I Really Want to Improve in the Third Generation

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the small window, spilling into the humble room. Naruto slowly rubbed his eyes, discovering in his daze that the spot where Menma should have been sleeping was already empty.

Naruto called out with sleepy eyes, "Menma, are you home?" Just then, Menma poked half his head out from the direction of the kitchen, a faint smile on his face as he said, "Yo! Big brother Naruto is awake? There's ramen you like on the table, go eat it yourself; I've already had mine."

Naruto looked at Menma, feeling as if he had turned into a different person today. Usually, Menma wouldn't get up this early; he'd sleep in late, and even then, he'd linger in bed.

A sliver of doubt surfaced in Naruto's heart, but the thought was cast to the winds the moment he heard there was ramen to eat. His eyes lit up instantly, and he bounced off the bed, saying, "Great, there's ramen to eat again!"

Suddenly, Naruto seemed to realize something and asked Menma, "Didn't we run out of money? Where did the ramen come from?"

Seeing Naruto ask this, Menma gestured for him to come over. Once Naruto approached and saw the items on the table, he was shocked.

"This... so much stuff? Who gave it to us?" Naruto asked Menma in shock, staring at the items covering the table.

"It's nothing, the Third Hokage gave it to us. He said it was our parents' inheritance and something about a house. We can finally move out of this dilapidated little shack," Menma explained.

Naruto seemed to grasp the main point and asked Menma, "The Third Hokage gave us our parents' inheritance?" Naruto looked at Menma in disbelief.

"That's right. Later, let's go see the house where Mom and Dad used to live; we'll be living there from now on," Menma replied, looking at the incredulous Naruto.

Menma had originally thought that, according to what Hiruzen Sarutobi had said about two days, they would still have to wait a while. After all, handling matters related to an inheritance should be quite cumbersome, but he hadn't expected that early the next morning, when he woke up, he would find that these things had already been delivered.

This made Menma feel somewhat surprised by Hiruzen Sarutobi's efficiency, and at the same time, he felt a touch of gratitude for his thoughtfulness.

"I did a quick count; our parents' inheritance is quite substantial. Just here, there is ten million ryo, enough for us to live on for a long time," Menma said, pointing at the neatly organized money on the table, unable to hide his shock.

"That... brother, if you're done, hurry up and finish breakfast so you can help me count the rest. I want to look at Dad's Ninja Book," Menma said, looking at Naruto, who was still standing there in a daze.

"Ah... right... okay." Hearing this, Naruto quickly went to wash up and then started eating the ramen.

Menma opened Minato's Ninja Book and began to flip through it. "As expected... I can't understand it?"

At that moment, Menma felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water. He had opened Minato's Ninja Book in high spirits, only to find that, aside from a few kanji, he didn't recognize any of the other characters.

Menma slumped over the table, feeling like a deflated balloon.

"Menma, what's wrong?" Naruto walked over to Menma's side, shook his body, and asked.

"I'm fine, I just suddenly realized there aren't many characters I recognize in Dad's Ninja Book," Menma replied with a helpless shrug.

Naruto glanced at Minato's Ninja Book and realized he truly didn't recognize a single character. Only then did Naruto realize that, up until now, neither he nor Menma had ever been taught how to read.

Menma felt deeply troubled. He secretly thought that if only it were Chinese, but this was the script of the world of the ninja, and he couldn't understand it at all. The only way now was to find someone to teach them how to read, but who would be willing to teach them? After all, their status was special; they were the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and their situation in the village was not optimistic.

Menma thought for a moment; it seemed there was no other way but to ask the Third for help. Thinking this, Menma jumped off his chair, walked to the door, and said:

"Brother, I'm going to the Hokage Office Building, are you coming?" Menma asked Naruto.

"Going! Of course I'm going! You know we've basically never been apart since we were little, and besides, I've wanted to go to the Hokage Office Building for a long time," Naruto said, looking at Menma with a bit of excitement.

"Then let's go." Menma put on his shoes, waited for Naruto to come out, and headed toward the Hokage's office.

On the streets of Konoha, as the two brothers walked along, the surrounding villagers cast strange looks at them. Those gazes were mixed with fear, disgust, and curiosity. Wherever they went, people pointed and whispered, and some even avoided them from afar, as if they were dodging a plague.

Naruto kept his head down, watching the road beneath his feet. Every time he felt those gazes, his mood sank further, his heart filled with confusion and sadness, not understanding why everyone looked at them with such eyes.

Menma walked in front as if nothing were the matter. His gaze didn't seem to focus on the villagers, but in reality, his peripheral vision was constantly monitoring the movements around him.

He glanced at Naruto from time to time, and seeing Naruto's dejected appearance, he felt a heavy, sinking sensation in his heart, as if a massive stone were pressing down on him.

