Shino and Hinata

The morning sun spilled gently over Konoha, filling Menma's room with a warm, cozy atmosphere.

Naruto was deep in a sweet dream, a faint smile playing on his lips as if he were savoring a bowl of Uncle Ichiraku's ramen.

Menma had already woken up; he stretched habitually before turning his gaze toward the still-slumbering Naruto.

"Big brother, wake up! Didn't you have plans with Shikamaru and the others?" Menma said, gently shaking Naruto.

Naruto groaned in a daze, his eyes still shut tight, and mumbled, "Let me sleep a little longer, Menma."

Seeing this, Menma pulled the blanket right off Naruto and said with a laugh, "If you don't get up, I'm going to eat your share of breakfast."

At the mention of "breakfast," Naruto snapped wide awake. He bolted upright and shouted, "No way, that breakfast is mine!"

Because Kushina had been working hard to improve her culinary skills lately, her cooking had become increasingly refined, tasting far better than it ever had before.

On top of that, Kushina experimented with new dishes for Naruto and Menma every day, turning both of them into her little fanboys who looked forward to mealtime every single day.

The two quickly got dressed and headed to the second-floor bathroom to wash up. Once finished, they went down to the kitchen on the first floor, where Kushina was humming a tune while setting the steaming breakfast on the table.

"Come and eat, children," Kushina said gently.

Naruto's eyes lit up as he looked at the spread, and he said excitedly, "Wow, Mom, today's breakfast looks super delicious!"

Menma also smiled at Kushina and said, "Thank you, Mom."

After finishing breakfast, Naruto and Menma ran toward the small clearing where they usually played. When they arrived, they saw Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino already waiting for them.

"Why are you two so slow?" Ino asked, hands on her hips, looking dissatisfied.

"We thought you weren't coming," Shikamaru added lazily.

"So, what are we playing?" Naruto asked.

Choji's eyes brightened as he said, "Let's play ninja games!"

Everyone thought that was a great idea, but just as they were about to start, Inuzuka Kiba came running over.

"Hey, I'm late! What are we playing? Count me in!" Kiba said, panting for breath.

The game was divided into two camps: a four-person defensive team and a two-person offensive team.

The defensive team had to protect a scarecrow within the designated area from being hit by the offensive team's wooden shuriken, all while avoiding being hit themselves; if they were struck, they had to run five laps around the field.

At the same time, the defensive team could use wooden shuriken to attack the offensive team, and if the offensive team members were hit, they had to run three laps around the field.

The way for the defensive team to win was simple: if the scarecrow wasn't hit by a wooden shuriken ten times within the time limit, or if they eliminated the offensive team, they won.

The offensive team, on the other hand, needed to hit the scarecrow with wooden shuriken ten times to secure victory.

After drawing lots, Menma and Kiba were assigned to the offensive team, while the other four were on the defensive team. Once the game started, Menma and Kiba quickly put some distance between themselves and the others.

The two exchanged a glance and immediately understood each other's intent; they split up, running while tossing wooden shuriken as they moved.

Naruto and his friends didn't back down, throwing shuriken back at Menma and his partner, but Menma's aim was excellent, striking several of them directly, while Naruto's shuriken managed to hit Kiba.

Just like that, five of them started running laps. Seeing this, Menma sat down, choosing not to attack the scarecrow and simply watching.

After playing for a while, everyone was getting a bit tired. Choji wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "This game is too exhausting. Let's play something easier—how about hide-and-seek?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. And so, they began to play hide-and-seek, with Shikamaru volunteering to be the seeker.

Everyone scrambled to find a place to hide. Naruto thought for a moment, then ran behind a large tree, taking care to cover himself thoroughly with leaves.

Menma looked up toward the top of a large tree, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, before channeling chakra into his feet and dashing up.

Ino ran into a flowerbed, carefully hiding behind the blossoms and peeking out through the gaps in the petals from time to time.

Choji found a large wooden barrel, tipped it over, and hid behind it.

Kiba ran behind a large rock, pressing himself tightly against it, terrified that Shikamaru might find him.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and began to count: "One, two, three..."

After counting, Shikamaru began his search. He found Ino in the flowerbed first because her hair had accidentally poked out.

"Haha, found you, Ino," Shikamaru said with a laugh.

Next, he found Choji behind the barrel, and then Kiba behind the large rock.

Just as Shikamaru was looking for Naruto and Menma, Sasuke happened to pass by.

"Sasuke, come play hide-and-seek with us!" Naruto called out, poking his head out from behind the tree.

