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

Chapter 244 The Night of Extermination Begins!
A gentle breeze on a spring night swept through the dense forests on the border of the Land of Fire, causing the shadows of the trees to sway and rustle softly.

The enormous waterfall roared, its spray filling the air and reflecting a silvery sheen in the hazy moonlight.

A petite figure landed silently on a giant rock in front of the waterfall. Behind her were several ninjas with restrained auras, whose identities were marked by the uniform five-pointed stars on their headbands—elite Star Ninjas.

The girl in the lead was none other than Uchiha Hikaru.

Her dark Uchiha clan robes fluttered in the wind, her long black hair was tied back, and her cool gaze swept over her surroundings. Her scarlet Sharingan with three tomoe slowly rotated in the darkness, alert to any possible ambush.

Behind the waterfall, shadows writhed, and several figures emerged like ghosts.

They were all dressed in large black cloaks, their faces covered with expressionless fox masks, as if they blended into the night.

Only its calm, abyss-like aura hinted at the immense power hidden beneath.

"We've been waiting for you." One of the fox-masked men spoke, his voice sounding somewhat deep and distorted through the mask: "Please come closer, and do not resist the pull of chakra."

Uchiha Hikari nodded slightly; she knew these were Menma's shadow clones.

He then made a gesture to the Star Ninja behind him.

Although the Star Ninjas were slightly curious, they were disciplined and immediately followed orders.

The fox-masked figures placed their hands on the shoulders of two people. The next moment, space distorted, accompanied by an extremely slight dizziness, and the figures of the group disappeared from in front of the waterfall.

Almost instantly, the surrounding scenery changed drastically.

The dense forest replaced the roaring waterfall, and in the distance, a towering wall cast a huge shadow under the moonlight, like a crouching beast, protecting the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

This is already inside the protective barrier of Konoha Village.

Several figures stood silently in front, gazing at the high wall.

Two of them had slightly ethereal figures, with even tiny scraps of paper fluttering around them, giving them a strange, neither-living nor-dead quality.

Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, resurrected through the Impure World Reincarnation technique, gazed at the familiar yet unfamiliar village and high walls before them, their eyes filled with complex emotions of reminiscence and sorrow.

Minato's hand unconsciously rose slightly, as if he wanted to touch something, but then slowly lowered it again.

Kushina clenched her fists tightly, her long red hair moving without wind, her eyes flashing with a mixture of excitement and sorrow.

“I never thought… I’d see Konoha again…” Kushina’s voice trembled slightly. “But this wall seems to be even higher than when we left.”

"It's for defense, and also... a kind of isolation," Minato replied gently, but his gaze swept sharply over the structure of the barrier and walls.

"Many things have changed."

Standing beside them was Uchiha Shisui.

He was dressed in a dark, close-fitting outfit that allowed for easy movement. His eyes, adorned with three-tomoe Sharingan, were serious as he stared intently in a direction behind the high wall.

That's the location of the Uchiha clan's territory.

The fate of the family, the resentment of the clansmen, his own "death," the suspicion of the higher-ups...

A flood of memories washed over him, causing him to clench his fists tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white.

Although the transplanted eyes have not yet reached the kaleidoscope-like quality they once possessed, his concern and worry for his people have not diminished in the slightest.

At this moment, a fox-faced shadow clone silently approached, breaking the brief silence.

He raised his head and gestured to the area behind the high wall, his voice calm and even: "Behind this wall is the clan territory where the Uchiha clan lives."

Uchiha Hikaru took a deep breath of the cool air to calm himself down.

She knew that the crucial moment of the plan was approaching.

She turned to face the three squads behind her led by Hoshigakure Jonin, her gaze sharp and resolute. Lowering her voice, she ordered, "As planned, each squad disperses and finds the best hiding places. Do not expose yourselves without my orders! Be prepared for battle at any moment!"

"Yes!" came the resounding, deep voices.

Upon receiving the order, the well-trained Star Ninjas immediately dispersed silently into the shadows of the surrounding forest, like drops of water merging into the ocean, completely lying dormant and awaiting the signal that was destined to be stained with blood.

The forest returned to its surface tranquility, with only moonlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled patterns of light.

…………

Meanwhile, inside Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village).

The ninja academy's night training grounds were brightly lit, and the students were conducting evacuation and refuge drills under the supervision of their teachers.

Among the crowd, Mianma behaved normally, blending in perfectly without showing any abnormality.

However, the real Menma had already used a blind spot to switch places with a shadow clone.

His main body instantly sensed the Flying Thunder God Technique from afar, his chakra shifted slightly, and his figure vanished from the ninja academy.

The next moment, he appeared at the Hyuga clan's territory.

Inside the ancestral home of the branch family, Hyuga Neji sat cross-legged on the tatami mat, his face displaying a maturity beyond his years despite being only eight years old.

