Chapter 27: Hinata’s White Moonlight
“From now on, you must address him as Young Master Menma. When I’m not here, everything here is under Menma’s control!”
In the courtyard, Kado followed ‘that Lord’s’ instructions and only kept two servants. He was now lecturing these two servants while bringing Menma along.
“Yes! Lord Kado, Young Master Menma!” The two servants were both women who respectfully bowed to Kado and Menma on the veranda.
They were all ordinary people from Konohagakure Village with no ninja talent, usually making a living by doing odd jobs.
Kado paid them twice the average wage because they were locals from Konoha, so they cherished this job very much.
Finally leaving the orphanage and escaping White Zetsu’s surveillance, Menma was in a good mood. He sat on the veranda, comfortably enjoying the aura of freedom.
Sunlight filtered through the cherry tree branches and leaves, casting dappled light and shadows on the veranda, reflecting on Menma’s body.
Kado quickly set up the Konoha branch company. After leaving a shop manager behind, he left Konoha and continued doing business in various ninja countries, earning funds for the organization and collecting intelligence from each country.
With Kakuzu, arranged by Menma, responsible for his safety, even elite jonin would find it hard to threaten Kado. He could even help Kado cause a big commotion in competitors’ territories.
Kado had the money for this, and Kakuzu was happy to earn it.
Meanwhile, Menma in Konohagakure Village began enjoying the young master life.
Every morning he practiced chakra control, in the afternoon he researched combinations of various attribute chakras, and after dusk he crafted ‘Nine-Face Fox’ and developed ‘Nine-Face Sūvarṇa’. In his free time, he strolled around the village to familiarize himself, buying some desserts for Little Nine-Tails and such.
Days passed like this, day by day.
The weather was getting cooler; winter was coming.
“Hey, Menma.” Little Nine-Tails poked its head out from Menma’s fluffy scarf, eating a small piece of cotton candy handed over by Menma.
Kado had left a large sum of money for Menma, and the revenue from the Konoha branch company was also under his control, so Menma’s quality of life had greatly improved, and he had bought some new clothes.
“Let’s open a dessert shop too.” Little Nine-Tails was only the size of a palm, hugging a piece of cotton candy bigger than its head and taking a big bite.
Little Nine-Tails’ fluffy tails tickled Menma’s neck when it spoke.
“I think you just want to eat sweets yourself.” Menma exposed Little Nine-Tails’ ‘conspiracy’.
Then he added: “Eating too many sweets will make you fat.”
“I’m a Tails! I won’t get fat!” Little Nine-Tails was retorting when it suddenly perked up its two fox ears.
“Menma, Big Sister seems to be in trouble.” Little Nine-Tails looked into the distance.
Menma saw it too.
In the park with the autumn wind blowing bleakly, a little girl was surrounded by three boys.
As he gradually walked closer, Menma could still hear the three little boys’ various provocative voices.
“Ha! Look, her eyes are white!”
“Wow, it’s a Byakugan monster!”
“So disgusting!”
They say children’s words are innocent, but in fact, when kids say these things, they don’t even realize how hurtful their ‘malicious words’ are.
The young Hinata had never heard such vicious words before. Tears welled up in her Byakugan eyes, and she squatted on the ground crying.
Seeing the little girl from the Hyuga family crying, these three kids laughed even more brazenly.
Completely unaware of the shadow approaching from behind.
‘Strange, I remember this plot was supposed to be on a snowy day.’ Menma slowly walked behind the three little boys, raised his right hand, thumb pressing middle finger, and gave each of them a flick on the forehead.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The three crisp flicks made the laughter stop abruptly.
“It hurts!”
“Ow!”
“Ah! Who!”
Menma controlled the force, but still knocked the three of them dizzy, staggering back several steps.
“I’m saying, you three, bullying a girl.” Menma shook his right hand and looked at Hinata who was squatting on the ground, sneaking peeks at him.
It was the shy Little Hinata.
If it were Big Sister Hinata, she would have beaten these three into crying for their parents long ago.
“You bastard!” The tallest kid in the trio clutched the back of his head and shouted menacingly: “Looks like you need a lesson! To let you know who rules this park!”
“Jerk! Sneak attack!” Another chubby kid waved his fists.
“Damn it! See how I deal with you!” There was also a short kid who scratched his head, then clenched his fists and grinned, revealing a toothless big mouth.
All three were a head taller than Menma and Hinata, looking about five or six years old.
And it was three against one—advantage on our side!
For kids, more numbers and bigger size intuitively represented combat power.
Seeing the three little brats acting arrogant, Menma resisted the urge to use ninjutsu. He just stepped forward briskly, punched the tall little brat in the face, and followed with a sweeping leg that flipped the chubby one onto his back.
In just an instant, two of the little brat trio were down, leaving only the toothless short kid looking around in panic, not knowing how his companions got taken out.
“Wah! It hurts so much!”
“Waaah, Mom!”
The two fallen little brats burst into loud cries.
Scaring the short kid into tears too.
Menma placed his hand on the short kid’s head, leaned close to the little brat, his narrowed blue eyes sparkling with mischief, and grinned: “From now on, I’m the boss here!”
“Wah! Boss, don’t hit me!!” The short kid was scared into crying.
‘So what am I doing!’ Menma looked at the three little brats he had taught a lesson to, now whimpering, and inwardly retorted to himself: ‘Playing king of the children with a bunch of little brats?’
After Menma’s scolding, the three kids ran off in terror.
“Heh, nice to meet you, I’m Menma.” When Menma turned and reached out, Hinata was frantically wiping her tear stains with her sleeve.
Although this wasn’t their first acquaintance, it was the first time they met openly.
“You… hello… I’m Hinata…” Little Hinata’s little face blushed, her cold fingers trembling lightly like a startled chick.
She didn’t know why this sister-obsessed boy wanted to get to know her again, but she instinctively obeyed Menma.
After being pulled up by Hinata, she lowered her head, hands clasped in front of her chest, voice as soft as a mosquito: “Am… am I… useless…”
“If it were Sister…” Hinata couldn’t help thinking of the hot-tempered ‘sister’ inside her body. If it were her, what would she do?
She would probably beat those three kids down.
Hinata’s words reminded Menma of that winter in the ‘Limited Tsukuyomi World’ when he was three or four, getting mocked by three little brats in the park and getting into a scuffle.
Because he hadn’t formally trained yet and hadn’t refined chakra, he got beaten somewhat badly by the three kids.
At the critical moment, Big Sister Hinata stepped forward and made those three kids cry in just a few moves.
He didn’t know if it was destiny.
After that, Big Sister Hinata and Menma’s relationship in the ‘Limited Tsukuyomi World’ grew closer, eventually developing into lovers during the chunin exams in that world.
“Gentleness is never a weakness. Your gentleness is like a spring breeze, making Hinata like this especially cute!” Menma raised his hand to pat Little Hinata’s head, ruffling her short hair.
‘Cute…’ Menma’s praise made Little Hinata’s face flush red instantly, steaming like a machine.
Little Hinata, restricted by various family rules since childhood, had high expectations placed on her because of the ‘sister’s’ existence. Her gentle personality was seen as too weak by her father Hiashi Hyuga and the main family’s elders.
So Hinata had never received much praise.
Gurgle~
A hungry rumble came from Hinata’s stomach.
Making her already blushing face completely red through.
“Come on, I’ll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen!” Menma remembered Hinata’s appetite; she probably hadn’t eaten her fill since childhood. So he pulled Hinata and ran toward the Ichiraku Ramen Shop.
Ginkgo leaves fell in the park. As she was pulled along, Hinata looked at the back ahead, tears glistening in her white pupils.
