It had been more than a year—nearly two years now.
During that time, Umino Iruka had gradually changed his view of Menma's existence. To be precise, Iruka was truly a gentle man, and unlike most villagers, he understood the difference between a Jinchūriki and the Tailed Beast sealed within them. He could clearly distinguish the emotions directed at the host from those toward the beast itself—something few people in the village could do.
The general public saw little difference. To them, facing a Jinchūriki was no different than facing the Tailed Beast itself: fear, rejection, and even disgust were natural reactions.
But through constant interaction, Iruka's attitude toward Menma began to shift.
Menma could perceive this change, and it left him feeling conflicted. Until now, aside from his unique feelings for his blood brother Naruto, and the faint affection he carried toward Hinata due to lingering memories of his past life, he had never truly held any goodwill toward others in the Hidden Leaf Village.
Yet Iruka's attitude made him feel… restrained. Of course, Menma considered that this could very well be part of Hiruzen Sarutobi's strategy—just as the Hokage often used subtle measures to guide or control those he watched closely.
But the important difference was this: with Hiruzen, Menma could always feel the utilitarian weight behind the old man's words. With Iruka, however, there was sincerity.
Iruka treated him simply as a student—a boy in a miserable situation who needed guidance and care.
And from all signs, Menma could empathize with him.
Because Iruka too was an orphan.
This made Menma uncertain about how he should approach Iruka, both now and in the future. After all, Menma wasn't truly cold-blooded. He couldn't bring himself to ignore genuine kindness, no matter how cautious he was.
For now, he could only take things step by step.
Still, the fact that Iruka was willing to pay him more attention and spend more time with him was, without question, a good thing. At the very least, Menma could use Iruka's guidance as a form of private training.
Don't be deceived by the fact that Iruka was "only" a Chūnin. In the shinobi world, anyone who reached the rank of Chūnin had already proven real ability. Moreover, Iruka had been entrusted to teach at the Academy—an institution that molded the next generation of Konoha's ninja. This meant that Iruka not only possessed solid theoretical knowledge but also the capacity to guide the heirs of prestigious clans.
Naruto, Sasuke, Menma, and many others were entrusted to him, and that alone spoke volumes about his capability as an instructor.
Therefore, Menma placed great trust in Iruka when it came to the basics of training.
And when Iruka saw Menma's remarkable learning attitude and natural ability, he too began to give Menma additional guidance outside regular class hours.
For example, the Three Basic Academy Ninjutsu—the Clone Technique (Bunshin no Jutsu), Transformation Technique (Henge no Jutsu), and Substitution Technique (Kawarimi no Jutsu)—were meant to be taught later in the curriculum. But Iruka allowed Menma to begin practicing them early.
Menma showed what it meant to be called a "genius," particularly without interference from the Nine-Tails' chakra. In less than a week, he had managed to learn all three basic techniques.
Of course, "learning" here only meant the most basic level of mastery, yet it was still enough to astonish Iruka.
After all, though the Three Basic Techniques were considered introductory, they weren't easy. They demanded a level of chakra control that many students struggled to achieve.
When Iruka himself had been a student, it had taken him more than a week to learn just a single one of the techniques. The Clone Technique, in particular, had given him endless trouble.
So seeing Menma master all three in the span of a single week left Iruka deeply impressed.
Menma, however, was far from satisfied.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two puffs of smoke filled the air as the practice ended, and Menma stared at the broken log that had replaced him during the Substitution Technique.
His brows furrowed slightly.
The Substitution Technique was considered the easiest to learn among the three, but in truth, it was also the hardest to use effectively. Mastery depended entirely on timing.
Despite what some people mistakenly believed, the Substitution Technique wasn't related to space-time ninjutsu. If it were, it would never be taught as a basic Academy skill.
At its core, it was little more than a sleight of hand. Against higher-level shinobi, it wasn't entirely useless, but its deceptive power was severely limited. Like the Clone and Transformation Techniques, it had value—but only in the hands of someone who knew how to apply it well.
Higher-level variations like Water Clones, Earth Clones, and of course, the Shadow Clone Technique, were far more versatile and powerful. But the Substitution Technique remained what it was: a clever trick, useful only when performed with perfect timing.
Menma didn't intend to perfect the technique for its own sake. Instead, he used the training as a method to refine his chakra control and reaction speed. In this way, it was killing two birds with one stone.
The same went for the Transformation Technique. Striving for flawless execution was worthwhile—it demanded discipline and precision, things that required long-term repetition and practice.
It'll still take some time… No, maybe it'd be better to test these in real sparring. That's where the true results will show.
Menma touched his chin, thinking quietly.
Self-practice could only take him so far. The fastest path to improvement was combat. Real fights, especially those with life-and-death stakes, were what forged shinobi.
If possible, maybe I should ask Iruka-sensei to spar with me later. Hm… that could work.
Just as this thought surfaced in Menma's mind
"Menma!"
A clear, familiar voice rang out. Looking up, Menma saw Iruka's figure approaching from not far away.
"Hm? Iruka-sensei, why are you here?" Menma asked as he hurried over.
"I just went to your house to check on you, but you weren't there. I figured you'd be training here," Iruka said with a smile. "Didn't your ninja tools wear out recently? I bought you a new set. You don't need to keep struggling with the damaged ones anymore."
Iruka pulled a sealing scroll from his vest, formed hand seals, and released the contents with a puff of chakra.
Poof!
White smoke burst forth, then dispersed, revealing a moderately heavy bag of fresh ninja tools at Menma's feet.