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looking Naruto Up and down, wondering if he was actually stronger than his brother—though Naruto had clearly proven it—Sasuke considered him serious rival material. On the Uchiha side, Itachi Uchiha was watching Naruto with awe in his eyes. He hadn't expected the child of the Fourth Hokage to be this powerful. He had believed that Menma would be the stronger one, especially after Menma defeated Sasuke easily. The same went for Mito, who had shown great skill for her age. Both had even learned chakra nature transformation as well as the Shadow Clone Jutsu—though the latter wasn't too surprising.
Most of the clans were now looking at Naruto in a new light. Naruto, however, ignored them all and began to walk away. Tsunade was already tending to Menma while Kushina hovered anxiously nearby. Jiraiya stood in utter shock. This isn't how it was supposed to be... he thought. Menma and Mito were supposed to be the Children of Prophecy—the destined ones, the future legends. Naruto? He was only meant to be support. An extra. Nothing more.
How was this even possible? Jiraiya tried to rationalize it. Maybe the training he and the others gave to Menma and Mito had been lacking. Maybe Menma lost control and didn't fight at his full potential. Maybe Naruto used some trick someone taught him. Yes, Jiraiya thought, that must be it. Some hidden technique.
He glanced at Menma, who was still unconscious. Mito stood nearby, looking at him with a worried expression, her eyes flickering toward Naruto as well—with a mix of confusion and pain. Was Naruto right? she wondered. Were they truly so weak that they needed the help of four legendary shinobi to achieve anything? She would have to talk to Minato about all this.
Naruto ignored the glances, the whispers, and the uneasy tension in the air. He could already sense that his brother would be fine. Menma was healing—thanks to that other power within him. But that chakra felt different from Naruto's own. Weaker, if he were being honest. Not divine. Just chakra.
Tsunade didn't pay much attention to Naruto as he walked away, heading back toward the Academy. Several fangirls were already cheering for him, but he paid them no mind. The clan heads watched him closely, eyes narrowing in thought, wondering just what this boy could become once he reached his full potential.
The speed he moved with... the way he effortlessly blocked every attack... this boy was already well above genin level. Even Minato had started to realize it when Naruto effortlessly deflected chakra-boosted strikes.
It seemed the future was going to be... very different than they had expected.
[In Konoha Hospital]
As Menma blinked, he slowly opened his eyes, looking around to find himself in a hospital room. His gaze moved across the room, spotting Minato, Kushina, as well as Jiraiya and Tsunade, all watching him closely. Tsunade began checking his vitals and his chakra levels.
"Well, Minato, it seems that Menma has finally woken up," Tsunade said as she examined him.
Kushina quickly moved closer. "Menma, dear, are you all right?" she asked with concern.
Menma gave a slow nod, trying to gather his thoughts. Then, memories of the battle slowly returned—fuzzy, but still present. He clenched his fists slightly as the memory of his defeat came back to him.
Minato nodded as he checked the chakra seal placed on Menma's abdomen. "Well, Menma, it looks like you've had your first encounter with that power I told you about—the special power within you."
Menma nodded reluctantly, glancing around at the people in the room. There was a faint look of betrayal in his eyes, something that didn't go unnoticed by Minato. Kushina and Jiraiya exchanged concerned glances.
Sensing the rising tension, Tsunade gently said, "Alright, we should give Menma some rest. He needs time to recover."
With that, the group slowly exited the room, leaving Menma to his thoughts.
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage Tower, Minato sat across from Jiraiya, looking uneasy. Jiraiya spoke first.
"Minato, something's off. It seems that the training of Menma and Mito isn't going as well as we thought."
Minato raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Sensei? You know we've been training them as best we can. They've already started tree-walking and water-walking exercises at just eight years old. That's pretty impressive."
Jiraiya nodded. "Yeah, I know. Menma and Mito are progressing well, no doubt. But your other son was able to defeat him—and not just defeat him, he dominated. I still think it might've been a fluke…"
Tsunade simply shook her head. "Shut up, Jiraiya. It's not a fluke. Minato already told us that Naruto has been training with Might Guy, which means he's being trained in taijutsu. And he didn't even use a single ninja tool during the match. That should tell you something—Naruto must be incredibly skilled in taijutsu to defeat Menma like that."
"And let's not forget," she added, "he also handled Inuzuka kid easily—and they're known for their physical strength."
Minato nodded at that, reluctantly agreeing. Jiraiya still didn't like it but grumbled, "Maybe… but I still think we should increase Menma and Mito's training. Push them harder."
Everyone agreed with a silent nod.
Kushina then spoke up, concern in her voice. "But what about Menma? Did you notice the way he looked at us? Like we betrayed him, Minato. Why would he look at us like that?"
Before Minato could respond, Tsunade cut in. "I think it has to do with what Naruto said during the battle."
They all turned toward her.
"Have you all forgotten?" she said. "Naruto told them outright that both Menma and Mito were so weak and pathetic that they needed the help of four legendary shinobi just to accomplish anything—to even reach the level of a Jōnin."
Suddenly, the room went silent as everyone remembered those words. Jiraiya growled, slamming his fist against the table.
"That little piece of—! Who the hell does he think he is to say something like that to my godson!?"
Kushina gave him a sharp look. "Jiraiya… Naruto is also your godson. Have you forgotten that?"
Jiraiya opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it after seeing the look Tsunade was giving him.
"I know, Kushina," he muttered. "But he crossed a line. I think he should be punished for saying something like that."
Minato let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Things didn't go as I planned at all. Still… I have to admit—Naruto's performance in that battle was nothing short of impressive."
He leaned back in his chair, thoughtful. "Maybe… maybe we should help him with his training too. It seems Might Guy has already pushed him to a level we didn't expect."
But then he shook his head. "No… not now. I can't do it right now. I'll train him when the time is right. At the moment, Menma and Mito need me more. After all… they're the children of prophecy, aren't they?"
He thought this silently but said nothing out loud.
Jiraiya spoke again. "Don't worry about it, Minato. I'll talk to Naruto when the time comes."
Minato nodded, but Jiraiya wasn't done. "That's beside the point. We need to push Menma and Mito even further. I've decided—I'm going to give them my Toad Summoning Contract."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Huh. So you're giving the Toad Contract to Menma? Well, I'll be the one giving the Slug Contract to Mito."
The two Sannin started to bicker, and Kushina couldn't help but chuckle.
"Well then," she said with a smile, "why don't we ask Menma and Mito what they want?"
Far away, deep in a secluded forest, time itself seemed suspended. To the average eye, it would appear as though nothing was there. But in reality, a blur of motion danced through the air—Naruto.
He was moving at such incredible speed that the world around him appeared frozen. In his eyes, even flies and mosquitoes hovered in slow motion. Tiny birds flapped their wings with painstaking slowness. He could see every feather move, every insect twitch.
Naruto's body pushed against intense strain. The gravity in this area had been increased—fifty times stronger than that of the elemental nations(Planet). Though it wasn't the harshest he had trained under, it was enough to weigh heavily on his limbs.
He was panting, drenched in sweat, yet smiling.
His body ached, his muscles trembled slightly, but he pressed on. He had been practicing his unique hand-to-hand fighting techniques non-stop for two hours under gravity training.
Finally, he landed on the ground with a heavy exhale. "Whew…"
"At least," he said to himself, "today at the academy wasn't a total waste."
But deep down, he knew the truth. He wouldn't stay at the academy for much longer—not when his power was growing this fast.