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

Chapter 334 You're awake! The surgery was a success. You're a girl now.
In Konohagakure, the afternoon sun filters through the lush foliage, casting dappled shadows on the clean stone path.

Having just returned from a not-so-easy B-rank mission, Minato Namikaze was on his way back to his apartment.

His face, which always wore a gentle smile, was now shrouded in a faint gloom. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his azure eyes were lowered in deep thought, as if he were troubled by some problem.

Just then, someone gently patted his shoulder from behind.

Minato was instantly jolted awake from his reverie, his body instinctively tensing slightly, but then a familiar and warm red color made him relax.

Turning her head, she was greeted by a head of bright red hair that looked like burning flames, and a pretty face that showed concern and curiosity.

Kushina Uzumaki was standing next to Minato, her head tilted slightly to the side, her large eyes staring at him intently. She was wearing her favorite dark green apron, clearly having just come from home.

Seeing that Minato had come to his senses, she put her hands on her hips and said in a tone that was both dissatisfied and worried:
"Hey, Minato! What's wrong with you these past few days? You're always so absent-minded! You're thinking about things even while walking, you almost bumped into a lamppost without even noticing! Did that idiot Obito get you into some trouble again?"

Kushina knew very well that Minato had recently become a Jonin instructor, and the Genin class he led was a collection of problem children.

Kakashi, whose personality became withdrawn and cold after his father Sakumo Hatake's death, and who is only focused on missions; Obito Uchiha, who is optimistic and cheerful but always clumsy and a burden; and Rin Nohara, who is caught between two problem boys, trying to mediate but often feeling powerless.

Minato truly devoted a great deal of effort to these three disciples.

Looking at Kushina's vibrant energy, Minato felt a significant dissipation of the gloom in his heart. He gave a gentle, apologetic smile and shook his head: "No, it's not about Obito and the others. Kakashi is still the same as always, but Obito has been training very hard lately, and Rin has been taking good care of them... it's just..."

He paused, then walked slowly alongside Kushina, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards the Hokage Rock in the distance, carved with the portraits of the Hokage of each generation, and the Hokage Building below the rock wall, a symbol of the core of Konoha's power.

Minato lowered his voice, tinged with uncertainty: "Just now at the mission handover point, the Anbu sent word that the Third Hokage seems to have a new mission to personally assign to me. I don't know why, but this time I have a... strange, inexplicable premonition."

Upon hearing this, Kushina's beautiful eyes widened immediately, her cheeks puffed out slightly, and she complained clearly, "Eh?! Another mission? You've only been back for less than two days! The Third Hokage is going too far! Even the 'Yellow Flash' can't work like this non-stop!"

Seeing his girlfriend's adorable expression as she stood up for him, Minato felt a warm glow in his heart. He smiled helplessly, gently ruffled Kushina's red hair, and soothed her, "Alright, Kushina, don't be angry. Since it's a mission personally assigned by the Hokage, it must be very important. I promise you, I'll be back immediately after this mission is over, without delay. And..."

He deliberately dragged out his words, watching Kushina's eyes light up instantly, and said with a smile, "I'll bring some back for you as a gift, okay?"

"Really? Minato!" Upon hearing about the gift, Kushina immediately forgot all her dissatisfaction with the mission, her face breaking into a bright smile as she jumped for joy like a child.

As the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, she has never stepped out of the village since she was brought to Konoha.

Everything in the outside world held a mysterious allure for her.

The unique gifts from different places that Minato brought her back from each mission became her most important window into understanding this vast world, and she carefully treasured each one.

The two chatted and laughed all the way, and soon arrived at the Hokage Building.

Minato stopped and said to Kushina, "Then I'll go up. You can go back first."

"Okay! Be careful on your journey! I'll be waiting for you to come back!" Kushina nodded vigorously, waving her hand at Minato with anticipation and reluctance in her eyes.

As Minato gazed at Kushina's radiant red hair and smile in the sunlight, his heart was filled with tenderness and a determination to protect her.

He gave Kushina a reassuring and confident smile, then turned and strode steadily into the Hokage Building.

Upon arriving at the heavy wooden door of the Hokage's office, Minato's gentle expression vanished, replaced by the calm and focus he usually displayed when carrying out missions.

