Concepts of Reality

"When something impossible happens, there are only two possibilities. Either your assumptions are wrong, or you have gone crazy." -Kougami Shinya (Psycho-Pass)

..

After that night of terror my days were filled with mind numbing boredom and annoyance at my completely lack of control over my body and my environment. It wasn't the fact that I was in a orphanage that ticked me off the most though, it was how we were treated that made me want to yell and scream.

The woman who ran the Orphanage treated us like we had deadly diseases, her face would turn pinched and she would level us with a look of utter distaste if she needed to so much as walk in the same room as us. I didn't need to understand the language to know the words she muttered weren't complimenting us on our cuteness.

It was a huge change for me being this disliked before I had even introduced myself. In my past life I hadn't been particularly likable, but I was apparently nice enough to have people smile when we made eye contact, now though they would hiss and glare. A part of me ached for their acceptance, it wanted to show them that I was a likable person so there was no need for their hatred. But the realistic part of me knew where that would lead, Naruto had tried for years to get the villagers to like him and only when he saved their lives fifteen years later did they finally see him in a new light.

To them we were the reason their loved ones had died, women were left without their husbands and the orphanages were fuller then they had been in years because of the Kyuubi. The loss of their loved ones made everyones mind quick to judgment, in their eyes they saw the Kyuubi hiding in the form of a child and they couldn't do anything against it thanks to the Hokage.

But even if I knew the reason why the villagers acted so harshly, that didn't mean I sympathized with them. We were barley a few days old, what could we have possibly do? Heck we could barely move our heads never mind turn into red rage monsters.

I knew without a doubt that unlike Naruto I would never seek to be accepted by the villagers like he would. The memory of too many missed feedings and obvious neglect toward two helpless babies would linger in my mind forever.

Most of my time as a baby was spent staring at the ceiling bored to tears or sleeping. Sometimes if I got especially courageous I would try my hand at summoning my Chakra but the fear of hurting myself or Naruto was strong enough that I just settled with becoming familiar with the feeling of having Chakra running through my veins. Having Chakra felt like I was on an eternal caffeine high, it made my mind alert and body tingling with unspent energy that made me want to run around until I was exhausted and couldn't move. Because I couldn't do this my adult mind was starved for some sort of stimulation and trying to learn the language they spoke wasn't distracting me as much as I would have liked.

I did understand though why babies had tantrums so often, learning a new language was hard.

At around five to six months old my vision was finally clear enough that I could see my surroundings, the room Naruto and I were currently occupying wasn't high class but at least we weren't in a total hell hole. It calmed me down somewhat in regards to the situation, but irritation still brewed in my mind when the Orphanage workers ignored Naruto's cries so obviously. Once in a grand while the Hokage would stop by and his kind smile was a sight for sore eyes as he looked down in our crib and much to the workers horror he would actually pick us up and coo, apparently they didn't like having their leader so near to the 'demons'.

As much as I enjoyed his company, Sarutobi's visits were far and in-between and more times then not it was up to me to keep Naruto happy. As an adult I felt obliged to help him out when the workers wouldn't, it wasn't because he was a character of a manga I had enjoyed, no it was because he was a helpless child with no one else willing to teach him. Small things like turning on my stomach and crawling I learned after him, I was hesitant to put myself too out there because I knew being seen as a prodigy would only attract unwanted things, but when we had to learn how to walk I took a step forward.

Apparently teaching us to walk was too troublesome for the the woman who watched over us, and as much as I wanted to snap at her I pushed it aside and focused on helping Naruto. I never knew how he learned in the canon if he was treated this horribly, but this time around he would have it easier. I waited until the woman had once again left us alone in the room to start trying to walk around, learning to walk had been relatively easy for me since I already knew the basics, I just needed to gain enough muscles in my legs to stay walking for more then a few feet. But Naruto was new to this whole thing, so it made things a little more complicated.

It took a few times of me showing him how to hold himself using our crib for him to remain stable on his legs, the little jump and giggle I received as he celebrated was enough for me to know I was doing the right thing. I held his hands as he took his first steps across the floor, and truthfully if I wasn't so certain I had control over my own legs I would have been much more hesitant to do so. After a few near falls he eventually staggered his way across the floor with my help, his blue eyes set in a familiar shine of determination that made my heart warm.

A few more times of practicing this and Naruto was as steady as a nine month old would ever be on his legs.

After that time passed by rather quickly, between helping teaching Naruto little things and trying to ignore the hatred aimed our way life was as peaceful as it would get. I knew that being here was dangerous, at any moment some brave soul could try and assassinate us in hopes that the village was finally rid of the demon that had destroyed it. It made me wary and constantly on edge, in my past life I had grown up in a peaceful town where violence was quickly handled and war was always far away. The fact that Konoha could be attacked at any moment, and Naruto and I would be stuck in the middle of a war with no way to defend ourselves was always hovering on the edge of my mind.

