Naruto: I'm in Konoha, my name is Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 13 Nine-Faced Suvaha

The sunlight lazily spread across the grass, where the children of the Konoha Orphanage were laughing and playing under the care of their caregivers.

Although Kabuto Yakushi had only left the day before yesterday, they were still just a group of children, and they quickly regained their lively and active nature, and laughter soon echoed through the orphanage again.

Pharmacist Nonou leaned against the window of her office, watching the children playing outside, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.

She wished this moment could last forever.

"Director, are you really leaving?" An older female caregiver walked over from behind, clutching the edge of her apron, her face full of worry.

That night, when Danzo came to her door, she was also present as the dean's deputy.

"Yuna, after I leave, I'll leave the children in your care." Yakushi Nonou gave a perfectly timed smile as she turned around.

The female caregiver named Yunna sighed: "It took Mingming so much effort to get the orphanage to where it is now."

Much of the orphanage's funding came from Yakushi Nonou, including her own mission rewards as well as the rewards she received for taking Aki and Kabuto to the front lines to provide medical assistance to the ninjas.

After all, these ninjas can't think of any other ways to make money besides completing missions.

Yakushi Nonou smiled gently at Kumona, reassuring her, "Don't worry, I'll be back in two or three years."

"Also, I'll find a way to bring Kabuto back." Yakushi Nonou still had her thoughts on that bright child.

After Yunna left, Yakushi Nonou turned around and continued to stand by the window, watching the children playing outside.

The sunlight shone on her face, as warm as her smile.

Suddenly, Yakushi Nonou saw a lonely child leaning against a large tree in the distance, holding something in his hands.

"Menma?" Yakushi Nonou also had deep feelings for this special child, and for some reason, she always felt a little uneasy as she was about to leave.

She got up, climbed over the window, and slowly walked towards Mianma.

Under the shade of the big tree, Mianma's lonely figure stood out from the children laughing and playing in the distance.

"Mianma, come play the game too!" A caregiver called out to Mianma, hands on her hips.

"I don't want to play." Menma simply replied, then continued fiddling with the things in her hands.

The caregiver sighed after repeatedly refusing to meet Ma, realizing she was at her wit's end with the child.

She decided to let him play by himself, as long as he didn't disappear from her sight.

Yakushi Nonou slowly walked up to Menma and then it became clear that he was holding a small, dark red fox in his hand, but the fox's head was covered by something and it was wearing a fox mask.

"Menma likes this kind of doll! Has it been named?" Yakushi Nonou didn't ask about the origin of the doll. The orphanage usually received donations from the villagers, so it was normal to have some broken dolls and the like.

Most of the time, caregivers are the ones who repair these dolls.

"Hmm." Menma picked up the little fox with both hands and showed it to his foster mother, Pharmacist Nono.

He then said earnestly, "Nine-faced fox, jade."

Yakushi Nonou stared in astonishment at the strange doll. Its four legs were black, the tip of its tail was black, its head appeared to be wrapped in cloth, and its white fox mask bore the character '玉' (jade).

Yakushi Nonou simply assumed that the caregiver had pieced together two different dolls, so she didn't use her chakra to sense or investigate.

"Hey, hey." Yakushi Nonou crouched down and gently asked Menma, "Menma, what are your dreams?"

As she was leaving, she realized that she seemed to know the least about Ma, the youngest child, and had never heard him talk about his dreams.

"Dreams?" Menma withdrew the Nine-Faced Fox and pondered for a moment with his head down. Before, he wanted to return to the real world.

To this end, they did not hesitate to provoke the Fourth Shinobi World War, bringing pain to the shinobi world of the 'Limited Tsukuyomi World' in exchange for the world's rejection.

Now he's back, but he's become a character who doesn't exist in the original story's main world.

If there is any pressure, it is probably the oppressive feeling from the sky above.

He possesses the Dark Nine-Tails within him and has now developed the 'Nine-Faced Fox Jade', giving him an elite Jonin-level summon beast. Ordinary Kage-level ninjas are no match for him.

Only Madara Uchiha, Nagato in his prime, and Itachi Uchiha posed any threat to him.

Then there's Kaguya Otsutsuki, who was sealed away on the moon.

And, the Otsutsuki clan, which may descend upon us twenty years from now.

Menma raised her head and looked at Yakushi Nonou, her small face serious as she said, "I want a peaceful world without war."

Only without war can the power of the ninja world be unified and developed.

Or rather, the war on the ground is no longer enough for Vortex Mianma; the enemy he must face comes from above the dome!
"A peaceful world without war..." Yakushi Nonou murmured to herself.

I used to think that Dou was the most mature among these kids, but now it seems that Mianma might be the most mature one.

------

Late at night, after packing some personal belongings, Pharmacist Nono said goodbye to the caregivers she had worked with for many years.

They were all kind-hearted women, some of whom were also war orphans, and some of whom had families in Konoha Village and occasionally came to help out as volunteers.

But they have the utmost respect for the hospital director, Pharmacist Nonou.

As the others watched her go, Yakushi Nonou walked out of the orphanage through the side door. As she passed the dormitory where the children slept, she glanced at the sleeping children through the window.

Then it disappeared into the night.

Who knows when I'll be able to return?

Unbeknownst to Yakushi Nonou, above the orphanage, Menma, wearing a white three-eyed fox mask, floated in the starry sky, silently watching Yakushi Nonou depart.

Beside Menma, a female summon beast wearing a long robe and a fox mask floated silently, holding a tiny nine-tailed fox in her arms, her ribbons rippled in the night breeze.

This is precisely the 'Nine-Faced Suvaha Heavenly Maiden' developed by Menma using the chakra of the Dark Nine-Tails.

It possesses the ability to float in the air and can fight using ribbons.

Its true form is 'Nine-Faced Fox Jade'.

As Menma's signature ninjutsu, Nine-Faced Sovaka can only be developed by combining it with the Nine-Tails' chakra.

The code names of the Nine-Faced Beast are arranged in the order of 'Green, White, Vermilion, Black, Empty, South, North, Three, Jade'.

The corresponding zodiac signs are 'Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, Golden Snake, Southern Dipper Immortal, Northern Dipper Immortal, Death God, and Celestial Maiden'.

The codenames of the Nine-Faced Beasts are similar to those of the Akatsuki organization. Each of them possesses a special ability, and their individual combat strength is comparable to that of an elite Jonin. When the Nine-Faced Beasts fight together, they can unleash combat power comparable to that of a Kage.

"I should take action too." Menma's mutterings faded into the night wind.

After watching Yakushi Nonou disappear into the night, he turned and flew towards the towering gates of Konoha.

(End of this chapter)