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

Chapter 390 The Konoha Youngsters' Feast
As night falls, the lights of Konoha Village come on.

After changing out of his ANBU gear and mask at the ANBU base, Sasuke, dressed in a simple dark blue turtleneck t-shirt and white shorts, walked home alone.

The road outside the Dark Army base was unusually deserted and quiet, with only the streetlights casting his lonely and slender shadow on the ground.

Sasuke's thoughts, like a disturbed pond, remained unsettled for a long time.

The scene I saw at the village entrance during the day kept replaying in my mind.

That familiar figure wearing the Uchiha clan uniform and the Star Ninja headband, and that fleeting glimpse of the three-tomoe Sharingan... Uchiha Shisui.

In his somewhat hazy childhood memories, Shisui was the best older brother to him besides Itachi.

He would gently instruct him in shuriken throwing techniques; Shisui was a man of exceptional talent and always had a warm smile.

However, a year before the 'Night of Extermination', Shisui mysteriously disappeared and was later determined to have died without a complete body.

why?
Why would someone who was declared "dead without a complete body" appear alive at the entrance of Konoha Village?

Why did he not only survive, but also become a ninja of the Land of Stars?
Judging from the attitude of Itada and other Star Country ninjas towards him, it seems that he holds a fairly high position in the Star Country.

What exactly happened that led to the complete annihilation of the Uchiha clan overnight?
Why did Itachi do that?

Why did Shisui leave Konoha and join the Land of Stars while he was still alive?

If Brother Zhishui is still alive, then... are there any other members of the clan still alive?

Uchiha... I'm not the only one left?

Countless questions entwined Sasuke's heart like vines, suffocating him, yet carrying a faint flame of hope that he dared not touch.

Driven by a strong impulse, he wished he could rush to the hotel where the Star Kingdom delegation was staying, find Shisui, and ask her all the pain, confusion, and anger that had been building up in his heart over the years!
However, the calmness and restraint cultivated over years of working in the shadows extinguished this impulsive fire.

He can't go.

Sasuke's intense unease told him...

He would probably be stopped by members of the secret service who would appear out of nowhere before he even got within a hundred meters of the hotel.

Questioning, surveillance, or even worse...

Sasuke couldn't imagine it.

He is no longer the impulsive teenager who acts on impulse.

The inner struggle and the suppression of reason left Sasuke feeling a deep sense of powerlessness.

He lowered his head, letting his overly long bangs cover his eyes, blocking out the light and trying to shield himself from the turbulent emotions churning within him.

He walked mechanically along the familiar road, like a soulless puppet.

The surrounding commercial street was unusually bustling and lively due to the Chunin Exams, with vendors hawking their wares, tourists chatting and laughing, and noise emanating from the taverns...

It was as if they all came from another distant world, unable to reach his ears, much less touch his closed heart.

On the shaded roof of a building by the roadside, two figures were silently watching him.

Young Sasuke and Boruto, hidden in the darkness, looked down at the boy 'themselves' below, a complex emotion of relief flashing in their eyes.

He was initially worried that the 'self' in this timeline, upon suddenly learning that Shisui had 'come back to life' and appeared in Konoha, would rush to find him regardless of the consequences, thus triggering an uncontrollable chain reaction.

But now it seems that this "self" has indeed grown a lot through the experience in the shadows, and has learned restraint and balance.

Although this growth comes at the cost of sacrificing some of the youthful spirit and enduring more loneliness.

"Master, look over there!" Boruto, who was squatting on the edge of the roof, was quickly drawn to the noise at the entrance of the barbecue restaurant not far away, and he pointed in that direction.

"It's Uncle Shikamaru! Uncle Choji! And Aunt Ino and the others! Wait, is Aunt Sakura here too?"

Young Sasuke looked in the direction Boruto pointed.

Sure enough, in front of a shop called "Barbecue King", Menma, Naruto, and Hinata were gathered with six other boys and girls of similar age, chatting and laughing in a lively atmosphere.

He recognized Choji, Shikamaru, Ino, Kiba, Shino, and... Sakura at a glance.

At that moment, outside the barbecue restaurant, Choji was drooling and excitedly pointing at the "Barbecue King" sign, shouting to Naruto, "Naruto! Look! This is the 'Barbecue King' I strongly recommended to you before! Their meat is not only plentiful and affordable, but you can also eat specialty beef from the Land of Lightning, deep-sea fish from the Land of Water, and even special ingredients transported from further afield! Just imagine the sizzling sound of that succulent beef on the grill..."

As Choji spoke, he seemed to already smell the aroma of barbecue, and his stomach began to rumble involuntarily.

Naruto's mouth was practically watering from Choji's description. His eyes lit up as he stared at the signboard, excitedly waving his fist: "Wow! This sounds amazing! We just completed a super awesome mission and were just thinking of finding a place to celebrate! This is it!"

Seeing Naruto's eager expression and Choji's ravenous appetite, Menma smiled gently and suggested, "Since we've run into each other, why don't we all have a meal together? It'll be more fun with more people. What do you say, Shikamaru, Kiba?"