I won't lie and say I wasn't scared, because I was. The reality of being in a world of Ninja's was so much more harsh then Kishimoto had shown in the Manga, people could spit fire out of their mouths and create earthquakes by hitting the ground. People died here constantly and I would be a fool to think being in Konoha made it any more safe, Orochimaru had been able to attack it and so had Pein which was enough to prove that Konoha's security wasn't unbreakable.

..

By the time I was one year old, I had enough of the language down to understand what people were saying to me but I kept quiet most of the time. The way I pronounced Japanese was so obviously different then everyone else's, I could even hear the accent I had and knew that it would make people suspicious of why I was having such a hard time pronouncing things correctly. So I stayed quiet, which wasn't too hard for me anyways since I was a naturally silent person to begin with.

Besides Naruto made enough noise for the both of us.

Hesitantly I started to try and practice summoning my chakra to the palm of my hand, and really I had thought it would be easy. I could feel the energy racing around in my body, but when it came down to trying to use it that was another thing entirely. It didn't help that when I focused hard enough I could sense a second more malevolent presence hidden deep within my regular Chakra, it was like seeing double vision each time I tried to seek out my Chakra. It made my head spin each time I tried but I stubbornly tried again and again despite the consequences. The thought of being able to walk up walls and water was enough to motivate me, I mean who wouldn't want to do those things when they had the ability?

I understood Naruto's frustration though, dealing with such a wild and unpredictable Chakra was nearly impossible. I wasn't even quite sure how I would pass the Academy when the time came.

Being a Shinobi or not wasn't something I had a say in, if I hadn't had a half of the Kyuubi inside of me then perhaps I would have had the luxury of choice. But as a Jinchuuriki I would be forced to turn into a tool for the village just as my brother was, they saw us as killing machines meant to intimate the other villages. The thought of having someone else's blood on my hands frightened me, but I knew that I would have to face it at some point.

Becoming a Shinobi was dangerous, I would undoubtedly die at a young age and live a life of constantly being on edge and suspicious of the people I interacted with. Many Shinobi had grown to mindless killing machines that wouldn't hesitate to manipulate someone into thinking they were friends before stabbing them in the back. I wasn't sure if I would fall to that point, but I knew without a doubt I would fight like hell before I fell to that level.

As far as the timeline went, I wasn't naive enough to think that I could do anything to change what was going to happen. Who would believe a child warning them of their destruction? Much less one with a demon inside of of him? They would most likely think I was threatening the village and find some reason to execute me, finally ridding them of one of their troubles. That or I would be put into a mental hospital which I wasn't too keen on.

Everything that was to come, Peins attack, Madara's resurrection, The Fourth Shinobi war, the battle against Kaguya, I needed to be strong for. I wouldn't allow myself to fall behind and watch as Naruto took on our enemies by himself, and really it wasn't totally impossible. At fifteen Naruto took out Pein and his seven other selves, Sasuke defeated Itachi and Deidara, Gaara took control of the Ichibi and became Hokage, Team 7 defeated Kaguya. So maybe it sounded impossible, but I would work my hardest to keep up.

I was certainly in for a tough ride.

By the time we were two Naruto and I were able to talk in complete sentences, though I was quieter, and I soon realized that we had no way to learn how to read. I didn't have a clue how to read the symbols in the old books within the orphanage, Kanji I think it was called, and the Orphanage workers were of no help. I was frustrated beyond belief that none of them were willing enough to sit down and teach us like they did with the other children, and the sight of the mini-classes I would spot that they had 'forgotten' to bring us to just added to my ire.

I couldn't understand how they could treat us this way. Well in a way I did, but that didn't mean I was any less okay with the fact that they were so obviously neglecting us without feeling the least bit guilty.

I wanted to know about this world and it's inhabitants, and the fact that the dark lines on the pages were impossible to relate to my mother language made me even more curious and frustrated then before. I knew enough to understand how Shinobi had gained Chakra thanks to the manga but I wanted to know about the great leaders like Hirashima and Tobirama, I had so many questions that just begged to be answered and there was no way for the need to be answered. What was the will of fire? How did Minato create the Hirashin? What were seals and how did they work?

Naruto was very different to me when it came to personality, while I had learned the children wanted nothing to do with us and was perfectly fine with just ignoring them he wasn't. Naruto was a people person, he loved the idea of chatting with someone and making friends and the fact that he saw the other children doing it effortlessly while he had such a hard time drove him nuts. Again and again I would watch as he approached one of the children with a bright, hopeful smile. They would rudely ignore his greeting and continue to play whatever game they started making his shoulders slump in sadness, no matter how many times I saw it my heart would twist and my distaste toward the villagers would grow.

