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Originally, Menma had planned to find a suitable opportunity to have a 'private meeting' with the wealthy businessman Gato after arriving in the Land of Waves. Now, he could bring it up openly and avoid any unnecessary trouble.
On the way back with Kakashi, Menma contemplated where he should begin his investigation the next day.
Gato controls the Land of Waves, which means his power must be strong—strong enough to make the people of the Land of Waves too fearful to speak out. Additionally, there must be traitors within the Land of Waves who support him. Often, the best way to weaken a group is by attacking it from within.
Menma decided to start his investigation from this angle. The Land of Waves isn't large, so unless Gato suddenly abandons his plan, Menma would have a good chance of exposing his network. But Gato didn't strike him as particularly intelligent; after all, the man had dared to threaten Zabuza directly and believed he could take on ninjas with a group of thugs.
"Absolutely brainless," Menma thought to himself.
"Oh, you're back, Kakashi-sensei, Menma!" Naruto, who had been waiting inside the house, called out, his face lighting up when he saw them. He seemed eager to ask something but hesitated, a slight frown forming on his face.
Kakashi noticed and chuckled softly. "Starting tomorrow, the four of you will be divided into two groups. Menma will investigate information about our target—Gato. The rest of you will take turns either protecting Tazuna-san at the bridge or assisting Menma in his investigation. You can decide the specific order among yourselves."
"Gato? Are we going to take the fight to him?" Naruto's eyes widened with excitement. He much preferred taking the initiative rather than waiting for trouble to come to them. Plus, he realized they couldn't stay in the Land of Waves indefinitely. If they left without dealing with Gato, the businessman could strike at Tazuna and the villagers afterward. But if they took down Gato, the Land of Waves could finally see a brighter future.
"Exactly, Naruto. We can't always be the passive party," Kakashi agreed with a nod.
"Oh, I see, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto responded enthusiastically, clenching his fists in determination.
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura added, nodding.
Sasuke remained calm, nodding slightly. Gato was just an ordinary person—Sasuke wasn't particularly concerned about him.
"Are you planning to deal with Gato? Thank you so much! But be careful—Gato has many subordinates," Tazuna said, his expression a mix of surprise and worry as he overheard their conversation. He had been hesitant to ask them to confront Gato directly, knowing it would be a dangerous task. But hearing that they were planning to take action reassured him, even though he didn't fully grasp the power of ninjas.
"Don't worry, Tazuna-san. We'll take care of Gato," Kakashi replied with a reassuring smile.
"You can't possibly beat Gato! You're all just wasting your time!" A loud, angry voice suddenly interrupted them.
Everyone turned to see Tazuna's grandson, Inari, standing in the corridor, glaring at the group.
"Inari!" Tazuna scolded, his expression darkening. "That's very rude! Apologize to the ninjas right now!"
Inari's mother, Tsunami, who had been preparing bedding in another room, rushed over and embraced her son. She bowed deeply to Kakashi, Menma, and the others. "I'm so sorry! Inari is still young and doesn't understand. Please forgive him. Inari, apologize now!"
But Inari, tears welling up in his eyes, stubbornly shook his head. "I'm not wrong! Why should I apologize? You don't understand how terrifying Gato is. You're just pretending to be heroes! My dad...my dad died, and you think you can just beat Gato? There are no heroes in this world!"
Sakura and Naruto, who had initially been upset by Inari's words, softened as they saw his tears. Even Sasuke frowned, sensing the depth of the boy's pain.
"Ah, this..." Kakashi began, about to say something to defuse the situation.
But Menma stepped forward, his expression cold. "You're an ignorant fool. A kid like you should know your limits. Want to cry? Then go cry in a corner. Standing here, you're just annoying."
Menma's words were laced with a hint of murderous intent, enough to make Inari shiver and fall silent. The boy's eyes widened in fear, and he stopped crying, frozen in place by the sheer intensity of Menma's gaze.
After seeing Menma's cold attitude, Tazuna couldn't help but feel nervous. He quickly stepped to the side, positioning himself between Menma and his grandson, Inari, just as he was about to say something.
"Menma!"
Kakashi had also noticed Menma's sudden shift in mood. Frowning, he called out in a deep, authoritative voice.
It was as though Kakashi's words snapped Menma out of his thoughts.
"Sorry, that was rude. I was just thinking about something unpleasant."
