Naruto: I'm in Konoha, my name is Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 311 Three Years Later, Immortal Body
Konoha 62 years.

More than three years have passed since the Star Kingdom defeated the Wind and Earth Kingdoms in succession.

As always, the Star Ninja Academy in the Star Capital is full of vitality and energy.

On the training field, a fierce combat training exercise between senior students is underway.

Karin Uzumaki, with her bright red hair flowing freely, nimbly dodged several shuriken made of sand that hurtled towards her.

Without the slightest pause, she raised her right hand and let out a sharp cry:
"King Kong Blockade!"

In an instant, three golden chakra chains, seemingly alive, surged out from behind her, carrying powerful sealing force, and rushed straight towards Gaara opposite her.

Gaara was focused, his huge sand gourd on his back. Under his precise control, a large amount of sand flowed back and condensed in front of him into a solid sand shield, protecting him completely.

However, the unique sealing power of the Adamantine Sealing Chains has a strong restraining effect on chakra creations. Although the golden chains did not directly break through the sand shield, the sealing power they emitted made Gaara's speed in manipulating sand noticeably sluggish and heavy.

In the audience, Temari and Kankuro watched their younger brother nervously, their faces filled with worry.

Sitting next to them, Kurotsuchi waved her fist and cheered loudly for Karin: "Karin! Go for it! Break that guy's turtle shell!"

Karin seized the moment when the sand shield faltered, unleashed a burst of chakra beneath her feet, and charged toward Gaara with lightning speed.

She clenched her fists, which were covered with a layer of solid chakra, and unleashed the "Iron Fist Punishment" she had learned from her taijutsu teacher. She aimed at the tiny gaps in the sand shield caused by energy interference and launched a swift attack!
boom!
With a muffled thud, the sand shield's defense was precisely pierced, and Karin's fist, carrying sand and grit, landed squarely on Gaara's cheek, sending him staggering back a few steps.

However, just as Karin struck her target, her old power exhausted and her new power yet to be generated, a sudden change occurred!
The seemingly scattered sand on the ground suddenly surged up like a living thing, like a yellow wave, instantly wrapping around Karin's legs and rapidly spreading upwards, completely engulfing and binding her in the blink of an eye, forming an impenetrable sand ball.

Sand bound coffin!
After being knocked away, Gaara regained his footing and stood up from the ground.

He raised his hand and gently wiped away the trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth with his thumb. His emerald green eyes were calm and unwavering as he looked at Karin, who was completely trapped in the sand, and announced indifferently:

"I won."

Ms. Yekura, who was acting as the referee, immediately stepped forward and announced loudly, "The match is over. The winner is Gaara!"

Gaara then had a thought, and the sand binding Karin quickly dispersed like the receding tide, flowing back into the gourd behind him.

Karin, now free, puffed out her cheeks in anger. Pointing at Gaara, she shouted indignantly, "You! You knew I'd come at you, didn't you? That's why you didn't even use your sand clones, and just used your real body as bait!"

Her Adamantine Lock technique is extremely sensitive to chakra, and she can easily tell whether the opponent has created a clone.

Gaara crossed his arms over his chest, manipulating the last wisp of sand back into the gourd, his tone still calm: "If I don't lure you close, am I supposed to just wear you down with your Adamantine Lock from a distance? I'm not as stupid as Kankuro."

In the audience not far away, Kankuro, who was innocently caught in the crossfire, could only awkwardly wipe the sweat from his forehead after hearing his brother's merciless evaluation.

Kurotsuchi jumped down from the stands, ran to Karin's side, patted her shoulder, and comforted her, "Okay, okay, don't be angry. This guy is a monster, it's normal that we normal humans can't beat him!"

Karin was still a little unconvinced. She pouted and muttered to herself, "Hmph! If I could unleash the Five Vajra Chains, I could definitely bind this guy tightly and see how arrogant he can be then!"

In the distance, in an office with an excellent view within the teaching building.

Kabuto Yakushi, now a young man, wore a neat Star Ninja uniform and his signature round-framed glasses perched on his nose.

He smiled and adjusted his glasses, looking down through the bright glass window at the energetic children on the training field below. He said to the gentle and refined pharmacist, Nono, beside him, "Dean, this year's batch of students is truly amazing in terms of talent and ability."

Yakushi Nonou wore her usual gentle smile, her loving gaze sweeping over every figure in the audience. She explained softly, "Kurotsuchi is the granddaughter of the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, so her talent is naturally extraordinary. Gaara is the son of the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and is also the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast, so his potential is immense. Karin is the princess of the Uzumaki clan, with a special bloodline, and she has received a lot of 'special attention' from her older brothers and sisters, like Kimimaro and Haku, in practical combat training."

