Cloud Village Delegation

Outside the women's bathhouse at the Konoha bathhouse.

Uzumaki Menma and Neji were successfully caught red-handed by their friends.

Ino looked at Uzumaki Menma and Neji as if they were trash.

Hinata's little face was bright red, her eyes filled with surprise and confusion.

Uzumaki Menma was understandable enough, but how could Neji, who had always seemed so proper in her eyes, do something like this?

Shikamaru and Choji looked like they were enjoying the show.

Naruto pouted and complained, "Just as I thought! You two were secretly having fun without us!"

Uzumaki Menma immediately tried to distance himself from it. "It has nothing to do with me! I was just accompanying him! I don't have Byakugan X-ray vision!"

Neji stared at Uzumaki Menma in disbelief. How could there be someone so shameless in this world?

Neji lunged at Uzumaki Menma and roared, "Bastard! You came up with all of this! You came to my house and asked me to sneak a look at the women's bathhouse with you! And now you're trying to wash your hands of it? Dream on!"

Neji's roar brought over that same middle-aged woman from yesterday once again.

"It's you little brats again! You came yesterday, and you still dared to come back today! Don't run!"

Uzumaki Menma and Neji immediately took off running like seasoned veterans.

Naruto and the others instinctively started running too.

As she ran, Ino asked Hinata in confusion, "Hinata, why are we running too?"

Hinata was equally lost. "I don't know either. Anyway, we should run first."

They finally ran out of Konoha's streets.

The fierce bathhouse owner finally stopped chasing them.

At that moment, Uzumaki Menma and Neji were surrounded by Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, and Hinata.

Neji felt that his image in Hinata's heart had completely crumbled, and he desperately wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it.

He was too ashamed to face anyone!

Uzumaki Menma, on the other hand, picked his nose without a care in the world. His skin was thick, after all.

Shikamaru remarked, "So you two sneaked off to peek at the women's bathhouse yesterday too. No wonder Neji was carrying Menma through Konoha's streets yesterday."

Naruto complained, "You guys are way too inconsiderate! How could you do something like that without inviting us?"

Choji felt Naruto had a point and nodded in agreement. They really were too inconsiderate!

Uzumaki Menma suggested, "Then let's all go together later. We'll just have to pick a different bathhouse."

As a girl, Ino condemned them, "Hey! How can you peek at the women's bathhouse? That's something shameful!"

Uzumaki Menma argued, "But we only peeked because we had a spirit of exploration. That shouldn't be shameful, right? Isn't there a saying that people should have an exploratory spirit?"

Ino retorted, "That doesn't mean you should have a spirit of exploration toward the women's bathhouse! And no matter how you argue, it's still peeping!"

Hinata also softly advised, "Yes, Menma, Neji... this is wrong."

Neji lowered his head until it was nearly touching the ground.

This is so embarrassing. Why doesn't Uzumaki Menma feel embarrassed at all?

Uzumaki Menma curled his lip. "Fine, fine! I won't go to the women's bathhouse ever again, okay?"

After getting Uzumaki Menma's answer, Ino and Hinata looked at Neji.

Feeling Ino and Hinata's gazes, Neji's face turned red.

Going to the women's bathhouse had been Uzumaki Menma's idea, not his. Why were they looking at him like that?

Unable to withstand Ino and Hinata's scrutinizing stares, Neji could only answer resentfully, "I won't go either..."

The incident of Uzumaki Menma and Neji peeping at the women's bathhouse came to a temporary end.

At Naruto's enthusiastic invitation, Neji also "reluctantly" joined them.

Ino and Hinata came over to Uzumaki Menma.

Ino said, "Menma, there's something Hinata and I want to ask of you."

Uzumaki Menma asked in confusion, "Hm? What is it?"

"Can you summon the Nine Masked Beasts? Hinata and I really like them."

Ino and Hinata looked at Uzumaki Menma expectantly.

"I thought it was something serious. Of course I can."

Uzumaki Menma directly summoned the Nine Masked Beasts.

When Ino and Hinata saw the adorable Nine Masked Beasts, each of them hugged four and happily ran off to play.

Uzumaki Menma and the Gold Snake on the ground stared at each other.

Uzumaki Menma called out, "Hinata! Ino! You forgot the Gold Snake!"

However, Ino and Hinata acted as though they had not heard him and disappeared from Uzumaki Menma's sight.

Uzumaki Menma picked up the Gold Snake, wrapped it around his neck, and said, "They won't play with you, but I will. Come on, let's go exploring."

Uzumaki Menma's little group grew larger and larger.

By now, practically everyone in Konoha knew about them.

However, they did not have a very good reputation.

Since they were all children of Konoha ninja clans, even if they were caught pulling pranks, no one could really do anything to them and could only let them go in the end.

Still, if their pranks caused any damage, Uzumaki Menma and the others would repair it.

If they could not repair it, they would work together to pay off the debt.

As time went by.

Konoha's villagers gradually grew accustomed to Uzumaki Menma's little group.

The villagers' hostility toward Uzumaki Menma and Naruto also gradually faded because of this.

And the happiest person was Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched all of these changes unfold. Everything was moving in a better direction.

After parting with their friends today.

Uzumaki Menma and Naruto went to Shikamaru's house to improve their meals.

Shikamaru's father, Nara Shikaku, and mother, Yoshino Nara, warmly welcomed Uzumaki Menma and Naruto.

At the dinner table.

Uzumaki Menma and Naruto wolfed down their food.

Shikamaru complained, "No one's going to take it from you two."

After taking a sip of sake, Nara Shikaku smiled and said, "What's the problem? Men should eat boldly. That's what makes them manly."

Yoshino Nara looked at Uzumaki Menma and Naruto with pity. She had been friends with Kushina Uzumaki, and seeing her old friend's children, one sent into the Root and the other supposedly cared for by the Hokage... yet the busy Hiruzen Sarutobi could not properly care for Naruto at all. He was more like an orphan.

Nara Shikaku suddenly set down his cup and seriously warned, "By the way, Menma, Naruto, Lord Danzo or the Hokage may explain it to you later, but I should warn you first. For the time being, it's best not to wander around Konoha's streets. Stay at home whenever you can."

Uzumaki Menma asked in confusion, "Uncle Shikaku, what happened?"

Nara Shikaku explained, "Kumogakure is sending a delegation to Konoha soon. It isn't convenient for me to say more about the details, but just keep yourselves out of trouble for now. Once the Cloud Village Delegation leaves, everything will be fine."