"The Rinnegan, the Rinne Tensei no Jutsu (Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique)!?"
Upon hearing Menma's words...
A look of gloom visible to the naked eye appeared on the Nine-Tails' face. As an ancient relic who had lived for thousands of years, and the Sage of Six Paths' most favored "eldest son," the Nine-Tails naturally had access to a lot of intelligence.
"Yes, that pair of Rinnegan is the backup plan Madara Uchiha prepared for himself. Kurama, you don't want to return to those days of being controlled by that guy, do you? Not to mention, this Madara Uchiha's intentions are not limited to just that!"
Menma looked up at the Nine-Tails, speaking with a faint smile on his face.
There was no need for Black Zetsu, the true mastermind behind the scenes, to appear, nor was there a need to mention the Ten-Tails, the terrifying existence that would truly erase the consciousness of the nine Tailed Beasts. Just mentioning Madara Uchiha alone was enough to ignite the anger in the Nine-Tails' heart.
Those days of being contracted and summoned by Madara Uchiha, and then driven easily, were absolutely the period the Nine-Tails was most unwilling to return to and resented the most.
That was the time when he truly had no freedom of his own.
Even his own consciousness had to be dominated by those detestable Mangekyo Sharingan eyes. It would be strange if the Nine-Tails could accept that!
"Rinnegan, resurrection, and wanting to collect us existences... Could it be..."
A sharp look flowed in the Nine-Tails' fox eyes.
Words left unfinished.
"That's right, it's exactly that 'could it be' you're thinking of, Kurama!"
Menma chuckled lightly, picking up the conversation.
The meaning revealed was blatant.
"You actually really know this information, kid. This old man is increasingly doubting your identity!"
The Nine-Tails' massive fox eyes contracted abruptly, almost anthropomorphically, then stared intently at Menma, speaking in an extremely low tone.
As everyone knows, Tailed Beasts are immortal and indestructible.
Even if the Jinchuriki dies, taking the Tailed Beast with them to "disappear," it's merely a matter of time.
The essence of a Tailed Beast is a collection of chakra. After disappearing for a period, they will re-coalesce and revive somewhere in the ninja world. Isobu, the Three-Tails in the original story, is the best proof. The sudden death of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, meant the Hidden Mist didn't have time to transfer the Three-Tails.
This Tailed Beast disappeared along with Yagura, only to revive at the bottom of a massive lake somewhere in the Land of Water some time later.
Such examples had happened several times in the past.
Therefore, in the eyes of almost everyone in the ninja world, Tailed Beasts were immortal existences.
But the Tailed Beasts themselves knew very well.
They were not truly indestructible in the strictest sense.
Knowing clearly that they were split from the Ten-Tails, the nine Tailed Beasts understood distinctly that the revival of the Ten-Tails meant their death.
Returning to the Ten-Tails and having their consciousness erased—wasn't this a form of death!?
This was also the point the Tailed Beasts feared most.
And now, Menma laid this out nakedly in front of the Nine-Tails.
Although the Nine-Tails had somewhat anticipated this before, seeing Menma actually knowing all this confirmed, he couldn't help but have an extremely absurd thought surface in his heart.
Could Menma really be the reincarnation of that old man!?
Or perhaps the old man's brother with the white eyes!?
Having witnessed the chakra reincarnations of the old man's two sons, Asura and Indra, continuously over time, the Nine-Tails had good reason to doubt Menma's identity.
After all, in the eyes of the Nine-Tails, or rather all Tailed Beasts, their old man was an omnipotent existence. A mere reincarnation operation was no problem at all!
It's just that this personality... didn't seem to match.
By the way, what was the old man's personality like again?
In this moment, the Nine-Tails seemed to frown anthropomorphically, his brain constantly recalling the experiences of getting along with the old man in the past.
"Heh, don't overthink it, Kurama. My identity isn't as complicated as you imagine. Let nature take its course; you'll know eventually."
Menma chuckled lightly.
"Hmph!"
Seeing Menma still unwilling to answer...
