Over the course of more than a year—nearly two, in fact—Iruka's perception of Menma had noticeably shifted.
Or, to be more precise, Iruka Umino was simply a naturally kind-hearted person. Since he clearly understood the difference between a Jinchūriki and a Tailed Beast, he could separate his feelings toward them far better than the average person.
Unlike the general public, who feared, rejected, and even loathed Jinchūriki as if they were the beasts themselves, Iruka saw the human underneath.
Spending time together day after day, Menma could sense the gradual change in Iruka's attitude.
This complicated things for Menma.
Before this, apart from his special feelings for Naruto (his biological brother) and a bit of a "past-life filter" for Hinata, Menma felt absolutely zero affection for anyone in the Hidden Leaf.
But now, Iruka's shifting attitude made Menma feel a slight sense of being "bound." Of course, this could very well be one of Hiruzen Sarutobi's strategies—just like his own "benevolence."
But the crucial difference was that with Hiruzen, Menma could always sense the underlying utilitarianism.
With Iruka, all he felt was genuine sincerity.
Iruka simply saw him as a student—a student with a tragic background who needed care.
From various signs, it seemed Iruka even empathized with him.
Because they were both orphans.
This left Menma unsure of how to face Iruka now, and especially in the future.
Ultimately, Menma wasn't truly cold-blooded. He couldn't just completely ignore genuine kindness when it was offered to him.
He could only take it one step at a time.
However, Iruka's willingness to interact more closely with him was a good thing. At the very least, Menma could get private tutoring from him.
Don't be fooled by the fact that Iruka was "only" a Chūnin.
In the ninja world, reaching the rank of Chūnin already meant you had a certain degree of talent.
Moreover, the fact that Iruka was an Academy instructor meant his theoretical knowledge was rock solid. The fact that he was entrusted with teaching the next generation of clan geniuses—including Menma, Naruto, and Sasuke—proved his capability as an educator.
The Leaf was a massive village. Why was Iruka, of all people, chosen for Menma's class? That alone spoke volumes.
Therefore, when it came to foundational training, Menma trusted Iruka completely.
Seeing Menma's attitude and aptitude for learning, Iruka was more than willing to give him extra guidance outside of class.
For example, the Three Basic Techniques (Bunshin, Henge, Kawarimi) that every Academy student needed to master.
Normally, these were taught much later in the curriculum.
But Menma was allowed to learn them early.
Menma perfectly illustrated the definition of a genius—especially now that he didn't have the Nine-Tails' chakra interfering with his control.
In less than a week, he had mastered the Transformation Technique, the Substitution Technique, and the Clone Technique—the three most fundamental and critical jutsu for a ninja.
Of course, "mastered" here just meant he could use them at a basic level.
But even that was enough to astound Iruka.
The Three Basic Techniques were called "basic," but they weren't easy. They required a decent level of chakra control.
When Iruka learned them, it took him a week or more to grasp just one of them. The Clone Technique, the hardest of the three, had taken him even longer.
Seeing Menma grasp all three in a single week naturally left Iruka in awe.
Menma, however, wasn't satisfied.
Poof!
Thud!
His mastery was still a bit lacking.
Looking at the small wooden log on the ground, Menma frowned slightly.
Technically, the Substitution Technique (Kawarimi) was the easiest to learn but the hardest to use effectively. It relied entirely on timing.
Kawarimi wasn't a space-time jutsu. If it were, it wouldn't be a basic Academy technique. That would be ridiculous.
At its core, it was a sleight of hand—an optical illusion.
In high-level battles, it wasn't useless, but pulling it off convincingly was incredibly difficult.
Just like the Transformation and Clone techniques. They had their uses, but effectiveness depended entirely on how the user applied them.
Of course, the Clone Technique had advanced variations like Water Clones, Earth Clones, and the absurdly overpowered Shadow Clones.
But the basic Substitution was just that—a substitution.
If your timing was off, you were just making a fool of yourself.
Menma didn't necessarily need to perfect this specific jutsu to a legendary level, but he wanted to use the practice to refine his overall jutsu control.
It was killing two birds with one stone.
The same applied to the Transformation Technique. Striving for perfection was never a mistake.
This wasn't something he could rush. It required time, accumulation, and endless repetition.
I still need more time... or maybe I need to use it in actual combat to get better results, Menma thought, rubbing his chin.
Solo training was the most direct way to improve skill proficiency and raw power, but real combat was always the most effective teacher.
Training alone always lacked that final edge. Only real battles—especially life-and-death struggles—truly forced a ninja to break through their limits.
Maybe I should ask Iruka-sensei for a sparring match later? Hmm, that sounds like a decent idea.
Just as the thought crossed his mind...
"Menma!"
A clear voice rang out.
Iruka's familiar figure appeared not far away.
"Huh? Iruka-sensei? What are you doing here?"
Seeing Iruka, Menma quickly walked over to greet him.
"I went to your place, but you weren't there, so I figured you'd be here. Didn't you say your ninja tools were all worn out? I bought you a new set. Don't use the old ones anymore; they're dangerous."
Iruka smiled warmly. He pulled a sealing scroll from his vest and performed a hand seal.
Poof.
A puff of white smoke appeared and cleared.
Thud.
A somewhat heavy bag of ninja tools dropped right in front of Menma.