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

Chapter 208 Kushina: A 300-year-old daughter-in-law?!

The night gently enveloped the courtyard of the Menma family.

Warm yellow light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, flowing into the living room covered with a dark velvet carpet, creating an indescribable, subtle atmosphere that blended the old and the new.

In a corner of the living room, Kushina Uzumaki sat gracefully on a soft leather sofa.

She had changed out of her dark gray cloak and was now wearing the dark green dress she used to wear in life, which barely covered the ashen appearance of her defiled body, but the spiderweb-like black cracks on her face and arms were still clearly visible.

She sat upright, exuding a natural aura befitting a mother's generation. Her eyes, with a grayish halo, were observing the girl on the opposite sofa with interest and goodwill.

At this moment, Uchiha Hikaru lowered his head slightly, his hands were awkwardly folded on his knees, and his fingertips unconsciously twisted the hem of his clothes, making him seem somewhat restless.

The aloof and even slightly displeased demeanor she had displayed on the veranda had completely vanished. She huddled on the sofa, like a kitten that had wandered into unfamiliar territory and was looking at by its owner with a bit of panic.

Faced with Kushina's undisguised, curious, and kind gaze, she felt her cheeks flush slightly, and even her ears turned a little red.

Mianma came out of the kitchen carrying a fruit platter containing freshly washed apples, oranges, and several bunches of glistening grapes.

He gently placed the fruit plate on the glass coffee table in front of the sofa, making a crisp sound.

Then, he walked very naturally to the sofa where Uchiha Hikaru was sitting and sat down next to her.

The sofa sank slightly, and the two people's arms almost touched.

Uchiha Hikaru's body tensed up for a moment. Feeling the familiar body temperature and aura around him, his sense of helplessness subsided slightly, but his heart seemed to beat faster.

She glanced up at the calm, expressionless face beside her, then quickly lowered her eyes again.

"Have some fruit." Mianma picked up an apple and skillfully began to peel it with a knife, his movements fluid and natural, as if unaware of the subtle tension in the air.

Kushina's gaze swept back and forth between the boy and girl sitting side by side opposite her a few times, and a smile of extreme satisfaction, even a hint of relief, gradually appeared on her ashen face.

That smile, though etched with cracks on his face, was still as warm as melting spring snow.

"Hikari-chan, is it alright if I call you that?" Kushina's voice carried the warmth and curiosity unique to an elder: "Which branch of the Uchiha clan in Konoha are you from? Your clan leader's wife, Mikoto, and I are best friends who grew up together!"

She brought up old friends with great interest, seemingly trying to rekindle the relationship.

After all, her consciousness was still stuck at the moment before she died. She had just become a mother, and now her child was already dating.

Kushina was also a little nervous, pondering how to handle her relationship with her daughter-in-law. After all, both she and Minato were orphans and had no experience in this area.

“I…” Uchiha Hikaru was about to answer when he was calmly interrupted by Menma beside him.

"Mom, Hikaru isn't an Uchiha from Konoha." Menma handed Hikaru a small piece of apple that Menma had peeled. Hikaru took it instinctively, and her fingertips touched Menma's fingertips, causing her to tremble again.

"Huh?" Kushina's smile froze, her head tilting slightly to one side, revealing an extremely confused expression, as if she couldn't understand the meaning of those words. "Not from Konoha? Then..."

The whole apple, which had been peeled, was handed to Kushina.

Although she couldn't taste anything after being resurrected through Edo Tensei, Kushina still retained her old habits and accepted the apple her son offered her.

Mianma picked up an orange and slowly peeled it, introducing it in a calm tone: "Strictly speaking, she is probably over three hundred years old."

Click.

The piece of apple that Kushina had just received seemed about to fall, so she quickly gripped it tighter.

But her expression had completely turned into a big question mark, her eyes, which had a gray halo, were wide open, and she seemed to have been paused and completely shut down.

"Three...three hundred years old?!" Kushina's voice rose eight octaves, filled with disbelief. Her gaze refocused on the aloof girl opposite her, who looked no more than fifteen years old, as if she were looking at some prehistoric monster.

"Hmm." Menma peeled off a segment of orange and naturally offered it to the still somewhat bewildered Guang's mouth.

Guang subconsciously opened her mouth and took it in. The sweet and sour juice spread in her mouth, which brought her back to her senses from the shock of "three hundred years old". Her cheeks turned even redder.

Menma continued to explain, her voice flowing clearly in the warm living room: "She was a figure from the Warring States period. Because she was too powerful, she was sealed deep within a certain ruin in Uzushio Village by the Senju clan, the Sarutobi clan, and our Uzumaki clan. The seal lasted for more than three hundred years. Later, I went to Uzushio Village to search for the Uzumaki clan's legacy and accidentally broke her seal."

