Chapter 9: Rev-Evolution, Lost Lamb
The development of human society is not a zero-sum process where good and evil simply repeat themselves, but a process of suppressing evil and promoting good...
Hearing Uzumaki Menma's explanation, little Naruto scratched his head, only partially understanding.
The Nine-Tails, lying in its cage nearby and enjoying the drama, sneered: "Fool, you don't even understand such a simple principle? This old fox..."
Before it could finish, Menma cut in, "You big fox who has lived for millennia and calls yourself 'old fox', you can't even recognize all the characters yet, and you have the face to laugh at others?"
Smack!
"Aoww!" The Nine-Tails clutched its rear end, howling indignantly: "Brat, you hit me again!"
Damn it! Even the old man never hit me!
The Nine-Tails wanted to roar defiance, but seeing the golden chains stirring restlessly behind Menma, it wisely lowered its volume, submitting to the situation.
It muttered resentfully: "This old... I just didn't want to learn, it's not like I really couldn't learn."
"Is that so?" Menma asked with a playful smile: "Then let me ask you, in The Analects, what does 'If you do not learn Propriety, you cannot establish yourself' mean?"
The Nine-Tails didn't notice the emphasis in his words, its face instantly lighting up.
Dare to underestimate me? You walked right into this yourself! Don't blame me!
"Too easy!"
It lifted its fox head, nostrils flared, tone full of confidence: "This sentence means, if you don't learn manners, how can you behave like a proper person?"
"Very good. Congratulations..."
Hearing this, two puffs of white air instantly shot from the Nine-Tails' nostrils, vividly illustrating the feeling of being flushed with success.
Then Menma's tone shifted.
"You're wrong!"
Following that, a crisp smack sound, and the expression on the Nine-Tails' face froze solid.
"How is that possible! I definitely didn't remember wrong! You're cheating!!"
Watching the fox hopping mad in front of him, Menma patted the eager little Naruto: "You tell him, what does this sentence mean?"
"This sentence means, if you don't learn manners to respect me, I will beat you until you cannot stand !" Naruto recited, mimicking Menma's logic.
"And 'If a man hears the Way in the morning, he may die content in the evening'?"
"If I find out the way to your house in the morning, I can rush over in the evening to chop you dead!"
Unconsciously, Menma's signature pleased smile appeared on little Naruto's face.
Especially seeing the big fox's stunned and dumbfounded little expression, he laughed even more joyfully.
"Alright, playtime's over."
In the blink of an eye, Menma had changed back into his previous attire. He patted little Naruto's shoulder: "Naruto, your homework for today is done. You can choose to watch three episodes of cartoons to relax, or you can choose to go back."
"Of course, I want to watch cartoons! I want to continue watching Rev-Evolution !"¹
Menma's eyes narrowed slightly as he nodded. With a thought, he turned on the television beside him.
A man in black armor and a cloak appeared on the screen, and a mature, magnetic voice sounded.
"...Love can create everything, and it can destroy everything. When you use love to protect the flock from the wolves, then to the wolves, this love equals destruction, because they will starve to death because of it."
"This world is just like this. Either the weak wolves starve, or the weak sheep are killed. Perhaps this world is too cruel, but that is also what makes it beautiful..."
"Yay!!"
Little Naruto cheered, sitting excitedly on a small foldable stool, resting his chin on his hands as he watched the cartoon.
He was like a sponge, madly absorbing all sorts of "knowledge," subconsciously shaping his understanding of the world, humanity, and himself.
Of course, Rev-Evolution didn't exist in this world, and it was even more impossible for a real television to exist in the seal space.
These were all fabricated by Menma using the "Book of the Crimson Moon," combined with his own memories.
Achieving all this outside would be somewhat difficult, but inside the seal space, it was very simple.
In the first month after meeting Menma, little Naruto didn't run into the seal space every day like he did now.
He merely came to chat with Menma and the Nine-Tails from time to time; more often, he was playing the "You know that I know" game with the Third Hokage.
He still wanted to be treated equally by the villagers and naively believed that Grandpa Third could help him achieve this.
And Uzumaki Menma never said much from beginning to end. Even when the Nine-Tails impatiently asked about it, he would just smile profoundly and answer:
"I open the lambs' cage, but they just stand there, their eyes full of confusion."
Until a month ago, when little Naruto "discovered" the Third's identity and made that request to him.
The Third agreed and indeed provided an "explanation" to the villagers.
He clearly told them that Naruto was not the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox and didn't need to be feared and rejected so much.
"Since it's been explained clearly, I should be able to make friends now, right?"
Little Naruto, upon receiving the news, rushed out of his room excitedly, but reality threw cold water on him.
The villagers indeed stopped slandering Naruto behind his back, but they adopted an even colder attitude.
Indifference.
As soon as little Naruto approached, no matter how lively the atmosphere, it would instantly turn cold, and the crowd would slowly disperse and leave.
In the end, only he was left standing there, stunned and blank.
A person experiences three deaths in life: the first is physical death, the second is death at the level of meaning, and the third is death at the social level.
However, some people skip the first two deaths at a young age and directly enter the third: social death.
Little Naruto's treatment in the village hadn't improved at all; instead, it had entered an even more awkward and distressing stage.
From being the universally hated "Demon Fox Incarnation," he became "trouble" and "trash" to be avoided at all costs.
"Menma-nii, did I cause trouble for them? Why is it like this?"
When little Naruto asked Menma this question upon entering the seal space, face streaked with tears...
A smile appeared on Menma's face.
He understood that the Third had completely lost; there was no chance for a comeback.
Since then, Menma took out a stack of books, conjured up a television, and began guiding little Naruto in establishing a correct worldview, values, and outlook on life.
Little Naruto only tried this life for three days before becoming completely immersed and unable to extricate himself.
Here, no one looked at him with those disgusted, venomous eyes; only Menma-nii and the big fox were there to chat and play with him.
He could learn so many interesting facts and stories here, and after finishing his homework, he could watch cartoons that were even more interesting than books.
If Menma hadn't assigned little Naruto homework, the Third Hokage probably wouldn't have seen a 'shut-in' homebody.
Instead, he would have seen an autistic child with suspected mental issues, staring blankly out the window every day.
"Menma brat."
The Nine-Tails' head leaned close to Menma's side, its voice deep: "Is this your plan? Just staying here playing nanny to this little brat forever?"
¹ Rev-Evolution (超兽武装 - Chāo Shòu Wǔ Zhuāng) is a real Chinese animated series known for its philosophical themes.