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

Chapter 281 Tsunade's Age?
The dry autumn wind whipped up dust, sweeping across the towering rock walls surrounding Sunagakure Village with a mournful sound.

An unusual tension permeated the village, especially within the heavily guarded training base for secret agents.

More than thirty ninjas stood solemnly on the sand in the center of the base.

They represent the most elite fighting force in Sunagakure at present.

Experienced ANBU elites, battle-hardened Jonin, special Jonin with their own specialties, and elites who are proficient in sealing techniques and control bizarre puppets.

Among them are the white-haired Granny Chiyo and her brother Ebizo; Maki, the calm and capable right-hand man of the Kazekage; and Yura, Fushigi, Yosuke, Komaki, and Sasuke.

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, stood at the front of the group. He had changed into a dark combat suit that allowed for easy movement, covered by a white robe that symbolized his Kazekage status. His expression was as cold and unyielding as a rock.

Without any unnecessary pleasantries, he glanced at each of the elites present and, with a calm and powerful voice, directly announced the purpose of this emergency mobilization.

"According to reliable intelligence, an unprecedented giant creature has appeared in the northern 'Death Sand Sea' region." He paused deliberately to draw everyone's attention.

"Based on preliminary assessment, its form resembles a tailed beast, but... it has ten tails."

Luo Sha's words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly causing a violent commotion and incredulous gasps among the crowd.

"Ten tails?!"

"How can it be?!"

"What a joke!"

Especially those ninjas who had personally experienced the rampage of the One-Tailed Shukaku, such as Pakura and Maki, had their expressions instantly become extremely solemn, even ugly.

Shukaku's sky-covering sandstorms and malevolent chakra are indelible horrors in their memories.

And now, a Ten-Tails that is possibly even more powerful than Shukaku, and one that I've never even heard of, has appeared?!
The mere thought was enough to send chills down the spines of even seasoned veterans like them.

Luo Sha raised his hand, quelling the commotion, his voice carrying an air of authority: "The intelligence has been verified multiple times and is absolutely correct. Whatever it is, since it has appeared within the territory of my Land of Wind, we must find out its origin and purpose!"

His sharp gaze swept over the crowd: "We have two mission objectives: First, to capture this 'Ten-Tails' if possible. If successful, it will greatly enhance the village's strategic strength; second, if capture is difficult, we must at least find out why it appeared and ensure that it does not threaten the oasis towns in the heart of the Land of Wind, and even more importantly, prevent it from approaching Sunagakure! This is the highest priority mission, and we cannot afford to fail!"

Once the order is given, there is no room for doubt.

Despite their shock and doubt, all the ninjas present straightened their backs and answered in unison, "Yes, Lord Kazekage!"

Luo Sha gave everyone half an hour to prepare.

The team immediately dispersed, with the Jonin squad, sealing squad, medical squad, communications squad, and others each heading to their respective depots to conduct final equipment checks and resupply according to their roles.

In the passageway leading to the armory, Yura, tall and thin with a somewhat sinister look on his face, looked at the busy medical team members and couldn't help but mutter to his colleague beside him, "Tsk, if only Yashamaru were still here for this kind of large-scale mission, his medical ninjutsu and trap setting would save us a lot of trouble."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Maki, whose face had been grim the entire time, cast a stern glance at him and hissed, "Yura! Watch your words!"

Yura suddenly realized he had misspoke and quickly shut up, glancing furtively at Rasa Kazekage, who was whispering with Chiyo and Ebizo in the distance.

Yashamaru, the younger brother of Rasa's deceased wife, was once an outstanding Jonin of Sunagakure, especially skilled in medical ninjutsu and the precise setting of bomb traps, making him an excellent supporter in missions.

However, not long ago, Gaara, whose mental state was unstable due to the loss of control over the One-Tailed Shukaku within him, accidentally killed his uncle, who had always cared for him, in an accident.

Luo Sha made this announcement to the public, but the matter was shrouded in mystery and was a sensitive and taboo topic within the village.

On the other side, the young special jonin, Komaki, a female ninja skilled in sealing techniques and still with a somewhat childish face, quickly caught up with her teacher, Yekura.

"Teacher Yekura!" Komaki asked, her voice tinged with nervousness and a hint of excitement, "Do we need to prepare any specific sealing talismans? I heard..."

