The Third Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared intently at the crystal ball, his face grim, not even bothering to light his usual pipe. "Even Jiraiya is no match for him now?" he muttered. "This rate of growth is far too fast!"
Recalling how Menma had forced Jiraiya to release his seal and allowed Naruto to suppress him within just a few moves, Hiruzen felt a deep-seated fear. "Menma couldn't have been created just three months ago. Perhaps he's existed from the very beginning, just never showed himself, constantly hiding, slowly training, and mastering the Nine-Tails' chakra."
Now he had enough self-defense capabilities, which was why he'd been communicating with Naruto so frequently. Hiruzen felt that things were probably as he'd deduced. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to perfectly control the Nine-Tails' chakra in just three months. And to possess such terrifying combat experience—enough to defeat a Kage-level ninja—that couldn't be explained by mere talent. It was too far-fetched.
And then there was that inexplicable mastery of taijutsu. Why couldn't Naruto utilize it?
Hiruzen sensed a great mystery surrounding Menma. He even suspected that Menma had been training within the Nine-Tails' seal all these years, guided by the residual chakra of Minato or Kushina. However, even that wouldn't fully explain the mystery.
But one thing was certain: in the past three months, Menma had firmly established himself in Naruto's heart. Given Naruto's personality, getting him to cooperate in eliminating or sealing Menma would be extremely difficult and would likely cause conflict.
Therefore, it was best to let Naruto maintain the lead while continuously researching sealing techniques as a backup plan.
"Although it's just speculation, I must make plans early," Hiruzen thought, tapping his desk lightly with his fingers.
Soon, an ANBU member emerged from the shadows. "After Jiraiya and Naruto separate, have him come to me."
"Yes."
In the mindscape.
Watching Jiraiya lead Naruto away, Menma understood that the Five Elements Seal would soon be broken. Naruto would be able to sense and use the Nine-Tails' chakra again. Because of frequent use and his body's long-term adaptation, Naruto wouldn't need as long to master it as in the original story. The level of control would also become much easier.
Therefore, Menma needed to make plans in advance to prevent Naruto from breaking free of his dependence on him.
"It's time to see the Nine-Tails, and my nominal 'parents.'"
After the trust value reached 50%, Menma gained a certain degree of control over his body. He wasn't forced to stay in this desolate mindscape forever; he could go to other spaces within this body. For example, the sealed space where the Nine-Tails resided.
In the blink of an eye, Menma's surroundings rapidly changed. He found himself in a dimly lit space filled with water, surrounded by dripping pipes, resembling a city sewer system. At the far end stood a row of massive iron bars, like those in a prison. A sealing tag lay affixed to the keyhole of the large gate in the middle of the railing.
Standing before the railing, Menma gazed intently at the darkness beyond. "Kurama, come out and meet me."
The instant he finished speaking, a pair of scarlet vertical pupils appeared in the darkness.
Swish! A sharp fingernail, accompanied by a gust of wind, sliced through the railing, sparks flying, and pierced through the darkness behind it.
Clang!
Menma didn't move. A huge golden-red fox tail emerged from his back, held upright in front of him. It firmly blocked the sharp fingernail, stopping it just one centimeter from his brow.
"Heh… hahahaha! Interesting. Very interesting!" A foul wind blew out from behind the railing. Kurama finally emerged from the darkness, revealing its long, slender fox face, grinning broadly. "The chakra within you is indeed my chakra! And not even the other half, the Yin attribute chakra!"
"Actually, you're not the alternate personality of that brat outside, are you?" Kurama retracted its claws, giving Menma no chance to refute, and continued speaking to itself. "You don't need to refute it. I've lived for so long; I've seen more than you've eaten meals. With those extreme negative emotions within you, and the ability to generate and perfectly control my chakra… you're clearly a tailed beast in human skin! And a newly born tailed beast, born from my chakra!"
Kurama grew more excited, the more it seemed to make sense, until finally its entire fox body stood upright. "It must be the half of me on the Shinigami's stomach that malfunctioned, causing you to be born and condense chakra! Although I don't know why it's Yang Release, it's most likely influenced by my attribute!"
After this analysis, Kurama began vigorously pounding on the railing. "Great! This is wonderful! My little brother, quick—release me! From now on, I'll protect you, and I can even lend you my chakra!"
Listening to Kurama's inexplicable self-deception, Menma, who had prepared his explanation, suddenly didn't know how to say it. After frowning for a while, he finally spoke.
"Unfortunately, you guessed wrong. I am not a consciousness born from your chakra, but the original owner of this body. If you insist, the one outside is the consciousness that was born later."
Menma's last words weren't meant for Kurama. They were meant for the chakra of Minato and Kushina, who weren't present. Besides, he wasn't used to treating a fox as a younger brother—especially a fox that had been imprisoned and was somewhat mentally unstable.
"What do you mean!?"
Kurama's smile froze on its face. Then, clinging to the railing, it opened its blood-red maw, revealing a dense array of sharp teeth. It roared furiously at Menma, unleashing a torrent of foul breath. "You dare question my words?!"
A foul stench, mingled with saliva, assaulted the senses. Menma, his face cold, stepped aside, his eyes filled with icy malice.
"I was hoping to have a proper conversation with you, and maybe even let your consciousness out to relax. Now it seems, a beast is a beast after all. It really does need a beating to obey its master…"
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