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

Chapter 335 I am your brother!
"Wow--!"

Naruto was so terrified by Menma that he sprang up from the ground as if he had been electrocuted, frantically groping his body with his hands, his face filled with utter horror.

After confirming that all the vital parts of his body were intact, he let out a long breath and collapsed to the ground, feeling as if he had just walked through the gates of hell.

"What a scare, what a scare..." he patted his chest, muttering to himself, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Menma, the one who started it all, couldn't help but let out a burst of prank-like laughter as he watched Naruto's series of exaggerated reactions.

"Pfft...hahaha..."

The laughter made Naruto realize instantly that he had been tricked!

"Hey—!" Naruto jumped up from the ground like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his face showing annoyance at being teased and lingering fear. He clenched his fists.

"You idiot! What kind of joke is this?! This kind of joke isn't funny at all! It's scary, you know?!"

Although Naruto often uses the Sexy Jutsu to transform into beautiful women to prank Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, and even the Third Hokage, it's all to attract attention or for specific tactical purposes.

If you really want him to become a real girl...

The mere thought of it sent chills down his spine; absolutely not!
After venting his anger at being frightened, Naruto finally had a chance to take a closer look at the guy who had teased him.

The other person looked to be about the same age as him, with short, black, spiky hair and a handsome face, but unlike Sasuke, he was not annoying. There was still a smile on his lips.

At this moment, Menma maintains a youthful appearance similar to that of fifteen-year-old Naruto.

As Naruto looked at that face, that inexplicable sense of familiarity welled up in his heart again, even stronger than before.

No matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't remember where he had seen this person before.

Naruto shook his head, temporarily suppressing his doubts, and looked around.

Only then did they realize that they were in a huge underground space, similar to a deep well, surrounded by rough stone walls and scattered stone tablets, with light shining through several holes in the ceiling.

The environment was unfamiliar and eerie.

“Um…” Naruto scratched his blond hair, his face filled with confusion and wariness, and looked at Menma again: “Who…who are you? And where is this place? I remember I was chasing Centipede…”

Upon hearing Naruto's question, Menma deliberately revealed a perfectly timed look of doubt and reproach, his brows furrowing slightly: "What? You've already forgotten about me? You didn't really damage your brain when you fell down just now, did you?"

"Huh?" Naruto was completely bewildered by his counterattack, his mouth agape.

He rubbed his temples hard, desperately searching his memory.

'Could it be someone I met in some small town or on some quest during the three years I spent cultivating with the lecherous immortal?'

'That's impossible. If it were a ninja of the same age, and so... uh, kind of annoying, I would definitely remember them!'

Naruto was completely baffled, his face contorted with a deep, troubled expression.

Menma looked at Naruto's brain overloaded and almost fuming, a mischievous glint in his eyes, and decided to add fuel to the fire.

He sighed, and said in a complex tone, a mixture of disappointment, concern, and "How could you do this?"
"Sigh, it seems you really fell hard. You've even completely forgotten about your brother."

"Brother?!"

This statement is even more powerful than the joke about "becoming a girl"!

Naruto's eyes widened like saucers, his jaw almost dropped to the ground, and he was completely petrified!
He stood frozen in place for several seconds, then suddenly came to his senses. As if to confirm something, he looked Mianma up and down carefully several times, as if trying to find evidence of the word "brother" on the other person.

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Naruto practically roared, his voice trembling with shock and absurdity. "I've been alone since I was little! I don't have any older brother! You, you're kidding me!"

But then, Naruto narrowed his deep blue eyes and stared at Menma suspiciously, as if scrutinizing a suspicious conman.

"Hmph, since you claim to be my brother, then tell me, what's my name?"

The playful smile on Mianma's face faded slightly, replaced by a thoughtful and solemn expression.

He didn't answer Naruto's question directly. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, as if deep in thought, and then slowly said in a tone that only deepened Naruto's confusion:
"Alone... I see. It seems we're not on the same timeline."

"..."

Naruto:"???"

Menma's riddle-like response only made Naruto's already confused mind even more confused.

He felt as if his mind had wandered into a maze with no exit, completely unable to understand what the other person was saying.

