I Am Uzumaki Menma

A few days later.

The morning sunlight streamed through the curtains into the room as Menma woke from his sleep, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

Outside, birds chirped amidst the fragrance of flowers, and the cherry blossom tree in the yard was in full bloom. A few delicate pink petals drifted through the window, landing beside Menma's pillow.

Still in his pajamas, Menma stretched and yawned as he got up and stepped onto the balcony.

"Good morning, Menma-sama, breakfast is ready~" In the yard below, Kotone was sweeping fallen leaves. She looked up and greeted him warmly when she spotted him at the window.

"Okay, Auntie Kotone." Menma replied simply, his voice still laced with drowsiness.

After washing up, he changed into casual clothes and headed downstairs from his bedroom on the second floor.

In the kitchen, Yuzu had already set out breakfast, the steaming dishes giving off an enticing aroma.

Menma sat down to enjoy his meal.

Once finished, he instructed the two servants, "No need to prepare lunch for me today."

With that, he headed out for a walk.

Menma's house was on the same street as the Hyuga Clan's compound. As soon as he stepped outside, he spotted two branch family guards stationed at the main entrance of the Hyuga Clan's compound.

Since the attack a few days ago, the Hyuga Clan had strengthened their security. Previously, they hadn't even stationed guards at the main gate.

Though several days had passed, the incident hadn't caused much of a stir in the rest of Konoha Village. After all, the fighting had mostly taken place within the Hyuga Clan's compound, leaving the rest of village unaffected.

Only the Special Jonin who had participated that night knew some of the details.

Ordinary villagers and Civilian Ninjas remained completely unaware, assuming only that the Hyuga Clan had become stricter.

Compared to the arrogant Uchiha Clan, the Hyuga Clan enjoyed a far more favorable reputation among the villagers.

"Good morning, Menma-kun!" A familiar voice called out from ahead.

Menma, hands in his pockets, looked up to see Little Hinata standing at the intersection, her fingers nervously intertwined, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush.

Seeing Hinata's shy demeanor, Menma could tell it was the gentle, introverted Little Hinata, not the fiery-tempered Big Sis.

"Good morning, Hinata-chan." Menma said as he walked over, affectionately ruffling her hair and measuring her height with his hand: "You've grown a little taller again."

"Hmm~" Hinata's face turned even redder, steam practically rising from her head.

As Menma and Hinata walked toward the park together, he could sense two Hyuga Clan's members following them from the shadows, their presence much stronger than that of the previous guard, Hyuga Ko. One of them was at Special Jonin-level.

It seemed that after the incident where the Hyuga Clan's four elders had their Byakugan stolen, the clan had stepped up protection for its main family's heir.

With their Byakugan gone, those four elders were mostly useless now, leaving them no choice but to pin their hopes on the next generation.

In the park, Naruto sat alone on a swing, idly watching the children playing in the sandpit.

Due to the parents' prejudice, none of the other kids would go near him, even though the swings and slides around him were empty.

"Oi, kid, what're you spacing out for?" Menma said, hands in his pockets, as he planted a foot on Naruto's swing, sending him swaying.

"Menma! Hinata!" Naruto grabbed the ropes in surprise, nearly losing his balance.

Naruto wasn't old enough to attend the Ninja Academy yet, so he spent his days either wandering around the village or playing alone at his secret hideout in the forest outside the village.

Meanwhile, Menma spent weekdays practicing Ninjutsu at home, handling political affairs and conducting research in Hoshigakure, or stirring up trouble elsewhere. Only on weekends did he return to spend time with Naruto.

Hinata was in a similar situation, as she was burdened with the Hyuga Clan's rigorous training and rarely has free time.

Things would probably get better in a couple of years once they all entered the Academy.

"Hey, what're we doing today?" Naruto asked with anticipation.

Though all three of them were kids, Menma's soul was that of an old man, and Hinata was a girl, so their shared activities were somewhat limited.

In spring, they often went fishing or had picnics. In summer, they caught cicadas. In autumn, they hunted for crayfish, and in winter, they built snowmen.

After some discussion, the three of them decided to head to their secret hideout by the Naka River.

Together, they set off toward the outskirts of the village.

The three of them chatted and laughed along the way, with Naruto doing most of the chattering about various topics, Menma occasionally chiming in, and Little Hinata following quietly, her gaze always fixed on Menma's back.

"Ouch!"

Naruto was gesturing animatedly while recounting how he had encountered a cocky Uchiha kid by the Naka River a few days ago when he accidentally bumped into someone.

The two staggered back and fell onto their backsides at the same time.

Menma looked over and saw a child with long red hair sprawled on the ground, someone around their age, who had collided with Naruto.

A middle-aged man quickly stepped forward, helping both Naruto and the red-haired child up.

"Are you alright, little one?" His voice was gentle yet weathered.

Naruto rubbed his rear, tilting his head up to look at the man, then at the kid he had bumped into. Remembering Menma's teachings, he hastily said, "S-Sorry!"

"It's fine. Amaru wasn't paying attention either." The middle-aged man said, placing a hand on the red-haired child's head, "Amaru, apologize to them."

"Yes, sensei." The child called Amaru tied a black cloth around her head like a bandana before reluctantly muttering to Naruto: "I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going either."

Naruto grinned, slapping Amaru on the shoulder in a familiar manner, "Huh? I don't think I've seen you guys in the village before. Are you merchants or something, Uncle?"

Menma walked up to Naruto and bonked him on the head.

"Ow ow ow!" Naruto clutched his head, glaring at Menma: "Menma, what was that for?!"

"Idiot, Amaru's a girl!" Menma sighed at his foolish little brother.

"A g-girl?!" Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he gaped at Amaru..

Only then did he notice that while her skin was slightly tanned and her clothes were gender-neutral, she did have long red hair and delicate features that clearly weren't boyish.

"Hahahaha, as expected of Konoha's children." Shinno laughed heartily before introducing himself: "Hello, I'm Shinnō, a wandering doctor. I came to Konoha Village to purchase some medical supplies."

He then gestured to Amaru, who was puffing her cheeks and glaring at Naruto: "This is my apprentice, Amaru."

Naruto straightened up awkwardly. "N-nice to meet you, Uncle! I'm Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Hello, I'm Menma, this guy's friend." Menma said, jerking his thumb toward Naruto.

"I-I'm Hyuga Hinata." Little Hinata murmured shyly, hiding behind Menma.