AN: *Scratches head sheepishly* I hope you enjoy this chapter. ^^

Warnings: Semi-self-insert OC, AU, Ninja violence, some bad language from time to time.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

There was a huge ass fox.

Staring at the monster the so-called Menma pondered the chances of his survival, but sadly came up with nothing. He could barely even move, forget trying to get the heck away from this situation.

You see this wasn't his first time being born. Sounds odd right? Well for some unknown reason after he died, he found himself being born in a world full of gigantic foxes and people who could achieve amazing things.

Though his vision was blurred, apparent an infant can't really see right after they're born, he figured out where he was rather quickly.

He was in the Naruto-verse.

You know, with all the fighting, people obsessed with making a 'better world' and mountain sized foxes. (He was only making a big deal out of the fox because honestly he hadn't seen anything that amounted to that size before. And it was inspiring fear and awe in him at the same time, an odd combination of feelings for sure.)

His first hint was the names, he had heard Minato and Kushina quite a few times as well as Kyuubi and Konoha, that was enough to hint that something was very wrong with his situation. (Besides the fact that he couldn't move his limbs to save his life and whenever he tried to talk a wail came out of his mouth.)

So after the fear and confusion that was sparked within him as people yelled, and the earth shaking roar echoed sending the chilling fear of something truly malevolent appearing, he forced himself to not freak out. No matter how much he wanted to wriggle and scream it made his mind unclear and he wouldn't be able to observe and figure out what was happening.

He knew his mothers hair was a gorgeous red, and his father's voice was one that just spoke of the man being attractive, there was also a monster frolicking somewhere nearby and he had a baby beside him. One he assumed was a sibling of some sort, most likely a twin seeing that the baby looked just as new as Menma was.

The baby beside him had golden blonde hair as far as he could see, but that's all he could make out of his features, he had a set of lungs on him though that much was very obvious.

Unfortunately he had no idea what anyone was saying, though he watched anime as much as the normal Otaku he didn't know how to speak or understand the language. There were words he recognized though, the repeated ones that made him perk up and wonder if his new parents were hard-core cos-players.

Of course he soon realized that wasn't the case.

The chaos calmed down just a touch when he found himself placed on a soft bed and enveloped in a pair of warm arms that wrapped around both himself and his new sibling. From the red hair he could tell their mother was beside them and could just make out the weary eyes that stared at them sadly.

"Menma, Naruto."

Her voice was quiet as she snuggled into them and thick with sadness, a hush fell across the room for a moment before his father spoke again and then was gone without a sound.

Naruto.

Menma was familiar with the Naruto world, of course he was, the Manga was popular and had a huge fan-base dedicated to it. He played the video games quite a lot actually, his favorite character being Shisui just because he could beat his sister's butt when she decided to spam him with Deidara's bombs.

But this was no video game.

He'll be honest and admit he's terrified at the aspect of trying to survive the world of Naruto. He may like reading fantasy books but he was no dreamer when it came to reality, Naruto was a 'survival of the fittest sort of world despite the humor Kishimoto used to cover that fact.

Children were raised and trained as soon as they could walk to fight and kill, at age six they joined a school that only honed that instinct and at age twelve they were expected to complete assassinations without blinking.

Look at what happened to Itachi, at age fourteen the kid was an ANBU and had to kill his whole clan just for the sake of a village that would soon see him as an insane missing-nin without knowing what he sacrificed.

Pein, Orochimaru, Madara, Obito. Those people were a real threat now, he couldn't stare at them in awe and imagine having that power while not worrying about the consequences. He was now forced in that world, and expected to survive. His brother was going to be the one to fight them and he'd be damned if he wasn't there to support him when that happened.

Why? Because he'd be a horrible person to leave Naruto alone in the world when he had the chance to have a family member.

Which made him wonder what would change now that the blonde had a brother, since Naruto had connected with Sasuke because of their similarities how would the two become eventual friends if Naruto had a brother?

How much did Menma mess up by just being born?

Everything went by a lot faster then he wanted, explosions shook the earth, he was picked up and then, what he could only describe as teleportation, brought them outside where the Kyubi stood just a few feet away.

From his place in Kushina's arms he watched as blurred silver lines flew out of her back and wove around the Kyubi, making the fox growl in annoyance. Instantly Naruto started to cry in Minato's arms and Menma couldn't blame him, for a baby with no knowledge of the world he was probably terrified.

