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

Chapter 178 Mastering Yin-Yang Escape Techniques, A Visitor from the Moon

"Hey! Shikamaru! Choji! Ino!" Naruto, with his sharp eyes, spotted them immediately and forgot his anxiety while waiting. He waved his arms excitedly and called out loudly.

"Over here! Come quick!"

"It's Naruto and the others!" Ino, pulling along a somewhat reluctant Shikamaru and Choji who was engrossed in eating potato chips, came over after hearing Naruto's loud voice.

"Hey, good afternoon, Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino." Menma nodded slightly to them as well.

Hinata nervously followed Menma's movements, whispering, "Good afternoon, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino..."

"Menma, Hinata, Naruto, good afternoon!" After greeting them, Ino curiously looked at the long queue and the brand-new store sign.

Shikamaru walked over slowly, his eyelids drooping, and greeted him listlessly: "Oh. What a coincidence."

His dark blue shirt was open at the collar, revealing a gray undershirt underneath, and he looked rather lazy.

Choji's chubby cheeks were stuffed with potato chips, and he mumbled indistinctly.

Ino, dressed in a neat pale yellow short skirt suit, her golden ponytail swaying lively with her movements, said: "When did this shop open? It's so popular, is it a newly opened milk tea shop? I didn't think it was there when I passed by yesterday."

“Yes,” Menma nodded and explained in a steady voice, “Today is the first day of business. It’s one of my family’s properties.”

"Brother Menma! Can your staff make ramen-flavored milk tea?" Naruto peered over the counter, standing on tiptoe.

The smiles on the faces of the busy shop assistants inside froze for a moment.

"This is a beverage shop, not a ramen shop. If you want ramen, I'll take you to Uncle Ichiraku later." Menma glanced at Naruto speechlessly, really wanting to punch him.

Then Menma turned to Shikamaru and the other two: "Perfect timing, today is our grand opening special, please try it out and give us your feedback."

He gestured slightly towards the store, and a neatly dressed, capable-looking store manager immediately noticed him, quickly walked over, and respectfully bowed to Ma: "Young master, what do you and your friend need? This way, please."

He led the six people to a reserved, relatively quiet spot to the side.

"A treat?!" Ino and Choji's eyes lit up at the same time.

Ino was curious about new flavors, while Choji was simply moved by the delicious food.

"Huh? Really?" Choji immediately hugged the bag of potato chips even tighter, his eyes shining as he stared at the drink menu: "Then I want a super-sized... double sugar pudding milk tea! And double the pudding too!"

"That's great!" Ino exclaimed excitedly. "I want the signature fruit tea! Thank you, Menma!"

Shikamaru looked at this "privileged" treatment and then glanced at Menma's calm expression. If it were any other child, they would probably have some undisguised pride and smugness, but Shikamaru noticed that Menma even looked a little annoyed.

She looks somewhat similar to him.

"Troublesome..." Shikamaru muttered to himself, but his eyes darted toward the most expensive items on the menu.

"Then...lemon tea it is." He noticed the shop manager's attitude towards Mian Ma, which was respectful with an indescribable sense of obedience, and was definitely not just that of the boss's son.

But being able to avoid the hassle of queuing and get a free large cup of a drink that doesn't look cheap seems pretty good, right?

He shrugged and lazily said thank you: "Thanks, Mianma, you've really gone to a lot of trouble."

Soon, all six people had their own drinks.

Naruto held a "Full of Energy" special drink slurped up with loud slurping as he ate it, which was covered in red bean paste and glutinous rice balls. Choji squinted his eyes contentedly as he ate his rich milk tea with double sugar and pudding. Ino looked at the beautifully colored fruit tea with great joy and sipped it carefully.

Hinata held a cup of warm red bean milk tea, sipping it slowly, the sweetness seemingly easing her tension; Menma also had a cup of red bean milk tea, but was also carrying a dessert.

Shikamaru took a sip of the lemon tea, which was supposed to be refreshing, but frowned after just one sip, finding it too sour.

Six boys and girls of similar age, each carrying their own drinks, walked slowly along the street, which was gradually being bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

The group naturally split into three groups.

"This! This is so delicious!" Choji held his oversized cup of milk tea in one hand and excitedly pointed to a shop with a sign that read "Secret Recipe Barbecue" with the other, enthusiastically recommending it to Naruto.

"The pork belly, with its perfect balance of fat and lean meat, is grilled until it sizzles and drips with oil, then dipped in a special sauce! Ah!" He squinted his eyes in ecstasy, as if he could already taste it.

Naruto's mouth watered at the mention of it, his bright blue eyes widening: "Really? It's even better than Ichiraku Ramen?"

Because of his infamous reputation as a "fox spirit," many shops avoid him like the plague, and being able to eat at Ichiraku Ramen is his greatest happiness.

At this moment, Choji was introducing the various delicacies of Konoha Village as if they were his own treasures: salt-grilled saury, three-color takoyaki, pork bone ramen, tempura...