After walking for a while, the two arrived in front of the Hokage Office Building and stopped before the two Chunin at the entrance.

"Um... hello, big brothers. May we go see the Hokage? We have important matters to discuss with him," Menma said to the two Chunin, feeling a bit shy.

Menma was naturally a rather introverted person, and he would get a bit nervous when interacting with people he wasn't familiar with.

The two Chunin glanced at Menma and then at Naruto. In fact, they had recognized the brothers from far away; after all, they were the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and almost everyone in the village, except for some very young children, knew who they were.

"The Hokage told us that if you came, you should go straight in to find him," one of the Chunin said, sounding quite reluctant.

"Okay, thank you, big brother." With that, Menma beckoned Naruto to head upstairs to find the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Watching the brothers' backs, the two Chunin felt a sense of desolation. "Sigh, they are still just children after all. Why must the blame be placed on two innocent kids?" the Chunin who had just answered Menma's question muttered to himself.

"Sigh, there's no helping it. They are the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki; it's just the way things are." Watching Naruto and Menma's backs, the other Chunin also began to sympathize with the two brothers.

A moment later, the two arrived in front of the Hokage's office. Menma knocked on the door, and Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice came from inside: "Please, come in."

Receiving Hiruzen Sarutobi's permission, the two pushed the door open and entered. What met their eyes was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sitting at his desk, and an Anbu ninja with white hair and a mask standing to the side.

"Ah! You're the old man who ate fish with us yesterday!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing at Hiruzen Sarutobi in surprise.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled, then looked at Menma beside him and said with a laugh, "Little Naruto recognized me. That's right, I am the Third Hokage." Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled again after saying this.

"Idiot." Menma muttered under his breath, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. "Menma, who are you calling an idiot?" Naruto looked at Menma with some indignation, his eyes filled with dissatisfaction. "Whoever just recognized the Third Hokage is the idiot." Menma turned his head to the side, arms crossed over his chest, looking righteous.

The Anbu ninja to the side saw this scene and felt a touch of nostalgia, as if he had fallen into some memory.

Hiruzen Sarutobi keenly noticed Kakashi's subtle reaction. His gaze fell gently on Kakashi, his eyes carrying a calm and profound meaning. He gave Kakashi a slight look, a gaze that seemed to contain a silent command.

Kakashi understood instantly and walked out the door alone. Menma had recognized Kakashi the moment he walked in; he hadn't expected to run into him here.

"So, what brings you to see me?" Hiruzen Sarutobi walked up to the two brothers and asked, like a kind and amiable elder.

"Hokage-sama, I would like to find a teacher to teach us how to read," Menma replied, getting straight to the point.

"Oh, is that so? It was indeed my oversight. Don't worry, I will find a teacher for you to teach you how to read shortly," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, as if he had just thought of it.

"Do you have any requirements for the teacher?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked again, mainly addressing Menma. After a period of investigation, he had discovered that Menma was the one who basically made all the decisions for the two brothers.

"Hmm... the requirements aren't high, just literacy. Age doesn't matter; they don't have to be a school teacher. Even a student from the academy would be fine to teach us how to read. As for the reason... Lord Hokage, you understand." Menma looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and replied.

Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally understood what Menma meant. Menma was looking for someone genuinely willing to teach them, someone who wouldn't care about their status as jinchuriki, or perhaps someone who didn't know they were jinchuriki at all.

Such a person was indeed hard to find. If it were a child, they might be more innocent and less prejudiced against their jinchuriki status, but the problem was that the children of Konoha were all influenced to some degree by the words of the adults, and many of them felt a strong aversion toward Naruto and Menma.

Furthermore, Minato and Kushina must have had some close friends while they were alive. Although the authorities had not officially announced that Naruto and Menma were their children, those who were familiar with Minato and Kushina had likely already guessed the connection. They simply hadn't pierced that layer of paper for certain reasons.

Therefore, finding someone who was both willing to teach them and either indifferent to or unaware of their jinchuriki status was no easy task.

"It's a bit difficult, but not impossible. I will arrange it as soon as possible and have them go to your home to find you," Hiruzen Sarutobi said.

"Understood. We will be waiting at our home. You should know which home we are referring to," Menma said, looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded; he naturally knew that Menma was referring to the place where Minato and Kushina had lived before they passed away.

Once Hiruzen Sarutobi understood, Menma and Naruto walked out of the Hokage building and headed toward the place where Minato and Kushina used to live.

This area was a fair distance from the bustling downtown, making it very quiet.

"Is this the place?" Naruto asked, looking at the villa in front of him.

"We'll know if we try to open the Space Gate, won't we?" Menma took a key out of his pocket, walked up to the door, and used it to unlock it.

"Click!" The door opened, and a cloud of dust rushed toward them.

The two hadn't expected there to be so much dust and began to cough. They looked at the state of the interior and then walked into the house.