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Twin Demons. Chapter 12
🕑 Added 2025-08-26 12:53:09 +0000 UTCMenma carefully set down two bowls of porridge on the table, generously sprinkled with fruit pieces. Steam rose slowly from the hot dish, and sunlight from the window fell right onto the table, making the morning almost cozy—if not for one ramen-obsessed girl.
“Bon appétit,” he drawled lazily, spearing a soft peach slice with his spoon and sending it into his mouth with exaggerated leisure.
“But it’s our day off…” Naruko dragged out, smearing porridge along the rim of her bowl. “Why not go to Ichiraku?”
“Because Ichiraku doesn’t serve fruit,” Menma cut her off dryly. “We need a varied diet. Besides, we already go there at least three times a week. Haven’t you had enough ramen yet?”
Naruko’s head shot up, eyes going wide, as if he’d just suggested betraying the village.
“What are you talking about?! Ramen is… it’s divine food! You can’t get tired of it!”
Menma snorted skeptically and narrowed his eyes at his sister.
“You know, you should start charging Ichiraku for advertising. Seriously. You’re their best promoter. Half the academy only hangs out there because of you.”
Naruko puffed out her cheeks but kept quiet. Menma seized the moment and, as if in passing, remarked:
“Better tell me, how’s your new best friend doing?”
Her expression shifted instantly.
“Well, brother… thanks a lot for Sakura!” Naruko grumbled. “She’s been tailing me around the academy all week!”
Menma smirked, leaning on the table at his own pace.
“What can I say? I defended her from bullies way too charismatically.”
“Cha-ris-ma?” Naruko mimicked him. “You did it while pretending to be me! Ami tried to go after Sakura outside the academy. I had to beat her up again! Now Sakura’s even more attached to me.”
Menma shrugged as if it were nothing.
“Don’t see the problem. Is Sakura really that bad as a friend?”
Naruko grimaced, then after a short pause admitted reluctantly:
“Well… not really. At least unlike Ino, she doesn’t try to drag me shopping.”
[My little sis, a full-on tomboy, is lucky girls her age still care more about dolls than boys. Give it a year or two, and her ears will start wilting.]
“By the way,” Naruko continued a bit softer, “after your ‘talk,’ Sakura stopped being so annoying. Now I can actually talk to her without worrying she’ll run to the teachers about every word.”
“Already progress.” Menma chuckled, finishing his porridge. “But, speaking of which, it’s time.”
“What, right now?” Naruko perked up instantly, forgetting about her food.
Menma gave a short nod.
Time to check the temple basement Kurama had mentioned. The only problem was the ever-present watcher nearby—the Monkey King Enma. Revealing the basement’s existence in front of him was out of the question.
As planned, Naruko headed outside and began terrorizing the old monkey with questions about the Four-Tails, who also had an ape-like form. Enma, as usual, tried grumbling and waving her off, but Naruko wasn’t so easy to get rid of.
Meanwhile, Menma created five clones, telling them to handle the dishes and cleaning—perfect cover. One clone quietly slipped toward the altar of masks.
A hidden button, click—and a secret hatch in the floor opened. As soon as the clone’s feet touched the steps, a light shock ran through his body: an anti-spying barrier.
[If Enma’s a sensor, he probably noticed one clone vanish. But that’s not suspicious—I create and dispel them all the time.]
The shadow clone descended. The basement greeted him with cool, unmoving darkness. Dust hung in the air, tickling his nose—clearly, no one had been here in years. Most likely since Kushina’s time. That was good news: no looters had rummaged through.
The door shut behind him automatically, cutting off the way back and guaranteeing privacy.
The clone lit a candle. Orange flame flickered, revealing the outlines of a spacious chamber. It could easily hold two hundred clones. Instead of people, the walls kept the past: priestly robes, old instruments, ritual props. Scrolls of fuinjutsu lined the shelves.
At that sight, the shadow clone couldn’t help but grin.
“Well then… something to keep me busy on long winter nights.”
///
The Uzumaki twins strolled leisurely through the park, lazily hopping across stones on the path and arguing over who was faster. The day was nearly cloudless, and the wind carried the scent of blooming trees. Everything was calm… until Menma suddenly froze, as a flood of memories from his clone rushed into his mind.
