The Best Shinobi

Taijutsu Battle Part 1

As they stood in front of each other, Hao cracked his knuckles and said "Humph! I will thrash you here and prove to you that you are wrong and I am right."

Hearing his words, Menma understood that this boy was holding a grudge. But, Menma didn't care. It wasn't because he was stronger than Hao. But, he knew he had to remain calm.

This was the first thing he learned about training Chakra. He must remain calm.

'Even though I can't use Chakra to use Ninjutsu, if I flow Chakra throughout my body, I will gain some extra strength. So, I must remain calm.'

"Damn it, stop ignoring me!" Hao got pissed by Menma's calmness. He ran toward Menma and threw a punch with his left hand toward his face.

Although he was just a kid, by ninja's standard, his speed was faster than normal adults. But, even so, Menma calmly saw the fist coming toward him, so he simply dodged to the side.

He opened his fist and jabbed at his elbow with his palm. It was the same place where he could feel electrocyte. His arm suddenly turned weak which Menma used to his advance and punched into his guts with his left fist.

At this moment, he held his left hand and rushed behind him. His right hand moved to the small bag on his waist. He took out a kunai and placed it on Hao's neck.

"Do you give up?"

Finally, he asked.

His movement wasn't fast in Iruka's eyes but he was just speechless by his movement. Even though there were only five movements, he managed to do it so smoothly.

That made Iruka stunned.

"I give up! I give up!" Hao instantly shouted as he felt scared. For a kid, he was naturally emotional. He also felt like he couldn't move his hand for a while so he had no way but to give up.

"Thanks for the battle!" Finally, Menma returned to his position and Iruki was annoyed with his victory.

"Amazing! He won with that ease."

"Wasn't Menma average in Taijutsu? He didn't show this much strength before."

"Look! He didn't show his strength. His punch barely hurt Hao. He was just fast enough."

"Idiot! That's called reading his opponent's moves. How did Menma do it?"

"It seems like reading does help. Should I also go and read?"

Hearing so many discussions, Iruki stepped up and cleared his throat.

"Ahem! Now, let's move on to the next match."

"Choji versus Naruto!"

Menma looked at this battle with interest. When the cannon story started, Naruto had some experience with battle. On other hand, Choji was a bit scared to fight. He was too pure.

But now, Naruto might not have that much fighting experience. Just as he thought, Naruto had a hard time-fighting Choji. Choji already has a lot of strength due to his clan genetics.

And, Naruto wasn't very good at fighting. This fight lasted four minutes until finally, Choji gave up. Naruto did win but his win was completely ignored by everyone.

Not a single person said a word to him. Menma felt a bit frustrated. He wanted to go forward and say something.

In his previous life, he had read a lot of mangas and watched a lot of anime. He had also read a lot of novels but three people touch his heart the most.

Luffy- Who helped him laugh during his darkest moment.

Naruto- Who helped him stay positive no matter the circumstances.

Anya- Who made him realize just how cute children can be.

Naruto had a lot of impact on him. In fact, this is also the reason why he hated Boruto so much at the beginning. Because he had seen how much pain Naruto went through to become a Hokage, to fulfill his dream.

There were many characters with similar backgrounds as Naruto, especially during his age like Asta and Deku. But, they simply can't stack up to Naruto even if their experiences are combined.

Naruto rose from the true underdog. Someone who spent his entire childhood being hated and disgusted by others. Someone who couldn't afford proper daily meat and ended up loving ramen.

Someone who found the way to light from the darkness. For him, these Konoha people don't deserve his protection and his sacrifice. His parents were heroes who died protecting the village.

His father was Hokage, the leader himself but those with power didn't let Naruto have a good life. He hated this very much. Of course, from the story's perspective, it was good.

But when you are stuck in that world and if that world becomes your reality, then you would understand what it feels like. Menma had the same feelings about this.

He couldn't help but walk closer to Naruto. He didn't want to stand out but something needs to be done. Seeing him walking over, Naruto didn't know how to react.

He decided to ignore it. Normally, he feels like somebody is calling him but it would only be a false alarm. Menma knew this so he didn't mind. He simply reached next to Naruto.

His actions didn't go unnoticed by Iruka. Some noticed him as well but most of them were busy watching the battle between Sakura and Ino. It was quite a legendary kunoichi battle of kids.

"You were quite good to defeat someone from Akimichi Clan in Taijutsu without a proper fighting experience." Menma decided to start the conversation as he praised Naruto.

Hearing his words, Naruto raised his head and asked "Are you talking to me?"

His voice was a bit sour.

Menma rolled his eyes and said "Obviously you are the one who fought Choji. Don't you know that he comes from the Akimichi Clan?"

Naruto was startled as Menma continued the conversation. He felt like he didn't know how to continue the conversation.

"What are you trying to say?" Suddenly, Shikamaru spoke. Next to him was Choji who was still full of bruises. Of course, Naruto's condition was the same.

Menma looked at Shikamaru and said "Of course, I am praising his strength. Although Naruto's fighting style is poor, his physical strength is quite on par with some form Akimichi Clan."

"I didn't mean that. I meant why you are talking to him. You never talked to Naruto before." Shikamaru suspiciously stared at Menma.

At this moment, Menma noticed something and a smile appeared on his lips. He finally understood why Shikamaru became Naruto's advisor and why he was indeed Naruto's true friend.

While Naruto might have some bromance with Sasuke, it was true that Shikamaru is someone who understands Naruto's condition the best. He was the one who accepted Naruto at the beginning.

Even though there weren't many conversations and often Naruto was still left alone, they were still considered friends.

"What are you smiling about?" Shikamaru felt even more suspicious seeing his smile and asked.

"You know, you are an amazing guy, Shikamaru." Menma couldn't help but praise him. Although it was just instinct, Menma didn't care afterward.

He simply turned around and walked away.

"Wow, Shikamaru! Even Menma says you are an amazing guy." Choji couldn't help but put the honey in Menma's words.

Hearing that, Shikamaru slightly blushed as he shook his head and looked at Naruto. He didn't know why everyone in the village treats Naruto like this. He only knows that he didn't need to treat Naruto like that.

He will be the one to decide whom he should be friends with, not his parents, not the village. That's what his father told him. And, that's what he thinks is correct.

On other hand, Naruto was staring at Menma. He didn't understand why Menma came to praise him but he felt incredibly happy. He suppressed this happiness because he still didn't know what Menma wants but he felt good.

At the same time, Iruka also looked at Menma. Unlike others, Iruka knows the truth. That's why he believed that Menma didn't have any other intention. He was a child who just felt amazed by Naruto's physical strength.

At least, that's what believed. Soon, the first round ended and only eight children remained. The second round started with Sasuke once again and this time, his opponent was Naruto.

Even though Naruto was physical strength, he was easily overpowered by Sasuke's fighting experience. After a few battles, it was finally Menma's turn.

And, surprisingly, his opponent was Shikamaru. When both of the stood in front of each other, Menma clenched his fist.

Unlike normal times, Shikamaru didn't admit defeat that easily. For some unknown reason, he fought and easily won. With his sharp mind, Shikamaru could only be below a few people but he was too lazy.

Seeing Menma getting ready, he raised his hand and said.

"I give up."

For a moment, it stunned everyone. But, they suddenly realized why they were stunned. This wasn't the first time Shikamaru gave up without fighting. But, it did catch everyone off guard. Even Menma was no exception.

"You are calm and collected but also want to fight. That means I would need to not only use my mind but also my body. And, that's a drag. So, I'm out."