Chapter 14

Chapter 14 — First Time Leaving the Village

An eastern coastal city of the Land of Fire.

For the first time since leaving Konoha, Menma had changed into a simple outfit as he walked leisurely along the harbor docks.

“Sir! Need workers? I can do anything!”

Along the streets near the port, unemployed civilians searched desperately for work.

Most were poorly dressed and malnourished. When they looked at passersby—especially those dressed richly—their eyes revealed both fear and longing.

On his journey from Konoha, Menma had seen countless civilians displaced by war.

The conflict between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning was nearing its end. Ninja forces from both nations were currently confronting each other within the territories of the Land of Moon and the Land of Hot Water. Small clashes still occurred, but both sides exercised restraint.

Kumogakure had already sent envoys to Konoha for peace negotiations.

With the war about to conclude, coastal cities of the Land of Fire gradually regained their former prosperity. Merchant ships moved constantly through the harbor, including vessels from the Land of Lightning.

The shinobi world was far from peaceful.

Beyond wars between great nations, bandits roamed freely. Civilization still resembled a feudal era, structured by rigid hierarchy:

Daimyō, nobles, merchants, ninja, and commoners.

Even though ninja possessed overwhelming combat power, their social status was comparable to merchants. Often, they were merely hired labor, paid to fight and kill.

Professional warriors ranked only slightly above ordinary civilians.

Some rogue ninja or wanderers preyed upon merchants, seizing wealth by force. Such incidents usually targeted small traders; major merchants were protected by noble connections.

If a noble were killed, it would attract the attention of the nation’s supreme ruler—the Daimyō—and the entire aristocratic class would fund bounties to hunt the offender.

Thus aristocratic authority endured.

This strange system had persisted for nearly a thousand years.

During his time in the Inifinite Tsukuyomi world, Menma had studied this structure extensively. Even though many aspects of that world were inverted, the political order remained unchanged: ninja wielded extraordinary power yet rarely interfered with state governance.

A delicate symbiosis existed—nations did not attempt to replace ninja clans, and ninja never sought to seize political rule.

Menma entered a small seaside restaurant.

“Welcome, please sit. Dining alone?” the waiter greeted warmly, showing no disdain despite Menma’s youthful appearance.

The shinobi world’s development remained inconsistent—some cities advanced technologically while others resembled ancient times. Classical architecture coexisted with modern structures; in certain theatrical adaptations, even aircraft carriers appeared.

Menma chose a window seat overlooking docked ships. He casually waved two banknotes.

“One ramen set. No narutomaki. Also—are there any merchant ships heading to the Land of Lightning soon? The safer, the better.”

As a ninja, he had no need to board a merchant ship. The question merely served as an excuse to identify the region’s most influential merchant.

The waiter accepted the money eagerly.

“The safest option is Lord Gatō’s shipping company! They even hire samurai and ninja escorts.”

Though ninja dominated warfare, samurai had not vanished. Beyond the samurai nation of Iron Country, many ronin worked as enforcers, bodyguards, or underworld muscle.

Ninja generally avoided civilian disputes, and shinobi wars tried to limit civilian involvement—though once war erupted, control became difficult.

Out of the two hundred ryō he paid, the waiter would likely keep at least one hundred as a tip.

The monetary system across the shinobi world was complex, each nation issuing its own currency. The Land of Fire’s currency remained the most stable among the Five Great Nations.

According to manga settings, one ryō equaled ten yen.

In Chapter 150 of the manga, Jiraiya gave Naruto three hundred-ryō bills—roughly three thousand yen, less than two hundred RMB.

(While early anime priced Ichiraku ramen at 400 ryō, the manga listed it at 60 ryō. This translation follows the manga’s simpler calculation.)

“Gatō…”

Hearing the name awakened buried memories.

“Yes, Lord Gatō is a newly risen tycoon these past few years,” the waiter added enthusiastically.

“They say he has backing from Fire Country nobles. His fleet travels these seas without obstruction—even the recent war barely affected him.”

Menma listened quietly.

This was Year 54 of Konoha—nine years before Naruto’s graduation and the beginning of the original story in Year 63.

Nine years later, Gatō would become one of the richest men in the shinobi world, wealthy enough to employ Zabuza Momochi, an S-rank missing-nin.

Zabuza had attempted to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage and still escaped alive—an elite jōnin capable of fighting Kakashi Hatake evenly. His services would never be cheap.

Menma vaguely remembered that an S-rank mission paid around one million ryō.

And Zabuza was accompanied by Haku, whose strength at minimum matched a standard jōnin. Without Naruto entering Nine-Tails mode, defeating Haku would have been difficult.

After the waiter left, Menma rested his chin on one hand and stared at the busy harbor, considering his true purpose for leaving the village.

Eliminating the White Zetsu monitoring the orphanage had only solved a temporary problem.

To permanently escape surveillance, he needed to relocate to Konoha’s central districts—near the Hokage Tower or the Hyūga clan compound. The presence of ANBU patrols, sensory units, and the Hyūga Byakugan would discourage White Zetsu and Obito from watching him.

However, his physical body was still that of a three-year-old child. Independent residence was impossible, let alone moving into elite districts.

He needed money.

Influence as well.

Thus, Menma intended to select a merchant as his pawn—preferably one with noble backing from the Land of Fire.

If that merchant settled in Konoha and adopted an orphan, Menma could arrange to be chosen, allowing him to leave the orphanage legally.

Direct adoption by a noble would create unnecessary complications.

For long-term residence near the Hokage Tower or the Hyūga district, he could not rely on genjutsu control. The pawn needed genuine loyalty.

Aristocrats, shaped by centuries of superiority, were unsuitable.

He required someone ambitious.

Someone useful.