Itachi and Sasuke

That day, Uzumaki Menma was training alone in the forest, just as he usually did.

Ever since he had collapsed from overexertion last time, he had never trained with such reckless abandon again.

After all, his body was still that of a young child; neither his physical stamina nor his mental energy could withstand that kind of drain. However, after a period of consistent practice, Uzumaki Menma's physical strength had seen a noticeable improvement.

"So amazing! As expected of my big brother!" A slightly childish voice drifted over from not far away.

Oh? There's someone else here. Well, it makes sense; this forest has never been short on geniuses, Uzumaki Menma thought to himself, feeling no surprise at all.

With that, he headed toward the source of the sound.

At that moment, Uchiha Itachi was demonstrating shuriken-throwing techniques to Uchiha Sasuke, hitting the bullseye even on targets hidden in blind spots.

"Big brother, teach me," Uchiha Sasuke asked, his face full of anticipation.

Uchiha Itachi crouched down halfway, a smile on his face as he gestured for Uchiha Sasuke to come over.

Seeing this, Uchiha Sasuke ran over happily.

"Forgive me, Sasuke. I'll teach you next time," Uchiha Itachi said, gently poking Uchiha Sasuke on the forehead.

"It's always like this! You always say you'll teach me next time!" Uchiha Sasuke's face flushed red as he pouted, glaring at Uchiha Itachi indignantly.

"Pfft, hahaha... cough, cough, cough, sorry, I couldn't help it." Standing in a tree, Uzumaki Menma witnessed the scene and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The two turned toward the sound, only to see a boy with yellow hair, blue eyes, and two whisker marks on each cheek standing in the tree, looking down at them with a playful grin.

"Who are you? What's so funny?" Uchiha Sasuke spoke first, glaring at Uzumaki Menma.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. My name is Uzumaki Menma. Judging by your clan crest, you must be from the Uchiha Clan, right?" Uzumaki Menma replied with a smile.

"Uzumaki Menma? You're that kid who went berserk a while ago..." Before Uchiha Sasuke could finish, Uchiha Itachi covered his mouth.

"My apologies, Uzumaki Menma. My younger brother is still young and doesn't know any better. I hope you won't hold it against him," Uchiha Itachi said, looking at Uzumaki Menma in explanation.

"I'm young too. For all I know, I might even have to call him 'big brother' myself," Uzumaki Menma said, not minding it at all.

Uchiha Itachi smiled, then seemed to remember something. "Pardon me, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Uchiha Itachi, and this is my younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke."

"Uchiha Itachi? The Uchiha genius? I've heard your name before," Uzumaki Menma said, jumping down from the tree.

"So, Uzumaki Menma, are you playing here by yourself?" Uchiha Itachi asked.

"Not playing. I was training over there, but I heard noise and came over out of curiosity," Uzumaki Menma said, pointing in a direction.

"I see. I'm just out here training with my younger brother," Uchiha Itachi said with a warm smile.

"What is this? You just show me once and then say you'll teach me next time," Uchiha Sasuke grumbled, still pouting and looking unconvinced.

"So that's how it is. Tell me, does training really require your big brother to be with you? I never pester my big brother," Uzumaki Menma teased, looking at Uchiha Sasuke with a playful glint in his eyes.

Uchiha Itachi seemed to know something, but he just watched the two of them quietly.

"Then your brother must not be as strong as mine!" Uchiha Sasuke stepped forward, looking quite serious.

"Hmm, that's true. My brother really isn't as strong as yours," Uzumaki Menma said, seeing nothing wrong with Uchiha Sasuke's statement.

"But that might not be the case in the future," Uzumaki Menma added.

Uchiha Sasuke gritted his teeth, wanting to retort but not knowing what to say.

His face turned bright red, and it took a long while before he managed, "How can you be so sure about the future?"

"Exactly. The future is hard to predict. My brother might not be able to beat yours right now, but that won't necessarily be true later on." Uzumaki Menma wore a mischievous smirk, seemingly trying to lure Uchiha Sasuke into a trap of his own making.

Uchiha Sasuke didn't know how to respond, so he looked at Uchiha Itachi for help.

Uchiha Itachi remained silent, simply watching them both.

"Always running to someone else for help? You'll only ever be a child who never grows up," Uzumaki Menma said, his tone dripping with mockery.

