An eastern coastal city of the Land of Fire.
Menma, having left the village for the first time in this world, had changed into simple casual clothes and was now strolling leisurely along the bustling harbor docks.
"Sir! Need a worker? I can do anything!"
On both sides of the streets near the port, unemployed commoners called out desperately, hoping for any kind of job.
Most of them were thin and ragged, faces sallow from hunger. Whenever they looked at passersby—especially those dressed richly—their eyes were filled with a mixture of fear and longing.
On his journey from Konoha to this place, Menma had seen countless ordinary people displaced by war.
At present, the conflict between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning was nearing its end. The shinobi forces of both countries were still confronting each other in the territories of the Land of Moon and the Land of Hot Water. Though small skirmishes occurred from time to time, both sides were showing restraint.
Moreover, Kumogakure had already dispatched envoys to Konoha for "peace talks." With the war about to conclude, the coastal cities of the Land of Fire were gradually regaining their former prosperity. Merchant ships came and went constantly, including quite a few from the Land of Lightning.
The shinobi world was far from peaceful.
Aside from wars between nations, bandits and pirates ran rampant. Civilization across the continent still lingered in a feudal era. Society was rigidly divided into classes—daimyō, nobles, merchants, shinobi, and commoners.
Yes—even though shinobi possessed strength far beyond that of ordinary people, their social status was roughly equivalent to merchants. Most of the time, they were even hired by merchants in order to earn payment.
Shinobi, who specialized in battle and killing, ranked only slightly higher than ordinary civilians.
Of course, there were also rogue or wandering ninja who would rob and kill merchants for profit.
But such incidents usually targeted small merchants. Large merchants generally had noble backing—something ordinary ninja dared not provoke.
After all, if a noble were killed by a shinobi, it would alarm the highest authority of a nation—the daimyō—and even the entire aristocracy might pool funds to place a bounty on the killer.
All to maintain the authority of the ruling class.
This bizarre social structure had persisted for nearly a thousand years.
Even in the Limited Tsukuyomi World, Menma had studied it during his training and always found it incomprehensible.
Although many things in that world were reversed, this structure remained unchanged. Despite holding extraordinary power, shinobi had never sought to seize national authority.
Instead, a strange symbiotic relationship existed between nations and ninja villages—neither side attempting to replace the other.
Menma entered a small seaside restaurant.
"Welcome! Table for one?" the waiter greeted him warmly, showing no disdain despite Menma appearing to be only a young teenager.
The shinobi world's technological level was oddly inconsistent—some big cities advanced rapidly, while others felt almost medieval.
In manga and anime, buildings could appear classical in one scene and modern in the next. In some movie versions, even aircraft carriers existed.
Menma chose a seat by the window overlooking the docks, then waved two bills in his hand.
"One ramen set—no narutomaki. Also, are there any merchant ships heading to the Land of Lightning soon? Preferably safe ones."
As a ninja, Menma didn't actually need to hitch a ride on a merchant vessel. He was simply looking for an excuse to gather information about influential merchants in the area.
The waiter accepted the two hundred-ryō notes eagerly and replied with enthusiasm:
"The safest would definitely be Lord Gatō's shipping company! His fleets are even escorted by samurai and ninja."
Although shinobi were the mainstream in this world, samurai had not vanished.
Aside from the samurai of the Land of Iron, many countries still had wandering samurai who acted as bodyguards, mercenaries, or enforcers.
According to common practice, ninja rarely intervened in ordinary civilian disputes, and shinobi wars generally tried to avoid involving common people.
But once war erupted, such restraint often became impossible.
Out of the two hundred ryō Menma handed over, the waiter would likely pocket at least one hundred ryō as a tip after deducting the meal price.
Currency in the shinobi world was complicated, with each country issuing its own. As the strongest of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Fire's currency was the most stable.
Based on manga settings, 1 ryō equals roughly 10 yen.
In Chapter 150: Beginning Training, Jiraiya gave Naruto three hundred-ryō bills to play with—about 3,000 yen, less than 200 RMB.
(Early anime priced a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen at 400 ryō, while the manga listed it at 60 ryō—around 36 RMB. For simplicity, the manga standard is used here.)
"Gatō, huh?"
Hearing that name, Menma felt a long-buried memory stir.
"Yeah, Lord Gatō has risen to prominence these past few years," the waiter continued eagerly, happy to provide more information for such a generous tip.
"It's said he has backing from Fire Country nobles. His fleets travel these seas freely. Even during the war these last two years, his business wasn't affected much."
Menma listened quietly.
He gradually recalled the timeline—this was Konoha Year 54. Nine years remained before Naruto would graduate and the original story would begin in Year 63.
By then, Gatō would become one of the wealthiest men in the shinobi world—rich enough to hire an S-rank missing-nin like Zabuza.
After all, Zabuza was a ruthless figure who had attempted to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage and escaped unharmed. An elite jōnin capable of fighting Kakashi evenly—his price would not be cheap.
Menma vaguely remembered that the reward for an S-rank mission was around one million ryō.
And Zabuza also had Haku at his side—whose abilities easily matched a standard jōnin.
If Naruto hadn't tapped into Nine-Tails chakra, he would never have defeated Haku.
After the waiter left, Menma rested his chin on one hand and gazed out at the busy harbor, considering the purpose of this trip.
Eliminating the White Zetsu around the orphanage had only solved the problem temporarily.
To truly prevent further surveillance, the best option was to relocate closer to Konoha's center—near the Hokage Building or the Hyuga clan district.
With ANBU, the Sensory Division, and the Hyuga's Byakugan nearby, Obito and the Zetsu would likely abandon monitoring him.
However, Menma was currently just a three-year-old child. Living alone was impossible, let alone moving into such prime areas.
He would need money—and influence.
Therefore, Menma planned to find a merchant to act as his pawn—preferably a Fire Country merchant with some noble connections.
By having that person settle in Konoha and "adopt" him under the pretext of taking in an orphan, he could leave the orphanage legitimately.
As for directly seeking adoption by a Fire Country noble—Menma wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble.
To reside long-term near the Hokage Building or Hyuga district, it would be best not to rely on genjutsu control. The pawn needed to serve him willingly.
For that purpose, nobles—accustomed to centuries of superiority—were unsuitable.
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