I Am Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 390 390 It's Time to Say Goodbye

The style of the top-floor leader's office was completely different from the traditional Japanese style of Hanzo's era. It was replaced by a simple, efficient, functional modern office environment.

Outside the office door, Kyusuke, the Commander of the Anbu with cat-like vertical pupils and blue tear-streak markings, was standing guard. Seeing Nagato and Konan, he immediately cast a look mixed with pleading and helplessness, slightly indicating the tightly closed office door with his chin.

Konan and Nagato understood, gently knocked on the door.

"Come in." Yahiko's voice came from inside, sounding somewhat tired.

The two pushed the door open and entered.

In the spacious modern office, Yahiko's large desk was piled high with documents, but he wasn't attending to government affairs at the moment. Instead, he was sitting with Menma on the sofa in the rest area to the side.

On the coffee table between them lay a huge map of the Ninja World.

Mountains, rivers, nations, and villages were clearly marked.

Currently, on the map, around the area of the Land of Rain, many pieces representing various military forces were placed.

Konoha's flame crest, Iwagakure's rock symbol, Sunagakure's hourglass mark… they were jaggedly concentrated within the Land of Rain, presenting a chaotic and dangerous situation of mutual slaughter.

The blue pieces representing Amegakure's forces were few in number, squeezed into a narrow space by the three large armies, appearing precarious.

Yahiko, holding several blue pieces, was frowning deeply, fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

He tried moving pieces to block attacks from one direction, but the pieces from the other two forces immediately took advantage of the opening, nibbling away at the Land of Rain's territory.

When he mustered all his strength to barely hold off invasions from two directions, the third army had already advanced deep, laying siege to Amegakure!

No matter how he deduced, how he deployed his limited forces, in this simulated [Great Ninja War], the Land of Rain ultimately couldn't escape the tragic fate of being completely devoured by war, becoming a pawn in great power games.

Watching the Land of Rain on the map being covered by the color representing war, blood-red, time and again, Yahiko's face grew paler, his lips pressed tightly, feeling as if his heart was being wrung.

The sense of powerlessness, of exhausting all effort yet still being unable to protect his homeland, almost crushed him.

Nagato and Konan walked slowly forward, their gazes falling on the map depicting a cruel future on the coffee table.

Seeing the pieces representing the three Great Ninja Villages covering the territory of the Land of Rain like greedy locusts, their hearts simultaneously sank.

This scene instantly pulled them back to the darkest memories of their childhood.

During the Second Great Ninja War, how the Land of Rain became a battlefield for great power games, how villages were burned, how loved ones died tragically… that despair and fear etched into their bones surged back.

When the deduction ended, Yahiko had no more pieces left to use.

His temples were already beaded with fine sweat. Before him, the territory of the Land of Rain was completely covered by the red markings symbolizing war.

Opposite, Menma still held over half of the pieces representing Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure. Even in a small box beside him lay unused pieces representing Kumogakure and other smaller villages, silently mocking the insignificance of the Land of Rain's power.

Menma casually tossed a piece representing Iwagakure into the nearby box with a clear clinking sound.

He looked up, his gaze calm as he looked at Yahiko's somewhat pale face: "How many times have we conducted deductions like this?"

Yahiko seemed drained of energy, his eyes somewhat unfocused, his voice dry as he answered: "The twenty-seventh time."

Menma leaned forward slightly, his tone becoming serious and grave: "Then, in these twenty-seven deductions, how many times did you successfully preserve the Land of Rain, keeping it from being ravaged by war?"

Yahiko's lips moved a few times. Finally, as if using up all his courage, he painfully uttered three words: "Not even... once."

The office fell into dead silence, only the steady patter of rain outside the window remained.

Konan's eyes were filled with heartache. She walked behind Yahiko, placing her hand gently on his shoulder, trying to convey warmth and support, only to find his shoulder trembling slightly.

She wanted to open her mouth to comfort him, but found any words felt so pale in the face of this harsh reality.

Nagato clenched his fists, his Sharingan filled with frustration and perplexity.

He looked towards Menma, the one who had been like a mentor to them over the past six months, teaching them how to govern a nation, how to build a village, yet now shattering their ideals like soap bubbles in the coldest way.

