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

Chapter 344 The Arrangements for the New Class 7

The cleanup work on Hokage Rock is proceeding in an orderly manner.

Naruto hung himself on a rope, swinging back and forth like a pendulum, while vigorously wiping the exaggerated sausage lips on the Fourth Hokage statue with a wet cloth in his hand.

The paint wasn't completely dry yet, making it extremely difficult to wipe off, and fine beads of sweat had already appeared on his forehead.

"Brother Menma—" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs as he scrubbed the place clean, "Once we've cleaned this up, let's go eat at Ichiraku Ramen! It's on me! Let's invite Iruka-sensei too!"

His voice was full of energy, showing no sign of frustration at being reprimanded.

Over the years, Naruto's life has indeed changed a lot compared to the original story.

With Menma's help, Naruto no longer has to worry about being turned away by the convenience store owner, nor does he have to eat instant noodles every day.

Menma owns many businesses, including the Kado Department Store and chain restaurants, all of which are open to Naruto.

At twelve years old, Naruto was taller than his peers, had a strong physique, and his smile was brighter than ever before.

Although the villagers still held prejudices against him, at least economically, he no longer had to worry about making a living.

Menma was standing on the statue of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, using chakra to adhere to the rock surface, standing steadily.

Hearing Naruto's words, he looked up at Iruka, who was still sulking on the observation deck, and a smile appeared on his lips:
"You should clean these up first. If Iruka-sensei isn't satisfied, he might give you double the homework."

"Ugh—" Naruto's face instantly fell.

While the Konoha Ninja Academy's curriculum focuses on practical training, theoretical courses are equally important. These include chakra theory, tactical analysis, intelligence gathering and analysis, and even the calculation of the parabolic trajectory of kunai throwing.

This tedious content was torture for Naruto.

In every exam, his grades in the theory courses were always at the bottom.

The thought of facing a mountain of exam papers made Naruto quicken his paint-cleaning movements even more, muttering to himself, "I'll scrub! I'll scrub! I'll scrub as hard as I can!"

Just then, a clear but fiery voice came from above:
"Hey! Naruto! You idiot! Every time you get into trouble, we have to clean up your mess! Get to work! You're so slow, we won't even finish before sunset!"

Before he could finish speaking, a wet brush came crashing down from the sky and landed squarely on Naruto's face.

"Pfft!" Naruto cried out in pain, almost dropping the wet cloth in his hand.

He looked up and saw Hinata standing on top of the statue of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, with her hands on her hips. Her white tracksuit was zipped up, revealing her mesh lining and smooth belly. Her Byakugan eyes were glaring at him.

Unlike the shy and introverted Hinata of the past, she now had sharp eyes, an assertive expression, and exuded the aura of a "big sister".

Among his peers, Naruto was most afraid of Hinata, the eldest sister.

Because this woman is actually capable of physically assaulting people.

"I'm sorry! I'll speed things up right away!" Naruto quickly admitted defeat, and his movements doubled in speed.

Menma watched this scene, chuckled softly, and shook his head.

He lifted his foot, chakra gathering beneath it, and then easily stepped down from the First Hokage statue, walking as if on flat ground on the vertical rock face, and began cleaning the fluorescent yellow graffiti on the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju statue.

Naruto stared wide-eyed.

"Menma-nii! How did you do that?!" Naruto's eyes lit up with envy as he watched the two of them looking so relaxed. He temporarily forgot his fear of being scolded by Hinata, the big sister, and excitedly shouted, "Teach me! Teach me!"

Menma lifted one foot, gesturing for Naruto to look at the sole of his foot: "It's simple, just concentrate your chakra in the sole of your foot and maintain a stable output. The same principle can be used to tread water and climb trees. You'll be able to learn it once your chakra control improves."

"I want to try it!" Naruto couldn't wait to give it a shot.

He closed his eyes and tried to mobilize the chakra within his body, attempting to concentrate it at the soles of his feet.

But problems soon arose: the Nine-Tails within him interfered with his chakra, making it extremely difficult for Naruto to control his chakra.

Chakra levels fluctuate, sometimes abundant, sometimes scarce, sometimes strong, and sometimes weak, making it impossible to maintain stability.

"Whoa-!"

With a scream, Naruto's chakra suddenly exploded out of control, sending him flying backward!
If it weren't for the rope still tied around his waist, he probably would have fallen off the Fire Shadow Rock, which is hundreds of meters high.

