"Since Torune Aburame set the precedent, I can't blame you for being suspicious."
Kakashi's visible eye curved into a lazy smile as he spoke, not at all offended. "I can't force you to trust me right away. I'd be more worried if you did."
He walked toward the three of them. "Let's stick to the main roads for now. Plenty of civilians around. You'll feel safer that way."
They returned to Konoha and headed straight for the Ninja Academy. Iruka Umino was pacing anxiously by the gates. When he saw them approaching—alive and unharmed—his shoulders slumped with relief. He didn't say much, just nodded to Kakashi, accepting the older man's authority.
After a quick briefing in the hallway, the three genin finally acknowledged Kakashi as their legitimate team leader.
"Just because you acknowledge me doesn't mean I'm satisfied with you," Kakashi said, pulling a bright orange book from his pouch. The title read Make-Out Paradise in bold letters. He flipped through it casually. "You did well earlier. The fake instructor didn't fool you. But if you want me to guide you into becoming real shinobi, you'll need to pass a test first."
"A test?" Sakura blinked, looking at Naruto and Sasuke, hoping for confusion. Instead, Sasuke was staring at the floor, lost in thought, while Naruto gazed blankly at the sky, a flicker of regret crossing his face. The incident with Torune clearly weighed on them.
"We graduated already," Sakura pointed out. "Doesn't that count?"
Kakashi closed his book with a snap. "That was the Academy's test. This is your genin test. Fail, and you'll have to repeat the Academy. Simple as that."
A mischievous glint flashed in his visible eye. "Oh, and a friendly heads-up: out of the twenty-seven graduates this year, only nine will be promoted to genin. That's a seventy percent elimination rate."
Even Sasuke and Naruto snapped their attention to him. The thought of repeating another year at the Academy was enough to make them break out in a cold sweat.
"Tomorrow morning, we meet at Training Ground Seven for a wilderness survival exercise," Kakashi continued. "Your opponent is me."
He leaned forward, making a face that was supposed to be intimidating, but it came off more like a bored cat. The three didn't flinch.
Kakashi sighed. "The fake instructor incident really did a number on you, huh? Fine, we'll skip the introductions. You've probably figured each other out by now anyway."
He turned and began walking away. "Be there at dawn. And don't eat breakfast—you'll just throw it up."
With a flicker of chakra, he vanished.
"I'm heading back. See you tomorrow," Naruto mumbled, looking uncharacteristically gloomy. He turned and walked away without waiting for a reply.
"Naruto..." Sakura's face filled with worry.
She turned to Sasuke. "He's acting weird. Quiet. Like, really quiet. That's not him."
Sasuke's lips pressed into a thin line. He had noticed, and he'd already pieced together a theory, but he had no intention of sharing it with Sakura.
"Naruto's stronger than you think," he said coldly. "Stop worrying about him and start worrying about yourself. With your current skill level, you should be thinking about how to survive tomorrow."
Before she could respond, he shoved his hands in his pockets, leaped onto the opposite building's roof, and disappeared into the distance.
Sakura stood alone in the hallway, her expression tightening. The truth cut deeper than a lie ever could. Swallowing her worry, she turned and headed home.
Back in his empty apartment, Naruto flopped onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. The silence was suffocating. He felt the emptiness of the space, the lack of a second presence in his mind. Irritated, he sat up and threw the window open.
Moonlight streamed in, illuminating the half-finished manuscript on his desk.
Naruto's chest tightened. He replayed the afternoon's events, and a wave of regret washed over him.
Menma had been incredible to him. He'd talked to him when no one else would, helped him make money, protected him when he was in danger, and even helped him make progress with Sakura. Yet, Naruto had yelled at him, treating him like an enemy just because Menma had been harsh with Torune Aburame.
Ungrateful, he thought bitterly. I was ungrateful.
But the anger returned, sharp and hot. Menma had disobeyed him. He'd killed someone, brutally, despite Naruto begging him not to. The violence, the bloodlust... it scared him.
But he's done so much for me, his conscience argued. He's like the big brother I never had.
He's dangerous, the fear whispered back. If he keeps killing, he'll hurt my friends. He'll hurt Sakura. He's the one who should apologize.
And the silence. Menma hadn't said a word since the confrontation. No explanations, no snarky comments. Just... nothing.
Naruto groaned and buried his face in his hands.
[Trust Level: 20%]
Inside the mindscape, Menma watched the notification flash across the void. A cruel smile touched his lips.
He had deliberately severed the connection, cutting off his sight and sound. He wanted Naruto to feel the absence, to realize how much the primary personality relied on his dark half.
The Trust Dependence Value had plummeted from 40% to 20%—a massive drop that blinded Menma to the outside world. But he didn't need eyes to feel the turbulence swirling in Naruto's heart.
He wasn't mad about Torune, Menma realized, dissecting the emotional feedback with precision. He was mad because I stopped obeying him. He's subconsciously afraid of losing control over me.
The primary personality's natural instinct toward the dark personality: suspicion and a need for dominance. Naruto just didn't realize he was thinking that way.
Time stretched on. The moonlight outside grew faint, approaching dawn.
Finally, Naruto stood up. He walked to the center of the room, clenching his fists.
"Menma," he said, his voice earnest and heavy with the weight of a sleepless night. "I'm sorry. I was wrong this afternoon. I shouldn't have yelled at you."
Silence answered him.
Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat and continued, his voice growing firmer. "I don't want you to be scary. I'll work harder on my ninja training. I'll get strong enough to protect myself, so you don't have to fight."
He took a deep breath. "And... to make it up to you, I'll let you take over more often during the day. You can get some fresh air. I promise."
...