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

Chapter 321 Your strength is insufficient to see the truth.
The cruel truth and the bizarre scene of White Zetsu being forced out of their bodies left the three of them shaken and speechless as they processed the overwhelming amount of information.

The only sound in the room was the monotonous dripping of rain into the bucket, which added to the oppressive atmosphere.

Yahiko opened his mouth, wanting to ask more about the mastermind and the truth about the ninja world. He longed to know who the enemy was and how they should deal with them.

But before he could speak, Menma gently waved her hand, interrupting his unspoken question.

His gaze swept over the three men, each with a different expression: "Let's stop here for today. Knowing too much is not a good thing for you at this stage. With your current strength, even if you knew the whole truth, you would be powerless to resist. Instead, it would shake your beliefs, and your hearts would be consumed by hatred and helplessness, affecting your established path."

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, calming Yahiko's feverish mind to some extent.

He clenched his fist, feeling the insignificance of his own power.

Just then, Nagato suddenly stood up from his chair.

His body trembled slightly, and for the first time, his Rinnegan, hidden beneath his red bangs, shone with an obsessive light.

Nagato stared intently at Menma, his voice slightly hoarse: "If... if I become strong enough! Strong enough to face any enemy! Then you can tell me who the real mastermind behind killing my parents is, right?!"

Menma looked at Nagato with some surprise.

In his memory, Nagato during this period, although he harbored hatred for Konoha because of the death of his parents, under the guidance of Jiraiya and the influence of Yahiko's ideals, this hatred was suppressed and guided, and was not the main driving force behind his actions.

However, the truth revealed by Menma at this moment, and the deeper dark force behind it, seemed to instantly ignite something that had been suppressed in Nagato's heart.

He transferred his hatred for Konoha to the "mastermind" who manipulated everything.

Nagato raised his hand, pointing to his Rinnegan, and roared, "Since he 'placed' these eyes here with me, he will come to take them back sooner or later! When that time comes... that will be my chance to take revenge on him!"

His voice was hoarse from excessive agitation, revealing a ruthlessness born from being tormented by fate.

"Nagato!" Yahiko and Konan exclaimed simultaneously, both shocked by the aura Nagato displayed at this moment, so different from his usual gloomy and silent demeanor.

But upon closer reflection, given the effort the other party went to in transplanting such a vital eye to Nagato, they would never simply abandon it.

Yahiko immediately stepped forward, placing his hands on Nagato's shoulders. His eyes sharpened, and his voice was firm: "Nagato, you're right! If that day ever comes, Konan, the Akatsuki, and I will help you! We will avenge ourselves against the mastermind behind it all!"

Although Konan didn't say anything, she silently stood on the other side of Nagato, expressing her silent support through her actions.

Menma sized up the three people before him who shared a common hatred for the enemy, his gaze lingering for a moment on Yahiko and Nagato, but in the end he shook his head and spoke the harsh reality: "The idea is good, but your strength is too weak."

“You guys now might not even be able to beat the ‘chess players’ he trained, let alone face him directly.”

These words were like ice picks, piercing the three men's faces and causing a surge of resentment to rise in their hearts.

Yahiko took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the feeling of powerlessness. He straightened his spine, and the light of idealism in his eyes, undiminished by Menma's blow, burned even brighter: "Just because we can't do it now doesn't mean we can't do it in the future! Our strength is increasing every day! We believe that as long as we keep striving, we will one day reach the strength needed for revenge! And—"

He glanced at Nagato and Konan beside him, and then seemed to see his like-minded companions outside the base.

"We are not fighting alone! We have each other, and many partners who share the same ideals! The power of unity will ultimately surpass the strength of any individual!"

Looking at Yahiko, who, though young, was full of indomitable will and the bond with his comrades, Menma's lips suddenly curled into a smile that was hard to decipher.

He said softly, "Really? Then don't die so easily."

These words sent a jolt through Yahiko, instantly reminding him of his worthless death in the illusion, and the pain and depravity that Nagato and Konan experienced after their deaths.

His face paled, and he turned to look at Nagato and Konan, his eyes filled with worry: "Nagato, Konan! If... if a situation like the one in the illusion really happens in the future, and someone uses you to threaten me... I will do everything in my power to save you! But if I..."

"Stop talking, Yahiko!" Konan raised her hand and covered Yahiko's mouth, her usually cold eyes revealing such obvious fear and reluctance for the first time.

