Outside the Ninja Academy.
Naruto sat on a swing, his head in his hands, glaring sullenly at the ground. Bathed in the setting sun, his small, lonely figure looked forlorn. His shadow stretched long and thin behind him.
In the distance, the other students and their parents were dispersing, heading home. Though they were already far away, Naruto could still hear the whispers.
"Stay away from that monster."
"We're graduating soon, why hasn't he dropped out yet?"
"I wish that monster would just die."
"I heard he vandalized the Hokage Rock this afternoon. How disgusting."
The backbiting and hateful glances cut deep. Naruto buried his head even deeper into his hands, his expression a mix of pain and confusion. He didn't understand what he had done to deserve this hatred, why he had been isolated ever since he was a child. They avoided him in public but couldn't resist talking trash behind his back.
These feelings came and went in waves, but they were quickly suppressed deep within his heart. It was as if an unseen presence deep inside him was silently absorbing all the pain, drowning in the darkness of the past so Naruto didn't have to.
He needed to be positive. He needed to be optimistic.
Naruto's head snapped up, the dejection vanishing instantly, replaced by boundless energy. The sadness sank down, just as he expected. He clenched his fist, eyes burning with resolve, and shouted at the empty air where the crowd had been.
"I'm gonna be Hokage! Believe it! And then you'll all have to acknowledge me!"
But no one answered. The crowd was long gone.
After the shout, Naruto remembered something. He looked toward the school gates.
"Why hasn't Iruka-sensei come yet? Didn't he say he was gonna punish me by making me clean up the Hokage Rock…?"
He winced. "Oh, right. The Sexy Jutsu."
Today was the pre-exam test for graduation tomorrow. Naruto, failing miserably at the Three Body Technique, had tried to pass the Sexy Jutsu off as a substitution technique. It had worked… sort of. Iruka's nose had gushed blood on the spot, and the teacher had hunched over, unable to straighten up for ages.
"Maybe it's better if he doesn't come," Naruto muttered, though the disappointment on his face was obvious. "I'm too lazy to clean anyway."
He caused trouble to get attention, even if it was annoyed attention. Anything was better than being ignored, isolated, and cursed at.
Inside Naruto's subconscious.
Watching Naruto get up to leave, the dark personality—Menma—frowned in thought.
So just being insulted and cursed at by the villagers is enough to give me a temporary release? Menma had assumed he could only surface when Naruto's emotions surged violently. If just a few negative thoughts are enough…
Menma looked around the void of the mindscape. "System, I want to switch personalities."
[System Notification: Personality switching in progress…]
[Ding! Insufficient negative emotions in the primary personality. Host switching failed.]
"It didn't work."
Menma wasn't disappointed. It seemed he only had temporary access to the outside world and the ability to speak with Naruto.
Punished by Iruka to clean the Hokage Rock? And he used the Sexy Jutsu? Menma smirked. This wasn't like Naruto to actually deface the monument, only to clean it up later. Combined with the Sexy Jutsu on Iruka, Menma could pinpoint the timeline.
We're right at the beginning of the original story.
Tomorrow night is when Naruto steals the Scroll of Seals. His first real rampage.
Menma's expression softened. The timing was perfect. Not too early, not too late.
At this moment, Naruto didn't have many friends. He was vulnerable, isolated, and desperate for connection. It was the perfect opportunity for Menma to strike while the iron was hot.
Besides…
Naruto is me, and I am Naruto.
If he doesn't trust and rely on me, who else is there?
Menma wiped the smile from his face. He needed to act fast. Naruto's emotions were stable now, but eventually, the primary personality would sink back into the depths of consciousness. Menma had to reveal his existence now.
He needed to let Naruto know he wasn't alone. He needed to let Naruto know where all those negative emotions went.
With Naruto's kindness, he would feel guilty once he knew. And with that guilt, he might actually listen.
Menma reached out in the void, focusing his will. He called out.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
Outside.
Naruto, who was just standing up to leave, froze.
A voice echoed in his mind. A voice that felt strangely familiar.
He whipped his head around, looking for the source. "Who's calling me?!"
But as soon as the word left his mouth, Naruto's expression changed. The voice he'd heard was identical to his own. The pitch, the volume—it was exactly the same. It was like he had called his own name and heard the echo.
The thought terrified him. He shook his head violently, trying to banish the idea, but it took root.
Slowly, he whispered his own name, testing the air. "Uzumaki Naruto?"
Before the sound faded, the voice answered in his head.
"It's me."
"!!!"
Naruto's face went from confusion to pure terror. A scream tore from his throat as he scrambled backward, feet slipping on the pavement.
"Ah! A ghost! Third Hokage! Ichiraku-san! Iruka-sensei! Help! I'm possessed!"
Menma sighed, annoyed.
"I'm not a ghost, you idiot. I'm inside your head. I am you. I am Uzumaki Naruto."
"Inside my head?!" Naruto screamed even louder, clutching his skull. "Help! I'm possessed by a demon!"
Menma pinched the bridge of his nose. Enough of this.
"Fine. Let me show you."
Menma pushed. He granted Naruto access to a fragment of his memories.
Outside, Naruto's frantic running stopped dead. He stood frozen in the middle of the path as a flood of dark, painful memories surged into his consciousness. It was a storm of isolation, resentment, and raw power. His face twisted into a grimace, eyes filling with a darkness he didn't usually show.
The memories and emotions hit him like a tidal wave and receded just as fast.
In less than a breath, Naruto was back to normal, swaying on his feet. The pain and darkness were pushed back into the void, absorbed once again by the other side.