"From now on, you shall address him as Menma-sama. In my absence, everything here will be under Menma's command!"
In the courtyard, Gato, following the orders of 'that person', had dismissed all but two servants. At this moment, he was instructing the two remaining women while introducing Menma.
"Yes! Gato-sama, Menma-sama!" The two servants, both middle-aged women, bowed respectfully to Gato and Menma on the engawa.
They were ordinary civilians from Konoha, with no notable ninja talent, and relied on odd jobs to make a living. Gato had hired them at twice the average wage precisely because they were locals, so they cherished this opportunity greatly.
Finally free from the orphanage and no longer under White Zetsu's surveillance, Menma was in a good mood, sitting leisurely on the engawa and savoring the feeling of freedom.
The sunlight filtered through the cherry tree branches, casting dappled shadows on the engawa and illuminating Menma.
Gato quickly established the branch company in Konoha, left a manager in charge, and then departed the village to continue his business across the Ninja World, earning funds for the organization while gathering intelligence.
With Kakuzu, assigned by Menma, ensuring his safety, even Elite Jonin would struggle to pose a threat to Gato.
In fact, Kakuzu could even cause havoc in rival territories… something Gato could afford and Kakuzu was more than happy to do for the right price.
Meanwhile, back in Konoha, Menma began enjoying the life of a young master.
He practiced chakra control every morning, studied the combination of Chakras of various attributes in the afternoon, create the [Nine Masked Beasts] in the evening. In his free time, he strolled around the village, familiarizing himself with the surroundings and buying sweets for the little Nine-Tails.
Days passed like this, one after another.
The weather grew colder and winter is approaching.
"Hey, Menma." The little Nine-Tails poked her head out from Menma's fluffy scarf, nibbling on a small piece of cotton candy he handed over.
Gato had left Menma a substantial sum of money, and the branch company's profits in Konoha were also under his control. As a result, Menma's quality of life had improved significantly, and he had even updated his wardrobe.
"Let's open a sweets shop too." The little Nine-Tails suggested, her voice muffled as she took a big bite out of the cotton candy… Her head barely larger than the treat itself.
Her fluffy tail brushed against Menma's neck as she spoke, tickling him slightly.
"More like you just want to eat sweets yourself." Menma teased, seeing right through the little Nine-Tails' 'scheme'.
Then he added: "Too many sweets will make you fat."
"I am a Tailed Beast! I won't get fat!" The little Nine-Tails retorted indignantly, but suddenly, her ears perked up.
"Menma, the boss lady seems to be in trouble." The little Nine-Tails said, looking into the distance.
Menma followed her gaze.
In the autumn-bitten park, a little girl was surrounded by three boys.
As he approached, Menma could hear the various provocative voices of the three little boys.
"Ha! Look, her eyes are white!"
"Whoa, it's a monster with white eyes!"
"Ew, so creepy!"
People often say children speak without malice, but the truth is, kids don't even realize how cruel their words can be.
The little Hinata, who had never been subjected to such harsh words before, crouched on the ground, tears welling up in her white eyes.
Seeing the little girl from the Hinata Clan crying, the three boys only laughed louder, completely unaware of the shadow looming behind them.
'Strange, I remember this plot was supposed to happen during a heavy snowfall.' Menma mused as he quietly stepped up behind the boys. Raising his right hand, he flicked each of them sharply on the forehead with his middle finger.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Three crisp flicks brought the laughter to an abrupt end.
"Ow!"
"That hurts!"
"Ah! Who was that?!"
Menma had controlled his strength, but the force was still enough to leave the boys dizzy, making them stumble back several steps.
"You three, bullying a girl?" Menma shook his right hand lightly, glancing at Hinata, who was peeking up at him from where she crouched.
'Ah, so it was the shy little Hinata.'
'Well, if it had been the fierce Hinata, these three would've been crying for their parents already.'
"You bastard!" The tallest of the three clutched the back of his head and shouted angrily, "You're going to regret that! Let us teach you who rules this park!"
"Asshole! How dare you launch a sneak attack!" Another chubby kid swung his fist angrily.
"Damn it! I'll teach you a lesson!" The shortest one, missing a front tooth, rubbed his head before clenching his fists and grinning with his gap-toothed mouth.
All three of them were a head taller than Menma and Hinata, probably around five or six years old.
And it was three against one… clearly, they had the advantage!
For kids, numbers and size were the most obvious indicators of strength.
Watching these brats act so arrogantly, Menma resisted the urge to use Ninjutsu. Instead, he dashed forward, punching the tallest kid square in the face before sweeping the legs out from under the chubby one.
In an instant, two of the three were already on the ground, leaving only the gap-toothed shortie staring in panic, unsure how his friends had been taken down so easily.
"Waaaah! That hurts!"
"Sniff... Mommy!"
The two fallen kids burst into loud wails, scaring the short one into tears as well.
Menma reached out and placed a hand on the shortie's head, leaning in close. His narrowed blue eyes glinted with mischief as he grinned: "From now on, I'm the boss here!"
"Waaah! Boss, don't hit me!!" The shortie burst into terrified sobs.
'...What the hell am I even doing?' Menma stared at the three bawling kids, mentally facepalming, 'Am I seriously playing king of the playground with a bunch of brats?'
After Menma's 'lesson', the three kids scrambled away, crying and stumbling in their haste.
"Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Menma." When Menma turned around and stretched out his hand, Hinata was frantically wiping her tears with her sleeve.
Though this wasn't their first meeting, it was their first official introduction.
"H-Hello... I'm Hinata..." The little girl's face flushed slightly, her fingers trembling like startled baby birds as she spoke.
She didn't understand why this boy, the one her 'Big Sis' always talked about, was pretending they'd just met, but she instinctively played along.
Once pulled to her feet, Hinata kept her head down, hands clasped in front of her chest, her voice barely above a whisper: "Am I... am I... so useless...?"
"If it were Big Sis..." Hinata couldn't help but think of the fiery-tempered 'Big Sis' in her body, 'If it were her, what would she do?'
'She would probably beaten up all three kids without hesitation.'
Hinata's words reminded Menma of a winter day in the Limited Tsukuyomi World when he was three or four years old. He had been mocked by three brats in the park and ended up in a scuffle with them.
Since he hadn't officially started training yet and hadn't even learned to refine Chakra, he was at a disadvantage and got beaten up pretty badly.
But at the critical moment, the Big Sis Hinata stepped in and effortlessly beat those three kids until they cried.
Perhaps it was fate.
From that moment on, the bond between them in the Limited Tsukuyomi World had only grown stronger, eventually blossoming into romance during the Chunin Exams.
"Gentleness has never been a weakness. Your kindness is like a warm breeze… it makes people feel at ease. A Hinata like that is especially adorable, you know." Menma reached out and placed his hand on little Hinata's head, ruffling her short hair.
'Adorable...' Menma's praise made Hinata's face instantly turn red, steam practically rising from her head like a boiling kettle.
Growing up under the strict rules of her clan, little Hinata had been burdened with high expectations due to her 'Big Sis's' existence. Her gentle nature was seen as too weak by her father, Hiashi, and the elders of the main family.
As a result, Hinata had rarely received any praise.
Growl~
A hungry growl came from Hinata's stomach.
The already blushing Hinata turned completely crimson.
"Come on, I'll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen!" Remembering Hinata's appetite, Menma figured she had probably never eaten her fill growing up. He took her hand and ran toward Ichiraku Ramen.
In the park, ginkgo leaves fluttered down. As she was pulled along, Hinata stared at the back of the boy in front of her, her white eyes glistening with tears.