Wasn't what just happened the best proof?
His name was Uzumaki Menma, not Uzumaki Naruto.
He was a boy with crimson hair and gray eyes — not blond-haired and blue-eyed like the child in the original timeline.
Before this moment, Menma truly worried he might not be allowed to enter the Academy at the proper age. If he failed to take the first step toward becoming a shinobi, how miserable would his life be? How tragic?
So when he heard the words of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, the joy that surfaced on his numb face came from the bottom of his heart.
Of course, Hiruzen had no idea what Menma was truly thinking. He only saw a happy smile and believed he was gradually winning the boy's trust. The Hokage thought their bond was growing closer, and his own benevolence toward Menma deepened.
"Of course," Hiruzen said gently, "your age already meets the standards. But before you can enter the Academy, there's a small test. You may only attend if you complete it."
"Eh? What kind of test is it, Jiji? I'll definitely complete it!" Menma replied with confidence.
"Haha, it's chakra refinement. You should know, Menma, that for a shinobi, the most important first step is learning how to mold chakra. Only by mastering that can you enter the shinobi path."
Hiruzen ruffled his hair affectionately, then pulled a small scroll from his robes, placing it on the table with a smile.
"Chakra refining…?"
Menma stared at the scroll, and the light in his gray eyes shimmered. This was what he had desired most for the past five years. Now that it was finally within reach, his excitement overflowed and spread across his face.
"Yes! Don't worry, Jiji, I'll master it before the Academy begins next year!" Menma declared, thumping his small chest with determination.
"Haha, I believe in you, Menma," the Third Hokage encouraged warmly.
Planting seeds of trust early, then strengthening bonds step by step — that was Hiruzen's method. He believed this boy would one day become his strongest supporter, another heir to the Will of Fire.
First Hokage, Second Hokage… please rest assured. I will protect Konoha. And Minato, Kushina… I will take care of both Naruto and Menma.
Hiruzen's thoughts lingered silently as the winter wind rattled outside.
Even on New Year's Eve, the Hokage's time was precious. Yet he remained with Menma longer than usual, only leaving when dusk finally arrived.
Menma had worn a joyful mask throughout the visit, but once Hiruzen departed, the smile slowly faded.
The Academy… I've finally reached this moment.
He tightened his grip on the scroll, already restructuring his training plans in his mind.
Chakra.
The official explanation: it is the product of perfectly combining physical energy and spiritual energy, drawn from the trillions of cells within the human body.
The original records contradicted one another — some claimed chakra was innate to humans, taught to be molded by the Sage of Six Paths. Others claimed humans only received chakra when Hagoromo distributed his own, originally belonging to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and the God Tree's fruit.
Which version was the truth? Humanity no longer knew.
But in the end, it didn't matter.
What mattered was that shinobi had already mastered the art of chakra extraction: fusing body and spirit into one flow of power. Yet only a fraction of people were capable of this. Each year, countless civilian children failed the Academy's entrance tests because they couldn't refine chakra.
As for the great shinobi clans, their heirs always learned molding before entering the Academy. Failure wasn't tolerated.
For Menma, this problem barely existed.
He was an Uzumaki by blood.
He carried the immense vitality of that clan.
And he bore the chakra of the Nine-Tails sealed within him.
Failure to extract chakra would have been nothing short of absurd.
Still, the Nine-Tails' presence made his refinement more unstable. Menma had to endure interference, but after a full day of concentration and effort—
"…This is chakra!?"
On the early morning of January 1, Year 54 of Konoha, Menma finally succeeded in drawing out his chakra for the first time.
As the warm, thrumming energy pulsed through his body, joy erupted across his face. Even if it was just a small amount, he could already sense the immense power within himself.
This was only the beginning.
A ninja's chakra capacity was determined at birth — an individual limit they could never exceed. But to reach that limit required years of training and growth.
The key was nurturing both body and mind.
Menma had no concerns about physical energy. His Uzumaki blood gave him vitality far beyond the ordinary. What he needed was mental discipline — to sharpen focus, to hone his will, to resist despair.
And he had one more advantage: the Nine-Tails' chakra sleeping within him, the greatest power of all.
This is the first true step. The next must come quickly.
Exhaling, Menma clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing with renewed determination.
His path forward was set.
In the days that followed, Menma devoted every waking hour to refining chakra and practicing control. He didn't need mastery yet — only stability, only enough to wield it.
Time was short.
It was now the first month of Year 54.
Only six years remained before the events of the original story.
He had to build the strength to protect himself before then. He couldn't afford to drift through these years as Naruto had once done.
This was no longer the same world.