A few minutes later, by a small flowerbed in Konoha's commercial district.
Dappled light filtered through the leaves as Naruto sat on the edge of the planter, clutching an ice cream cone. He eagerly took a massive bite, completely oblivious to the cream smearing the corner of his mouth.
Menma and Hinata sat side-by-side, nibbling delicately at their own treats.
Shennong watched the children with a paternal, affectionate smile, handing the final ice cream to his disciple, Amaru.
"There we go. Consider this my apology for the collision. I hope Amaru can become good friends with all of you." Shennong ruffled Amaru's hair, his eyes crinkling with a warmth that seemed entirely genuine.
Had Menma not known that this man was actually the leader of the Land of Sky—a man masquerading as a wandering physician to gather intelligence and rebuild his fallen nation—he might have been fooled by that humble, honest exterior.
"Say, Mister, where are you from? Your skin is a bit darker than most people around here," Menma asked after a lick of his ice cream, deliberately feigning childish curiosity.
Shennong didn't suspect a thing from a four or five-year-old child who looked like he hadn't even touched a kunai yet. He laughed heartily. "Ah, Amaru and I are commoners from the Land of Rivers. Since our home village is deep in the rainforest near the coast, the people of her clan tend to have darker complexions."
Shennong then began to spin a tale of how he met Amaru and the "interesting" stories they encountered on their travels. His voice had the infectious rhythm of a seasoned storyteller.
Naruto and Hinata, having never left the confines of Konoha, were instantly enthralled.
Menma, however, was mentally projecting a map of the shinobi world.
The Land of Rivers—also known as the Land of Streams—was wedged between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. To its north lay the Land of Rain, and to its south was the great ocean, facing the Land of Tea. As the name suggested, the country was crisscrossed by rivers, and its dense rainforests were home to venomous serpents and ferocious beasts.
As Shennong spoke, deeper memories began to surface in Menma's mind.
He recalled that Amaru's village was deep within that southern rainforest, adjacent to the ruins of the Sky Ninjas' "Royal Fortress."
In the original timeline, Shennong saved Amaru and played the role of a kind elder, teaching her basic medical ninjutsu and earning her undying devotion. But in reality, he was merely grooming her. When the time was right, he ordered the Sky Ninja to raid her village, kidnapping the inhabitants to provide sustenance for the Zero-Tails.
Shennong eventually used a forbidden Body Regeneration technique to fake his death, merged with the Zero-Tails, and battled Naruto. He was only defeated when Sasuke used Chidori Senbon to seal his pressure points, causing his regeneration to fail and aging him instantly.
Ultimately, he became the Zero-Tails Jinchuriki, activated the Royal Fortress's massive cannon to level a mountain range, and was finally taken down by Naruto's Nine-Tails-enhanced Rasengan.
Wait... didn't Shennong steal the Zero-Tails sealing scroll from Konoha? As the memories flooded back, Menma's brow furrowed.
The Body Regeneration and Body Activation techniques were likely stolen from Konoha's forbidden archives as well. And I think he had some sort of deal with Orochimaru—Sasuke was sent to find him in the movie.
So, is Shennong here right now to steal those scrolls?
While enjoying the ice cream Shennong had paid for, Menma plotted how to swindle the location of the Sky Ninja's hidden base from this old fox.
The Sky Ninja were a group of exiles living on warships that resembled modern battleships, prowling the seas for twenty years while nursing their grudge against the Five Great Nations. When they finally reappeared, their aerial bombardment of Konoha caught the village completely off-guard.
The Sky Ninja's warships, flight gear, and kunai launchers... those are all treasures. And that Royal Fortress.
The kunai launchers, though bulky as light machine guns, used magazines and full-auto fire—weapons even a civilian could operate. With some modification, the flight gear could be evolved into true aircraft.
As for a power source? He could look for the Gelel Stones—massive reserves of natural chakra that could be mass-produced.
Now that he knew Amaru's origin, the search area was narrowed down to the southern rainforest of the Land of Rivers. He just needed to send a Shadow Clone equipped with Kagura's Mind Eye to conduct a wide-range sweep.
Half an hour later.
Shennong stood up, brushing stray leaves from his knees. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you all. I must head to the hospital now to catch up with some old friends."
Though a wanderer, Shennong visited Konoha frequently. Due to his medical prowess, he was well-acquainted with the staff at the Konoha Hospital. In the future "Sky Ninja attack," he would use this familiarity to strike from within.
"Mister! Amaru! Take care!" Naruto waved, genuinely liking the man. It was rare to find someone who looked at him without malice.
Shennong smiled and waved back, while Amaru stuck her tongue out at Naruto.
Menma and Hinata stood up to say their goodbyes. Secretly, Menma locked onto the chakra signatures of both master and apprentice. From now on, as long as they were within the range of his Kagura's Mind Eye, their movements were his to track.
Southwestern Land of Rivers, in the forest bordering the Land of Wind.
The campfire light flickered against Uchiha Hikari's distracted face. The half-charred fish in her hand smelled of burnt carbon, a far cry from the delicious aroma of the fish Menma used to grill for her.
"Lady Hikari!"
Five Hoshigakure shinobi landed by the fire, dropping to one knee.
Seeing Natsuhi and Hotarubi had returned, Hikari set aside the burnt fish and turned her gaze toward them. "What is the status of the investigation?"
"We have confirmed that the Katabami Gold Mine is under the control of the Kurosuki family," Natsuhi reported, keeping her head low. "To avoid alerting them, our scouts have stayed back, gathering intel from the surrounding villages instead."
For this mission, Hikari was the leader. Natsuhi and Hotarubi each led a three-man squad of Chuunin who had excelled in recent training.
The objective: to "recruit" the Kurosuki family led by Raiga Kurosuki.
And if the Seven Ninja Swordsman refused to see reason, Hikari was authorized to kill him—taking only the Kiba lightning blades and the remaining clan members back to the Land of Stars.