Ye Cang stopped and turned around. Her face was resolute, but there seemed to be a hint of dazedness hidden in her eyes.

She interrupted Xiao Juan, her tone unexpectedly stiff: "Xiao Juan, go prepare your own standard ninja tool kit first. The sealing team has a unified plan. I... I need to prepare some things separately."

Xiao Juan paused for a moment, then scratched her head in confusion as she watched Ye Cang's somewhat hurried departure.

'Yakura-sensei seems a bit strange today…' she thought to herself, but quickly attributed it to the pressure of facing an unknown and powerful enemy. After all, Yakura was a ninja who had experienced the Shukaku riot, so it was normal for her to be cautious.

Instead of going to the public equipment depot, Yekura went straight back to her simply furnished home with a small training room.

She closed the door behind her, leaned against the cold door panel, and took a deep breath.

She walked to the corner of the training room and began mechanically counting and organizing the usual ninja tools such as kunai, shuriken, and explosive tags.

However, just as she picked up a new roll of detonating tags, a sudden, irresistible wave of drowsiness washed over her.

Her movements froze, and her eyes instantly became empty and lifeless.

On the back of her right hand, a faint red mark flickered briefly before disappearing.

At this moment, Yekura's consciousness seemed to be temporarily stripped away.

Her body seemed to be controlled by invisible threads, standing stiffly in place. A faint but special chakra fluctuation flowed into an invisible "chakra network" through a way that transcended conventional perception.

Brief information about the assembly of Sunagakure's elite forces, their target being the Ten-Tails, their departure time, and their approximate personnel composition was quickly disseminated.

This is the passive effect left by Uchiha Hikaru's Mangekyou Sharingan eye technique "Tsukuyomi Mark".

Once the "spies" with the imprint are exposed to key information or missions related to the Land of Stars in their consciousness, this subconscious hypnotic control will be triggered, and the intelligence will be automatically transmitted back through a pre-set "chakra network".

In the Star Kingdom, there are specialized intelligence personnel responsible for receiving and filtering these fragments of information from all directions, piecing together valuable intelligence from them.

A moment later, Ye Cang shook his head violently, and his eyes regained their clarity.

She looked blankly at the explosive tag in her hand, then looked around.

"What happened? Was I too tired just now?" she muttered to herself, rubbing her throbbing temples, assuming it was just a temporary mental exhaustion caused by overtraining due to the recent tense border situation.

She dared not delay any longer, quickly packed up the necessary ninja tools, and hurriedly left home, heading to the designated assembly point in the north of the village.

When she arrived, most of the people had already assembled.

Ye Cang's gaze swept across the group, and he quickly spotted his disciple, Xiao Juan, in the area of ​​the sealing class.

However, the next moment, her pupils suddenly contracted.

Among the experienced ninjas in the sealing squad, a short figure who stood out from his surroundings was particularly conspicuous.

It was a seven-year-old red-haired boy, wearing a slightly oversized brown robe, tightly clutching a tattered teddy bear toy in his arms.

He lowered his head, his pale face showing obvious unease and fear. He was Gaara, the son of the Fourth Kazekage Rasa and the Jinchūriki of the One-Tailed Shukaku.

Yekura's brows furrowed immediately. She strode over to the Jonin squad's area and approached Baki, the Jonin squad leader in charge of coordinating the operation, asking, "Captain Baki, why is Gaara here?! He's just a child! Facing that unknown monster is too dangerous!"

Maki crossed his arms, his face equally grave. He glanced at the small, solitary figure in the distance, sighed, and said in a low voice, "Ye Cang, do you think I wanted this? I know perfectly well that he's still just a child."

His gaze shifted to Luo Sha's cold, hard back, his voice carrying a hint of helplessness and resolve, "However, this is Lord Fengying's order."

"We are about to face a being that may be even more terrifying than Shukaku. If things get out of control, we need to ensure we have sufficient means to deal with it. The power within Gaara... is our last resort."

Upon hearing this, Ye Cang's heart sank.

She understood Maki and Rosa's plan.

They want to use Gaara, this seven-year-old child, as a trump card that might be played at a crucial moment!
She looked at Gaara's uneasy eyes, then at Rasa's expressionless profile, and a complex emotion welled up inside her.

Just then, Luo Sha turned around, his gaze sweeping over the assembled team, confirming that everyone was in place.