At this moment, Naruto was swinging in the air like a human pendulum, his face pale and his heart pounding wildly.

"Hahahaha!" Hinata pointed at Naruto and burst into laughter without any restraint when she saw Naruto's disheveled appearance. Her laughter was clear and loud.

Even Menma, who usually doesn't show much emotion, couldn't help but shake his head as he watched Naruto's comical, exaggerated movements, a look of helplessness and amusement on his face.

"You idiot Naruto! Chakra control isn't something you can just mess around with like that!" Hinata finished laughing, put her hands on her hips, and said in a lecturing tone, "You need to calm down, slowly concentrate your chakra to the soles of your feet, feel the chakra in your feet, like this—"

As she spoke, she deliberately moved lightly across the rock face, demonstrating her skillful control.

On the observation deck, Iruka leaned on the railing, watching the interaction of the three children below, a complex expression on his face.

He stroked his chin thoughtfully: "Menma and Hinata... have they already mastered this level of chakra control skills before even graduating?"

As a teacher, Iruka knew very well what this meant.

Being able to walk on vertical surfaces by attaching chakra requires extremely precise chakra control, a technique that is usually only mastered by Chunin.

“However…” Iruka’s lips curled up slightly, revealing a proud smile: “That’s true, Menma is this year’s top student. Even in the history of the Ninja Academy, very few people can surpass him. I believe that after graduating next year, he will definitely become an excellent ninja!”

His eyes were full of expectation as he looked at Menma.

Meanwhile, inside the Hokage's office in the Hokage Building.

Behind the desk piled high with various documents and scrolls is a wall of glass windows, allowing the person sitting behind the desk to have an unobstructed panoramic view of Konoha, and even a part of the Hokage Rock in the distance.

At this moment, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood in front of this glass window.

His Hokage hat was on his desk, and he was only wearing the Hokage robes, with a long pipe dangling from his mouth, white smoke slowly drifting away.

The afternoon sun shone through the glass onto his face, illuminating his deep wrinkles and gray beard.

His gaze was fixed on the Hokage Rock in the distance.

Even from this distance, you could still clearly see the three small figures cleaning up the graffiti on the rocks, with faint laughter and shouts coming from time to time.

As Naruto clumsily wiped the wall in mid-air, Menma and Hinata helped him by walking along the steep cliff like nimble ibex. The faint laughter of the three children could be heard from time to time. On Hiruzen Sarutobi's wrinkled face, a gentle, nostalgic smile appeared.

He took a light drag on his cigarette, slowly exhaling a gray smoke ring, and murmured, "Youth is wonderful... full of energy, carefree..."

It was as if I could see myself decades ago, training and playing together with Danzo, Koharu, Homura, and Kagami Uchiha at the Ninja Academy.

Naruto's "great achievements" in the village naturally did not escape his notice.

In fact, the Anbu responsible for secretly protecting Naruto had already reported it when Naruto first climbed the Hokage Rock.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not stop it immediately. Instead, he summoned Iruka and asked this teacher, who had the best relationship with Naruto, to handle the situation.

He wanted to give Naruto the space that a "normal child" should have, to make mistakes, be scolded, and then correct them.

Instead of being monitored 24/7 by the underworld like a dangerous item.

He always felt a complex mix of guilt and love for Naruto, hoping he could grow up safely but also unwilling to interfere too much, lest it attract the attention of spies from other ninja villages.

Having Iruka act as a teacher to discipline students is the most appropriate approach.

"call--"

He exhaled a puff of smoke and was about to turn around when he suddenly heard the sound of a window being pushed open behind him.

crunch--

A ventilation window on the side of the office was pushed open from the outside, and a white head poked in, followed by a red coat and wooden clogs...

Jiraiya tumbled in like a nimble cat, landed steadily, and dusted off his clothes.

"Hey, old man, long time no see! You look pretty good!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was already used to Jiraiya's unconventional entrance. He slowly turned around, took the pipe from his mouth, and wore the smile of an elder seeing a long-lost son: "What, after wandering around for two years, you finally remembered to come back?"

"Hey, what are you saying?" Jiraiya walked to his desk. "I just miss the hot springs and taverns in Konoha. No matter how nice other places are, they can't compare to the warmth of home."

His gaze casually swept across the table, then suddenly stopped.

A book lay open on the desk.

