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

Chapter 349 Classification
The torrential rain in Amegakure never stops.

The gloomy sky, like a heavy curtain soaked in water, hung low over this city of steel and concrete.

Raindrops pounded incessantly against the glass windows of the tower, producing a monotonous and oppressive sound, meandering down the window frames like the endless tears of this weeping city.

The tallest iron tower in Amegakure was once the residence and ruling center of the "demigod" Hanzo the Salamander.

Now, it has a new owner.

On the wide platform at the top of the tower, a figure sat quietly on the edge.

Beneath his short orange hair, several short black sticks were embedded in his face, like some kind of eerie decoration, or perhaps a mark of suffering.

What's most striking are those eyes, with pale purple sclera and several concentric black circles in the center, like the eyes of a god looking down upon the world.

Pain, the Deva Path.

One of the Six Paths of Pain controlled by Nagato, and also the form in which Nagato most often appears to outsiders.

He looked down upon the city he had saved and then ruled, in this posture.

In the legends of the Rain Village ninja, he is a "god" who brings peace; in the eyes of the "Hanzo remnants" who secretly resist, he is a false god who usurped power; and to those ninjas who are completely disillusioned and flee the country, he is just another tyrant who maintains his rule through violence.

The footsteps came from inside the room behind me; they were very light, but still clear amidst the rain.

Konan walked to the edge of the platform and stood half a step behind Payne.

She wore a black trench coat embroidered with red clouds, her light purple hair was tied into a simple bun at the back of her head, and her face was as calm as ever, but deep in her blue eyes, there was a trace of worry that was not easy to detect.

“Pain.” Konan’s voice was soft, like raindrops falling on water: “Something seems to have happened in Konoha. Zetsu has already gone to investigate, and we should have news soon.”

"Hmm." Pain didn't turn around; his Rinnegan remained fixed on the endless rain outside.

After a few seconds of silence, a ripple suddenly appeared on the platform's surface.

A bizarre plant resembling a pitcher plant "grew" out of the ground, quickly unfolding to reveal its distinct black and white half: the left side was pure white with an exaggerated smile, while the right side was deep black with a gloomy and indifferent expression.

"Wow, wow, wow, this is terrible!" The white half spoke first, its voice high-pitched and exaggerated, its gesticulating manner completely out of place in the serious environment: "Something big has happened in Konoha! That guy Mizuki, he sent out some information as planned, but he was too greedy and actually tried to kidnap the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki as well! And then... and then something unexpected happened!"

The black half coldly replied, "The person has been captured by Konoha's Anbu, and their fate is unknown. This lead is broken."

Konan frowned slightly: "Mizuki... was he one of the spies Orochimaru traded to us back then?"

“That’s right, that’s right!” White Zetsu continued in that exaggerated tone, “That guy was originally just an ordinary Chunin teacher. Our task for him was to gather information on the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and deliver it regularly. Who knew he was so greedy? Seeing that the Jinchuriki was just a kid who had just graduated, he wanted to kidnap him to get a bigger reward… Tsk tsk, human greed!”

Pain finally turned his head slowly.

The Rinnegan's gaze fell on Zetsu, its eyes devoid of any emotion, yet causing the incessantly chattering White Zetsu to instinctively shrink back.

“Just a pawn.” Payne’s voice remained calm: “Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

His gaze returned to the window, as if Shui Mu's failure and the breakdown of this intelligence line were nothing more than an insignificant piece captured on a chessboard, not worth much thought.

But Konan knew that Nagato's heart was not so calm.

The Nine-Tails, the most powerful of the nine tailed beasts, is an indispensable key to their "Eye of the Moon Plan".

From a very early stage, the Akatsuki organization had been collecting information on the Jinchuriki of various ninja villages, and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, whether it was Nagato or the man who called himself "Uchiha Madara," received the highest level of attention.

Although losing this lead wouldn't necessarily create a gap in their surveillance of Konoha and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, it would undoubtedly attract Konoha's attention.

The air suddenly swirled and twisted.

Swirling patterns unfolded not far behind Payne, and a figure wearing a tiger-striped one-eyed mask slowly emerged from the vortex.

“I’ve heard.” Obito’s voice came through the mask, carrying a deliberately imitative aged and hoarse tone, but a trace of youth could still be discerned upon closer listening: “The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has graduated from the Ninja Academy. I believe that soon he will begin to carry out missions and leave the protection zone of Konoha.”

