Uchiha Mikoto looked at the sulking Sasuke and suddenly remembered she had bought a present for him.
"Sweetie, wait here. Mom got you a gift today," she said cheerfully, quickly heading back to her room.
A gift? For me? Sasuke's mood lifted immediately. Mom really is the best! Hmph, stupid Naruto—I'm not talking to you today! And stupid Brother, I won't speak to you tonight either!
A few moments later, Mikoto came out carrying several bags. Sasuke's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Ding ding—Mikoto reached into one of the bags and pulled out… a pink dress.
Sasuke froze. "Mom… did you grab the wrong bag?"
Two hours later…
Itachi strolled into the house with a soft smile on his face, clearly having had a good day. But as soon as he reached the living room, he froze—Sasuke was sitting on the couch with teary eyes, looking utterly defeated. Across from him, Mikoto was holding a stack of photos, laughing to herself.
"…Mom? What happened to Sasuke?" Itachi asked cautiously. His "little brother instinct" was already kicking in, though Mikoto's expression gave him pause.
"Oh, Itachi, come here! You have to see something adorable!" Mikoto said gleefully, beckoning him over.
Itachi walked over and sat down. Mikoto handed him the photos.
He glanced down—and his pupils shrank.
Then the corners of his lips began to rise.
And rise.
And rise.
"Mom! You said you wouldn't show anyone!" Sasuke cried in protest, his cheeks red.
"I promised not to show it to outsiders. Your brother is not an outsider," Mikoto said with a smile.
Sasuke covered his face in despair. Today was the darkest day of his life.
Meanwhile…
After escorting Hinata home, Menma and Naruto strolled back to their own house. But when they reached the front door, both brothers froze.
"Ah! Brother, why is the door broken?! Did we get robbed?!" Naruto shouted, staring in disbelief at the door, which was now lying on the ground—completely demolished.
Menma's eyes narrowed. He clenched his fists.
I go out to have some fun, and someone breaks into my house?! Danzo again?!
Just then, a woman stepped out of their home—tall, blonde, wearing a green jacket, with the signature Yin Seal on her forehead. Her body language said it all.
"Big sister Tsunade?" Naruto blinked, then ran up to her. "Did you see a thief break into our house?"
Tsunade shook her head awkwardly.
"That damn thief! If I catch them, I'll beat them to a pulp!" Naruto declared furiously. "No mercy!"
"That's right," Menma added casually. "Catch them, break their arms and legs, starve them for three days, and make them watch us eat at the end."
Tsunade clenched her fists, her expression twitching.
"…Right, Tsunade-sis?" Menma asked, smiling ever so innocently.
"You brat! It was just a door! You—"
Before she could explode, Menma scooped up Naruto and jumped to the second floor.
"Sister Tsunade, don't tell me you actually plan to hit us when this is clearly your fault? You still want to eat here?" Menma called down.
Tsunade's fists dropped instantly. "Yes, yes, I still want to eat."
All for food.
After the meeting earlier, Tsunade had come to Menma's house, knocked for a while, and when no one answered, she got mad—assuming the little brat was dodging his promise. In her anger, she kicked the door in… only to find the place empty.
It was then that she remembered something Jiraiya had said: "Menma is still in the Academy."
Oops.
For a moment, she forgot how young Menma really was.
So she sat on the couch, pretending like nothing happened, waiting for them to return.
Seeing Tsunade calm down, Menma and Naruto hopped down from the second floor.
"Brother, what just—" Naruto began, but Menma quickly covered his mouth.
"Back to your room, Naruto. Kurama's waiting for you."
Naruto's eyes sparkled. "Kurama misses me?! I knew it! You were right, big bro! Persistence is victory!"
Inside Naruto's seal…
Kurama: "Who the hell misses that brat?!"
Naruto ran off to his room, leaving Menma and Tsunade in the living room.
"By the way, Sis Tsunade, don't forget to pay for the repairs," Menma reminded calmly.
"…Fine. Just cook already, I'm starving," Tsunade muttered, flopping down onto the sofa and waving a hand.
Menma: "…"
Since when did I become the live-in chef?
Well, whatever. He had his clones.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu." Two shadow clones appeared beside him.
"You two, cook. Make extra."
The clones rolled their eyes but shuffled into the kitchen like obedient workers.
"Only someone from the Uzumaki clan could be this extravagant…" Tsunade muttered. "Using shadow clones for housework…"
Menma smirked. "Your Senju clan wasn't so bad either. But what can I say? The Uzumaki clan's got it here." He tapped his temple.
Both clans had remarkable talent. But now? The Senju line was down to just Tsunade. The Uzumaki weren't in great shape either, but there were at least three of them still alive—him, Naruto, and Nagato.
One day, he would revive the Uzumaki clan to glory.
Naruto, this is our dream. Let's build it together.
"…True," Tsunade said softly, a tinge of sadness in her eyes. "I'm the only one left."
"Sister Tsunade," Menma said, "have you ever thought… what if we could really bring peace to the ninja world?"
Tsunade's eyes widened. The idea itself felt so distant, so idealistic.
She let out a long sigh. "Easier said than done…"
"As long as you have perseverance," Menma replied, grinning, "an iron pestle can be ground into a needle."
(End of this chapter)
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