Being so close to Kurama made a shiver of instinctual fear roll down his spine, despite becoming friends with Naruto in the future the Kyubi was an embodiment of fear and hate making the very air saturated with a tangible darkness.

He heard Kushina and Minato converse some more, their voices broken and tired but full of a deep sadness that made his gut clench. Though they weren't his parents, a person's death wasn't something to take lightly. They were going to disappear from this world forever.

Suddenly he was set on the ground next to Naruto so that the two Ninja's had their hands free and Memna finally grasped the situation.

Here he was, lying beside Naruto while Minato and Kushina fought the Kyuubi.

There was something wrong about this, why didn't they leave him in the third Hokage's care or something? Why bring him out int he battle field when Naruto was going to be the one to have Kurama sealed inside of his body?

He heard Minato murmur something before a rush of what felt like electricity crackled through the air, half-panicked because he didn't know what they were planning Menma cursed himself for not learning Japanese. There was a pained roar and then suddenly he found his body burning. Every nerve in his body was in agony and his very bones felt like they were being stretched to their limits. Unable to control himself Menma started to wail as his skin prickled and fire raced through his veins. He could feel the dark Chakra try to force it's way out, hearing an angered, but muted, roar in the back of his mind.

Things weren't going like he'd thought they would. He didn't think that Minato would seal the yin side of the Kyuubi inside of him.

After that were a a pained blur, a loud roar, the rush of air as a claw the side of a truck rushed toward them and then the shock of watching their parents step in front of it to stop them from being harmed.

Minato and Kushina sacrificed their lives without hesitation, and he could see the way they spoke and looked down at them they didn't regret it. Kushina murmured to them softly, most likely telling them to be good and continue to work toward their goals until they accomplished them. He stared up at them, trying to force his vision to clear if only for a moment so he could remember their faces forever. Even if it had only been a few hours since he arrived Menma knew what he had to do.

Mentally he promised Kushina and Minato he'd protect Naruto with his life, no matter what. Even if he was going to be seen as a monster he wouldn't hate them for what they did, he would force himself to keep walking even if all the bones were broken in his body.

And a Ninja never goes back on his word.

He passed into peaceful darkness once Minato shouted something and Naruto started to cry.

Things finally settled down and stayed that way and Menma found himself in a crib next to Naruto in the Hokage's office with Sarutobi looking down at them with tired eyes.

Menma took that time to actually reflect on his situation and how he was going to handle it. In his past life he wasn't much of a fighter, he preferred video games over exercising which meant being a Ninja would be a challenge for him. But did he have any choice? Not only was he a son of the fourth Hokage, but Naruto was his brother. The trouble making Ninja was going to be caught in so many different problems there was no way Menma would just be able to sit by and watch it all. Of course he wasn't a fool, he didn't think he'd be able to defeat all the bad guys and become super powerful. But he'd try his hardest.

If anything family was the most important to him, even if Naruto had become part of it moments ago, Menma was going to protect him with everything he had. Even if that meant spending excruciating hours training his body to jump across trees and shoot fire out of his mouth.

He wasn't a fool though, life was cruel and the Naruto-verse was harsh. Many people just killed without thinking because they were paid to or it was their job. Some had no morals and killed anyone, while a select few at least hesitated before finally coming to the decision. Almost every Ninja would do anything to protect their village, once again look at Itachi and what he did.

Memna wasn't used to not being safe, he had grown up in a peaceful town with protection and didn't have to worry about war or being killed. He couldn't tell if being reborn here was a gift or a curse in all honest truth. He'd have to constantly be on guard and aware that at any moment someone could spring out and try to kill him. If he wanted to see his brother grow up to be the incredible person he was then Menma would have to train his body and become strong enough to face the foes alongside Naruto. He wasn't one to just sit by and watch after all.

But the fact was he was here and there was nothing he could do about it. And though he wished he'd be able to say 'I'm going to lay low' that was impossible. At the same time he wasn't going to try and become noticed, he'd watch over his brother and make sure they both survived.