World line?
What it is?
What does it have to do with my brother?
However, Menma looked at Naruto's face, which looked even more blank due to overthinking and was almost bubbling with question marks, and finally couldn't help but chuckle again.

He actually dislikes others speaking in riddles, but occasionally he becomes the riddle himself to tease others, especially this "younger brother," and it feels pretty good.
Moreover, he already had a plan in mind.

When Minato Namikaze arrives, he might be able to give these two a little shock.

Just then, Mianma's ears twitched slightly. He raised his head and looked up at the five light-transmitting holes above.

There were faint noises coming from outside, as if many people were active.

"Let's go up first and talk about it then." Menma's tone returned to its usual calm: "It seems to have become 'lively' outside."

Naruto also pricked up his ears and indeed heard some indistinct, market-like noises.

Before he could think it through, he saw the mysterious boy in front of him, who claimed to be his "brother," float up without any support and slowly rise towards a larger hole above!

"Wow! It's flying!" Naruto was shocked again, and he quickly shouted, "Hey! Wait for me!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already rushed to the stone wall on one side, his feet quickly stepping on the rough surface of the wall. With a few agile leaps, he darted to the hole like a clever monkey.

He saw that the hole was covered with a layer of glass, and without thinking, he kicked it!
boom!
The glass shattered.

Naruto flipped over and landed steadily on the ground outside the hole.

When he stood up and saw the scene before him, he was stunned once again, his mouth agape, wide enough to fit an egg.

What came into view was not the desert ruins he had imagined, but a lush green park!

The area is shaded by green trees, lush with flowers and plants, and even has a small artificial stream flowing gently through it.

However, this beautiful park is not naturally formed, but is surrounded by countless towering, uniquely shaped metal or stone towers!

These towers stand densely packed, piercing the clouds, resembling a forest of steel and rock. Sunlight is cut into countless fine beams by the towers, scattering onto the green ground below, creating a strange and oppressive scene.

"W-Where is this...?" Naruto felt like he was dreaming. He rubbed his eyes hard, but the scene in front of him had not changed at all.

"I remember I was tracking the centipede in the ruins of Loulan! Where am I?! Did that altar teleport me to another country?"

Naruto suddenly remembered the flying guy and quickly looked around.

Soon, he spotted the black figure on the side of a tower high up.

At this moment, Mianma, as if taking a leisurely stroll, "walked" towards a higher point along the almost vertical tower.

"Hey! Don't even think about running away!" Naruto shouted, immediately activating his chakra and leaping into the air.

He leaped nimbly between the towers, using their momentum with swift and fluid movements, and soon caught up with Menma. He landed on a raised platform of a slightly shorter tower next to Menma, his feet planted on the tower wall, his body parallel to the ground. He anxiously asked Menma, "Hey! Wait a minute! Where am I?! I think I should be in Loulan!"

Menma stopped, hovered in the air, looked down at Naruto, and gave his answer: "This is Loulan."

"Huh?! Impossible!" Naruto immediately retorted, pointing to the surrounding green trees and tower: "Roulan is clearly a wasteland in the desert! How could there be such a tall tower and so many trees!"

Mianma pointed in one direction of the city.

He instinctively pointed in a direction where he could vaguely see yellow dust.

Naruto looked into the distance in the direction he pointed, and through the gaps between the layers of towers, he could indeed see the endless yellow sand in the distance!

He looked down at the lush, vibrant urban green space at his feet, his face filled with immense contradiction and confusion: "But... how can there be so many trees and grasslands in the desert? How is this possible?!"

Menma, seeing Naruto's incredulous expression, explained with a hint of helplessness, "Loulan is also known as the 'Land of a Thousand Towers.' They were originally a nomadic tribe living between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers, but in just a few years, relying on some special power, they developed into what you see now."

He paused, looking at Naruto's still bewildered face, and added with a slightly teasing remark: "What, don't you need to gather basic information about the mission location before you go on a mission? That's a basic skill for a ninja when carrying out a mission."

Naruto felt a little embarrassed by what was said, and habitually scratched the back of his head, a sheepish smile on his face: "Hehe... As for information, it's usually Yamato-sensei and Sakura who are responsible for gathering and planning. My main job is..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden change occurred!

