Mizuki! Where are you?

At this moment, Menma wiped away his tears and continued eating the grilled meat on his plate, while Naruto gradually composed himself. However, as Naruto ate, tears dripped into his plate, mixing with the grease of the meat and creating small ripples. His shoulders trembled slightly, revealing the grievance held deep within his heart.

They knew all too well that as two children who had relied on each other since infancy, they had never felt the love of parents nor the care of elders. Furthermore, they had to endure the exclusion and verbal abuse of the villagers.

As if to break the oppressive atmosphere, Menma suddenly set down his chopsticks, looked at Kakashi beside him, and said, "For the past few days, Naruto and I have been at home practicing the Rasengan according to the notes in Dad's ninja journal, but my Rasengan remains unstable. Kakashi-sensei, you were a student of our father; could you give us some pointers?" Menma voiced his dilemma, hoping Kakashi could provide a solution.

The four of them were stunned for a moment, then looked at them with disbelief. Kakashi quickly reacted and said, "First, try manifesting a Rasengan for me to see."

Without a word, Menma immediately condensed a Rasengan in his hand. It was smaller than a standard one and flickered incessantly, appearing highly unstable.

Kakashi took a glance, condensed a Rasengan in his own hand, and said, "My own Rasengan is barely passable; I am in no position to instruct you. The only advice I can give now is to practice more. I fear the only one who could offer effective guidance at this point is Jiraiya."

"I see," Menma said, lost in thought.

"Then where is Jiraiya right now?" Naruto asked, grasping the crucial question.

"Jiraiya? I heard he left the village to travel; he hasn't returned to Konoha in a long time," Kakashi replied.

"Hmm, that sounds right. However, I heard the Old Man mention that Jiraiya might be returning to Konoha during this period, though I don't know how long he'll stay," Asuma added.

Naruto and Menma were delighted, then began to look forward to Jiraiya's return.

After eating their fill, the two stood up to bid farewell to the four. Just as they were about to leave, Kakashi spoke up: "Menma, you asked me before why I always wear a mask, and now you two use transformation jutsu whenever you go out. Actually, you don't need to care so much about what others think; just be yourselves." Kakashi spoke as if trying to guide them.

The two turned back, bowed respectfully, and said in unison, "We understand, Kakashi-sensei. We understand."

With that, the two walked out of the Akimichi BBQ Restaurant. The four watched their retreating figures and couldn't help but sigh.

"Kakashi, as a student of the Fourth, you should look after his two children more. I see them working harder than their peers just to gain the villagers' recognition," Kurenai Yuhi said.

"Indeed, they are still young; they really should be looked after," Asuma echoed.

Kakashi nodded and said, "I know. It was my fault for not taking care of them before. As a student of their father, it is inexcusable to see his children living so hard and not providing support."

"It's alright. I know them well; they won't be crushed by such trifles. I believe they will pull themselves together—this is youth!" Might Guy said to the three with full confidence.

Having bid farewell to Kakashi and the others, Naruto and Menma walked home with light steps, fueled by the anticipation of Jiraiya's arrival. However, once they returned home, the pressure of reality forced them to quickly dive back into their Rasengan training.

Menma grew increasingly desperate to obtain the Scroll of Seals. He wanted to learn the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu written within it so he could create hundreds of clones to practice, perhaps mastering the Rasengan in a day or two.

But obtaining the Scroll of Seals was easier said than done. Moreover, he didn't just want to learn the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu; he was also salivating over the Flying Thunder God and the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu.

Thinking of this, he thought of Mizuki. According to the original plot, because Naruto failed the graduation exam, Mizuki instigated him to steal the Scroll of Seals. Naruto then learned the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu and became nearly invincible, relying on that and the Rasengan. Whenever he faced a strong enemy, he would either activate sage arts or fight like he was cheating, with all sorts of spheres flying everywhere.

Menma couldn't help but wonder, where was Mizuki? He wanted to set a trap to make Mizuki instigate them to steal the Scroll of Seals, providing them with a scapegoat without causing them much trouble.

Mizuki! Where are you? Hurry up and instigate us to steal the Scroll of Seals! Menma shouted in his heart.

At that moment, Mizuki, who was eating ramen with Iruka, suddenly sneezed.

"What's wrong? Catch a cold?" Iruka asked with concern.

"It's nothing. I just have a feeling someone is thinking about me," Mizuki said, rubbing his nose strangely.

"Could it be some girl who likes you?" Iruka teased.

"How could that be?" Mizuki smiled and continued eating his ramen.

