A month after the Crush, the training field behind the old academy looked almost peaceful.
I stood in the center of Training Ground Seven, staff planted in the dirt, the faint hum of nature chakra brushing the edges of my senses. Monkey Sage training had become part of my routine. Short bursts, controlled breaths, nothing reckless. The monkeys didn't tolerate recklessness.
Enma had made that clear.
The contract with the Monkey Clan had been sealed two weeks after the Crush.
I had bitten my thumb, drawing blood, and performing the summoning jutsu. In a puff of smoke, one large, gray-furred monkey with a scar over its brow leaned against a tree with folded arms.
Enma's envoy, his name was Salem.
"You carry the staff well," he had said. "But you do not yet carry the discipline."
So I trained with him.
Balance. Breath. Intent.
Monkey Sage Mode wasn't something I could hold yet, not fully at least, but I could touch it. A flicker. A heartbeat. Enough to sharpen my senses and steady my movements.
Team Taka stood in a loose triangle around me. They weren't allowed outside the village yet, but they were free to walk the streets, train, and breathe.
Team Taka trained at Training Ground Seven now.
They wore Leaf headbands. It still looked strange.
Karin adjusted hers constantly, like she was waiting for someone to tell her it wasn't real.
Suigetsu wore his loose, like it was a decoration.
Jugo wore his properly.
They were technically Leaf genin.
They looked different because of it.
Karin's posture was straighter. Suigetsu's grin came more easily. Jugo's eyes were calmer.
Freedom suited them.
"Again," I said. "Together."
Karin moved first.
Her chakra chains erupted from her palms in a spiraling arc, glowing gold with Uzumaki intensity. But this time she didn't lash blindly. One anchored to a tree behind me. The second curved low, aiming for my ankle.
Suigetsu attacked immediately after, blade cutting through the space Karin's chain forced me into.
Better.
I pivoted and deflected the chain with my staff, but Suigetsu was already adjusting. His blade liquefied mid-swing, reforming behind my guard. Hefting the massive greatsword I'd given him. It wasn't Kubikiribōchō, not yet at least, but it was heavy enough to train his muscles and technique.
I ducked, letting the blade pass over my shoulder.
"Too slow," I said.
He grinned. "Too smug."
Jugo stepped forward next.
He inhaled deeply. Nature chakra pulsed faintly around him, enough to thicken the air. His arm shifted, bone and muscle hardening into a partial transformation. But his eyes stayed clear.
He aimed not for my head. For my staff.
Smart.
He struck the wood, forcing me to shift grip.
Karin's second chain snapped upward.
I let go. The staff fell.
Suigetsu's blade came down.
I stepped inside his range and drove my elbow into his ribs before he could solidify fully.
He staggered.
Jugo lunged again, faster this time.
I caught his wrist and redirected him into Suigetsu.
They both hit the dirt.
Karin's chain wrapped my arm for half a second.
Good.
I channeled lightning, not enough to harm, just enough to disrupt. She yelped and released.
I retrieved my staff and stepped back.
Silence.
They were breathing hard.
"That," I said, "was better."
Suigetsu wiped blood from his lip and grinned.
"We almost had you."
"You almost coordinated," I corrected.
"You're different," he said. "Since the Crush. Stronger. Sharper."
"Training," I said simply.
"With who? Kakashi? Asuma?"
"Monkeys."
He blinked. "What?"
"Never mind."
He stared at me for a long moment, then shrugged.
Karin scowled. "You dropped your weapon on purpose."
"Yes."
Karin groaned. "You're a menace."
Suigetsu wiped sweat from his forehead. "I'm starting to think joining the Leaf was a mistake."
Jugo tilted his head.
"You trusted we would not kill you."
"I did."
That hung there.
Trust.
Earned, not assumed.
He looked at me.
"You push us," he said. "But you don't break us."
Karin's expression softened. Suigetsu looked away.
They were becoming a team. Not Orochimaru's tools. Not Root's experiments. A real team.
A team with choice. I was proud of them. I didn't say it out loud.
Shikamaru appeared at the edge of the field, hands in his pockets, expression bored.
"What a drag," he said. "The Hokage needs you."
I twirled my staff once and rested it against my shoulder. "Now?"
"Yeah. And bring your gear."
Suigetsu raised an eyebrow. "Field trip?"
"No," I said. "You three stay here. Keep training."
Karin nodded. "We'll be fine."
Jugo bowed his head. "Return safely."
Suigetsu waved lazily. "Don't die. It'd be annoying."
I smirked. "I'll try."
Rock Lee was already waiting when we arrived, standing perfectly straight, hands clasped behind his back. His new flak jacket looked almost too clean.
Shikamaru had been promoted for the same reason as before. He saw the board before others did.