His gaze kept glancing at the faint, almost invisible mark on the back of his hand, his small hands clasped together nervously.

Suddenly, the air stirred almost imperceptibly, and a figure dressed in a black robe and wearing a white three-eyed fox mask appeared in the room without warning.

"Lord Shura!" Neji immediately stood up, his voice trembling with suppressed excitement.

Menma didn't speak, but simply nodded to him. His right eye instantly changed, and the black pupil was replaced by a swirling pattern.

Kaleidoscope Eye Technique: Wheel Fear!
His eyes flashed, and he stretched out his finger, gently stroking the "Caged Bird" blue cross mark on Neji's forehead.

Neji's body trembled violently as he felt a cool yet powerful force seep into his forehead. The cursed seal that had bound him, stung him, and reminded him of his fate of splitting the family since he was three years old was being ruthlessly erased and annihilated by this force!
The process was brief yet incredibly clear, like a heavy shackle suddenly snapping.

A few seconds later, Menma withdrew his hand.

The kaleidoscope effect in his right eye gradually faded, returning to normal.

Neji couldn't wait to circulate his chakra and activate his Byakugan.

The once insurmountable barrier of the cursed seal has vanished!

The white eye's field of vision instantly expanded to a complete 360 ​​degrees, leaving no blind spots!
An unprecedented sense of freedom washed over him, and immense joy and excitement brought tears to his eyes instantly, causing his body to tremble slightly from the intense emotional fluctuations.

He took several deep breaths before he could barely suppress the sob that was about to escape his lips.

"How do you feel?" Menma asked calmly.

“…It’s better than ever before.” Neji suppressed his excitement and joy, raised his head and looked firmly at the person who had given him a new life and freedom.

"Thank you, Lord Shura!"

"Keep up." Mianma said succinctly.

Neji quickly wiped the moisture from the corner of his eyes and followed the figure without hesitation.

The two walked silently through the courtyard and arrived at Hyuga Hizashi's study.

Mianma tapped lightly on the door a few times in a rhythmic manner.

When the day messenger opened the door and saw Shura standing outside and his son with a smooth forehead behind him, his pupils suddenly contracted and his body trembled violently.

He instantly understood that the long-awaited moment had finally arrived.

The study was dimly lit, and Hizashi's gaze immediately fell on Neji's forehead.

The place was smooth and clean, and the caged bird curse mark, which symbolized the fate and shame of the family division, had disappeared!

A tremendous shock washed over Hizashi like a tidal wave; he opened his mouth, but was momentarily speechless.

His eyes were filled with disbelief and mixed emotions.

He instantly understood that if he hadn't chosen to believe this mysterious "Shura" and hadn't agreed to cooperate with him, then tonight, it might have been his son Neji who had to risk his life to defect.

A strong sense of lingering fear and relief welled up inside me.

"Lord Shura... this..." Hishi's voice was hoarse.

Menma interrupted him, his tone calm to the point of being cold: "Tonight, the Konoha leadership will carry out a massacre of the Uchiha clan."

One sentence, like a thunderclap, exploded in the ears of Hizashi and Neji.

The expressions on the father and son's faces changed drastically in an instant.

Menma continued, "My subordinates have already assembled outside the village. Once the extermination begins, we will launch a full-scale attack on Konoha and rescue as many Uchiha survivors as possible. At the same time, a small team will come to meet the 'birds' from your Hyuga branch family who are willing to leave."

The amount of information is enormous, and the daily workload requires a great deal of effort to digest.

The Uchiha clan was wiped out?
Star Ninja Assault?

Rescue and backup?

All of this is too horrifying.

But looking at the mysterious Asura before him, and at his son's smooth forehead, he had no more doubts.

Hyuga Hizashi took a deep breath, a resolute look flashing across his face, and suddenly knelt down, facing Menma with the highest respect.

He took out a scroll from his robes and presented it respectfully with both hands: "Lord Shura, this is a list of branch families that I have selected after a long period of observation and testing. They all harbor deep resentment towards the main family and even the Konoha leadership, and are reliable candidates. I contacted them under the pretext of my intention to rebel, and so far, no word of it has leaked out."

Mianma didn't take the list, but simply said, "Since you chose them, I naturally trust your judgment. Keep the list safe."

His words stirred a warm feeling in Hizashi's heart—the weight of absolute trust.

Next, Menma took out a strangely shaped wristband, which looked like a metal watch, but had complex runes and a small chakra conduction port on its surface.

"Put it on and activate it with chakra." The mahjong wristband was handed to Hizashi: "It can release the 'Cage Seal,' which can temporarily block the connection between the Caged Bird Seal and the main family, buying you time to escape."

With trembling hands, Hizashi accepted the heavy scientific ninja tool.

This was not merely a tool, but the key to freedom for him and his branch families who followed him.