Boo hoo hoo-!
Three strangely shaped combat puppets suddenly shot out from the shadow of a nearby tower!

These puppets are pieced together from brown cylindrical or spherical parts, with either sharp blades or some kind of chakra emission device at the ends of their arms and legs, the blades gleaming with a cold light.

"Hmm?" Naruto frowned immediately upon seeing the puppets, a look of confusion on his face.

“Strange…these puppets look like the puppets controlled by that bastard Centipede, but…the details are a little different.”

He pulled a kunai from his ninja tool pouch, held it horizontally in front of his chest, crouched slightly, and assumed a fighting stance, his eyes sharpening.

However, to his surprise, the three menacing combat puppets completely ignored him and locked onto Mianma, who was suspended in the air!

In the next instant, all three puppets launched their attacks simultaneously!

One puppet's arm emitted a purple ray from its chakra emitter; another launched several high-speed spinning shuriken from its arm's ejection port; and the last one went even further, its hand transforming into sharp claws as it lunged at Menma!

"Watch out! These puppets' attacks are very..." Naruto quickly warned upon seeing this.

However, before he could even finish his warning, Menma softly uttered a few words:

"Shenra Tianzheng."

Om-!
An invisible, terrifying repulsive force erupted from the center of Mianma, spreading outwards with a roar!

In an instant, the three fierce attacks seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall!
The momentum of all the attacks came to an abrupt halt!

Immediately afterward, to Naruto's astonishment, the repulsive force, like a raging hurricane, twisted and annihilated the chakra ray, deflected the shuriken at an even faster speed, and the clawed puppet that pounced on it was slammed down by an invisible giant hand. Its entire body suddenly stopped in mid-air and then disintegrated with a bang!

Its cylindrical and spherical components scattered and flew off, crashing down on the tower and the ground below.

The other two puppets were not spared either; they were caught in the repulsive force and rolled towards the distant tower, their parts scattered all over the ground.

Just one blow!
Naruto remained frozen in place, gripping his kunai in a fighting stance, his mouth slightly agape, his eyes filled with shock.

In his timeline, Jiraiya had not yet sacrificed himself, and Pain of the Akatsuki had not yet officially invaded Konoha. He had never seen such a bizarre and powerful ninjutsu!

"What kind of ninjutsu is this... It destroyed all these puppets in one hit..." Naruto muttered to himself.

However, the crisis has not been resolved.

It was as if some kind of alarm mechanism had been triggered.

The next moment, a piercing shriek, like metal scraping against metal, rang out from all directions!
call out!call out!call out!call out!
Like stirring up a hornet's nest, countless battle puppets swarmed out from the windows, platforms, and shadows of the surrounding towers!

They charged straight at Menma and Naruto's location like an army!

Looking around, there was a dark mass, probably numbering over a hundred!
"Hiss—!" Naruto gasped, feeling a chill run down his spine.

Hundreds of combat puppets!
This is no joke!
He immediately adopted a more serious fighting stance, and the chakra within his body began to flow faster, preparing to face a fierce battle.

Meanwhile, Mianma was carefully observing these mechanical creations.

Under his keen observation, the joint design, energy conduction methods, and even certain details of the attack patterns of these puppets all subtly revealed a familiar style.

That was in the Star Kingdom under his rule, where the puppet research and development department combined the technological ideas of the Otsutsuki clan's puppets from the moon.

'As expected... the Centipede who came to this time and space and took the alias 'An Lushan' is the same Centipede from my world.' Menma was now certain.

I just don't know where the 'centipede' from Naruto's world went.

He lowered his head slightly and warned Naruto, who looked like he was facing a formidable enemy, "Be careful, these puppets are quite different from the ones you've dealt with before."

Naruto heard the sound, looked up at Menma, and although his face still showed the shock of the "Shinra Tensei" just now, he was quickly aroused by the crisis in front of him.

He took a deep breath, pushed off the tower wall with both legs, and leaped up like a cannonball to a height parallel to his face, sticking to the wall of another tower. He patted his chest, a spirited smile spreading across his face, and shouted:

"Hmph! Don't worry! Leave this to me, Naruto Uzumaki!"

