Far from Konoha's noisy center—where the streets were always crammed with merchants, children, and unhurried old folks—stretched a block of identical gray three-story buildings. These served as temporary housing for lone shinobi with no place of their own. The rent wasn't anything to cry over—payments were docked straight from mission pay, and even then only a modest percentage, so no one complained.
A little apart from them lived a different sort of tenant—orphans. Until they became genin, the village covered their rent in full.
Among these uniform buildings was one that looked exactly like its neighbors—at least from the outside. But people made a point of avoiding it, as if the very walls gave off something unpleasant. The reason was simple: everyone knew that on the top floor lived the "twin demons"—the very same ones whispered about in scary bedtime stories. They were said to be able to curse you with a single look, and in the darker tales, to steal newborns' souls. No one had ever checked if it was true—why would they, when the thought alone was scary enough?
Right now, on the top floor, in a small but cozy room, Menma sat on his bed, explaining to his sister where those stupid rumors had come from.
"So… inside me there's the Kyūbi…" Naruko, looking doomed, put a hand on her stomach, as if hoping to feel a fluffy tail there.
"Inside us," Menma gently corrected, moving her hand onto his own stomach. "And by the way—don't forget who our parents are."
"The Fourth Hokage…" she whispered, still not quite believing it.
"Dad was the strongest shinobi of his time," he went on confidently. "And Mom was from one of the toughest clans. You think people like that would let some fox just take over our bodies?"
Naruko thought about it for a moment, then shook her head with more certainty.
"Exactly. You're you. And I'm your favorite brother." Menma gave a small smile, watching her confusion fade. "Do we make bloody sacrifices and have baby stew for breakfast, like those village gossips say?"
"Of course not!" Naruko jumped up from the bed, offended. "I'll show them all!"
"We'll show them," he corrected with a satisfied smirk, watching his sister punch the air in a furious shadow-boxing match with imaginary offenders.
Then she froze and eyed him suspiciously.
"But, brother… how do you know all this?"
"The Kyūbi told me," Menma replied as calmly as if he'd read it in the morning paper.
[Yeah, I decided to tell her the truth. I'm not letting anyone treat my sister like an idiot.]
"Can I talk to him?" Naruko rolled her eyes upward, trying to peek into her own head.
"You can, but you probably shouldn't," he said seriously.
"…Okay," she muttered, sitting back down and hugging her knees. "So what now?"
"Now?" Menma pulled her into a gentle hug. "Now we just wait. I've already done the rest."
[I've quietly hinted to Hiruzen that there's a manipulator lurking in the shadows—one you can't just snuff out. Now he has to play by my rules. Remove me? He loses the bijū. Try to control me with jutsu? If he could, he would've done it long ago. Send a Yamanaka to dig in my memories? Best case, their specialist gets tossed out of my head like a drunk from a bar. Worst case—the Kyūbi snaps the intruder's mind in half.]
A sharp knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts.
He and Naruko exchanged a look—they weren't expecting anyone.
When Menma opened the door, there stood… a huge figure that looked like a white-furred monkey in a black kimono. Its face was stern, but its eyes had a faintly warm squint.
"I am Enma, Monkey King—friend and ally of Hiruzen," he said in a deep, slightly gravelly voice.
"A talking monkey!" Naruko whispered in awe, her eyes lighting up as if she'd just met her favorite manga hero. "That's so cool!"
"I'll take that as a compliment," Enma nodded slightly, and a spark of mischief flickered in his gaze.
"So why are you here?" Menma asked calmly.
"Hiruzen wants to see you both in the Hokage's residence," Enma replied.
"What for?" Menma narrowed his eyes.
"You'll find out soon enough," the monkey winked, and before the twins could object, he scooped them onto his broad back in one swift motion, wrapping them in his tail so they wouldn't fall off.