The Nine-Tails couldn't help but snort again. But the more Menma acted like this, the more certain the Nine-Tails became that Menma's identity had at least a close relationship with the old man.
And precisely because of this...
The Nine-Tails chose to trust and help Menma even more.
Hagoromo Otsutsuki.
This existence called "old man" by the Nine-Tails was like a biological father to the nine Tailed Beasts.
A father they loved and respected immensely.
If it could really be confirmed that Menma was the reincarnation of the old man or an existence closely related, the Nine-Tails would absolutely do everything to help Menma.
He always remembered the last words left by the Sage of Six Paths before his death.
That one day in the future, they, the Tailed Beasts, would meet a truly correct person. And now, evidently, the Nine-Tails had identified Menma as that correct person.
"Alright, that's it for today. Kurama, get ready too. Later, I'll find a time to test how strong half the chakra of you in your prime really is!"
Menma smiled and waved his hand. After saying this...
Buzz!
That spiritual figure quickly became illusory.
In less than a second...
Menma disappeared from the spot.
"Menma Uzumaki? Heh, Old Man, I think this must be the destiny you spoke of!"
Looking at the spot where Menma had stood...
A rare faint smile appeared in the Nine-Tails' fox eyes.
A thousand years!
A full thousand years!
This was also a long-lost palpitation of the heart for the Nine-Tails after a millennium.
A major problem solved in one go.
When Menma slowly opened his eyes and returned to the real world, the corners of his mouth curled up wildly, revealing an obvious smile.
"Menma? Did it succeed?"
No words were needed.
Just seeing Menma's expression...
Karin could get a clear answer, but she still asked subconsciously, as if for insurance.
"Mhm, everything went very smoothly!"
Menma smiled simultaneously, sitting up while nodding gently in response.
And it went much smoother than expected.
Especially with his father's cooperation, Menma gained far more than imagined. Not only did he successfully unlock the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style, allowing him to use the Nine-Tails' chakra more freely in the future, but he also obtained the core formulas of many forbidden and secret jutsu from Minato, such as the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Reaper Death Seal.
Whether he could learn and master them smoothly was another matter, but at least he had a higher starting point and a more convenient shortcut.
Why Minato didn't do this in the original story is also easy to understand.
Not only because Naruto didn't make a similar request, but more importantly, the things Minato knew were recorded in the Leaf. Including the most important Flying Thunder God Technique; Minato's own cultivation insights were left in the Scroll of Seals.
Naruto in the original story didn't defect and later became a solid hero of the Leaf. He had plenty of opportunities and channels to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique; there was no need to go through Minato. Naruto not mastering this jutsu in the original story was likely just because he simply couldn't learn it. It couldn't be that Naruto felt it was useless and unwilling to learn it, right?
In fact, this is very reasonable. Since the Second Hokage created the Flying Thunder God Technique, in decades, only Minato learned it and brought it to great heights, which is enough to prove the profoundness of this jutsu.
Menma didn't know if he could learn it smoothly.
But necessary effort was absolutely required.
Whether for saving his life or seeking enemies, this thing was first-class useful.
The focus of the next training plan needs to be modified again.
Menma thought secretly in his heart.
If he really couldn't learn it, that was another matter. But as long as there was a chance, at this stage, prioritizing learning the Flying Thunder God Technique—even at the most elementary stage—would be enough to raise Menma's combat power by a notch!
Nine-Tails Chakra Mode + Flying Thunder God Technique.
How strong would that be?
Menma was already somewhat impatient.
"That's great! Congratulations, Menma!"
Seeing Menma nod in answer, Karin's small face filled with joy, sweeping away all previous worries.
For Karin, Menma's success was her success.
"Then do you want to try it now? Menma?"
Karin looked at Menma with sparkling eyes, seeming even more expectant than Menma.
"Heh, no need to rush that much. I still need to adjust now. It's unclear if I can perfectly withstand all of the Nine-Tails' chakra. Can't be too hasty. Besides, this isn't a suitable place."
Looking at Karin's expression, which was simply more excited than his own...
