The morning sunlight filtered through the lush branches and leaves of the trees beside the Konoha's Ninja Academy playground, casting dappled, dancing spots of light.
A gentle breeze carrying the scent of grass and earth brushed past, dispelling some of the early summer heat.
On the wide playground, dozens of first-year students, no more than six years old, were undergoing basic physical training under the guidance of a young Chunin with a horizontal scar across his nose and face, whose expression was gentle.
"Alright! Maintain your form! Squat deeply, don't let your knees go past your toes! Feel the engagement of your thigh muscles!" Iruka clapped his hands, his resonant voice echoing across the playground.
He moved among the children, occasionally correcting a child's wrong posture, patting another child's shoulder in encouragement, a patient and gentle smile always on his face.
On these youthful faces, sweat mixed with dust, but most had earnest eyes. Even if some children grimaced in pain, they tried their best to persevere.
This was their first step into the Ninja World… monotonous yet necessary basic training.
"Alright, ten-minute break! You can drink water, but don't wander off!" Iruka checked his watch and announced, clapping his hands.
The children immediately let out a small cheer, dispersing in small groups. Some ran towards their water bottles at the edge of the field, some collapsed directly onto the grass in the shade of the trees, chattering and laughing.
Iruka wiped the thin sweat from his forehead and walked to the edge of the playground, under a large, leafy tree, sitting down on an old but sturdy wooden bench.
He picked up his own water bottle resting on the bench, tilted his head back, and gulped down some cool tea. Then he let out a long sigh and sat down on the bench.
As his body relaxed, his thoughts involuntarily drifted away.
Iruka's gaze crossed over the playing children on the playground, over the red roof of the Ninja Academy, and towards the Hokage Rock to the north.
And behind the Hokage Rock was the special arena where today's final round of the Joint Chunin Exams was being held.
'At this time... the match should have started already, right?' Iruka thought to himself, several familiar faces seeming to appear before his eyes.
"I wonder if those kids will be able to pass the exam today and become Chunin..." Iruka murmured to himself, the corner of his mouth unconsciously lifting into a smile that was both pleased and slightly worried.
As Naruto and Menma's homeroom teacher at the Ninja Academy, he had watched these two children grow up, especially Naruto.
He knew better than anyone the loneliness and criticism that child had endured, and for that reason, he was truly happy that Naruto had come this far.
As for Menma, that ever-outstanding top student, his performance never seemed to need worrying about, but Iruka vaguely felt that the burden on that child's shoulders might be no less than Naruto's.
Just as Iruka's thoughts drifted, immersed in recollections and expectations,
"Yo, Iruka-sensei, taking it easy~"
A somewhat familiar voice, slightly teasing, rang out!
"Wahh!!"
Iruka was startled, his whole body jolting like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and he sprang up from the bench!
His movement was too big, and coupled with the bench having no backrest, he lost his balance, flailed, and fell backwards, landing with a 'thud' on the grass, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
"Cough, cough..." Iruka clutched his bruised back of his head, looked up dizzily towards the source of the voice, the tree trunk above.
There, amid the dense branches and leaves, a face with a cynical smile was hanging upside down, peering down from above.
Long white hedgehog-like hair hung down, and the forehead protector bore the character for 'Oil'. It was Jiraiya, one of the Sannin!
"Ji-Jiraiya-sama?!" Iruka exclaimed, both surprised and embarrassed, upon recognizing the visitor. He hurriedly scrambled to his feet, brushing off the grass clippings and dust.
"Wh-Why are you here? And appearing so suddenly..."
"Hahaha! I really startled you, didn't I!" Jiraiya laughed heartily, flipping down from the tree trunk with a nimble somersault and landing steadily in front of Iruka.
He put his hands on his hips, puffed out his chest, looking very pleased with himself at his successful prank: "Relax, relax. I saw you sitting here alone, spacing out, so I came over to say hi, and by the way... I have something I want to ask you about."
Iruka composed himself. He felt great respect for this legendary Sannin and disciple of the Third Hokage, even if the other's way of appearing was always so unexpected.
Hearing that Jiraiya had something to ask, he immediately straightened his expression: "Jiraiya-sama is asking about Naruto, right? Don't worry, I'll tell you everything I know."
He vaguely guessed the reason.
Jiraiya had seemed very interested in Naruto lately, and had even personally trained Naruto.
Coming to see him now was probably about Naruto.
After all, he might be the one who knew Naruto's growth experience best, aside from the Third Hokage.
However, Jiraiya's next words surprised Iruka.
"That Naruto kid..." Jiraiya waved his hand.
"Although he's an idiot, hot-blooded, and his Chakra Control is rough enough, he probably won't have any major problems for now. I mainly wanted to ask..."
