章 34: Report and Arrival

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Kakashi couldn't see through Menma's façade. During this mission, he made a critical misjudgment about him. Menma's sharp rebuke and emotional outburst at Inari that night led Kakashi, like Iruka before him, to believe that beneath his cold exterior, Menma truly cared for his comrades.

This assessment wasn't entirely wrong—just one-sided and poorly timed.

After all, Menma still carried the temperament and habits of his previous life. While he claimed to have fully adapted to this world, there was always something about him that seemed out of place.

But things were different now.

Comrades? Sure, you care for them, but only for those who share your goals. Could those who took different paths—opposing paths—really be called comrades?

The answer was obvious: No.

Different paths don't align.

That night, Menma came to truly understand the meaning of those words, which only strengthened his resolve and clarified his goals.

It was a truth Kakashi could never fully comprehend. At least, not yet.

The night passed peacefully.

Morning arrived.

After being coldly reprimanded by Menma, Inari didn't show his face to him again. Whether it was fear or Tazuna and Tsunami's concern that Menma might harm the boy, Inari stayed away.

Menma didn't care either way.

His focus was now on locating Gato. That businessman held the funds Menma needed—start-up capital essential for his future plans.

At first light, after breakfast, Team 7 moved into action.

Sakura and Sasuke were assigned to protect Tazuna, while Menma chose to take Naruto with him. The reason was simple: Naruto knew the Shadow Clone Jutsu. When it came to gathering information, shadow clones were invaluable.

Menma intended to gather as much intel as possible today. If they could pinpoint Gato's exact location, Menma would deal with him immediately, as long as he wasn't too far away.

Menma was confident that Gato's resources would not disappoint him.

Luck was on his side today.

The search had barely begun when they made progress.

"Interesting. So, Gato's planning to take action personally, just like in the original story? And it's happening today? He must be confident," Menma murmured.

He stood in a secluded corner along the southeastern route of the town, pressing a kunai against the neck of a trembling middle-aged man. The information had been extracted quickly.

Menma caught him shortly after he and Naruto split up. The man had been tailing Menma—his intentions were obvious. Once captured and threatened, the man quickly confessed everything: his identity, how Gato bribed him, and how he betrayed his fellow villagers. He was spineless, making interrogation easy for Menma, who had been prepared for a more difficult task.

Of course, someone like this wasn't privy to high-level intel, but he did offer something useful: Gato planned to personally deal with the Konoha ninja today. And really, wasn't that all Menma needed?

"P-please, I've told you everything I know. Can I go now?" the middle-aged man asked, his voice shaking.

"Oh, of course. I'll personally send you on your way," Menma replied coldly.

"Ah, th-there's no need to trouble yourself, sir. Wait… send me on my way? What do you—"

Before the man could finish, Menma's right hand moved.

A flash of steel, and blood splattered across the ground.

The man's eyes widened in terror, clutching at his throat as he gasped for air, but it was too late. He collapsed, dead within seconds, his wide-open eyes questioning Menma even in death.

Menma stared at the body with a cold indifference. A citizen of the Land of Waves who would so easily betray his people? Even the old Menma wouldn't have hesitated to kill him.

Leaving him alive would only mean he'd report back to Gato. He was worthless.

With the information secured, Menma quickly sought out Naruto.

"Eh? You found something already?" Naruto asked, wide-eyed in disbelief.

It had only been half an hour since they'd split up, and Menma had already made progress. Naruto was astonished by his efficiency.

"Yeah, luck's on our side. Gato's planning to come after us today, so we won't have to go far. We just need to prepare a warm welcome," Menma replied with a faint smile.

"Haha! Another fight! This time, I'm gonna get ahead of you!" Naruto exclaimed, his excitement bubbling over.

Menma smiled calmly and nodded.

They leapt into action, heading toward the bridge where Tazuna was. According to Menma's intel, Gato was on his way with a large force, confident that he could wipe out the Konoha ninja and the last group of resistance fighters led by Tazuna.

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The previous day, Menma and the others had passed through a strait, with an unfinished bridge looming overhead. The bridge, the brainchild of Tazuna, was meant to inspire courage and hope in the people of the Land of Waves. After over a year of work, the project was nearing completion, with only the final segment remaining.