After a few days they were brought to a house where a reluctant Nanny took care of them. Menma was a little surprised, since he had always imagined Naruto growing up in an Orphanage, but at the same time relieved. It made sense that Sarutobi would have a Nanny raise them since everyone in the village hated their guts and there were so many children in the orphanage after the war. The fact that he and Naruto were related to the fourth Hokage and last Uzumaki was also probably a big part in the decision as well as Sarutobi's own feelings regarding the matter.

Either way though it was better than the orphanage.

The Nanny wasn't the best, but she took care of them. Menma could tell that she was rather uncomfortable touching them and he found himself only picked up if he needed to be changed or fed.

He honestly hated it, the fact that the woman saw Naruto as a monster and didn't give him any affection grated at his nerves. (And if he made a point in crying whenever she so much as touched him, well that was a mystery she'd never be able to solve.) He never understood why a whole village could aim so much hate toward a child barely able to think for himself, but loss blinded people. He had never lost someone close to him before so he wasn't able to understand why they acted that way, but he liked to think losing Kushina and Minato was pretty close even though he never fully bonded with them. He still felt pain when thinking about what Naruto's life would have been like with them alive, and found himself making sure to interact with his brother as much as possible.

Naruto was a ball of sunshine when he wasn't screaming at the top of his lungs. Really that child could make some noise. Besides the crying Naruto was all giggles and smiles, much like a normal baby that made Menma internally coo at the sheer adorableness.

Menma took to basing his own growth on Naruto's, when the blond moved his head Menma did the same, when his brother decided to crawl around guess who was happily following after him? At times waiting felt excruciating, being an adult in a child's body was similar to someone stuffing you in a too-small box and pouring concrete over it. He found himself stifled at times, and had to shove down upcoming freak outs on the rare occasion he was really bad, but mostly he was growing used to his situation.

He slowly started to learn the language as well, being in a place where everyone spoke one language was a great way to learn said language. Though he was sure to fail epically when it came to writing it out, grasping the basics of speaking it wasn't as hard as he initially though it would be. But that may just be him since he had no choice but to learn.

Days, weeks, months passed and soon they were taking their first steps across the floor and Menma took the opportunity to head to the nearest mirror. When the Nanny was out he wandered into the bathroom, pushed the stepping stool in front of the sink and shakily took a step onto it. He grabbed the sink just in case and stood on his tiptoes to look at his reflection.

Staring back at him was a small whiskered child with spiky crimson red hair and dark purple almost black eyes that were slightly narrowed.

Well that was unexpected.

He was basically was opposite of Naruto, instead of a round jaw his was more defined making him look like a near copy of Minato looks wise but color wise it was all Kushina. If the villagers didn't connect his looks with the forth Hokage's he'd have to question their levels of denial. Honestly them not realizing who Naruto was related to was enough for him to wonder if they were forcing themselves not to realize the truth since they didn't want to imagine the heroes son being a monster or if they were just plain dumb.

Either way it was rather sad.

He wondered though if having the red hair meant he'd be able to wield the Chakra chains like Kushina did, that would be helpful in situations where Naruto went berserk and the Kyubi tried to take over. Or if his own Kyubi decided to rebel.

He had to keep reminding himself that he too was a Jinchuriki, and the fire racing through his body wasn't his imagination.

Thoughtful he climbed back down and made his way back to Naruto who was already calling out 'Aniki' as if he had been gone for hours.

The Nanny stayed for a surprising four years, but once Naruto started to prank her she was gone within weeks pissed and never seen again. Menma was rather relieved, her presence was a heavy cloud in their little family and usually ticked Naruto off with the way she treated them. As a child Naruto was rather advanced which wasn't all that unusual, at age six children where learning to fight so they needed to be more advanced then normal ones.

That didn't mean him and Naruto were any more well off, Naruto was still a naive kid which meant Menma had to watch over him and basically make sure he didn't get himself killed.

In the very least it gave him something to do, he knew that he wasn't supposed to train his body too much before it was ready and accidentally hurt himself so he stuck to yoga in the mornings and a jog before dinner. Naruto seemed interested at first but within ten minutes he was complaining about how boring it was so Menma didn't think the blond would be joining him next time. Even though Naruto was his brother the younger boy, by a few minutes he was told, was as independent as Kishimoto wrote him as. Most of the time Naruto was off running in the village or wanting to to try and talk to the other children in hopes of making friends.

