Nine-Tails Chakra

Menma felt an even greater sense of urgency than Sasuke.

His own older brother would not actually hurt him. Though Uchiha Sasuke himself did not know that and was still consumed by thoughts of revenge.

But Menma was different.

The Nine-Tails inside him was an enormous problem!

Whether it was Konoha.

Or the Akatsuki Organization.

They would definitely keep their eyes fixed on him.

He had to gain the ability to protect himself in the Shortest Time, and then formulate a relatively complete plan with clear goals.

As for the latter, over the past few years, he had gradually clarified his own thoughts and what he needed to do next.

It was just that the former was slightly more difficult.

Simply staying at the Ninja Academy and being a good student could not bring any explosive growth. Menma was already working very hard.

But purely in terms of personal strength, he was probably only at the level of a Chunin now?

What was the point of ruling over a bunch of little brats?

His enemies were the people standing at the top of the Shinobi World's pyramid.

And that did not even include Black Zetsu, Obito lurking in the shadows, and Lord Madara waiting in the Pure Land.

Oh.

And the Rabbit Goddess, who had been on standby on the moon for a thousand years.

Every one of these enemies was more terrifying and outrageous than the last.

How could Menma possibly relax?

He was also eager to graduate sooner, but his reason for graduating was different from everyone else's.

Kurama, with my current physical condition, how many tails' worth of your Chakra can I withstand?

Menma walked home with a calm expression, but within his inner world, he formed a spiritual body and directly asked the Nine-Tails, who was lazily sprawled on the ground.

"Now? Hmph, at most, three tails' worth of Chakra!"

The Nine-Tails opened his eyes, shot Menma a sidelong glance, and spoke with a disdainful snort.

Ever since their meeting at the beginning of Konoha Year 55.

Over the following five-plus years, nearly six years.

Menma would enter the spiritual world inside his body from time to time to chat with the Nine-Tails. As they talked, they came to understand each other better.

Of course, there were also more doubts.

That was on the Nine-Tails' side alone.

He had discovered that Menma was truly shrouded in mystery.

It was not just that he knew his name. He also knew the names of the other eight Tailed Beasts. Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were one thing, but even regarding events from a thousand years ago, this brat seemed to imply between the lines that he possessed a certain degree of knowledge.

That alone was enough to shock the Nine-Tails.

Menma certainly had not revealed everything he knew, nor did he have any intention of disclosing his "true identity."

He merely wanted to use this method to tell the Nine-Tails.

That he was special.

Exceptionally special.

Special enough that the Tailed Beasts had to view him differently.

After weighing everything, Menma believed this was the easiest way to gain the Nine-Tails' "trust."

And in truth, it was indeed effective.

Had the Nine-Tails sincerely accepted Menma? The answer was certainly no.

But Menma had already truly seeped into the Nine-Tails' heart, forcing this Demon Fox who had lived for a thousand years to take Menma's existence seriously. Not to mention that the terms of exchange Menma had proposed before were highly tempting.

With all these factors combined.

They had created the special relationship Menma and the Nine-Tails shared now.

Far earlier than in the Original Work, Menma could already borrow the Nine-Tails' power, though he had never actually used it even once. The reason was simple: he was still under surveillance. Even if Sarutobi Hiruzen was not watching him twenty-four hours a day, he could not forget about the other Anbu.

Menma did not want to expose the fact that he could use the Nine-Tails' power too early.

Although there was no direct verbal evidence in the Original Work, it could be inferred that the Anbu surveillance was lifted after he officially graduated.

After all, the person leading the team was Kakashi Hatake.

If a situation arose that even Kakashi could not handle, a few Anbu would not be of much use either. Sarutobi Hiruzen would naturally cancel the Anbu's surveillance and protection mission directly.

If nothing unexpected happened in this life.

Menma would truly gain his "freedom" after graduating next year as well.

For now, he still needed to be patient for a while.

Therefore, Menma could not truly determine the upper limit of how much Nine-Tails Chakra his current body could withstand.

Leaving aside the fact that he and the Nine-Tails were not yet truly in sync, even if they did reach that point, what he could not endure was still something he could not endure.

The power of a Tailed Beast was not so easy to wield.

Only three tails' worth? That's still not enough.

Hearing the Nine-Tails' words, Menma immediately frowned and murmured inwardly.

Three tails' worth of Chakra should be enough to sweep through Jonin-level opponents, but against Kage-level foes, it would still fall short. Menma's minimum expectation was to withstand four or even five tails' worth of Nine-Tails Chakra before the Chunin Exams.

That way, he could truly claim to possess the ability to protect himself.

"Hmph, saying three tails is already me being optimistic. You haven't used my Chakra even once, so who knows how well you'll adapt to it? If the malice within the Chakra erodes your consciousness, heh heh, even I won't be able to help you then."

The Nine-Tails lifted his eyelids and looked at Menma as though he found him rather distasteful.

Menma paused for a moment, then slowly nodded.

That was indeed true.

Even without the Nine-Tails consciously controlling it.

The corrosive power of his Chakra was still astonishing.

This did not only refer to the erosion of the Physical Body. The spiritual level was what mattered most.

One careless mistake, and if he was controlled by the negative emotions within the Chakra, he could easily lose himself.

"Yes, I understand what you mean, Kurama. I'll be careful. It really is time to find an opportunity to test your power!"

Menma spoke in a slightly low voice.

"Hmph, that is your own business! I will only do what we agreed upon before. As for anything else? I have no interest whatsoever."

The Nine-Tails snorted again, then lowered his fox head and lay back down. There was a hint of saying one thing while meaning another.

It made Menma smile silently.

But he did not expose the Nine-Tails.

Maintaining this kind of relationship was already enough for Menma.

Next.

The real stage begins!

Menma turned back to look at the Hokage Building standing not far away, and at that moment, a faint, brilliant gleam appeared in his Pupils.