I Am Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 365 365 Teaching The Naive Yahiko

Although knowing nothing about this black-haired boy and red-haired girl claiming to be 'relatives', Yahiko clearly sensed the goodwill emanating from them. Especially Kanon's decisive action in helping expose the bandits' lies and her friendliness towards Nagato made him feel even more favorable.

Yahiko's face broke into a sincere and enthusiastic smile as he said to Menma and Kanon: "Since you're Nagato's relatives, you're friends of our Akatsuki! Welcome to the Land of Rain!"

His voice was hearty, carrying a natural warmth that dispelled some of the chill of the rainy night.

Yahiko warmly invited Menma and Kanon to accompany them to their base in Amegakure.

Meanwhile, the caravan leader, still shaken from fright, complained a bit about the high risk of the mission before daring to linger no longer. Urging his guards and workers, he hurried towards the safer Amegakure.

Kanon didn't answer immediately, instead casting an inquiring look at Menma.

In her heart, Menma was not only her savior and mentor but also the only person she could fully trust at this moment.

Meeting Kanon's gaze, Menma gave a slight nod, his tone indifferent: "It's fine. My destination happens to be Amegakure as well, so it's on the way."

Receiving Menma's agreement, Kanon's face relaxed into a smile as she nodded at Yahiko.

Thus, Menma and Kanon followed Yahiko, Konan, Nagato, and the other Akatsuki's members, stepping into this steel city shrouded in endless rain curtains: Amegakure.

Towering metal pipes sprawled across the city like the skeleton of a giant beast. Cold raindrops beat against various metal surfaces, creating a continuous, disconcerting pitter-patter.

The streets were sparsely populated… those who were out hurried along, most faces bearing expressions of numbness or wariness.

Along the way, Nagato couldn't help but glance frequently at Kanon beside him.

That hair so similar to his mother's, like burning flames, and those fiery red eyes made him feel an inexplicable closeness.

Kanon also observed Nagato with curiosity, this quiet, brooding red-haired boy.

Soon, she noticed that through the gaps in the wet red bangs on Nagato's forehead, what she glimpsed was not the signature red pupils of the Uzumaki Clan, but a purple eye with strange, concentric ripples, a type she had never seen before.

'Strange eyes...' A sliver of doubt passed through Kanon's mind, but then she recalled that Menma also had black hair and black eyes yet confirmed Nagato's Uzumaki heritage.

'Probably, like Menma-sama, there are some special circumstances.' She quickly accepted this explanation without delving deeper.

After traveling through the rain overnight, the caravan entered Amegakure.

After completing the task handover and receiving the remaining commission payment from the caravan leader, Yahiko didn't even glance at it, directly handing the not-very-substantial bag of money to Konan beside him.

"Konan, as usual, arrange for a few comrades to go purchase a batch of food and supplies." Yahiko instructed, his eyes carrying absolute trust in his comrades.

Konan silently took the money bag, nodded, her cool gaze sweeping over a few members in the group as she gave low-voiced instructions.

Those members immediately accepted the orders, turning and disappearing into the rain curtain, clearly off to execute the procurement task.

After arranging this, Yahiko turned back to Menma and Kanon with an apologetic look: "You two, sorry for the wait. Please follow me. I imagine you and Nagato have much to talk about."

His consideration was quite thoughtful.

Konan, after arranging the procurement matters, also caught up.

The group passed through damp, narrow alleyways covered in rust, eventually arriving at a rather concealed underground entrance.

Entering and walking down a set of stairs for a moment, they reached the current Akatsuki's base.

The interior space of the base wasn't small, but the facilities were extremely rudimentary. The walls were rough concrete, many areas appearing mottled due to water seepage.

A few Akatsuki's members who had returned earlier had already found places to sit and rest, weariness on their faces, but most eyes held a gleam of idealism.

Yahiko led Menma, Kanon, Konan, and Nagato into a relatively separate small room deep in the base.

This seemed to be the place where their core members discussed matters, furnished with a few old tables and chairs, but the conditions were equally concerning.

There were obvious cracks in the corners of the ceiling. Cold rainwater was dripping down along the cracks, splashing tiny water droplets on the concrete floor, emitting a rhythmic drip-drip sound.

"You two, please sit. Let me find something to catch the water." Yahiko gave an embarrassed smile, hurriedly joining Konan and Nagato in searching the room for usable containers.

