my place to celebrate New Year's together. Hinata and Hanabi will probably come too."

Hearing this news, a brilliant smile instantly bloomed on Naruto's face.

For the past few years, he had spent New Year's with Menma. It was the most anticipated, warmest time of the year for him.

He nodded forcefully, his golden hair swaying. "Yeah! I'll definitely come! Thanks, Menma-nii!"

Watching Naruto's quickly retreating back disappear around the street corner, a gentle yet deep smile curved Menma's lips.

'This year, the surprise prepared for this kid is definitely going to shock him.' He had already started planning in his mind.

Standing beside him, Hinata, keenly sensing the change in his mood, asked softly, "Menma-kun... you seem especially happy?"

Menma returned to the present and very naturally took Hinata's gloved hand again. As they slowly walked towards the direction of the Hyuga Clan's compound, he answered softly, "Yeah, because I thought of some... things that make me very happy."

His thoughts drifted. This year, he had indeed been extremely busy.

Handling government affairs in the Land of Stars, pushing construction forward, secretly thwarting the Uchiha 'clan annihilation script', orchestrating the Hyuga Clan's branch family's defection, Nagato and Pain's surprise attack on the Land of Stars, going to Amegakure to battle Isshiki, and in the second half of the year, opening war on two fronts against Sunagakure and Iwagakure...

Only now, at the end of the year, could he finally steal a moment of leisure, allowing his main body to return to Konoha, to hold Hinata's hand like this, feeling this ordinary yet precious tranquility.

Hinata felt the warmth transmitted from Menma through her glove. Although separated by a layer of fabric, that warmth seemed to seep directly into her heart.

She was no longer as nervous as at the beginning, but still carried a maiden's shyness, slightly lowering her head, her face flushed, letting him lead her, walking on the snow-cleared streets, enjoying this rare time alone together.

On the other side, Naruto was quickly heading towards his small apartment.

Suddenly, he seemed to sense something and stopped abruptly, looking puzzled at a thick utility pole by the roadside.

He tilted his head, looked carefully, then widened his eyes, pointing behind the pole and shouting, "Sasuke?! What are you doing hiding there?!"

There, Sasuke, dressed in dark, practical casual clothes, was somewhat stiffly hiding behind the utility pole. Being caught red-handed by Naruto, a flush of embarrassment instantly rose on his face. He glared fiercely at Naruto, said nothing, turned, and quickly disappeared into an alley beside the street.

"Huh? That guy... he's really weird today!" Naruto scratched his messy blond hair, looking confused. "Whatever, whatever! It's getting dark, I got to hurry home!"

Only after Naruto had run far away did Sasuke emerge again from the alley, a lingering trace of anger on his face.

Beside him, Tenzo, wearing an animal mask, had appeared unnoticed.

Yamato looked at Sasuke and commented in a calm tone, "Your stealth techniques and presence concealment still need improvement. Being overly focused on the target caused you to neglect the details of blending yourself with the environment."

"Yes, Tenzo-taicho, I will learn from this." Sasuke frowned tightly. He thought he had hidden very well, as other passersby hadn't noticed at all. Why was it only that dead-last Naruto who saw through it at a glance?

This made him feel very frustrated and bewildered.

Naruto jogged all the way back to his somewhat empty and lonely small apartment.

Closing the door, shutting out the cold outside, he immediately began rummaging through cabinets and drawers. From a small locked box, he carefully took out the living expenses he had saved up, pouring them all onto the table, counting them one by one with great care.

"One, two, three..." He counted extremely seriously, but his brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

The paper bills on the table were pitifully few. Added together, they weren't nearly enough to buy a decent gift. Hiruzen wouldn't send the next living allowance until after New Year.

"Ahhh—!" Naruto clutched his head, letting out a pained groan, rolling on the tatami mat. "I spent too much money on paint and limited-edition ramen!"

"What do I do! What do I do! Every year, Menma-nii gives me such great gifts, and that delicious New Year's Eve dinner! This time, no matter what, I have to give Menma-nii a New Year's gift!"

Naruto anxiously grabbed his hair. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as if remembering something.

He scrambled up, rushed into the narrow storage room, and dragged out an old bamboo basket covered in a bit of dust from a corner.

He rummaged inside for a while and finally pulled out two neatly folded but clearly somewhat old scarves.

One was a bright red, the other a slightly deeper, dark red.

Naruto picked up the dark red scarf, unfolded it and looked at it, then subconsciously brought it to his nose to smell.

"Pfft—!" A strong smell mixed with dust and a faint musty odor rushed into his nostrils, making him cough repeatedly. He quickly pulled the scarf away.

"Cough, cough... No, no, this smell is terrible!" Naruto pinched his nose and, without hesitation, held the dark red scarf tightly in his arms. He walked quickly to the corner where the old-fashioned washing machine sat, carefully placed the scarf inside, and poured in enough detergent.

Closing the washing machine lid, pressing the start button, listening to the sound of water filling and the drum beginning to turn, Naruto finally let out a sigh of relief, a look of anticipation appearing on his face.

He counted on his fingers:

"Three more days until New Year... wash it, dry it, should be in time, right?"

Naruto crouched on the floor, watching the red figure tumbling up and down inside the washing machine drum. His thoughts had already flown to New Year's Eve.