"I'll have a Chashu Ramen too, please."
Menma spoke softly.
Ichiraku Ramen.
As the most famous food spot in the original series, Menma had naturally eaten here after coming to this world. Of course, this was largely because he knew the owner, Teuchi, didn't share the same hatred and rejection towards him as the general populace. He treated Menma just like any other customer—like an ordinary kid.
So, naturally, Menma was willing to visit.
Before graduation, this was the only place Menma could eat out during those twelve years. Of course, he always chose times when no other customers were around and ate quickly. If he sensed anyone else approaching, he would leave immediately. It wasn't about gratitude or anything like that.
Teuchi was simply treating him normally.
But in a ninja village like this, such normal treatment was incredibly rare and could even be considered an act of great kindness.
Menma wouldn't go so far as to say he was moved to tears.
But at the very least, he didn't want his presence to negatively impact Teuchi's business.
Teuchi, of course, knew Menma. He felt a bit of pity for the boy's circumstances and thought some of the villagers were going too far. After all, Menma was just a child. But at the same time, Teuchi understood his neighbors. In the chaos twelve years ago, countless people had lost family and friends. That kind of hatred wasn't easily suppressed.
And Teuchi was just an ordinary civilian.
He had no voice or power in these matters. The most he could do was quietly give Menma extra portions whenever the boy came to eat.
That was his way of showing care.
"Alright. Adding extra pork to both. Lord Jiraiya, please wait a moment."
After bowing again, Teuchi turned to prepare three bowls of ramen.
Before long...
Three steaming bowls, noticeably larger than the standard serving, were placed before them.
"Itadakimasu!"
Sitting in the middle, Naruto's eyes sparkled. After impatiently shouting his thanks, he began to wolf down the food.
It seemed that for Naruto, no delicacy in the world could compare to a savory bowl of Ichiraku Ramen.
In less than a few minutes...
The bowl, which most ordinary people might struggle to finish, vanished into Naruto's stomach.
Beside him, Menma wasn't lagging behind.
He already had a healthy appetite, and after training all day, he was starving. His bowl was empty in the blink of an eye.
Watching Naruto and Menma eat with almost synchronized movements, a look of nostalgia involuntarily surfaced in the depths of Jiraiya's eyes.
The same red hair, the same blond hair.
Features that slightly resembled Minato, and others that hinted at Kushina.
In that moment, Jiraiya felt as if he had been transported back over a decade, to the times he had shared meals at his student's home.
'Has it already been twelve years?'
Jiraiya thought silently.
It felt like it was just yesterday.
Twelve years ago, when he received the news that his student and his wife had died in battle, Jiraiya simply couldn't believe his ears. In his eyes, his brilliantly talented student should have led Konoha for at least another twenty or thirty years. How could he have died so easily?
He didn't believe it—or rather, he didn't want to believe it.
But when he returned to Konoha, what he saw were the cold, stiff bodies of Minato and Kushina, and the two infant brothers, Naruto and Menma, still in swaddling clothes.
At that moment, Jiraiya's heart was undoubtedly filled with grief. Looking at the young brothers, he felt an overwhelming sense of pity.
To say Jiraiya never considered returning to the village to raise Naruto and Menma himself would be a lie.
But in the end, for various reasons, he chose to leave Konoha again. Perhaps it was because of that ridiculous "Child of Prophecy" prediction from Mount Myōboku, or maybe it was because of Hiruzen's words.
Regardless of the reason, Jiraiya ultimately ran away from his responsibility.
Yes, responsibility.
Unlike anyone else, Jiraiya was Minato's mentor.
Even in the ninja world, such a master-student bond was akin to that of a father and son.
Just as Naruto called him "Grandpa" in this life, Jiraiya was, in a very real sense, Menma and Naruto's grandfather figure.
But what had happened? In the past twelve years, had Jiraiya fulfilled his duties and responsibilities as a grandfather?
Specifically, towards Menma.
Naruto, after all, wore the halo of being the "Fourth Hokage's son."
Jiraiya had returned to Konoha occasionally over the last twelve years, but he had only checked on Naruto. He had never once visited Menma. Not even once.
Because of this, Jiraiya was filled with guilt toward Menma.
But as some fans in Menma's previous life had pointed out: If Jiraiya knew about "Naruto's" (in the original story) suffering and chose not to intervene, then he was cruel. If he truly didn't know about it, then he was foolish—hopelessly foolish.
Regardless of the scenario, Jiraiya's failure of responsibility was undeniable.
Menma, of course, didn't know exactly what Jiraiya was thinking right now. And even if he did, he would only scoff.
Guilt?
That emotion is always the most extravagant and the most useless.
To quote a line from Menma's past life: 'If apologies were useful, what would we need the police for?'
Menma was no longer the same person who had first arrived in this world.
He had long since discarded the naive filters of his previous life.
Now, he judged everyone in this world by a single standard: are they "one of us" willing to stand by his side, or are they an enemy blocking his path?
Therefore, Menma viewed Jiraiya the same way he viewed Kakashi and the others—as a stranger. Their future relationship would depend entirely on the choices they made.
Although, those choices were already quite predictable.
"Menma, you came from the mountains on the west side of the village, right? What were you doing out there?"
After eating and drinking their fill, the group stepped out of the shop.
Naruto let out a satisfied burp, patted his round belly contentedly, then tilted his head and asked Menma curiously.
"Ah, I was training there. There's still some time before the third round, right? I want to get as strong as possible," Menma replied with a smile.
"Oh! Training! Yeah, Sasuke got dragged off by Kakashi-nii for some training too. I was planning to ask Pervy Sage—I mean, Grandpa Jiraiya—to train me! Hey, Menma, why don't you join us? Is that okay, Grandpa Jiraiya!?"