"Nine-Headed Snakes."
The incantation echoed through the rain. Menma formed hand seals, and Chakra rippled outwards from him like waves.
"Azure, White, Vermilion, Black, Void, South, North, Three, Jade."
With a roar, nine summoning beasts, each with a unique form and immense aura, appeared one by one! They also wore various masks, standing behind Menma, their cold gazes fixed on the two ominous red-glowing Tailed Beast-transformed monsters opposite them.
"Roar—!!!"
The collective roar of the Nine-Faced Beast mixed with the monsters' frenzied shrieks, instantly overpowering the torrential rain and clashing fiercely on the open plain.
Was it a roar of threat? Or the pained wails of imprisoned souls? Menma couldn't tell. Theoretically, these beings, doubly distorted by Edo Tensei and Tailed Beast Chakra, had long lost their self-will.
"Whoosh—!"
A massive, crimson Chakra claw tore through the air again, then suddenly split and multiplied mid-air, transforming into dozens of fatal scarlet trajectories, attempting to engulf both Menma and the Nine-Faced Beast!
"Scatter!"
At Menma's command, the Nine-Faced Beast and his main body instantly transformed into afterimages, scattering in all directions with astonishing speed and coordination, launching counterattacks from various tricky angles!
The bodies of the Azure Dragon and White Tiger bravely met the densest claw attacks head-on, enduring the fierce assault with their hard carapaces and tough flesh, creating an opportunity for their comrades.
Hokuto Sennin and Hokuto Sennin floated in mid-air, their staffs weaving trajectories, quickly forming a purple sealing array that suddenly lit up beneath the feet of the two Tailed Beast-transformed monsters.
However, as soon as the sealing light appeared, the two monsters let out even more frenzied roars. With the terrifying brute strength granted by Tailed Beast Chakra, their bodies violently shook, tearing apart the not-yet-fully-formed sealing array and breaking free!
Immediately after, one of the monsters raised its massive red claw and slammed it fiercely onto the ground!
"Boom—!!!"
Centered on the impact point, a circular shockwave mixed with gravel rapidly spread outwards, forcing several Nine-Faced Beast attempting to get close to temporarily retreat.
It seemed that the power of the Nine-Faced Beast alone was not enough to suppress these two monsters, which combined Uzumaki physique and Tailed Beast Chakra. To deal with a Tailed Beast, the most effective method, of course, was... Menma dashed forward like lightning, and at the same time, golden light erupted from his back!
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Several golden chains imbued with sealing power shot out, aiming for the core of the two monsters, intending to completely bind them.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
However, a harsh metallic clang rang out! Menma's golden chains were intercepted mid-way by something else shining with golden light, firmly entangled!
That was... power also derived from the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline! From behind the two Tailed Beast-transformed monsters, equally sturdy golden chains extended, stubbornly resisting Menma's seal.
Unfortunately, Orochimaru, who was currently focused on his fierce battle with the Third Hokage, had not yet reached the peak of his mastery of Edo Tensei and couldn't observe the distant battle in real-time through the eyes of the Edo Tensei bodies.
Otherwise, these Adamantine Sealing Chains, originating from the same source, might have instantly shattered his insane misconception that "Menma is Minato Namikaze."
However, since the misconception remained... in the distance, Orochimaru's contingency plan, set up to confirm this crucial information, would continue to be ruthlessly executed according to his initial judgment...
A more violent roar came from the distance, was it Shukaku? But Menma couldn't be distracted now. He had originally planned to at least bid farewell to his mother's soul in the most dignified way. However, the cruel reality was before him—although his strength far surpassed these two manipulated shells, sealing them quickly without causing additional harm was an almost impossible task.
Self-mockery spread in his heart, laughing at his own naivety just now. He couldn't hesitate any longer.
Menma slowly raised his right hand. In his palm, a heart-pounding energy began to furiously gather and compress. Like a sphere that could devour all light, the destructive energy contained within it distorted the surrounding air.
"Spiral Wheel Ring."
The next moment, his figure moved! His speed was like a flash, easily evading the continuous Tailed Beast Chakra cannon attacks, charging towards one of the Tailed Beast-transformed monsters!
Subdue, then forcefully seal—this was his only plan at the moment.
The dark Spiral Wheel Ring was about to slam onto the raging crimson body... but just at the moment before contact—
Time seemed to stretch infinitely, becoming eternal.
The crimson Chakra covering the monster's face suddenly receded like a tide, revealing the true face that had been hidden beneath—Uzumaki Kushina, the face of the mother he could only imagine from photographs, appeared clearly and unguarded in his vision.
However, those eyes, which should have been full of warmth and vitality, were now hollow and dim. The shackles of Edo Tensei and the erosion of Tailed Beast Chakra left her in a sickly, deeply tormented state, with a paranoid sense of unease etched into the body's instincts.