He walked to Pain's side, also looking out at the rain, his single eye beneath the mask gleaming with calculation: "Shouldn't our tailed beast capture plan... begin?"

Pain did not answer immediately.

After a few seconds of silence, he slowly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible sarcasm: "Madara, you seem to have forgotten that the One-Tailed Beast is not in Sunagakure right now."

Obito's expression beneath the mask darkened slightly.

The Gedo Mazo absorbs the tailed beasts in the order from the One-Tailed to the Nine-Tailed.

Now, Gaara, the Jinchūriki of the One-Tailed Beast and formerly of Sunagakure, is no longer in Sunagakure.

Three years after the war, the Land of Stars annexed the Land of Wind, and Sunagakure became history. Gaara joined the Star Ninja and became a ninja of the Land of Stars.

This means that if they want to launch the Tailed Beast Capture Plan, the first thing they will have to face is the Land of Stars.

And that man—Shura.

Both Obito and Nagato fought against Shura.

Although neither of them explained the outcome of the battle in detail, they both knew that it was a crushing defeat.

Nagato's three Pain forms were easily defeated, and he even lost the Asura Path and Animal Path. Obito was deliberately toyed with. The fact that the two of them were able to leave alive was less due to their strength and more due to the fact that the other side did not intend to kill them all at the time.

“I know the One-Tail is in the Land of Stars.” Obito’s voice turned cold, deliberately maintaining the tone of Madara: “But according to the intelligence that the White Zetsu scouts from the Land of Stars, the One-Tail Jinchuriki has already begun his mission. The Land of Stars is so large that it is impossible to closely monitor every White Zetsu who infiltrates it.”

The Land of Stars occupies most of the western part of the Ninja World continent, but even White Zetsu can only operate in some areas far from the Star Capital.

Obito paused for a moment, then continued, "We can wait for the right opportunity. When the One-Tailed Jinchuriki appears in other countries or on a mission at the border of the Land of Stars, we can quickly capture him. As long as the plan is meticulous and the action is swift, we can succeed before the Land of Stars can react."

Pain slowly stood up.

His movements were slow, but an invisible pressure spread as he stood up, and even the surrounding rain seemed to pause for a moment.

"First, we need to ascertain the situation of the Jinchuriki in each of the major ninja villages." Pain turned around and looked directly at the single eye under Obito's mask. "If we target the One-Tailed Jinchuriki, we must be prepared for a full-scale war with Shura and the entire Land of Stars. Ideally, we should collect all the Tailed Beasts as quickly as possible and create the ultimate weapon."

This statement caused the atmosphere on the platform to freeze instantly.

Xiao Nan's breathing became slightly rapid.

There was a silent silence beneath Obito's mask.

Although it's hard to admit, the strongest and most powerful force in the ninja world today is undoubtedly the Land of Stars and its ruler, Shura.

That man not only possessed unfathomable personal strength, but also commanded elites from ancient ninja clans such as the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Uzumaki, as well as a group of scientists and a modern ninja force equipped with scientific ninja tools and highly trained.

To wage war against such an opponent means that the first battle is also the decisive battle!
The silence lasted for more than ten seconds.

Finally, Pain turned his gaze to Zetsu: "There's one more thing. Haven't you gathered more information about the legend of the 'Ten-Tails' from three years ago?"

About three years ago, on the eve of the great war between the Star Kingdom and the Wind Kingdom, a terrifying rumor circulated in the desert region north of the Wind Kingdom, near the Star Kingdom: witnesses claimed to have seen a ten-tailed monster appear deep in the desert, emanating an aura of world destruction.

Although the giant beast disappeared quickly, the rumors spread to various countries of the ninja world after the war, along with the exile of the Sand Village ninjas.

There are even rumors that the war between Sunagakure and the Land of Stars was caused by the struggle for this tailed beast.

The core plan of the Akatsuki organization was to collect the nine tailed beasts and create the "Ten-Tails," which was the ultimate weapon once controlled by the Sage of Six Paths and possessed the power to destroy the world.

So when the rumors of the "Ten-Tails" appeared, Nagato and Obito even suspected that there might be a traitor within the organization who had leaked the secret of the "Ten-Tails".

"Oh dear~" White Zetsu said again in that exaggerated tone, "That 'Ten-Tails' seems to have disappeared! We searched that desert thoroughly, but we couldn't find any trace of it. Moreover, the Land of Stars is currently carrying out some kind of 'desertification control project' in that desert, with Star Ninja patrolling every day, which greatly restricts our movements!"