Enma moved fast and almost silently, like a giant shadow leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Sometimes he grabbed the thick electric wires with his hands, swinging on them like jungle vines. Each jump opened up new views—bright shop signs below, late merchants hurriedly packing up their goods, and random passersby who froze with their mouths open at the sight of a strange white-furred creature carrying two kids on its back high above the streets.
Naruko squealed and laughed with delight, waving her arms as if she were on a carnival ride.
[So, the old manipulator decided to bribe the kids with a circus monkey? Well… I'll admit—it worked on my sister. And that's actually for the best. I made a point of not saying a single bad word about "grandpa" during my little revelation. This is a delicate game. If Hiruzen stops believing a jinchūriki can be swayed to his side, he might bow out entirely. And for us, that would mean instant death.]
They reached a district where the streets weren't just crowded—they flowed like a solid human river.
Enma stopped on top of a lamppost in front of the Hokage's residence. From this height, the twins could see everything: the wide square below churned like a hive that had just been poked with a stick. Mothers with babies, old men with canes, shinobi in flak jackets, teens with genin headbands, street vendors with trays strapped to their backs. Some stood shifting from foot to foot, others climbed to higher spots—rooftops, fences, even tree branches.
"I… have never seen this many people in one place," Menma breathed, scanning the sea of faces.
"Hiruzen is about to read the Fourth Hokage's will," Enma replied without turning, his voice carrying a faint pride. "As you can see, your father has quite a few admirers."
With a single powerful leap, the Monkey King landed on the Hokage residence roof, where Hiruzen was already waiting. The old man stood by the door to the stairwell, and when he saw them, he slowly put out his pipe, releasing one last thin trail of smoke.
"Welcome, my children," he said with that public warmth he could put on so well. "Enma, you have my thanks."
"It was nothing," Enma replied, gently setting the twins on the roof and lowering his tail. A moment later, the monkey vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Hey!" Naruko protested. "I wasn't done riding!"
"What's going on here?" Menma asked, calm but with a faint note of suspicion.
"Just a small announcement," Hiruzen smiled slightly at him. "You don't have to do anything. Just stand beside me."
The Hokage stepped up to the railing, with two red-haired children to his right, glancing uncertainly at the crowd.
"I'm glad to see you all here," he began, amplifying his voice with chakra so it rolled over the square like a deep bell. "Today we gather to remember the tragedy that struck six years ago—the night the Kyūbi broke free."
A wave of heavy silence swept through the crowd. Faces darkened.
"That night, many of us lost our loved ones," Hiruzen went on, pausing briefly between phrases. "Children, brothers, sisters. I myself became a widower. And we also lost our protector—the man who ended the Third Great Shinobi War. A true hero. The Fourth Hokage—Namikaze Minato."
[I can feel the prick of hostile stares. The crowd wants to tear my sister and me to pieces… You senile old fool, what are you doing?]
"For security reasons, Minato's will was kept secret," the Hokage's voice softened slightly. "But there is no need for that today. On the night of the Kyūbi's attack, his wife, Kushina, was attended by a team of med-nin. To protect the newborns from enemies—both outside and within—their lineage was hidden. The children were given their mother's maiden name."
He paused, and the crowd listened, holding its breath.
"But times have changed. A decision meant to be a shield has turned into the sharpest of blades… And now I will speak their names." Hiruzen placed his hands on the twins' shoulders. "Uzumaki Menma and Naruko."
The crowd froze. Eyes that had been brimming with hostility a moment ago shifted to shock. Somewhere deep in the mass, someone gasped.
"Minato, at the cost of his life, split the Kyūbi into two halves…" Hiruzen's voice rolled over the square like a heavy wave, and the crowd stood still, afraid to miss a single word. "And sealed them inside his children."
A murmur rippled through the crowd, faint but tense, and Menma caught dozens of held, wary gazes fixed on him and Naruko.
"He did this not out of cruelty, but because he believed," Hiruzen raised his hand slowly, as if underlining every word. "Believed they would grow as strong as he was. That they could tame the Kyūbi."
