"Kakashi, long time no see."
"Kakashi."
"Kakashi."
Hearing his name called several times, Kakashi turned around—and was greeted by a familiar trio: Shikaku Nara, Choza Akimichi, and Inoichi Yamanaka, along with their children—Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino. The current and future generations of the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho formation.
The Yamanaka clan (symbolizing "Pig"), the Nara clan ("Deer"), and the Akimichi clan ("Butterfly") had formed their alliance as far back as the Warring States Period. Their cooperation remained one of Konoha's most reliable cornerstones.
Each generation of the "Ino-Shika-Cho" trio was composed of the current or future heads of their clans. In battle, the high-IQ Nara clan served as tacticians and core controllers with their Shadow Imitation techniques. The Yamanaka clan provided perception and communication through their Mind Body techniques. And finally, the Akimichi clan brought devastating power, acting as the team's heavy hitter.
Shikaku, Choza, and Inoichi were the current trio—and their children would be next.
"Long time no see, Shikaku, Choza, Inoichi," Kakashi greeted. Despite the age difference, they were comrades forged through war, so they called each other by name without formality.
While the adults exchanged pleasantries, the three kids looked over at the boy standing beside Kakashi.
"Hello, Big Brother!" they called out in unison.
"Mm." Menma nodded with a faint smile.
The kids' words surprised the adults. Big Brother? Since when?
The three men turned to look at Menma, who simply stared back at them calmly.
"This kid's got sharp eyes," Inoichi said, clearly impressed.
"You must be Menma," Shikaku said, noticing the striking red hair.
"Menma? That name sounds familiar…" Choza murmured.
"Menma Uzumaki, nice to meet you!," Menma replied with a calm gaze.
Hearing that, Shikaku and Inoichi remained unfazed. Choza, however, stared in shock before glancing at Shikaku—who gave him a confirming nod.
"I didn't expect the Fourth's son to be so grown up already," Choza said warmly.
"Mm." Menma acknowledged with a short response, then turned away and looked toward Naruto. Suddenly, he caught sight of something—or rather, someone—that made him smirk as he walked away.
Seeing Menma leave, Shikaku leaned toward his son. "Shikamaru, how do you know Menma? Since when did you start calling him 'Big Brother'?"
Shikamaru broke out in a cold sweat as he recalled that afternoon—something he'd rather forget.
It was supposed to be a fun day at the park. He and several other kids had gone to play when they came across two identical boys with different hair—one yellow, one red.
The yellow-haired one had a sunny smile that made people feel at ease. The red-haired one… not so much. His eyes looked at them like a hunter sizing up prey.
Shikamaru had felt uneasy immediately and tried to leave—but before he could even turn around, the redhead was already in front of him. The same happened to the others.
The red-haired boy said coolly, "I'm Menma Uzumaki. From now on, I'm your Big Brother."
Of course, none of them agreed. So he beat them up—one by one.
After the beating, he added, "Call me Big Brother. If not, I'll keep beating you."
Most kids gave in quickly. Shikamaru hesitated.
Menma pinched his cheeks and said, "Still not calling me Big Brother? Okay, time to die."
Another beating followed—this time with a bucket.
To this day, Shikamaru still tensed up whenever someone stood behind him. A tragic tale, really.
"We knew each other before. Menma's older than us, so we just call him Big Brother," Shikamaru muttered with an awkward smile.
Older than you? Yeah, right, Shikaku thought, but he didn't press it. It was obvious his son wasn't telling the whole truth.
He glanced toward Menma again.
Meanwhile, Menma had his eyes on a particular girl. She was adorable, her cheeks tinted pink, and her eyes—unlike others—were pearly white.
"Hinata, are you looking for Naruto?" Menma asked, smiling gently. "Want me to take you to him?"
This was none other than Hinata Hyuga—Naruto's future wife. Fate had its strange ways of bringing people together. And sure enough, they met as they were always meant to.
It was a sunny afternoon. Naruto had just finished his homework and chores. Menma was planning to rest, but Naruto dragged him out, excited to explore.
Not even two streets later, they ran into Hinata, who was being bullied by three older kids.
Naturally, Naruto wasn't going to stand by.
He charged in without hesitation, drove the bullies off, and stood protectively in front of Hinata.
"Thank you…" Hinata whispered, her head bowed and voice barely audible.
But Naruto still caught it.
"You're welcome! My brother says we should always help others. I'm Naruto Uzumaki! What's your name?"
"I'm… Hinata Hyuga."
"Hinata Hinata!" Naruto repeated, beaming. Then he asked excitedly, "Wanna be friends?"
"Y-Yes." Hinata nodded softly.
Naruto cheered and hugged her on the spot. Hinata froze, turning bright red.
But just then, someone else arrived—Hyuga family guards.
"Brat, you wanna die?!" the guard snapped.
From not far off, Menma had been watching with an amused look. But the moment the guard arrived, he frowned. Tch, buzzkill.
Without hesitation, he launched a Rasengan.
In an instant, a battle broke out between Menma and the Hyuga guard.
Naruto clenched his fists, eager to help—but knew he'd only get in the way. Instead, he shielded Hinata with his small body.
"Don't be afraid, Hinata. I'll protect you," he said seriously.
Hinata's heart fluttered. For the first time in forever, someone stood up for her—not out of duty, but because they cared. Since her mother's passing, her father had been cold and strict. This moment—being protected—it was new, and it was precious.
She wanted to tell them, That's not a bad guy, he's my family's guard.
But… she didn't say it.
She just wanted to stay here, in this warm moment.
"Brother Menma," Hinata now called out softly.
"Haha, so cute. Come on, sister-in-law, let's go find your man."
Menma grinned, took Hinata's hand, and led her over to Naruto.
When they reached him, Menma smiled and said, "Naruto, your wife's looking for you."
Pfft!
Hinata nearly fainted on the spot. Menma caught her just in time.
"W-Wife?!" Naruto's eyes widened.
Sasuke, nearby, blinked. "Naruto… when did you get a wife?"
(End Of Chapter)
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