Chapter
3: First Meeting and Loss
As Menma dried himself with the
towel he had brought, changed into clean underwear, and put on his clothes, he
was about to carry his basket and leave the mountains to return home. The vague
sense of surveillance that had been lingering around him suddenly dissipated.
'Is it today?' Menma thought to
himself. He didn't show any expression on the surface but was subconsciously
muttering in his heart. This surveillance seemed to come from the void,
something Menma had discovered in an unexpected 'awakening' two or three years
ago. Given his red-haired bloodline, it was likely inherited from his mother,
an innate ability of the Uzumaki clan—Kagura's Mind's Eye.
Even though Menma couldn't use
chakra yet, this innate ability allowed him to detect many things that ordinary
people couldn't, such as the several Anbu who closely monitored and protected
him and the "telescope technique" that the Third Hokage often used
with a special crystal.
With Menma's current ability, he
couldn't accurately identify these surveillances, but he could sense them when
the technique started and ended, and when the Anbu followed him closely. Menma
couldn't completely lock onto their exact locations, but he could sense their
vague presence. It was foreseeable that as Menma's strength and mastery of his
bloodline abilities improved, his Kagura Mind's Eye might reach the level of
Karin or even higher in the future.
Because of this ability, Menma felt
a sense of security. At least he wasn't completely ignorant of everything
around him. When he wanted to do something, he could clearly know the best time
to act. Especially when the Third Hokage monitored him personally, he had to be
cautious.
Of course, the Third Hokage didn't
have time to observe Menma every day. He usually came every three or five days,
and each observation lasted no more than three hours. As the leader of the
village, there were too many things for him to deal with daily. Anyway, Menma
was followed by his direct Anbu, who only obeyed his orders. Since he was still
within the village, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't need to worry too much.
Menma carefully chose a remote path
on his way back, unlike the early morning when there were fewer people. Because
of Kagura's Mind's Eye, Menma could sense the malice from ordinary people more
clearly than Naruto in the original work. Menma chose to avoid these people as
much as possible, not because of anything else, but because he feared his
mental capacity wasn't in place. He didn't want to perceive too much malice and
accidentally show an angry expression.
This was Menma's biggest taboo at
this stage. He couldn't do what Naruto did in the original work, showing
reluctance and loneliness, acting like he wanted recognition. It was even more
impossible to add fuel to the fire. It was of utmost importance to pass through
the most dangerous childhood stage smoothly. For the past five years, Menma had
adhered to this principle. He almost never ran into anyone when he went out.
Once he sensed something, he avoided it in advance.
However, there was an exception
today. When Menma deliberately took a long detour and chose a road where almost
no one usually came, he still encountered several figures in an open space near
his home. In the past, Menma would have taken a detour directly. But today, he
stopped because the figures not far away were as young as him. At the center
was a little girl with soft black hair, crystal clear white eyes, and a
familiar face that was tender and weak.
'Hyuga Hinata...' Menma
subconsciously whispered the name of the little girl in his heart. The eldest
daughter of the main family of the Hyuga clan, she was also one of the most
popular female characters in the original work. She had been Menma's favorite
character when he read the original work in his previous life. Menma always
felt that Naruto in the original timeline was fortunate. When he fell in love
with Hinata, she still loved him.
As the most determined Naruto-Hinata
supporter in his previous life, Menma knew the most important memories of the
two in their childhood. The most significant communication between them was the
scene in front of him. When Hinata was bullied by other boys, Naruto stood up,
leaving an indelible mark in Hinata's heart, even if it was a failed heroic
rescue. And the scene that perfectly overlapped with this moment lifted Menma's
heart, and he took a step forward.
But just as he was about to act, a
sunny, cheerful, and slightly angry childish voice rang out.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?
Picking on a girl? That's not what real men do!"
The next second, a golden figure was one step ahead of
Menma, rushing straight to the scene. The boy's open arms protected the little
girl behind him. When Menma saw the familiar blond hair, blue eyes, and the
figure that slightly resembled his own facial features, his face couldn't help
but show surprise.
The boys surrounding the little girl fell silent. One of
them wanted to curse, but the slightly older boy in the middle immediately
recognized the identity of the blond boy. With quick eyes and quick hands, he
pulled his simple-minded companion.
"Master Naruto, we were wrong. We're leaving now,
we're leaving now," he quickly bowed and spoke. His words made the few
boys beside him, who were still a little confused, suddenly become excited.
They quickly understood the identity of the blond boy before them. The person
in front of them was the son of the Fourth Hokage who died in Konoha fighting
for the village—Master Namikaze Naruto.
In that moment, the boys quickly bowed in greeting. The
status gap between them and Naruto was vast. If their parents knew they dared
to provoke Master Naruto, they would have their butts opened up. Naruto was
momentarily taken aback by their frightened expressions. But a heartbeat later,
his natural exuberance and confidence resurfaced. With a broad smile, he waved
his hands dismissively and said, "It's fine! Just promise you won't bully
girls again!"