"These kids are already at the Chunin level. The only reason they're still in school is that Lord Shura wants them to have a relatively complete and carefree childhood."

Kabuto nodded in agreement, his tone tinged with a touch of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex emotion encompassing both admiration and regret). "I originally thought that Kimimaro and Haku's generation was already the golden generation, but I never expected that this generation of youngsters would surpass them even further..."

Over the past three years, the Star Kingdom has entered a period of rapid development.

People's livelihood and the economy have steadily improved, science and technology, especially the integration of chakra technology and civilian technology, have yielded remarkable results, and national defense capabilities have been developing rapidly.

As the nation's strength increased, the Star Ninja Academy expanded its enrollment scale, opening multiple branch schools throughout the Star Country. Every spring and autumn, it would select talented children from across the country to enroll.

Today, it can supply more than 300 qualified ninjas to the Star Ninja Army and police forces every year.

In addition to the ninjas selected and trained from ordinary people, and the large-scale deployment and iterative updates of scientific ninja tools such as chakra-powered armor, the number of professional ninjas currently employed in the Land of Stars has exceeded three thousand.

The police force and various reserve personnel, which serve as paramilitary forces and important reserves, number more than 5,000, forming a large and efficient military system.

As if remembering something, Yakushi Nonou took out a beautifully wrapped small gift box from the drawer and handed it to Yakushi Kabuto with a gratified smile on his face: "By the way, Kabuto, I haven't had a chance to congratulate you on your promotion to head of the Anbu Intelligence Squad. This is a gift for you, to congratulate you."

Not long ago, Teru Mirei, the former head of the intelligence squad of the Dark Division, resigned from her position after marrying Kisame Hoshigaki, the captain of the Dark Division, and became a full-time housewife.

After careful consideration, Menma personally ordered the return of the highly capable and meticulous Yakushi Kabuto to serve as the head of the crucial Anbu Intelligence Unit.

Kabuto accepted the gift with both hands, his face showing genuine gratitude, and solemnly thanked him, "Thank you, Dean."

Whatever the dean gave him, the sentiment behind it warmed his heart.

Yakushi Nonou looked at him, her tone knowing, and asked softly, "But you came back specifically for more than just to hear my congratulations, right? Did you... come to ask me for someone?"

Kabuto, his thoughts exposed, pushed up his glasses and gave a helpless smile that said, "As expected, nothing can be hidden from you." He explained, "After taking over the intelligence unit, I realized that the manpower shortage was much greater than I had imagined. In particular, the long-term infiltration plan targeting Kirigakure and Kumogakure requires fresh blood. Young orphans with clean backgrounds are easier to integrate and less likely to arouse suspicion."

Upon hearing this, Yakushi Nonou sighed softly.

She knew that the counter-espionage capabilities of each ninja village were constantly being strengthened, making it extremely difficult for adults to infiltrate. Orphans with no one to rely on were indeed the most suitable candidates.

However, she regarded every child in the ninja academy as her own, and from the bottom of her heart, she did not want to see these young lives step into that dark battlefield too early, bearing heavy missions and dangers.

Kabuto understood the dean's feelings and patiently explained, "Dean, please rest assured. The current Anbu intelligence unit has a comprehensive training system. All prospective members undergo at least six months, or even longer, of systematic training, including infiltration, intelligence gathering, crisis management, psychological resilience, and so on." "Only those who pass all the rigorous assessments and are confirmed to possess sufficient ability and mental fortitude will be dispatched. Being a ninja... that path has never been easy, as you know."

Yakushi Nonou shook her head, her gaze resolute: "It is precisely because I know that this path is full of thorns and darkness that I want to use education and to change this ninja world so that future generations will not have to repeat this fate."

She remained silent for a moment, then finally relented, saying, "...Let's follow the rules. If any trainee voluntarily chooses to join the Dark Division and passes the relevant screening...I won't stop them."

Kabuto bowed slightly: "Thank you for your understanding and support, Dean. I believe that with our increasingly sophisticated logistical support and intelligence network, many of them will be able to live to see the day when the ninja world is unified and true peace arrives."

Yakushi Nonou looked out at the clear blue sky, her tone tinged with both hope and heaviness: "I hope so."

Meanwhile, deep underground in the Star City military district, in a high-level laboratory.

The atmosphere was completely different from the lively atmosphere of the school; it was filled with the cold gleam of metal and the low hum of various precision instruments.

Orochimaru, his face grim, led several assistants in white coats, their expressions tense, down the corridor and arrived at a heavy alloy door.

Just then, another figure came from around the corner.