Shikamaru rested his hands behind his head, wearing a "this is such a hassle" expression, but there was also a hint of relief in his eyes: "Well... anyway, I'm out to relax today, so it doesn't matter where I eat. But..."

He glanced sideways at Choji, who was rubbing his hands together eagerly, and laughed, "Choji must be starving today. Menma, Naruto, you'd better be prepared to bleed a lot from the reward you just earned."

"King of BBQ! Akamaru and I have been wanting to eat it for ages!" Kiba excitedly chimed in, and Akamaru, the little white dog on his head, let out a "woof" in agreement.

With a smile, Mianma walked to the store entrance and negotiated with the waiter about seating and set meals.

Meanwhile, three girls huddled together, whispering to each other.

Hinata noticed that Sakura's face showed an undisguised weariness and confusion, unlike her energetic self at the Ninja Academy. She couldn't help but ask in a low voice with concern, "Sakura-chan, you look... very tired? Was the mission too strenuous?"

Upon hearing this, Sakura sighed softly, her gaze unconsciously glancing at Kiba, who was arm in arm with Naruto, discussing which meat tasted better, and then at Shino, who was standing quietly to the side, almost invisible. Her tone was somewhat dejected: "It's not that it's hard work... it's just that I might be a little lost in the direction of being a ninja."

She rubbed her temples and continued, "After joining Team 8, I feel like... Kiba and Akamaru are there for frontal combat and assault, and Shino's bugs are there for reconnaissance and intelligence analysis... I feel like... I can't find a position that I'm particularly good at. I always feel like I can't exert my strength, and I feel a bit... powerless."

As a former top student with excellent theoretical grades, Sakura is quite troubled by this sense of loss and inability to find her place in the world.

Although Ino and Sakura often bicker over their crushes on Sasuke, they are true best friends. Seeing this, Ino immediately came over, put her arm around Sakura's shoulder, and comforted her, "Wide Forehead, what nonsense are you talking about! You were a genius girl who got perfect scores in theory at school! How could you lose your way? You just haven't found the fighting style that suits you best yet!"

Sakura felt a little better after her best friend's comfort, and managed a forced smile. Just then, Shikamaru, who had been seemingly observing his surroundings casually, suddenly noticed a familiar figure walking by with his head down, looking preoccupied.

He raised his voice and shouted, "Hey! Sasuke!"

Upon hearing this, the young men and women, who were engrossed in their own conversations, all turned to look.

Sasuke seemed not to hear them, still keeping his head down and his hands in his pockets, about to walk past them.

"Hey! Arrogant Sasuke!" Naruto rushed forward, spreading his arms to block Sasuke's path, almost pressing his face against the other's, and shouted angrily, "You! You've been disappearing like a ghost lately, where have you been?"

Sasuke suddenly snapped out of his daze and saw Naruto's enlarged and vibrant face in front of him, as well as the familiar faces of his classmates behind him.

He frowned subconsciously, habitually masking his inner turmoil with a slightly disdainful tone: "Idiot, of course I have my own missions to carry out. Do you think everyone is like you, spending their days doing D-level missions like finding pets and mowing weeds to pass the time?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Sasuke realized he had let something slip.

Sure enough, Naruto immediately narrowed his eyes suspiciously: "Huh? How do you know I've been doing a lot of D-rank missions lately? I don't think I told you that, did I?"

Menma walked over at the right moment, raised his hand and gave Naruto a light punch on the back of the head, saying helplessly, "Idiot, which ninja doesn't start from D-rank missions? Ask Shikamaru and Kiba, they're probably tired of it by now."

Naruto covered his head, looking at Shikamaru and Kiba with a wronged expression.

Shikamaru immediately put on a "past is too painful to recall" expression and sighed to the sky: "Sigh... don't even mention it. During that time, I was either helping the old lady find her cat or weeding the farm. It was pure mental torture."

Kiba shuddered and chimed in, "We completed a full hundred D-rank missions before Teacher Kurenai reluctantly agreed to let us take on C-rank missions! Akamaru's practically become a cat-finding expert!"

The red ball on his head let out a "whimper" in response, as if recalling some unpleasant memories.

At that moment, Ino and Sakura also came over.

When Ino saw Sasuke, two red clouds immediately appeared on her face. She hesitated for a moment, but still mustered up her courage and invited, "Sasuke-kun, it's been a long time! We're going to have a meal together, would you like to come too? It's been a while since we've all gotten together."

"Yeah! Yeah! Sasuke, come on over!" Sakura's bright green eyes were also full of anticipation as she looked at Sasuke.

Sasuke instinctively wanted to refuse.

He was in a state of turmoil and just wanted to be alone.

But as his gaze swept over Menma, who was smiling, and then looked at his former classmates who were noisy yet full of life, and thinking about the Chunin Exams that were destined to be anything but peaceful, he suddenly felt that perhaps immersing himself in this simple liveliness for the time being could help him relax his tense nerves a little.