They brought a few worn-out buckets and half-broken clay pots, carefully placing them under the leaks to catch the constantly dripping rainwater.

Menma, with a composed expression, walked to a wooden table covered in scratches, casually pulled out a chair, and sat down, seemingly indifferent to the shabby surroundings.

Kanon also sat down closely beside him, her big eyes curiously surveying this 'base' leaking everywhere. She couldn't help leaning close to Menma's ear, speaking in an extremely low voice: "Menma-sama... this Akatsuki... why does it look... so destitute?"

In her imagination, a Ninja Organization's base should at least be dry, tidy, and have some defensive facilities.

Hearing this, the corner of Menma's mouth lifted in a faint, almost imperceptible smile, responding equally softly: "Because they use most of the money earned from missions to purchase food and supplies, distributing them to the poor and refugees of the Land of Rain."

His gaze swept over Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato, who were busy catching water, a complex glint flashing in his eyes.

This almost ascetic idealism seemed both precious and fragile in the cruel Ninja World.

After arranging the water-catching containers, Yahiko gestured for Konan to make some tea.

Konan nodded silently, walking to a simple electric appliance in the corner of the room to start boiling water.

Yahiko and Nagato then sat down opposite Menma and Kanon.

Yahiko scratched his spiky orange hair, speaking with a hint of apology: "I'm really sorry for the sorry state you see. Renting basements is the only cheap option in Amegakure. The drawback is... they leak a bit."

He spread his hands helplessly: "After all, it rains all year round in the Land of Rain. Living higher up would be drier, but the prices there... are too expensive for us."

His words were plain and honest, not deliberately concealing the organization's hardship.

Yahiko's gaze shifted between Menma, Kanon, and Nagato beside him, finally settling on Menma, his tone becoming slightly more formal: "So, Menma-kun, Kanon-san, did you two come to Amegakure to find Nagato?"

He remembered clearly that Menma had accurately stated Nagato's mother's name: Uzumaki Fuso.

Nagato also looked up, his Rinnegan hidden beneath his bangs carrying inquiry and curiosity as he looked at Menma.

For some reason, compared to Kanon, who shared his hair color, this black-haired, black-eyed Menma with a deep, calm aura made him feel a more inexplicable attraction and a faint pressure.

At that moment, Konan walked over carrying a tray with several cups of steaming coarse tea.

She placed a cup in front of each person, her voice cool: "Please have some."

"Thank you." Kanon quickly expressed thanks, holding the warm teacup with both hands.

Menma also nodded slightly in acknowledgment, accepting the teacup but not drinking, merely gently rubbing the rough cup surface with his fingertips.

He raised his eyes, looking at Yahiko and Nagato, answering Yahiko's question: "Not exactly. I came to Amegakure for other purposes. Meeting you was just an unexpected coincidence."

This answer made both Yahiko and Nagato slightly taken aback.

Nagato, unable to suppress the doubt in his heart, blurted out: "Then... do you know my mother?"

Menma's gaze turned to Nagato. He shook his head, his tone without any fluctuation: "I have never met your mother, Uzumaki Fuso. I know of her only because of you."

"Because of me?" Nagato was even more bewildered, his purple Rinnegan filled with incomprehension.

He was certain he had never met the person before him.

But why would someone who had never seen him or his mother know of his mother's existence because of him?

It left him confused.

A brief silence fell in the room. Only the rhythmic drip-drip of rainwater falling into buckets from the ceiling sounded, now exceptionally clear, striking everyone's hearts.

As if urging the revelation of the answer.

Menma's gaze calmly swept over the three opposite him: Yahiko, harboring fervent ideals, Konan, and Nagato. He pondered, 'If they survived and possessed a certain level of strength, leading the Akatsuki together, what kind of change would they bring to this Ninja World?'

Looking at these three young people whose ideals hadn't been completely crushed by harsh reality, he suddenly felt that trying to thoroughly rewrite this world might be good.

Menma's focus returned to Nagato. He slowly began to speak, his voice exceptionally clear in the silent room: "The most prominent physical characteristics of the Uzumaki Clan are hair like burning flames and matching crimson pupils."

He slightly tilted his head, indicating Kanon beside him: "For example, Kanon is a very standard example of Uzumaki Clan's appearance."

Kanon instinctively touched her vibrant red hair and nodded.

Menma continued: "Of course, there are also cases of mixed blood, which might conceal these two characteristics."