He took a deep breath, raised his hand, and knocked on the door with his knuckles, neither too hard nor too soft.

"Come in." The steady, slightly hoarse voice of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, came from inside the door.

Shuimen pushed open the door and entered.

The office was filled with a faint smell of tobacco. Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind a large desk, holding a scroll in one hand, reading it with a slight frown, while his other hand held a pipe, taking a puff every now and then.

Seeing that it was Shuimen who had entered, he put down the scroll and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"Oh, it's Minato. You've come at the right time. I'll have to trouble you again this time." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice carried the praise and reliance of an elder for an outstanding junior.

Minato walked to the desk, stood still, and said respectfully and decisively, "Please give your orders, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, opened a drawer in his desk, took out a mission scroll with an exotic flair, placed it on the table, and gestured to Minato to take a look.

At the same time, he slowly said, "This is a secret commission from the kingdom of Loulan, a country in the desert."

"It was delivered to Konoha by a secret messenger sent by the Queen of Loulan. The request was that we send reliable ninjas to safely escort her only daughter, Princess Sara, to Konoha Village, where she can live and be sheltered for a period of time."

Minato picked up the scroll and could feel the unusual material it was made of.

He unrolled the scroll and began to read it carefully.

The letter of authorization was written with great sincerity, revealing a mother's deep concern for her daughter's safety and some unspeakable worries. It seemed that Loulan was facing some unknown and huge threat, forcing the queen to send her daughter to the distant Konoha for protection.

Just as Minato was reading the scroll, Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, exhaled a puff of smoke, and his tone became serious: "However, this request has only been delivered to Konoha for a short time, and we haven't even had time to decide whether to accept it, when the Anbu intelligence team received the latest news that the Queen of Loulan has been assassinated."

Minato's brows furrowed instantly, and his fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the scroll.

Sure enough, this task is anything but simple!
The Queen was murdered shortly after delivering the commission; it's too much of a coincidence, and there must be a bigger conspiracy behind it.

Seeing Minato's solemn expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi took another drag of his cigarette and then dropped an even more perplexing piece of information: "Furthermore, according to reports from our informants in the Land of Rain, in recent months, Amegakure's intelligence personnel have been actively gathering information about the Kingdom of Loulan, the Queen of Loulan, and a Loulan minister named 'An Lushan.' Their actions are covert, but frequent."

"The Land of Rain? Amegakure?" Minato's heart sank.

The appearance of this name instantly raised the complexity and danger of the entire mission to a whole new level!
The dramatic changes that have occurred in the Land of Rain and Amegakure in the past six months have already spread throughout the entire ninja world through various channels.

The mysterious death of Hanzo the Salamander, a "demigod of the ninja world," the rapid rise and conquest of the Akatsuki organization, and the astonishing resilience and development speed of Amegakure amidst internal and external troubles have all drawn more scrutiny and vigilance from major nations and ninja villages towards this land.

In particular, regarding the terrifying explosion that shocked the entire ninja world and caused strange phenomena in the sky above the Land of Rain, although the Konoha Anbu investigated with all their might, the specific cause remains a mystery. All that is known is that it was related to a battle between two incredibly powerful ninjas.

There are even rumors that the new leader of Amegakure, Yahiko, has a mysterious ninja with unfathomable strength by his side who has easily repelled probing attacks from other ninja villages.

Minato was almost certain that the person was Menma, whom he had met twice before, and whose strength made both Minato and Jiraiya feel uneasy!

Minato raised his head and looked at the Third Hokage, his tone serious as he sought confirmation: "Hokage-sama, do you mean... the assassination of the Queen of Loulan is very likely related to Amegakure? Was it orchestrated by them?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly shook his head, his eyes appearing deep and wise amidst the swirling smoke: "There is currently no direct evidence to suggest that Amegakure was behind this. Based on our comprehensive analysis of various intelligence channels, Amegakure seems more like... waiting for a certain opportunity."

