After everything had been taken care of, Fugaku learned about Kushina and Mikoto's conversation that morning and took Kushina, Naruto, and Menma to his home.
Naruto was excited the whole way there, chattering nonstop. He was full of anticipation about the Uchiha Clan Compound, after all, this was his first time visiting a great clan like the Uchiha.
Menma strolled behind them with his hands clasped behind his head. He really wanted to see Shisui again. It would be even better if Shisui had awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Kushina wore a gentle smile, occasionally responding to Naruto's excited chatter.
By the time they arrived at Fugaku's home, Mikoto had already made the house warm and tidy, eagerly awaiting their guests.
The moment she saw Kushina and the others, her eyes lit up with delight. She warmly welcomed them inside. The house was filled with the distinctive atmosphere of the Uchiha Clan. Family emblems and old ninjutsu scrolls hung on the walls, while the fine tatami mats and antique tea set reflected the clan's traditions and heritage.
Everyone sat in the living room, and Mikoto hurried to bring out the refreshments she had prepared: sweet pastries and fragrant tea. Watching Mikoto bustle about, Kushina said with a sigh, "Mikoto, it's been such a long time since we last saw each other. Almost four years, right?"
Mikoto nodded with a smile. "Yes, time flies. So much has happened in these four years."
Kushina looked at the two children, her eyes full of affection. "These two little ones have grown so much. Naruto's always getting into mischief, while Menma's a bit more composed. Their fourth birthday is less than a month away, too."
Mikoto looked at Naruto and Menma fondly. "I hope I can attend their birthday party."
Kushina said happily, "Of course, Mikoto. Your whole family has to come!"
Mikoto replied, "That would be wonderful. We'll definitely be there."
At that moment, Naruto asked Mikoto curiously, "Aunt Mikoto, does the Uchiha Clan have any special ninjutsu?"
Mikoto smiled as she answered, "Our Uchiha Clan has the very powerful Sharingan, though certain conditions have to be met for it to awaken."
"Then is your training different from ours, too?" Naruto asked.
Mikoto patiently explained, "It is a little different. We focus more on drawing out the power of our eyes and training in Fire Release Ninjutsu."
Menma suddenly seemed to think of something. He went over to Fugaku and asked quietly, "Uncle Fugaku, Shisui should have awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan by now, right?"
Fugaku didn't say anything. He simply nodded, thinking there was no harm in telling Menma about it.
"Uncle, what are you talking about?" Naruto asked after noticing Menma whispering with Fugaku.
Fugaku wasn't flustered. He simply said, "Menma asked if he could visit the Uchiha Clan Compound."
Naruto got excited at that. He wanted to see it, too.
Fugaku stood up. "Then let's go. We'll take a look around the Uchiha Clan Compound." He led Naruto and Menma outside, while Kushina and Mikoto stayed behind to chat.
They first went to the Uchiha training ground. Clan members were practicing their ninjutsu with great dedication. Fire Release techniques bloomed like brilliant flowers, while nimble figures darted across the field. That was when they spotted Uchiha Sasuke training.
Naruto and Menma already knew Sasuke. Earlier, Menma had provoked him with his words, causing Sasuke to awaken his One-Tomoe Sharingan in a fit of anger. Seeing them now, Sasuke's eyes flashed with complicated emotions: resentment toward Menma, along with a competitive spirit toward Naruto.
Fugaku saw Sasuke and nodded slightly. "Sasuke's been training very hard."
Sasuke respectfully bowed to Fugaku, then looked at Naruto and Menma and said coldly, "What are you doing here?"
Naruto grinned. "Uncle Fugaku brought us to have a look around."
Menma looked at Sasuke calmly. "Looks like you're still working hard to improve."
Sasuke clenched his fists. "I'll surpass you both! I'm not the little baby you called me!"
Watching the subtle tension between the children, Fugaku smiled and said, "You all have great potential. As long as you work hard, you'll become excellent ninja."
Then Menma suddenly said, "Sasuke, since you're so determined to surpass us, why don't we have a spar right now?"
Sasuke's eyes lit up. "Sure. Just what I wanted."