Hiruko turned his head and looked Orochimaru up and down with a slightly mocking look in his eyes. He said in a nonchalant tone, "Oh, Orochimaru, I heard you suffered a pretty big loss at the hands of the Akatsuki?"

Orochimaru's golden snake eyes suddenly narrowed, his icy gaze sweeping over Hiruko, his voice carrying a dangerous hoarseness: "Who told you that?"

Some time ago, he attempted to ambush Uchiha Itachi and seize the Mangekyou Sharingan he had longed for, but he was instantly defeated by Itachi's genjutsu. If he hadn't had many ways to protect himself and hadn't made a decisive escape, he probably would have been killed there.

This was undoubtedly a huge humiliation for him.

Hiruko snorted, seemingly enjoying seeing Orochimaru's discomfiture: "The Akatsuki has a hefty bounty on you at the exchange. Given your personality, you wouldn't have obediently returned here unless you suffered a major loss."

Orochimaru began to exude a chilling aura, his tongue unconsciously licking his lips: "What? You think I'm injured and much weaker? You want to take this opportunity to test me?"

Hiruko showed no weakness. His right hand was instantly covered with a cold metallic luster as he used Steel Release: Steel Transformation. His five fingers were like sharp blades as he coldly said, "If you want to stretch your muscles, I can also try out my newly fused bloodline limit and see just how powerful it is."

The air between the two instantly became tense and filled with the smell of gunpowder.

The assistants, including Tono Katasuke, who were following behind them, sensed the dangerous aura emanating from these two mad scientists. They fell silent, trembling, wishing they could shrink into a crack in the wall.

At this tense moment, the alloy doors of the laboratory slid open with a "whoosh".

A figure walked in; it was Mianma.

He glanced at the two men facing off and said in a stern tone:

"Everyone, please be quiet."

With just a simple sentence, Orochimaru and Hiruko instantly lost most of their dangerous aura.

Hiruko had been personally defeated by Menma and knew all too well the terror of his strength.

After personally experiencing the despair-inducing suppressive power of Itachi Uchiha and Pain, Orochimaru felt an even deeper fear of Shura.

Menma glanced at the two, especially Orochimaru, and continued, "I didn't call you here to fight like beasts. Come in with me!"

Hiruko and Orochimaru exchanged a glance, temporarily suppressing their hostility, and, with their respective assistants, followed Menma into a more spacious and technologically advanced laboratory.

Here, several shadow clones with pockmarked faces, dressed in white lab coats, were busy working in front of various complex instruments.

At this time, Mianma appeared in his twelve-year-old form, but due to sufficient nutrition and good development, his figure looked more like a tall and handsome boy of fourteen or fifteen years old, with a hint of majesty between his brows.

Without saying a word, Menma took off his upper body clothes, revealing his muscular upper body, and sat on the complex experimental chair in the center of the room.

Upon seeing this, Hiruko and Orochimaru immediately got to work, directing their respective assistants to skillfully operate various instruments to conduct a comprehensive physical examination of Menma.

Two years ago, after repeated trials and improvements, a stable version of the "Ghost Sprout Technique" was finally successfully developed.

Menma successfully absorbed the cells of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, using a modified technique, and supplemented them with the mild White Zetsu cells as a neutralizer and stabilizer.

Now, his body is undergoing a tremendous transformation. Whether it is physical strength, vitality, or the total amount and quality of chakra, it has reached an extremely terrifying level.

Orochimaru watched as the chakra monitoring device connected to Menma's body steadily increased in number, eventually stabilizing at an astonishing level.

He couldn't help but let out a hoarse exclamation, his golden snake eyes flashing with a mixture of amazement and greed: "Truly... astonishing evolution of life. This amount of chakra is practically comparable to that of a tailed beast!"

On the other side, Hiruko, holding a sharp scalpel infused with chakra, carefully attempted to cut open the skin on Menma's arm to extract the latest cell samples for comparative analysis.

However, the moment the blade made a tiny cut, almost instantly the muscle tissue at the wound site began to wriggle and heal at a speed visible to the naked eye, restoring it to its original state without leaving a trace.

Hiruko frowned, forced to hold his breath and concentrate his chakra at the tip of his blade with even greater care, before cutting open the skin once more.

The same thing happened again, and the wound healed instantly.

Even for an elite Jonin like Hiruko, it took him three attempts before he finally managed to extract a tiny bit of cell tissue just before the wound healed, thanks to his extremely precise chakra control and lightning-fast attack speed.

He looked at the precious sample in the petri dish, then at the calm-looking man on the lab chair, his eyes filled with shock.

This near-immortal regenerative ability, immense vitality, and vast chakra are the perfect physique that these researchers dream of.

The body of an immortal!

(End of this chapter)