She shook her head vigorously: "If...if it really comes to that, I would rather...I would rather you not come to save me! Don't make that kind of sacrifice for me!"

"How could this be!" Nagato almost roared. "Whether it's you or Yahiko, I will never abandon either of them! No matter who the enemy is, no matter what the cost!"

Seeing the deep and unwavering bond between the three, Menma said nothing more.

He stood up and gestured to the swirling vanilla.

Vanilla immediately followed obediently.

Seeing this, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan suppressed their turbulent emotions and got up to see them off.

After exchanging words, they realized that Menma's strength far surpassed theirs; his illusionary abilities alone were beyond their ability to withstand, and he was genuinely friendly.

However, they had absolutely no idea what level Menma's strength had reached, or how he compared to Jiraiya.

The group silently walked through the damp passage and arrived at the simple iron gate of the Akatsuki base.

Outside, the rain continued to fall, the cold raindrops casting a blurry veil over the steel city.

Yahiko took a deep breath of the air, which smelled of rust and rain, and regained his usual enthusiasm and cheerfulness. He said to Menma and Vanilla, "Menma-kun, Vanilla-san, thank you so much for coming today and for telling us so much... It's a little hard to accept, but it's very important."

"Please remember that the doors of the Akatsuki are always open to you, and you are always welcome to visit."

Menma stood under the eaves, looking at the continuous rain outside the door, seemingly lost in thought.

After a moment, he turned to Yahiko and said, "I won't stay in the Land of Rain for long. But if my target appears here, a battle between us is inevitable."

His words were calm, but they instantly made Yahiko and the other two anxious.

Nagato instinctively pressed, "Is your target the mastermind behind it all?"

He was referring to the person who transplanted the Rinnegan into him.

Menma shook his head, his dark eyes appearing particularly deep in the dim light of the rainy day: "It's another guy. He has nothing to do with the mastermind you're concerned about, but he's a bit more troublesome than him."

He paused, then added, "And their strength is even greater."

Yahiko astutely grasped the key information in Menma's words, his expression turning extremely solemn. He stepped forward and solemnly asked, "Menma-kun, do you mean... that Amegakure will inevitably become your battlefield?"

Mianma nodded, giving an affirmative answer: "Yes."

This simple syllable sent a huge shock through Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan!

They couldn't imagine what kind of battle would affect the entire Amegakure.

Yahiko still carried a sliver of hope, or rather, a trust in the leader of Amegakure, who was also the strongest ninja in Amegakure. He couldn't help but ask again, "Even... Lord Hanzo of the Salamander, known as the 'demigod of the ninja world,' and the entire ninja force under his command... couldn't prevent this battle from happening?"

Even after witnessing Hanzo's future betrayal in the illusion, Yahiko still harbored deep respect and trust for the hero who had once protected the Land of Rain.

He desperately wanted to know why Hanzo the Salamander, a hero of the Land of Rain, had become like that, colluding with ninjas from an enemy country and persecuting the ninjas of his own Amegakure!
Upon hearing this, Menma's lips curled into a slightly mocking smile. He did not reply, but instead walked straight into the rain.

The dense raindrops fell on him, but before they could touch his body, they were quietly slid away by an invisible force, failing to wet even a corner of his clothes.

He walked with his back to the three men into the depths of the gray street, leaving only a voice that echoed clearly in the rain, carrying a detached indifference that looked down upon all living beings:

"You will naturally understand in time just how great the difference can be between ninjas."

"The so-called 'demigods of the ninja world' that you revere are nothing more than stray dogs that can be kicked to death at will in front of certain beings."

The contempt and cruelty in those words left Yahiko and the other two speechless!

That was a 'demigod of the ninja world' who even the three great nations of fire, earth, and wind were helpless against during the Second Shinobi World War!

"Farewell, you three." Vanilla Uzumaki bowed slightly to them, then opened an oil-paper umbrella and jogged to catch up with Menma. The two figures quickly disappeared into the misty rain and the depths of the crisscrossing steel pipes.

Even after Menma and Vanilla had completely disappeared, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan remained standing there, letting the cold raindrops patter on their faces, unable to calm down for a long time.

After a long while, Xiao Nan said in a low voice, trembling with doubt, "What he showed us... could it really be... the future?"

The scene was too real, and too desperate.