It broke his heart to see everyone snub Naruto without a second thought. Children learned from their parents that he and Naruto were 'dangerous' which meant they were to be avoided as much as possible and lead Naruto to random bouts of depression as he tried to figure out what was wrong with him. There were moments that Menma teetered on the edge of telling Naruto why everyone in the village seemed to despise their very existence but decided against it.

He wasn't going to play God on the characters even if he was Naruto's brother, they were their own people and he realized that. At the same time he didn't want to not at least try and stop a few things in hopes of making in the end result a little better. Of course that's what everyone thought in the beginning but once they actually got into the story they realized it wasn't as easy as they thought it would be.

So he'd wait to tell Naruto about Kurama, for now.

Perched on the swing, head down as he looked at the ground Naruto tried to keep the tears back as the sting of denial washed through his body. Just a few moments ago three children were sitting here faces joyful and laughing like they were having a good time, he had watched them for a few minutes longing to play along before hesitantly approaching them in hopes they'd be different.

They weren't.

Just like everyone else they refused to play with him and even said their parents forbid them from talking to him before leaving without a second glance.

He didn't know what he did to be treated in such a way by the whole village. Only the Old Man, the current Hokage, looked down at him with a kind smile and gentle eyes.

Well there was one other person who accepted him without a second thought, his brother Menma was just as effected by the hostility aimed their way but never allowed it to show on his face. Instead a small smile would grace his features and he'd pat Naruto on the head telling him the villagers were judgmental and refused to see things as they actually were. Naruto didn't really understand what that meant, but Menma always gave him strength when they walked together, like he could face all the hatred and loneliness if his brother was by his side without hesitating.

"Naruto."

He looked up from the ground and grinned weakly when he spotted his brother walking toward him. Menma's hair was a bright crimson red that he always thought was really pretty and tended to turn heads whenever they went outside. Sometimes he'd even hear whispered words of 'Habanero' and 'Yellow Flash' for some strange reason.

Menma stared at him knowingly with his hands stuffed in his dark pants. "It happened again, didn't it?"

Naruto clenched the chains in his hands. "Why do they react that way to us? We never did anything bad to them."

His brother sighed and walked closer before patting him on the head with a small smile. "The villagers are judgmental-"

"-and refuse to see what's in front of them. I know." Naruto finished without a second thought. "Still..."

Menma rose a brow at his actions but said nothing.

For a moment they stayed in a heavy silence, and Naruto wondered if perhaps his brother would finally tell him why they were treated so badly. He was sure Menma knew something and his sibling was hiding it for whatever reason, he wanted to know but at the same time didn't want to push it. Though quiet Menma would get terrifying if he was truly pissed off, he had seen those heart stopping glares aimed toward a particularly nasty pair of women talking about them not so quietly, so he wasn't quite ready to face that yet.

"Do you want to play Ninja? I'll be the bad guy."

Naruto perked up at that and Menma's face broke out into a playful grin. Though he didn't admit it Naruto knew the other boy enjoyed the game just as much as he did no matter how adult he acted. "Yeah!" He jumped off the swing as his brother spun around racing off toward the wooded area.

He followed after eagerly eyes locked on the bright red that could be easily spotted in the woods. Menma was fast but his hair always gave him away, it was pretty but made it easy for him to find the other boy when they were playing.

Spotting a shock of red hair peeking out from behind a tree Naruto grinned and slowed town until he was tiptoeing, slowly he rounded the tree being careful not to step on any twigs like his brother had shown him. Menma had told him if he was extra careful and snuck up in his enemies they'd never notice him and he'd be able to beat them, so to make sure he'd win this he had be to very quiet.

When he reached the side of the tree he crouched down in the bushes and eyed his brother who's violet eyes were switching back and forth as he observed his surroundings.

Snickering to himself Naruto reveled in his near victory, finally he'd win this game-

Menma's eyes snapped toward his spot at the sound and he froze, breath catching as his brother stared him down. CRAP!

In a flash of red Menma leaped toward him with a loud battle cry and then they were rolling around in the dirt, Naruto grinned and tried his hardest to wrestle the other boy as they playfully fought. Happiness roared through him making his heart warm, even though they had no parents they had each other and that was enough for him. Even if the villagers shunned them and all the kids refused to allow them to join games Naruto had Menma and that was enough.