The crowd still held its silence, and the Hokage's voice rose, becoming almost ceremonial:
"It was Minato's final wish that we treat his children as we treated him! As heroes whose sacrifice saved us all!" He paused briefly, and the wind on the rooftop seemed to carry those words over the people's heads. "They are jinchūriki—our shield against Konoha's enemies! They are Uzumaki—our ancient allies, whose symbol we wear on our vests! They are the children of Minato—the bravest and most noble shinobi of Konoha!"
For a second, there was silence—then the crowd exploded. Applause, shouting, whistling—it all blended into a single roar. Moments ago, the sharp glares had shifted to surprise, and now they held open admiration. The twins' reputation shot upward in an instant—from "demonic spawn" to "Konoha's hope."
[Hmph… the old man can give a speech. Less than twelve hours since our last talk, and he's already arranged everything perfectly. As an enemy, I can't help but respect him.]
Hiruzen tilted his head slightly, giving Menma a quick glance, then turned and led them toward the doors leading down into the building.
In the Hokage's office, where the smell of old wood and tobacco mixed with the faint scent of paper, the old man took off his hat and lowered himself into his chair with a touch of weariness.
"Well?" he asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Good speech?"
Naruko, who had been in half-shock since appearing on the rooftop, finally burst with emotion:
"What?! That was amazing!" She bounced in place, then started hopping around Hiruzen like a hyperactive rabbit. "Everyone was calling me a hero!"
"From now on, that's how they'll see you," the Hokage said warmly, ruffling her hair.
"Why couldn't you have done this from the start?" Menma asked coolly, crossing his arms. "Why hide our father's will?"
Hiruzen sighed—quietly, tiredly, almost theatrically.
"Oh, Menma, you're still too young to understand how politics works. I'm the Hokage, but I'm not all-powerful. Every decision I make has to be discussed with the clan heads and the jōnin council. When I told them about Minato's will, they opposed it."
[Ah yes… the classic 'everyone else is a villain, I'm the only one protecting you' maneuver. He and Kurama would get along just fine.]
"I'm not all-seeing, Menma," Hiruzen went on, softening his tone. "I can't watch over everyone. Yesterday, when you told me how you were treated, I realized the clans and the jōnin council were wrong. Today, I stepped in—against their will—to make your lives better. But I understand… that won't give you back the years spent under the weight of undeserved hatred."
He lowered his gaze to the desk, as if ashamed.
"This is my fault. And I don't deserve forgiveness."
"Don't say that, grandpa!" Naruko instantly latched onto his arm, earning a warm smile from the old man. "You're the best!"
[Right now, I'm genuinely grateful to my sister. She's giving the old schemer exactly what he wants. I couldn't have played it this smoothly myself.]
"There's no sense dwelling on the past," Menma said quietly. "We have to live for the future."
"Thank you, children," Hiruzen placed a hand over his heart. "It means a lot for an old man to know he's worthy of forgiveness. Minato was like a son to me… and you're like my own grandchildren. If anything troubles you, tell me."
"I have a request!" Naruko's hand shot up instantly.
"Of course, my girl," the Hokage smiled almost fatherly. "I'm listening."
"Let Enma give me another ride!" she said, hopping around the office, imitating monkey moves.
"Oh, Naruko, have mercy on the Monkey King," Hiruzen fanned himself with his hat in mock exhaustion. "Maybe later—if you study well."
"I'll be the best student ever!" she gave him a thumbs-up.
"I have a problem," Menma said suddenly.
Hiruzen leaned forward slightly, clasping his hands together and looking directly at him.
"Go on."
"It's about our living conditions," Menma began in an even tone, but with a faint emphasis on each word. "There are two of us, yet we're forced to live in a one-room apartment… with one bed."
He didn't break eye contact, watching for every micro-reaction—and wasn't disappointed. With each word, the old man's face slowly but steadily turned red.