Yahiko slowly shook his head, rain streaming down his orange, spiky hair, but his eyes were unusually clear and heavy. He didn't answer Konan's question directly, but instead glanced at Nagato and Konan, asking in return, "Konan, Nagato, if... if the future really is like in the illusion, and I die, and only the two of you remain in Akatsuki... will you... become like those in the illusion? Will you embark on that path of collecting the Tailed Beasts and judging the ninja world in the name of God?"

Nagato and Konan fell into a long silence.

The rain was cold, but the answer burned in their hearts.

If Yahiko is really gone.

If their most important companion, the sun that guided their way, were to fall.

Driven by revenge, they might really stop at nothing, even if it means making enemies of the whole world!
Moreover, a strong premonition lingered in the hearts of Yahiko and Nagato.

The battle Menma mentioned is probably not too far off.

It's like a Damocles' sword hanging over Amegakure, ready to fall at any moment.

“We must act quickly,” Yahiko took a deep breath, wiped the rain from his face, and his eyes became firm again. “Once a battle of that magnitude breaks out inside Amegakure, the first thing we must do is to do everything we can to protect those innocent villagers and move them to a safe place!”

Nagato and Konan nodded emphatically.

No matter what the future holds, no matter how powerful the enemy, protecting their comrades and ordinary people who yearn for peace is the original intention behind the founding of the Akatsuki organization, and it is a belief they will never abandon.

The rain is still falling.

But in the hearts of these three young people, the seeds of changing their destiny had already been planted.

………………

Vanilla, holding an oil-paper umbrella, jogged to catch up with the figure walking in the rain without a single leaf clinging to him.

She followed closely behind Menma, and as she walked, she couldn't help but curiously look around Amegakure, a village known as the "Weeping City".

The rain seemed endless, cascading down from towering steel towers and intricate pipes, gathering into tiny streams on streets covered in rust and slippery moss, gurgling into the bottomless drainage ditches on either side of the road, or flowing directly into the murky river that ran through the village, eventually flowing to who knows where outside the village, perhaps to the gloomy sea to the north.

The entire village was shrouded in a damp, gray hue, and even the air carried a lingering smell of rust and mildew.

Menma walked at a leisurely pace, as if strolling in his own backyard, but his sharp gaze swept across the buildings on both sides of the street, as if searching for something.

Suddenly, he stopped on a relatively quiet street where he could still hear the sound of rain hitting the metal roof.

He frowned slightly, looked around, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes, and murmured, "Strange... I remember, it should be here..."

In his world, the early prototype or former site of the "Regenerative Medicine Company" founded by Amado of Santu should be on this street.

However, all that came into his view was a rather old-looking two-story building with peeling paint, and a crooked wooden sign hanging at the door that read "Ninja Tool Repair Shop." There was nothing else there.

Mianma stood there for a moment, pondering, before turning his gaze to a simple stall next to him that was steaming.

It was a steamed bun shop run by a woman, and the aroma of food wafting from the steamer was especially enticing on this cold, rainy day.

He turned his head to look at Xiangcao, who was carefully holding an umbrella beside him, and asked casually, "What flavor of steamed bun do you like?"

Vanilla was taken aback by Mianma's sudden question, then quickly stepped forward and obediently replied, "Lord Mianma, I'm not picky about food. I like both vegetarian and meat dishes."

When she was a wanderer, being able to eat her fill was a luxury. Even during her years in that small mountain village, she rarely ate meat, so she didn't dare to be picky about the taste.

Mianma nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

He walked up to the steamed bun shop and said to the kind-faced woman, "Excuse me, I'd like five vegetarian buns and five meat buns."

"Okay!" the woman replied enthusiastically, quickly wrapping the buns in lotus leaves and handing them over.

Menma took out some banknotes he had previously taken from those clueless robbers and paid the money. He didn't leave immediately, but instead casually asked the woman, "Boss, I have a question for you. Do you know of a pharmaceutical company nearby called 'Regenerative Medicine Company'?"

As she made change, the woman frowned and thought for a moment, then finally shook her head: "Regenerative Medicine Company? Never heard of it, sir. This street is mostly old residents and small businesses, there aren't any big companies here."

Menma wasn't surprised and continued, "Then, have you heard of someone called 'Santu Amata'?"

“Amado of the Three Paths?” The woman’s face showed a look of realization, and she smiled and pointed to the old repair shop next door: “You mean Amado! You’re looking for him, right? His family lives in the shop next door.”