Mizuki was a man who always wore a mask; he appeared kind on the surface, but no one knew what he was thinking inside.

Back at home, Naruto had been absent-minded ever since they returned, having burst countless rubber balls.

"Brother, are you okay?" Menma noticed Naruto's abnormality, stopped his Rasengan practice, and walked over to him.

Naruto stopped as well.

"Menma... I miss Mom and Dad," Naruto looked at Menma, tears sliding down his face.

This scene made Menma's heart ache. Whether in this life or his previous one, he couldn't help but tear up at such sights, especially the conversation between Naruto and Minato after the Fourth War; he had cried like a baby back then.

Menma didn't know what to say, so he led Naruto to sit on a bench outside the courtyard.

"Menma, don't you miss Mom and Dad?" Naruto asked again.

Menma thought for a moment, then said, "I do. I miss them every day. To tell you the truth, I hide under my blanket and cry every night." Menma wore a smile, making it impossible to tell if he was telling the truth.

Naruto wiped his tears, as if reinvigorated: "I'm the older brother, yet every time, I have to be comforted by you, my younger brother." Naruto pulled himself together and promised Menma: "I won't cry anymore. I will train harder to protect you. I don't want my only family to be hurt again!"

Menma felt a warmth in his heart. Naruto was right; he was the older brother. Perhaps because he hadn't drunk the soup of oblivion, he retained memories of his past life, making him more mature than Naruto.

Seeing Naruto's emotions stabilize, Menma took Naruto's hand and said, "Brother, let's go for a walk and see the village that Mom and Dad protected." Menma looked at Naruto with a smile, waiting for his reply.

"Okay!" Naruto nodded, and the two walked out holding hands.

At the gates of Konoha, a middle-aged man wearing a red robe, with a full head of white hair and the character for "Oil" on his forehead, stood there. This person was none other than one of the Sannin, Jiraiya.

Looking at the familiar scene, Jiraiya sighed: "Ah~ it's been a long time since I've been back. Hmm, first I'll go see the Old Man, then head to the mixed bathhouse..." Thinking of this, Jiraiya couldn't help but giggle.

At this time, Naruto and Menma were strolling down the street. Konoha was as bustling as ever, with people coming and going, laughing and chatting.

On the streets of Konoha, the shops on both sides were filled with a dazzling array of goods. There were small shops selling ninja tools, with models of shuriken and kunai hanging at the entrances; there were pastry shops emitting fragrant aromas, with freshly baked dango steaming in the air.

People moved through the crowd—young people in ninja attire hurried by with ninja pouches at their waists, while the elderly sat on benches by the street, leisurely watching the passing crowds. In this seemingly harmonious scene, a sudden, jarring voice rang out.

"Look, isn't that the demon fox? Why are they out again?" A bald, middle-aged man who was talking to someone pointed at Naruto and Menma when he saw them.

"Keep your voice down. Is that something you should be saying?" the woman beside him whispered a warning.

"What's wrong with saying it? It's the truth," the bald man added. He seemed to have had too much to drink and was a bit dizzy.

At this moment, another short-haired man spoke up: "Alright, enough. No matter what, they're just two children. Talking behind their backs is one thing, but doing it to their faces is too much."

"Why shouldn't we talk about it? If it weren't for the Nine-Tails demon fox, would my son have died?" The bald, middle-aged man's face flushed red, the veins on his neck bulging as he raised his voice and shouted.

This remark triggered a butterfly effect, acting like a spark in a powder keg. The surrounding crowd began to chime in, whispering at first, but their voices grew louder and their words increasingly vicious.

"I'm telling you, those two demon foxes should be locked up. I really don't know what the Hokage is thinking," a woman holding an infant said.

"I heard they are the demon fox's children. Look at the whiskers on their faces—that's the proof," a man in his twenties or thirties said to others while sitting in a shop.

Seeing this, Naruto lowered his head further, his spirits sinking even lower. Menma cursed inwardly: I just got him calmed down, and you lot pull this stunt. When the Nine-Tails goes berserk, let's see what you do then.

Menma scanned the circle, staring intensely at them as if trying to memorize every one of their faces.

"Hey, you demon fox brats over there, what are you looking at?" A boy of about ten was fiddling with a stone in his hand, flanked by several others of similar age.

Menma turned his head to see four or five boys around ten years old staring at them.

Seeing Menma look their way, their ringleader seemed displeased: "You still dare to look at me? I'll show you how tough I am."

With that, he picked up a stone and hurled it at Menma.