Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's firm words, Homura Mitokado was momentarily stunned. After a brief silence, he slowly nodded.
"I hope you're right, Hiruzen. Maybe I am just being too sensitive and overthinking things..."
"Heh, don't worry, Homura. Menma will become the most steadfast pillar of our village's future, just like Minato and Kushina!"
Seeing his old friend finally agree with his approach, a faint smile appeared on Hiruzen's aged face.
Although, as Hokage, he could make unilateral decisions, having the approval and support of others was always preferable.
Especially when that person was Homura Mitokado, his close friend of forty or fifty years. If even his closest friend couldn't understand and support him, that would be a major problem.
---
The night slipped away quietly, and dawn arrived slowly.
It was now April.
The scent of spring was thick in the air.
A gentle breeze blew, scattering cherry blossoms that added a warm hue to the Hidden Leaf Village.
Today was the annual enrollment day for the Ninja Academy, and the entire village was buzzing with noise and excitement.
From early in the morning, the streets were filled with the excited chatter of countless children.
Even before the official registration time, hordes of parents were already swarming toward the Academy with their kids in tow.
Menma got up early, too. After a simple breakfast, he didn't head out immediately because Hiruzen had told him beforehand that someone would come to pick him up specifically for enrollment day.
As for who that person was?
Hiruzen hadn't said.
But Menma could guess. It was almost certainly going to be Iruka Umino, the man who lost his parents during the Nine-Tails' attack.
A young Leaf ninja with some talent, but not a lot.
If nothing unexpected happened, this man was arranged by Hiruzen to be the first "important" intimate figure in Menma's life.
Being assigned such a crucial task proved that Hiruzen trusted Iruka's ability and loyalty implicitly.
After all, the current Hidden Leaf wasn't the same village it was thirty or forty years ago.
The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki held extraordinary significance for the village. Not just anyone could get close to Menma, let alone have the qualification and authority to teach him.
Just look at the treatment the protagonist got in the original series during his formative years.
Everyone allowed near him was someone Hiruzen approved of. Even his Jōnin sensei after graduation was Kakashi—Minato's direct subordinate and a ninja with the qualifications to become Hokage.
Menma was 100% certain he would receive the same treatment in this life.
Hiruzen would never allow a key asset like Menma to slip out of his control.
Only Hiruzen himself, or the people he trusted most, were allowed near Menma.
After waiting at home for about half an hour...
Knock, knock, knock!
A crisp knocking sound came from the door.
Even without trying to focus, Menma sensed a modest chakra signature outside.
Menma raised an eyebrow.
Is he here?
He walked to the entryway and gently opened the door.
A young man wearing the standard Leaf flak jacket appeared in his line of sight.
The "familiar" gentle face and the scar across the bridge of his nose.
Iruka Umino!
The moment he saw the visitor, the name surfaced in Menma's mind.
This was the character who had a profound impact on the original protagonist—the first important supporting character to acknowledge him, someone the protagonist eventually viewed as an older brother.
For Menma, seeing him brought up some complicated feelings.
Based on the original story, Iruka was one of the few people whose bond with the protagonist wasn't tainted by politics or ulterior motives. He genuinely acknowledged the boy after being moved by his spirit.
He was the protagonist's first beacon of light.
He's a naturally gentle person. If possible, I hope we can get along well, Menma thought to himself as he looked up at Iruka with a calm expression.
"Um... are you the person Grandpa Third said would come to pick me up?" Menma asked softly.
"That's right, little Menma. I'm a teacher at the Ninja Academy, and I'll be your homeroom teacher from now on—Iruka Umino. You can call me Iruka-sensei!"
Iruka bent down slightly, patted Menma's head gently, and smiled.
Although Iruka's feelings toward Menma were still complicated at this stage—there was definitely a hint of resentment buried deep down—he was, as Menma noted, a naturally kind person.
Furthermore, as a Chūnin trusted by Hiruzen with such an important task, Iruka understood the distinction between Menma and the Nine-Tails. He knew what a Jinchūriki was.
But his parents had died on the night of the Nine-Tails' attack.
To say Iruka had absolutely no grudge against Menma would be a lie. He was just very good at suppressing those emotions.
Perhaps in Iruka's eyes, Menma was just another pitiful child.
"Yes, Iruka-sensei!"
Menma naturally couldn't read the complex emotions swirling in Iruka's heart. The Mind's Eye of the Kagura wasn't a mind-reading cheat; it was just a powerful chakra sensing ability.
However, because he was the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, he possessed a slight ability to sense malice. He could detect negative emotions, but only faintly.
Menma was only six years old, after all.
"Alright, let's go. It's about time!"
Iruka smiled warmly and extended his right hand toward Menma.
Putting aside the original plot, the fact that Iruka could treat Menma with this attitude right now was commendable.
He was truly worthy of the title of "Teacher."
"Okay!"
Menma didn't hesitate. He reached out his small left hand and took Iruka's. The two figures—one large, one small—left the dilapidated apartment building together.
They headed straight for the Ninja Academy.
Along the way, they saw parents taking their children to the Academy everywhere. Most of them were civilians.
When these people saw Menma, their expressions instantly changed. The malice was glaringly obvious.
It was only when they noticed Iruka in his official flak jacket that they reluctantly restrained themselves.
Menma could feel that naked hostility clearly.