The very moment he released the jutsu, a wave of dizziness washed over Menma. He stumbled, nearly face-planting straight into the dirt.
He caught himself instinctively, taking a step forward to regain his balance.
Avoiding the embarrassment of eating dirt, Menma shook his head slightly to clear the fog. A bitter smile touched his lips: 'Pushed it a bit too far today...'
He looked up at the setting sun.
Today, he had not only trained longer than the previous days but also doubled the number of shadow clones. Since he had finally grasped the technique yesterday, he wanted to capitalize on the momentum. But the massive chakra drain, combined with the compounded fatigue from the clones, had almost been too much—even for him.
Still, it was within a manageable range. At this critical juncture, Menma wouldn't allow himself to pass out from overtraining.
He had originally planned to spend a little more time consolidating his progress, but now it seemed wiser to quit while he was ahead.
'Let's call it a day.'
Taking a deep breath, Menma packed up his gear and headed back down the path he came from.
As he hurried down the road, just as he was passing the entrance to Ichiraku Ramen, he sensed two enormous chakra signatures approaching slowly from not far away.
One felt very familiar—it was his "cheap" little brother, Naruto.
The other signature, while not as exaggerated as Naruto's, was terrifying from the perspective of an ordinary ninja.
It far surpassed Jonin like Kakashi, Asuma, or Guy. Even Hiruzen couldn't compare. Yet, it felt unfamiliar to Menma.
'Who does this chakra belong to? Could it be...?'
A look of confusion crossed Menma's face, but a second later, a name flashed in his mind.
'Jiraiya!?'
Almost simultaneously, two figures—one large, one small—turned the corner and appeared in Menma's line of sight.
Naruto was obvious.
Standing to his left was a man with long white hair, wearing a red haori and a forehead protector with the kanji for "Oil" (油).
There was no doubt. It was Jiraiya.
The moment Menma saw them, Jiraiya and Naruto spotted him too.
"Oh! Oh! Menma! What a coincidence seeing you here!" Naruto immediately raised his right hand, waving vigorously and shouting with a huge grin.
Jiraiya paused for a moment.
Seeing Menma's familiar red hair and the features that vaguely resembled someone he knew, a flash of unnatural guilt flickered across Jiraiya's eyes. But it lasted only a second before he hid it away.
"Oh? Is this the top student of your class you mentioned, Naruto?" Jiraiya asked with a smile.
"Yeah! That's right, Pervy Sage—uh, Grandpa Jiraiya! This is Menma Uzumaki I told you about. He's the best in our year! Menma, this is..."
Naruto looked proud as he introduced Menma to Jiraiya, then turned to introduce Jiraiya to Menma.
"Greetings, Lord Jiraiya."
Menma beat him to it, bowing slightly with a respectful expression.
"Eh? You know Grandpa Jiraiya, Menma?" Naruto asked, stunned.
"Haha, Naruto, what are you saying? As a ninja of the Hidden Leaf, not recognizing Lord Jiraiya would be a disgrace. Lord Jiraiya is a hero of Konoha, the student of the Third Hokage, and the master of the Fourth Hokage—your father," Menma said, looking up at Jiraiya with a look of pure "reverence," acting every bit the respectful junior.
"Oh! Oh! That's right!" Naruto nodded repeatedly, as if he had just remembered.
Jiraiya patted Naruto's head with a proud look. "See, look at Menma. You should learn from him, Naruto. You still have a long way to go."
"I know, I know, Grandpa Jiraiya! Like I said, Menma is the best in our class. I'll definitely learn from him!" Naruto said, thumping his chest.
"Haha, good. You're Menma, right? You've got a good head on your shoulders, kid. Not bad. You haven't eaten dinner yet, have you? Care to join us?"
Jiraiya smiled at Naruto, then turned to Menma with a hearty invitation.
"To receive an invitation from Lord Jiraiya... it would be my honor," Menma replied, maintaining his respectful tone.
"Haha, what's with all this 'honor' stuff? It's just a casual meal. Don't be so stiff. Since you're Naruto's teammate, you can just call me Grandpa Jiraiya too. No need for 'Lord' this and 'Lord' that; it sounds too distant," Jiraiya laughed, waving his hand dismissively.
"No, that would be too disrespectful," Menma insisted politely, keeping up the act.
It was exactly how an ordinary Leaf ninja should react upon meeting Jiraiya.
But for some reason, in that moment, Jiraiya got the distinct feeling that this kid was intentionally keeping him at a distance.
However, he shook his head a second later, dismissing the thought as nonsense. Menma seemed perfectly polite and respectful—why would he think that? The kid was just twelve years old.
"Ah, don't worry about the details. Let's go," Jiraiya said, stepping forward and draping an arm around Menma's shoulder like they were old friends.
"Yeah, yeah! Don't be so formal with Pervy Sage, Menma. He's rich!" Naruto added with a grin.
"Understood," Menma replied with a light smile.
The trio walked into Ichiraku Ramen.
"Old Man Teuchi! I want a large Miso Chashu Ramen!" Naruto shouted the moment they walked in.
"Oh, it's Naruto! Ayame, one large Miso Chashu!" Teuchi, the owner, beamed upon seeing Naruto, shouting the order to his daughter in the back.
A second later, Teuchi noticed Jiraiya standing next to him. His eyes went wide with excitement. "Ah! Lord Jiraiya!"
He quickly bowed.
"No need for formalities, boss. I'll have the same as Naruto. A Miso Chashu. Menma, what are you having?" Jiraiya waved his hand with a smile, then turned to Menma.
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