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Naruto nodded with a look of understanding. Then, as if something just occurred to him, he suddenly turned to Jiraiya, who had just finished paying and stepped outside.
"Hey, Pervy Sage! What if Menma trains with us too? Can you teach both of us?" he shouted.
"Haha, of course! Teaching both of you is no problem at all," Jiraiya replied without hesitation, raising an eyebrow and laughing heartily as he nodded.
After all, Menma was also Minato and Kushina's child. Due to various circumstances, he hadn't been able to care for him before. Now was the time to make up for it.
Menma couldn't go on forever not knowing who his parents were, right?
However, what Jiraiya didn't know was that Menma had known the truth for a long time.
Hearing Naruto's suggestion, Menma's expression stiffened slightly. His mind involuntarily flashed back to the original story—to the interactions between Jiraiya and the "Nine-Tails Jinchuriki Naruto."
Back when he watched the show in his past life, he thought it was so heartwarming, so touching.
When Jiraiya died in battle...
His past self, still young and watching from outside the screen, had grieved just as deeply as Naruto.
But this time, he was Menma Uzumaki.
And he held no affection for Jiraiya whatsoever.
Because a twelve-year void, twelve years of neglected responsibility... that couldn't be filled by some belated companionship now.
Even if you pull a nail out of the wall, the hole remains.
He was Menma Uzumaki, not Naruto Uzumaki.
He didn't possess the saintly heart to forgive all unfair treatment, to forget all hatred, and then turn around and be grateful for some scraps of kindness.
So, Menma shook his head with a polite smile. "I won't trouble Lord Jiraiya. I'm focusing on foundational training right now."
"Foundational training?" Naruto looked confused.
"Yeah. Kunai throwing, taijutsu conditioning—stuff like that. I think ninjas should focus more on the basics. It solidifies our overall strength. Once the foundation is solid, any improvements in skill become much more obvious," Menma explained softly.
He wasn't making this up.
Ninjas truly needed to prioritize their basics.
The most classic example was Might Guy. For years, day in and day out, he had relentlessly stuck to the most fundamental training.
"Eh? Is that true?" Naruto's eyes lit up at the mention of getting stronger.
"Menma has a point. Being a ninja isn't just about how many jutsu you learn. Jutsu are important, sure, but you need to learn the ones that suit you. And you absolutely can't neglect the basics. That is the royal road of training," Jiraiya chimed in, agreeing with Menma's logic.
"Since you have your own plan, stick to your own pace. The Chunin Exams are in a month—you and Naruto both need to do your best," Jiraiya said.
Looking at Menma, who not only resembled Minato physically but also seemed to share his calm demeanor and logical thinking, a look of gratification appeared in Jiraiya's eyes.
"Yes, Lord Jiraiya. Well then, it's getting late, so I'll take my leave. See you later, Naruto."
Menma glanced up at the now completely dark sky, then bowed slightly to Jiraiya.
"Oh! See ya, Menma!"
"Mhm."
After Jiraiya nodded with a smile, Menma took two steps back before turning and walking away into the distance.
Watching Menma's retreating figure, Jiraiya nodded gently to himself.
"Naruto, Menma is a fine ninja. You should spend more time with him."
"Heh, don't worry about that, Grandpa Jiraiya! Menma and I are super close!" Naruto said, thumping his chest confidently.
"Good. That's good. Alright, let's go. You get some rest tonight. Tomorrow, we continue training."
"Oh! Oh! Oh!"
Hearing Naruto's words, Jiraiya looked genuinely happy. They were brothers, after all. Naturally, Jiraiya hoped their relationship would grow stronger.
But the current Jiraiya had no way of knowing...
This was all just wishful thinking on his part.
Brotherly love without any foundation of shared life or memories? Two brothers treated with vastly different standards?
Sorry. The old Menma might have been naive enough for that, but to the current Menma, such sentiments were laughable luxuries.
In his eyes, there was only himself.
---
The chance encounter with Jiraiya didn't cause any emotional ripples in Menma's heart. If anything, it pushed him to plan even more meticulously for the upcoming exams.
After all, Menma knew exactly how strong Jiraiya was.
Even in his base form, he was an elite among Kage-level shinobi. Once he gathered nature energy and entered Sage Mode—even if it wasn't perfect—he could absolutely crush most Kage-level opponents.
If Menma made his move during the exams and got targeted by the Toad Sage, his only option would be to burn everything and unleash even more Nine-Tails chakra. But that was the worst-case scenario.
If the situation didn't align with his calculations...
Menma absolutely would not act.
Slipping away in the chaos was the winning move.
Right now, he didn't have the capital to go head-to-head with the entire Hidden Leaf Village, not even with Orochimaru and the Sand Village as distractions.
Venting his anger was one thing, but staying alive was the priority. Opportunities for revenge would be plentiful in the future; there was no need to gamble his life now.
As for Orochimaru, their relationship was strictly transactional. Menma saw it clearly. Besides, he had told Kabuto from the very start: as long as he could provide value to Orochimaru later, it didn't matter if he acted during the invasion or not. This was just a mutual probing of boundaries anyway.
'Speaking of which, does Orochimaru actually know Jiraiya is back? I'd better warn him just in case. Forewarned is forearmed.'
Back in his apartment, Menma's eyes narrowed in thought.
Setting aside the broken power-scaling characters that appear later in the series, Jiraiya was undeniably one of the top fighters in the ninja world right now.
His battle with the Six Paths of Pain was considered by many fans to be the last fight that truly embodied the spirit of Naruto. Everything after that started drifting away from the original style and feel.
Regarding the "Konoha Crush," honestly, Menma didn't care who won or lost. He only cared about two things: one, successfully escaping Konoha; and two, ensuring Orochimaru survived the retreat.
If Orochimaru kicked the bucket in Konoha, that would be a huge headache for Menma's future plans.
'I need to be more detailed... more cautious...'
Looking out the window at the Chunin Exam stadium nearing completion in the distance, Menma's hands slowly clenched into fists.