At noon, Menma's Shadow Clones were all drenched in sweat in the small grove, while the real Menma practiced the Flying Thunder God Technique with them.
At that moment, someone was skulking in the shadows behind a tree, watching the group of Menmas nearby.
The man had white hair and wore a mask. His Forehead Protector covered his right eye, and he wore a Jonin uniform. He was Kakashi. Lately, whenever he had nothing to do, Kakashi wandered around the village. That morning, he had suddenly been summoned by the Hokage, and had thought he was being given an urgent mission.
When he arrived at the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi told him what had happened with Menma that morning. Kakashi was very surprised to hear it, and told Hiruzen that he neither knew the Flying Thunder God Technique nor had taught Menma the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu.
"Phew, this is a little strange, Kakashi. You and Menma are close, so I'll leave it to you to find out what's going on. I'm worried he might go down the wrong path. I'm counting on you to look after Menma." Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe and slowly exhaled a smoke ring.
"I understand, Lord Hokage." With that, Kakashi left the Hokage Office.
Menma had also sensed someone very close by. He knew that Anbu and even Root agents were nearby to protect or watch him, but this chakra felt familiar. He immediately realized Kakashi was close.
Menma threw a Flying Thunder God Kunai straight toward where Kakashi was. The next instant, he vanished with a whoosh.
When he reappeared, Menma was already beside Kakashi. He led with a punch to Kakashi's face, but Kakashi simply raised a hand and caught his fist with ease.
Seeing this, Menma quickly grabbed the Kunai he had just thrown at Kakashi and thrust it toward his abdomen.
Kakashi didn't panic. He caught Menma's wrist with his other hand and gave it a slight squeeze. Menma winced, and the Kunai slipped from his grasp.
But Menma didn't stop. He adjusted his stance and kicked toward Kakashi's head.
Kakashi caught both of Menma's hands with one hand, then used his free hand to grab the ankle of the incoming kick. He squeezed slightly, and Menma immediately went limp from the pain.
"Ah, ow, ow! Kakashi-sensei, go easy!" Menma grimaced.
"Well, well. So it was you, Menma. I thought a ninja from another village had come to attack me." Kakashi smiled.
Suddenly, two of Menma's Shadow Clones used the Kunai on the ground to perform the Flying Thunder God Technique and launch a surprise attack on Kakashi. Kakashi jumped first, dodging one clone's sweeping kick. The other clone immediately picked up the Kunai and threw it at Kakashi while he was still in the air.
Since it was difficult to change direction in midair, Kakashi used Menma as a shield. Seeing this, the clone used the Flying Thunder God Technique to appear in front of Kakashi.
With a poof, the restrained Menma suddenly disappeared. Then Menma's voice rang out above Kakashi: "Kakashi-sensei, take this!"
Menma leaped down from a tree and slammed a Rasengan straight at Kakashi. The two clones also rushed in to restrain Kakashi's arms and legs.
"Bang!" The Rasengan exploded against Kakashi. When the smoke cleared, Menma stood up, panting, unsurprised by what he saw.
Kakashi wasn't in the crater, and there was no sign that he had used the Substitution Technique. That meant the Kakashi from a moment ago had to have been a clone.
"Well, well. Let's end this little farce here." Kakashi came out from nearby and looked at Menma.
"I knew it was a Shadow Clone." Menma said as Kakashi pulled him out of the crater.
"You started by attacking me with a clone. Hmm... How should I put it? You used it pretty well. But it would've worked better if you'd used the Flying Thunder God Technique to go straight into a Rasengan." Kakashi began analyzing their sparring match.
"No way. Then I could only use that against enemies." Menma shook his head.
"If you're not prepared to kill me, there's no way you can beat me," Kakashi said calmly.
"Why would I have to beat you, Kakashi-sensei? I just wanted to get some practice in. Why are you taking it so seriously?" Menma spread his hands, unconcerned.
"By the way, Kakashi-sensei, you didn't come just to watch me train, did you? Let me guess: Lord Hokage sent you to ask who taught me the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Flying Thunder God Technique." Menma looked at Kakashi as if he had seen right through him.
