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

Chapter 357 Chunin Exams Expanded

Minato placed his hands on the table, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

The terminal screen displayed the itinerary of the Cloud Village delegation, the movements of the Takigakure village, and the intelligence of the Grass Village... These pieces of information were intertwined, forming a complex network.

The others present might not know, but Minato did. Menma was in Konoha at that moment, playing "ninja games" with his younger brother Naruto.

A few days ago, Menma returned using the Flying Thunder God Technique, bringing them Naruto's ninja certificate with a funny face on it, as well as a graduation photo of the 63rd graduating class of the Ninja Academy taken with his classmates.

Looking at the photo of their two sons standing side by side, Minato and Kushina felt a mix of relief and complex emotions.

Minato tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

He remembered that Menma had mentioned to him that Konoha 63 was a very important year.

Although he was not sure what would be special about this year, Minato felt that Menma's plan to unify the ninja world in the Fourth Shinobi World War might very well begin in this year.

Although Orochimaru submitted to Menma and oversaw numerous research projects in the Land of Stars, he was more of a collaborator, maintaining a degree of independence.

The Sound Village he established in the Land of Rice Fields has always remained outside the sphere of influence of the Land of Stars, making it an unstable factor.

Now, even the Hidden Sound Village has received an invitation to the Chunin Exams from the Hidden Leaf Village...

'Third Generation, what are you thinking?'

"I will leave this matter to Shura to decide," Minato finally said, his voice still gentle, yet carrying an undeniable authority.

There was silence in the conference room for a moment.

In the Land of Stars, although Minato presides over the country's daily affairs and can draft most decisions and policies, decisions involving major strategies, diplomacy, and even war are ultimately made by Menma.

The ultimate decision-making power always rests in the hands of "Lord Shura".

Uchiha Hikari nodded, recalling that she seemed to have heard Menma mention the special nature of Konoha in 63.

Hyuga Hizashi and Uzumaki Vanilla did not raise any objections.

Kisame Hoshigaki grinned, revealing his sharp teeth: "Then let's wait for Lord Shura's orders. We in the Anbu will continue to intensify our intelligence gathering."

"Thank you for your hard work." Minato looked at everyone and said, "That concludes today's meeting. All departments should proceed according to plan, strengthen security and intelligence gathering, and await further instructions."

"Yes, Lord Minato!" Everyone stood up.

One by one, the terminal screens went dark, and footsteps echoed in the conference room.

Shuimen leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.

The sunlight outside the window was bright, illuminating the streets of Star City.

In less than a decade, this country has grown from nothing to a vast nation with a complete administrative system, a powerful military, and strong scientific research capabilities.

And all of this is built upon the will of a young boy.

Minato sometimes wonders what things would be like now if the Nine-Tails Night hadn't happened, and if he and Kushina could have grown up with Naruto and Menma in Konoha.

But he always quickly suppressed this thought. The past cannot be changed; all they can do is seize the present and pave the way for their children's future.

The meeting room door was gently pushed open.

"Minato~ I'm here!"

A familiar voice rang out, carrying its usual vitality.

Kushina walked in carrying two bento boxes, her long red hair swaying gently with her movements, and she was slightly out of breath, clearly having rushed over.

Kisame Hoshigaki, Hizashi Hyuga, and Vanilla Uzumaki, who were about to leave, stopped in their tracks and bowed respectfully when they saw her: "Lady Kushina."

In the Land of Stars, if Minato is the "Emperor Emeritus," then this one is the "Empress Dowager."

"You've all worked hard." Kushina smiled and nodded to everyone. "Go eat, don't go hungry."

"Yes." The group responded and left.

Before leaving, Kisame glanced at the bento box in Kushina's hand. The aroma wafting from it was so enticing that even he, who wasn't particularly picky about food, found it tempting.

More importantly, it has the feel of home, reminding him of his wife, Zhao Meiling.

After everyone left, Kushina placed the bento box on Minato and Hikaru's table and breathed a sigh of relief: "Phew, I finally made it. It took me a while to make the soup this morning, and I almost didn't make it in time."

Minato felt a surge of warmth in his heart as he looked at his wife, who appeared slightly tired but still had a bright smile on her face.

He stood up: "Didn't I say this morning that Guang and I would just eat at the cafeteria? It's too tiring for you to keep running around like this."

