Shisui sighed softly, "He truly is a born leader."
Fugaku watched the scene with complex emotions.
The Uchiha Clan now had no choice but to follow the Fourth Hokage closely.
Menma contentedly arranged lodging for his two new companions. On the way back, he kept feeling like he'd forgotten something important… "Where's Naruto?"
Minato suddenly asked.
"Ah!"
Menma slapped his forehead, "He's still at Grandpa Sarutobi's house!"
Minato rubbed his temples: "It's a good time to give the Third Hokage an explanation…"
"I'll go with you."
Menma nodded.
Father and son exchanged a knowing look.
Unbeknownst to them, Minato had grown accustomed to treating Menma as a partner with whom he could discuss important matters. There were things he didn't tell Kushina, but he always shared them with this son.
They arrived at the Sarutobi Clan courtyard, where the Third Hokage stood quietly in the yard, a wisp of smoke rising from his pipe.
His back was more stooped than usual, and he looked much older.
Menma looked around, not seeing Naruto, and his throat tightened slightly: "Grandpa Sarutobi, where's Naruto?"
"Kushina has already taken him home."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was calm, even carrying a hint of weariness.
Minato and Menma both froze, looking at the once-dignified old man, who now appeared so forlorn.
"Lord Third Hokage…"
Minato opened his mouth, but found he didn't know how to speak.
"No need to say anything, Minato."
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, his gaze fixed on the distant sky, "All of this… is actually my fault."
His voice was low and hoarse, as if carrying too much unspoken weight.
"I knew Danzo had done many wrong things, yet I always chose to let him be…"
The night wind blew, and the glow of his pipe flickered, illuminating his wrinkled face.
Menma stood silently to the side, watching this "Ninja God" who once dominated the Ninja World, now appearing like an ordinary old man, reminiscing about past regrets.
When Minato decided to act against the Root Organization, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already sensed something was amiss.
If he had intervened, his old friend would have lived… But he didn't stop him, nor did he even show up. Because he knew better than anyone his old friend's personalityif he lived, he would never give up, and Konoha's hidden danger would never disappear.
"Minato…"
The Third Hokage slowly turned his head, a hint of relief appearing in his cloudy eyes, "You don't need to feel guilty… All of this is for the Village."
"You did very well…"
His voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable affirmation, "Konoha, in your hands, will surely go further than our generation."
Minato's azure eyes trembled slightly, his throat moved, and he finally just bowed his head deeply: "…Yes."
Menma watched this scene, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
"Menma."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze shifted to the blond teenager, the wrinkles on his face smoothing out into a kind smile.
Menma immediately straightened his back: "Grandpa Sarutobi…"
"You're so much like Minato when he was young."
The Third Hokage chuckled, tapping his pipe and puffing out a cloud of smoke, "Both of you are geniuses, both possess the fervent Will of Fire, and at such a young age, you can think more profoundly than adults…"
He squinted, his gaze passing through the wisps of smoke towards the distance: "I'm very relieved to entrust the future of the Village to young people like you."
Menma looked at the old man, a swirl of emotions in his heart.
The Third Hokage might have been indecisive, might have made wrong decisions, but his love for Konoha was deeper than anyone else's.
"Grandpa Sarutobi, I'll come to see you often."
Menma flashed a brilliant smile, "And I'll bring that kid Naruto."
Thinking of that blond rascal's "Sexy Jutsu," the Third Hokage couldn't help but smile wryly and shake his head, his nosebleed seeming to threaten to return.
"Alright, go home now."
He waved his hand, "Kushina must be getting anxious."
As night deepened, the father and son maintained a tacit silence on their way home.
The moment they pushed open the door, both of them froze simultaneously
Kushina stood in the center of the living room with her arms crossed, her red hair moving without a breeze, exuding a dangerous aura.
On the sofa, a bruised and swollen Naruto blinked his blue eyes pitifully, casting a pleading look at his father and brother.
"Kushina, what happened?"
Minato swallowed, "Did Naruto cause trouble again?"
Menma quietly stepped back half a pace, his intuition telling him
Something big was about to happen!
"Who taught Naruto that indecent Ninjutsu anyway!"
Kushina's voice made the temperature of the entire living room plummet.
Minato and Menma both froze at the same time, looking in unison at the bruised and swollen Narutotheir eyes filled with "What exactly did you do, kid?"
Cold sweat trickled down Menma's forehead: Oh no, oh no, she couldn't have found out about that move, could she… "No one's going to talk, huh?"
Kushina sneered, her red hair moving without a breeze, "Naruto, you explain yourself."
Naruto, who had been called out, trembled all over, his blue eyes instinctively looking at his brother.
"I didn't! I didn't! He's slandering me!"
Menma instantly bristled, backing away repeatedly.
Driven by his will to survive, his gaze "accidentally" flickered towards his beloved father
Minato's hair immediately stood on end.
Although he had no idea what that "indecent Ninjutsu" was, his eldest son's look clearly meant he was trying to pin the blame!
"Kushina!"
He quickly raised his hands in surrender, "I have no idea what you're talking about!"
A wife knows her husband best.
Kushina stared at her husband for three seconds, then determined that this man absolutely could not have taught that kind of Ninjutsu.
Her death glare refocused on Menma: "If a child lies…"
"It was Kakashi!"
Menma had a sudden flash of insight and blurted it out.
"It was that kid after all!"
Kushina's red hair flared like flames, her fists cracking as she clenched them, "Always carrying those improper books from Jiraiya-sensei, and now he dares to lead children astray…"
---
Somewhere in Konoha
Kakashi, who had just returned home from a mission, suddenly sneezed.
"Strange…"
He rubbed his itchy nose, his eyelids twitching wildly, "Why do I have a feeling of impending doom…"
A gust of night wind blew, and he inexplicably shivered.
Not having to go to school today, Menma sat cross-legged on the living room sofa, watching his mother's busy figure.
Kushina was bending over mopping the floor, her red hair swaying gently with her movements.
"Mom,"
Menma suddenly spoke, "Are you the only one left of the Uzumaki Clan?"
The streak of water left by the mop on the floor abruptly stopped.
Kushina's movements froze, she slowly straightened up, a flicker of sadness passing through her eyes, like ripples disturbing a calm lake.
Those long-sealed memories surged like a tideUzushiogakure in the midst of war, the cries of her clansmen, and the late arrival of the Konoha Ninja… Her destiny as the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki was sealed from that moment.
"We were brought here as vessels for the Tailed Beast…"
Grandma Mito's gentle voice seemed to echo in her ears again, "…But before that, you must find love to fill it."
Kushina's fingertips unconsciously stroked her abdomen, where the most vicious Tailed Beast was sealed.
But at this moment, her heart was filled only with warmth. Meeting Minato, having Menma and Naruto, her life had already surpassed her expectations in its completeness.
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