"Mm, that's right. So, Menma, can you tell me?" Kakashi wasn't surprised that Menma had guessed. From everything Menma had shown so far, Kakashi thought he was an even more talented genius than Kakashi himself had been as a child.
"Ah, well, I can tell you, Kakashi-sensei, and you can tell Lord Hokage too. But please don't tell anyone else a word. Come a little closer. I'll whisper it to you." Menma beckoned Kakashi closer with an air of mystery, as if he were about to reveal a huge secret.
Kakashi didn't hesitate. He leaned in.
"I'll tell you, Kakashi-sensei. When my mom and dad sealed the Nine-Tails, they left some of their chakra in the seal. If the seal ever weakened, they'd appear." Menma cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered.
He did this mainly because he was worried that Root might have someone who could read lips. He had to be extremely cautious around Root. Danzo was a cunning old fox, after all. What if he suddenly showed up and stabbed you in the back?
Kakashi had been prepared for something extraordinary, but he still found it hard to believe. Menma hadn't told him everything, but that was enough for Kakashi to figure out the rest.
The rest was simple: the Nine-Tails had gone berserk yesterday, weakening the seal, and Minato had appeared to reinforce it. Besides strengthening the seal, he had also taught Menma a few techniques.
Thinking it over, Kakashi found the explanation more and more plausible.
Menma watched Kakashi standing there, lost in thought, and didn't disturb him. He went over, picked up the buns he hadn't finished that morning, sat on the ground, and started eating.
Mm, I'll use this chance to absorb what I practiced this morning. Menma thought this and prepared to release the Multi-Shadow Clone.
With a series of pops, Menma's clones disappeared one after another. Once they were gone, Menma felt utterly exhausted. He didn't even have the strength to sit upright. His eyelids grew heavy, and he toppled straight backward.
With a thud, Menma fell backward without breaking his fall. The sound snapped Kakashi out of his thoughts.
"Hey, Menma, what's wrong?" Kakashi hurried over. After checking him over, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"That was way too reckless. You made so many Shadow Clones all at once." Kakashi grumbled.
"Menma wore himself out. I'll report to Lord Hokage later," Kakashi called toward a nearby direction.
Suddenly, an Anbu Ninja appeared on a tree branch in the tree Kakashi was facing.
"Understood, Captain Kakashi. I'll inform Lord Hokage." The Anbu Ninja didn't seem surprised that Kakashi had noticed him. After speaking, he vanished.
"Honestly, I left the Anbu ages ago, and these guys..." Kakashi shook his head, crouched down, and picked Menma up. Then he left.
Meanwhile, at Naruto and Menma's house, Naruto had already learned the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu. Now, dozens of his clones were practicing the second stage of the Rasengan.
"Pop!" The rubber ball in one clone's hand burst.
"Great! I did it!" The Naruto who had succeeded jumped up happily.
The real Naruto was happy to see it too, and immediately released the Shadow Clone. A flood of experience poured into his mind, but at the same time, he felt even more exhausted. Naruto panted a little and sat down against the wall.
Just then, Kakashi came over carrying Menma. The Menma clone that had been with Naruto had disappeared as soon as Menma released the Multi-Shadow Clone. Now Naruto was alone in the yard.
"Yo, Naruto. You look exhausted," Kakashi greeted him.
"Huh? Kakashi-sensei? Wait, what happened to Menma?" Naruto replied, then noticed Kakashi carrying Menma and asked.
"Menma, well... he used the Multi-Shadow Clone to practice, then wore himself out." Kakashi thought for a moment, then smiled.
"Oh, I see. I felt exhausted after practicing with a dozen or so Shadow Clones. Did Menma use several dozen?" Naruto guessed after thinking it over.
"You got it. He used around thirty or forty. As soon as he released the clones, he collapsed from exhaustion." Kakashi smiled, looking at Naruto and then at Menma in his arms.
"Figures. He's making trouble for other people again." Naruto spoke as if asserting his authority as the older brother, looking at Menma in Kakashi's arms.
"I'll take Menma inside, then." With that, Kakashi headed into the house, and Naruto got up and followed him.
Before you continue