Menma: It Doesn't Matter, I'm Strong

"Are you planning to keep babysitting him like this forever?"

Hearing the Nine-Tails' question, Uzumaki Menma smiled and replied, "Why not? Isn't this kind of life pretty good?"

It was indeed good, but...

This kind of life obviously didn't suit Menma.

The Nine-Tails curled its lip and complained, "I've never seen anyone as strange as you. You clearly possess such a powerful soul and those absurdly powerful Ninjutsu I've never seen before, yet you keep staying inside this brat."

"Don't you hate Leaf Village? Why not just destroy it?"

Menma raised an eyebrow at that and retorted, "I'm warning you not to slander me. What I hate isn't Leaf Village."

Heh, so he didn't deny the second half.

The Nine-Tails grumbled inwardly, only to hear Menma narrow his eyes with a smile. "Besides, if I were to crudely destroy everything myself, wouldn't that be far too boring?"

"Then what do you want?"

"Wouldn't it be more interesting to let lambs trapped in hardship see the cage binding them, then have them break that cage with their own hands and free themselves and their kin?" Menma said righteously.

The Nine-Tails froze, recalling something Menma had said a month ago.

"I opened the lambs' cage, yet they only stood there, their eyes full of confusion."

Then it suddenly recalled something Menma had inexplicably said when Naruto first read The Analects in the Sealing Space some time ago.

"When the lambs fall silent, can you hear the cries and whispers from the darkest depths of their hearts?"

Did he see the ignorant masses as lost lambs?

Then what did he see himself as?

Looking at Menma's unchanging smile, the Nine-Tails' massive body shuddered.

"You really are far too arrogant."

Menma merely smiled, completely unconcerned by the somewhat offensive words of the bristling fox.

"But I have the right to be arrogant, don't I?"

The Nine-Tails turned its head away without answering.

But that reaction was practically an admission that Menma was right.

Although this guy had black hair, the fact that he could use Adamantine Sealing Chains and Mind's Eye of the Kagura meant he had Uzumaki Clan blood in him.

In the Nine-Tails' impression, the Uzumaki Clan were all brainless brutes.

Yet the nasty, ill-tempered guy before it had clearly remained inside the brat all this time, but he seemed to have everything under control, as though nothing could escape his calculations.

He took in every move made by the Leaf Village villagers, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Naruto Uzumaki, and the others, toying with them in his palm like puppets on strings.

"Luckily, this terrifying guy doesn't seem to harbor any ill will toward me."

A sudden wave of relief rose in the Nine-Tails' heart.

It was merely a simple fox that had lived for a thousand years. If it really faced Menma, it would probably be schemed to death without ever understanding how it had died.

Clearly, this poorly educated fox had no idea what it meant to be sold off while still helping count the money, much less what sustainable development meant.

"Kurama."

Menma suddenly spoke, interrupting the Nine-Tails' thoughts.

He lowered his head to look at his right arm, a strange glint flashing through his eyes.

"After a while, I want to go out and get some fresh air. Can I borrow some Chakra?"

The Nine-Tails paused, then snorted. "Even if I refused, you'd just take it yourself, wouldn't you?"

For Menma to go out in person, it had to be something important.

It couldn't beat him anyway, so what right did it have to refuse?

"How could I? You're my friend, Kurama."

Menma smiled gently and reached out to stroke the Nine-Tails' fluffy tail.

"Yeah right. You're full of tricks. Use it if you want; it's not like I can resist your Adamantine Sealing Chains anyway."

The Nine-Tails flicked its tail irritably and turned its head aside, though the corner of its mouth curved upward.

This guy might be full of tricks, but in the three years they had spent together so far, the Nine-Tails had never heard him tell a single lie.

At most, he exaggerated one part while concealing another.

By now, the Nine-Tails could even tell how much truth there was in his words.

"Even if we aren't friends, I'm at least not a beast to him, right?"

This guy was even more terrifying than Madara Uchiha.

December 20 was the Third Birthday of Hinata Hyuga, the Hyuga Main Branch's Young Lady.

On this day, children of the Branch Family would have the [Caged Bird] Cursed Seal placed upon their foreheads by the Main House. For the rest of their lives, they would be bound by the Caged Bird, stripped of their freedom and individuality, becoming tools for the Main House to preserve its rule and protect its own safety.

It was also the day the Cloud Envoy Delegation came to Konoha to sign a peace treaty. The Third Hokage personally received them, and undercurrents stirred throughout Konoha.

And on this very same day.

Little Naruto sat cross-legged on his bed with his eyes tightly shut. At his side lay a copy of the Chakra Refinement Manual, densely covered in notes.

Suddenly, Naruto opened his eyes, delight appearing on his face as an invisible ripple spread around him.

At the same time, he shouted in his heart, "Menma-nii! I refined Chakra!!"

"Very good, Naruto."

Menma's voice came with a hint of satisfaction. "Since you can already refine Chakra, I'll teach you your first Ninjutsu today."

Ninjutsu?

Naruto's eyes instantly lit up. "Is it the kind of Ninjutsu that lets you spit out huge fireballs?!"

He had once seen an older boy use Ninjutsu by a stream. The boy had spat out a huge fireball from thin air and nearly evaporated the entire stream!

That was unbelievably cool!!

"This Ninjutsu can't spit out huge fireballs, but..."

"Ah?"

Before Menma could finish, Little Naruto immediately deflated, his face full of disappointment. "It can't spit out huge fireballs?"

"Don't underestimate this Ninjutsu."

Menma said irritably, "The [Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique] you mentioned is only C-Rank Ninjutsu. What I'm about to teach you is the B-Rank Ninjutsu [Shadow Clone Technique], developed by the Second Hokage. If you master it, it'll be greatly beneficial to your future Ninjutsu training."

The Shadow Clone Technique was originally a Ninjutsu Tobirama, the Second Hokage, developed for espionage.

It used Chakra to create tangible clones that could move and fight just like the caster. They possessed consciousness independent of the original body and a certain degree of resistance to attacks. Once dispelled, the clones' memories and experiences would return to the original.

When Naruto heard it was B-Rank Ninjutsu, his eyes lit up again and his motivation returned.

He already had a basic understanding of Ninjutsu rankings, so he naturally understood the value of B-Rank Ninjutsu.

C-Rank Ninjutsu was at the Chunin level, while B-Rank was Jonin level!

What's more, it was Ninjutsu developed by the Second Hokage. It had to be powerful!!

"The hand seal sequence for the [Shadow Clone Technique] is Ox, Dog, Dragon, Rat, Dog, Boar, Snake, Tiger. Use the hand seals to mobilize the Chakra in your body and complete all eight seals within four seconds, or you'll fail."

While Little Naruto practiced the eight seals in four seconds within the Sealing Space, Menma and the Nine-Tails watched quietly from afar.

"Are you planning to interfere in the matters of the Hyuga Main Branch and Branch Family?"

From the Shadow Clone Technique and the date, the Nine-Tails had already figured out Menma's intentions.

Frowning, it said, "Though this may be nosy of me, I still have to remind you that the conservative Main House is not as simple as it looks on the surface."

The Hyuga Clan was not only one of the founding clans that joined Leaf Village during the early days of the Land of Fire, but also the direct descendants of Old Man of the Six Paths' younger brother. They were the only clan to inherit the Kekkei Genkai known as the Byakugan. Their lineage stretched back to the beginning of the Warring States Period, with centuries of history, formidable strength, and deep foundations.

Even it could not be sure whether those old fossils still possessed some unknown and powerful trump cards.

"It doesn't matter."

Menma merely shook his head, his expression utterly calm. "I'm very strong~"