He didn't offer any further encouragement; he simply raised his hand and swung it forward forcefully.

"set off!"

The command was concise and cold.

Led by Kazekage Rasa, a special operations force of thirty-six men, comprised of the village's elite fighters, departed the village like a silent sand serpent, heading towards the unknown and perilous "Sea of ​​Death" against the northward-swept sandstorm.

………………

The dry wind whipped up sand, whistling through the ruins of the sand city.

Tsunade slowly opened her heavy eyelids, and what came into view was a rough roof made of sand and stones. She found herself lying on a pile of hay in the corner of a simple gravel hut, covered with a slightly worn but still clean wool blanket.

She sat up, her head still a little dizzy, as memories flooded back.

The confrontation with the mysterious black-haired boy, the earth-shattering battle between two terrifying tailed beasts in the distance, and... the faint scent of blood on the other party that instantly rendered her powerless to fight.

Tsunade shook her head forcefully, forcibly suppressing the association with "blood" deep in her heart. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her still somewhat disordered heartbeat and breathing.

She stood up, moved her somewhat stiff limbs, and confirmed that apart from the psychological impact of hemophobia, she was physically fine.

Pushing open the creaking, dilapidated wooden door, Tsunade stepped out.

Outside the door lies the ruins of an ancient city, half-buried in yellow sand.

The dilapidated walls, crumbling pillars, and weathered stone carvings all speak of the ruthlessness of time and the former glory.

The scorching sun poured down on the desolate ruins without any obstruction, and the air was filled with the smell of sand and dryness.

And further away, that chilling scene still exists.

The colossal beast, hundreds of meters tall and possessing ten tails, was tightly bound by several enormous black rods and chakra chains. It was roaring in pain and rage, its massive body twisting futilely, causing the earth to tremble slightly.

The dark red nine-tailed fox lay on the ten-tailed fox's body, greedily devouring its vast, ocean-like chakra. Dark red energy flowed visibly into its body.

"Lady Tsunade! You're awake!"

A quiet, delighted call came from not far away.

Tsunade turned her head and saw Shizune standing beside an ancient well that looked like it had long since dried up, holding a wooden bucket half-filled with water. Ton-ton, who was standing at her feet, was making "Ton-ton" noises, as if to express her concern.

Jingyin hurried over carrying a bucket of water, her face filled with concern: "How are you feeling? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"

Tsunade waved her hand to indicate that she was alright, but her eyes involuntarily scanned her surroundings, searching for the boy's figure.

"It's just an old ailment; it's gotten better now. What about that kid?"

Jingyin raised her hand and pointed to the top of an ancient tower in the ruins that was relatively well-preserved but half-collapsed: "He's there."

Tsunade looked in the direction Shizune was pointing.

On the crumbling walls of that tower, weathered by wind and sand, a dark figure sat quietly on the edge.

He had his back to them, facing the distant "feast" between the tailed beasts. The hem of his black divine robe fluttered slightly in the dry wind, like an indifferent spectator watching a play.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly.

She walked to the bucket of water that Jingyin had brought, bent down, scooped up the cool water with both hands, and splashed it vigorously on her face.

The biting cold instantly dispelled the last trace of drowsiness, completely waking her up.

Water droplets slid down her smooth cheeks and golden hair, dripping onto the scorching sand with a soft "sizzling" sound.

She straightened up, without saying a word, her chakra slightly gathering beneath her feet. With a few light leaps, she ascended the dilapidated tower and landed steadily beside Menma, together gazing at the incomprehensible scene in the distance.

The wind was stronger on the tower, causing the two of them to flutter their clothes.

Menma seemed to have already sensed her arrival. Without turning around, he simply turned his head slightly and asked in a flat tone, "Awake?"

His gaze lingered briefly on Tsunade's golden hair, which shone even brighter after being wet, and her face, which appeared even more beautiful due to the water droplets. In particular, her stunning figure was even more breathtaking under the outline of her wet clothes.

'Speaking of which, Tsunade must be over forty by her age, right? She's really well-preserved...' A wicked thought flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

Tsunade ignored his glance; her mind was entirely focused on the mystery before her.

She got straight to the point, her voice tinged with inquiry: "I still don't know your name, are you a descendant of the Uzumaki clan?"