"You... you..." Uchiha Sasuke stared daggers at Uzumaki Menma, as if he had been struck in a vital spot.

Uzumaki Menma didn't know what else to say for a moment. Obito had awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan in a rage when Rin died, yet Uchiha Sasuke had only managed a single tomoe after his entire clan was slaughtered.

"What, did I hit a nerve? A little baby who only knows how to rely on others? I'll have you know, I'm not like you. I don't even have parents; I've lived with my twin brother since I was small," Uzumaki Menma continued, intentionally provoking Uchiha Sasuke.

"You... you..." Uchiha Sasuke's face grew even redder as he glared at Uzumaki Menma in fury.

"Yare yare, the little baby is angry. Big Brother Itachi, aren't you going to coddle your little brother?" Uzumaki Menma teased, glancing at Uchiha Sasuke and then at Uchiha Itachi.

"You... I am not a little baby!" Uchiha Sasuke, driven to desperation, charged straight at Uzumaki Menma.

Uzumaki Menma stood his ground, unmoved, watching Uchiha Sasuke rush toward him.

"Ah!" Uchiha Sasuke shouted, raising his fist to strike.

"What an idiot." Uzumaki Menma caught Uchiha Sasuke's fist with one hand, shoved him aside, and kicked him in the knee. Uchiha Sasuke winced in pain and dropped to one knee.

Uzumaki Menma moved behind him and pinned him down. "Are you shouting while you charge just to build up your own courage? Little baby, that won't be enough to take me down." Uzumaki Menma mocked him before letting go.

"Instead of constantly clinging to your brother, you'd be better off spending that time training—if you don't want me to keep calling you a little baby." With that, Uzumaki Menma stood up and walked toward Uchiha Itachi without looking back.

"Don't coddle him. If you truly love him, how can he grow into a mighty tree without weathering the storms?" Uzumaki Menma said, his hands behind his head.

Uchiha Itachi looked at Uzumaki Menma with a strange expression. He couldn't sense a shred of malice from him; it felt as though Uzumaki Menma was intentionally provoking Uchiha Sasuke for a reason.

Uchiha Itachi glanced at Uchiha Sasuke, who was still kneeling on the ground, his face turned toward the dirt as large, heavy tears began to fall.

From childhood to now, he had never suffered such grievances, and the crux of the matter was that his brother wouldn't even help him.

"Hey, little baby, it looks like I should call you a crybaby instead." Uzumaki Menma didn't even look back, delivering a timely final blow.

"You!..." Sasuke looked up, glaring angrily at Uzumaki Menma's back. His pupils turned blood-red, and a single tomoe quietly emerged. Then, for some unknown reason, he collapsed forward.

"This..." Uchiha Itachi was stunned; he hadn't expected Sasuke to awaken his eyes just like that. Uchiha Itachi's strange reaction caught Uzumaki Menma's attention. Uzumaki Menma turned back and saw that Sasuke had actually activated a one-tomoe Sharingan.

He had assumed he would need to provoke Sasuke several times to have a chance at success, but he hadn't expected to achieve it on the first try. The development of events exceeded his expectations.

"Yare yare, it seems he's even more impressive than I anticipated. I thought I'd have to provoke him a few more times before he awakened them." Uzumaki Menma made no effort to hide his thoughts.

"Uzumaki Menma, why did you do that? It's still too early for Sasuke." Uchiha Itachi's tone carried a hint of anger.

"Listen, Uchiha Itachi, you are indeed excellent, but you are too arrogant. Have you ever asked your brother if he was willing to have his entire life arranged by you? You might feel confused by what I'm saying, but you'll understand sooner or later." With a "poof," Uzumaki Menma vanished from the spot.

"A Shadow Clone?" Uchiha Itachi whispered as he watched Uzumaki Menma suddenly disappear, then walked over to Sasuke's side.

"At least he just fainted. Although it feels a bit excessive, the result is good." Uchiha Itachi smiled and picked up Sasuke to head home.

After arriving home, Uchiha Itachi told Uchiha Fugaku the whole story.

"You're saying that this so-called Uzumaki Menma deliberately provoked Sasuke to make him awaken his eyes, and he actually succeeded?" Uchiha Fugaku looked at Uchiha Itachi in disbelief.

"That's right, that's exactly what happened, Father." Uchiha Itachi answered with certainty.

