Mizuki! Where Are You?

At that moment, Menma wiped away his tears and continued eating the barbecue on his plate. Naruto gradually composed himself, too. But as he ate, tears kept pattering into his plate, mingling with the grease and rippling across the surface. His shoulders trembled slightly, betraying how hurt he felt.

They knew that these two children, who had relied on each other since they were young, had never known a parent's love or received affection from any other elders. On top of that, they had to endure the villagers' rejection and insults.

As if to break the oppressive mood, Menma suddenly put down his chopsticks and turned to Kakashi beside him. "Naruto and I have been practicing the Rasengan at home these past few days, following Dad's ninja notes. But I still can't keep my Rasengan stable. Kakashi-sensei, you were our father's student. Could you give us some pointers?" Menma explained what was troubling him, hoping Kakashi could offer a solution.

The four of them froze, then stared at the boys in disbelief. Kakashi quickly recovered and said, "First, form a Rasengan so I can take a look."

Without a word, Menma formed a Rasengan in his hand. It was a little smaller than normal and flickered unsteadily, clearly unstable.

Kakashi glanced at it, then formed a Rasengan of his own before speaking. "Even I can barely manage one. I'm not qualified to teach you. The only advice I can give is to keep practicing. I'm afraid Lord Jiraiya is the only one who can give you any useful pointers right now."

"I see." Menma looked thoughtful.

"Then where is Lord Jiraiya now?" Naruto asked, getting straight to the point.

"I heard Lord Jiraiya left the village to travel and hasn't been back to Konoha in a long time," Kakashi replied.

"Yeah, that sounds right. But I heard from the old man that Lord Jiraiya might be returning to Konoha soon. I just don't know how long he'll stay," Asuma added.

Naruto and Menma brightened at first, then began looking forward to Jiraiya's return.

After finishing their meal, the two stood up and said goodbye to the four. Just as they were about to leave, Kakashi spoke. "Menma, you once asked why I always wear a mask. Now you have to use the Transformation Technique whenever you go out. You don't have to worry so much about what other people think. Just be yourselves." Kakashi sounded as though he was trying to comfort them.

The two turned back and bowed respectfully. "Understood, Kakashi-sensei. We get it," they said in unison.

With that, they left the Akimichi BBQ Restaurant. The four watched them go and couldn't help sighing.

"Kakashi, as the Fourth Hokage's student, you should look after his two children. They're trying harder than the other kids their age just to earn the villagers' acceptance," Kurenai Yuhi said.

"Yeah, they're still young. We should look after them," Asuma agreed.

Kakashi nodded. "I know. I failed to look after them before, and that was my fault. As their teacher's student, I can't just watch the teacher's children struggle so much without helping them."

"It's all right. I know them well. They won't let something like this crush them. I believe they'll pick themselves up again. That's the spirit of youth!" Might Guy told the three of them with confidence.

After saying goodbye to Kakashi and the others, Naruto and Menma headed home, their steps a little lighter as they looked forward to Jiraiya's arrival. But as soon as they got back, the pressure of reality drove them straight back to practicing the Rasengan.

Menma wanted the Scroll of Seals more and more. He badly wanted to learn the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu inside it. Then he could make hundreds of clones to practice, and maybe master the Rasengan in just a day or two.

But getting his hands on the Scroll of Seals was easier said than done. Besides, he didn't only want to learn the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu—he was also drooling over the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu.

Thinking about it, he remembered Mizuki. In the original story, when Naruto failed the graduation exam, Mizuki had goaded him into stealing the Scroll of Seals. Naruto then learned the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu and became nearly invincible with it and the Rasengan. Whenever he faced a powerful enemy, he either activated Senjutsu or fought like he had cheats enabled, sending all kinds of Rasengan flying everywhere.

Menma couldn't help wondering where Mizuki was. He wanted to set a trap so Mizuki would goad them into stealing the Scroll of Seals. That way, they'd have a scapegoat, and it wouldn't cause them too much trouble.

Mizuki! Where are you? Hurry up and goad us into stealing the Scroll of Seals! Menma shouted in his mind.

