I Am Uzumaki Menma

At the gates of Konoha, a merchant caravan was slowly making its way along the wide road.

At the end of the caravan, on one of the wagons, Hikari, wrapped in a windproof cloak, slightly raised her head. Her gaze pierced through the shadows of her hood, landing on Konoha's towering gates.

'The Uzumaki Clan's crest-' When her eyes met the emblem on the gate, which bore a striking resemblance to the Uzumaki Clan's crest, her pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

Having been sealed away for centuries by the combined efforts of the Senju, Uzumaki, and Sarutobi Clans, Hikari had a deep impression of this symbol.

The Uzumaki Clan's spiral crest, fused with a leaf, had become Konoha's symbol… proof of how closely tied the Uzumaki Clan was to the village.

'Menma is also an Uzumaki, right?' Hikari recalled the moment when Menma had freed her from the seal, standing under the setting sun as he introduced himself and reached out to her.

'But his hair isn't red...' Hikari couldn't make sense of it.

distant relatives and allies of the Senju, the Uzumaki clan had clashed with her many times. She knew that red hair and Sealing Techniques were the hallmarks of this clan.

But Menma had black hair, while Kanon and Karin both had the standard red hair.

Lost in thought, the caravan bustled its way into Konoha.

Hikari looked around. The village gates were the focal point, with walls extending outward, towering seven or eight meters high, seemingly endless.

Though Konoha was nominally a village, in terms of defense systems, infrastructure, and population, it was undeniably a full-fledged city by the standards of this era.

"Name." At the entrance, Hagane Kotetsu, a man with spiky hair, a strip of cloth covering his face, and a thin mustache, was registering the merchants and travelers passing through.

Beside him, Kamizuki Izumo, his brown hair tied back with a forehead protector and a slanted fringe covering his right eye, chewed on a blade of grass as he scrutinized the members of the caravan.

"Natsuhi." Hikari answered without hesitation, borrowing Natsuhi's name.

"Welcome to Konoha. Have a pleasant stay." Kotetsu said, though he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something oddly familiar about this girl, 'It wasn't her appearance, but her aura… something I felt like I'd seen often. But where?'

After registering, Kotetsu watched as the caravan entered the village, still scratching his head in confusion.

"Hey, hey, don't you think that girl just now kind of looked like an Uchiha?" Izumo sidled up to him, nudging Kotetsu with his elbow, the blade of grass still dangling from his lips.

The moment Izumo pointed it out, Kotetsu had an epiphany, 'That deep, solitary pride in her eyes… it was exactly like the Uchiha.'

Once inside the village, Hikari quickly separated from the caravan.

But after parting ways, she found herself at a loss as she gazed at the bustling streets.

'Where should I go to find Menma?' Hikari looked around aimlessly, wandering through the marketplace, 'I might first try to locate the Uchiha Clan. Their compound should be somewhere in the center of the village, right?'

As she walked, she noticed a dense crowd ahead, with the sound of an argument coming from within.

She hadn't planned on stopping to watch, wanting only to quickly find the Uchiha Clan's compound and then Menma.

But as she passed by, she suddenly overheard the villagers in the crowd discussing a conflict between a member of the Uchiha Clan and the villagers.

"Did that guy Soga provoke the Uchiha from the Konoha Military Police Force again?"

"Who knows? Maybe the Uchiha are just picking a fi."

"Tch, I heard Soga's stall was shortchanging people, and someone reported him to the Military Police Force."

"Even if that's the case, just fining him would be enough! Do the Uchiha really have to shut down his stall? That's going too far!"

Hikari moved closer, listening to the villagers' discussions about the Uchiha, her brows furrowing slightly.

'During the Warring States Period, let alone ordinary people… even Ninja Clans wouldn't dare speak so freely about the Uchiha.'

'But now that the Uchiha Clan had joined Konoha, they were being slandered like this?'

Pushing through the crowd, Hikari saw two ninja dressed in Uchiha Clan's attire reprimanding a merchant.

"Tota Soga! Tell me yourself… how many times is this just this month?"

"We let it slide the first couple of times with just a warning, but you still haven't learned your lesson. Do you think the Konoha Military Police Force's punishments are just empty threats?"

"Then forget about running this stall. We're confiscating it for seven days to teach you a lesson."

As the two Uchiha spoke, they slapped a few seals onto the food stall.

"No, please!" The owner, Tota Saga, a balding old man, burst into loud sobs as he watched his stall being taken away.

This only incited more murmurs from the surrounding villagers, who pointed and whispered about the two Uchiha.

But the Uchiha weren't about to abandon their duties just because of the villagers' gossip… especially since Soga had repeatedly ignored the Military Police Force's warnings. They had to enforce the rules strictly!

"Disperse! Everyone, move along!" One of the Uchiha waved his hand, signaling for the crowd to leave.

Reluctantly, the villagers scattered, still muttering among themselves.

Once the crowd had thinned, Hikari remained nearby, observing the two Uchiha Clan's members as they hauled the food stall away.

'It's called the Konoha Military Police Force, but they are basically just city guards?' Hikari recalled that Menma had set up a similar administrative unit in the Land of Stars… primarily for maintaining public order, occasionally collaborating with Hoshigakure's Ninja for joint drills.

Mostly, they were tasked with identifying and screening spies infiltrating their territory.

"Huh? Why are you still here?" One of the Uchiha Clan's members noticed the girl standing nearby and paused in pushing the cart.

Seeing this, Hikari turned and walked away.

"What a strange kid." The Uchiha Clan's member didn't think much of it and resumed helping his partner move the stall.

'The Konoha Military Police Force? Shouldn't be too hard to find.' As she walked, Hikari removed her outer cloak.

Her black hair, held back by a golden hairband, swayed gently in the breeze. The Uchiha Clan's crest on her blue coat shimmered under the sunlight as she strode confidently through Konoha's streets, her demeanor a mix of ease and cold pride.

Her striking presence drew glances from passersby, but no one questioned her… they simply assumed she was a member of the village's Uchiha Clan.

Just like that, Uchiha Hikari walked openly through Konoha's bustling marketplace. Even when she encountered a few patrolling Uchiha Clan's members from the Military Police Force, she nodded at them, and they returned the gesture without suspicion.

'It looks like a very peaceful village.' Hikari licked at the popsicle in her hand.

She had also learned the location of the Military Police Force's headquarters.

Contrary to her expectations, both it and the Uchiha Clan's compound were situated on the outskirts of the village. She'd have to double back.

And after wandering around Konoha for a while, she still hadn't run into Menma.

Suddenly, Hikari stopped.

Not far away, Naruto, rubbing his round belly, bounced out of a shop.

Behind him, Menma walked with his hands behind his head, chatting with Hinata, whose cheeks were slightly red.

'Menma?' Hikari's mind short-circuited.

Watching the boy who looked exactly like Menma laughing and talking with a girl with white eyes and a flushed face, Hikari's grip on her popsicle tightened.

Menma, sensing something, turned his head, and his eyes met Hikari's.

In that instant, the noise of the street seemed to fade into silence.