The Uchiha clan—one of the oldest and most powerful ninja clans in history. For nearly a thousand years, their name had been synonymous with fear, respect, and strength. Very few clans in the shinobi world could rival them. Over the past century, perhaps only the Senju clan had stood as their equal, and with the mysterious decline of the Senju after the founding of Konoha, the Uchiha had risen to become the single most feared and influential family in the entire ninja world.
Even within the Hidden Leaf Village, the proud Hyūga clan often boasted that they were not inferior to the Uchiha. But in reality, everyone in the ninja world knew the truth. The Sharingan alone made the Uchiha unique. Their dojutsu, their battle instincts, their natural affinity for fire and illusion—their very presence embodied power.
The Uchiha clan was the backbone of strength in Konoha. Dozens of jonin wielded the three-tomoe Sharingan, forming a combat force no other single clan could match. This overwhelming power was exactly why the leadership of Konoha—especially the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and his shadow, Danzo Shimura—kept such a wary eye on them.
If the Uchiha had been weak, with only a handful of jonin, then Hiruzen's Anbu could have eliminated them long ago. But they weren't weak. They were the strongest. And that strength made them dangerous.
And yet… the Uchiha were destroyed.
The official story released to the village was shocking beyond words: the clan had been wiped out in a single night by one of their own, the prodigy Uchiha Itachi—the eldest son of the Uchiha head. Barely thirteen years old, Itachi had singlehandedly massacred his father, his mother, and every relative within the compound. The only survivor was his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke.
The news struck Konoha like a thunderbolt. Soon, it spread beyond the village walls, reaching the ears of every major nation in the shinobi world. All eyes turned to Konoha. The sudden disappearance of such a powerful clan threatened to upset the balance of power everywhere.
Iwagakure and Kumogakure, ever hungry for weakness, immediately increased military activity at the borders, waiting for any opening to strike. The Third Great Ninja War had ended barely seven or eight years ago—tensions still lingered. Many suspected a Fourth Ninja War could ignite at any moment. If Konoha faltered, the others would pounce.
For now, the Third Hokage worked tirelessly to keep the balance, strengthening defenses and managing diplomacy. War could be avoided, but only if Konoha projected unshakable stability.
Yet to Menma, none of this mattered.
He understood the "plot" of this world better than anyone. He knew the future—knew that despite appearances, a full-scale war would not erupt during this time. Not yet. The destruction of the Uchiha was a storm, yes, but only within Konoha. The outside world would eventually move on.
Besides, what did war have to do with him? Would Konoha ever send a seven-year-old Nine-Tails Jinchūriki to the battlefield? Impossible. His only concern was training, and growing stronger with every passing day.
The tragedy of the Uchiha massacre passed through Menma's mind only briefly, and then he pushed it aside. Perhaps Uchiha Sasuke would become a tool or an ally someday, but that wasn't important now. What mattered was power—his own power.
Menma's focus never wavered. His routine remained strict: classes at the Academy, solitary training in the forests, and endless hours refining chakra control. Unlike the Naruto of the original timeline, Menma had no intention of leaving things to talent and luck. He devoured theory, memorized scrolls, studied strategy, and drilled every lesson Iruka taught.
The Naruto of the original world had only his determination and instinct to rely on. Menma, in contrast, pursued mastery in every aspect—body, mind, and chakra. He would not allow himself to lag behind in theory or practice. If the foundation was weak, the structure would collapse; Menma's foundation would be unshakable.
The days passed, and time reshaped everything. A week later, Uchiha Sasuke returned to the Academy.
But the boy who came back was not the same as before. The cheerful arrogance he once displayed was gone. Now, a cold aura surrounded him, his face set in a grim mask of indifference. This wasn't childish posturing. This was trauma, carved deep into his heart.
Sasuke had watched his brother—the one he admired most—slaughter his parents, his clan, his entire world. He had survived in body, but in spirit, he had been broken and reforged into something harder, darker.
Menma studied him quietly from the side.
"So this is the path of the shinobi, Sasuke. Cruel, merciless, unforgiving. And this is only the beginning of your journey."
Though the Uchiha's destruction was earth-shattering for the Leaf, the ripples in the larger shinobi world soon began to fade. Hiruzen and the elders worked tirelessly to project strength, suppress information, and remind the world that Konoha was still the strongest of the Five Great Nations. Other villages, wary of both Konoha's defenses and each other's ambitions, eventually backed down.
No war would come—not yet.
For Menma, none of this mattered anyway. Unless the world itself came crashing down on the Hidden Leaf, his path was clear: train, grow stronger, and break free from every chain that bound him.
As the year drew to a close, Konoha's 55th year ended. A new term at the Academy began. And with it, Menma stepped into a new stage of his growth.