He pointed to his own black hair and eyes: "Like me."

"But..."

His tone suddenly turned serious, his gaze sharp as a torch locking onto Nagato's eyes hidden beneath his bangs: "Unless it's an extremely rare case of atavism, otherwise, with Uzumaki Clan's bloodline, it is absolutely impossible to naturally give birth to these eyes, hailed as the [Eyes of the Six Paths]: the Rinnegan."

"Eyes of the Six Paths?!"

"Rinnegan?!"

"Impossible to naturally be born?!"

Menma's words struck Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan like thunderbolts!

Their faces instantly filled with shock and disbelief!

When Jiraiya identified Nagato's eyes as the Rinnegan, they had been surprised enough. But now, Menma directly pointed out the fundamental contradiction between these eyes and Uzumaki Clan's bloodline!

Yahiko's expression instantly darkened. He leaned forward slightly, his hands unconsciously clenching, his voice carrying a barely perceptible tremor: "Menma-kun, are you saying... Nagato's eyes..."

"Correct," Menma directly affirmed Yahiko's unfinished guess: "These Rinnegan are not innate to Nagato. They do not belong to Nagato."

"They... don't belong to me?" Nagato felt as if struck by lightning, his entire body frozen in place, his Adam's apple moving with difficulty as he swallowed saliva produced by shock.

He instinctively raised a hand, wanting to touch his eyes that brought power but also endless pain, but his arm felt too heavy to lift.

His mind was in chaos, countless fragments of memories surging, finally fixating on the image of his parents lying in a pool of blood.

"These... aren't my eyes?" He murmured, his voice hoarse and broken.

A look of confusion also appeared on Konan's cool face. She urgently voiced her doubt: "But! Nagato has had these eyes since he was four, when we were wandering together! Nagato's parents..."

Her words cut off abruptly because a terrifying thought instantly seized her.

Menma's gaze shifted to Konan. His eyes seemed to see through the fear in her heart as he calmly continued her unfinished sentence, his words cold as a blade: "Therefore, his parents died."

Boom—!

That sentence struck Nagato's heart like a thunderbolt!

His entire body trembled violently, his already pale face instantly turning as white as paper, his body uncontrollably leaning back against the chair as if all strength had been drained.

'Was it because of these eyes? Did my parents die tragically because of them?'

He had always thought it was the invasion of Konoha's Ninjas that took everything from him. That hatred for Konoha, even after being guided by Jiraiya-sensei, remained buried in his heart like a smoldering fire.

But now, someone was telling him that behind that tragedy lay an even darker conspiracy!

A pair of eyes not belonging to him, a meticulously planned slaughter...

Yahiko looked at Nagato beside him, on the verge of collapse, his eyes filled with heartache and anger.

He abruptly turned to face Menma, teeth clenched, words almost squeezed from between them: "Please tell us! Who is the true mastermind behind this?!"

His voice trembled slightly with suppressed rage.

Yet Menma did not answer immediately.

He leisurely picked up the cup of coarse tea in front of him, which had long cooled, and took a shallow sip, as if savoring something.

Setting down the teacup, he then looked up at Yahiko, his eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny and faint mockery: "So easily trusting a stranger's words? Yahiko, making judgments based solely on intuition and goodwill is not a habit befitting an organization leader aiming to change the world."

Yahiko and the others were stunned again, not expecting Menma to say such a thing at this juncture.

Menma leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping over Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato, his tone flat yet carrying an intangible pressure: "If I harbored killing intent towards you right now, given your three completely unprepared states and the distance between us, you would already be dead."

He paused, looking at Yahiko's now grim expression, continuing, "Your naive, idealistic personality is somewhat similar to the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. But unfortunately, you do not possess his absolute power, which is enough to suppress an entire era and rendering all schemes and plots pale in comparison."

Yahiko's expression changed, but he took a deep breath, meeting Menma's gaze, insisting: "Yet it is precisely because of that, I sensed the goodwill, not malice, you released, which is why I invited you here! I trust my judgment!"

"Goodwill can be feigned." Menma slightly shook his head: "Yahiko, let me ask you a question. If one day, your friend—"

His gaze paused momentarily on Konan and Nagato in turn: "—one of them is kidnapped by an enemy far stronger than you, for example... the hero of your Amegakure, Hanzo the Salamander. Using your friend's life as a threat, demanding you commit suicide, what would you do?"