He glanced at the light beside him: "So, she has little to do with the current Uchiha clan of Konoha."

Kushina listened quietly, the shock on her face slowly fading, replaced by a deep light mixed with understanding and tenderness.

She looked at Uchiha Hikaru's beautiful face, and at the occasional glimpse of alienation and loneliness in her eyes that seemed out of place in this era.

Suddenly I feel like she looks a lot like Menma...

“So that’s how it is…” Kushina murmured, her voice filled with a deep sigh.

She suddenly stood up, and under Uchiha Hikaru's somewhat astonished gaze, she took a few steps around the coffee table, opened her arms, and without saying a word, forcefully hugged the "three-hundred-year-old" girl into her arms!
The cold, dusty embrace was not warm, but it was unusually firm and resolute.

"Poor child..." Kushina's voice rang in Hikaru's ears, filled with maternal tenderness and heartache.

“A person… must have been very lonely being locked up in a place like that for so long…” She gently patted Guang’s back, her movements careful yet full of sincerity.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, this is your home from now on! If that brat Mianma dares to bully you, just tell me! I'll teach him a lesson for you!"

"Pfft!" Mianma, who was drinking water, almost choked and looked at his mother speechlessly.

He thought of Kushina in the "Limited Tsukuyomi World," who also had a fiery temper. If you offended her, you would be severely punished, and even his father, Minato, couldn't save him.

Uchiha Hikaru, who was being held tightly, was as stiff as a wooden sculpture.

The resurrected Kushina was surrounded by cold flesh, but the unreserved acceptance and warmth conveyed in those words were like a scorching current, instantly filling her heart.

Over three hundred years of being sealed away, the bewilderment of waking alone in the darkness, the alienation from integrating into the new era…

A flood of complex emotions surged up, making her nose sting.

Her stiff arms slowly, tentatively, gently wrapped around Kushina's waist, burying her face in that dusty yet incredibly comforting embrace, and she murmured a soft "Mmm."

This was one of only two instances in her hundreds of years, besides Mianma, that she had experienced such pure, selfless care.

The atmosphere in the living room instantly became incredibly warm and inviting.

As Menma watched this scene, a hint of tenderness flickered in his azure eyes.

"Alright, alright," Kushina released Kou, her ashen face now beaming with a smile, and took her hand.

"Don't just sit there! Come to the kitchen with me! Let Mianma watch TV by herself! Let's talk!" Without waiting for a reply, she pulled Guang, who was still a little dazed, up and walked towards the kitchen, leaving Mianma, who had just picked up the remote control, alone in the living room.

Soon, the kitchen was filled with the sounds of running water, the clinking of pots and pans, and Kushina's enthusiastic voice.

"Hikari-chan, this refrigerator is huge! It can hold so many things!"

"Hmm... this is a new product I bought a while ago."

Wow! This stove! You don't need to light a fire??

"Electric stoves...are very common now."

"Hikari-chan, what do you and Menma usually like to eat?" "We... are fine."

"Let me tell you, back in Konoha, Mikoto and I..."

In the living room, Mianma turned on the large-screen TV embedded in the wall.

Clear images and sound played, broadcasting a report from the official news channel of the Land of Stars about the grand entrance ceremony for the latest batch of students in the Star Ninja Village. The images flashed across the screen, showing summer, fireflies, and Yakushi Nonou speaking as the vice principal.

He leaned back on the sofa, his gaze fixed on the screen, but his thoughts seemed to drift to the incessant chatter coming from the kitchen.

The kitchen door opened and closed, releasing an enticing aroma.

Kushina seemed to be pouring out all the maternal love she had accumulated over the past ten years at once, directing the still somewhat inexperienced Hikari to assist her. Together, the two managed to prepare a sumptuous dinner.

The atmosphere became even more peculiar at dinner.

Uchiha Hikaru and Menma sat to one side, their faces still flushed, occasionally passing each other food.

The two moved with practiced ease and naturalness, revealing a strange tacit understanding and habit.

Kushina sat opposite the two, watching the cool, beautiful girl who was taking good care of her son sitting next to him.

Kushina's ashen face broke into an extremely complex yet incredibly happy smile, her eyes filled with a loving light that said, "My son has found a really good partner."

The meal ended amidst Kushina's rambling and Hikaru's occasional soft responses.

After the meal, Uchiha Hikaru got up and quickly began to clear the dishes and take them to the kitchen to wash.

Kushina wanted to help, but as soon as she stood up, her gaze fell on the busy figure in the kitchen, and she seemed to see her best friend Mikoto. Mikoto was also a Jonin of the Uchiha clan, but she retired after getting married and devoted herself to her family.

