"The Rinnegan… and the Outer Path's power over life and death?"
The moment Menma finished speaking, Kurama's expression darkened noticeably.
As the oldest of the Nine Tailed Beasts and the one who had inherited the greatest portion of the Sage of Six Paths' will, Kurama possessed knowledge far beyond that of ordinary shinobi.
"That's right. Those Rinnegan were Madara Uchiha's contingency plan. They were prepared specifically for his eventual resurrection." Menma looked up at Kurama and smiled faintly. "And, Kurama, I doubt you have any desire to return to the days when Madara treated you as nothing more than a tool."
There was no need to mention Black Zetsu.
There was no need to reveal the existence of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
Nor was there any reason to speak about the Ten-Tails and the fate awaiting the Nine Tailed Beasts should it be revived.
Simply mentioning Madara was enough.
For Kurama, few memories were more humiliating than the years he had spent under Madara's control.
The Mangekyō Sharingan had robbed him of his freedom completely.
His will had been suppressed.
His consciousness had become a puppet.
Even now, centuries later, the memory remained a wound that had never healed.
"The Rinnegan… resurrection… collecting all of us…"
Kurama narrowed his eyes.
A dangerous gleam flashed within them.
"Could it be…"
He stopped midway through the sentence.
But Menma already knew what he was about to say.
"Exactly."
Menma nodded.
"The Ten-Tails."
Silence immediately filled the chamber.
Kurama's expression changed.
Unlike ordinary shinobi, the tailed beasts understood better than anyone what the revival of the Ten-Tails truly meant.
"You know about that as well…"
Kurama stared at Menma.
His massive eyes narrowed.
The suspicion he had been suppressing for a long time surfaced once more.
"Brat… who exactly are you?"
His voice became unusually serious.
As everyone in the shinobi world knew, tailed beasts were regarded as immortal beings.
Even when a jinchūriki died and the tailed beast disappeared alongside them, it was only temporary.
Because tailed beasts were ultimately masses of chakra.
After a period of time, that chakra would naturally gather again somewhere in the world.
The Three-Tails was a perfect example.
Following the death of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, Isobu eventually reformed on its own after disappearing for a time.
Similar events had occurred more than once throughout history.
Therefore, nearly every shinobi believed that tailed beasts could never truly die.
But the tailed beasts themselves knew the truth.
They were not immortal.
At least, not completely.
The Nine Tailed Beasts were originally fragments of the Ten-Tails.
If the Ten-Tails were restored, the individuality of the Nine Tailed Beasts would disappear.
Their consciousnesses would be erased.
Would that not be death?
For Kurama, that possibility was more terrifying than simple destruction.
And now Menma was discussing these secrets as if he had known them all along.
Kurama could not help but wonder.
Could Menma truly be connected to the Sage of Six Paths?
Or perhaps to Hamura Ōtsutsuki?
After all, Kurama had personally witnessed the endless cycle of reincarnation surrounding Indra and Asura.
Compared to those phenomena, another miracle would hardly be impossible.
The more he thought about it, the more suspicious Menma seemed.
"Hmph…"
Kurama stared at him carefully.
The more he observed, the more unusual the boy appeared.
Meanwhile, Menma simply laughed.
"Don't overthink it, Kurama."
His tone remained relaxed.
"My identity isn't nearly as complicated as you're imagining."
At least, not in the way Kurama suspected.
"Eventually, you'll understand everything."
"Hmph."
Kurama snorted again.
Clearly, he was dissatisfied with the answer.
Yet he did not press the matter further.
Instead, he silently observed Menma.
For whatever reason, the boy reminded him of someone.
Not in appearance.
Not in personality.
But in something deeper.
Something difficult to describe.
The Sage of Six Paths had once told the tailed beasts that one day they would encounter a person capable of understanding them.
Someone who would bring change to the world.
For the first time in centuries, Kurama found himself wondering whether that prophecy was finally coming true.
If Menma truly was that person…
Then perhaps helping him would not be a mistake.
"Enough of that for today."
Menma waved his hand casually.
"Kurama, prepare yourself."
A confident smile appeared on his face.
"Once I've fully adjusted to the changes in my body, we'll conduct proper tests."
"I want to know exactly how much power I can draw from your chakra."
Kurama snorted.
But there was no hostility behind it anymore.
Only anticipation.
"Do whatever you want, brat."
Menma smiled.
Then his figure began fading.
The connection between his consciousness and the inner world gradually weakened.
Buzz
His body became translucent.
Within moments, he disappeared completely.
The vast chamber returned to silence.
Kurama gazed at the place where Menma had been standing.
For a long time, he said nothing.
Eventually, however, a rare smile appeared in his eyes.
"Uzumaki Menma…"
The Nine-Tails lowered his head slightly.
A thousand years.
It had been nearly a thousand years since he had last felt this way.
Perhaps the old man's prophecy was finally beginning to unfold.
"Maybe this really is the fate the old man spoke of…"
When Menma slowly opened his eyes, his consciousness returned to reality.
The first thing visible before him was Karin's nervous face.
The moment she saw his eyes open, she immediately stepped forward.