The cover is dark blue, with the title "A Spark Can Start a Fire" in gold foil.

The paper and printing process of the book are significantly different from those of books commonly found in the Land of Fire.

The pages were worn and curled at the edges, many paragraphs were underlined in red, and the blank spaces were filled with dense annotations.

Jiraiya's expression turned serious.

He reached for the book, flipped through a few pages, and confirmed the contents.

“The books of the Land of Stars…” He looked up at Hiruzen Sarutobi’s back: “Old man, when did you start studying this?”

Hiruzen Sarutobi finally turned around, walked behind his desk, sat down, and gently tapped his pipe against the edge of the ashtray.

“I had the Dark Side collect this information several years ago.” His voice was calm. “The Star Nation has risen too quickly. We need to know at least what they are thinking and what they are doing in order to better deal with mutations or even… war.”

This book is indeed one of the many books that Kakashi was ordered to collect when he went to the Land of Stars on a mission a few years ago.

What Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't say was that he read this book far more often than was necessary for "studying the enemy's situation."

Jiraiya put down the book and tapped his fingers lightly on the cover.

The book is attributed to the "Star Country Social Research Institute," but it is said to have been written by the ruler of the Star Country.

The content is about theories of social change, national governance, and... revolution.

Many of the ideas presented in the book were put into practice by Jiraiya himself during his two years of travels in the Land of Stars.

Those efficient administrative systems, those policies that benefited ordinary people, those new models that used ninja power for construction rather than killing...

"This book..." Jiraiya carefully chose his words: "What were your thoughts after you finished reading it?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a long time.

The only sounds in the office were the faint crackling of tobacco burning in a pipe and the faint sound of wind coming from outside the window.

Finally, he slowly spoke:
"The book is well-written, the theory is complete, and the logic is rigorous. If the Star Kingdom were to be built according to the ideas in this book, then the country would become very powerful, very wealthy, and also... terrifying."

After a pause, Hiruzen Sarutobi added:

"But Konoha is not the Land of Stars, and neither is the Land of Fire. We have our own path."

Jiraiya looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, noticing the deep wrinkles on his teacher's face and the weariness in his eyes.

He suddenly realized that the old man had aged a lot in the past two years.

It's not because of age, but because of pressure.

Pressure from Danzo, pressure from the Daimyo, pressure from other ninja villages, and... pressure from the rapidly rising Star Country.

“Old man…” Jiraiya’s voice softened a bit: “Naruto will be graduating from the Ninja Academy next year. What are your plans for him?”

Hiruzen Sarutobi relit his pipe and took a deep drag.

White smoke billowed in front of him, blurring his expression.

"What?" His voice came through the smoke: "You want to come back and take him under your wing? As Minato's teacher, you are indeed the most suitable candidate."

This is the truth.

In terms of strength, experience, and connection with Naruto, he is the best choice.

Moreover, with a powerful ninja like Jiraiya protecting him, neither Danzo within the village nor the lurking forces of other ninja villages would dare to easily harm Naruto. But Jiraiya shook his head.

"Take on apprentices, forget it." He waved his hand. "I'm used to being a carefree person, not suited to be a teacher. Besides... I have a lot of things to do myself."

Besides not wanting to be bound, he had deeper concerns, not only about the rise of the Land of Stars, but also about the Akatsuki organization in Amegakure, Nagato and Konan... and Yahiko's death...

He needs the freedom to act, to investigate, to confirm, and ultimately he may have to solve the problem himself.

Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to have expected this, and didn't press the matter, only sighing, "So... what do you think of Kakashi?"

"Kakashi? That kid from the Hatake family?" Jiraiya pondered for a moment, and the image of the silver-haired Anbu member who always looked lazy, covered his face with a mask, yet possessed amazing talent came to mind.

That genius who endured too many tragedies yet remained steadfast in Konoha.

He is Minato's disciple, the captain of the Anbu, and his strength is beyond doubt. He is absolutely loyal to the village.

“His strength is not a problem,” Jiraiya commented. “His experience is also sufficient. But…”

He paused, recalling Kakashina's somewhat withdrawn and closed-off state of mind after the deaths of his close friend and teacher, and said with slight worry, "Is his personality suitable for mentoring Naruto?"

“He is the most suitable candidate besides you.” Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his gaze back to the window, looking at the vibrant little dot on the Hokage Rock, his voice low and full of meaning: “Moreover, sometimes, the process of illuminating others may also illuminate oneself. I believe in Naruto.”