Kushina glanced at Menma sitting on the sofa, and her longing and worry for Naruto surged up again.

She walked to the sofa and sat down next to Menma.

The television was still playing a promotional video showcasing the bustling night view of Star City, a stark contrast to Kushina's somber mood.

"Menma..." Kushina's voice lowered as she gently took Menma's hand, which was resting on the sofa. Although she couldn't convey warmth, her concern was crystal clear.

"Naruto... Naruto... is he doing well in Konoha? Is the Third Hokage... taking good care of him?" Her gaze was fixed on Menma's eyes, filled with hope, yet also with deep-seated worry.

Mianma remained silent for a few seconds, the light from the television screen flickering in his azure eyes.

He gently patted Kushina's cold hand, his voice low and calm, and slowly said, "The Third Hokage... has taken care of him. He's been provided with lodging, and his basic needs are met. But..."

He paused, noticing the sudden tension in Kushina's eyes. "In the village... there's a persistent rumor that he's the reincarnation of the Nine-Tailed Fox. The villagers... have transferred their fear and hatred of the Nine-Tailed Fox onto Naruto. Nobody wants to approach him; children throw stones at him, and adults look at him with disgust..."

Kushina's body trembled violently, her ashen hands clenched tightly, her knuckles turning even paler from the force, as if she wanted to crush something.

The black cracks seemed to have deepened.

She couldn't shed tears, but the heart-wrenching pain was clearly etched on her face.

"The Third Hokage hired nannies, but none of them were willing to take care of him long-term. They kept changing nannies, and in the end..." Menma sighed, "So Naruto lived alone from a young age. In an empty house, he ate expired milk and instant noodles, learning to take care of himself..."

"No...don't say anymore..." Kushina suddenly lowered her head, her shoulders in her impure body heaving violently as she let out a suppressed sob.

She seemed to see her son, with his radiant blond hair, like a little sun, sitting alone in a cold room, hugging his knees, gazing at the myriad lights outside the window…

The loneliness and pain are suffocating just to think about.

She couldn't understand why Menma's tragic experience could be blamed on that mysterious masked man, or explained by his disappearance; but why didn't Naruto receive better care?

The only sounds in the living room were the cheerful background music from the television and Kushina's suppressed sobs.

Mianma sat quietly.

After a long while, Kushina's emotions finally calmed down a little.

She raised her head, her face crisscrossed with cracks, her gray eyes filled with profound sorrow and deep helplessness.

Menma looked at her, sighed softly, and softened his voice: "Mom, don't be too sad. Tomorrow, I'll take you to Konoha. Let's see Naruto with our own eyes, and also... see what Konoha has become after you and Father sacrificed yourselves."

Kushina nodded vigorously, a glimmer of hope appearing on her ashen face.

Being able to see Naruto in person, even just from a distance, would be a great comfort to her.

The night is getting darker.

The next morning, the winter sun shone gently through the huge French windows, filling the living room.

Menma walked down the spiral staircase, wearing simple dark-colored loungewear.

He walked slowly toward the large French windows leading to the courtyard.

Through the clean glass, a tranquil and warm scene comes into view.

The courtyard was covered with a thin layer of snow that had fallen the night before, which glistened in the morning light.

Under the ancient veranda, Kushina and Uchiha Hikaru sat side by side.

Kushina was still wearing that dark green dress and a thick cloak.

Uchiha Hikaru was dressed in a simple, home-style kimono, with a beige cardigan draped over it.

A small red clay stove sat between them, the charcoal inside burning brightly and making a soft crackling sound.

An antique copper kettle sits on the stove, its spout emitting wisps of white steam. The aroma of tea mingles with the scent of charcoal fire, drifting gently through the cool air.

Kushina tilted her head, talking animatedly to Hikaru with a warm smile on her face, gesturing with her hands.

Uchiha Hikaru leaned slightly forward to listen, his cool profile softened in the morning light, and a faint smile even played at the corners of his mouth.

She would occasionally nod slightly or respond in a low voice.

This obedient demeanor in front of his elders is a stark contrast to the arrogant and domineering Uchiha he usually is.

Fine snowflakes drifted down from the clear blue sky, silently landing on the snow in the courtyard, on the tiles of the veranda, and on their hair and shoulders.

The red glow of the fire illuminated two faces from different eras, yet they seemed to blend together in a wonderfully harmonious way.

The aroma of tea fills the air, and time seems to stand still gently in this corner.

Menma stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, leaning against the pillar by the window, a slight smile on her lips, quietly appreciating this heartwarming scene.

The morning sunlight fell on him, and in his azure eyes, the snow, the firelight, and the two figures talking and laughing softly were reflected, creating a scene of clear peace.

(End of this chapter)