"When a huge explosion comes from the direction of the Konoha Police Department, that will be the signal to begin the operation," Menma finally instructed.

"Operation code name - 'Out of the cage'."

Having said that, his figure slowly blended into the shadows like a ghost, disappearing completely from the study as if he had never been there. Only the Hizashi father and son remained in the study.

Hizashi gripped the scientific ninja tool tightly, feeling its cool touch and the power within it.

He looked at his son, Neji, whose eyes burned with an unprecedented flame. It was no longer the dejection of resignation, but a light filled with longing and determination for freedom.

“Father,” Neji spoke first, his voice youthful yet exceptionally firm, “Please let me take charge of the rearguard and ambush mission in this operation. I… truly want to fight, for myself, and for everyone who has gained freedom!”

Looking at his son, at his smooth forehead and those white eyes filled with unwavering conviction, Rizashi was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

“Okay! But remember, survival is the most important thing!” He nodded heavily, then raised his hand and wiped away the 'Caged Bird' pattern from his forehead.

"Father! You?!" Neji stared in shock as half of the blue curse mark on his father's forehead was erased like graffiti.

………………

Late at night, in a secluded training room in the Hyuga branch family compound.

The oil lamp emitted a dim, yellowish light, barely illuminating the twenty-odd figures gathered there.

They spoke to each other in hushed tones, their faces showing confusion and a hint of unease.

Why has the head of the branch family, Lord Hijiri, summoned them so late at night?
These people varied in strength, including Jonin in their prime, Chunin and Genin with rich experience, and even a few housewives who had retired from ninja.

But they all share a common characteristic: in their eyes, there lies a shadow that cannot be dispelled, a mark of shame and pain, an unspeakable hatred for the main family and for the fate of the caged bird.

They, along with their imprinted children, totaling fifty-seven people, were the "birds" that Risa had painstakingly selected from nearly a thousand branch family members over several years, the birds most likely and most eager to break free from their cage.

The door to the training room was pushed open, and Hizashi and Neji walked in.

The faint firelight flickered, illuminating their faces.

Instantly, all the whispers ceased.

Everyone's gaze froze, fixed on Hizashi and Neji's foreheads.

There, the blue cross-shaped caged bird markings that should have been there... have disappeared!

Shock, doubt, disbelief, all eventually coalesced into a bold and chilling conjecture that made their hearts pound wildly, bursting forth in everyone's hearts!

Hizashi's gaze swept over every excited yet incredulous face. He slowly raised his hand, revealing the peculiar scientific ninja tool on his wrist.

"Hyuga Tetsu." He called out the first name, and a muscular Jonin stepped forward in response.

Hyuga activated his chakra, and the runes on his wristband lit up, casting a soft light that enveloped Hyuga Tetsuya's forehead.

The caged bird curse that had plagued him for half his life flashed rapidly a few times, then seemed to be covered by an invisible film and completely disappeared!
Hyuga Tetsuya suddenly touched his forehead, feeling the loss of restraint. Overwhelmed by immense joy, his tiger-like eyes instantly filled with tears.

He opened his mouth, but was too excited to utter a sound. He could only kneel down heavily and kowtow to the sir.

"Hyuga Natsu".

"Hyuga Tokuma".

……

One name after another was called, and one branch family member after another stepped forward to receive the miraculous "seal".

Under the dim light, people were sobbing quietly, while others were trembling with excitement.

For the first time, the light of hope shone so realistically into their despairing lives.

When the curse mark of the last clansman was temporarily sealed, the training room was filled with a silent, extremely suppressed yet incredibly intense emotion.

Everyone looked at Rizashi, their eyes filled with boundless gratitude and a resolute determination about to burst forth.

Finally, someone couldn't hold back any longer. Lowering their voice, and with a sob in their throat, they asked with boundless hatred, "Lord Hizashi! Is it time? Should we... lead them back to the main clan?!"

These words immediately garnered widespread agreement, as if the long-suppressed hatred had found an outlet.

Hizashi slowly shook his head, his deep yet clear voice reaching everyone's ears: "No. Our goal is not revenge, but freedom."

He rolled his eyes at the crowd: "Tonight, the Konoha leadership will issue a massacre order against the Uchiha clan."

The news was like another bombshell, leaving the already indignant crowd stunned and plunged into even greater shock and disbelief.

Uchiha?
The most powerful and proudest ninja clan in Konoha and even the entire ninja world?
Are we going to be wiped out?

"This...how is this possible?"

"The higher-ups... they actually..."

"Did the Third Lord give the order?!"

Hizashi raised his hand, silencing the commotion: "The Uchiha's calamity will be our opportunity."

"With the village in chaos and the higher-ups' attention diverted, this will be the perfect opportunity for us to 'break free'! Remember our operation code name—'Break Free'! Not for killing, but to break free from this damned fate and gain true freedom!"