Black Zetsu added in a much calmer voice, "It cannot be ruled out that the 'Ten-Tails' is related to Shura. If Shura really mastered the power of the Ten-Tails, then his terrifying strength would have a reasonable explanation."

But its real confusion was: why is there a second ten-tailed fox?

And that mysterious man who once fought against Shura in Amegakure was equally powerful. He easily killed the Shura Path Pain with a wave of his hand. But where is he now?

Too many mysteries.

Too many variables.

Black Zetsu attempted to secretly cooperate with Shura in order to take advantage of him, but Shura was too cautious, and the price he offered made Black Zetsu somewhat wary.

Pain listened silently, his Rinnegan showing no emotion.

After a long while, he turned around again, facing the rain outside the window.

"Continue to monitor all the major ninja villages and ensure that we have information on all the Jinchuriki."

…………

Konoha on the other side.

Sunlight streamed through the windows of the ninja school classrooms, casting bright squares on the floor.

Birdsong drifted in from outside the window, accompanied by shouts from the training ground in the distance. The air was filled with the energy and vitality of youth, as well as the restlessness unique to the boys and girls.

The classroom was filled with excited and expectant new genin.

"Hey! Shikamaru! Shikamaru! Did you see that?!"

Naruto sat in his seat like a hyperactive monkey, turned around, poked his Konoha headband on his forehead with his thumb, and grinned broadly: "I'm a qualified ninja! A qualified one!"

Sitting behind him, Nara Shikamaru rested his chin on one hand and waved the other impatiently, as if shooing away an annoying fly: "I saw it, I saw it... Can you be quiet? I really don't know how someone with ADHD like you passed the test."

Despite saying that, Shikamaru's tone didn't contain any real malice, but rather a hint of habitual helplessness.

Over the years, he had grown accustomed to Naruto's perpetually energetic personality, although most of the time, that energy was used to create trouble.

"Wang! Wang!"

Kiba's dog, Akamaru, barked twice, as if echoing Shikamaru's words. Kiba immediately raised his head smugly and said to Naruto, "Did you hear that? Even Akamaru thinks you're too noisy! And you, you probably barely passed your theoretical knowledge test, right?"

"You talk like you're the one who can do so well on the test!" Naruto retorted immediately. "Last mock test, you only scored two points higher than me!"

"Two points is still high!" Ya retorted without backing down. "Besides, I got an A in physical skills! What about you?"

"The examiner just had no good eye! I'll definitely get an A+ next time!"

"You? Dream on!"

The two started arguing as usual, their voices growing louder and louder, attracting the attention of the surrounding classmates.

Next to Shikamaru, Ino and Sakura sat together.

But their attention was clearly not on each other.

Ino rested her chin on her hands, her gaze shifting back and forth between the two figures that had just appeared at the classroom door, her brows furrowing slightly. "How strange... why hasn't Sasuke-kun shown up yet?"

Sakura looked confused as well, her fingers unconsciously twirling her pink hair: "Yeah... Sasuke-kun is usually late too, but today is the day we're assigned to classes..."

The moment Sasuke was mentioned, the atmosphere between the two girls immediately became awkward.

Ino suddenly said with anticipation, "I really want to be in the same class as Sasuke!"

Her gaze involuntarily drifted towards the classroom door, anticipating the appearance of that aloof figure.

"Ino-boo! Don't overthink it!" Sakura retorted immediately upon hearing Ino's words, "I'm definitely going to be in the same class as Sasuke!"

"Huh? Your mediocre ninjutsu?"

"Who are you calling a mediocre person?!"

Shikamaru watched Ino and Sakura start arguing again, then glanced at Choji Akimichi, who was still crunching on potato chips and completely oblivious to his surroundings, and Naruto, who was arguing heatedly with Kiba. He sighed helplessly, feeling his head throb even more.

"Sigh... women are such a hassle..."

His voice was muffled, filled with weariness of this noisy world.

Just then, the classroom door was pushed open.

Menma and Hinata walked in one after the other.

Menma was still dressed in a simple black tracksuit, while Hinata wore a light purple tracksuit. She kept her head down, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes with her small hands, her fair cheeks flushed slightly, and followed closely behind Menma.

The students were already used to them coming in groups.

Upon seeing the top student, the noise in the classroom subsided slightly.

Naruto immediately abandoned his "battle" with Kiba and excitedly waved to Menma: "Menma-nii! Over here!"