Fugaku was about to stop them, but seeing the determination in both children's eyes, he nodded. "Just don't take it too far."
The spar began. Sasuke attacked first, using a Fire Release technique. Fugaku smiled with pride. Sasuke still couldn't use the Great Fireball perfectly, but producing flames of that caliber was already pretty good.
The flames rushed toward Menma. He stayed calm and swiftly used the Shadow Clone Technique. Several clones scattered in different directions, while the real Menma vanished in an instant with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Sasuke's flames hit nothing. He immediately grew wary and activated his Sharingan to search for Menma.
Menma suddenly appeared behind Sasuke and launched a Taijutsu attack. Menma didn't know the Eight Inner Gates, but he had trained in Taijutsu under Might Guy and had reached Chunin-level skill. His attack was swift and powerful.
Sensing the attack from behind, Sasuke reacted quickly and dodged to the side, then threw Shuriken at Menma. Menma wasn't as skilled at Shurikenjutsu as Sasuke, so he chose not to block them. Instead, he used the Shadow Clone Technique again. One clone took the Shuriken, then charged at Sasuke.
Seeing this, Sasuke prepared to draw on all the chakra in his body, intending to fight back with the Great Fireball he hadn't yet mastered.
"That's enough!" Fugaku shouted.
Menma and Sasuke both stopped. Fugaku looked at them and said, "You're both quite skilled, but battles aren't just about winning or losing. What matters more is learning from them. Sasuke, you're getting stronger, too. Keep it up!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Menma before them vanished in a puff of smoke. It turned out that this one was a Shadow Clone, too. The real Menma had been standing nearby.
In other words, Menma had been using Shadow Clones from beginning to end, while his real body watched from the sidelines.
"I know this might be discouraging, but Sasuke, Menma's very strong. You can't beat him right now. Even I can't guarantee that I could beat him."
Sasuke and Naruto were both stunned by this. They hadn't expected Menma to already be this powerful.
Still, it made sense. After all, Menma had the Nine-Tails as his trump card. As long as he used Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, he could handle anyone except a Kage Level opponent.
After the tour of the compound, Mikoto came to invite everyone back inside for lunch. The table was covered with dishes unique to the Uchiha household: delicate sushi, fresh grilled fish, and an assortment of pickled vegetables.
Everyone gathered around the table. Just then, Uchiha Itachi came in from outside. His gaze was deep and composed. He nodded slightly to everyone before taking his seat.
Naruto's eyes lit up when he saw Itachi. "Itachi, we meet again! Sasuke told me you know lots of powerful ninjutsu."
Itachi smiled faintly. "You have a lot of potential, too, Naruto. Keep working hard."
Menma greeted him. Itachi looked at Menma and said, "You're already very capable, Menma. But remember, with great power comes great responsibility."
Menma nearly lost his composure at that. Is Itachi trying to turn me into a failed man?
Throughout lunch, everyone enjoyed the food and chatted happily. Fugaku and Kushina discussed Konoha's future, while Mikoto asked after the children and how they were growing up.
Sasuke had been a little discouraged by the spar, but he was caught up in the warm atmosphere around the table and occasionally joined in the conversation.
After lunch, Itachi stood up and said to Naruto, Menma, and Sasuke, "You little ones should learn from each other and improve together."
Naruto nodded vigorously. "We will, Itachi!"
Everyone then spent a little more time resting at Uchiha Fugaku's home, enjoying this rare moment of peace.
At last, Kushina said goodbye to Fugaku and Mikoto with Naruto and Menma. Mikoto gave the two children some special gifts from the Uchiha Clan. Naruto happily accepted his gift, while Menma politely thanked her.
"Thank you for having us. We had a wonderful time," Kushina said.
"You're welcome. Come visit again sometime," Mikoto replied.
After leaving the Uchiha home, Kushina took Naruto and Menma back to their own house.
Naruto was still excitedly talking about everything he had seen that day, while Menma fell into thought. He hadn't seen Shisui Uchiha at the Uchiha Clan Compound. Perhaps Shisui had gone on a mission with his squad.
Before you continue