Eventually they both ended up on the ground, leaves in their hair and skin smudged with dirt as they panted. Naruto turned his head so he was facing Menma and his brother did the same, they traded tired grins and fist bumped.

"Just to let you know I won." Naruto commented as he sat up.

"Oh?"

He peeked toward his brother who was eyeing him in a certain light that made his energy return within moments. "Yeah! I totally kicked your butt!"

The red-head got up as well, apparently refreshed even though they were tired just seconds ago. That was the fun part of playing with his brother. Unlike a lot of children he spotted they didn't tire out until hours later and even then they could keep going if they wanted.

"I don't think that's the way it went Naruto."

Naruto grinned widely. "You just don't want to admit you lost."

Menma snorted and without warning crashed into him again, he shouted in shock and then they were at it again paying no mind to how dirty they were getting.

...

..

.

Sarutobi smiled at the glass ball as he watched the two children roll around and laugh loudly, both were completely filthy but seemed to not care in the slightest.

It warmed his heart to see them interacting like that, he had been afraid the villagers actions toward them would make them lose any affection they had toward Konoha but that didn't seem to be the case. With Menma around Naruto wasn't alone, the blond had a family member to lean a shoulder on instead of facing all the hatred alone. Even if there was a law against speaking a word about the Kyubi Sarutobi couldn't control how everyone in the village acted.

At first he had planned on giving them to the orphanage but being twins he wasn't quite sure how the Matron would deal with them both. As far as the village was aware there were two demons residing in Konoha and that made them react twice as bad as they would if there was only Naruto. So to be on the safe side he bought a small apartment for the both of them, hired a nanny who wouldn't out-right ignore them and placed a couple ANBU to watch over their place in case the villagers got courageous.

It wasn't too shocking to see the nanny storming off four years later covered in paint and fuming, though he had wished she'd stay longer he knew that any son of Kushina wouldn't stand her attitude. So he made sure to watch over the two children having the ANBU place bags of groceries in front of their door if they were running out of food and sending packages of clothing when they grew out of their old ones. He was a busy man, but he always made sure to save some time to keep the two children well supplied. When they got older he'd set up an allowance for them to do as they please but until then he'd watch out for them.

Despite a few incidents they were doing surprisingly well. Menma seemed to have inherited much more then Minato's face but his brains as well and that lead to the two living a relatively peaceful life. Sometimes Sarutobi would find himself reminiscing about how the two children acted so much like their parents. It was like seeing Kushina and Minato walking around again and that worried him. With Menma looking so much like Minato even the villagers were starting to talk and make theories. Most of them were about how the demon stole their heroes face, but the smarter ones were starting to wonder.

If someone walked out of the village and told another person in a different village about Menma that information would spread until assassin would be sent to deal with him. The boy was too young to even begin training him so Sarutobi would have to up the ANBU watch just to make sure nothing horrible happened.

The third Hokage sighed and leaned back in his chair.

Minato had split the Kyubi in half, the yin going to Menma and the yang going to Naruto and the differences between the two were obvious. Naruto was all together happier and attracted everyones gazes with his upbeat personality and cheerful demeanor. Menma was quiet and calm, much like his father, but when he glared it sent the receiver scurrying away in fear within seconds.

Two very different children but closer then anyone cloud imagine.

He wondered what sort of Ninja the two would end up being, would the world see another Kushina and Minato or would it be something even more dangerous? Would they make an unbeatable team that could break any enemies defenses or become two equally feared independent Ninja's? He was almost excited to see what they would evolve to be and wondered if perhaps putting them on a team together would be the better plan after all. Siblings weren't usually put on the team since they were prone to putting each other's needs over the third member's but this case was special. Both had the Kyubi inside of them and with Kakashi being the last person alive who Minato had tutored they would work best on his team.

Sarutobi was hoping they could support each other and maybe even calm the other one down if the need arose, which was one of the reasons he was mulling over their placement. It may be dangerous to put two Jinchuriki together but it could also work to their advantage.

Either way though they were both good for each other and for now that was enough.

AN: Tell me what you think about this idea, I've been mulling over it for some time and finally decided to give it a try. What team do you think Menma should be on? Should I give putting him on team 7 a try and see what happens? Sorry for any mistakes, I'll fix them in the morning.