Naruto's face was filled with longing and a hint of barely perceptible disappointment.

"Of course!" Choji nodded vigorously.

"And that old-established oden shop, the broth is especially delicious, and the radish inside is stewed until it melts in your mouth..." he went on and on.

"Wow! Choji, you know so much!" Naruto grabbed Choji's arm, his eyes sparkling.

"Of course! Next time if there's a chance..." Choji patted his chest, then suddenly remembered something, paused, and scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

"Uh... I'll treat you to some next time you have the chance!" He vaguely knew Naruto's situation, but being simple-minded, he chose to express his goodwill by sharing.

Menma and Shikamaru walked side by side in the middle, a stark contrast to the lively scene of Choji and Naruto in front.

Menma quietly sipped his seemingly ordinary red bean milk tea, occasionally responding to Naruto's excited questions.

Shikamaru, on the other hand, was mostly silent. His eyes, which were always half-open, seemed to casually sweep over the shops lining both sides of the street, and over the villagers and ninjas who were hurrying by, but his peripheral vision was always watching Menma beside him.

This war orphan was adopted by the merchant Kado...

Nara Shikamaru always felt that there was an incongruous calmness about him, a quality that could not be cultivated in the Konoha orphanage.

The shop assistant was very respectful...

"Hey, Menma." Shikamaru spoke casually, drawing out his words, "Your business... is pretty big?"

Menma glanced at him sideways, his deep blue eyes calm and unwavering: "Most of the Kado Group's businesses in Konoha are registered under my name, after all, I am also a part of Konoha."

His answer was watertight.

"I see..." Shikamaru drawled out the last syllable, then stopped asking.

He knew he wouldn't get any answers.

Behind them, Ino affectionately linked arms with Hinata, while the two girls lagged behind, whispering to each other.

"Hey, Hinata." Ino leaned close to Hinata's ear, grinning mischievously, her voice low, her gaze glancing at Menma ahead: "You and Menma... aren't you...?"

She deliberately dragged out her words.

Hinata's face flushed bright red instantly, like a ripe tomato, even her small earlobes turned pink.

She waved her hands frantically, her voice barely audible, almost drowned out by the noise of the street: "N-no! Ino, don't talk nonsense!"

She quickly stole a glance at the tall, muscular back of the man, her heart pounding, before she quickly lowered her head and stared at her toes.

"Really?" Ino grinned mischievously, nudging Hinata lightly with her elbow. "When you made that declaration at the start of the semester, saying you'd kill anyone who dared to seduce Menma, you weren't this shy."

"And just now in the store, you secretly glanced at him so many times! And your face was all red the whole time!"

She had an expression that said, "I saw right through you."

"That...that's because..." Hinata was so embarrassed she was practically steaming, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, not daring to look up at all.

Hinata's domineering declaration left her unsure how to react. Ino chuckled, stopping her teasing and instead enthusiastically discussing the newly opened jewelry store and Sakura's new hairstyle.

Hinata secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but the blush on her face lingered for a long time, and her gaze would still uncontrollably drift towards that figure.

The golden afterglow of the setting sun outlined the contours of his profile, and Hinata felt a warm, overflowing feeling in her heart, a bittersweet sensation quietly growing within her.

But when she thought of her older sister inside her body, Hinata felt a sense of shame and guilt for doing something wrong, and she buried her head even lower.

The setting sun cast long, long shadows of the six people, and the boys and girls with different personalities created a vivid picture of everyday life in Konoha during this short weekend.

When they parted ways at the intersection, they waved goodbye and promised to meet again at school the next day.

After saying goodbye to his friends, Menma first escorted Hinata back to the gate of the Hyuga clan's territory.

After Hinata disappeared through the Hyuga gate, he turned around and went back to his house across the street.

"I'm going upstairs." After greeting the servants, Menma said this and went straight up the stairs.

Back in his room, he placed the exquisite pastry box bearing the "Wanxiang Sweet Drinks" logo on his desk.

Immediately afterwards, a faint rustling sound came from the black, spiky hair of the man.

A tiny, furry head cautiously peeked out.

The tiny nine-tailed fox, no bigger than a palm, wore a dark red kimono. Its two small fox ears twitched alertly, and its big red eyes stared intently at the exquisite pastry box with the "All Things" mark that Menma was carrying.

"Mianma! Mianma!" Little Nine-Tailed Fox's voice was clear and childlike, filled with undisguised excitement and craving.

The little nine-tailed fox sniffed the sweet fragrance in the air with its tiny nose, and its nine fluffy, dark red tails swayed excitedly behind Mianma's shoulders.

She was wearing a small, exquisite dark red kimono, and her bare little feet were gently tickling Menma's shoulders.

"It smells so good! Is it for me? Is it for me? Mianma is the best person in the world!" she urged impatiently.

A hint of tenderness flashed across Mianma's eyes as he placed the pastry box on the low table and opened it.