Jiraiya fell silent.

He looked out the window, towards the direction of the Fire Shadow Rock.

Naruto, Menma, and Hinata had finished cleaning up most of the graffiti and were resting on the Third Hokage statue, receiving a lecture from Iruka.

Sunlight shone on them, outlining their faint golden silhouettes.

A complex look flashed in Jiraiya's eyes.

"Maybe," he said softly.

…………

It took a whole afternoon to clean up the graffiti on the Fire Shadow Rock. By the time the last bit of paint was wiped off, the sun was already setting, and the sky was tinged with a warm orange-red.

Beneath the Hokage Rock, on the streets of Konoha.

Iruka walked in front, followed by Naruto, Menma, and Hinata, whose faces still had paint on them.

Naruto had his hands behind his head, while Hinata, the eldest sister, was punching Menma repeatedly, using him as a punching bag. Menma just laughed and took it all. The three of them completely disregarded Iruka's authority.

"Remember this, if you dare to scribble on the Hokage Rock again, it won't be as simple as just cleaning up." Iruka turned around, put his hands on his hips, and looked at Naruto seriously: "I'll give you enough theoretical homework to last until graduation!"

"I-I know..." Naruto replied weakly, his stomach rumbling in protest at just the right moment.

Iruka's expression softened. He glanced at the sky, then at the three students, and sighed.

"Alright, you've all worked hard today. Ichiraku Ramen is on me as a treat."

"Really?!" Naruto's eyes lit up instantly, and he practically came back to life on the spot: "Iruka-sensei is the best!"

"Thank you for your hard work, teacher." Menma said to Iruka after breaking free from Hinata's fist.

"Iruka-sensei, you'd better be prepared." Hinata, the leader, put her hands in her pockets and smiled slightly.

Iruka's lips twitched, realizing he had forgotten about Hinata, the big eater; it seemed his wallet was going to suffer a major blow today.

'Oh well, I can always ask the Hokage for reimbursement later,' Iruka consoled himself.

The four walked towards the commercial street, their shadows stretched long by the setting sun.

The shops along the street gradually lit up, and the air was filled with the aroma of food and the laughter of people returning home.

At this moment, Konoha appeared peaceful and serene.

Meanwhile, at the Hokage Building.

"Hehe, I'm off then, old man, smoke less!" Jiraiya grinned and jumped out of the open window. His long white hair drew an arc in the air and then disappeared. Only the wind blowing in from outside the window gently stirred the curtains.

Watching Jiraiya climb out the window again, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only shake his head helplessly, as if he had long been numb to his disciple's "bad habit" that had persisted for decades.

Only Hiruzen Sarutobi remained in the office.

The Third Hokage stood by the window, looking at Konoha under the setting sun. His pipe had been extinguished, but he still held it in his mouth, as if he were chewing on some kind of bitter taste.

After a long while, he turned around, walked slowly back behind the huge desk, and sat down in the large chair.

The chair creaked slightly, bearing the weight of his aging body.

He opened the drawer on his right and took out a thick document wrapped in kraft paper.

The cover of the document was marked with the word "Confidential," and below it was a line of smaller print: Konoha Ninja Academy Student Evaluation Report.

Hiruzen Sarutobi untied the rope and spread the documents out on the table.

This is an extremely detailed document, covering information on all students in Naruto's class, including family background, entrance exam scores, past assessment data, performance in combat exercises, personality assessments, potential analysis, etc.

There's even a behavioral analysis of Sasuke's clandestine observations conducted as an ANBU member.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the documents, he picked up his pipe again, lit it, and took a deep drag.

White smoke filled the office, blurring his expression.

Jiraiya's refusal to serve as Naruto's mentor Jonin was expected.

That prodigal son never liked being tied down, let alone taking on a long-term responsibility like mentoring an apprentice.

Therefore, there is only one suitable mentor left.

Kakashi Hatake.

But a class needs three people.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze fell once again on Menma and Hinata's names.

One is a commoner genius born from an orphan, the other is the new head of the Hyuga clan, the number one ninja clan in Konoha...

More importantly, they were Naruto's closest peers.

Placing these three in the same class would not only maximize the team's synergy and combat effectiveness, but also deepen their bond with Konoha.

In Hiruzen Sarutobi's view, although Menma came from a commoner background, he had exceptional talent and it was only a matter of time before he became a Jonin. He would definitely become a pillar of Konoha in the future.