Before he finished speaking, he quickly formed hand seals in front of his chest with fluid and skillful movements, and chakra surged within him.

"The art of multiple shadow clones!"

Bang Bang Bang!
In an instant, hundreds of white plumes of smoke exploded in the narrow space between the towers, on the towering tower walls, and on the suspended bridges connecting the towers!
As the smoke cleared, hundreds of shadow clones identical to Naruto appeared, filling the area to the brim!
"Whoa whoa whoa—!!" "Go!"

"Get rid of these metal lumps!"

The shadow clones let out noisy and energetic shouts, like a group of overly excited street thugs, howling and rushing towards the attacking combat puppets without waiting for the main body's command!
Naruto stood firmly on the tower wall, hands on his hips, a hint of smugness on his face. He turned his head to look at Menma, who was still floating beside him, raised his chin, and said with a touch of boastfulness, "How about that? My ninjutsu is pretty amazing, isn't it! I'm an army all by myself!"

However, his triumph did not last long.

These humanoid combat puppets, powered by dragon vein energy and created and enhanced by centipedes, possessed combat power far exceeding Naruto's expectations.

They move swiftly, and when faced with the surging shadow clones, they either fire a dense rain of kunai and shuriken from the transmitters on their arms, forming a deadly metal storm; or they shoot purple chakra rays from their chests and foreheads, which have extremely strong penetrating power. Once hit, the shadow clones will immediately turn into white smoke and disappear.

What's even more troublesome is that these puppets seem to have a certain ability to cooperate in combat. Several puppets working together can easily block the shadow clones' escape space.

Although Naruto's hundreds of shadow clones were fearless, they quickly fell into a passive position in the face of this efficient and ruthless mechanical strangulation. Their numbers decreased rapidly at a visible speed, and white smoke from the explosions rose and fell one after another.

"Damn it! How come these guys are so tough and so fast!" Naruto's smugness turned into astonishment and anxiety.

Menma watched the chaotic battle, then his gaze fell back on Naruto, who looked somewhat embarrassed beside him, and he laughed, "Is this what you meant by 'very powerful'?"

Naruto blushed slightly at the comment, scratched his head, and suddenly a thought struck him: "That's right! I almost forgot about this!"

He reached down to his lower back, where the hilt of a simply designed short sword was tucked.

This was a chakra weapon that the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, specially gave to each member of Team 7 before they set off.

"Grandma Tsunade said that the puppets might be difficult to deal with, but this sword, once infused with chakra, can effectively sever the chakra threads controlling them."

Naruto drew his sword from its hilt, took a deep breath, and channeled his chakra into it.

With a soft hum, a pale blue, semi-transparent chakra blade about one meter long immediately extended from the front of the sword hilt. The sword trembled slightly and emitted a pleasant energy hum.

"Alright!" Naruto's fighting spirit was rekindled, and his eyes shone brightly once more.

"Watch me now!"

He kicked off the tower wall with both legs, shooting out towards the back of a puppet that was chasing his shadow clone.

Naruto raised his chakra sword high and aimed it at the spot on the puppet's back where energy nodes and chakra threads seemed to converge, then slashed down with all his might!

"Disconnect!"

However, the chakra sword seemed to slice through the air, and Naruto did not feel any feedback of his chakra threads being severed.

"Huh? How could this be..." Naruto was stunned for a moment, looking at the sword in his hand that was still flashing blue light, and then at the unharmed puppet in front of him, somewhat puzzled.

Are these puppets not controlled by chakra threads?
In that instant of his daze, the surrounding combat puppets had already detected his "true form"!

At least a dozen puppets instantly changed direction, and the launchers on their arms lit up with a dangerous light!

Boo hoo hoo-!
A barrage of kunai and shuriken rained down on Naruto!
Several purple chakra rays also shot in from tricky angles, blocking most of his evasion routes!

"Oh no!" Naruto exclaimed in alarm, and quickly swung his chakra sword to block.

The sword blade clashed with the metal ninja tool, producing a crisp clanging sound and sparks flying everywhere.

He scrambled through the air, dodging the deadly rays.

But there were too many puppets, and their attacks were like a violent storm, relentless and continuous.

scoff!