"This Nine-Tails Jinchuriki gives me a very strange feeling, Uchiha Mikoto." Uchiha Fugaku muttered to himself, then called out toward the kitchen.

"What is it, dear? Is something the matter?" Uchiha Mikoto walked out and asked, looking puzzled.

"We're going to pay a visit to Kushina's orphan later; you should prepare yourself." Uchiha Fugaku said to Uchiha Mikoto.

"Eh? Is that really okay? Although I don't know the full situation, the villagers say that we..." Uchiha Mikoto was interrupted by Uchiha Fugaku before she could finish.

"There's no choice; some things must be clarified." Uchiha Fugaku said, his tone sounding like an order.

"Alright, I understand. I will prepare." With that, Uchiha Mikoto returned to the kitchen.

As for Naruto, he was playing in the park with other children, while Uzumaki Menma sat on a swing watching them. In truth, Uzumaki Menma had been spending this time playing with Naruto; after all, playing was a child's nature. However, training couldn't be neglected, so he had arranged for his clones to handle that.

"Uzumaki Menma, come play with us!" Inuzuka Kiba called out to Uzumaki Menma.

"Uzumaki Menma, hurry over!" Naruto shouted as well.

During this time, Naruto had indeed made quite a few friends. Ever since the Nine-Tails went berserk that day, the villagers' attitudes had changed to some extent, and those rumors and gossip had collapsed on their own.

The Root member captured that day had triggered a sealing jutsu within his own body while being interrogated, resulting in nothing being learned.

"Coming, coming." Uzumaki Menma jumped down and walked over.

At this moment, Sakura, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Inuzuka Kiba, and Naruto were all there.

"So, what are you planning to play?" Uzumaki Menma asked.

"Hide-and-seek," Inuzuka Kiba said with a confident look.

"Heh, wouldn't hide-and-seek be a bit too much of a bully? Inuzuka Kiba, your nose..." Uzumaki Menma said, looking at Inuzuka Kiba.

"At worst, I just won't be the seeker," Inuzuka Kiba said.

"Fine, fine. Then who's going to be the seeker?" Uzumaki Menma picked at his ear, looking completely indifferent.

"You, Uzumaki Menma." Everyone except Shikamaru said in perfect unison.

"Me?" Uzumaki Menma pointed at himself and asked, confused.

The group nodded, confirming their choice.

"Alright, alright. I'll count to twenty." With that, Uzumaki Menma covered his eyes and began to count.

"1... 2... 3... 20, here I come."

After finishing his count, Uzumaki Menma lowered his hands and looked around.

"Are you all hidden? I'm coming to find you." With that, Uzumaki Menma began his search.

At this moment, behind a bush.

"Hey, Naruto, don't hide with me," Shikamaru said quietly, looking at Naruto who was hiding alongside him.

"It's too late to say that now; Uzumaki Menma has already finished counting," Naruto said.

"Aha, found you two, brother and Shikamaru." Uzumaki Menma suddenly vaulted into the bush and looked at the two of them.

"Found two, four more to go."

Uzumaki Menma arrived at the base of a tree and jumped up.

"Inuzuka Kiba, found you."

"Discovered so quickly? Damn it." Inuzuka Kiba looked somewhat unwilling.

From the tree, Uzumaki Menma spotted Ino acting sneakily in the distance.

Uzumaki Menma immediately jumped down from the tree and arrived at the flower bed.

"Ino, I saw you from the tree," Uzumaki Menma said, looking at the flower bed.

"Seriously, you found me so fast," Ino stood up and said, looking a bit dejected.

"Found four, two more to go." He then cast a glance toward the back of the flowerbed. "Cough, cough, Sakura, aren't you coming out yet?"

Hearing this, Sakura had no choice but to step out. "Found already? That was fast."

"Now only Choji is left." With that, Menma scanned his surroundings, suddenly hearing the sound of someone eating.

Menma walked over and looked behind a large rock, only to see Choji snacking away.

"Aha, found you, Choji." The others gathered around as well.

"Letting Menma be the seeker really wasn't a good idea," Ino said, spreading her hands in resignation.

"Wasn't it you guys who asked me to be 'it'?" Menma replied, feeling helpless.

"Every time, Menma either finds us in a flash, or we can't find him at all," Kiba said, looking quite unconvinced.