"They seemed to have prior knowledge of the potential changes in Loulan and showed extraordinary concern about it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe, tapped it lightly on the rim of the ashtray, and then looked back at Minato, his voice low and deep: "If Amegakure, or rather, the mysterious powerful figure behind them, is also involved in the Rouran incident, then this mission will likely no longer be a simple escort mission. Its difficulty and danger level will probably need to be assessed as S-rank!"

S-rank mission!
This means that the mission involves national secrets and security, is extremely dangerous, and could encounter an unknown number and strength of ninjas at any time, or even be involved with multiple forces. The mission reward is as high as one million taels or more!

The atmosphere in the office instantly became extremely tense.

Minato Namikaze remained silent for a moment, his mind racing as he weighed the danger of the mission against the required personnel.

He quickly raised his head, his eyes regaining their usual calm and confidence, and said clearly:
"I understand, Hokage-sama. If the mission is S-rank, then I request the following personnel to participate in this mission: Akimichi Choza, Aburame Shiki, and... Hatake Kakashi."

When he heard the name "Kakashi," Hiruzen Sarutobi paused slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Both Akimichi Choza and Aburame Shiki are heirs to Konoha's traditional secret ninja clans. They are both Jonin in strength and have rich experience, making them excellent candidates for carrying out high-difficulty missions.

However, Kakashi Hatake, despite his exceptional talent and reputation as a genius, is still only a Chunin and quite young. Participating in an S-rank mission seems somewhat...

Minato noticed the Third Hokage's doubts and explained, "Hokage-sama, Kakashi may be young, but his strength has already reached the level of a Special Jonin. Whether it's ninjutsu, taijutsu, or tactical acumen, he far surpasses his peers. He needs to undergo more challenging missions to hone himself and accumulate experience. I believe he can handle it, and this is a necessary step in his growth."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Minato's trusting and determined eyes and pondered for a moment.

He knew Minato and knew he wasn't the kind of person who would joke about missions and the lives of his comrades.

Minato must have had his reasons for choosing Kakashi.

Finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly nodded, put his pipe back in his mouth, and made his decision: "Alright, since it's your choice, I trust your judgment. So, this S-rank escort mission to Loulan will be led by you as the captain, along with Akimichi Choza, Aburame Shiki, and Hatake Kakashi. You can take the mission scroll with you; the details and intelligence are all inside."

"Remember, the safety of the mission and the team members must be the top priority."

"Yes, Lord Hokage! I guarantee to complete the mission!" Minato solemnly accepted the mission scroll and bowed to the Third Hokage.

…………

Two days later, in the desert area bordering the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers.

Four figures moved swiftly through the sparse bushes and rocks, finally landing silently on a relatively open, grassy high ground.

The blond youth leading the group was none other than Minato Namikaze.

He crouched down, his gaze sweeping across the endless desert stretching before him.

The scorching sun baked the earth, and the air was filled with the dry smell of sand and dust.

On the distant horizon, the outlines of some towering buildings can be vaguely seen, standing like mirages in the golden sea of ​​sand.

Minato took out the mission scroll from his pocket, unfolded the attached map, and carefully compared it with the surrounding terrain.

After a moment, he said in a deep voice, "Judging from the map and the location, the oasis and building complex ahead is our destination—the Kingdom of Loulan."

Standing beside him, the burly Akimichi Choza also took out an intelligence scroll, flipping through it as he said in a deep voice, "The speed of this country's development is too strange. I remember about five or six years ago, I came to this area to carry out a C-level escort mission. At that time, Loulan was just a large nomadic tribe settlement in the desert, surviving on oases and limited trade." His tone was clearly doubtful: "But the intelligence shows that in just five or six years, they have not only established a stable regime, but also built a city of such a scale... It's unbelievable."

On the other side, Yu Nu Zhiwei, wearing small black round sunglasses, appeared somewhat silent.

He was surrounded by a faint, whistling sound of flapping wings, the sound of parasitic insects he was controlling.

Aburame Shiki pushed up his sunglasses and said in a low voice, "My insects... sensed a huge and peculiar chakra permeating the city ahead. This chakra makes them very uneasy, even somewhat wary."

Minato nodded and solemnly opened another scroll containing specially collected intelligence about the background of Loulan.

