A few days later, Hidden Leaf Village.
The chill of late autumn has been replaced by the harshness of early winter, the air is dry and cold, and the breath turns to frost.
The bare branches stretch out under the gray sky, and there is a bit of winter crispness in the desolation.
Menma tightened his tight black coat and buried half of his face in the rough coin, only revealing a pair of blue eyes.
"Sure enough." He came to the mirror and looked at the changes in his eyes.
The originally transplanted Sharingan and Red Eye actually turned blue in the closed state. How powerful are the genes of this body?
Is Cheap Daddy Namikaze Minato really just an ordinary civilian ninja?
Menma looked at the pair of azure eyes that were exactly the same as Naruto, with a calmness that was inconsistent with his age, and even a trace of unnoticeable fatigue.
He had just returned from Land of Stars and Flying Thunder God. The journey across thousands of miles did not bring much physical burden, but Shisui's lost appearance and Land of Stars's increasingly large structure weighed on his heart like invisible stones.
Today is the weekend, and Naruto and I have made an appointment to go eat Ichiraku Ramen together.
Thinking of Naruto's optimistic figure, a hint of warmth flashed deep in Menma's eyes, and his pace quickened a bit.
Konoha In the park, the evergreen pine trees still stubbornly remain dark green, but the grass has long since turned yellow.
Several children were playing ninja games with their necks hunched, and wooden Kunai and Shuriken were scattered all over the floor.
"Hey! You don't have eyes when you walk! Do you know if you bump into someone?"
A familiar voice with a raised pitch and full of fire.
Menma followed the sound and saw at the entrance of the park, Uzumaki Naruto was standing with his hands on his hips, like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on, glaring angrily at the person in front of him.
His iconic blond hair was still dazzling under the dim light of winter, his cheeks were red from anger and cold, and his blue eyes were burning with two small clusters of flames.
The person he was yelling at was a black-haired boy wearing a dark blue turtleneck and short-sleeves, with the billiard racket family emblem printed on the back, Sasuke Uchiha.
Sasuke put his hands in his trouser pockets, raised his chin slightly, and his delicate little face showed undisguised indifference and a hint of offended stubbornness.
He had obviously just turned from another road, and the two of them brushed against each other at the narrow entrance.
"Huh." Sasuke snorted softly from his nose, his dark eyes squinting at Naruto, and his tone contained Uchiha's unique reserve and a trace of imperceptible boredom.
"It's obviously you who bumped around like a headless fly." The words "headless fly" were spoken very clearly by him.
"Who are you calling a headless fly?!" Naruto's hair suddenly exploded. His voice rose another octave and he almost jumped up. "I want to be Hokage's man! You stinky guy!"
"Ha, Hokage?" Sasuke's lips curled up with an undisguised sarcasm. "Idiots who can't even walk can daydream faster."
He was too lazy to bother anymore, so he raised his feet to avoid Naruto.
"Stop! Apologize to me!" Naruto, however, refused to give in. He stopped in front of Sasuke with a quick step, holding his neck and looking menacing.
The two are of similar height, one is like a burning little sun, and the other is like a cold Obsidian stone. Their eyes collide fiercely in the cold air, sparks flying everywhere.
Several children around them stopped playing and looked at the two people with curiosity and a little fear.
Menma sighed silently and walked over quickly.
This kind of scene has long been familiar to him.
Naruto and Sasuke seem to be born with some kind of strange magnetic field. As long as they get close, even if they just accidentally look at each other in the crowd, they can instantly set off a mouth-to-mouth confrontation.
"Naruto." Menma's voice was not high, but it had a strange penetrating power, instantly breaking the tense atmosphere between the two.
Naruto turned his head and saw Menma. The anger on his face was instantly replaced by surprise, and his eyes brightened. "Brother Menma! You are here!"
He immediately put Sasuke behind his mind, jumped up to Menma in a few steps, and wanted to put his arms around his shoulders out of habit.
"Let's go! Let's eat ramen! I'm almost starving!" He rubbed his belly exaggeratedly.
Menma took a half-step sideways without leaving a trace, avoiding Naruto's hands covered with grass clippings and dust, but her eyes fell on him gently. "Well, let's go."
From the corner of his eye, he glanced at Sasuke.
Sasuke's dark eyes quickly glanced between Menma and Naruto, a trace of curiosity and inquiry flashed deep in his eyes.
At this moment, a weak and obviously nervous voice sounded, "Mian-.Menma jun-. ming Naruto-kun"
The three of them turned around and saw Hinata Hyuga standing timidly a few steps away.
She was wearing a simple and elegant light purple cotton-padded jacket and a white scarf. Her face was a little red from the cold. Her pure Byakugan was hanging slightly because of nervousness, and her hands were twisting the corners of her clothes nervously.
She came here following Naruto's iconic loud voice.
"Hinata!" When Naruto saw Hinata, the smile on his face became brighter and he waved enthusiastically.
"Come on! Let's eat Teuchi's super ramen together!"
"Yeah!" Hinata responded in a low voice, moved over in small steps, and stood next to Menma. He secretly looked up at Menma, his face turned redder, and he quickly lowered his head.
With this shy look, it looks like "Little Hinata" instead of "Big Sister Hinata".
Menma nodded to Hinata as a greeting.
He looked at Sasuke again, and found that the other person's eyes were falling on Hinata, with a trace of scrutiny, and then moved away again, returning to his indifferent appearance.
"Let's go." Menma no longer delayed, turned around and walked towards the commercial street.
Naruto immediately followed with a whirring sound.