Hinata, as the new head of the Hyuga clan and a representative of Konoha's elite families, is destined to be a member of Konoha's next generation of high-ranking officials.

As the son of the Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto also needs to strengthen his bond with the village.

This combination is simply perfect.

"Let's leave it at that for now," Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered to himself, picking up his pen and writing a note at the end of the document.

Instructor: Kakashi Hatake.

Genin Team Members: Naruto Uzumaki, Menma, Hinata Hyuga.

He put down his pen and was about to close the document when there was a sudden knock on the office door.

dong dong dong.

The knocking was loud and slow.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.

At this time, with this rhythm of knocking...

"Come in," he said in a deep voice.

The door opened.

A figure slowly walked into the office.

He was wearing a dark gray kimono with a black robe over it, and he was leaning on a wooden cane with his right hand. He walked with a slightly unsteady gait, as if he had an old injury in his leg.

What is most striking is his face; his right eye and right arm are wrapped in thick bandages, while his exposed left eye is sharp as an eagle's, with a gloomy and oppressive gaze.

Danzo Shimura, leader of the Konoha Roots.

"Hiruzen." Danzo's voice was hoarse and deep, like two rough stones rubbing together: "I have important information."

He walked to the desk, but instead of sitting down, he stood there, staring intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi with his single eye.

Hiruzen Sarutobi put down the document in his hand, closed it, and pushed it aside.

He didn't speak, but simply looked at Danzo quietly, waiting for him to continue.

Danzo didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point:
"These groups are becoming increasingly open and radical. Last week, a riot broke out in Torio Castle, where a mob killed the castle lord's family and declared the establishment of a new country. Although it was quickly suppressed by ninjas sent by the Daimyo of the Land of Earth, the impact has already spread."

"What were the reactions of the Daimyo of the Land of Earth and Onoki?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

"Cleansing out." Danzo's tone was completely flat: "Large-scale searches and executions. In the past month, over three hundred 'rebels' have been executed and over two thousand imprisoned throughout the Land of Earth. But..."

He paused, a cold glint flashing in his single eye:
"The harsher the suppression, the fiercer the resistance. Right now, the lower classes of the Land of Earth are like a pile of dry tinder; they only need a spark to ignite a raging fire."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was silent.

Of course he understood what this meant.

The Land of Stars not only defeated the Land of Earth by force, but is now eroding it with its ideology.

“That old fox Onoki…” Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly began, “He will definitely not stand idly by.”

"Of course not." Danzo's voice was even colder: "The latest intelligence from Root shows that the amount of resources received by Iwagakure has increased by 40% in the last three months. However, after analysis by the intelligence team, it was found that after several reductions in the military under the supervision of the Land of Stars, Iwagakure, which has not been engaged in large-scale wars, simply cannot absorb so many resources with its current ninja size and training intensity."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils contracted slightly.

"You mean... Onoki is secretly building up military equipment?"

Danzo nodded and tapped his cane lightly on the floor.
"Only this explanation can explain why those extra resources—chakra metal, explosive tags, soldier rations, medical supplies—were not used for daily consumption but were stored up."

"Onoki is preparing for war."

The air in the office seemed to freeze.

The setting sun outside the window had completely sunk below the horizon, and twilight enveloped Konoha.

The office was dark, with only a desk lamp casting a dim yellow light that projected Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo's shadows onto the wall, creating long, distorted shadows.

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe again, lit it, and took a deep drag.

White smoke rose slowly under the light.

“If Onoki is going to start a war, he will definitely seek allies.” Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, his fingers unconsciously stroking his warm pipe. “Given his cautious nature, he would never challenge the now-powerful Star Country alone. He will definitely seek allies and unite with other forces that feel threatened and uneasy about the Star Country to take action together.”

Danzo nodded, a sinister glint in his single eye: "The exchanges and interactions between the Daimyo of the Land of Earth and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire have become much more frequent."

"Looking at the ninja world today, only Konoha, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure have the strength to fight against the Land of Stars."

Hiruzen Sarutobi silently puffed on his pipe, the gray smoke rising and blurring his deeply wrinkled face.

Both he and Danzo were aware of this.

The Fourth Shinobi World War seems to be just around the corner.

[PS: Today's picture features Hinata, the big sister, *slurp*]

(End of this chapter)