"Damn thieves!" the Hokage growled, slamming his palm on the desk hard enough to make the inkwell tremble. He yanked open a drawer, pulled out a blank sheet and a brush, and began writing quickly, barely containing his anger. "Now they're stealing from orphans… I'll make them regret it…"
The brush flew across the paper, line after line of words incomprehensible to anyone without official training. Hiruzen wrote for several minutes without looking up, then reread it, nodded in satisfaction, and, after nicking his finger, summoned a small, fluffy creature—a miniature monkey in a kimono.
"Whoa!" Naruko gasped in awe, nearly jumping in place.
"This is an arrest order for the head of the orphan affairs department and a full investigation of all his subordinates," Hiruzen explained calmly, handing the scroll to the courier. "Deliver it to Captain Uchiha Fugaku—personally."
The courier nodded silently, gripped the scroll with his tail, gave a sharp salute, and, without wasting a second, darted out the window.
Hiruzen let out a heavy sigh, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and, looking off to the side, muttered:
"Thieves everywhere… You should have been given a two-room apartment, but someone in the administration decided they could rob two orphans without consequence. I'm ashamed I have to work with people like that."
[Give this man an Oscar. Immediately. To spin any of his own failings into self-sacrificing nobility… now that's talent.]
"You can go pack your things," Hiruzen said more warmly now, a gentle kindness returning to his face. "Tomorrow we'll choose you a house—any vacant one in Konoha."
"Yay!" Naruko jumped, beaming like she'd just gotten a birthday present.
"Can we live in our parents' house?" Menma asked innocently. "It would be nice to stay close to… family roots."
"Alas," the old man shook his head slightly. "Minato and Kushina's house was destroyed during the Kyūbi attack."
"What about Uzumaki clan grounds?" Menma asked casually, though he was watching the reaction closely.
"There were never any in Konoha," Hiruzen replied gently. "The Uzumaki were our allies, but they lived in their own nation—Uzushio. It was destroyed twenty years ago."
He paused for a moment, then added:
"In Konoha, there's only something like… an embassy. The Shinigami Shrine. Inside, there are living quarters for the priests. If you like, you could live there."
"I like that," Menma smirked slightly. "We'll continue honoring our ancestors' work."
[At least formally restore clan status. That way, at the academy, stuck-up Uchiha and Inuzuka brats will have one less reason to act superior.]
"The shrine wasn't damaged during the Kyūbi attack," Hiruzen continued. "But the last time anyone cleaned it was Kushina… just before she died."
"Cobwebs won't scare us," Menma said firmly, glancing at his sister. "Right?"
"Right!" Naruko squeezed his hand tightly.
"Little copies of Kushina," Hiruzen smiled with a touch of sadness. "She would have been so happy to see you now."
"No one's tended to the shrine in six years," Menma remarked offhandedly. "Repairs might be needed. But our allowance…"
"Say no more!" Hiruzen cut him off, already pulling out fresh parchment. "One standard orphan stipend, plus the Uzumaki ally supplement, plus the Hokage's children's supplement… and from me personally. Monthly. For each of you."
He signed and stamped the document with a bold seal.
"My grandchildren will want for nothing!"
"Does that mean I can eat ramen every day?" Naruko's eyes lit up.
"Of course," the Hokage nodded.
"Yay! Grandpa, you're the best!"
[He stole far more from our parents' bank accounts. But now's not the time to bring up the inheritance. Everything must be done gradually.]
"Thank you," Menma said calmly with a nod. "We'll go take a look at the Shinigami Shrine, then."
"Yes, yes," Hiruzen waved his hand as if shooing them away with warmth. "Young people should live their own lives, not sit around with an old man."
Then his gaze lingered on Menma, and his voice grew a touch firmer:
"If Kurama speaks to you again—you must tell me."
"Of course," Menma nodded, took his sister's hand, and headed for the exit.
[By pitting two manipulators against each other, I've just improved our lives significantly. Now I need to tell Kurama about Hiruzen's moves… and see what interesting offer he makes me.]