A kunai grazed his outer thigh, leaving a trail of blood.

The pain caused Naruto to pause slightly, and in that moment of vulnerability, more attacks followed!

They were about to be overwhelmed by the puppets' attack!

At the critical moment——

Whoosh!
A golden streak of light flashed into the battlefield!
Naruto felt a blur before his eyes, and a warm yet firm force wrapped around his waist, followed by a pulling sensation with spatial fluctuations!

The next moment, all the attacks landed in empty space, the kunai and the rays intertwined and collided, exploding into a chaotic burst of sparks.

Meanwhile, Naruto had already appeared on the platform atop another tall tower a few dozen meters away.

Still somewhat shaken, Naruto, who was now firmly on his feet and out of danger, turned sharply to look at the person who had saved him.

What comes into view is a head of short, golden hair as bright as the sun, a handsome and gentle young face with a reassuring smile, and eyes as clear and blue as the sky.

The other person was wearing a Konohagakure ninja headband on their forehead.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Minato asked gently and with concern, his gaze quickly sweeping over Naruto's leg wound. After confirming that it was just a superficial injury, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Ah... I, I'm fine! Thank you!" Naruto quickly stood up straight and subconsciously thanked him, but then he remembered the other person on the battlefield and anxiously pointed in the direction of the fierce battle.

"Oh right! There's one more guy! He's still being attacked by those puppets! We have to go help him!"

Minato looked in the direction Naruto pointed and saw that in that area of ​​the sky, the black-haired boy was condensing a jet-black chakra rod in one hand, moving through the puppet group as if strolling in a garden.

His movements didn't seem fast, yet he always managed to dodge all attacks.

With each swing and thrust of the black rod in his hand, he accurately struck the core or joints of the puppets. Accompanied by the crisp sound of metal shattering, the expensive combat puppets fell from the sky like disassembled toys, their parts scattered and falling.

In a short period of time, the original group of hundreds of puppets had been reduced to more than half, leaving a large empty area around the boy.

Minato watched this scene with a deep look in his eyes. He withdrew his gaze and said gently to the anxious Naruto beside him, "If you are referring to Menma, then you don't need to worry. With the attack strength of these puppets, they are far from being able to hurt him."

"Menma?" Naruto murmured the name, then looked at Minato and asked in confusion, "So his name is Menma? He's... one of your companions, uncle? You were also sent by Konoha?"

Minato shook his head and looked Naruto over carefully once more.

The boy in front of me was wearing a peculiar orange-blue outfit, with beard-like markings on his face, and his chakra gave off a sense of immense power.

Moreover, he could also feel a sense of familiar warmth.

"You're also a Konoha ninja, right? But that Menma doesn't have any Konoha markings."

Just then, two figures landed on the edge of the platform where Minato and Naruto were.

It was Akimichi Choza and Aburame Shiki.

Aburame Shiki adjusted his small sunglasses and reported to Minato in a low voice: "Preliminary intelligence gathering complete. This city appears prosperous on the surface, but there are very few living people actually living here. Most areas are controlled by puppets and automated facilities. The people seem to be centrally managed."

“That minister named An Lushan should be the mastermind behind all of this. His residence is heavily guarded, with a powerful barrier and a large number of high-level puppets patrolling.”

Minato nodded gravely; the situation was worse than he had anticipated.

Akimichi Choza stared intently at the distant sky, where the last few puppets were falling like raindrops as they turned into parts.

The black-haired boy defeated all the enemies and, like a feather, floated lightly down onto the platform where they were.

Ding said in a deep voice, "That guy... is coming."

Upon hearing this, Minato and Naruto both looked up at the same time.

Just then, Jianma slowly landed on the edge of the platform, composed and spotless, as if the fierce battle just now had merely brushed away a few specks of dust.

His gaze calmly swept over the four people on the platform, finally settling on Minato and Naruto.

Naruto looked at the strange situation before him, then at the "blonde uncle" who had saved him and seemed very kind to him, and then at Menma, who claimed to be his "brother" and was ridiculously strong. His mind was a complete mess.

He couldn't help but speak again, trying to clarify the situation: "Um... Uncle, were you sent by Granny Tsunade to support us on a mission?"

