"Wow, I'm so excited! This is our first mission as Chunin!" Naruto said enthusiastically. Team Seven had just received an order from the Anbu to report to the Hokage Building—Tsunade herself would be assigning their mission.
"Naruto," Sakura warned, "no matter what the task is, don't complain."
"Got it, got it!" Naruto replied quickly.
Sasuke, on the other hand, didn't look thrilled. He would have preferred to stay home and spend time with his half-year-old niece, Uchiha Heiwa.
It had been six months since Heiwa's birth, and just last month, the annual Chunin Exams concluded. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all passed, officially rising from Genin to Chunin.
When the four entered the Hokage's office, they immediately noticed Menma standing there. Everyone else in the room wore serious expressions.
Only four minutes earlier, Konoha had received an emergency message from Sunagakure. After decoding, the message was handed directly to Tsunade.
Urgent Report: The Kazekage of Sunagakure has been abducted by members of an organization known as Akatsuki. Sunagakure requests immediate support from Konoha.
Tsunade's eyes widened. "What!?"
She quickly ordered, "Shizune, summon Menma and Jiraiya immediately—and find out which teams are currently available."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" Shizune rushed out.
Moments later, Menma entered the Hokage's office. "You called for me, Tsunade-sama?"
For the past few months, Menma had lived fairly leisurely. Ever since his goddaughter's birth, he had spent most of his free time visiting Itachi's house. The Konoha Scientific Research Department, meanwhile, was running well enough to function without him—he dropped by only once every two weeks.
Two months ago, Yoshimoto and his team had completed their latest invention: the Chakra Storage Unit.
When Menma first saw it, he had been impressed—it looked just like a power bank. Feed chakra into it, and a meter on the front would rise to 100 when full.
He had praised them thoroughly and assigned the next step: applying chakra storage to daily life—things like home utilities and transportation. He spent an entire afternoon laying out his long-term vision, then handed them an additional five million ryo.
"Eat well and rest well," he'd told them with a grin.
The team, inspired (and now well-funded), worked even harder afterward.
But now, things had changed.
Tsunade looked at Menma and said gravely, "Menma, the Kazekage of Sunagakure has been captured by the Akatsuki."
Menma froze. "What!?"
Just last night, he had received a message from Orochimaru warning him that the Akatsuki were preparing to act—but this soon?
He took a slow breath, steadying himself. Calm down. Gaara may have been captured, but there's still time to save him.
Before Tsunade could speak further, Team Seven entered.
"Brother? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked in surprise.
Menma smiled at him, but then turned to Tsunade. "Sister Tsunade… don't tell me you're sending these four with me? We'll be facing opponents on the Kage level."
Kakashi, sensing the tension, frowned. "Hokage-sama, what exactly is going on? Kage-level enemies?"
Tsunade explained the situation.
When she finished, she looked at Team Seven and said firmly, "Because of the urgency, we don't have time for formal assignments. I'm ordering Kakashi's team to depart immediately for Sunagakure. Gather intelligence, report back to Konoha, and assist the Sand Village as needed. Menma will lead the team."
Menma didn't answer right away. He looked at Tsunade seriously. "Are you sure about this?"
He trusted his strength, but protecting three others—especially Naruto—was another matter. If he told Naruto to stay behind, he knew his brother wouldn't listen.
Tsunade replied evenly, "Menma, you must trust your comrades. Kakashi is strong."
Menma exhaled sharply. "Do you even understand how dangerous Akatsuki is? I know their capabilities better than anyone here!"
At that moment, Jiraiya walked in with a smile. "What's all this noise about? I could hear your arguing from the hallway."
Tsunade quickly filled him in.
Jiraiya listened and nodded. "Menma, have some faith in them. They've grown a lot since you last trained together."
Before Menma could respond, Naruto stepped forward eagerly. "Brother, don't worry! I won't slow you down!"
Menma placed a hand on Naruto's head. "Idiot… it's not about that. I'm worried I won't be able to protect you in battle."
The enemy this time wasn't ordinary. The timeline itself had changed—the Akatsuki's hunt for the tailed beasts had begun a full year earlier than expected.
Naruto grinned. "Don't worry, brother! I can take care of myself. Besides, I've got the Kyuubi with me."
Menma looked into Naruto's determined eyes and saw both courage and hope reflected there.
Finally, he nodded. "Alright. But you follow every order I give—understand?"
"Yes!" Naruto cheered, jumping with excitement. "I get to fight alongside my brother!"
Tsunade sighed to herself. So much for arguing… a single word from Naruto, and he gives in completely.
She raised her voice. "Then it's settled. The mission is officially assigned. Jiraiya, Menma, Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura—travel to Sunagakure immediately. Gather information, assist their forces, and report back."
"Understood, Hokage-sama!" everyone responded.
Menma then clapped his hands together and formed a seal. "Release!"
Instantly, across Konoha, hundreds of shadow clones disappeared in puffs of smoke—his training clones in the mountains, the clerks at the Uzumaki shop, even a few undercover Anbu from his "Nine Kyuubi" unit.
Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Tsunade all stared in shock.
"…"
Menma simply smiled. "Guess I'd better focus on the real thing now."
(End of Chapter)
Gimme Powerstones :)))
Also Check out my Patreon at [Patreon.com/GGFanfiction]