Inside were several delicate and small wagashi (Japanese sweets), including red bean paste, matcha flavor, and milk cake shaped like a little fox.

"Yay!" Little Nine-Tailed Fox cheered, transforming into a tiny red shadow and leaping from Mama's shoulder onto the table in an instant.

She carefully picked up a fox-shaped milk cake, opened her little mouth, and took a big bite. Her eyes narrowed into slits with happiness, her nine tails swayed happily, and she made a satisfied purring sound. Her little face was covered with crumbs.

"Yum! So delicious!"

Seeing the adorable way the little nine-tailed fox was enjoying its food, Menma's lips curled up slightly.

After settling the little nine-tailed fox who was immersed in the world of desserts, Menma turned around and walked into the training room partitioned off on the inside of the small house.

In the training room, besides a bookcase filled with historical books, there was also a specially made Flying Thunder God kunai hanging on the wall.

Mianma arrived at the center of the training room, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes.

The vast chakra within his body began to circulate.

Unlike the usual path of refining chakra, he was now mobilizing a deeper, more fundamental power: Yin Release, representing spiritual energy, and Yang Release, representing life energy.

Time passes in silence.

Above the numb face, the air began to distort slightly, and the light seemed to be swallowed up as well.

Initially, only a tiny, extremely fine black substance, somewhere between reality and illusion, was struggling to condense, like a flickering candle in the wind, as if it might dissipate at any moment.

Fine beads of sweat trickled down his pockmarked forehead. He was completely focused, his mental energy highly concentrated, carefully maintaining that fragile balance.

Time slipped away in the silent struggle.

The black substance in the palm gradually stabilized and began to stretch and elongate slowly, as if it were being forged and shaped by an invisible, skillful hand.

Its shape became increasingly clear.

A short stick about thirty centimeters long, completely black, with a smooth surface that shimmers with an ominous glow.

hum!
An invisible wave quietly spread out from Mianma, but was firmly contained within the training room.

A creation of Yin-Yang Escape Technique, a black rod imbued with the power of annihilation!

Mianma's breathing became long and slow, and sweat slid down his sharply defined jawline, but his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, fixed on the formed black rod in his palm.

Every subtle fluctuation of energy, every minute change in form, is under his absolute control.

That black rod seemed to be an extension of his will, cold, pure, and containing the power to destroy all tangible things.

After an unknown amount of time, night quietly fell outside. The black stick in Menma's hand remained intact, unlike the previous times when it only lasted a short time before collapsing.

“I see…” Menma opened his eyes, and a sense of enlightenment and powerful strength arose in the depths of his azure eyes.

This marks that he has finally crossed the most crucial threshold on his path to mastering the power of all things!
He is one step closer to the Six Paths level.

"I have fully mastered Yin-Yang Release. The next step is to refine it. With my current strength, I estimate I can hold my own against Nagato in his prime," Menma pondered.

Even though the Gedo Mazo has been absorbing Nagato's chakra for a long time, Nagato, who possesses the Rinnegan, is undoubtedly the strongest fighter in the current ninja world.

Just as Menma was comprehending the black rod generated by the Yin-Yang Escape Technique and studying its battlefield usage,

Menma's shadow clone, which was stationed on the outskirts of Konoha Village to maintain a wide-area vigil, suddenly dissipated while Kagura's Mind's Eye continued to cover the entire village!

A massive amount of information flooded into the user's mind instantly.

Kagura's Mind's Eye, with its perception as precise as a radar, clearly recorded the last scene captured before the shadow clone dissipated.

Two extremely special, powerful, and unfamiliar chakra reactions appeared out of thin air, suddenly descending outside the Konoha Village barrier and heading towards the Hyuga clan's territory, without even triggering the village's protective barrier!
The feeling of that chakra was cool, ancient, and carried a sense of alienation from the earth, as if it came from beyond the distant heavens, and also carried a hint of...

Is it a shared aura with the Byakugan?
Mianma's expression instantly turned serious.

Moon!

Otsutsuki Toneri!
And his father, who is still alive at this moment!
Sure enough, it came!

The target is the Hyuga clan, or rather, Hinata and Hanabi, who possess the pure Byakugan!

"It seems that Toneri's father has been keeping an eye on the Hyuga clan for a long time. Hanabi has only just turned one year old."

Without the slightest hesitation, he formed a hand seal with his hands.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

A cloud of smoke exploded, and a shadow clone that looked exactly like him but with a relatively weak aura instantly condensed and took shape beside him.

"Follow the Toneri father and son, and find the passage to the moon." Menma's voice was deep.

"Understood!" The shadow clone nodded slightly, its eyes equally cold and sharp.

The next second, his figure vanished silently, like ink merging into water, leaving only a faint ripple in the air.

Inside the training room, the real face with pockmarked features slowly stood up.

He opened his palm, and the black rod that had just been successfully formed floated silently. With a gentle clench of his hand, the black rod disintegrated.

(End of this chapter)