[Finally! Six hours passed. I thought the basement might be sealed with some nasty trap and the clone stuck there forever. But no—good lad spent all this time cramming scrolls and digging into fuinjutsu so I wouldn’t have to waste the trip. I’m proud of myself.]
“So why exactly did you need me to distract Enma?” Naruko narrowed her eyes suspiciously, poking the ground with a stick as she walked beside him.
“Oh, nothing,” Menma shrugged innocently, looking off to the side. “Just wanted to read a book in peace.”
[I hate lying to my sister, but it’s better this way. Later, when I’m sure it’s safe, I’ll tell her about the basement.]
“So I spent a whole hour walking on my hands in front of Enma,” Naruko said quietly, with a dangerous edge to her voice, “all so you could flip through a book? You little bug!”
She lunged at her brother, reaching for his ears, but he had already bolted.
“You won’t get away!” Naruko shouted, sprinting after him. “Might I remind you, Bushy-Brows trained me too!”
And so they were tearing through the park—two red-haired whirlwinds scattering pigeons, vaulting over benches, and startling every passerby. Menma ran as if a pack of bloodthirsty shinobi was chasing him, but his sister didn’t fall behind by even a step. Their skills were too evenly matched for either to pull ahead.
He skidded to a stop near a dense thicket, spotting a familiar face ahead.
“Gotcha!” Naruko cried triumphantly, tackling her brother into the bushes. “Caught you!”
“Quiet!” Menma hissed, pressing a finger to his lips.
“What are you staring at?” Naruko asked, stopping her tickling. “Hinata..?”
Yes, it was her. Their classmate stood a short distance away, shrinking in on herself as if wishing she could vanish. Three older boys surrounded her, grinning like hungry dogs.
“Such interesting eyes you’ve got,” one of them drawled in a nasal voice. “You’re that Neji punk’s relative, aren’t you? After sparring with him, I limped for two weeks.”
“I… I’m sorry…” Hinata murmured so softly it was barely audible, head lowered.
“Sorry won’t fix my leg,” the boy scowled, pretending to barely stand. “So here’s the deal—you pay for my medicine.”
[Wow, textbook street scam! Step one—find a quiet victim. Step two—crush her with guilt. Step three—shake her down for money. I’ll bet he made up the ‘crippling beatdown by Neji’ on the spot.]
“I… have nothing,” Hinata whispered, lips barely moving.
“What are you mumbling?” the leader barked. “Boys, hold her! I’ll check her pockets myself.”
And what was shocking—she didn’t even resist. The future head of a warrior clan was letting these mutts paw through her clothes.
“This sucks,” Naruko hissed to her brother, clenching her fists. “I was hoping Hinata would wipe the floor with them, then we’d pop out of the bushes and laugh at the losers. Maybe even throw in a few low blows.”
“But the scene doesn’t really suit comedy,” Menma muttered, watching as the girl’s jacket was already being pulled off. “Alright, let’s step in. Before they strip her down to her underwear.”
Without a word, the Uzumaki twins burst out of the bushes. A synchronized strike floored two of the punks, who never saw it coming.
“We won’t let you hit our own!” they shouted in unison.
The third one, the quickest, jumped back, smirking as he sized them up.
“And who the hell are you, brats?” He spotted the whisker marks on their cheeks and burst out laughing. “Hah! Guys, look! A couple of kittens!”
His buddies, already getting up, joined the laughter, confidence restored. And the fight erupted.
At first glance, the odds were even: three older boys against two fiery redheads. But then a miracle happened—Hinata joined the fray.
“Kyaa!” Her timid voice rang surprisingly sharp as her palm slammed into one thug’s stomach. He doubled over and collapsed, clutching his gut.
“Oh, no” the second one blanched, noticing the veins swelling around her eyes. “That’s… Byakugan?! Hell no, I’m outta here!”
“Not so fast,” Menma growled, wiping blood from his split lip. “Blood for blood!”
The twins struck the two remaining bullies in unison, knocking them down. Hinata added her own blow—and the boys screamed as if a hot iron had been driven into their guts.