Upon hearing this, Akimichi Choza and Aburame Shimi exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.

Then, the two of them simultaneously turned their puzzled gazes to their captain, Minato Namikaze.

Minato's expression was unusually solemn. He looked deeply at Naruto, at that familiar chakra sensation, at the faint outline of his features...

A guess is becoming increasingly clear.

He then looked at Mianma, who was also shrouded in a faint spatial fluctuation that seemed out of place in this world.

Through the secret investigation in Loulan City over the past two days, combined with the legends about dragon veins in ancient books, Shuimen has basically confirmed that dragon veins possess the power to interfere with space and time.

The two teenagers in front of us are very likely to have come from other points in time or even other parallel worlds through the dragon vein!

He took a deep breath, looked sharply at Menma, and asked again the question that had been lingering in his mind for so long:
"So... now that things have come to this, who exactly are you? Where... do you come from?"

This question instantly made the atmosphere on the platform more somber and delicate.

Naruto also sensed the unusual atmosphere. He looked at Minato with some unease, then at Menma.

Strangely, even though he was meeting these two people for the first time, he felt a strange, inexplicable sense of familiarity and closeness towards them, as if something deep in his blood was resonating with him.

When faced with Minato's question, Menma did not answer directly. Instead, he glanced back and forth between Minato and Naruto, as if he were watching some kind of interesting drama.

After a while, Mianma slowly spoke:
"Now that you already have the answer in your heart, don't you want to acknowledge him now, Minato Namikaze?"

His gaze finally settled on Minato's slightly trembling blue pupils, and he asked, word by word:

Is it out of fear of disrupting this 'destined fate'?

When Naruto heard the name "Minato Namikaze" from the face of the man, he shuddered violently, turned his head sharply, and stared intently at Minato's young and handsome face. His azure eyes were filled with shock, confusion, and a slight tremor that he himself did not realize!

'The Fourth Hokage... Minato Namikaze... my... father?'

Naruto's mind went blank; he could barely think.

He instinctively took a half step back, his breathing becoming rapid.

Minato's brow twitched slightly after hearing Menma's words.

He was indeed worried that it would trigger an unknown spacetime paradox, that it would affect the child's original destiny, and even that it would bring unpredictable risks to Konoha and Kushina.

But... what if this energetic blond boy in front of him really is his child...?

So, who is Menma, who looks five or six parts like Naruto, and is so young yet has unfathomable strength?

An eerie silence fell over the scene, with only the faint sounds of machinery and wind whistling coming from the distant towers.

"Wait! Wait a minute!"

Naruto finally snapped out of his shock and rushed between Minato and Menma, spreading his arms as if to separate the suffocating atmosphere between them.

He glanced at Shuimen on his left, whose expression was complicated, and then at Mianma on his right, whose expression was playful.

"If you were Minato Namikaze... the Fourth Hokage..."

He paused, suppressing a sob in his throat, and turned to look at Mianma, his eyes filled with confusion and inquiry:

"Then...who are you?"

Menma looked into Naruto's blue eyes, which were filled with confusion and a thirst for answers, and the playful expression on his face gradually faded.

He didn't answer immediately, but instead reached into his pocket and took out an object.

That was a headband.

The design is somewhat similar to the Konoha headband, but the central pattern is not the Konoha symbol, but a red five-pointed star emblem.

Under the watchful eyes of Naruto, Minato, Choza, and Shiki, Menmashiro slowly tied the headband to his forehead, pressing his black hair back to fully reveal his face.

At this moment, when the headbands were properly put on and Menma and Naruto stood side by side, the five or six points of resemblance between the two were suddenly magnified to seven or eight points!
The same facial contours, the same nose bridge, and even the stubbornness and spirit between their brows have an astonishing degree of overlap!

The only noticeable difference is probably his pockmarked black hair and black eyes.

"Well then, let me formally introduce myself." Under Minato's suddenly contracting pupils and Naruto's incredulous gaze, Menma met their eyes and slightly raised his head.

"My name is Whirlpool Noodles."

He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over Minato's face, which had paled slightly in an instant, before finally settling on Naruto, who was completely stunned.

"He is the eldest son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and also your most beloved older brother."

(End of this chapter)