Menma and Kakashi's Sparring Match

At noon, in the small grove, Menma's shadow clones were drenched in sweat. Menma's original body was busy practicing the Flying Thunder God with his numerous shadow clones.

At this moment, lurking in the shadows behind a tree, a figure was sneakily observing the group of Menma not far away.

The man had white hair, wore a mask, had his headband covering his right eye, and was dressed in a jonin uniform; this was none other than Kakashi. Lately, Kakashi had been wandering around the village whenever he had free time. This morning, he had been suddenly summoned to the Hokage Office, and he had assumed it was for an urgent mission.

Upon arriving at the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi informed him about the situation regarding Menma that morning. Kakashi was stunned, telling Hiruzen Sarutobi that he neither knew the Flying Thunder God nor had he ever taught Menma the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu.

"Sigh, this is rather strange. Kakashi, you and Menma are close; I'll leave it to you to get to the bottom of this. I'm worried he might go down the wrong path. I'm entrusting Menma to you." Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe, exhaled a ring of smoke, and spoke slowly.

"I understand, Lord Hokage." With that, Kakashi left the Hokage Office.

By now, Menma had sensed someone nearby. He knew that Anbu or even Root operatives were usually around to protect or monitor him, but he recognized this particular chakra signature instantly—Kakashi was nearby.

Menma threw a Flying Thunder God kunai directly toward Kakashi's position and vanished with a "whoosh."

Reappearing right beside Kakashi, Menma threw a punch at his face, but Kakashi simply raised his hand and caught the fist firmly.

Seeing this, Menma immediately grabbed the kunai he had just thrown and lunged to stab it toward Kakashi's abdomen.

Kakashi remained calm; his other hand shot out to grab Menma's wrist. With a slight squeeze, Menma winced in pain, and the kunai clattered to the ground.

Menma didn't stop there. He adjusted his body and swung his leg toward Kakashi's head.

Seeing this, Kakashi used one hand to pin both of Menma's wrists, while his free hand caught Menma's incoming ankle. A firm squeeze made Menma instantly behave.

"Ah, ow, ow, ow! Teacher Kakashi, take it easy!" Menma grimaced.

"Yare yare, so it's you, Menma. I thought a ninja from another village had come to ambush me," Kakashi said with a smile.

Suddenly, two of Menma's shadow clones used the kunai on the ground to perform the Flying Thunder God, launching a surprise attack on Kakashi. Kakashi leaped up, dodging a sweep from one clone, while the other immediately snatched the kunai from the ground and hurled it at Kakashi in mid-air.

Since it was difficult to adjust his trajectory in the air, Kakashi used Menma as a human shield. Seeing this, the clone Menma used the Flying Thunder God to appear right in front of Kakashi.

With a "poof," the restrained Menma suddenly vanished. Just then, Menma's voice came from above Kakashi's head: "Teacher Kakashi, take this!"

Menma leaped down from the tree, a Rasengan aimed straight at Kakashi, while the two clones rushed forward to pin Kakashi's limbs.

"Poof!" The Rasengan exploded against Kakashi. As the smoke cleared, Menma stood up panting, not at all surprised by the scene.

There was no sign of Kakashi in the crater, nor were there any traces of a Substitution Technique; the Kakashi from a moment ago had definitely been a clone.

"Yare yare, let's end this farce here," Kakashi said, stepping out from the side to look at Menma.

"I knew it was a shadow clone," Menma said after being pulled out of the crater by Kakashi.

"The one who attacked me at the start was a clone, too. Hmm... how should I put it? You used them quite well, though it would be even more effective if you could use the Rasengan directly via the Flying Thunder God," Kakashi said, analyzing their sparring session.

"That won't work; that's only for dealing with enemies," Menma shook his head.

"If you don't have the resolve to kill me, you'll never be able to defeat me," Kakashi said calmly.

"Why on earth would I need to defeat you, Teacher Kakashi? I was just practicing; why are you being so serious?" Menma spread his hands, acting indifferent.

"Besides, I doubt you just came to watch me train, Teacher Kakashi. Let me guess—the Hokage sent you to ask who taught me the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Flying Thunder God, right?" Menma looked at Kakashi as if he had seen through everything.