In the end, the trio crawled out of the park in disgrace, groaning and cursing their fate.
Hinata stood trembling, fists clenched tight. The veins faded from around her eyes, and she seemed once more the small, timid Hinata they knew.
“Th-thank you… for helping me,” she whispered, hiding her gaze and fidgeting with her hem. She looked as if she wished the ground would swallow her whole, just so no one would stare.
“It’s nothing,” Menma waved it off as if he’d just helped carry a heavy bag. “We’re classmates. Gotta look out for each other. Who knows, maybe we’ll end up on the same team someday.”
“That would be… nice,” Hinata murmured, her cheeks faintly coloring pink.
Naruko narrowed her eyes, flashed a sly grin, and tilted her head.
“Well, aren’t you cunning, Hinata-chan. The way you tricked those losers! Even I fell for your little performance!”
“M-me..?” Hinata’s eyes went wide, blinking so fast it was as if someone had splashed her with cold water. “I wasn’t tricking anyone!”
“Oh, come on,” Naruko wagged a finger in front of her nose like a strict teacher. “It was perfect. You let them mock you, pretended to be weak on purpose so they’d drop their guard, and then—bam!—Byakugan on, their faces twisted in horror. Pure strategy. Even I believed it.”
“Uh… I… that’s not… I didn’t…” Hinata went pale and red all at once, her voice shrinking to a squeak.
“Good joke,” Naruko cut her off, patting her shoulder. “You’re one dangerous kunoichi, Hinata-chan. I’m never turning my back on you again!”
“I… n-no…” Hinata clenched her hands tighter, as if afraid her fingers would give her away.
[Heh. If I didn’t know my sister so well, I might’ve believed her too. But no. That’s either trolling for laughs or a pep talk to boost Hinata’s confidence. Probably both at once.]
“Hinata-hime!” A voice rang out, and a young Hyūga approached at a brisk pace. His eyes looked stern, but carried no worry. “Forgive me for leaving you alone. It’s time to return home.”
“Thank you again, Menma, Naruko.” Hinata bowed politely. “See you at the academy.”
“See you?” Naruko clutched her chest dramatically. “What is this—are you challenging me to a duel to the death?!”
“N-no, of course not!” Hinata flailed in panic, nearly tripping over nothing.
“My sister’s joking,” Menma explained calmly with a faint smile. “We’ll be glad to keep talking with you.”
Hinata smiled quickly in return, gave a short wave, and hurried after her escort.
“Ugh…” Naruko groaned on the way home, clutching her back. “I think I tore my jacket in that fight.”
Menma inspected the seam and confirmed:
“Looks like it. But no big deal. We’ve got a whole stock of identical clothes. You’ll get a fresh one.”
“Forget the jacket!” Naruko waved it off. “What matters is, we helped Hinata at just the right time!”
Menma raised a brow as if idly.
“Are you sure that fight was an accident?”
His sister stopped dead, grabbed his shoulders, and all but shoved him onto the nearest bench.
“Alright, brother! Spill. Now. What do you know?”
“It’s just a theory,” he began, staring thoughtfully at the path.
“Doesn’t matter, tell me!” Naruko demanded, arms crossed like a stern interrogator.
“I found it suspicious that Hinata’s bodyguard left her alone in the park. And right then, those punks showed up.”
“You think… they were in on it together?” Naruko’s eyes went wide as she leaned forward, as if hearing a ghost story.
“No,” Menma shook his head. “The bodyguard and those thugs were just pawns. The real plan goes deeper. You know Hinata’s supposed to inherit the Hyūga clan. But her personality is too soft.”
Naruko frowned, then slowly nodded.
“You mean… her father staged it? To force her to show some bite under pressure?”
“Exactly. It was a test.”
“And what? Did we ruin it?” Naruko whispered. “Did Hinata manage..?”
Menma smirked quietly.
“You saw it yourself. She struck—and that guy nearly lost his guts. I think her father will be satisfied. And she’ll gain confidence herself.”
[As for her future obsessive crush, borderline yandere… that’s gone. I acted way off canon. But honestly, that’s for the better. Let the girl have a normal childhood without fixating on someone. Besides, friendship with the future head of the Hyūga clan is a very promising investment.]