Menma couldn't help but laugh dumbly.
"Oh, right. I was a bit impatient."
Hearing this, Karin reacted and smiled somewhat bashfully.
"Heh, let's stop here for today. Clean up, then summarize the data, especially regarding cell activation. We can have further tests."
Menma stepped down from the experiment table, put his shirt back on, walked to the side of the instruments, looked at the data emerging inside, and said to Karin.
"Mhm, no problem. Don't worry, Menma. I will definitely organize the latest data for you before tomorrow!"
Karin nodded heavily in response.
For the next two or three days...
Menma and Karin stayed in this laboratory without going out.
Systematically organizing and summarizing the data from this experiment.
Preparing corresponding reference data in advance for the next test.
Especially involving the issue of cell activation.
This experiment had significant practical meaning and function; it had to be done as meticulously as possible.
Even though the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style restricting the Nine-Tails was completely broken...
Whether Menma could withstand the total chakra amount of this half of the Nine-Tails remained an unknown. It was best to be safe. No matter how tight time was, there could be no compromise or relaxation in this aspect.
When it was time to take risks, naturally he would take risks.
But where he could be meticulous, he couldn't relax either.
Of course, this experiment at the current stage was temporarily halted at data summarization. Further testing would have to wait for subsequent comparative experimental results. Another reason was that they were no longer staying at Orochimaru's base.
But were members of the Hidden Waterfall Village.
Reasonably speaking, publicly and privately...
Menma and Karin couldn't stay in the laboratory forever. Even if Shibuki didn't mind, they couldn't do this.
Not to mention Menma was bent on seizing power in this ninja village, so it was very necessary to appear frequently within the ninja village and participate in a series of village affairs.
Therefore, after staying in the laboratory for a few more days...
Menma cleaned up and headed toward the administration hall.
It is worth mentioning that Menma's current identity in the Hidden Waterfall Village was a Jonin in the Defense Squad, responsible for daily security tasks in the village—not the main person in charge, but a deputy. The leader of the Defense Squad was Shibuki's most trusted and capable subordinate—Jun.
Karin, by her own wish, was assigned to the village's Medical Squad.
Both still had their own jobs.
Of course, today was only the first day Menma formally entered his post. The previous days were considered transition time for settling in.
Unlike the Five Great Ninja Villages, which all had their iconic "Kage Buildings," the Hidden Waterfall Village didn't have the conditions to build overly luxurious buildings. The administration hall was where generations of leaders handled government affairs and received foreign guests; the back was office space, and the front was a reception hall.
The series of buildings established around the administration hall were almost all office locations for various important departments in the village.
The Defense Squad was located in a two-story building to the left of the administration hall.
Menma, still wearing the appearance of the young man from before, stepped into this building.
"Lord Accelerator!"
A Waterfall ninja responsible for security at the very front immediately lowered his head and greeted.
This was a Waterfall ninja who had witnessed Menma's crushing stance a while ago. Plus, Menma's current status and identity far exceeded ordinary Waterfall ninja, so these ordinary Waterfall ninja naturally had to salute when they saw Menma.
Menma also smiled and nodded in response.
Crossing the hall directly, he went up the stairs to the second floor.
"Jun-san."
The person sitting in the main seat was the squad leader commanding three to four hundred defense troops of the Hidden Waterfall Village—Jun.
"Oh! It's Accelerator-san. Didn't the Leader arrange a few more days for Accelerator-san to settle in? Why come over today?"
Seeing Menma's figure...
Jun stood up from his seat immediately, looking at Menma with a smile as well.
Regarding the "Accelerator" disguised by Menma joining the Hidden Waterfall Village...
Jun wasn't particularly hostile or suspicious.
Unlike other Waterfall ninja, as Shibuki's absolute confidant, he could naturally access more content. Except for Menma's true identity, Jun knew everything else, including the endorsement act by the late Elder Mizuno Satoru for Menma's joining. Based on this, Jun had a certain degree of trust in Menma.
But definitely not much.
After all, Menma was ultimately an outsider.
An outsider who joined halfway.