Intervening in the Hyuga Clan

Konoha was as lively as ever at night, but Little Naruto did not go fishing by the creek today. Instead, he went to bed early.

On a tree outside the window, a figure wearing an ANBU mask was hidden among the branches.

Whoosh!

A black shadow silently leaped from the rooftop onto the tree.

"Dog, it's time to switch shifts."

"Mm."

After those two simple exchanges, the figure previously hidden in the tree quietly departed.

From the start of the handover to its end, the entire process took only about two minutes.

At the same time, Menma slowly opened his eyes inside the Sealing Space, a dark glint flashing through them.

Kakashi Hatake had finally left.

"Naruto."

Little Naruto, who had been practicing hand seals nearby, turned at the sound of his voice, his face full of confusion.

"It's late. You should go back and sleep."

Little Naruto looked reluctant, but he obediently answered, "Okay."

His figure slowly vanished from the Sealing Space.

Half an hour later, Little Naruto had fallen asleep, and the ANBU outside responsible for surveillance began another shift change.

"Bear with it, Kurama."

As soon as Menma spoke, the Golden Chain behind him bound the Nine-Tails' body.

Tailed Beast Chakra brimming with violent energy gradually flowed along the chains toward Menma.

Yet by the time the Chakra was absorbed, it had become pure, high-quality golden Chakra without a trace of impurity.

The Nine-Tails' mouth twitched at the sight, and he grumbled inwardly, It's clearly my Tailed Beast Chakra. Who knows why this guy uses it more smoothly than I do?

And that ridiculous "Spiraling Ring" from before. It clearly carried traces of a Tailed Beast Ball, but no matter how long he pondered it, he could not figure out its principles.

Even the Rasengan, which the Fourth Hokage had developed based on the Tailed Beast Ball, had not stumped him back then.

He had merely disdained its weak power. It was far better to crush everything directly with a Tailed Beast Bomb.

But that Spiraling Ring...

Why was a sphere compressed from so much Chakra into something the size of a fingertip so stable that it could even be thrown?

Even the far less powerful Rasengan could not be thrown. The instant it left one's hand, the Chakra would go berserk and disperse.

Still, the Fourth Hokage seemed to have researched this while he was alive. If Chakra Nature Transformation were added to the attribute-less Rasengan, perhaps it could be thrown.

But in the Nine-Tails' perception, the Spiraling Ring was clearly an attribute-less ninjutsu that required no hand seals, just like the Rasengan.

I can't figure it out. Maybe I should find a chance to ask him?

I've already given him Chakra. He can't possibly refuse such a small request, right?

While the Nine-Tails was still hesitating, Menma had already begun controlling Little Naruto's body to form hand seals.

Ox, Dog, Dragon, Rat, Dog, Boar, Snake, Tiger!

Kurama's golden Chakra slowly flowed through Naruto's body along its designated path.

A Shadow Clone instantly appeared beneath the bed.

And it happened to coincide perfectly with the ANBU shift change.

The Nine-Tails seemed to want to speak but stopped himself. After hesitating for a moment, he finally said, "...Be careful."

"Don't worry."

Menma patted his tail and smiled. "Your Chakra is enough for me to use ten percent of my strength. It may not be much, but it's enough."

With that, he walked forward as the Nine-Tails watched his figure gradually fade away.

Then he suddenly asked, "What do you think of the Tailed Beasts?"

Menma stopped in his tracks, his breathing growing rapid.

After a moment of silence, he said in a low voice, "You said before that I hate Leaf Village, but that isn't exactly right."

"What I truly despise is this lifeless, boring world that is destined to perish."

"A world like this has no value in existing!"

Though his tone carried no emotional fluctuation, the Nine-Tails knew that Menma was angry.

In three years, this was the first time the Nine-Tails had seen Menma angry. The energy fluctuations from his soul body made him shudder in alarm.

He was like a volcano on the verge of erupting in silence.

"Whew..."

Menma let out a long breath, suppressing the violent hostility in his heart. A smile returned to his face as he said, "Sorry, Kurama. I lost my composure."

Although his soul came from another world, as Naruto's counterpart in the genjutsu world of Limited Tsukuyomi, the hostility within him had existed since birth, and he was more easily blinded by hatred and power.

But true strength was not merely about power. It was also about the heart.

"Parasites who halt their steps, indulge in illusions, and sit idle while consuming what they have are destined for destruction and death."

"Kurama, do not stop moving forward."

After saying that, Menma's figure vanished completely.

The Nine-Tails stared at the place where he had disappeared and fell silent for a time.

Uzumaki Menma, what exactly is chasing after you?

Nearly every member of the Hyuga Clan was celebrating Hinata's Third Birthday. Many ninja clans friendly with the Hyuga Clan had sent gifts, and aside from high-ranking officials of the Land of Fire, officials from other countries had also come to attend the banquet.

Such was the prestige and network of the ancient powerhouse that was the Hyuga Clan.

At the same time, a figure appeared outside the Hyuga Clan compound.

He had short black hair, a white Three-Eyed Fox Mask on his face, black fingerless sleeves, and dark red bands wrapped around his arms and calves.

It was Menma's true appearance.

The mixture of physical energy and spiritual energy produced by the body's one hundred and thirty trillion cells was called "stamina," and stamina was the foundation for performing Taijutsu.

Chakra, meanwhile, was the product formed by evenly mixing the two elements of spiritual energy and physical energy.

Menma used the Nine-Tails' Chakra as raw material, Little Naruto's body as a relay, and then infused it with his own soul—his spiritual energy.

Only then had this body been forged.

Although its physical resistance was practically nonexistent, it was complete and convenient.

Before his Chakra ran out, Menma could use his abilities as freely as he pleased.

For the traditionally minded Hyuga Clan members, keeping the Byakugan activated during such an occasion would be extremely rude.

And Menma had long since thoroughly studied the Hyuga Clan's defensive layout using the Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

He merely avoided the few sentry posts, then silently vaulted over the wall and walked inside almost openly.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

This was a huge courtyard, and repeated pounding sounds came from within.

Menma's lips curled upward. "Interesting. I ran into one of the Twelve Little Strong the moment I got in."

A boy stood in the courtyard, repeatedly striking a wooden post with a smooth, flowing set of punches.

Every punch appeared light and soft, but the wooden post seemed to have reached some critical point.

With a bang, it burst apart from the inside.

That was the Gentle Fist, a Taijutsu that drove one's Chakra into an enemy's body, damaging the Chakra pathways known as the Meridian System and the internal organs.

There were very few ninjutsu capable of training the internal organs, so for most low- and mid-level ninja, every strike of the Gentle Fist was exceptionally lethal.

"My luck is good. Unfortunately, it isn't time to meet you yet."

Just as Menma was about to leave, he suddenly stopped.

"Neji."

A man with long black hair, a Konoha Headband, black combat clothes, and a green kimono walked into the courtyard.