What just happened was the ultimate proof.
He was Menma Uzumaki, not Naruto Uzumaki.
He was a living, breathing boy with red hair and grey eyes, not the blonde, blue-eyed protagonist of the original story.
Before this moment, he had genuinely worried about whether he would be allowed to enter the Ninja Academy at the normal age. If he couldn't even take the first step toward becoming a ninja, his life would be a tragedy of epic proportions.
So, when he heard Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, the joy on Menma's face was entirely genuine.
Of course, Hiruzen had no idea what was going on in Menma's head. Seeing the boy's delighted smile only made the Third Hokage's own smile widen. He thought he had successfully strengthened their bond and granted Menma another benevolent favor.
"It's only natural. You're the right age now," Hiruzen said with a chuckle. "But before you can enter the Academy, there is a small test. You can only enroll if you pass."
"Huh? What kind of test? I'll definitely pass it, Grandpa Third!" Menma declared with total confidence.
"Heh heh. It is the molding of chakra," Hiruzen explained, patting Menma's head again. "Little Menma, you should know that for a ninja, the most important first step is learning to mold chakra. Only by mastering this can you enter the Academy."
Hiruzen reached into his robe and pulled out a scroll, placing it on the table.
"Molding chakra?"
Menma stared at the scroll on the table, the light in his eyes intensifying.
This was what he had craved for the past five years.
Now that it was finally within his grasp, Menma couldn't hide his excitement. It was written all over his face.
"Yes! Don't worry, Grandpa Third! I'll master it before school starts next year!" Menma slapped his small chest confidently.
"Good. Grandpa believes in you, little Menma," Hiruzen said, leaning forward slightly with an encouraging expression.
Cultivate feelings from a young age. Strengthen the bond step by step.
Hiruzen believed that in the future, this child would become one of his staunchest supporters—a true inheritor of the Will of Fire he preached.
Lord First, Lord Second... rest assured. I will protect the Hidden Leaf. And Minato... I will take good care of Naruto and Menma.
Hiruzen silently vowed to himself.
A Hokage's time is precious. Even on New Year's Eve, Hiruzen couldn't stay idle forever.
However, he did stay longer than usual, keeping Menma company until dusk before finally taking his leave.
Menma kept up his happy façade the entire time.
It wasn't until Hiruzen was gone that the smile slowly faded from his face.
The Ninja Academy, huh? I've finally waited long enough for this moment.
Menma squeezed the scroll in his palm, his mind already racing to restructure his training schedule.
Chakra!
The official definition: The product of perfectly blending physical energy—drawn from the 130 trillion cells in the human body—with spiritual energy.
Of course, the original series had some contradictory lore about this. Some sources claimed it was an innate human ability that the Sage of Six Paths merely taught people how to use. Others said the Sage shared his own chakra with humanity, which implies all chakra ultimately stems from Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and the Chakra Fruit.
Which one was the truth?
Humanity had long since lost the answer.
But it didn't really matter.
Humanity had mastered the method of molding chakra: combining physical and spiritual energy.
The difference was that only a small percentage of humans could actually do it. The vast majority couldn't mold chakra at all.
Even in the Five Great Ninja Villages, a huge number of commoner applicants were rejected every year during the entrance exams. If you couldn't mold chakra, you couldn't be a ninja. Period.
For clan kids, this wasn't an issue. They started training within their families long before the Academy. If they had no talent, they wouldn't even bother applying, so they never faced the rejection wall.
For Menma, this problem was non-existent.
Uzumaki bloodline.
Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
If he couldn't mold chakra, it would be the joke of the century.
Although the Nine-Tails' chakra did interfere, making his molding process unstable and difficult, Menma persisted.
After a full day of effort...
"Is this... chakra?"
On the morning of January 1st, Year 54 of the Hidden Leaf.
Menma finally succeeded in molding his very first thread of personal chakra.
Feeling that unique energy coursing through him, a look of pure delight washed over his face.
Even if it was just a tiny thread!
Menma could feel his "power" far exceeding what it was before.
Of course, this was just the starting line.
Without external help or special factors, a ninja's chakra potential—their upper limit—was generally fixed at birth. However, that didn't mean you started with your max capacity the moment you unlocked it.
You had to train.
You had to work to reach that limit.
The key lay in physical and spiritual energy. The harder you worked on those, the faster you'd reach your potential.
With his Uzumaki blood, Menma had immense vitality, so his physical energy was already taken care of.
That meant his focus had to be on tempering his spiritual energy.
Not to mention, he had the Nine-Tails' chakra as his ultimate trump card.
I've finally taken the most solid step forward! Now, I need to pick up the pace.
Menma exhaled a breath of stale air, his fists clenching tight. His gaze sharpened.
The plan had changed.
For the immediate future, Menma dedicated all his time to steadily molding and controlling his chakra. He didn't need to be a master yet, but he needed to reach a level where he could use it practically.
Time was tight.
It was already January of Year 54.
Only six years until the main storyline began.
He had to gain at least the minimum ability to protect himself within these six years. He couldn't afford to waste this crucial time goofing off like the original Naruto.