The pathological experiment dimmed her gaze, and an unshakeable greed corroded her heart.
Orochimaru, to verify, he could use anything.
"..."
Menma's body was instantly bound as if by shackles, freezing in mid-air! The Spiral Wheel Ring, condensed with destructive power, though encountering no physical defense, collided with a sighing wall of bloodline, absolutely insurmountable, unable to advance even a millimeter!
Just in this fatal hesitation—
"Bang!!!"
Crimson Chakra once again covered that gentle face, transforming into a ferocious beast head. A red fist, made of malice, rapidly enlarged in his pupils, smashing squarely onto his mask!
The immense impact sent him flying backward, landing heavily on the muddy ground, splashing water.
Crack... With a crisp sound, the fox mask that had been concealing his face finally shattered and fell off under this blow.
At this moment, under the power of the mysterious card, Naruto's body was no longer a Shadow Clone, but appeared completely as his future, grown self.
And as the mask fell, the black disguise also receded, and his golden hair and sapphire blue eyes were exposed without cover to the cold rain.
"...I'm sorry."
This whisper was almost swallowed by the wind and rain. The moment the words fell, Menma's gaze returned to icy coldness. He raised his hand again, and the deep, dark Spiral Wheel Ring, carrying an even more condensed and powerful energy fluctuation than before, reformed in his palm.
The next moment, his figure suddenly blurred, once again charging with a resolute rush at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye towards one of the Tailed Beast-transformed monsters, Uzumaki Kushina—!
"Roar!"
The monster let out a furious roar, continuously firing Tailed Beast Chakra cannons from its mouth, but they only futilely tore through the afterimages he left behind, unable to touch his main body in the slightest.
Seeing that long-range attacks were ineffective, several golden Adamantine Sealing Chains suddenly shot out from behind the monster, coiling towards Menma, attempting to bind him in place!
"Roar—!"
The Nine-Faced Beast, previously recalled and now acting again, let out earth-shattering roars. They carried out their master's will, charging forward fearlessly with their massive bodies, slamming into the deadly golden chains, buying Menma that fleeting gap!
The Tailed Beast-transformed monster's attention was momentarily diverted by this sudden obstruction. Its crimson claws instinctively changed direction, fiercely striking at the Nine-Faced Beast that dared to block it!
Now!
Menma's figure flickered again in the rain—Flying Thunder God Technique!
He precisely teleported next to an Azure Dragon Nine-Faced Beast that was enduring the chains with its body. Without the slightest hesitation, he closed his eyes and thrust forward the arm holding the Spiral Wheel Ring!
The dark Spiral Wheel Ring, precisely and without deviation, imprinted itself upon that Tailed Beast-transformed monster!
The compressed destructive energy instantly invaded and erupted! The thick crimson Tailed Beast Chakra cloak violently vibrated, shattering inch by inch.
Deprived of the Tailed Beast Chakra's protection, Menma suddenly opened his eyes, and the Adamantine Sealing Chains, already prepared behind him, instantly shot out!
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
This time, there was no obstruction. Several golden chains precisely wrapped around the figure, firmly locking it, and the powerful sealing energy began to purify and strip away all external erosion.
The crimson completely receded, peeling away a painful shell, finally revealing the true, bewildered figure beneath, Uzumaki Kushina.
Menma formed the last sealing hand seal. With the guidance of Chakra, dark sealing runes began to rapidly spread across the Edo Tensei body.
As the black runes spread to her slender neck, the seals symbolizing the forcible obliteration of will began to dissolve, disintegrate, and finally completely vanish without a trace.
Consciousness, like a drowning person sinking into the deep sea, finally surfaced, gaining a brief moment of clarity.
Uzumaki Kushina's previously hollow eyes trembled slightly, and her focus slowly gathered. She looked somewhat bewildered at the face so close to her... This child, why... was he so familiar?
It was as if it was etched into her soul.
Was he... crying?
Why was his face covered in tears? Those eyes, as blue as the sky, were filled with a deep, bottomless sorrow that she couldn't comprehend, almost overflowing.
Were they tears? Or... rain?
Her vision was a little blurry, and her consciousness flickered like a candle in the wind. But the outline of that face, the charm between his brows, slowly overlapped with the person she cherished so much in her memories, the one she had to protect even at the last moment of her life, the figure she was so attached to that even death couldn't make her willingly separate from... That name, that deepest pulsation from her bloodline, even faster than her revived consciousness, had already escaped her lips.
The voice was very soft, carrying the hoarseness and weakness of newly recovered consciousness, imbued with endless tenderness and a hint of disbelieving confirmation.
"...Naruto?"
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host: You have established a Bond Level 7 (Max) with the original character "Uzumaki Kushina"!]
[Points gained: 2100 points!]
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