"Zhiwei's intuition is probably correct. According to scattered ancient records and some legends, there seems to be a huge chakra energy source called the 'Dragon Vein' sealed beneath Loulan. Legend has it that the Dragon Vein contains immense power capable of changing the terrain and overthrowing a country."

"Loulan's rapid rise is probably inseparable from this dragon vein. And this time, the assassination of the Loulan Queen and the rise of Minister An Lushan... I suspect that the core of it is probably to fight for control of this dragon vein."

Minato closed the scroll, his brow furrowing slightly: "Unfortunately, we still have too little information. An Lushan's background, the specifics of the dragon vein, and the role Amegakure plays in it are all still unknown."

Kakashi, who had been silently following behind the three Jonin, raised his slightly lazy, dead-fish eyes and glanced at the distant city of Loulan.

He didn't speak, but his hand had already instinctively pressed against the short knife behind his waist, his body tensed slightly, and he entered a state of alert.

Akimichi Choza carefully put away the intelligence scroll and looked at Minato: "Minato, according to the scattered information we gathered from caravans and wandering ninjas along the way, after the queen's death, Loulan was completely controlled by Minister An Lushan and quickly entered a state of isolation, strictly restricting all external contact and personnel exchanges. The checks at the city gates must be extremely strict, and it probably won't be easy for us to sneak in and gather intelligence."

After a moment's thought, Minato quickly devised an action plan: "We certainly can't launch a rash attack or expose our identities. So, Dingza and Zhiwei, you two will come with me to find an opportunity to infiltrate Loulan City and focus on investigating An Lushan's movements, clues about the Dragon Vein, and possible traces of Amegakure. We'll split up and leave coded messages at designated locations within the city to communicate."

He turned to Kakashi, his tone filled with trust and entrustment: "Kakashi, you're in charge of operating in the outer area of ​​Loulan City, gathering intelligence on the city's defenses, patrol patterns, and any unusual personnel entering or leaving. At the same time, you need to establish at least three concealed rendezvous points on the outskirts and prepare evacuation plans. If anything unexpected happens to us inside the city, or if you discover any large-scale disturbances outside, immediately send a signal according to the pre-arranged plan and be ready to receive us."

"Understood!" Akimichi Choza and Aburame Shii replied in deep voices.

"Yes, Minato-sensei." Kakashi nodded solemnly, his eyes sharpening.

With the plan set, the four of them didn't delay any longer. Their figures once again blurred into afterimages as they sped towards the city of Loulan deep in the distant desert.

……

Meanwhile, deep underground in the city of Loulan.

This is an ancient and secluded altar space, resembling a huge courtyard.

The surrounding area is a circular wall made of huge, rough bricks and stones, covered with the marks of time.

Above, five rows of holes projected five bright beams of light, like spotlights on a stage, precisely illuminating the circular altar in the central area.

Around the altar, countless broken stone tablets lay scattered about, covered with ancient runes that no one could decipher.

Some tenacious weeds and unnamed desert wildflowers stubbornly grow in the cracks of the stone tablet, adding a touch of eerie vitality to this desolate space.

Space distorted slightly, and a figure appeared without warning atop the tallest, most dilapidated stone tablet.

Dressed in a black outfit, Mianma sat silently on the edge of the stone tablet, blending into the environment as if he had always been there.

His gaze calmly fell on the altar in the center, which was decorated with intricate patterns. His eyes were deep, as if he were calculating something.

'According to the original timeline, Naruto from another parallel world should have been thrown over by the Dragon Vein by now...'

At the same time, Kagura's perception spread out from him, with most of his attention focused on the altar and the depths of Loulan underground.

There, a vast, dormant chakra was slowly flowing and surging.

Dragon Vein Chakra!
Menma was intently sensing and analyzing the essence of this peculiar chakra energy, trying to uncover the mystery of the instant it teleported through space and time.

Just then, an extremely faint chakra fluctuation, filled with panic and sorrow, entered the precise perception range of Menma Kagura's Mind Eye, and it was very close.

Mianma slightly turned his head, directing some of his perception toward a wall to his side and behind him.

In his perception, there was an ingenious mechanism hidden inside that seemingly airtight wall.

A short while later, accompanied by a very slight turning of a mechanism, a door slowly slid open in the wall.