He remained silent for a few seconds, then nodded slightly under the expectant gazes of the crowd. His voice was still somewhat indifferent, but he did not refuse: "...Whatever."

"Great!" Ino and Sakura cheered at the same time. Although Sasuke's attitude was still indifferent, his willingness to have a meal together was a huge step forward for them.

Soon, the ten teenagers, guided by the waiter, entered the bustling barbecue restaurant and found a spacious enough spot.

The boys naturally sat on one side, and the girls on the other.

The charcoal fire is lit, the grill is preheated, and various marinated meat slices and vegetables are served one after another.

The enticing aroma filled the air, accompanied by the sizzling sound of oil dripping onto the charcoal fire, quickly dispelling the slight awkwardness and stuffiness from before.

Naruto and Kiba almost got into a fight over the first piece of grilled meat, while Choji showed off his amazing grilling speed and appetite. Shikamaru lazily flipped the meat slices while complaining to Menma about Naruto and Kiba's childishness, while Menma smiled and kept putting Hinata's favorite meat on her plate.

Although Sasuke didn't say much, he just sat quietly next to Menma. But looking at the familiar and lively scene in front of him, listening to Naruto's loud voice, and feeling the long-lost relaxed atmosphere of his peers, his tense heart seemed to soften a little.

Yes, for now... let's leave it at that.

Taking advantage of the waiter's break between serving the next round of dishes, Naruto finally couldn't contain his boasting. He put his hands on his hips and said smugly to Kiba, who was "fighting" with Akamaru for a piece of grilled meat, "Hey, Kiba! Let me tell you! We completed a real B-rank mission this time! We even defeated a super powerful S-rank rogue ninja from Kirigakure! I think his name was something like 'Demon,' he was super—powerful!"

He deliberately dragged out his words, his face clearly saying, "Ask me, ask me quickly."

Just then, a slightly curious and amused voice came from the next table: "Oh? The rogue ninja 'Demon' from Kirigakure?"

Upon hearing this, the young ninjas of Konoha all looked in the direction of the voice.

At the next table sat three boys and girls of similar age.

Their attire was completely different from that of the Land of Fire. The speaker was a boy with short white hair and slightly pale skin. He had sharp teeth and purple eyes. He was leaning back in his chair, swirling a drink in his hand, and looking at Naruto and his group of people with a hint of unruly curiosity on his face.

Beside him sat a red-haired girl, dressed in a white short skirt and a purple sleeveless kimono top. She was beautiful and had a quiet demeanor. At that moment, she was also curiously blinking at Naruto.

Sitting on the other side of the white-haired boy, a slightly older boy wearing glasses, a blue sweater, and simple cloth armor appeared somewhat shy. He pushed up his glasses and added in a low voice, "From your description... you mean Momochi Zabuza, right?"

"Ninjas from Kirigakure?" Sasuke, Menma, Shikamaru, and the others who reacted quickly instantly became wary.

As the son of Nara Shikaku, the Hokage's strategist, Shikamaru was well-versed in the information about the various ninja villages due to his father's influence. He frowned, his gaze sweeping over the other party's headband, and said in a deep voice, "Are you genin from Kirigakure?"

Sensing the sudden tension and wary gazes from the Konoha members, the shy boy with glasses quickly waved his hand and explained, "Ah, um... please don't misunderstand. We are indeed ninjas from Kirigakure, but we're also candidates here in Konoha to take the Chunin Exams. So when we heard you mention the rogue ninjas from Kirigakure, we were a little curious and couldn't help but ask. We meant absolutely no harm!"

Seemingly to show friendliness, he took the initiative to introduce himself, saying, "My name is Chojuro."

“This is Hozuki Suigetsu.” He pointed to the white-haired, sharp-toothed boy.

“This is Hinoka Uzumaki.” He then pointed to the red-haired girl.

Hozuki Suigetsu grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth, and said nonchalantly, "Yo! Konoha guys, looks like this exam won't be boring! You even took down Zabuza? You've got some skills!"

As a "demon" who influenced the "Bloody Mist Policy" and even attempted to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage, Zabuza Momochi was infamous even in Kirigakure. Hozuki Suigetsu was very curious about how this guy was killed by a few Konoha genin.

Hinaka Uzumaki simply nodded slightly as a greeting, her gaze sweeping over the faces of the Konoha members.

"Hozuki Suigetsu, Chojuro, Uzumaki Hinaka..." Sasuke, Shikamaru, and the others silently recited these names. Although they were curious about the strength of the genin sent by Kirigakure, they were more interested in making a preliminary assessment of the unfamiliar examinees.

Menma, who was sitting next to Sasuke, also lit up with curiosity when she heard the name "Hinoka Uzumaki" and looked at the red-haired girl.

Unexpectedly, Kirigakure not only ended the 'Blood Mist Policy' ahead of schedule, but also started collecting bloodline limit ninjas?

(End of this chapter)