Menma nodded to Naruto and sat down with Hinata in the empty seat next to Naruto.

Hinata's cheeks were still slightly flushed. From meeting Menma at her doorstep that morning to walking side by side with him, her heartbeat had not yet completely calmed down.

She glanced furtively at Mianma beside her; he was calmly looking out the window at the playground, his profile exceptionally clear in the morning light.

Just then, the classroom door was pushed open.

Iruka walked in holding a document.

The classroom fell silent instantly.

All eyes were on the teacher.

Iruka walked to the front of the classroom, his gaze slowly sweeping over every face in the room.

Naruto, Menma, Hinata, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Sakura, Kiba, Shino...

Every face was filled with anticipation, nervousness, and excitement.

His gaze lingered on Naruto for a few more seconds, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes.

This problem student who once gave him a headache, this son of the Fourth Hokage who bore the stigma of "Demon Fox," has now finally become a proper ninja.

Although Iruka was still shaken by what happened last night, seeing Naruto's energetic appearance, he knew that the boy hadn't been discouraged by the setback.

“First of all—” Iruka’s voice rang out in the quiet classroom, gentle yet firm: “Congratulations on your successful graduation, becoming a fully-fledged ninja.”

He paused, looking at the students he had taught for six years, especially Naruto, and couldn't help but smile with pride.

“However,” Iruka’s tone shifted, his expression turning serious, “the real hardship is just beginning. From now on, you will be in squads of three, each assigned to a Jonin instructor, and will be tasked with various missions.”

A slight commotion arose in the classroom.

Although most students from ninja clans already knew the procedure, they still couldn't suppress their excitement when the moment actually arrived.

Instructing Jonin!

Mission accomplished!

This means they are no longer students in school, but ninjas who can truly contribute to the village!

Iruka picked up the list from the podium and cleared his throat.

"Now, let's announce the class assignments."

There was silence in the classroom for a moment.

Even the noisiest Naruto held his breath, his hands clenching into fists in tension.

"First class..."

Iruka began to pronounce the names.

One class after another.

The students whose names were called either looked delighted, frowned, or exchanged glances with their future teammates.

“Next is…” Iruka’s gaze moved across the list, then he looked up at the classroom window: “Class Seven.”

Menma, who was whispering something to Hinata, slightly raised her head.

Naruto was so nervous he almost jumped out of his seat.

Hinata twisted her fingers, her cheeks flushed, and her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her chest.

Iruka's voice echoed clearly in the classroom:
"The members of Class Seven are—"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the three faces:
"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Menma."

Hinata Hyuga.

"yeah--!!!"

Naruto jumped up from his seat, raised his hands, and cheered excitedly, "I'm in the same class as Menma! And Hinata too! That's awesome!"

His voice drew either disgusted or amused glances from the students around him.

Hinata lowered her head, her face completely flushed, and her voice was so soft it was barely a whisper: "That's great... Menma-kun..."

But in those pure white eyes, there was an irrepressible joy.

'So this is Class 7?' Menma's expression remained calm, but the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, revealing a gentle smile.

But it makes sense, as this would both deepen Naruto's bond with the village and cultivate his sense of belonging to Konoha as an "orphan".

Get more in one fell swoop.

Next, Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame were assigned to Team 8, and when Iruka called out Sakura Haruno's name, Sakura's face showed obvious disappointment.

Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino were unsurprisingly assigned to Team 9, causing Ino to sigh slightly.

However, the fact that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio has been passed down through generations is something that was destined long ago.

After the class assignment list was announced, some students in the classroom were happy while others were sad.

Iruka put away the documents, placed his hands on the podium, scanned the room with his gaze, and finally said, "That's the class assignment."

"Next, the instructors from each class will arrive one by one to take you away for your first meeting and mission briefing. Please keep quiet in the classroom and wait patiently."

"Remember, from the moment you meet your instructor, the ninja career officially begins! Good luck!"

After Iruka left, the classroom erupted in a noisy discussion once again.

Naruto excitedly pulled Menma and Hinata aside to start imagining their future mission: "What will our first mission be? It would be best if we could defeat mountain bandits! That would be so exciting!"

Hinata responded softly, "Naruto-kun... the mission should be decided by the supervising Jonin..."

"I know! I was just thinking about it!" Naruto grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

Mianma leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes to rest.

After all, who knows when the king of lateness will arrive?

(End of this chapter)