Jiraiya said this, the playful expression on his face fading a bit. He walked to the bench and sat down, patting the empty space beside him, indicating Iruka should sit too.
After Iruka sat down somewhat nervously, Jiraiya crossed his fingers, rested the back of his hands on his chin, leaned his body slightly forward, and his gaze seemed casual as it swept over the children playing on the playground.
"I want to ask about Menma."
"Menma?" Iruka was momentarily stunned, somewhat surprised.
"Menma... is there something wrong with him?"
Jiraiya didn't answer immediately. He maintained that posture, as if deliberating his words, or observing Iruka's reaction.
After a moment, he slowly spoke, his tone much more serious than during the casual chat just now: "You're aware of the situation with that Naruto kid, he's quite special in the village. And Menma, that kid seems to take special care of Naruto."
He paused, then added: "Of course, I'm not suspecting Menma of having any bad intentions. That kid seems upright in character, and his talent is frighteningly high. It's just that knowing a bit more about some things never hurts. Especially..."
Jiraiya's voice lowered a bit: "Considering Naruto's sensitive identity."
Iruka understood Jiraiya's meaning.
As a Ninja who had experienced the Nine-Tails Attack, he understood Jiraiya's caution.
Menma's care for Naruto might just seem like kindness to many, but in the eyes of those who knew Naruto's true identity, the motivation and consistency of this care warranted deeper investigation.
Especially since Menma's background was also somewhat vague.
A reminiscent expression appeared on Iruka's face, his eyes becoming much softer.
He relaxed his body, leaned back against the bench, and looked into the distance, as if seeing familiar scenes from years ago.
"Jiraiya-sama, you're right. Menma really does take very good care of Naruto. The two of them, along with Hinata from the Hyuga Clan, met before they even officially started school, when they were about four or five years old." Iruka's voice was very calm, carrying a warmth of telling a story.
"Over the years, that Naruto kid... because of some reasons, many adults in the village avoided him, and most children his age were warned by their parents not to play with him. When he was little, he was alone for a long, long time."
"But Menma and Hinata were different."
A smile appeared at the corner of Iruka's mouth: "Menma seemed completely unconcerned about the gossip. He took the initiative to play with Naruto. Hinata was still very shy back then, always hiding behind Menma, but she quickly accepted Naruto as a new friend."
"From then on, the three of them became inseparable little companions."
He paused, his tone somewhat complex: "To be honest with you, Jiraiya-sama. For a while after becoming Naruto's teacher, because my parents died in the Nine-Tails Attack... I also harbored resentment and prejudice towards Naruto."
"I felt that he... brought the disaster."
"Third Hokage-sama once told me very seriously, 'Iruka, hatred only clouds the eyes, preventing you from seeing the true pain and those who need help. Naruto, more than anyone, longs to be recognized and needed.'"
Iruka smiled bitterly: "Later, I slowly tried to understand Naruto, and only then did I truly understand that child's inner loneliness and kindness."
"And Menma, he not only supported Naruto emotionally, but also in practical actions."
"You know, because of Naruto's special identity, many shops in the village were unwilling to sell things to him. Menma is the adopted son of the wealthy merchant Gato, and there are quite a few shops in Konoha belonging to the Gato Group. Menma often took Naruto to these shops, allowing Naruto to buy normal food, clothes, and even small toys, just like other children."
Iruka sighed with emotion: "Without Menma, Naruto's childhood would likely have been even more difficult. Economically, Menma's help to Naruto was tangible. He never treated this help as charity, always using reasons like 'share together' or 'help me try this new flavor', carefully protecting Naruto's self-esteem."
Jiraiya listened quietly. Iruka's description painted a picture of a precocious, kind, thoughtful child who didn't seem like a child at all.
This deepened his doubts further.
'Could such a character and ability really be naturally nurtured by an ordinary orphan in Konoha's environment?'
"I see... that kid really has done a lot." Jiraiya said softly.
Then he changed the subject: "Iruka, I heard that Menma is an orphan? Was he a war orphan taken in locally in Konoha, or... brought in from outside?"
Upon hearing this, Iruka thought carefully for a moment before replying uncertainly: "Regarding Menma's background and origins... I don't know much either. I only remember that not long after I became a Chunin, during my internship at the Ninja Academy, the former director of the orphanage, Yakushi Nono, once came to see Menma and mentioned something to me."
"She said that Menma was discovered by her at the entrance of the orphanage on the night of the Nine-Tails Attack, still a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes."
"The night of the Nine-Tails Attack?" Jiraiya's brow furrowed slightly.
That night of bloodshed produced too many orphans, and the clues were the most chaotic.