Finishing the bridge would successfully connect the Land of Waves to the Land of Fire—a feat that Gato, the corrupt businessman, would do anything to prevent. In Menma's eyes, Gato's plans were flawed. There were far simpler ways to destroy the bridge and eliminate Tazuna, yet the businessman always chose the most complicated methods.

Despite this, Gato had managed to become a powerful figure, likely due to sheer luck. If he were truly clever, he would have posed a greater threat. But his lack of intelligence made him an easy target for someone like Menma. The convenience of this situation wasn't lost on him—things would have been far more troublesome if Gato were smarter.

As Menma led Naruto to the entrance of the bridge, he saw Sasuke and Sakura standing guard on either side while Kakashi leaned casually against a tree, reading one of his ever-present "novels."

Kakashi noticed Menma and Naruto approaching and raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. Closing his book, he hopped down from the tree and walked over to meet them.

"Menma, Naruto, back already? Did you find anything?" Kakashi asked, his tone calm but laced with curiosity.

"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei," Menma replied with a nod, delivering the information he had gathered concisely.

Kakashi's expression darkened slightly as he processed the details. He had initially suspected that this mission might involve Kirigakure, given Zabuza's involvement. Even though Zabuza was a rogue ninja, the politics of the ninja world were always complicated. But now, it seemed the mission boiled down to a greedy businessman named Gato.

"Are you sure, Menma?" Kakashi asked seriously.

"Ninety percent sure," Menma answered calmly. "It's easy enough to confirm. If my information's right, Gato will be here within the next hour or two."

As Menma finished speaking, the faint sound of a ship sailing could be heard from the south. The noise was soft, likely imperceptible to ordinary people, but ninjas like Kakashi, Menma, and Naruto picked it up immediately. They instinctively turned toward the source.

"Look, Kakashi-sensei," Menma said with a smirk. "Right on schedule."

Kakashi followed Menma's gaze. A ship was approaching, and after a quick scan with his heightened senses, he noticed no significant chakra signatures aboard.

"No chakra," Menma added, confirming his suspicions. "Some people really are that foolish."

"Guess we're about to find out," Naruto said, eyes wide with excitement.

"Let's go check it out," Kakashi said, shaking his head with a faint smile.

As the trio moved toward the approaching ship, Sasuke and Sakura, standing at the center of the bridge, noticed them.

"Where's Kakashi-sensei going? Did they find Gato?" Sakura asked, leaning on the bridge's guardrail.

Sasuke glanced at the ship but showed no interest. To him, Gato was just a civilian—rich, maybe, but ultimately insignificant. Sasuke's focus was entirely on becoming stronger.

"Wait, how are they walking on water?" Sakura exclaimed, her voice filled with awe as she watched the group head toward the ship.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly. Neither he nor Sakura had learned the techniques for tree-climbing or water-walking yet. Watching Kakashi, Menma, and Naruto effortlessly walk on water ignited a spark of determination in Sasuke. He resolved to ask Kakashi to teach him the technique as soon as they finished this mission.

Meanwhile, Kakashi, Menma, and Naruto moved quickly across the water, closing in on the ship. Menma wasn't surprised by Naruto's ability to walk on water. In this timeline, Naruto's training had taken a different path, and there were things he had learned much earlier than in the original timeline.

Kakashi, too, was well aware of Menma's abilities. Sarutobi Hiruzen had undoubtedly kept tabs on Menma's development over the years, and as Team 7's leader, Kakashi had access to much of that information.

Naruto, on the other hand, was a bit surprised. "Huh? You can walk on water too, Menma? I thought I was ahead of the game," Naruto said, blinking in surprise.

Menma chuckled lightly. "Just something I picked up along the way."

Before Naruto could say more, Kakashi interrupted, "Enough chatter. We've reached our target."

The ship was now clearly in view, anchored near the shore. Kakashi turned to Menma and Naruto, his expression serious.

"Remember, our primary objective is to capture Gato. Let's make sure this goes smoothly."

"Yes, sir!" Naruto and Menma replied in unison.

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