"That won't do!" Kushina put her hands on her hips, her expression brooking no argument. "The cafeteria food is nutritious and hygienic, but it's all mass-produced food. It's nothing compared to my cooking!"

As she spoke, she turned to look at Uchiha Hikaru beside her and blinked, "Right, Hikaru!"

Uchiha Hikaru opened his lunchbox.

Steaming hot miso soup, golden omelets, perfectly grilled salmon, and freshly mixed vegetable salad...

Everything was arranged neatly, clearly indicating careful preparation.

She picked up her chopsticks and sniffed the familiar aroma of the food.

Although I've been able to eat Kushina's meals almost every day for the past few years, a warm feeling still wells up in my heart every time I open the lunchbox.

The feeling of being cared for by her family was as precious as a spring in the desert for her, an Uchiha war machine who lost everything at a young age.

"Yes," Hikaru nodded vigorously, a smile spreading across his face, "I love Aunt Kushina's cooking the most!"

Kushina looked up at Minato with a smug "See?" expression that made Minato chuckle.

He gently pressed Kushina's shoulder to help her sit in the chair, then moved a chair over from the side and sat down himself.

"You've come at the right time," Minato said as he opened his lunchbox. "I was just about to call Menma."

Kushina had just sat down when she heard this and immediately turned her head curiously: "Did something happen? What about Menma...?"

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Although Menma left many shadow clones in the Land of Stars, with the training of a large number of grassroots officials and the improvement of the administrative system, those shadow clones are decreasing every year.

Nowadays, apart from a few important laboratories that still retain shadow clones to assist in research, most government affairs have been handed over to Watergate and the heads of various departments.

Menma's true form spends most of his time in Konoha with Naruto, living the life of an ordinary ninja.

Minato picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of salmon, and put it in his mouth.

Although he was reborn through the Impure World Reincarnation, his five senses remained, which made him feel truly alive.

But his mind wasn't entirely on the food at that moment.

"It seems that Konoha has invited many ninja villages to this year's Chunin Exams..." Minato said slowly.

"Not only are there Takigakure and Kusagakure, which have good relations with Konoha, but also Amegakure, which has just changed its leader, and Orochimaru's Otogakure."

He paused, looking at Kushina's increasingly serious expression: "Even the Hidden Cloud Village has sent a diplomatic mission to Konoha, seemingly wanting to participate in or observe this Chunin Exam."

Although Kushina was not good at political maneuvering, she had lived in Konoha for many years and was familiar with the style of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The old man appeared gentle, but in reality, every step he took was carefully considered.

Such a large-scale invitation to external forces to participate in the Chunin Exams must be extraordinary!
"Is Konoha making some new moves?" Kushina asked in a low voice.

Minato shook his head: "It's unclear yet. The intelligence departments of various units have intensified their intelligence gathering on these ninja villages. So I wanted to ask Menma's opinion—"

He looked at Kushina: "Because I heard him mention before that Orochimaru is planning something big this year."

Kushina tilted her head and thought for a moment.

She had indeed overheard Menma casually mention that Konoha Year 63 was a very important year.

Furthermore, since Orochimaru submitted to Menma, he has been in charge of numerous research projects in the Land of Stars, from genetic engineering to scientific ninja tools.

But that man never truly gave up on the Sound Village he had established in the Land of Rice Fields.

That place was like his "experimental field," where he conducted research that even the Star Kingdom did not approve.

Hikari Uchiha was eating quietly to herself, but her ears twitched slightly.

"Is Menma safe in Konoha now..." Hikaru asked softly.

Minato and Kushina exchanged a glance.

They had worried about this problem countless times.

But Menma always smiled and said, "It's okay," and her relaxed demeanor made them feel both relieved and helpless.

“That child knows what he's doing,” Kushina finally said, but her tone still carried a hint of worry: “And he’s left so many backup plans…”

…………

Outside Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village), in the farmland area downstream of the Naka River.

The morning sun shines on the emerald green paddy fields, and a gentle breeze makes the rice stalks sway softly.

A ditch about three meters wide runs through the field. The water is not very clear and has some leaves and debris floating on it.

"Ugh!!! This is so annoying!"

Suddenly, a shout broke the tranquility of the fields.

He stood by the ditch, holding a long pair of tongs in his hand, with a garbage bag at his feet already half full.