"Yes." Iruka nodded.
"But that night was too chaotic, with heavy casualties, many families broken, and children displaced. Director Nono also tried to search, but which family's child, who the parents were, whether there were any relatives... all of that could not be verified."
"Later, Menma was kept at the Konoha Orphanage until he was noticed by Mr. Gato and taken in as his adopted son."
Jiraiya's brow furrowed even tighter.
He had also gone to investigate the Konoha Orphanage before, but the current director didn't know much about the Nono era, and that legendary [Wandering Miko], Yakushi Nono, had reportedly accepted a long-term undercover mission years ago and had long since disappeared without a trace.
Jiraiya had looked for Nono's files in the Anbu, but all he found was a death file.
The clues seemed to be cut off again here.
An orphan born in Konoha, with no record of ever leaving the village except for the previous Land of Waves mission.
If he were a spy planted by another Ninja Village or organization, there would be huge suspicious points about the contact methods and training channels.
But his astonishing talent, his calm and mature mentality far beyond his years, and his all-around care for Naruto...
All made Jiraiya very suspicious.
Once again, Jiraiya's mind recalled the scene in the forest on the coast of the Land of Waves: Menma's body erupting with golden Chakra, a third eye on his forehead, effortlessly crushing that enemy who called himself 'Otsutsuki Urashiki' with terrifying combat power, and that dark purple sphere that seemed similar to the Rasengan but had terrifying power that blew a hole in the sky.
That kind of power...
"Ah, right!" Iruka suddenly slapped his own thigh, interrupting Jiraiya's contemplation, as if he had just remembered something.
"I suddenly recalled something! It might be useless, but perhaps you'd want to know."
"What is it?" Jiraiya looked at him.
"It was once when I went to the orphanage and was chatting with the current director, she mentioned it accidentally." Iruka tried hard to remember.
"She said that child, Menma, when he was little... his hair was apparently blonde."
"Very beautiful, very brilliant blonde, like..." Iruka subconsciously looked up at the Fourth Hokage's statue on the Hokage Rock in the distance, his face thoughtful.
"Like the Fourth Hokage-sama's blonde."
The moment Iruka's voice fell.
"What did you say?!"
Jiraiya's body suddenly stiffened, as if struck by lightning!
He whipped his head around, those eyes that always carried a hint of cynicism now wide open, staring intently at Iruka.
"Blonde?! Are you sure?!"
"Ye-Yes..." Iruka was startled by Jiraiya's intense reaction, shrinking his neck instinctively, but still nodded affirmatively.
"That's what the current director said. She also wondered why Menma's hair color gradually darkened after he turned two or three, eventually turning black."
"She even joked that maybe he wasn't eating well enough at the orphanage, which affected his hair color..."
Jiraiya could no longer hear Iruka's following words.
'Blonde hair...'
'Blonde when little...'
'Gradually turned black after two or three...'
These keywords echoed repeatedly in Jiraiya's mind.
Scenes began to gradually form in his mind.
The face of Minato, always with a gentle smile and brilliant blonde hair in his memory, slowly overlapped with the face of the current Menma, black-haired, black-eyed, calm and composed.
Peeling away that layer of black disguise, imagining that short hair re-dyed with the sunshine-like blonde...
The contours of his features, the essence between his brows, especially the slightly pursed corner of his mouth when he was quiet...
Hum—!
Jiraiya felt a chill shoot up from the base of his spine, instantly sweeping through his entire body, making all his hair stand on end!
His heart pounded wildly in his chest, almost shattering his ribs to leap out!
Dusty memories came flooding back like a broken dam.
Thirteen years ago, in Minato and Kushina's home, under the warm lamplight.
Minato, touching Kushina's slightly protruding, not very obvious belly, with a silly grin and pride of a first-time father, said to him: "Jiraiya-sensei, if it's a boy, I want to name him 'Naruto' after the protagonist in your novel. I hope he can be like your protagonist, never giving up, bringing people courage and hope."
He had laughed heartily at the time, a bit embarrassed.
Later, the Nine-Tails Attack broke out, and Minato and Kushina sacrificed themselves.
He rushed back to Konoha to attend that heart-wrenching funeral.
In front of the memorial stone, Hiruzen took him aside and, with tears streaming down his aged face, filled with guilt, told him a truth classified as top secret in a voice only they could hear: "Jiraiya... Minato and Kushina actually had more than one child."
"Kushina was pregnant with twins. Besides Naruto, there was another child... who went missing in the chaos of that night."
"I ordered the Anbu to search all possible areas... we only found fragments of a blood-stained swaddle... the possibility of survival... is extremely slim."