What type of people treated a child this way? They were so controlled by their fear that they couldn't see how their actions were affecting those around them. The children saw how the adult treated us and copied their actions because that's what they saw was right. I wasn't angry at them, no it was the adults I blamed.

Like every other time I walked over to him and grabbed his hand to gently walk him away from the children. "They aren't worth it." I muttered, glaring at the air as Naruto followed along obediently. "Their own fear makes them act blindly, you don't need to waste your time dealing with those fools."

"Why are they afraid of us Menma?"

He would ask me that every time, and I would give him the same simple answer. "Because they are fools."

It wasn't exactly a lie.

Sometimes I wondered if it was best to tell him the truth, explain to him that we both had a demon inside of us that destroyed the village three years ago. I was still on the edge between just waiting until he was told by someone else and spilling the beans. There were many downsides to telling him, I didn't know how he would react at this age and how it would affect his love for the village. There was also the fact that if the Hokage somehow found out I was the one who told him I would be questioned, they would wonder how a three year old figured it out all by himself and that would bring unwanted attention to me.

I didn't want to be seen as a genius, I saw how that affected Itachi and wasn't too eager to go out on the battlefield before I even reached my double digits.

Telling Naruto earlier in canon might be better though, since he could have more of a chance to get used to the idea of having a demon inside of him. It would also help him realize why he was being treated like a disease, which might calm him down and stop the constant yelling that I was constantly victim to.

The Hokage visited us, after vanishing for about a year, a few days after our fourth birthday. He was just as I remembered, with soft eyes and a warm smile that was so rare to see when aimed toward our direction.

Naruto was beside himself in glee and promptly tackled Sarutobi, making him chuckle and rustle my brothers locks. "It's good to see you too Naruto."

"Why did you take so long to visit us Jiji?" Naruto demanded, looking up at the older man with slightly suspicious eyes. "Were you reading those strange books again?"

Sarutobi choked, his eyes widening comically. "No Naruto, I have just been very busy." He replied, eyes flicking to the side nervously making Naruto narrow his own and stare at him intently. "Ah! Menma how are you? I didn't even notice you back there you were so quiet." Sarutobi greeted sending me a strained smile.

I nodded, amused that he was trying to distract Naruto from trying to pry any more information from him.

Unsurprisingly it worked and Naruto turned his head to grin my direction. "Menma is quiet all the time, I sometimes even forget he's right next to me!" He commented huffing loudly. "One time he scared me really bad by suddenly popping up out of nowhere and made me fall out of the bed-ttebayo!"

Sarutobi chuckled. "Is that so? It sounds like you might need to observe your surroundings more Naruto."

"But Menma just vanishes!"

Honestly he wasn't the only one I had frightened, but it had been unintentional. There was a certain way I had spotted a woman walking when she was passing by, the way she had made no noise while stepping on the ground had caught my attention and I had instantly tired to copy her movements. I wasn't perfect, but with it the Orphanage workers who weren't trained Shinobi's wouldn't hear me until I spoke up. Call it pay back, but I took delight in scaring them whenever I saw the opportunity, it must have been my Uzumaki genes that gave Naruto such an liking toward pranks starting to act up.

"Before I forget," Sarutobi's voice broke me from my thoughts, and I focused back on him watching as he brought out two bundles in wrapping paper. "Happy Birthday you two."

It wasn't the first time we had received something from him for our Birthday, every year without fail he would give us each a present and if it hadn't been for me telling Naruto what it was for my brother wouldn't have known our Birthday was that day. The Orphanage workers didn't exactly shower us with presents.

This time he had given us a new set of clothing, which I was very thankful for, with the Orphanage being low on money they weren't able to buy enough clothes for all the children. Naruto and I had been stuck with the same pair of pants and shirts for a year now, and it was obvious from the rips and tears that we needed some more clothes badly.

The clothes we received weren't anything special but they were appreciated nonetheless, the jacket I was given had an odd sort of mesh material mad of wire that I could feel wrapped in the cloth, it wasn't stiff though and felt like it would help keep any sort of cold drafts out. I never really had the time to really investigate the clothing in Konoha, mostly because if I was spotted snooping around a store the owner would yell at me until I went away. I hoped though, that when we got older I could buy some clothes for the both of us that were similar to what I saw the Shinobi wearing. We certainly wouldn't be able to afford any of the high quality cloth that the clans did, but we couldn't very well go out to war in shorts and a t-shirt.

Before the Hokage left that day I approached him, feeling uneasy but determined.

"What can I do for you Memna?"