Naruto looked annoyed, his blue eyes glaring at the silver-haired Jonin sitting on a tree trunk not far away.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto dropped the clips and waved his hands wildly. "Every day it's either picking up trash or catching runaway pets! This is nothing like the ninja missions I imagined! We're ninjas! Ninjas should be doing cooler missions!"

On the tree trunk, Kakashi Hatake leaned against the tree, holding a book with an orange cover in his hands.

"Make-Out Paradise." He glanced at Naruto, then lowered his head to continue reading, saying leisurely, "This is also an essential part of a ninja's training. Patience, meticulousness, perseverance... these qualities are very important in missions."

“But—” Naruto was about to say something when he was interrupted by a gentle voice from the side.

"Naruto..." Hinata Hyuga whispered, "Kakashi-sensei must have his own reasons. Besides, these missions can also improve our observation skills and endurance..."

As she spoke, she stepped barefoot into the shallow field and carefully used tongs to clear away the debris.

On the other side, Mianma was scooping several dead branches out of the ditch.

"If you're bored—" Hearing Naruto's complaint, he turned around and smiled.

"How about we play a ninja game?"

"Ninja game?" Naruto perked up instantly, his blue eyes sparkling. "What game?"

Mianma walked towards the edge of the ditch.

This irrigation canal draws water from the Nanhe River and irrigates this large area of ​​farmland. Because it has not been cleaned for a long time, a lot of garbage has accumulated in this section.

Plastic bottles, plastic bags, withered branches and leaves, and even a few tattered clothes.

He lifted his foot, and chakra gathered, controlled, and distributed under his foot.

The next second, Mianma stood steadily on the water, causing a ripple.

Menma, hands on his hips, smiled at Naruto and said, "Didn't I teach you at the Hokage Rock last time? Controlling and concentrating chakra in your feet not only allows you to walk on cliffs as if they were flat ground, but you can also use it to step on water and trees. In ninja battles, this is an essential skill to learn."

Naruto's eyes widened even more.

He looked at Mianma standing on the water, then at the land beneath his feet, and swallowed hard.

"I-of course I know!" Naruto said defiantly, and imitated Menma by stepping onto the water's surface.

Having learned from his previous training at the Hokage Rock, he successfully condensed chakra at the soles of his feet in the first three seconds, and the water surface supported his weight.

Naruto had just put on a smug smile when, three seconds later, his chakra control went awry, his left foot slipped, and he fell into the ditch with a "plop."

Water splashed everywhere.

Naruto popped his head out of the water, his golden hair sticking wetly to his face, and he spat out a mouthful of water.

Obviously, treading water is much more difficult than treading on hard rocks.

"Damn it!" he said angrily as he climbed ashore and wiped his face. "I'm determined to learn this!"

Kakashi glanced at it from the tree, a slight smile playing on his lips beneath his mask, but quickly returned his attention to the book.

Although his gaze wandered among the words, his senses remained focused on the three genin.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto's voice rang out again: "Look! I've made it up here!"

Kakashi looked up.

Naruto was standing unsteadily on the water. Although his posture was awkward and his chakra fluctuations were unstable, he had managed to tread water with difficulty.

Menma was standing beside him, one hand lightly supporting his back, whispering instructions.

"Don't be in such a hurry, calm down and feel the chakra flowing through your meridians..."

Hinata also stood on the water, her movements much more stable than Naruto's.

Her pure white eyes gazed at Naruto with an encouraging look.

"Not bad," Kakashi said lazily. "Keep it up!"

For the entire afternoon, Class 7 conducted what appeared to be a game but was actually a form of training by the irrigation canal.

Under Menma's guidance, Naruto practiced treading water repeatedly. Each time he successfully stood on the water for a few minutes, he would fall back into the water because he was distracted by picking up trash.

Then, unwilling to give up, he got up again and continued practicing.

Hinata carefully cleaned up the trash in all the places along the irrigation ditch.

Her chakra control is already excellent, so walking on water is not difficult for her, but she still needs some practice to perform fine work at the same time.

Mianma, on the other hand, performed with ease from beginning to end.

He can not only stand steadily on the water, but also pick up the trash scattered throughout the canal while instructing Naruto.

Kakashi had only ever seen such exquisite chakra manipulation at this age in a very few geniuses.