A pretty figure darted in through the gap.

This is a girl who is about fifteen or sixteen years old. She has bright red hair similar to Kushina's and wears it in a neat long ponytail.

She wore a slightly worn pink sweater on top, and blue shorts and black knee-high socks on the bottom.

Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes were vacant, and she exuded an aura of lost sorrow.

She staggered to the central altar, her knees buckled, and she knelt down.

He pressed his palms together to his forehead and began to pray softly before the ancient altar, his voice choked with emotion and filled with helplessness:
"Great spirit of the dragon vein... I beg you... protect my people... please tell me what I should do... Mother... what should I do to save Loulan..."

Tears streamed down her cheeks like broken pearls, dripping onto the cold stone slabs.

Menma sat quietly on the stone tablet, like an indifferent bystander, watching the sorrowful girl below.

He recognized the Loulan princess, Sarah.

A pitiful girl who is still innocent, has never experienced hardship, and doesn't even know who her real enemy is.

Sarah prayed for a long time, until her tears seemed to have dried up, before slowly opening her swollen eyes.

However, the moment she opened her eyes, she caught a glimpse of a shadow on the ground that didn't belong to her, which was looming over her!
"Ah!" Sarah cried out in surprise, like a startled fawn, and turned around abruptly!

When she saw the person sitting high on the stone tablet, looking down at her, her face instantly drained of color, filled with panic and fear!

She didn't even have time to think about who this person was or why they were there. Her survival instinct made her immediately get up from the ground and use all her strength to stumble and desperately run towards the secret door she had just come through!

The hidden door closed swiftly behind her, shutting out her terrified gasps.

Mianma remained motionless and did not stop her, his gaze calmly following Sarah's fleeing figure until the hidden door closed completely.

His eyes remained expressionless, as if what had just happened was merely an insignificant silent play.

However, less than a minute after Sarah left.

hum!
In the center of the altar, a strange change suddenly occurred!
The once-silent and complex pattern suddenly lit up with a mysterious purple light!
A massive, heart-stopping surge of dragon vein chakra erupted from the ground, gathering and swirling wildly above the altar, forming a small purple vortex radiating intense spatial and temporal fluctuations!
The space seemed to be torn apart, emitting a hum that seemed unable to bear the weight!
Mianma's pupils contracted slightly, and a hint of interest finally appeared on his face.

The slit in his forehead that had always been closed suddenly opened at this moment!

It revealed the Tenseigan, which contained the power of all things in the universe and emitted a pale golden light!
He wanted to see every detail of this time-space teleportation with his own eyes!
The next moment, there was a muffled "thud," and a figure seemed to be "spit out" by the purple vortex, crashing heavily onto the hard altar floor. After rolling twice, it lay motionless, seemingly unconscious.

The purple dragon vein chakra light receded rapidly like a tide, the vortex disappeared, and the altar returned to calm, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.

Menma's figure teleported and appeared in the center of the altar, standing next to the unconscious figure.

He crouched down and looked at the uninvited guest with great interest.

This was a boy who looked to be about fifteen years old, with a signature head of short, golden spiky hair, three whisker-like lines on each cheek, and a Konoha headband on his forehead.

He was wearing an orange-blue tracksuit with a spiral pattern on the back.

It's Naruto Uzumaki from another parallel universe!

Looking at this being who was considered his "younger brother" in another world, Menma revealed a mischievous and amused smile.

He reached out and patted Naruto's cheek lightly.

"Hey, wake up. We've arrived."

The young Naruto let out a groan in a daze, his eyelashes fluttered a few times, and he slowly opened his bright blue eyes.

Having just awakened from a coma, his vision was still somewhat blurry. What came into view was a strange face he had never seen before, with a playful smile.

However, for some reason, looking at that face, Naruto felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity and closeness.

He shook his still somewhat dizzy head and asked instinctively, in a muffled voice:

"Who...who are you?"

Menma's smile widened as he looked at Naruto's dazed expression, his mischievousness fully taking over.

He leaned closer and said in a serious tone:

"You're awake? The surgery was a success, you're a girl now."

Naruto paused for a moment, then asked, "Huh?"

"what?!"

(End of this chapter)