The most fascinating character in this life was, of course, Naruto Namikaze.
Unlike the "original Naruto," who was utterly hopeless in theoretical studies, this Naruto was still fundamentally the same person. The difference lay in his upbringing. Knowing he was the son of a hero, this Naruto didn't reject academics or waste his time on pranks to get attention.
So, during the theory-heavy phase of the first two years, he managed to keep up.
He wasn't a scholar, sitting solidly in the lower-middle tier of the class, but he wasn't failing.
But once they entered the second year and started learning actual Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu—and especially in the third year, when practical combat drills began—Naruto's latent talent exploded.
It was unparalleled.
Even with Menma's imperfect and immature Mind's Eye of the Kagura, he could clearly sense the monstrous chakra reserves inside Naruto.
Moreover, Naruto always had immense talent for being a ninja.
In the original story, he mastered tree climbing and water walking despite the Nine-Tails' chakra actively sabotaging his control.
That alone proved his genius.
So, entering the third year of Academy life, if one looked solely at combat performance...
Naruto was neck-and-neck with Sasuke and Menma.
Of course, Menma was holding back a little. It wasn't that he was actively trying to hide his strength, but simply that his current performance was already securing him the top spot in the class. Why show off more than necessary?
He wasn't worried about anything; he just felt it was pointless.
Time ticked by slowly in this rhythm. Year 56, Year 57, Year 58... until the winter of Year 59 arrived.
Hidden Leaf Village.
Ninja Academy, Training Ground 1.
Iruka's entire class was gathered here.
Whoosh.
Thud.
Sparring matches were underway.
Pairs of students faced off under Iruka's supervision.
Over the past two or three years, this had become one of the most frequent activities for Menma and his classmates.
However, the sparring was strictly controlled.
Iruka never let the fights get out of hand. Though, exceptions did happen.
Just like schoolyard fights in Menma's past life, young boys were full of testosterone and temper. How could there not be a little heat?
Iruka did his best to manage it.
Besides, most of these fights were just basic Taijutsu brawls. At most, someone would use a Substitution Jutsu. Other techniques were either impractical in a duel or simply hadn't been mastered yet.
The clan kids were strictly forbidden from using their family's secret techniques.
Otherwise, these sparring matches would be meaningless.
Especially for Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame. If Akamaru or the kikaichū bugs were allowed, the civilian kids wouldn't stand a chance.
Oh, Menma was the exception. Even without the Nine-Tails' power, his current strength far exceeded any of his peers.
Thud!
"Alright! That's enough!"
After watching one student gain a clear advantage, Iruka stepped in to stop the fight.
These two were the "good kids."
They didn't need Iruka to physically intervene.
The moment he spoke, they both stopped simultaneously.
They made the Seal of Reconciliation and quickly retreated back into the line.
Iruka loved students like this. They made his job so much easier.
"Next pair..."
Iruka scanned the group. He had intended to call other names, but then he saw Sasuke's intense, burning gaze.
Iruka paused, sighing internally.
But he relented. "Menma Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha."
As soon as the names left his lips, Sasuke's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He strode forward confidently.
Menma raised an eyebrow but kept his expression placid as he walked out to face Sasuke.
The rest of the class watched with varying degrees of anticipation, whispering among themselves.
They had seen this matchup many times over the last few years.
But the result was always regretfully consistent.
Menma always won.
Without exception.
"Do you think Sasuke-kun can win today?"
"Probably not, right? It was the same last time."
"This is, like, the twentieth time, isn't it?"
"Something like that. Maybe thirty."
"Menma-kun wins every single time."
"It depends on whether Sasuke-kun has gotten stronger recently."
"You say that like Menma has just been standing still."
The whispers translated to one thing: very few people were betting on Sasuke.
Even Sakura Haruno, who was still Sasuke's number one fangirl in this timeline, didn't seem confident in his victory.
"Haha! You better win this time, Sasuke! If you lose again, you're going to break the record for thirty straight losses!"
While everyone else whispered, one person shouted his "support" at the top of his lungs. Though, the content of that support was debatable.
Hearing this, a vein popped on Sasuke's forehead.
His lips moved slightly.
If you were close enough to read them, you'd see he was mouthing the word "Idiot."
The owner of this voice—which sounded friendly but would definitely be interpreted as sarcastic by the recipient—was none other than "Master Naruto."
Again, the change in environment hadn't altered his core personality much.
He was still the loud, brash Naruto everyone knew.
"Shikamaru, do you think Sasuke can beat Menma this time?"
On the sidelines, Chōji Akimichi asked between mouthfuls of potato chips, turning to look at his friend with the signature pineapple ponytail.
"Probably not. Even though Menma only seems to win by a small margin each time, if you look closely, he's always in control. Unless Sasuke has made some massive leap forward recently, the result will be the same."
Shikamaru had his hands behind his head, looking lazy as usual.
But from an angle Chōji couldn't see, Shikamaru's eyes held a flicker of something different when he looked at Menma.
As a Nara, and a genius with a high IQ, Shikamaru was far more mature than his peers in this already precocious world.
Because of this, Shikamaru knew a lot more about Menma's existence than Chōji or the others.
His father, Shikaku Nara, had been willing to share some truths with him.