"Only I, the two advisors, and a very few Anbu know about this."
"For Naruto's safety, and for the stability of the village... this must be kept secret."
"That child... should be treated as... never having existed."
Never having existed...
Blonde hair... later turned black...
Menma...
Unconditional care and protection for Naruto...
Talent and precociousness far beyond ordinary people...
The inexplicable origin, yet heart-poundingly powerful strength from the Land of Waves incident...
All the clues, all the suspicious points, all the anomalies, at this moment, like scattered puzzle pieces, fit together perfectly, forming a complete, logically consistent, and terrifying picture!
"No... impossible... how can this be..." Jiraiya muttered to himself, his face pale, a layer of fine cold sweat instantly appearing on his forehead.
He felt as if he had fallen into a bizarre, yet extremely real, dream.
'If...'
'If my speculation was true, then Menma was Minato and Kushina's other son, Naruto's twin brother!'
'That child who was believed to have died on the night of the Nine-Tails Attack was not only alive, but right there in Konoha, under everyone's noses, raised as an 'orphan genius'!'
'He had even become Naruto's best friend and teammate!'
'Who?'
'Who took him?'
'And who erased all traces of him, turning him into the current 'Menma'?'
'Did Nono know the truth?'
'What role did Gato play in all this?'
'Did Menma himself... know his own background?'
'Where did that power of his come from?'
'Was his approach to Naruto really just sibling instinct, or... was there another purpose?'
Countless questions, like explosive shrapnel, madly collided in Jiraiya's mind, almost suffocating him.
However, fate did not seem willing to give him time to digest this earth-shattering secret.
Just as Jiraiya lost his composure, his thoughts churning,
Rumble—!!!!
From the direction of Konoha's main gate, several deafening, terrifying explosions suddenly came!
Even from far away, the loud noise rolled in like muffled thunder, and the ground beneath his feet shook with clear tremors!
"Wahhh—!!"
The children playing on the playground screamed, frightened by this sudden loud noise, panicking and looking around.
Iruka also turned his head in horror towards the village entrance.
There, on the village's perimeter high wall, a thick column of smoke mixed with fire shot into the sky!
Then, in the billowing smoke and dust, a huge purple shadow slowly appeared, writhing, and forced its way into the village through the blasted opening in the wall!
It was a purple giant snake with three fierce snake heads, its body comparable to a small mountain!
It raised its three heads, hissed, and began wantonly destroying the buildings and defenses at the village entrance with its massive body and terrifying power!
"That's... a summoning creature?! An invasion?!" Iruka exclaimed in shock.
And that wasn't all!
Almost simultaneously, from the direction of the Chunin Exams' final round arena behind the Hokage Rock, continuous explosions and faint sounds of fighting also came!
Smoke was also rising from that direction!
"The arena! Something's happened at the arena too!" Iruka's heart sank, thinking of Naruto, Menma, Hinata, and Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, and his other students who were taking the exam there, as well as the countless villagers who had gone to watch!
Jiraiya abruptly stood up from the bench. He looked once at the rampaging purple three-headed snake at the village entrance, then towards the arena direction, and instantly made a decision.
"Iruka! Immediately organize all the students and the teachers at the school, follow the emergency plan, and get to the school's underground shelter as fast as possible! Protect the children!"
"Yes!" Iruka quickly calmed down as well, his sense of responsibility as a teacher overcoming his panic.
"I'm going to support the arena!" With that, Jiraiya didn't delay any further.
He kicked off the ground with both feet, his body shooting out. In one bound, he leaped onto the highest roof of the Ninja Academy, then, without stopping, raced at full speed towards the final round arena behind the Hokage Rock, where the explosions and smoke were most dense!
His long white hair trailed behind him, creating a blurry afterimage.
Iruka watched Jiraiya's disappearing figure, took a deep breath, turned to face the panicked children on the playground, and used his loudest voice, trying to keep his tone calm: "First years, everyone! Don't panic! Listen to the teacher's commands! Now, immediately form into your small groups and follow your class monitors and vice-monitors! We will follow the route from our drills, and proceed in an orderly fashion to the underground shelter! Don't run, don't push! Trust the teachers, trust the village's Ninja, we will protect everyone's safety! Quickly!"
Under his command and reassurance, although the children were still scared, they gradually regained order. With the help of several other teachers who had arrived upon hearing the commotion, they began to evacuate quickly and orderly towards the underground shelter behind the school.
Iruka stood at the edge of the playground, urging the children on while unable to stop himself from looking back once more at the huge snake shadow at the village entrance and the rising smoke from the arena direction, his face full of anxiety and worry.
"Naruto... Menma... Hinata... Shikamaru... everyone... please be safe..."