Lee had earned it. During the Crush, he never stopped moving. Never hesitated. He held off more enemies than most jonin.
Discipline came in different forms.
He bowed. "Menma! Shikamaru! It is an honor to be assigned together!"
Shikamaru sighed. "Too loud."
Kakashi looked up from his paperwork. "Good. You're all here."
He slid a report across the desk.
"There are rumors of an Akatsuki sighting on the outskirts of the Land of Fire. A shinobi in red armor and a conical hat was seen fleeing from someone in a black cloak with red clouds."
Lee's eyes widened. "The Akatsuki… already?"
Kakashi nodded. "The fleeing shinobi is believed to be Han. The Five‑Tails jinchuriki."
Shikamaru frowned. "And we're supposed to… what? Capture him?"
"No," Kakashi said. "Protect him. And gather information."
I felt something cold settle in my stomach.
Han.
And Akatsuki.
This wasn't a coincidence.
Kakashi continued. "You three are the only chunin available who can move quickly and think on your feet. This is reconnaissance and support. Not a fight."
Lee saluted. "We will not fail!"
Shikamaru groaned. "We're going to fail."
I tightened my grip on my staff. "We'll manage."
Kakashi's visible eye softened. "Be careful. And Menma… don't shoulder everything alone, trust your team."
I nodded.
I didn't promise anything.
As we moved through the canopy, Lee kept pace beside me with perfect form, barely breaking a sweat.
"Menma," he said, "your staff work has improved greatly! Your movements are sharper. More decisive!"
I shrugged. "I've been practicing."
"Practicing?" Lee gasped. "You move like a master!"
Shikamaru snorted. "Don't encourage him. He's already impossible to keep up with."
"You kept up fine during the Crush," I said.
Shikamaru scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, well… I had to. It was a drag, though."
Lee leaned forward mid‑jump. "Shikamaru has improved, too! His shadow range has increased by at least twenty percent!"
Shikamaru groaned. "Please stop measuring me."
"It's impressive," I said. "Your chakra control is cleaner."
Shikamaru blinked. "You noticed?"
"You're harder to sense now."
He looked away, pretending not to be pleased.
Lee beamed. "We are all growing! Youth blooms even in dark times!"
"Please don't start," Shikamaru muttered.
I allowed myself a small smile.
This was good. This was a team.
It felt almost normal.
Then the air shifted.
Nature chakra brushed against my senses like a cold wind.
I stopped mid‑step.
"Menma?" Lee asked.
"Someone's here," I said.
A moment later, a massive figure crashed through the trees.
Red armor, steam rising from his body, chakra burning like a furnace.
Han.
He skidded to a stop when he saw us, steam hissing from vents in his armor.
When Han crashed through the trees, Lee stepped forward immediately.
"Sir! We are shinobi of the Hidden Leaf! We mean you no—"
Han's steam flared, cutting him off.
Not hostile. Panicked.
Shikamaru's shadow snapped out in three directions.
Han moved fast. He twisted mid-stride, steam propulsion blasting him sideways before the shadow could fully lock.
"Smart," Shikamaru muttered.
Lee closed the distance instantly, aiming not to strike but to redirect. His palm struck Han's shoulder and altered his angle just enough for Shikamaru's second shadow thread to catch his leg.
The ground crumbled under Han's weight. The trees crack.
I stepped forward.
"Han. Look at me."
His eyes snapped to mine.
"We're not your enemies."
Shikamaru added, "And if we were, you'd already be dead. So maybe listen."
Lee hissed, "Shikamaru, that is not reassuring!"
"What? It's true."
Han's steam lowered a fraction.
He was listening.
Han's eyes narrowed. "Help me? You don't even know what's chasing me."
"Try us."
He hesitated.
"I tried to outrun them," he said.
Steam vented slower now.
"They do not tire."
My stomach tightened.
"Details," I said.
"A woman with purple hair who turns into paper," he said. "An orange‑haired man with many piercings and strange purple eyes. And a woman who looks like him."
Konan.
Deva Path. Naraka Path.
My stomach dropped.
"We need to move. Now."
Shikamaru released him slowly.
Han did not attack.
That was trust. Or desperation.
"We head west," I said. "Open ground is death."
Lee nodded.
Shikamaru sighed. "This just got worse."
We moved. Fast.
But I already knew.
If they had found Han, they would not be far.
Nature chakra shifted behind us.
Subtle.
Then four distinct signatures pressed down on the forest.
We stopped.
Branches cracked overhead.
I looked up.
Four figures stepped out from between the trees, each with orange hair, each with Rinnegan eyes.
Animal Path. Asura Path. Preta Path. Human Path. We were surrounded.
Lee inhaled sharply. "Menma… what do we do?"
I tightened my grip on my staff.
"Get ready, we run on my signal."
The storm had found us.