"Now, immediately gather your loved ones here. When the signal sounds, follow the people who are there to meet us, leave this cage, and go to a new world where there are no caged birds!"

…………

Outside the Uchiha clan's territory, at the top of a towering telephone pole.

A slender figure stood there silently, with short black hair and a family crest embroidered with a red and white round fan on his back.

Itachi Uchiha's face was expressionless, but his eyes churned with a pain and resolve that ordinary people could not comprehend.

He slowly took out an animal mask representing the "Dark Division," and with slightly stiff movements put it on his face, covering his still young face that was already burdened with a heavy fate.

The air around him began to distort unnaturally, like ripples on water.

A figure wearing a one-eyed tiger-striped swirling mask and a black robe appeared silently, mysterious and eerie.

"Are you ready?" the masked man asked in a deep voice.

Itachi Uchiha didn't look at him, but nodded almost imperceptibly.

The next moment, his figure vanished from the telephone pole in an instant, using the Body Flicker Technique to disappear into the Uchiha clan's territory below, as if merging into the shadow of death.

Wearing a tiger-striped mask, Obito Uchiha let out a barely audible chuckle, tinged with a cold anticipation.

A strange creature resembling a pitcher plant slowly emerged from the ground beneath his feet, and the half of White Zetsu's body chuckled as it spoke: "Hehe... The show is finally about to begin! How exciting!"

"Go," Obito commanded indifferently, his gaze sweeping over the silent clan territory below, as if watching a play about to unfold.

"You're in charge of collecting Sharingan. But remember to leave some for our 'partner,' lest he get nothing and become desperate."

"Got it~" White Zetsu replied with a grin, his body slowly sinking into the ground.

Obito then turned his gaze to the particularly conspicuous building on the edge of the clan's territory: the Konoha Police Department building.

Tonight, almost all the Jonin of the Uchiha clan have gathered there to discuss the "rebellion" plan that is destined to fail.

He slowly drew the long sword from his back, its cold blade gleaming in the moonlight, and then skillfully fastened a chain around his wrists.

He planned to use the intangible ability of his Mangekyou Sharingan, along with chains and a long sword, to efficiently "clean up" the Uchiha elites who had gathered together.

…………

Within the clan's territory, Uchiha Izumi walked alone on her way home.

"Strange, it's so quiet..." For some reason, ever since it got dark, she had been restless, feeling that something extremely terrible was about to happen.

A faint, nauseatingly sweet and fishy smell seemed to permeate the air.

She stopped abruptly, her face turning deathly pale.

This smell... it's the smell of blood!

In an instant, an overwhelming fear gripped her!

In a daze, she thought she had once again fallen into the endless, desperate illusion of "Night of Extinction" constructed for her by the mysterious masked man.

She suddenly looked up at the sky; the moon was half-hidden by dark clouds, and the moonlight was cold and normal.

It wasn't that eerie blood moon from the illusion!
This was the insignificant yet crucial marker she finally found to distinguish reality from illusion after experiencing countless deaths in that cruel world of illusion.

Reality...this means...

The overwhelming fear was like ice water poured over her head, leaving her feeling cold all over.

She remembered the masked man's cold words, the so-called "script for the night of genocide".

Without a moment's hesitation, Uchiha Izumi instantly activated her three-tomoe Sharingan, the crimson color replacing her jet-black pupils.

She pulled a kunai from her ninja tool pouch, suppressed her intense fear, and ran wildly following the increasingly strong smell of blood!
Walking through familiar streets, turning the corner...

The sight before her struck her like lightning, leaving her frozen in place, her blood seemingly frozen at that moment!
What she saw in her Sharingan was a street stained with blood.

Familiar neighbors, children I used to play with, kind old people...

They were now all cold, twisted corpses, lying in pools of blood, their eyes wide open in death.

The heavy atmosphere of death was almost suffocating.

Amidst this mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood, stood a figure she knew all too well.

The man was dressed in the uniform of the Dark Guard, but he was not wearing a mask.

His short black hair and handsome profile were stained with glaring blood, and his expression was as cold as ice.

The ninja sword in his hand was slowly being pulled from the neck of a familiar middle-aged woman, Aunt Nako. Warm blood spurted out, and a few drops even landed on his pale and expressionless face.

Uchiha Itachi!

Quan's pupils contracted to their maximum size, and a huge shock and sense of betrayal instantly overwhelmed her, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

“Itachi…?” she managed to utter, her voice barely audible, like a sob, filled with disbelief and despair.

The sound was particularly jarring in the deathly silent street.

Even after experiencing the genjutsu of the 'Night of the Clan Massacre' countless times, when the genjutsu became reality and she saw her loved ones lying in pools of blood, Izumi Uchiha still couldn't believe that Itachi, whom she trusted and loved, would do such a thing!
(End of this chapter)