"We have a guest," Kurama suddenly said, then dove back into Menma's body and vanished.
"Huh? Brother, where did Kurama go?" Naruto had just heard his brother call the cute fox 'Kurama,' and now it had disappeared!
"Kurama went back home," Menma replied casually.
But within him, Kurama was already voicing his complaints, his grumbling overwhelming. Menma was speechless for a moment and muttered silently, Alright, I get it, Kurama. Can you just be quiet?
Originally, Kurama had intended to stay silent, but the moment he heard "shut up," he got even noisier—completely refusing to back down.
Menma felt like his ears were about to burst.
Fine, fine! I was wrong! I was wrong! Please forgive this ignorant little one, Lord Kurama!
Only then did Kurama quiet down.
Naruto, of course, couldn't hear any of this internal conversation. In his mind, he imagined what Kurama's "home" looked like. Suddenly, he remembered his brother mentioning that Kurama had been sealed behind iron bars… wasn't that Kurama's "home"?
Just as Naruto was about to ask—
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang.
"Go open the door, Naruto," Menma said.
Naruto perked up at the instruction. With tiny legs hopping excitedly, he rushed toward the door, full of curiosity and anticipation. Who could it be?
Because both he and Menma couldn't reach the door handle, they had placed a small stool by the entrance just for this purpose.
Naruto positioned the stool, climbed up, and tiptoed to unlock the door.
As soon as it opened, Naruto's cheerful face turned dark.
That hateful white-haired monster!
He shouted, "Pay back the money!"
Jiraiya had been smiling, hoping to make a good impression on Minato's children. The door opened to reveal a yellow-haired child who looked so much like Minato—it had to be one of his sons. Just as Jiraiya was about to greet him—
"Pay back the money!"
Jiraiya was stunned. Since when does a toad sage owe money? Even if I did… I wouldn't pay it back!
Playing dumb, he blinked. "Eh? What did you say? I didn't catch that."
Naruto didn't let up. "You owe me money! You took my ramen money for next month! Pay it back!"
Naruto was determined. As long as he could get this detestable white-haired old man to repay him, he'd be able to eat Ichiraku ramen next month.
"Ack—what? I didn't hear you again!" Jiraiya said while casually stepping past Naruto and entering the house.
"Hey! You can't just barge into someone else's home!" Naruto ran after him, trying to stop him.
Just then, Menma's voice called out, "Naruto, next month you'll get your Ichiraku ramen."
Ramen?!
Naruto forgot everything else. He sprinted back to the living room, not even bothering to close the door behind him. In his eyes, there was only Ichiraku ramen now.
He zipped right past Jiraiya, who followed behind with a thoughtful expression.
Upon entering, Jiraiya glanced around the house. There was hardly any furniture, and—what the heck? A hole in the wall?
Is this really how Minato's children are living?
Jiraiya had just heard a bit about the two kids from Kakashi. The moment he laid eyes on their living situation, his heart ached.
Their parents had died as heroes for the village—and this was how their sons were treated?
Jiraiya couldn't help but think, If Minato and Kushina knew, they'd be furious enough to rise from the grave.
He shook his head, smiling bitterly.
"Brother, are you serious?" Naruto asked, grabbing Menma's sleeve.
"Of course," Menma replied. At the same time, he caught the look on Jiraiya's face and could guess a thing or two about what the man was thinking.
"Jiraiya, why are you here?" Menma said bluntly. "You're not welcome."
Jiraiya's smile faded slightly.
"I'm your master," he replied. "I just finished teaching Kakashi a lesson. Your master is still strong, you know."
He hoped for a little admiration from Menma—but it didn't last.
"You call yourself a master? The first thing you did was scam us for money. What kind of master is that?" Menma's tone was calm but cutting. "Naruto and I are still children. Our parents are gone. We're looked down on by the villagers. Even just trying to buy food or supplies, we get chased out."
Menma had lived through all of it. He rarely let Naruto leave the house to avoid exposing him to the cruelty. But someone had to restock the home—and that was Menma.
Things had only started to improve when Menma learned to use chakra. If he couldn't buy what he needed, he'd just take it and leave money behind.
Jiraiya's heart ached hearing this. No wonder Menma seemed so mature. What child wouldn't grow up fast in such a harsh environment?
This is Konoha. Our own village. How could it turn its back on them?
If he hadn't returned unexpectedly, he would've never known how badly Minato's children were treated.
Sarutobi-sensei…!
His anger boiling, Jiraiya quickly formed a hand seal.
Shadow Clone Technique!
With a puff of smoke, a clone appeared.
The real Jiraiya turned and bolted toward the Hokage Building, leaving the clone behind.
Naruto may not have realized the Jiraiya in front of him was a clone—but Menma knew.
He quietly glanced out the window, watching the real one leave.
The clone offered an apology and promised to repay the money later. He also swore to take care of their living expenses from now on.
Menma rolled his eyes. Maybe I should hide the money when it comes.
Hokage's Office:
Jiraiya burst in. No one dared stop him as he stormed into the office of the Third Hokage.
Slamming both palms onto the desk with a loud bang, he glared at the old man.
"Why, Sarutobi-sensei?! Naruto and Menma, sons of heroes, are being shunned by the village. Don't tell me you didn't know!"
The Third Hokage had been expecting this confrontation. He sighed.
"Jiraiya… they were labeled as demon foxes. By the time I found out, the rumors had already spread. It couldn't be stopped."
"Couldn't be stopped? Or wouldn't be stopped?" Jiraiya snapped.
"Jiraiya." The Third's voice turned stern.
"You're the Hokage! If you really couldn't stop the rumors, then you should've at least announced that they were Minato's children! The moment people knew that, the rumors would've died down!"
The Third Hokage let out another long sigh. "You don't understand. Minato had many enemies during his lifetime. If they found out he had children, the boys would be in danger."
Jiraiya laughed bitterly.
"Hahaha… 'in danger'? We're the mighty Hidden Leaf! And we can't even protect two children? Do you even believe that excuse yourself?"
At that moment, Jiraiya understood the truth behind the Third and the village council's decisions.
"From now on, I'll look after Menma and Naruto. I don't need you anymore."
With that, Jiraiya turned and walked out.
The Third Hokage stood from his seat and walked to the window, gazing out at the clear blue sky.
(End Of Chapter)
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