Hiruzen walked over to the low table and naturally pulled out a chair to sit down.
Menma also sat back down, maintaining a silent and respectful posture, like an ordinary orphan boy from Konoha.
Naruto, on the other hand, excitedly untied the wrapping string of the gift box.
"Naruto, Menma," Hiruzen looked at the two boys, his tone as gentle as if he were making small talk.
"Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, you two are almost five years old." He paused, his gaze shifting between Naruto's excited little face and Menma's calm expression before continuing slowly.
"In another year, it'll be time for you to start enrolling in the Ninja Academy."
Naruto suddenly raised his head, even forgetting the half-unwrapped gift in his hands. His blue eyes instantly shone with dazzling excitement, as if he were about to jump up: "The Ninja Academy? Really, Grandpa Third? I can become a Ninja? That's great! I want to go!"
Naruto had passed by the Ninja Academy many times, watching the students playing happily during breaks or after school, and he had always envied them.
He really wanted to make friends with other kids his age.
Hiruzen smiled and nodded, then turned his gaze to Menma, who had been sitting quietly. His smile remained warm, but deep in his eyes, there was a hint of imperceptible scrutiny and consideration: "What about you, Menma?"
'This black-haired boy, who had grown up in the orphanage, was unusually mature for his age despite his quiet demeanor. According to the reports from the Anbu's intelligence division, whether in the orphanage or after being adopted by the wealthy merchant Gato, his daily life and routines had been entirely ordinary.'
Menma raised his head, meeting the Third's gentle yet probing gaze.
His face showed no fluctuation, and his voice was clear and calm, "The Ninja Academy? Becoming a Ninja doesn't sound bad. It'd be better than just dealing with money all the time… that would be so boring."
Hiruzen burst into laughter.
Gato was always busy with trade outside the village, returning to Konoha only once or twice a year. Menma's apparent disdain for commerce made Hiruzen even more inclined to train him as a Ninja.
A Konoha's Ninja deeply influenced by the Will of Fire.
Hiruzen's smile deepened slightly, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes relaxing as he expressed satisfaction with the answer, "Good, very good."
He patted Naruto on the shoulder and nodded at Menma: "Then it's settled. In a year, I'll send you both to the Ninja Academy. Especially you, Naruto… no more mischief in class, understand!"
"Hehe, got it, Grandpa Third!" Naruto scratched his head sheepishly.
Hiruzen stayed a little longer, chatting casually with Naruto, mostly asking about his daily life and habits, occasionally posing a gentle question or two to Menma. The conversation remained centered around the children's everyday routines.
Menma's replies were still concise and proper.
Though he appeared more mature than most, in Konoha, there were many orphans like him who had been forced to grow up quickly after losing their families to war.
Thus, Hiruzen paid it no mind.
Under the warm yellow light, the atmosphere was harmonious.
Only when the tea in his cup was nearly gone did Hiruzen slowly rise to his feet.
"Alright, this old man won't disturb you two any longer. Have a good New Year's Eve." He said, picking up his pipe from the side.
"Remember to work hard in the new year." He added, giving Naruto and Menma one last deep look, his eyes still warm.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama. Take care on your way back." Menma stood up respectfully to see him off.
"Goodbye, Grandpa Third!" Naruto waved vigorously.
The door closed softly, shutting out the wind and snow outside… and the departing figure that carried an invisible weight of authority.
The room fell quiet again, leaving only the lingering warmth of the ramen broth in the air.
Naruto was still immersed in the immense excitement of being able to attend the Ninja Academy, chattering away nonstop.
Menma sat back down, picking up the long-cold teacup but not drinking from it.
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze drifting to the snowstorm outside the window.
Menma's fingertips traced lightly along the icy surface of the cup, the corners of his lips curling into an almost imperceptible smirk… cold and sharp.
He spoke in a voice so soft it was nearly a sigh, drowned out by Naruto's excited chatter.
"The Year 56 of Konoha's Calendar… what major events happened again?"
Deep within the heart of the Star City, a cold alloy corridor spiraled downward, eventually leading to a vast space enclosed by a high-strength barrier.
This laboratory had been personally overseen by Guren, a Kunoichi under Orochimaru's command who possessed the Crystal Release Kekkei Genkai. It was built by renovating an existing underground facility in the Star City and had now become a collaborative research lab between Shura and Orochimaru.
The harsh, shadowless lighting illuminated every detail with stark clarity. The air was thick with the mingling scents of disinfectant, nutrient solutions, and a faint but persistent trace of blood… so cold it felt like it could freeze one's breath.
At the center of the lab, Kimimaro lay quietly on the metallic operating table.
The boy's frail frame was stretched out, his skin an unhealthy, almost translucent bluish-white. Fine beads of sweat trickled down his temples, disappearing into his silver-white hair.
He wore only a simple white lab gown, its open collar revealing faint pink surgical scars on his chest that had yet to fully heal.
Most striking, however, were the newly formed contours beneath his closed eyelids, which is the unmistakable shape of fresh eye sockets.
Orochimaru stood beside the operating table.
He was still clad in his signature loose kimono, a shimenawa rope tied around his waist, his long black hair cascading freely.
At this moment, his slitted golden pupils, filled with an inhuman curiosity, were fixed intently on a specially designed syringe in his hand.
Within the syringe, blood was slowly being drawn from Kimimaro's arm.
Under the bright light, the blood displayed an unusual hue… no longer purely red, with occasional glimpses of tiny, needle-like bone particles flickering within.
"Astonishing harmony..." Orochimaru's hoarse voice broke the silence of the lab, laced with undisguised admiration.
"Such a violent, untamable bloodline power… yet it achieves such exquisite balance after the implantation of the Byakugan. Shura, your methods never fail to surprise me."
His gaze lingered greedily on Kimimaro's closed eyelids, as though he could peer through flesh and bone to see the transplanted Byakugan, which are taken from the Hyuga Clan's main family.
A few steps away from the operating table, a figure stood as still as a ghost.
Cloaked entirely in a loose black robe, his face concealed behind the iconic, expressionless white three-eyed fox mask… it was one of Menma's shadow clones.
Behind the mask's eyeholes, his gaze was as calm as a deep pool, reflecting everything on the operating table without a ripple.
In response to Orochimaru's praise, the shadow clone gave only the slightest nod.
"The Shikotsumyaku of the Kaguya Clan… their genetic disease stems from the awakening of a dormant power within their blood, causing an imbalance in their Yang Release. Their bodies simply cannot withstand such force."
Menma's voice emerged from behind the mask… low, steady, devoid of any emotion, as though reciting a cold, clinical formula.