Taking a deep breath, Menma calmed himself, suppressing the menacing aura that had momentarily escaped.
At this moment, Inari was trembling uncontrollably, the courage he had displayed earlier completely gone. He collapsed into his mother's arms, burying his face in her chest, too frightened to even look at Menma.
Tsunami held Inari tightly, while Tazuna, Inari's grandfather, glanced at Menma with newfound fear. Initially, Tazuna had thought these young ninja were still just children, but now he realized how wrong he had been.
A ninja is a ninja, no matter their age.
Tazuna felt a wave of exhaustion, almost as if his legs were about to give out from the tension. For a moment, he had truly feared that Menma might harm his grandson.
Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke stood in the background, each looking at Menma with different expressions of unease. This sudden outburst was completely out of character for the Menma they had come to know.
Menma himself seemed to understand this, muttering to himself, "How stupid..."
He clutched his head in frustration and walked toward the corridor outside the living room, leaving the others in silence.
Naruto opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately chose to remain quiet.
To be honest, Naruto felt an overwhelming urge to snap at Inari. Although the Naruto in this life hadn't experienced the same childhood as in the original timeline, he still couldn't stand cowardice. After all, Team 7 had its own hardships; they had all been through loss. Naruto, though positive and optimistic on the outside, longed for his parents' care just like anyone else. But he never showed that vulnerability.
Naruto had his own principles.
Though small, his struggles mattered.
He could somewhat understand why Menma had reacted the way he did.
From the far corner of the room, Sasuke watched Menma leave, his gaze deep and contemplative. A faint glimmer flickered in his eyes, as if recognizing something familiar.
'You and I... we're the same.'
Sakura, however, couldn't understand Menma's behavior. She thought he had overreacted. After all, Inari was just a child who had lost his father. In her view, a few reckless words were nothing to get angry over. Menma had clearly crossed a line.
But at that moment, Sakura completely overlooked the fact that she was the only one in the team who had two living parents. It hadn't occurred to her how deeply family loss could affect someone like Menma or Naruto. Her focus remained on herself.
Kakashi's thoughts aligned more with Naruto's. He believed Menma's outburst stemmed from his traumatic childhood and that Inari's words had simply triggered something deeply buried.
Their guesses weren't wrong, but they weren't complete either.
Menma, who had already left, was unaware of the thoughts swirling around his teammates. He walked until he reached the cliff overlooking the sea, letting the cold breeze wash over him, clearing his mind. A self-deprecating smile formed on his lips.
'I'm still not mature enough,' he thought. 'Why did I get so worked up over something so trivial? When did I become so foolish?'
Menma slapped his cheeks with both hands, the sting sharp enough to jolt him.
"Get a grip," he muttered in frustration.
He was getting angry over a child—a child who didn't even play a significant role in the grand scheme of things. Why was he so affected? Was it because of his own experiences? Did it remind him of something painful from a past life?
Menma couldn't deny that, for a moment, he had wanted to lash out at Inari, the same way Naruto had stubbornly pushed forward to complete their mission. The realization made Menma feel disgusted with himself.
But what did it matter? Did any of this make sense?
No.
This was nothing more than an unnecessary, irrational reaction, driven by personal emotions. It didn't benefit him, nor did it change the present reality.
In the end, Menma knew this was a sign of his own immaturity—a change in his personality.
'Why should I care about Naruto or get angry over his attitude? Sure, we share a bloodline, but we've never had a real brotherly bond. Does that even matter? Should I allow myself to be swayed by something so trivial?'
Menma scoffed at his own thoughts. He had said he would be an egoist, but here he was, letting his emotions dictate his actions.
'What's wrong with me? Am I losing my mind?'
Standing on the cliff, Menma reflected deeply. What did he want from this life?
'I want to live. To live freely and do what I believe is right. No more hesitation. No more doubt.'
As he stared at the calm sea, a sharp determination settled in his eyes.
'No one will stop me. No matter who it is, I'll move forward without regret.'
After spending some time cooling down in the cold wind, Menma returned to the house, his previous composure restored. He seemed as calm and collected as ever, but beneath the surface, he had changed. Now, there was a new resolve within him, sharper and more decisive than before.
This experience marked a turning point for Menma, as he finally learned to hide his emotions behind a mask others could accept. He had taken the first step toward true growth, leaving behind the naive self of his past.
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