"Menma!"
Her voice was filled with concern.
"Did it work?"
The answer was already obvious.
The smile on Menma's face said everything.
Nevertheless, Karin still asked.
She wanted confirmation.
Menma sat up and stretched slightly.
Then he nodded.
"It worked."
A smile appeared on his own face.
"Everything went smoothly."
Karin's eyes immediately lit up.
"Really?!"
"Yeah."
Menma's mood was exceptionally good.
The results had exceeded even his expectations.
Not only had the Eight Trigrams Seal been successfully released, but he had also inherited a tremendous amount of knowledge from Minato's chakra imprint.
Among those were the foundations of numerous advanced techniques.
Most importantly
The Flying Thunder God Technique.
As well as the principles behind the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and several of Minato's sealing methods.
Whether he could master them was another matter entirely.
But at the very least, he now possessed the theoretical foundation.
That alone was invaluable.
Menma naturally understood why Minato had never given such information to Naruto in the original timeline.
Naruto had remained loyal to Konoha.
The Flying Thunder God Technique and many of Minato's records were preserved within the village.
If Naruto truly wanted to learn them, opportunities existed.
The problem was that mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique required extraordinary talent.
After all, since Tobirama Senju created the technique, only Minato had ever truly perfected it.
That fact alone demonstrated its difficulty.
Could Menma learn it?
He didn't know.
But it was worth trying.
A technique capable of instantly changing positions across a battlefield was invaluable.
Whether for survival, pursuit, assassination, or strategic maneuvering, its usefulness was unquestionable.
The training schedule needs to change again…
Menma thought silently.
If he could successfully master the Flying Thunder God Technique
Even at a basic level
His combat power would increase dramatically.
Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
Combined with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The very thought made his blood stir.
"That's amazing, Menma!"
Karin smiled brightly.
The anxiety she had carried for days vanished instantly.
For her, Menma's success was worth celebrating more than anything else.
"Should we test it immediately?"
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Menma laughed.
"Not yet."
He shook his head.
"I still need time to adjust."
"The seal is gone, but that doesn't mean my body can instantly handle all of Kurama's chakra."
"Rushing things would be stupid."
Karin immediately nodded.
"You're right."
She scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"I got carried away."
Menma chuckled.
Then he looked toward the monitoring equipment nearby.
"Let's finish organizing today's data."
His expression became serious again.
"Especially the cellular activation results."
"We'll need complete records before moving on to the next stage."
"No problem!"
Karin nodded enthusiastically.
"I'll have everything organized by tomorrow."
Over the following days, neither Menma nor Karin left the laboratory.
Every result from the experiment was carefully analyzed.
Every observation was recorded.
Particular attention was devoted to the cellular activation data.
The information gathered from this trial was extremely valuable.
Future experiments would rely heavily upon these findings.
Although the Eight Trigrams Seal had been removed, one crucial question remained unanswered.
Could Menma truly withstand the full power of Kurama's chakra?
No one knew.
That uncertainty demanded caution.
Taking risks when necessary was one thing.
Acting recklessly was another.
As eager as Menma was to grow stronger, he refused to gamble with his life unnecessarily.
Several days later, after the preliminary analysis was completed, Menma finally left the laboratory.
They were no longer operating from one of Orochimaru's hidden facilities.
They were members of Takigakure now.
Both publicly and privately, they had responsibilities within the village.
Even if Shibuki never complained, Menma could not remain locked inside a laboratory forever.
More importantly, he intended to establish influence within Takigakure.
To accomplish that, he needed visibility.
He needed involvement.
And he needed authority.
Thus, after finishing the immediate research work, Menma headed toward the village administration district.
Unlike the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Takigakure did not possess a grand Kage building.
The administrative headquarters was a relatively modest structure that served as both government office and reception hall.
Surrounding buildings housed the various departments responsible for village operations.
The garrison headquarters was located in a two-story building beside the administrative center.
As Menma entered, several Taki shinobi immediately straightened.
"Lord Accelerator!"
One of the guards bowed respectfully.
The title had become common among Takigakure's shinobi.
After witnessing Menma's overwhelming strength firsthand, few dared to show anything but respect.
Menma responded with a small nod.
Without stopping, he crossed the hall and climbed the stairs to the second floor.
Inside the office sat the current commander of Takigakure's garrison forces.
Ajun.
One of Shibuki's most trusted subordinates.
"Ajun-san."
Menma greeted him politely.
Ajun immediately stood.
A welcoming smile appeared on his face.
"Accelerator-san."
He gestured toward a nearby seat.
"I thought Lord Shibuki gave you several more days to settle in."
"What brings you here today?"
Unlike ordinary villagers, Ajun possessed considerably more information.
He knew that Menma's arrival had been personally approved by the late elder Mizuno Satoru before his death.
That endorsement alone was enough to earn a degree of trust.
Still
Trust and caution were not mutually exclusive.
Menma was powerful.
Useful.
Potentially invaluable.
But he was also an outsider who had joined Takigakure halfway through his life.
And that fact ensured that, no matter how friendly Ajun appeared, a portion of his vigilance would remain firmly intact.
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