Nagato asked in a hoarse voice: "Menma... is there truly no way to avoid the Land of Rain being dragged into wars between the great nations? If we declare permanent neutrality, promise all great nations never to participate in any conflicts, wouldn't that work?"

Menma sighed softly, the sigh carrying a sense of helplessness born of seeing through worldly affairs.

He picked up the slightly cooled teacup on the table, took a small sip, his gaze sweeping over Nagato, his tone carrying a hint of barely detectable pity: "Nagato, you're still too naive."

Menma put down the teacup, tapping the map at the location of the Land of Rain with his finger: "The conflicts of interest between great nations are rooted in the instinct for survival and development… they are irreconcilable contradictions. Unless one side is completely defeated, annexed, this kind of competition based on resources and geography will never cease. Neutrality? In the face of absolute interest and power, so-called declarations of neutrality are nothing but scrap paper that can be torn up at any time."

His gaze returned to Yahiko, his tone becoming sharp: "Remember six months ago, when I had you try to persuade those armed noble factions holding sway in various parts of the Land of Rain? You went to them harboring ideals of peaceful integration and joint construction. And the result? Did you succeed even once?"

Yahiko's body jerked violently, that unpleasant memory clearly surfacing in his mind.

At the time, he firmly believed he could move those nobles through communication and ideals, make them lay down their arms and integrate into the new Land of Rain.

He went with sincerity, only to be met with closed doors, mockery and scorn, and was even denied entry into their territories.

When he forcefully met the nobles using Ninja means, they on the surface pretended compliance, only to turn around and send hired Ninja and samurai to assassinate him, leading to the tragic deaths of several Akatsuki's members who trusted and followed him.

What further shook Yahiko's belief was that, during the subsequent cleaning up of these noble factions, Menma had him see with his own eyes the scenes inside the noble mansions.

Inside, they were resplendent and magnificent, a world of debauchery, forming a shocking contrast with the starving corpses everywhere, exchanging children to eat miserable scenes outside the castles.

That huge contrast of 'the rich feast while the poor starve' completely shattered his last shred of illusion about the old ruling class.

Yahiko painfully closed his eyes, slowly shaking his head.

The greed, cruelty, and indifference towards commoner lives of those nobles were a scar difficult to heal in his heart.

He looked up at Menma again. His eyes, usually filled with sunshine and hope, were now filled with confusion and struggle. He asked, almost pleadingly: "Then... is it really impossible to achieve peace between nations, between villages? Is mutual understanding... really that difficult? How long must this fighting go on?"

Menma, looking at the not-yet-extinguished fire of idealism in Yahiko's eyes, spoke calmly yet with each word carrying immense weight: "In the end, it all comes down to one word: Benefit."

"The resources of each nation are limited: land, water, minerals, population... It's like a field's yield is limited. To feed more people, new fields must be opened up. But when all surrounding land has owners, what then? Annexation becomes the most direct, most 'effective' option, whether through war or other means like economics or politics."

His finger traced the territories of the great nations on the map: "The Ninja Villages are essentially tools serving national interests. For the ruling classes of nations and the higher-ups of villages, maintaining and expanding their own interests is the highest guiding principle of action."

"Of course, they won't say it so nakedly… they'll always cloak it in various high-sounding pretexts, like 'resisting invasion', 'upholding justice', 'eliminating threats' and so on. But as long as you grasp this word 'benefit', you can clear away the fog and see the true driving force behind most international situations."

As he spoke, Menma's fingertip precisely landed on the southeast part of the Ninja World's map, on the location of a now-vanished nation.

"For example... Uzushiogakure of the Land of Whirlpools. Why was it jointly attacked by multiple Ninja Villages? And why was Konoha's rescue, as an ally, so inadequate back then, ultimately leading to Uzushiogakure's destruction and the Uzumaki Clan's displacement? And why did Konoha ultimately only 'take in' one Uzumaki Clan's member?"

His gaze turned to Nagato: "Another example, Nagato's mother. She possessed the bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan. The Land of Rain is a neighbor of the Land of Fire. Why did she prefer to live in the war-torn Land of Rain rather than seek help from Konoha, which was relatively stable and had ties to the Uzumaki Clan?"

