These were the solutions Menma had come up with after thinking all night. Since he couldn't change the dark personality, he would start with himself.
"I'm stupid. I don't know how to stop you from killing, but I can try my best to avoid making you fight. So don't be angry anymore. I'm not angry about what you did this afternoon either. Let's consider our mistakes canceled!"
After saying all this, Naruto eagerly perked up his ears. But Menma's voice didn't come for a long time. Just as Naruto's disappointment and grievances were about to overflow, finally, Menma's soft "hmm" came.
"Hmm. You're the primary personality. You decide."
Upon receiving Menma's reply, Naruto immediately beamed. He stood up from the stool, excitedly waving his arms and legs.
"Great! I knew you wouldn't be so petty, Menma!"
[Trust Level: 30%]
In his mindscape, Menma regained external voices and vision. With the conflict resolved and his mind at ease, Naruto's stomach immediately rumbled. That afternoon, because of his falling out with Menma, he'd been thinking about it so much that he'd forgotten to eat. Now that things were settled, an overwhelming hunger hit him, making him collapse onto the bed.
"I'm so hungry! I really want ramen~~~"
He glanced at the dark sky outside and the unlit buildings. Naruto abandoned any thought of going out and could only grab a glass of water to fill his stomach. Because of Menma's insistence, all the expired milk and instant noodles had been thrown away. And because he'd been busy these past few days, he hadn't been able to go to the supermarket.
"Isn't there some noodles in the fridge?"
Seeing Naruto drink a glass of water and prepare to sleep, Menma frowned. This was his body from now on; he couldn't let Naruto do whatever he wanted! Besides, this memory of hunger would definitely come back to him later, and he didn't want to experience it again!
"Noodles?" Naruto looked bewildered. The noodles in the fridge were ones he'd bought a long time ago, but he'd only cooked them once and they weren't very good, so he'd forgotten about them.
"Never mind, let me out. I'll make you something to eat."
The kitchen had a decent supply of seasonings, none of them expired. These were all things Naruto had bought for the fish and wild vegetables he caught when he was short on living expenses.
"Make something to eat? Yay!" Naruto readily relinquished control of his body. While curiously watching Menma cook the noodles, he chatted with him about Kakashi that afternoon and tomorrow's wilderness survival drill.
...
The next morning.
Awake to his alarm clock, Naruto yawned and set off. Through Naruto's vision, Menma noticed a significant increase in the number of ANBU around him. It seemed that after yesterday's incident, Hiruzen Sarutobi had increased his protection of Naruto. This also suggested that Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't dealt with Danzo yet. Danzo hadn't given up on Naruto—or rather, he hadn't given up on him either. After all, he'd lost a key figure, and Menma's personality is so dangerous. If he were Danzo, he wouldn't let it go so easily either.
"Naruto, don't forget to eat breakfast."
Knowing the original storyline, Menma naturally wouldn't let Naruto skip breakfast as Kakashi had suggested. He knew all too well what it was like to go hungry all morning, just from Naruto's experience!
"I didn't forget. I'll go buy it now."
Naruto obediently chose a shop and bought three yakisoba rolls and three cartons of milk. Because he had previously caused trouble at a shop, this shop didn't dare give him expired food or yell at him. Clearly, this shop was also afraid that Naruto's outburst would ruin their reputation and cause them to lose customers.
Training Grounds.
Sasuke and Sakura had already arrived and were waiting. The two looked at Naruto, who was scarfing down yakisoba rolls and drinking milk as he ran towards them, both with faces full of disbelief. However, they understood why Naruto would do something like this. And Naruto wasn't as silent and quiet as he had been yesterday, which dispelled their worries from yesterday.
"Good morning, Sakura, Sasuke."
With noodles in his mouth, Naruto greeted them, his words mumbled.
Sakura, her face darkening, asked, "Naruto, didn't Kakashi say it's best not to eat anything in the morning, to avoid throwing up?"
"It's best not to eat. It's not like you can't eat. We'll talk about throwing up later." Naruto nonchalantly took a sip of milk, then handed out the two portions he had prepared. "Do you want some? I bought one for you, too."
"I'm not eating! If Kakashi disqualifies you because of this, don't cry!" Sakura swallowed, turning away angrily and refusing Naruto. She was already worried about failing, and now she dared not disobey Kakashi's words from yesterday.
"Where's Sasuke?" Naruto looked at the Uchiha.
Sasuke, with a thoughtful expression, looked around and shook his head. "I'll see first."
He didn't explicitly refuse. Because Kakashi was late, the Uchiha noticed something amiss. He guessed that Kakashi's threat to withhold breakfast was likely part of a scheme, like deliberately starving them.
Sure enough, an hour passed. Kakashi was still nowhere to be seen. Sasuke, with an "I knew it" look on his face, reached into Naruto's bag and took the fried noodles, bread, and milk.
"Thanks." After thanking him, he began to eat heartily.
"Sasuke, even you!"
Sakura, seeing his actions, looked completely bewildered. Wasn't Sasuke afraid of being punished by Kakashi and failing him?
"Eat when you're hungry. Don't eat when you're afraid of throwing up. It's that simple." Sasuke frowned, giving Sakura a cold look. He clearly had good grades in school, but when it came to practical matters, he showed no analytical ability whatsoever, only asking others for advice.
Seeing Sasuke's rudeness towards Sakura, Naruto glared at him angrily. Then he shoved the remaining fried noodles, bread, and milk into her hands.
"Sakura, let's ignore him. Just eat it! It'll be fine!"
"But..." Sakura clutched her rumbling stomach, still hesitant.
"It's really fine. I've already guessed Kakashi's purpose." Naruto tilted his head back, looking proud, as if to say, "I didn't want to say it, but I had to for you."
"It's actually quite simple. Kakashi was able to single-handedly repel those ninjas yesterday, so he must be incredibly strong. And this time, he's our opponent. Do you think he's trying to eliminate us maliciously?"
Without giving them a chance to answer, Naruto waved his hand. "Definitely not. Otherwise he wouldn't bother with this mission. So he wants to test our teamwork skills. As for not eating breakfast, it's simply to make us hungry and affect our judgment. There will even be various traps waiting for us to fall into during the test, hindering our cooperation."
These were the exact words Menma and Naruto had said yesterday. Naruto was now reciting them verbatim to show off.
The effect was significant. Sakura was completely dumbfounded, and Sasuke was also shocked.