Her tone immediately turned regretful, and she lowered her voice, saying, "Sigh, speaking of which, his little Akaibi is truly pitiful... Such a well-behaved child, in the prime of her life, yet she's plagued by a serious illness, and despite seeing so many doctors, she hasn't gotten better. Amado works day and night, forging and repairing kunai and ninja tools for the ninja masters, spending almost all his earnings on hiring medical ninjas from the village, but little Akaibi's condition hasn't improved at all. It's truly a tragedy..."

Menma listened attentively to the woman's story, his eyes flickering slightly, and said thank you, "Thank you for informing me."

He turned around, took the wrapped buns, and walked towards the repair shop next door.

Vanilla held up an umbrella in one hand and took the lotus leaf bag handed to her by Mianma in the other.

When she opened it, she found that most of the meat buns had been pushed to her side by Mianma, while the vegetable buns remained in Mianma's hands.

She paused for a moment, looked up at Mianma, and felt a warm current welling up in her heart.

Although she just said it was fine, in the past, during those turbulent days, being able to eat a bite of meat was such a rare treat.

"Thank you, Master Menma..." Xiangcao said softly, picking up a still slightly hot meat bun and taking a careful bite. The rich meaty aroma melted in her mouth, making her squint her eyes in satisfaction. She quickly followed Menma, who was already heading towards the repair shop.

Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that the repair shop's window was filled with all sorts of kunai, shuriken, and some seemingly repaired ninja armor and knives, such as the iconic gas masks of the Amegakure ninjas.

Although the shop is old, the utensils inside are arranged neatly and wiped quite shiny, showing the owner's care.

Through the rain-drenched glass window, you could see inside the shop a middle-aged man who looked to be in his thirties or forties, wearing orange sunglasses, with a cigarette dangling from his lips and a beard starting to spread around his cheeks. He was hunched over a workbench piled with tools and parts, intently repairing a complex metal ninja tool.

His fingers were rough but unusually steady, and his movements were focused.

Beside him stood a young man with an unusual appearance.

The man was wearing a pure white haori, and most of his hair on the top of his head was shaved off, leaving only a small tuft on the front and back of his head, which was tied into a thin ponytail. He didn't even have eyebrows.

The young man was leaning slightly forward, talking quietly to Santu Amado, who was working. Both of them looked rather serious.

Mianma's eyes lit up, and he immediately raised his hand and tapped the wooden door of the shop three times with his knuckles.

Knock knock knock!
The knocking interrupted the hushed conversation inside.

Amado Sanzu raised his head, adjusted his orange sunglasses, and saw Menma and Xiangcao standing at the door. He quickly put down his tools, forced a warm smile like a businessman, and greeted them, "Please come in, please come in! Feel free to look around. All the ninja tools in the window and on the counter are priced. They are of good quality and inexpensive, and guaranteed to be useful!"

At this moment, he was far from the mad scientist with a full head of white hair and a gloomy and calm temperament that Menma remembered from the Boruto era. He was more like an ordinary craftsman who worked hard for a living and for his daughter. However, deep in his eyes, there was a trace of weariness and worry that could not be shaken off.

The young man in the white feathered robe, who had no eyebrows, nodded to Amado Santu when he saw a guest enter, and said in a calm voice, "Since Mr. Amado has a guest, I will take my leave. I will try my best to send the goods and special medicines you need over within a month."

Upon hearing this, Amado Sanzu put down his work and solemnly said to the young man, "Thank you. I will make those special ninja tool parts you requested as soon as possible, ensuring quality."

The young man nodded slightly, said no more, and turned to walk out of the store.

However, just as he was about to brush past Menma who had just entered the store, Menma did not move aside. Instead, she walked straight towards him and stopped right in front of him, blocking his way.

His face was calm yet carried an invisible pressure as he looked at the distinctive face opposite him. A slight smile played on his lips as he said:

"I didn't expect to be so lucky; I found you as soon as I got here."

He paused, then called out the young man's name:

“Ci Xian”.

In an instant, the previously peaceful atmosphere in the repair shop seemed to freeze, and the air became so heavy that it felt like it could drip water.

Cixian slowly raised her head, her eyes, devoid of eyebrows, calmly meeting Mianma's gaze. There was no panic at her identity being exposed, only a bottomless darkness and a hint of curiosity within them.

(End of this chapter)