"!"

Menma's two questions exploded like thunder in the hearts of Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato!

Especially the question about Nagato's mother, it stunned them.

They had never deeply pondered this question. Now, pointed out by Menma, they realized it seemed to hide deep-seated reasons for the Ninja World's chaotic wars that they had never touched.

Nagato fell into deep thought, involuntarily recalling the 'future' Menma had shown them through Genjutsu before.

In that 'future', after Yahiko's death, he, to achieve Yahiko's dream of world peace, chose to collaborate with a mysterious man calling himself 'Uchiha Madara', gathering the Nine Tailed Beasts, attempting to make the entire Ninja World feel pain through absolute power, to deter nations and achieve a distorted peace.

A thought rose in his heart. With a hint of uncertainty, he looked at Menma and asked: "If... if we could possess absolute strength like the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, enough to suppress the entire Ninja World... With such power, could we force nations to sit down, understand each other, and achieve true peace?"

Hearing this question, Menma was first slightly taken aback, then the corner of his mouth curled into a complex smile.

"Senju Hashirama..." He repeated the name, his tone distant: "He indeed possessed the immense power to suppress an era. He also naively believed peace could be maintained by distributing Tailed Beasts and forming alliances. But the result?"

His voice suddenly turned cold and stern: "In his lifetime, nations, intimidated by his power, outwardly submitted, but secretly never ceased their military preparations and scheming! After his death, the so-called peace burst like bubbles under the sun! The First, Second Great Ninja Wars broke out one after another! The form of war might have escalated from clan skirmishes to inter-village wars between nations, but the essential war over contending for resources and interests never changed!"

He pointed at the map: "A village possessing great strength might be able to buy its nation a dozen or so years of development time, but that's merely the calm before the storm. When they've recuperated and internal resources can no longer satisfy expanding desires, new wars will inevitably erupt! Just like in our deduction. Judging by the current situation, the relatively calm period of the Ninja World is about to end. The Third Great Ninja War will likely break out within two years!"

"The Third Great Ninja War?!" Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato exclaimed almost simultaneously.

The Land of Rain had barely struggled out of internal strife and poverty, just seeing a sliver of hopeful dawn. Was it now to be completely destroyed by even crueler great power wars in the blink of an eye?

Menma, looking at their panicked expressions, continued: "And by then, I've already thought of the pretexts the great nations will use to invade the Land of Rain."

His finger tapped heavily on the location of the Land of Rain: "You 'rebels', rising up to kill the legitimate noble rulers of the nation, disrupting regional stability and order. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire, Land of Earth, or Land of Wind can all raise the righteous banner of 'restoring order', 'punishing traitors', and justifiably launch war against the Land of Rain, dividing up its interests and strategic locations."

This naked dissection presented the cruel scene that might unfold in the future to the three in a bloody manner, making them feel a bone-chilling cold.

Menma slowly stood up, stretching his somewhat stiff neck and shoulders, the bones emitting subtle cracking sounds.

He walked to the window, looking out at Amegakure shrouded in heavy rain yet revealing vitality, his back to the three. He said: "So, stop your unrealistic fantasies. What you need to do now isn't pray for peace where everyone understands each other to descend, but exert all your strength to become stronger! Strive to improve your personal strength, diligently strengthen Amegakure's overall power, diligently develop the Land of Rain's economy and war potential. With your current power, you are still far, far from sufficient to protect this land and its people in the coming war."

Yahiko and the others fell silent. They knew Menma spoke the truth.

Over these six months, Menma had taught them unreservedly, but they always felt he was like an observer, a mentor, who could leave at any time.

They couldn't forever rely on Menma's power, just as when Jiraiya left. They had to learn to face this cruel world on their own, use their own hands to protect what they cherished.

Just then, Kyusuke's deliberately raised announcement from outside the office door broke the heavy atmosphere inside: "Yahiko-sama! Kanon has important matters to report!"

Yahiko took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the turmoil in his heart, trying hard to make his expression calm, even forcing out a smile reminiscent of sunshine, though it was somewhat strained.

"Let her in."

The office door was pushed open. Kanon, wearing a capable Ninja outfit and the Amegakure's forehead protector, walked in quickly.

