I Am Uzumaki Menma

Sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting dappled light on the Kunoichi, enveloping her in a soft glow that caused a faint tremor in Kisame's long-sealed heart.

From childhood, due to his unusual appearance, Kisame had always been isolated from others. No one wanted to talk to him, let alone be his friend.

'She seems to be called Terumi Miru, right? A Ninja from the Terumi Clan who only became a Chunin at eighteen.' Kisame's mind recalled her information.

"No need." Kisame replied indifferently, paying no attention to her concern: "Please don't get too close to me."

Though rejected, Miru wasn't discouraged. Instead, she sat down beside Kisame, pulling out her own onigiri and dried rations, eating quietly.

Kisame's hand, which is holding his canteen, paused slightly.

The two simply sat side by side, maintaining a small distance, yet for Kisame, this was an entirely new experience.

The other Ninjas glanced curiously at them, but seeing that the two were merely eating together without further interaction, they couldn't help but look puzzled.

Regarding for their team's leader, Hoshigaki Kisame, they respected him but also felt some fear due to his intimidating appearance. Thus, none of them were willing to strike up a conversation with him.

After lunch, the group rested briefly before Kisame ordered them to continue their patrol mission.

The six Kirigakure's Ninjas followed behind Kisame, swiftly darting through the coastal forest treetops, yet deliberately keeping some distance.

Kisame had long grown accustomed to this kind of isolation.

"Captain Hoshigaki!" Suddenly, Miru, who had a pair of bright, expressive eyes and long brown hair, sped up to run alongside Kisame.

Called by name, Kisame slightly turned his head, his small shark-like eyes looking at this girl who had twice initiated conversation with him, remaining silent.

"About what I mentioned earlier… after the mission ends, would that be okay?" Miru looked at Kisame with hopeful eyes.

Kisame, who is not good at communicating with others, found himself at a loss for how to refuse. After all, this was the first time in his life a girl had asked him out.

…

A coastal port in the southwest of the Land of Water.

On a merchant ship of a shipping company under the Gato Company, Menma, carrying Samehada and Kubikiribocho, found Orochimaru, who was still busy using persuasive rhetoric on the orphans they had abducted.

"Finished?" Orochimaru noticed Menma's return and dismissed the children to their cabins, preparing to set sail for their new home.

Then, his snake eyes, hidden behind his long hair, studied the two swords Menma was carrying with interest.

"So, these are two of Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swords."

"As expected, you're completely unharmed. Those fools from Kirigakure really are useless, huh?" Orochimaru wasn't surprised by Menma's safe return.

Even when he had fled Konoha, he had been severely injured. Yet Shura had managed to wreak havoc in the village and escape unscathed, which is proof of his formidable strength.

During the last Great Ninja War, Orochimaru had clashed with Kirigakure's Ninjas many times and had a deep understanding of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's abilities.

Now, seeing Menma return with two of the swords, his curiosity was piqued. He licked his lips and said to Menma, "I've heard each of the Seven Ninja Swords has unique traits, with Samehada and the Kubikiribocho being the most distinctive. If you don't mind, could I study them?"

Weapon research wasn't Orochimaru's specialty, but he still had some expertise in ninja tools. For instance, he had once used the Nine Tails' Chakra to create Mecha-Naruto and Mecha-Kurama, which possessed at least Elite Jonin-level combat power.

"Ask me again when you can mass-produce three-tomoe Sharingan." Menma replied flatly, walking straight past Orochimaru toward the inner part of the room.

As he passed by, he added, "Don't bite off more than you can chew, Orochimaru.

"Heh." Orochimaru wasn't bothered by this.

His insatiable thirst for knowledge about the unknown was precisely what drove him to seek eternal life.

Menma took out a sealing scroll and sealed Samehada and the Kubikiribocho inside.

This way, whenever he needed them, he could summon them via the scroll.

The sealing scroll used by the Hozuki Clan for the Seven Swords was similar, as it was just a sealing scroll. They hadn't formed summoning contracts with the swords, nor could they summon them through other means.

For example, during the Fourth Great Ninja War, there were only four Ninja Swords among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen who were resurrected by the Impure World Reincarnation. They were all summoned by Mangetsu using a sealing scroll. The other three Ninja Swords were not retrieved because they were still being wielded by their successors.

The ship was about to depart, and Orochimaru was quite satisfied with this trip to Kirigakure. His vertical golden pupils glanced at Menma, who sat silently in the cabin, yet he still couldn't see through the mystery behind that white three-eyed fox mask.

Soon after, Orochimaru also left the cabin to check on the children he had abducted.

The noise outside the cabin grew louder as more passengers boarded, and the ship was ready to set sail.

Menma activated his Mind's Eye of the Kagura to scan the surroundings.

Although he had defeated the last three remaining members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, there was still a chance that Obito might send White Zetsu to track them… or even continue manipulating Yagura into sending more Kirigakure's Ninjas to their deaths.

Menma was well aware that Obito had been weakening Kirigakure's strength, suppressing clan after clan and enforcing the Bloody Mist Policy… all to exact revenge for Rin.

So after killing Juzo and Fuguki, he didn't pursue the fleeing Mangetsu. A living Mangetsu returning might accelerate the internal conflicts within Kirigakure.

"Hmm?" After activating Mind's Eye of the Kagura, Menma quickly detected several Chakra signatures dozens of kilometers away.

'Such massive Chakra...' Among them, the one leading the team had the most intense Chakra fluctuations, which was almost comparable to that of a Tailed Beast.

However, this Chakra was not the Tailed Beast's Chakra that Menma was familiar with. It was just ordinary Ninja's Chakra, but it was very huge, which made Menma think of Kisame, who was called the [Tailless Tailed Beast].

'Could it be that he was sent by Obito?' Menma remembered that Kisame's defection should have happened after Itachi joined the Akatsuki.

Because after Itachi joined the Akatsuki, his first partner was Juzo, and after Juzo's death, it was Kisame who became his new partner.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Menma decided to go meet Kisame.

After all, in the original work, Kisame was a real man full of tragedies.

He had always walked in darkness, protecting Kirigakure's secrets… even going so far as to eliminate fellow Kirigakure's Ninjas to prevent intel leaks.

But in the end, he discovered that his superior was a traitor, selling out Kirigakure's secrets to enemy nations, so his faith in protecting the village shattered.

At that moment, Obito, who is posing as Madara, appeared before him, manipulating the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura. He spoke of creating a peaceful world without war or slaughter through the [Eye of the Moon Plan] and invited Kisame to join him.

Kisame was the only member of Akatsuki who remained truly loyal to Obito, or rather, to 'Uchiha Madara'. He dedicated himself to the vision of peace promised by the [Eye of the Moon Plan].

Even in his final moments, after being defeated by Might Guy and captured, Kisame chose to summon sharks to tear himself apart… ensuring no information about Madara or Akatsuki would be leaked.

A real man like that… Menma very much wanted to recruit him.