In the original records, Naruto and his companions had entered Takigakure directly through the great waterfall.
However, Menma had already learned through inquiries in the surrounding regions that behind the waterfall existed a winding mountain path leading into the interior of the village. That path was the true entrance used to receive outsiders.
After all, it would be absurd to expect every visitor, especially civilians to plunge through a massive waterfall just to enter the village.
"Let's go," Menma said calmly.
"The main entrance is in another direction. And we need to change our appearance."
This visit was strictly for reconnaissance.
There was no reason to draw attention to themselves.
Not to mention that Menma was now one of the most closely watched high-priority targets across the ninja world. There was no way to know whether Takigakure had already received detailed intelligence about him.
Menma had no intention of causing a disturbance the moment he set foot inside the village.
"Mm," Karin nodded in understanding.
"Transformation Jutsu."
The two activated the technique almost simultaneously. In an instant, their appearances shifted into those of ordinary adult shinobi in their twenties or thirties. With their chakra restrained but not concealed, they moved swiftly toward Takigakure's main gate.
Menma deliberately chose not to disguise himself as a civilian.
That would have been the most foolish option.
Any ninja village with even a modest level of development possessed sensory-type shinobi. While the strength of such ninja varied, even the weakest among them could detect chakra signatures within a certain range.
Pretending to be an ordinary traveler would have been nothing more than self-deception.
A few minutes later, the winding mountain path came into view.
From the perspective of an ordinary person, Takigakure's terrain was almost exaggerated in its defensive advantages. Whether it was the waterfall entrance or this concealed path, the geography alone formed a natural fortress.
Under normal circumstances, entry posed no difficulty.
But if foreign enemies attempted to invade
As long as Takigakure was prepared and the gap in strength was not overwhelming, reaching the village's core would be nearly impossible.
This was similar to Sunagakure's narrow canyon defenses. Without internal assistance—such as the betrayal orchestrated by Yura during the Kazekage Rescue arc—even shinobi like Sasori and Deidara could not have infiltrated Sunagakure undetected.
The same principle applied to Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure. Each village had developed its own unique defensive systems shaped by terrain and history.
Only Konohagakure was different.
When the village was first established, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were so overwhelmingly powerful that defensive geography was almost irrelevant. Konoha was built on open plains, relying later on vast sensory barriers effective for detection, but insufficient as a physical deterrent against invasion.
Although this was Menma's first time personally entering the territory of another ninja village in this life, his prior understanding from the original history allowed him to quickly grasp Takigakure's strategic value.
When he fully took in the terrain, even Menma couldn't help but feel a trace of admiration.
Natural advantages combined with disciplined garrison placement
Unless the attacker possessed crushing superiority, breaching Takigakure would be extremely difficult.
"Halt."
Two figures flickered into view, blocking the path ahead.
"Who are you?" one of the Takigakure shinobi demanded sharply.
"What business do you have coming to Takigakure?"
Menma and Karin had not concealed their presence. The moment they entered the guarded area, the sentries had already locked onto them.
If they were civilians, the guards would have simply redirected them.
But these were clearly shinobi and unknown ones at that.
Interception was inevitable.
"Oh? We are envoys serving Lord Tsuchikata, a senior minister under the authority of the Fire Daimyō," Menma replied smoothly, his tone calm and composed.
"We have an official mission request to deliver. Please inform your village leader and request an audience."
As he spoke, Menma retrieved a metallic identification token from his robes and displayed it openly.
The token bore the insignia of a Fire Country noble household.
This identity had been prepared well in advance.
Shinobi were not exclusive to ninja villages.
Within the Five Great Nations, the daimyo and high-ranking nobles maintained their own ninja forces—either trained privately or recruited externally. The most famous example was the Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Fire Daimyō.
These shinobi answered directly to the nobility.
Although
In reality, such forces were far weaker than village-trained ninja. At best, most barely reached chūnin level, and many lacked true loyalty.
The internal conflict among the Twelve Guardian Ninja was proof enough.
Even someone like Sarutobi Asuma, once a member, would never truly place the daimyo above Konoha.
Still
Such identities carried formal legitimacy.
And legitimacy mattered.
Though Menma's identity was fabricated, the token itself was genuine.
It had come from Orochimaru.
Orochimaru hadn't even asked why Menma needed it. To him, such a thing was trivial. The identification of a noble retainer held no real value in his eyes.
The Takigakure guard studied the token briefly.
He couldn't truly verify its authenticity but that wasn't the point.
Identity, in this context, was largely ceremonial.
Practical matters came first.
"I see," the green-haired Taki shinobi said, his tone easing.
"Guests from the Land of Fire. Please follow me. We will report this to our leader immediately."
He signaled to his companion.
"Yes."
Moments later, the guard personally escorted Menma and Karin into the village.
As they walked, his words sounded polite but carried a clear warning.
"Please refrain from wandering freely after entering Takigakure," he said evenly.
"Certain areas are restricted to outsiders. There are internal barriers and traps in place."
Menma smiled faintly.
He understood perfectly.
Takigakure had its own rules.
And from the moment he stepped inside
Every move he made would matter.