She held a scroll in her hand, a trace of gravity on her face.

She first glanced at Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato, then turned her gaze towards Menma's back as he stood by the window. She pursed her lips and reported clearly:

"Leader, information just confirmed from merchants of the Land of Wind. The Queen of the Kingdom of Roran in the desert has been assassinated. She's confirmed dead. Her daughter will hold the succession ceremony next week, becoming the new queen."

"Roran..."

Hearing this news, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato simultaneously turned their gaze towards the back figure by the window.

Over the past six months, Menma had many times had them pay attention to and gather intelligence about the ancient Kingdom of Roran.

Now, with the news of the queen's assassination and the new queen's succession, a strong premonition rose in their hearts.

The moment Menma had been waiting for had perhaps arrived.

Indeed, Menma, standing by the window, gazing out at the seemingly endless rain and the village that had taken on a completely new look under his guidance, as if talking to himself softly said:

"It seems... it's time to say goodbye."

The words weren't loud, but they struck everyone present like a heavy hammer.

Kanon's body jerked violently, the scroll in her hand almost slipping from her grasp. Her eyes instantly misty with tears, and she bit her lower lip tightly.

Though they had only known Menma for a short six months, during this time, Menma had been their savior, mentor, friend, and even family to them.

He had saved Kanon from nearly being captured by Kusagakure, taught her the Uzumaki Clan's secret techniques… taught Nagato how to master the power of the Uzumaki Clan and the mysteries of the Sharingan, making his strength leap forward… guided Konan in managing finances and building a medical system, helping her grow from a pure combat Ninja to a core administrator of the village… and taught Yahiko hand-in-hand the knowledge and experience of governing a nation and developing an economy, helping him rapidly grow from an idealistic youth into a qualified leader.

Their strength compared to six months ago was already unmatchable. Even facing the Demigod of the Ninja World, Hanzo, they had the power to fight.

The current state of the Land of Rain and Amegakure was largely due to Menma.

For such a mentor-and-friend figure to suddenly speak of parting filled their hearts with reluctance to part and a hard to describe sense of panic and unease.

They all had a strong intuition that once Menma left this time, he likely would never return.

Menma slowly turned around, wearing the familiar, seemingly casual yet gentle smile.

His gaze swept over Yahiko, Konan, Nagato, finally resting for a moment on Kanon's face as she struggled to hold back tears.

"Then, before leaving, let me assign you one last 'assignment'." His voice remained peaceful, yet carried a solemn entrustment.

"In the almost inevitable Third Great Ninja War to come, rely on your own strength and wisdom to protect well this land you have poured your hearts into, built with great effort, and protect every commoner of the Land of Rain."

Menma paused, a flicker of gentleness in his eyes: "If... there's a chance, I might come back to visit you."

As he spoke, he took out a scroll from his bosom and handed it to Yahiko.

"This is a parting gift, or perhaps, an added strength for you." Menma explained: "This is a detailed map and entry method for the ruins of Uzushiogakure. Deep underground in the ruins, there exists an ancient seal, within which a young girl of the Uchiha Clan from three hundred years ago is sealed."

Yahiko received the scroll, a flicker of shock in his eyes at the words 'Uchiha' and 'three hundred years ago'.

Menma continued: "She is a pitiful person. Though her personality might be somewhat extreme and obsessive due to past experiences, I believe her deep-seated longing for light and peace is the same as yours. She will become a trustworthy companion and powerful asset for you."

Menma's mind conjured the image of the young girl struggling in darkness yet never giving up her yearning for light.

He believed that among Yahiko and this group of young people holding pure ideals, striving to change the world, that girl might find true belonging and salvation.

Yahiko tightly grasped the scroll in his hand. Though he found the idea of a Ninja sealed for three hundred years unbelievable, he sensed a rare softness and care in Menma's tone and eyes.

He nodded solemnly, promising: "I understand! I will definitely find her and release her from the seal! By the way, Menma, what is her name?"

Menma, looking at the rekindled fighting spirit in Yahiko's eyes, smiled slightly:

"Her name is Uchiha Hikari."

"Like all of you, she is a child who, even in darkness, still yearns for and pursues light and peace."