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

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

"It's nothing. I just feel like someone's thinking about me," Mizuki said strangely, rubbing his nose.

"Maybe some girl has a crush on you?" Iruka teased.

"How could that be?" Mizuki chuckled and went back to his ramen.

Mizuki had always been two-faced. He seemed kind on the surface, but no one knew what was really going through his mind.

Meanwhile, ever since they returned, Naruto had been distracted and had burst countless rubber balls.

"Brother, are you okay?" Menma noticed Naruto acting strangely. He stopped forming his Rasengan and walked over to him.

Naruto stopped, too.

"Menma... I miss Mom and Dad." Naruto looked at Menma as tears slid down his cheeks.

Menma couldn't bear to see him like that. Whether in this life or his previous one, scenes like this always made him cry. Especially Naruto's conversation with Minato after the Fourth Shinobi World War—back then, he'd cried his eyes out.

Menma didn't know what to say. All he could do was take Naruto outside and sit with him on a bench in 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 be honest, I hide under the covers and cry every day." Menma smiled, making it impossible to tell whether he was telling the truth.

Naruto wiped his tears, seeming to pull himself together again. "I'm supposed to be the older brother, but I always have to let you, my little brother, comfort me." He rallied himself and promised Menma, "I won't cry anymore. I'll train even harder and protect you. I don't want my only family to get hurt again!"

Menma felt warm inside. Naruto was right: he was the older brother. Maybe because he hadn't drunk the memory-erasing soup, he still remembered his previous life, which made him more mature than Naruto.

Seeing that Naruto had calmed down a little, Menma took his hand. "Brother, let's go for a walk and see the village Mom and Dad protected." Menma smiled at Naruto and waited for his answer.

"Okay!" Naruto nodded, and the two walked out hand in hand.

At Konoha's entrance stood a middle-aged man wearing a bright red robe. He had a head of white hair and the character "oil" on his forehead. He was none other than one of the Sannin, Jiraiya.

Looking at the familiar scenery, Jiraiya sighed. "Ah, it's been so long since I've been back. Well, first I'll go see the old man, then I'll head to the mixed-bathing hot springs..." At the thought, Jiraiya couldn't help giggling.

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

Konoha's streets were lined with shops of all kinds. There were little stores selling ninja tools, with models of Shuriken and Kunai hanging outside, and pastry shops that filled the air with a sweet aroma, their freshly made dango still steaming.

People streamed past. Young shinobi in uniform hurried by with ninja pouches at their waists, while elderly people sat on benches along the street, leisurely watching the crowds. In the middle of this seemingly peaceful scene, a jarring voice suddenly rang out.

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

"Keep your voice down. You can't say things like that," the woman beside him whispered.

"Why can't I? It's the truth," the bald man insisted. He seemed to have had a lot to drink and looked a little woozy.

Just then, another man with short hair said, "All right, stop it. They're just kids, after all. Talking about them behind their backs is one thing, but don't say it to their faces."

"Why can't I say it? If it weren't for the Nine-Tails, would my son have died?" The bald, middle-aged man's face flushed red. The veins in his neck bulged as he raised his voice and shouted.

His words set off a chain reaction, like a spark landing in a powder keg. The people nearby joined in, murmuring at first, then growing louder and crueler with every word.

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

"I heard they're the demon fox's children. Just look at the whiskers on their faces—that's proof," a man who looked to be in his twenties or thirties told the others inside a shop.

At the sight, Naruto lowered his head, his spirits sinking further. Menma cursed inwardly. I just got him to feel better, and now you're doing this again. Just wait until the Nine-Tails goes berserk. Let's see what you do then.

Menma swept his gaze around, staring hard at the villagers as if memorizing their faces.

"Hey, you little demon fox over there! What are you staring at?" A child of about ten played with a pebble in his hand. Several other children around his age stood beside him.

Menma turned to look and saw four or five children around ten staring at them.

When they saw Menma look over, their ringleader seemed displeased. "You dare look at me? I'll show you what I can do!"

With that, he picked up the pebble and threw it at Menma.