I Am Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 351 351 New Year's Eve Again

New Year's Eve of the Year 59 of Konoha Calendar. Fine snowflakes drifted down silently, enveloping the entire village in a tranquil silver-white.

Warm light shone from the windows of every household. The air was filled with the aroma of New Year's Eve dinner and faint laughter.

On the snow-covered roof of a house opposite Naruto's somewhat lonely small apartment, two figures stood quietly.

Anbu Captain Tenzo, wearing an animal mask, and beside him, also masked but with a clearly much more youthful figure, Sasuke, were carrying out a surveillance... or rather, protection mission.

A sound of rushing air cut through the silence. Kakashi landed on the roof, maintaining his usual lazy posture.

"Yo, shift change." Kakashi's voice carried a hint of laziness as he spoke to Tenzo.

Seeing Kakashi, Tenzo visibly relaxed, his tone holding a bit of complaint but also undeniable fatigue. "Kakashi-senpai, you're finally here. On New Year's Eve, our squad hasn't even had time for a hot meal. Now I can finally hand over and go get some proper rest."

Standing beside him, Sasuke straightened his posture, his voice coming through the mask. "I want to stay."

Tenzo and Kakashi exchanged a look, seeing mutual understanding and helplessness in each other's eyes.

They understood the obsession and the loneliness with nowhere to go in this young boy who had lost everything.

Tenzo shook his head, offering no further persuasion, just patted Kakashi's shoulder. "Then I'll leave this to you, Commander."

With that, he flickered into the vast snowy night, going to meet up with his squad members and enjoy this rare, brief respite.

Only Kakashi and Sasuke remained on the roof.

Kakashi pulled two bento boxes, still slightly warm, from his ninja pouch and offered one to Sasuke. "Here, for New Year's, nothing special. This is the New Year's limited bento from the barbecue place I go to most often. Tastes pretty good. Let's eat together."

Sasuke was momentarily taken aback. Through the mask, he looked at the offered bento, hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took it, saying in a low voice, "...Thanks."

The two of them, in the cold on the roof, found a sheltered corner with a clear view of Naruto's apartment, lifted the lower half of their masks, and silently ate their belated 'New Year's Eve dinner'.

The aroma of the barbecue in the bento was especially enticing in the cold air.

As he ate, Sasuke's gaze involuntarily drifted through the falling snowflakes towards the lit but somewhat lonely-looking window opposite.

He could see Naruto moving about alone inside the room.

Struggling to hold back, he still couldn't suppress the question in his heart and asked Kakashi beside him in a low voice, "Commander Kakashi, I... I still don't understand. Why use so much Anbu manpower to... monitor Naruto? Is there something special about him?"

The chewing movement under Kakashi's mask paused slightly. He swallowed the food in his mouth before leisurely correcting, "First, Sasuke, remember, our mission is not 'surveillance' but 'protection'."

He turned his head slightly, his single visible right eye glancing at the young boy beside him. His tone became somewhat meaningful. "As for Naruto... he is indeed a very special child. Special enough that... his safety is closely linked to the stability of Konoha itself."

He paused, looking at Sasuke's instantly sharpened and even more puzzled eyes, and continued, "But, with your current strength and security clearance level, you are not yet qualified to know the details. If you want to know the answer..."

Kakashi's voice carried a hint of encouragement and also a hint of warning. "...then work hard to become stronger. After all, you never know when that 'dead-last' you talk about might suddenly catch up to you."

"Tch!" Sasuke immediately let out a disdainful snort, youthful pride making him blurt out. "That idiot who can't even control his Chakra properly? He could never catch up to me in a million years!"

As the two conversed, they saw Naruto inside the opposite apartment seemed to have dressed up a bit, putting on a jacket that looked relatively new. Then he picked up a wrapped red gift box tied with a simple ribbon, eagerly opened the door, and walked out into the snowy night.

"Move." Kakashi immediately put down his half-eaten bento and pulled his mask up.

Sasuke also quickly closed his bento box, put it away, and re-donned his mask.

Like shadows merging into the night, the two leaped lightly and silently between snow-covered rooftops, always maintaining a distance from the small, golden-haired figure below, silently following.

Moving through Konoha's streets, the warm light shining from every household's window, the faint sounds of reunion laughter and the aroma of food wafting through the air felt like invisible needles piercing Sasuke's heart.

'If not for that blood-soaked night, if not for that man...'

'I too should be sitting in a warm home, smelling the aroma of the New Year's Eve dinner Mother carefully prepared, perhaps listening impatiently to Father's serious teachings.'

A sharp, twisting pain assaulted him, making it almost hard to breathe. He could only clench his fists tightly, using the pain of his nails digging into his palms to maintain composure.

In a daze, Kakashi and Sasuke had followed Naruto to the street outside the Hyuga Clan's compound.