Sasuke looked at them and said coldly, "I'm not interested." With that, he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away.

Finally, Shikamaru found Naruto behind the tree. Now, only Menma was left; Shikamaru searched for a while, but eventually decided to give up.

Shikamaru lay down and looked at the sky, when suddenly he spotted a silhouette near the top of a tree. He looked closely and realized it was Menma; confirming it was him, he shook his head helplessly.

Just as everyone was having a great time, Choji, while running toward another spot to start the next game, nearly stepped on a bug.

At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out: "Careful, don't step on it."

Shino called out urgently; though his voice wasn't loud, it was filled with tension.

Everyone was drawn in by the sudden sound and turned to look at Shino.

Naruto walked up curiously and asked, "Who are you? How did you suddenly appear here?"

Shino lowered his head, a bit shy, and said, "My name is Shino. I was observing insects nearby, and when I saw him almost step on this one, I couldn't help but call out."

Menma smiled and said, "So you really like insects, huh? Do you want to play with us?"

Shino looked up, a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes, and asked, "May I?"

"Of course you can!" Naruto said enthusiastically.

And so, Shino joined their group.

Just then, they noticed a little girl watching them secretly from not far away. This little girl was Hinata.

It was Hinata's first time at this small clearing. She had originally intended to find a quiet place to practice ninjutsu, but seeing everyone having so much fun, she couldn't help but stop and watch.

When Naruto saw Hinata, he thought the little girl looked a bit shy, but also very cute.

He ran over and asked, "Hello, who are you? Why are you here all by yourself?"

Hinata's face turned red instantly, and she stammered, "I... my name is Hinata. I was just looking for a place to practice ninjutsu."

Ino walked over, took Hinata's hand, and said, "Hinata, don't practice alone then, come play with us!"

Hinata hesitated for a moment. She looked at the others, then back at Ino, and whispered, "O... okay."

Thus, Hinata joined them as well. Just then, Kiba suggested that everyone take turns showing off their ninjutsu. The others didn't refuse, and one by one, they began to display their specialties.

First was Shikamaru. He demonstrated his Shadow Possession Jutsu in a leisurely manner. Although it was just a simple demonstration, everyone could see the power of this technique.

Next was Choji. He showed the initial form of his Multi-Size Jutsu. His body grew slightly larger, which gave everyone a start, and then they all burst into laughter.

Ino demonstrated her Mind Transfer Jutsu. She made a small butterfly fly according to her thoughts for a brief moment, and everyone thought it was amazing.

Kiba showed the basic movements of his Passing Fang. Even though he didn't use his full strength, the momentum still impressed everyone.

It was Shino's turn. He took a small box from his person and opened it. Several small insects flew out, and under his command, they arranged themselves into a small pattern. Everyone marveled at his Insect Control Jutsu.

Then it was Hinata's turn. Hinata was a bit nervous, her face flushed red. She took a deep breath and demonstrated some basic movements of her Gentle Fist. Although her movements were soft, they were full of power, and everyone applauded.

Next was Naruto. He demonstrated his Shadow Clone, and in a flash, Naruto split into several clones. These clones performed various funny actions together, making everyone laugh heartily.

Finally, it was Menma's turn. Menma, not forgetting to look cool, spoke up, "Oh my, the protagonist always appears last, doesn't he?" As he spoke, he pulled a Flying Thunder God Kunai from his pocket.

"Now, I will show you the Spiral Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three." Menma threw the kunai in his hand. A flash of light streaked past, leaving scratches on the nearby trees, and finally, Menma finished with a Rasengan, slamming it hard into a tree.

A large hole was left in the tree. The group stared in stunned silence, though they couldn't help but tease him about the name of the technique.

Menma scratched his head awkwardly, explaining that he wasn't the one who named it—his father did—which made everyone find it even funnier.

Just like that, everyone spent a wonderful time amidst laughter and joy.

When night fell and Naruto returned home, he finished washing up and sat on his bed, talking to Menma.

Menma looked at him and asked, "By the way, brother, did you notice that girl named Hinata was a bit strange?"

Naruto thought carefully for a moment before saying, "Hinata is indeed a bit strange. I don't know why she's always blushing."

Menma looked at Naruto, unsurprised. Naruto remained as dense as ever in this regard. He looked at Naruto helplessly, then thought to himself that most of the Konoha 12 had gathered; compared to the original timeline, things were much better now.

Watching Naruto happily recount the day's events, he felt happy too. At the very least, he had accomplished what he set out to do.