Hinata responded in a low voice and followed Menma step by step.
The three of them formed a small team and walked towards the commercial street filled with the aroma of food and warm lights.
Naruto gestured excitedly and seemed to be describing to Menma and Hinata how delicious the super-large portion of barbecued pork they had last time was.
Menma clasped his hands behind his head, Hinata blushed, and the two occasionally responded.
Sasuke Uchiha stood where he was, not moving.
The cold air picked up a few dead leaves and swirled past his feet.
He put his hands in his trouser pockets and looked at the three retreating figures.
The blond Naruto is making noises, the eldest daughter Hyuga Main House is shy and quiet, and the one named Menma has a slightly delicate brow.
Those eyes were clear-blue, exactly the same as Naruto, but as deep and calm as a frozen lake.
Moreover, the way Menma looked at him just now, Sasuke was keenly aware of a very faint scrutiny that was different from other villagers. That gaze seemed to be able to penetrate his cold shell and see something that even he himself did not understand yet.
A strange feeling, like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, rippled in Sasuke's heart.
He pursed his lips, and finally took steps towards the direction of the clan.
The familiar warm yellow light and the rich and mellow aroma of bone broth in Ichiraku Ramen Hall are like a warm haven, instantly dispelling the chill outside.
The small storefront was steaming with steam and bustling with people, and the few long benches were almost full of diners.
"Uncle Teuchi! Three extra-large bowls of barbecued pork ramen for free! More barbecued pork! Brother Menma is treating you!" Naruto rushed in first and squeezed to the bar in a familiar manner, slapping the table loudly and full of energy.
Uncle Teuchi, who was busy, looked up and saw Naruto's iconic smile and Menma and Hinata who followed behind him. He put on a kind smile, "Oh! It's Naruto, Menma and Hinata! Sit down quickly! The extra large portion comes with barbecued pork, please add more barbecued pork! Coming soon!"
When his eyes swept over Menma and Naruto, there was a hint of gentle pity for the orphans that was not easy to detect.
The three of them crowded into the only empty seat at the bar.
Naruto rubbed his hands impatiently and stared longingly at the rolling pot in the kitchen.
Hinata sat carefully next to Menma, sipping the hot wheat tea brought by Miss Ayame to warm his hands, and occasionally peeked at Menma's side face.
Menma sat quietly, taking off his scarf, revealing a slightly tired young face.
Soon, three steaming bowls of ramen filled with tempting barbecued pork were placed in front of them.
The rich fragrance penetrated the nostrils domineeringly, "I'm starting!" Naruto cheered, picked up the chopsticks and couldn't wait to pick up a large cluster of noodles, sucked it, and couldn't bear to spit it out even though it was so hot, his face was filled with pure satisfaction.
"Be careful." Menma looked at this stinky brother with some annoyance.
Hinata picked up the chopsticks, picked up a noodle with graceful movements, and blew into it.
Menma didn't move his chopsticks immediately.
He watched Naruto wolfing down the food, smiling heartlessly with soup on the corners of his mouth. The heat rising from the ramen was clearly reflected in those blue eyes that were exactly the same as his own.
In a trance, the image of the blond hair and blue eyes overlapped for a moment with the mother Uzumaki Kushina who had the same bright smile and the same fiery personality deep in the memory, in a vague and warm dinner scene.
My heart felt as if it was gently touched by an invisible hand, and there was a dense, sour warmth.
He silently picked up the chopsticks, picked up the thick and shiny slices of barbecued pork in his bowl one by one, and then gently put them into Naruto's already piled bowl.
"Alright?" Naruto was working hard. He felt that the weight in the bowl had increased again. He raised his head blankly, with soup still hanging from the corner of his mouth. He saw the extra barbecued pork in his bowl, and then looked at Menma, who only had the lonely noodles and side dishes left in the bowl. He was stunned.
"Brother Menma? You-you can eat it yourself! Why did you give it to me?"
"I'm not very hungry." Menma's voice was calm and emotionless. He just lowered his head and picked up a handful of noodles and ate them slowly, as if he was just doing a normal thing.
His eyes fell on the heat rising in the bowl, and his long eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes, covering up the complex emotions surging deep in his eyes.
What was given out was more than just a few slices of barbecued pork?
It was more like he was carefully and clumsily filling the gap between their brothers that had lasted for many years, and later even ten years, created by conspiracy and time.
Every time I get close, every time I give such a trivial gift, it's like trying to touch a fragile dream.
Naruto blinked, looked at Menma's drooping profile, then lowered his head to look at the extra meat in his bowl, and the fussy expression on his face slowly subsided.
He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just said "thank you" vigorously, lowered his head, and continued to eat noodles.
It's just that his movements seemed a little slower than before, and he chewed harder.
A strange, warm feeling, mixed with the heat of the ramen noodles, spreads from the stomach to the heart, dispelling all the chill of winter.
Hinata sat quietly aside, eating noodles, and the pure Byakugan took in all the subtle interactions.
She could feel the indescribable and heavy tenderness towards Naruto beneath Menma's calmness that was befitting his age.
Her cheeks were red, not sure whether it was because of the heat of the ramen or the warmth that silently flowed between the brothers.
The ramen restaurant was buzzing with people, the sound of clinking bowls and chopsticks, the chatter and laughter of diners, and the loud shouting of Uncle Teuchi were intertwined together, full of the warmth of the human world.
Menma The hot nitrogen and argon in the bowl rose, blurring the outline of his drooping face. Only his pair of azure eyes, looming behind the steaming white mist, contained thoughts that no one could understand.