Sasuke saw Naruto, familiar with the way, run up to a detached house across from the main clan gate. With excitement and anticipation on his face, he knocked forcefully on the door.

"Whose house is that...?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask Kakashi beside him in a low voice.

This courtyard didn't look luxurious but exuded a sense of neatness and warmth.

Kakashi's gaze also fell on the door, answering calmly, "Ah, it's Menma's house."

Sasuke realized, then saw the courtyard door open and Menma, dressed in comfortable home clothes, appear at the entrance.

Naruto immediately raised the red gift box in his hands high and offered it, his voice loud and full of joy. "Menma-nii! Happy New Year!"

Standing at the doorway, Menma had actually detected the two hidden figures on the distant rooftop long before Naruto approached, using his [Mind's Eye of Kagura] sensory ability. He just hadn't expected Sasuke to already be training with Kakashi now.

When Menma's gaze fell on the somewhat plain gift box Naruto offered, he visibly paused for a moment. Then a genuine, warm smile spread across his face as he reached out to accept it. "Thank you. Happy New Year. Come on in, it's cold outside."

He stepped aside to let Naruto enter, then also cast a seemingly casual glance towards the direction where Kakashi and Sasuke were hidden before gently closing the door.

The two entered the warm, bright living room.

Menma also handed Naruto a small, beautifully wrapped box he had prepared earlier, smiling once more as he said, "Happy New Year, Naruto. This is your gift."

"Thank you, Menma-nii!" Naruto's eyes instantly shone like stars. He eagerly took the box and tore open the wrapping in a few quick moves.

Inside was a simple, sleek metal necklace with an abstract spiral pattern pendant.

Naruto didn't know the specific purpose of this necklace, but any gift from Menma was the best treasure in the world in his eyes.

Overjoyed, he immediately put the necklace on. The cool metal against his skin made him shiver, but his heart felt warm.

"Menma-nii! You should open the gift I got for you too, quick!" After putting on the necklace, Naruto immediately urged anxiously, his blue eyes filled with anticipation, wanting to see if the other liked the gift he prepared.

Menma looked at Naruto's eager, nervous expression and couldn't help but chuckle. He was also curious what this kid had prepared for him.

He carefully untied the ribbon and opened the red paper box.

When he saw the neatly folded dark red scarf lying inside, Menma's movements halted. His eyes instantly became somewhat complex and deep.

He recognized this scarf.

In his memory, it was the scarf that Kushina, full of love and anticipation, knitted stitch by stitch for her unborn child during her pregnancy.

Only, the one before him was a deeper shade than the image in his memory.

He immediately recalled Naruto mentioning once, by chance, that there were two scarves left by his mother at home, one bright red and one dark red.

Clearly, Naruto had given the dark red one to him.

Menma was silent for a moment, then carefully picked up the scarf and gently, solemnly wrapped it around his own neck.

The soft touch of wool enveloped his neck, carrying a faint, characteristic scent of old fabric, yet it seemed to hold a kind of warmth transcending time and space.

"How is it? Menma-nii, does it suit you?" Naruto asked nervously.

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Menma gave Naruto an extremely gentle smile and nodded. "Mm, very suitable, very warm. Thank you, Naruto. This gift... I like it very much."

He reached up and lightly stroked the scarf, then said, "Go wash your hands, get ready to eat. Today, before Mina-obaasan and the others left, they prepared lots of delicious food! And your favorite limited-edition extra-large bowl of ramen!"

"Really?! Awesome!" Hearing this, Naruto instantly tossed his earlier little nervousness to the wind. Cheering, he shot off towards the bathroom like a little rocket.

Menma watched his retreating back, his gaze soft.

The two washed their hands together in the kitchen, then brought out the sumptuous dishes already prepared on the dining table.

Steamed fish, stew, tempura, an exquisite sushi platter, and placed before Naruto, a steaming, extravagant version of ramen in a special large bowl.

The small table was instantly filled with all sorts of delicious-looking, aromatic food, brimming with a strong New Year's atmosphere.

Naruto sat opposite Menma, put his hands together, and shouted loudly, "Itadakimasu!"

Then he eagerly picked up his chopsticks and launched an 'assault' on the ramen he had been dreaming of, eating with noisy relish, his face full of happiness.

Outside the courtyard, the heavy snow continued to fall.

Kakashi and Sasuke remained hidden in the shadows, watching through the window the warm scene inside of the two sitting opposite each other, sharing the New Year's Eve dinner.

Sasuke looked at Naruto's unshadowed, content smiling face, at how Menma occasionally served him food and chatted with him. Deep in his heart, an uncontrollable pang of sour jealousy welled up.

Once upon a time, he and Itachi had also been like that...

But immediately, the blood and the sight of his family from that night instantly drowned out that brief moment of softness. The bone-deep hatred for Itachi once again devoured his heart, making his eyes turn cold and determined once more.