I straightened my shoulders and looked him in the eyes, he was the only way I could think to get what we needed. "Do you think you could send us some books on reading Kanji?"

His eyes widened. "Why would you want something like that? Don't tell me..." His gaze turned dark when I nodded and he muttered something under his breath quietly. "If you want I can assign you two a teacher."

"You mean there's a person out there who would teach us?" I asked, slightly surprised but not very convinced.

The Hokage frowned and looked down at me with sad eyes. "They will when I personally ask them to."

I nodded in agreement and bowed respectfully. "Thank you Hokage-sama."

Forced teacher or not I wouldn't allow Naruto and I to enter the Academy unable to read anything, I already felt bad enough that I couldn't do anything to help my brother but the thought of going to the Academy only to be laughed at made my gut twist unpleasantly.

A few days later a reluctant teacher did arrive, he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but near us but just as Sarutobi said he started to teach us despite his reluctance. Learning was an experience, most of the time Naruto just wanted to run around instead of listening to the boring lecture but I remained firm with him. It was safe to say we both had headaches at the end of each session but as time passed we soon caught on...eventually. I knew I'd ever be fantastic at reading and Naruto was just Naruto, but I was determined to learn. If I wanted to research seals then I would need to get a lot better then I was currently at reading and writing Kanji.

..

As soon as we got the basics down and proved we could read a paragraph the teacher was walking away without a second thought, I would have been insulted if I hadn't been used to that behavior already. By the time he had left a little over three months had passed and the seasons had turned to summer which meant Naruto would undoubtedly want to run around the village. If I didn't hold him back I was sure he would have run off in winter too, but with our clothes being the way they were I didn't want to risk either of us catching the flu.

The village was beautiful in summer, with the flowers in full bloom and the trees covered in leaves Konoha was breathtaking. The angry muttering of the villagers as we passed lessened my appreciation of the beauty, but not by too much, after being under their glares for four years I had learned to stop allowing their looks to affect me so much. Naruto was much more sensitive then I was and huddled closer to me as we walked, I made sure to seem as confident as possible as we headed to the playground, I didn't want him to sense my own unease when he was relying on me for support.

We reached the playground in five minutes, and instantly headed toward a part where children weren't running around.

"Look its them."

"I can't believe the Hokage would allow them to walk around freely like that, what if they hurt someone?"

"Shh don't talk too loud, remember the law?"

I rolled my eyes at their dramatics and sat down on the grass, Naruto following soon after and sitting close enough that we touched knees. "Do you think we could ask the kids over there if we could play with them?" He asked, motioning over to the group of kids running around.

I sighed and laid back so I could stare up at the clouds. "If you want to Naruto." He tried every time, and it was always the same. The kids would either ignore him or tell him to go away if he asked to join, but no matter how many times he had been rejected Naruto just kept on going back.

Surprisingly he copied me instead of running up to the children. I stared at him curiously from the corner of my eye before brushing it off, maybe he was just tired.

"It's probably not worth it, I bet they're fools like the kids back in the Orphanage."

I nearly choked when I heard those words come out of his mouth and snapped my head to the side to stare at him with wide eyes. I constantly called the children in the Orphanage fools but I wasn't expecting him to follow my lead and do the same. Naruto loved people.

But who was I to decide what he was and wasn't? Naruto was his own person after all, I just wasn't expecting him to say something like that.

"Besides," He continued and turned to stare me in the eyes, a wide smile blooming on his face. "I have my brother! I don't need those guys-ttebayo!"

I heard that children molded their personality after the person who raised them, and really I had been the one to raise Naruto most of his life so I supposed it made sense...But Naruto's never ending determination and stubbornness when it came to making friends is what made him friends in the first place. Would this slight change in personality do any real damage? Or would it help him better deal with rejection? Naruto having a sibling was so much bigger then I first imagined, now that I was here he didn't feel as lonely as he had in the canon.

I sent him a small smile but internally I was having a war.

Our fifth birthday arrived as it usually did, with people celebrating the fact that the Forth Hokage had defeated the Kyuubi while Naruto and I opened the new set of clothes Sarutobi had sent us. With our fifth birthday came the knowledge that we would be joining the Academy when we were six, which Naruto was very excited about while I couldn't really decide what I personally felt. The teachers would start training us to assassinate people, and use our Chakra, the latter was exciting for me but the former was what I was wary about.

I wasn't a violent person but I had no other choice but to follow my brother into the Academy. Honestly even if I wasn't forced to become a Shinobi I would have followed Naruto anyways, he was my brother the one I cared about most and there was no way I'd allow him to face everything alone.

Even if I had to shed blood I'd wouldn't hesitate to follow him, Naruto deserved to have a family member beside him through all the chaos he was about to experience and I wasn't going to back down.

AN: Thank you for reading