Time Gradually Slipping Away

The most classic example in this life was Namikaze Naruto.

Though unlike the "Naruto" from the Original Work, whose grasp of theoretical knowledge had been utterly abysmal, this Naruto was clearly still that Naruto. The difference lay in the environment he had grown up in. Knowing that he was the Hero's Son, this Naruto did not fiercely resist studying theoretical knowledge like the "Naruto" from the Original Work, nor did he spend his time on those boring things.

Thus, during the earlier stage of theoretical studies, he could barely be said to have kept up.

But he was only around the lower-middle level of the class.

Yet once they entered their second year and began learning Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and other such subjects—especially after practical training began directly in their third year—

the talent Naruto displayed was simply unparalleled.

Even Menma's still incomplete and immature Mind's Eye of the Kagura could clearly sense the enormous Chakra within Naruto's body.

Moreover, Naruto had always possessed exceptionally strong talent as a ninja.

In the Original Work, he had completed Tree Climbing and Water Walking training while being interfered with by Nine-Tails Chakra.

That alone was enough to explain certain things.

Therefore, after entering his third year at the Ninja Academy,

if one considered practical combat results alone,

Naruto could stand shoulder to shoulder with Sasuke Uchiha and Menma.

Of course, Menma had been holding back a little, but it was not that he was deliberately concealing his abilities. It was simply that his current performance had already firmly secured him a TOP position in the class, so why did he need to show an even more exaggerated side of himself?

He was not worried about anything. He simply felt there was no need.

Time slipped away bit by bit in such an environment. Year 56 of Konoha, Konoha Year 57, Konoha Year 58, until the winter of Konoha Year 59 arrived.

Konohagakure.

Ninja Academy, First Training Ground.

All the students of Iruka's Class had gathered there.

Whoosh.

Thud.

Practical Combat was underway.

Iruka had arranged for the students to face off in pairs.

Over the past two or three years, this had become one of Menma's and the others' most frequent lessons.

However, they generally stopped before things went too far.

Iruka could not possibly allow his students to genuinely work themselves into a rage. Of course, there were occasional exceptions.

It was like fights between students in Menma's previous life, even group brawls. Put simply, how could young men possibly have no tempers at all!?

Iruka could only try his best to keep things under control.

In any case, these were usually just Taijutsu clashes between children, at most with the addition of the Substitution Technique. Other techniques were either impractical or had not been learned at all.

Anything the children from ninja clans had learned at home was completely forbidden.

Otherwise,

these practical clashes

would have no meaning whatsoever.

This was especially true for Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame. The combat boosts provided by Ninja Hounds and Parasitic Worms were not something these little brats could currently contend with.

Oh, Menma was an exception. Even without counting the Nine-Tails' power, he was already far beyond any classmate his own age.

Thud!

"Alright, that's enough!"

Another pair of young men had been sparring. When Iruka saw one of them clearly gaining the upper hand, he immediately called an end to their fight.

These two little ones were the obedient sort as well.

There was no need for Iruka to step in and stop them.

Almost as soon as Iruka's words fell,

the two stopped simultaneously.

Then, after forming the Reconciliation Seal, they quickly returned to the group.

Iruka liked well-behaved children like these the most. They were incredibly easy to teach.

"Then, the next pair..."

Iruka shifted his gaze to the other side. He had originally intended to call out different names, but when he saw the intense meaning in Sasuke's eyes,

he froze for a moment. After silently sighing to himself,

he still said, "Uzumaki Menma, Sasuke Uchiha."

The moment Iruka's words fell,

a sharp gleam flashed through Sasuke's Pupils. He strode straight out, while Menma merely raised an eyebrow and walked lightly to stand across from Sasuke with the same calm expression.

Within the group,

every student watched the two standing face-to-face with varying degrees of strange expressions, quietly discussing things among themselves.

They had seen such a matchup more than once over the past two or three years.

Yet the outcome of every clash had regrettably been exactly the same.

Menma had always defeated Sasuke.

There had not been a single exception.

"Do you think Sasuke-kun can win today?"

"Probably not. Wasn't it the same in their previous match?"

"This has already happened more than twenty times, right?"

"About that, about that."

"Menma-kun wins every time."

"It depends on whether Sasuke-kun has gotten stronger lately."

"You say that as though Menma would just stand still."

As the crowd whispered among themselves,

it was clear that almost no one had faith in Sasuke.

Even Sakura Haruno, who in this life was still Sasuke's most devoted fangirl, did not think Sasuke would win.

"Haha, you have to win this time, Sasuke! If you lose again, this one will make it thirty losses!"

While everyone else deliberately kept their voices down,

one person directly shouted encouragement for Sasuke—though the content of that encouragement did not sound particularly wonderful.

When Sasuke heard that, veins immediately bulged on his forehead.

His lips trembled slightly.

If one got close enough to look,

one could vaguely make out the shape of the word "idiot."

The owner of those seemingly well-meaning words, which would absolutely sound like mockery to their target, was none other than their "young master Naruto."

As before, the changed living environment had not made this Naruto's personality all that different from the Original Work.

Even now,

he was still practically carved from the same mold as his counterpart in the Original Work.

"Shikamaru, do you think Sasuke can beat Menma this time?"

Over on the other side, among the three next-generation core members of Konohagakure's famous Ino-Shika-Cho combination,

Choji Akimichi was, as always, happily eating from a bag of chips. He turned to look at Shikamaru, whose hair was tied in the customary Nara Clan skyward ponytail, and asked.

"Probably not. Every time, Menma looks like he only wins by a little, but judging by how he handles it, he should still have plenty to spare. Unless Sasuke has truly improved by leaps and bounds recently, the result will be the same."

With his Hands clasped behind his head, Shikamaru spoke in a lazy tone.

And from an angle Choji did not notice, a faintly unusual look also appeared in his eyes as he looked toward Menma.

As a member of the Nara Clan,

and someone born with his intelligence maxed out,

Shikamaru, in this world where people already matured early, was still far more mature than those his age. Because of that,

regarding Menma's existence,

Shikamaru knew far more than peers like Choji did.

His father, Shikaku Nara, was also willing to tell him these things.