"What do you want from me?"
Uzumaki Menma glanced at Kyūsei and spoke casually.
"The Dragon Vein plan we discussed before."
"Do you remember it?"
Kyūsei didn't waste time with small talk.
This was his leverage.
From Menma's excited reaction last time, Kyūsei already knew—
The Dragon Vein plan appealed to him immensely.
For someone as ambitious as Menma, it was irresistible.
What did endless parallel worlds represent?
Endless resources?
Endless counterparts?
No.
It meant endless power.
Menma's dream wasn't to destroy the world.
He wanted to rule it.
Destroying it would give him nothing.
Kyūsei admitted that Menma's ambition—world domination—was cliché.
Compared to villains in other stories, it was almost laughably simple.
But it was also practical.
Yes, Menma was violent and unstable.
But if someone could keep him in check—
He would become the perfect ally.
And who could control him?
Only one person.
The playboy Uchiha Sasuke.
Strangely enough, Sasuke was able to calm Menma down.
Perhaps it was the strange bond between them.
Just like Naruto and Sasuke in the original story.
Sasuke, who usually had no patience for anyone, showed unexpected tolerance toward Naruto.
"What are you saying…?"
The moment Menma heard "Dragon Vein plan," he lit up.
He shot to his feet.
His eyes burned with naked ambition.
"Yes."
"Kaoru and I talked about it."
"The plan is highly feasible."
Kyūsei watched him calmly.
"What about that woman, Kushina?"
Menma immediately thought of the person who had opposed the plan before.
"You should call her Mom."
Kyūsei corrected him.
"Tch. Fine."
"What about my mom then?"
Menma said irritably.
"She isn't the Hokage."
"She can't interfere with my decisions."
Kyūsei sighed inwardly.
Sorry, Kushina.
But this wasn't just Menma's curiosity.
Kyūsei himself also wanted to see what lay beyond.
He wanted to see the multiverse of Konoha.
And he wanted to experience the satisfaction of building such a massive system with his own hands.
"You're not Hokage either."
"Neither is Namikaze Kaoru ."
"So why do you two get to decide?"
Menma smirked.
"Kaoru has already been designated the Fourth Hokage."
"The old Third Hokage is getting too old."
"In three years at most, Kaoru will become Hokage."
"By then, this Konoha will become our backing."
"No worries at all."
Menma stared at Kyūsei.
Then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"Not bad!"
"I didn't expect you two to plan this far ahead!"
"I'm actually impressed!"
"So what's step one?"
Kyūsei sighed slightly at Menma's manic energy.
"For now, the Dragon Vein in this world is controlled by Akatsuki."
"They ambushed Kaoru and me."
"My teacher Hatake Sakumo died because of it."
"Kaoru was seriously injured. She's still in the hospital."
"So we'll wait until she recovers."
"And until she masters a new power."
"Then we attack Akatsuki in one strike."
"And take the Dragon Vein."
Menma's expression became serious.
He might be arrogant—
But he wasn't stupid.
If enemies could push Kyūsei and Kaoru that far…
They were clearly formidable.
No wonder Kyūsei came to him.
Probably needed his strength.
"You don't need to worry."
"Kaoru and I already discussed this."
"If I'm just using your power…"
"The moment your seal is released, you're free to leave."
"With your strength, even if you can't defeat us—"
"You can still escape."
Kyūsei said calmly.
Menma snorted.
"I don't need you to remind me."
Then he waved dismissively.
"Anything else?"
"If not, get out."
"I still need to read."
Kyūsei sighed and left.
—
When Kyūsei returned to the hospital, Kaoru 's room was no longer just occupied by Jiraiya and Kushina.
Orochimaru was there too.
"Paper Release is a secret technique combining Water Release and Earth Release."
"Earth provides structure."
"Water provides flexibility."
"When combined correctly, you can create paper."
Jiraiya stood beside a makeshift desk made from two bedside cabinets.
He was drawing diagrams on a draft sheet.
Kaoru sat cross-legged on the hospital bed in her patient clothes, listening intently.
Kushina and Orochimaru stood nearby, watching carefully.
Orochimaru needed no explanation.
He was a jutsu genius.
As for Kushina—
She had independently created Thunder God of Might, a technique similar to Otsutsuki Kinshiki's abilities.
So her understanding of ninjutsu development was also impressive.
"Not bad."
"In that case you'll need to master Water Release nature transformation."
Kushina commented.
"And the Earth Release nature transformation and shape transformation."
Orochimaru added.
"Water Release modifies the shape transformation of Earth Release."
"So Earth should make up most of the chakra."
"We can start with a 1:9 ratio."
"Mm!"
Kaoru nodded enthusiastically.
"I already learned Water and Earth nature transformations."
"I just need to learn Earth Release shape transformation."
"I'll need some time."
Orochimaru frowned slightly.
"How long?"
"Three days."
Kaoru answered confidently.
"Three days?"
Orochimaru looked surprised.
He knew Kaoru was talented.
But learning shape transformation in three days was bold.
"Well…"
"If you're that confident, Paper Release shouldn't take long to develop."
Orochimaru smiled.
"For the later stages—"
"Adding Fire Release and Wind Release to Paper Release—"
"You should call the old man."
"He's best at combination techniques."
Jiraiya suggested.
Watching this scene—
Kyūsei began to suspect something.
He didn't feel like he had walked into a hospital room.
It felt more like a ninjutsu research conference.
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