"Hmm, that is indeed the case. So, Menma, can you tell me?" Kakashi wasn't surprised that Menma had guessed; Menma's performance so far made him feel that the boy was a genius even more exceptional than he had been at that age.

"Ah, well, I can tell you, Teacher Kakashi, and you can tell the Hokage, but please don't mention a word of this to anyone else. Come closer, I'll tell you a secret." Menma gestured mysteriously for Kakashi to lean in, as if he were about to share a monumental secret.

Kakashi didn't hesitate and leaned his ear in.

"I'll tell you this, Teacher Kakashi: when Mom and Dad sealed the Nine-Tails, they left a portion of their chakra on the seal. If the seal loosens, they manifest," Menma whispered, cupping his hands around his mouth.

He did this mainly because he feared that Root had lip-readers. One had to be extremely cautious around Root; after all, Danzo was a cunning old fox, and one never knew when he might stab you in the back.

Although Kakashi had prepared himself mentally, he still found it incredible. Even though Menma hadn't told the whole story, Kakashi already understood the implications.

The rest was simple: the Nine-Tails had gone berserk yesterday, causing the seal to loosen, and Minato had appeared to reinforce it. Aside from reinforcing the seal, he must have taught Menma a few techniques.

As Kakashi thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

Menma watched Kakashi lost in thought and didn't disturb him, walking over to pick up the bun he hadn't finished that morning and sitting on the ground to eat it.

"Hmm, I should digest what I practiced this morning while I'm at it," Menma thought, preparing to dispel the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu.

With a series of popping sounds, Menma's clones were dispelled one by one. As they vanished, Menma felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion; he didn't even have the strength to sit up, his eyelids grew heavy, and he fell backward.

With a "thud," Menma collapsed unprotected, the sound snapping Kakashi out of his thoughts.

"Hey, Menma, what's wrong?" Kakashi rushed to Menma's side, checking him over before letting out a sigh of relief.

"This is way too reckless, making so many shadow clones at once," Kakashi muttered.

"Menma has exhausted himself. I'll report to the Hokage later," Kakashi called out toward a certain direction.

Suddenly, an Anbu ninja appeared on a tree branch in the direction Kakashi had been facing.

"I understand, Captain Kakashi. I will inform the Hokage." The Anbu ninja didn't seem surprised that Kakashi had spotted him, and he vanished on the spot.

"Sigh, it's been a while since I left the Anbu, and these guys..." Kakashi shook his head, crouched down to pick up Menma, and left the area.

Meanwhile, at Naruto and Menma's home, Naruto had already mastered the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, and his dozens of clones were now practicing the second stage of the Rasengan.

"Pop!" The rubber ball in one of the clones' hands burst.

"Great! I did it!" The successful Naruto jumped for joy.

The original body was happy to see this and dispelled the shadow clones. A flood of experience rushed into Naruto's mind, but he felt increasingly exhausted. Panting, Naruto leaned against the wall and sat on the floor.

Just then, Kakashi walked over carrying Menma. The shadow clone of Menma that had been with Naruto had vanished the moment Menma dispelled his Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, leaving Naruto alone in the yard.

"Yo, Naruto, you look exhausted," Kakashi said, greeting him.

"Oh? Kakashi-sensei? Wait, what happened to Menma?" Naruto replied to Kakashi's greeting, noticing Menma in his arms and asking.

"Menma, well, how should I put it? He practiced using the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and ended up collapsing from exhaustion," Kakashi said with a smile after a moment of thought.

"Ah, is that so? I feel wiped out after practicing with just ten or so shadow clones. Menma didn't use dozens of them, did he?" Naruto guessed, thinking it over.

"You hit the nail on the head. He used about thirty or forty, and the moment he dispelled them, he just passed out," Kakashi said, smiling as he looked at Naruto and then at the Menma in his arms.

"As expected, he's causing trouble for others again," Naruto said, looking at Menma in Kakashi's arms as if trying to assert his authority as an older brother.

"I'll take Menma inside, then." With that, Kakashi headed toward the house, and Naruto stood up to follow him inside.