Chapter 5
The Hidden Cloud Envoy Kidnaps Hinata
“Hey, kid, seems like this is your first time here.” The owner of Ichiraku Ramen, Teuchi, smiled with his eyes half-closed and asked Menma, “Want me to recommend some of our popular signature dishes?”
“It’s not my first time here, Teuchi-san,” Menma replied as he came back to his senses. Looking at the chef in the white hat, he casually ordered a bowl of ramen. “One miso chashu ramen. No narutomaki. Extra bamboo shoots.”
“Huh?” Teuchi looked at the boy in confusion. He had absolutely no memory of him.
“I’m really sorry, customer. Maybe I’m just getting old.” Teuchi scratched his head apologetically before laughing. “Then as compensation, I’ll give you a mountain of menma!”
In Japanese, bamboo shoots are pronounced the same as “Menma,” while narutomaki sounds similar to “Naruto.”
Perhaps because of the influence of the Infinite Tsukuyomi world, Menma disliked fish cakes and had a particular fondness for bamboo shoots.
While Teuchi prepared the ramen, Menma focused on listening to the conversation between the two Konoha shinobi sitting nearby.
However, either because they had already shared all the important information or because there was now an outsider present, the two ninja stopped discussing their previous topic and switched to everyday gossip.
They even started talking about a newly released adult romance novel from the publishing house next door.
The topic became so shocking that Menma quickly pushed down the tiny Nine-Tails that had peeked its head out from the fur collar of his fox-themed coat.
When was Jiraiya’s “Make-Out Paradise” published again?
Menma remembered that it had become the most famous romance novel in the ninja world as soon as it was released. If it was already on sale, these two ninja would surely be talking about it instead.
“Kid, your miso chashu ramen is ready.”
As Menma was thinking, Teuchi placed a steaming bowl of ramen in front of him.
Looking at the thick layer of bamboo shoots piled on top and smelling the rich aroma of the broth, Menma picked up his chopsticks and began eating.
Since arriving in this world three years ago, he had spent all his time in the orphanage and had never had the chance to enjoy any real food outside.
At that moment, Menma was like a prisoner who had just been released after serving a long sentence, devouring the ramen with huge mouthfuls.
His eating even attracted the attention of the two ninja beside him.
But after seeing that he was merely a young boy without a ninja headband, eating as though he had been starving for days, they quickly lost interest.
After finishing the large bowl, Menma put down his chopsticks, patted his stomach, and let out a satisfied sigh.
Even though he was using the Transformation Technique, his real body was still that of a child. It would be strange if he wasn’t full after eating so much.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Teuchi said with a cheerful smile.
For a ramen chef, seeing a customer wear a satisfied expression after finishing a bowl was the greatest compliment.
“I left the money.”
Menma placed a fifty-ryo bill on the counter and stood up to leave.
Teuchi picked up the money and watched the boy’s departing figure.
For some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something strange about that child.
After leaving Ichiraku Ramen, Menma walked through the cool night breeze, heading toward the Hyuga clan compound according to the directions in his memory.
“After eating, a little exercise sounds good.”
As he walked, Menma took out a white fox mask with three eyes and put it on.
Hyuga Clan Estate
A ninja with his face covered by a cloth quietly infiltrated the residence of the Hyuga clan head.
“This is surprisingly easy.”
Looking at the sleeping little girl on the bed, the masked ninja pulled out a handkerchief soaked in sleeping drugs and covered her face with it.
After the drug took effect, he picked her up and swiftly left.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Carrying the little girl in one arm, the masked ninja raced through the Hyuga compound.
As he approached the edge of the clan grounds, his excitement grew.
“Perfect timing. The show is about to begin.”
Suddenly, a voice echoed through the night.
The masked ninja was startled and immediately stopped. Looking up, he saw a figure standing on top of a wall, gazing down at him.
“Damn it! Have I been discovered?”
The masked ninja’s face changed drastically beneath the cloth. He immediately prepared himself for death.
After all, that possibility had been part of the plan from the start.
“Wait… that’s not a Hyuga ninja?”
The masked ninja noticed that the person on the wall was wearing a mask and lacked a Konoha forehead protector.
Then why was he here?
What was his purpose?
Before he could think further, several figures landed nearby.
“Who dares cause trouble within the Hyuga clan?” Hyuga Hiashi appeared with several guards, positioning himself between the masked ninja and the mysterious masked man.
“Hizashi! Hold off the masked man! I’ll rescue Hinata first!”
Hiashi gave the order to the jonin beside him.
The most important thing right now was saving Hinata.
“Yes!”
Hyuga Hizashi bowed slightly. Veins bulged around his eyes as he activated the Byakugan and charged toward the masked figure standing on the wall.
“You’re in such a hurry to fight. Aren’t you even going to ask what I’m doing here?”
Uzumaki Menma casually blocked Hizashi’s Gentle Fist strike with one hand while leisurely dodging along the wall.
No matter how tricky Hizashi’s attack angles were, the mysterious man always seemed to predict them in advance and evade with ease.
Using only one hand, he blocked every one of Hizashi’s taijutsu attacks.
The more Hizashi fought, the more shocked he became.
It felt as if the enemy already knew exactly which chakra points he intended to strike and protected them with chakra beforehand.
Whenever his Gentle Fist landed, it felt like hitting solid iron.
He couldn’t seal a single chakra point.
In more than twenty years, he had never encountered such an opponent.
Damn it! Why is he so familiar with this?
During the exchange, Hizashi discovered that the mysterious man was incredibly knowledgeable about the Gentle Fist style.
In fact, it felt eerily similar to sparring with the clan head himself.
Meanwhile, on the street below, Hiashi rushed toward the masked ninja and delivered a powerful strike.
His original intention had been to cripple the man and interrogate him about who had sent him.
But the masked ninja suddenly lunged forward on his own, deliberately placing a vital point directly in the path of Hiashi’s attack.
Bang!
The masked ninja was sent flying backward.
The unconscious Hinata slipped from his grasp, and Hiashi immediately caught her before she hit the ground.
“Clan Head!”
The guards quickly gathered around Hiashi.
“Is he dead?”
After handing the unconscious Hinata to one of the guards, Hiashi knelt down and checked the man’s pulse.
The result made his expression darken instantly.
The man was dead.
Hiashi removed the cloth covering the ninja’s face.
The moment he saw the forehead protector underneath, his expression changed drastically.
“A Hidden Cloud ninja?”
One of the guards gasped.
“Isn’t this the Hidden Cloud envoy who arrived yesterday?”
The two Hyuga guards recognized him immediately and looked uneasily at their clan head.
The Hidden Cloud envoy should have been attending a banquet hosted by the Third Hokage.
Why was he inside the Hyuga clan compound?
Why was he kidnapping Hinata?
After only a brief moment of shock, Hiashi suddenly turned toward the mysterious masked man who was fighting Hizashi.
The veins around his eyes bulged.
“Hizashi!” Hiashi shouted sternly. “Capture him alive!”
To him, the masked man had instantly become the most important witness.
