"You b*****d!"
Sasuke's eyes blazed with fury as he charged at Menma, fist swinging wildly.
Snap!
Menma didn't even flinch. He casually caught Sasuke's wrist, his grip like iron.
"Your Sharingan… It's one single tomoe and one double tomoe? Sharingan can be like that?" Menma's expression was one of genuine surprise. "What kind of world is this?"
In the Empire, the Sharingan's progression was well-documented and straightforward. The idea of each eye evolving differently was practically unheard of. But then again, Sasuke was special even here.
"Pathetic."
With minimal effort, Menma pressed Sasuke down, pinning him to the ground like it was nothing. "At twelve years old, you don't even have two tomoe in both eyes? Your strength is embarrassingly low."
"Damn it!" Sasuke gritted his teeth, his voice raw with frustration.
Why?! Why was this guy so much stronger than him?
He looked to be about the same age, but the gap between their strength was unfathomable. Even Kakashi and Zabuza seemed outmatched by him.
"You're going too far!" Naruto shouted, stepping protectively in front of Sasuke. "Why are you saying such things just to provoke him?"
Menma blinked, genuinely confused. "Provoke him? I was just stating the obvious."
He couldn't understand why Sasuke was so weak. But maybe… that was simply how this world was.
"Hey."
Kakashi looked suspiciously at Menma. "You seriously don't know about the Uchiha Clan Massacre?"
The way Menma had spoken to Sasuke… It was like he was completely unaware of the tragedy everyone in the ninja world knew about. Even foreign villages had heard about it.
Kakashi's eyes drifted between Menma and the armored figure that looked just like him. Both of them wore expressions of shock and confusion.
Could it be… they really had no idea?
"Wait a second!"
The giant of a man, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. His voice was low and steady, but his anger was palpable.
"What did you just say? The Uchiha Clan was… exterminated?"
The sheer power of his presence made everyone's skin crawl. It was like standing under dark storm clouds, the air itself thick with pressure.
"When did this happen?" he demanded, barely keeping his fury in check.
Kakashi swallowed nervously before replying, "It was five years ago… during the 55th year of Konoha. The Uchiha Clan was wiped out in a single night by Uchiha Itachi, the clan leader's son. He slaughtered everyone and defected from the village."
"Everyone except Sasuke."
Menma and the other Kakashi exchanged looks of pure disbelief.
"Uchiha Itachi?" Menma muttered.
He knew Itachi well. A genius of the highest order. A man whose loyalty and talent were praised even in the Empire.
But here?
He was a traitor? A murderer who killed his own family?
"That's insane," Kuro Kakashi said, his voice tight. "The Itachi we knew wouldn't do something like that. He was loyal to his clan and the village."
"But it's the truth," Kakashi insisted. "Itachi slaughtered his entire clan. The only survivor was Sasuke."
Menma glanced at Sasuke. "So… your parents were killed by your own brother?"
Sasuke's eyes were bloodshot, but he said nothing. The anguish and rage in his expression told Menma everything he needed to know.
Menma rubbed his forehead, trying to process this twisted reality. In the Empire, Sasuke and Itachi's relationship was strong. The thought of Itachi massacring his own clan was unthinkable.
"This doesn't add up," Kuro Kakashi said, his tone thoughtful. "There has to be more to the story than what you were told."
"It's exactly what happened!" Sasuke snarled. "I saw it with my own eyes! I watched him kill them all!"
"What you think you saw might not be the whole truth," Menma said quietly. "At the very least, it may not be what you think it is."
Sasuke glared at him but held his tongue. It wasn't that he believed him—he was just painfully aware of how outmatched he was.
"Let's change the subject," Kuro Kakashi said, turning to his counterpart. "What about your father? Konoha's White Fang. How did he die?"
Kakashi's face darkened at the question. The pain of that memory was still there, like an old wound that refused to heal.
"…Why do you want to know?" Kakashi asked cautiously. Was this some twisted attempt at revenge from a secret sibling his father left behind?
"I just want to hear the truth," Kuro Kakashi replied, his tone suddenly serious.
Kakashi took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "My father, Hatake Sakumo, abandoned an important mission to save his teammates. His decision caused great damage to Konoha, and he was shamed for it. Even the comrades he saved turned against him."
"The ridicule and scorn were so overwhelming… he took his own life."
Kuro Kakashi fell silent. Suicide? A man of Kage-level strength, a hero of the village, reduced to that?
"That's insane," Kuro Kakashi muttered, his fists clenched. "He died because people couldn't appreciate what really mattered."
"Ridiculous?" Zabuza scoffed. "Maybe. But as a ninja, the mission always comes first. Konoha's White Fang was a fool. If he couldn't follow the rules, then he was no better than a weakling."
The words hung heavy in the air. Zabuza's philosophy was a harsh but common one in the shinobi world.
Menma's gaze turned icy. "A ninja's first priority is to complete the mission?"
"Yes," Zabuza answered. "That's how the world works."
Menma smirked bitterly. "Now I understand why His Majesty calls the history before the Empire the Old Shinobi Era."
"Old Shinobi Era?" Kakashi asked, his voice laced with suspicion.
"Yeah," Kuro Kakashi added. "An era where people believed sacrifice was strength. Where following orders meant everything."
Menma stared directly at Zabuza. "But the Empire left that behind a long time ago."
The others looked at Menma, their confusion growing with every word. But one thing was clear.
This world and the one Menma came from were worlds apart.