"From now on, you will address him as Young Master Menma. Whenever I am not present, everything here will be under his command!"
In the courtyard, Cardo stood before the two remaining servants, delivering instructions exactly as that lord had ordered.
"Yes, Master Cardo! Young Master Menma!" the two women replied respectfully, bowing toward Cardo and the small figure seated on the veranda.
They were ordinary Konoha residents with no ninja talent—housekeepers who made their living through odd jobs.
Cardo paid them double the normal wage precisely because they were locals, and they cherished the rare opportunity.
Finally free from the orphanage—and, more importantly, from White Zetsu's surveillance—Menma was in an unusually good mood. Sitting comfortably on the veranda, he basked in the refreshing sense of freedom.
Sunlight filtered through the cherry tree branches, scattering warm, dappled patterns across his small frame.
Cardo wasted no time establishing the Konoha branch of his company. After leaving a capable manager in charge, he departed the village to continue his business ventures across the ninja world—earning money for the organization while quietly gathering intelligence.
With Kakuzu secretly assigned to protect him, even elite jonin-level threats would struggle to harm Cardo.
And Kakuzu, ever the professional, was more than happy to take jobs wrecking the competition's operations—for the right price, of course.
Meanwhile, Menma began to enjoy the leisurely life of a young master.
Every morning he trained chakra control.
In the afternoons he experimented with combining different chakra natures.
In the evenings he refined the creation of "Nine-Faced Fox" constructs and developed new "Nine Faces Su Po He" techniques.
And whenever he felt like relaxing, he wandered through the village—exploring, familiarizing himself with the streets, or buying sweets for the tiny Nine-Tails.
Day by day, life settled into a peaceful rhythm.
The weather gradually cooled. Winter was approaching.
"Hey, Menma," came a small voice from inside his fluffy scarf.
The tiny Nine-Tails poked its head out, happily munching on a piece of cotton candy.
Thanks to the large sum Cardo had left him—and the profits from the Konoha branch now at his disposal—Menma's quality of life had improved dramatically. New clothes, better food, and a comfortable home.
"Let's open a dessert shop!" the little fox suggested eagerly, hugging a chunk of cotton candy bigger than its head.
Its fluffy tail brushed against Menma's neck, tickling him.
"I think you just want unlimited sweets," Menma replied dryly.
Then he added, "Too much sugar makes you fat."
"I'm a Tailed Beast! I don't get fat!" the fox protested indignantly.
Suddenly, its ears perked up.
"Menma… looks like Big Sis is in trouble."
Menma followed its gaze.
In a lonely autumn park, a small girl was being surrounded by three boys.
As he approached, their mocking voices became clearer.
"Ha! Look at her eyes—they're white!"
"Whoa, she must be some kind of white-eyed monster!"
"Gross!"
People often say children are innocent—but that innocence can be cruel.
None of them truly understood how deeply their words could wound.
The young Hinata, overwhelmed by such malice, crouched on the ground with tears welling in her pale eyes.
Seeing her cry only made the boys laugh louder.
None of them noticed the shadow creeping up behind them.
'Strange… wasn't this scene supposed to happen on a snowy day?' Menma wondered as he stepped up.
He raised his hand, curled his fingers—and flicked each of them sharply on the forehead.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The laughter stopped instantly.
"Ow!"
"That hurts!"
"Hey! Who did that?!"
Menma had controlled his strength, but it was still enough to leave them dizzy and stumbling.
"I really have to say," Menma sighed, glancing at Hinata, who peeked up at him timidly, "bullying a girl? That's pretty low."
This was a shy, gentle Hinata—nothing like the confident Big Sister version he remembered.
"You jerk!" shouted the tallest boy, rubbing his head angrily. "Looks like you need to learn who runs this park!"
"Yeah! Sneak attacks don't count!" the chubby one yelled, swinging his fists.
"Prepare to get beat up!" the short one declared, grinning with his missing front tooth.
They were all a year or two older than Menma—bigger, stronger, and outnumbering him three to one.
In the logic of children, that meant victory was guaranteed.
Menma suppressed the urge to use ninjutsu.
Instead, he stepped forward, punched the tall boy square in the face, then swept the chubby one off his feet.
In seconds, two were down.
The last one froze in confusion.
"Waaaah! That hurts!"
"Moooom!"
Both fallen boys burst into tears.
The final one started crying too.
Menma placed a hand on his head and leaned in with a playful grin.
"From now on… I'm the boss here."
"Boss, please don't hit me!" the boy wailed.
'What am I even doing?' Menma thought to himself with a helpless smile.
'Playing king of the playground with a bunch of kids?'
After a thorough scolding, the three ran away in terror.
"Here," Menma said, turning to Hinata and extending his hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Menma."
This wasn't truly their first meeting—but it was the first time they officially introduced themselves.
"Y-You're… hello… I'm Hinata…" she whispered, her small hand trembling like a frightened bird.
She didn't understand why the boy her "sister" often spoke of wanted to reintroduce himself—but she instinctively obeyed.
As he helped her up, she kept her head down.
"I… I'm really useless, aren't I…?"
She thought of the fiery "big sister" inside her.
If it were her, those boys would already be on the ground.
Her words brought back memories for Menma.
In the Limited Tsukuyomi world, when he was her age, he had once been bullied the same way—before Big Sister Hinata stepped in and saved him.
From that day forward, their bond grew stronger… until they became lovers during the Chunin Exams of that world.
Menma gently patted the real Hinata's head.
"Kindness isn't weakness," he said softly. "Your kindness makes people feel warm and safe. That part of you… is really cute."
"C-Cute…?"
Her face instantly turned bright red, steam practically rising from her head.
Growing up in a strict clan, Hinata had rarely received praise. Her gentle nature was often criticized as weakness.
Grrr…
Her stomach suddenly growled.
She turned even redder.
Menma laughed lightly.
"Come on. I'll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen."
Knowing Hinata's appetite, he figured she probably hadn't eaten her fill in years.
As he pulled her along toward the ramen shop, golden ginkgo leaves fell around them.
Hinata stared at his back, her white eyes shimmering with quiet warmth.
In that moment, Menma became her first white moonlight.
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