"As expected of the top student," Kakashi muttered to himself. "He's already learned to tread water before even graduating... Did Hinata teach him?"

The sun gradually rose overhead, and the temperature increased.

When the trash in the canal was mostly cleared away, Naruto was finally able to walk on the water as if it were flat ground.

He even ran back and forth excitedly, splashing water everywhere.

"Did you see that? Menma-nii! Hinata! I did it!" Naruto shouted excitedly, all his previous irritability and boredom gone, and he was as lively as a puppy that had just learned to run.

Menma stood on the water, smiling as she looked at the guy.

Sunlight shone on Naruto's wet blond hair, and his smile was incredibly bright.

at this time.

A flood of memories rushed into his mind, causing Mianma's body to tremble slightly.

One of the shadow clones dissipated, returning to the main body with important information.

Menma's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes deepened slightly.

While continuing to guide Naruto in practicing more refined chakra control, he quickly processed the information brought by the shadow clones in his mind.

A meeting at the Star Country's administrative center... friction with Kirigakure... information on the Konoha Chunin Exams... the Kumogakure delegation... Otogakure...

'The Chunin Exams?' Menma thought to himself, 'Even the Hidden Cloud Village is getting involved... The Third Hokage is really going all out this time.'

He recalled the Chunin Exams from the original story, Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha, the joint invasion by Sunagakure and Otogakure, and the fall of the Third Hokage... It was an event that changed the fate of many people.

But now, because of my intervention, many things are different.

The Hidden Sand Village no longer exists. Gaara is in the Land of Stars, as are Temari and Kankuro.

Orochimaru became his subordinate, although that guy still had his own agenda.

It seems that Kumogakure was invited, and Amegakure also changed its leader ahead of schedule...

The variables have increased, but the core vortex remains in Konoha.

With a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, a plan gradually took shape in his mind.

'Since that's the case—' he thought, 'then let's add some more firewood and make this a big one for the Chunin Exams.'

"Menma-nii!" Naruto's shout interrupted his thoughts: "Look! Am I controlling my chakra correctly?"

Menma snapped out of his daze and looked at Naruto.

The blond boy was carefully gathering chakra at the soles of his feet, attempting to leap across the water.

Although his movements were clumsy, his focus and effort were truly moving.

“Yes, that’s it.” Menma said gently, walking to Naruto’s side. “However, when jumping, the output of chakra needs to be more stable. Come on, let me demonstrate for you.”

With a light leap, his body traced a graceful arc in the air before landing three meters away on the water's surface, splashing a tiny droplet.

That effortless control made Kakashi, who was not far away, narrow his eyes again.

Hinata also stopped what she was doing and stared at Menma with her pure white eyes.

She could see that at the moment Menma jumped, the chakra under his feet changed in an extremely subtle way, providing enough propulsion and quickly transforming into a buffer upon landing.

That kind of control is something even the 'older sister' might not be able to achieve.

"Amazing..." Hinata exclaimed softly.

Naruto became even more excited: "I want to learn too! I want to jump that cool too!"

“Then let’s continue practicing,” Menma said with a smile. “But before that, we need to hand in the completed tasks. Kakashi-sensei and the employer are still waiting.”

Kakashi, hearing his name called from the tree, looked up and closed the book in his hand: "The mission was completed well. It's about time for lunch. Let's rest this afternoon."

"Yay!" Naruto cheered, almost falling into the water again.

The four of them packed up their tools.

Kakashi jumped down from the tree and stretched: "Let's go, I'll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen."

"Really?" Naruto's eyes lit up even more: "Kakashi-sensei is being so generous today!"

"We should reward our hardworking subordinates every now and then," Kakashi said lazily, then looked at Menma.

Menma met Kakashi's gaze calmly, his smile unchanged: "Naruto is very talented, he just needs some guidance."

"Is that so?" Kakashi remained noncommittal, then turned and walked towards Konoha. "Then I'll be relying on you from now on."

The four walked along a country path, their shadows stretched long by the sunlight.

Naruto was jumping around in front of him, constantly talking about his experience of learning to tread water.

Mianma listened and responded occasionally.

Hinata quietly followed Menma, occasionally whispering in agreement.

Kakashi then pulled out "Icha Icha Paradise," as if this small book contained endless stories.

(End of this chapter)