She deliberately paused slightly on the words "descendant" to observe the other person's reaction.

This young man embodies too many contradictions and unbelievable things.

The bloodline of the Uzumaki clan, the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan, and those two unheard-of tailed beasts.

But she remembered that Kurama was clearly in Konoha!
And the Ten-Tails?

She had lived for over forty years but had never heard of any ten-tailed fox.

Upon hearing this, Menma's lips curled into a faint, slightly mocking smile: "Descendant? I hardly qualify as a descendant."

"Although our Uzumaki clan is no longer as prosperous as it once was in Uzumaki Village, if you count carefully, there are probably still six or seven members with pure bloodlines."

Several names and figures flashed through his mind.

Vanilla Uzumaki, Karin Uzumaki, Nagato, Hinoka, and myself and Naruto.

This doesn't even include some of the clansmen who have been scattered and undiscovered.

"Six...six or seven people?!" Tsunade's eyes widened suddenly, her face filled with disbelief, and her voice unconsciously rose a little.

"You're saying the Uzumaki clan still has six or seven members with pure bloodlines?!"

This number was undoubtedly a huge shock to Tsunade, who had experienced the destruction of Uzumaki Village and always believed that the Uzumaki clan had been wiped out.

In the ninja world, a clan with a special bloodline limit or secret technique that can retain six or seven members with pure bloodlines and a high probability of possessing considerable strength is already considered a medium-sized ninja clan that should not be underestimated!
Many small ninja clans may nominally have dozens of members, but the number of those who can truly inherit the clan's core abilities and meet the standards of a ninja is often only that many, or even fewer.

She lowered her head, her delicate brows furrowed, lost in thought.

The news was so shocking that she had to reassess many things.

For example, if there are so many survivors from the Uzumaki clan, why hasn't Konoha found them again?

Was it not found, or...?

At the same time, the more Tsunade looked at the boy's face, the more she felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if she had seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where.

This sense of familiarity tickled her heart.

She looked up and asked again, "So, what's your name? A member of the Whirlpool Clan who holds so many secrets must have a name, right?"

Menma, seeing Tsunade's persistent questioning, knew that she wouldn't give up until she got an answer.

He certainly couldn't tell her her real name, "Whirlpool Noodles," right now.

Meeting Tsunade's scrutinizing gaze, Menma gave a slightly mysterious smile and clearly stated:

"You can call me—Shura."

These two words, like a thunderclap, exploded in Tsunade's ears once again!

"Asura?!"

She almost instinctively took a half step back, her eyes widening instantly.

Tsunade scrutinized the handsome, slightly immature black-haired boy in front of her, who looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, and couldn't reconcile him with the infamous "Shura" who was renowned throughout the ninja world and feared by all the major ninja villages!
That "Shura" established the unorthodox Star Kingdom, slaughtered countless nobles and daimyo, and became infamous.

He infiltrated the heavily guarded Hidden Leaf Village twice and again as if it were empty, and even in front of many elite ninjas of the Hidden Leaf Village, he forcibly took four pairs of precious Byakugan from the main branch of the Hyuga clan!

That "Shura" caused a great loss to the Hidden Cloud Village, which had two perfect Jinchuriki, the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails, and was known for its martial arts. It is said that even the Fourth Raikage, A, and those two Jinchuriki were seriously injured by him. His fearsome reputation in the Hidden Cloud Village was said to be enough to stop children from crying!
To achieve this level of skill, Tsunade believed that even the three legendary Sannin, when gathered together, could manage it, but none of them alone could possibly do it!
In the imagination of Tsunade and even the higher-ups of all the ninja villages in the entire ninja world, the "Shura" who could do such earth-shattering things and possess such terrifying strength should at least be an imposing, unfathomable middle-aged powerhouse or a sinister old man, even if he was not a blue-faced, fanged, and ferocious monster.

But in front of...

This guy, leisurely sitting atop the dilapidated tower enjoying the "scenery," even exuding a touch of youthful spirit...

It's actually that "Shura" who stirred up the ninja world and gave the five great nations a headache?!

The stark contrast left even the usually knowledgeable Tsunade speechless for a moment. She stared at the boy who called himself "Shura" with disbelief, as if trying to see right through him.

[PS: Today's picture, open it on a certain website, and begin your prayers!]

(End of this chapter)