Four people sat in the living room—Menma and Jiraiya on one side, Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Izumi on the other.
As for the two elementary school chickens outside? Still arguing over who was louder.
Menma wasn't worried in the slightest—he had already sent out a shadow clone to monitor them, and Anbu were posted nearby just in case.
Right now, what caught Menma's curiosity was why Itachi had come by so late. He didn't look like he was here for Jiraiya. No, he was definitely here for him.
"Itachi," Menma said bluntly, "what brings you here?"
Sure enough, Itachi gave a wry smile. "Can't hide anything from you, can I? I'm here to settle something."
"Oh?" Menma raised an eyebrow.
"You lied to my little brother at school. And you lied to me this morning. Don't think I forgot. You don't even like Izumi." Itachi narrowed his eyes.
Jiraiya sipped his tea, visibly intrigued. Drama in the house of Namikaze? Don't mind if I do...
Menma smirked. So, he came here to settle scores. Well then—welcome to my lair.
"Oh, did Sasuke mention I kicked him?" Menma asked. "He should've told you I kicked Naruto too. Equal treatment."
"During class, the two of them wouldn't stop bickering—just like they're doing right now—so I had no choice. One kick each, straight to the wall. Peace and quiet."
Itachi nodded slowly.
"And as for this morning…" Menma leaned forward. "Be honest. Would you have confessed without a push?"
Itachi stayed silent.
"Exactly. You clearly like her, but you were too busy suppressing your emotions. I just gave you a little shove." Menma waved casually.
He left out one thing: Itachi, the weight of the Uchiha clan and the village isn't yours to carry alone. You're just a kid. Live your life.
"And now you're sitting here next to a beautiful girl, girlfriend status secured. You should be thanking me."
He turned to Izumi with a grin. "Sister Izumi, remember to give me a big red envelope when you two get married. Also—dibs on being the godfather of your kids."
As soon as he said it, Itachi and Izumi's faces flushed red. They were still in their early teens after all.
"You brat!" Izumi shouted, lunging toward Menma with a smack, which he dodged easily.
"Haha—so shy, Sister Izumi~" he teased.
"Itachi, he bullied me!" Izumi pouted.
That was all it took.
Itachi's aura changed instantly.
"Menma," he said seriously, "we haven't sparred in a while. Let's fix that."
Itachi, you've changed. You're really challenging me over a girl?
"Fine," Menma agreed. Though Itachi was a prodigy, Menma wasn't worried. Itachi's basic Sharingan wasn't much of a threat—Menma was immune to genjutsu, and in raw chakra and combat technique, he had the upper hand.
"It's the perfect chance to test out my new eyes," Itachi said as he stood.
New eyes…?
Menma's smile froze.
"…You awakened it, didn't you?"
Itachi: "…"
He gave a bitter smile. "How do you know everything?"
Menma scoffed. "Three-tomoe Sharingan has no abilities unless it evolves. The moment you said 'new eyes,' it was obvious—you've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
He glanced at Izumi.
So, it was love, huh? Sharingan evolution was tied to strong emotions—pain, loss, passion… and yes, love.
Itachi, evolving the Mangekyō over romance.
Erzhuzi, you really can't compare to your brother.
Thank god I've got top-tier talent too, Menma thought smugly. At the top of the pyramid, it was lonely—but at least he had company now.
"This is called Mangekyō Sharingan?" Itachi murmured, activating his eyes.
Menma's face went pale.
"Whoa!" he jumped back. "You psychopath—don't just activate it randomly!"
Even Jiraiya tensed.
Menma already felt the pressure just from the eye contact. As expected from Mangekyō Sharingan… it's no joke.
"Turn it off, you lunatic!" Menma snapped.
Itachi quickly deactivated the eyes and returned to normal.
"Menma… how do you know so much?" Itachi asked seriously.
Menma smiled slyly. "Tell you what—I'll explain. But you must let me be godfather to your future kids."
Itachi: "Deal."
Izumi: "…"
She blushed so hard she looked like a tomato.
Jiraiya cleared his throat. "Should I, uh, excuse myself? Uchiha secrets and all…"
Menma pointed at Jiraiya. "You're staying."
Jiraiya blinked.
"Someone has to tell the higher-ups not to panic or do anything stupid," Menma added. "We both know this village has a talent for internal strife. If we're not careful, we'll destroy ourselves before anyone else has the chance."
Jiraiya gave a dry laugh. "Can't argue with that."
Menma turned to Itachi. "Sharingan is the Uchiha's kekkei genkai. The Mangekyō Sharingan is an evolved form—but only a few in your clan have ever awakened it. To do so, you need two things: innate talent, and a trigger—intense emotion."
Itachi nodded, listening carefully.
"You probably awakened yours because of Izumi. That alone says a lot about your talent."
Itachi flushed slightly.
"Madara awakened his through years of war and loss. Your father—Fugaku—got his from the death of his best friend. And your cousin, Shisui, awakened his too."
Jiraiya, Itachi, and Izumi were stunned.
"There are now three confirmed Mangekyō users in your clan. That's not just rare—it's powerful."
Just then, Menma's face turned serious. He stood, raised a hand, and formed a Rasengan, blue light glowing in his palm.
He stepped forward and slammed it into the floor near the fridge.
BOOM!
The earth cracked open—and a white humanoid figure was blasted from underground.
The others leapt to their feet.
"Enemy?!" Jiraiya shouted.
But Menma stood calmly, staring at the crumpled body of a White Zetsu clone.
"Found you," he muttered, the corner of his mouth curling.
He explained quickly: "Just two minutes ago, Kurama warned me someone was spying underground. He only recently got close, so I waited until he slipped up—then I nailed him before he could vanish."
The ground around Zetsu was cracked and smoking.
"Kurama…" Jiraiya nodded to himself, glancing at Menma's stomach. So that's your source.
(Kurama: I didn't say anything. Menma: Shut up and take the blame.)
Menma scowled at the twitching body.
So… they're already watching me, huh? That means the game's begun.
Fine then. Let them come.
But not yet.
First, he needed more power.
Let the snakes stay in the grass a little longer.
(End Of Chapter)
Gimme Powerstones :)))
Also Check out my Patreon at [Patreon.com/GGFanfiction]