Two brothers, born on the exact same day.
Yet carrying entirely different destinies.
Menma didn't actually hate Naruto. He knew full well that everything he had suffered since arriving in this world had nothing to do with Naruto. His younger brother was just an innocent bystander who didn't know the truth.
His initial negative feelings toward Naruto were merely the normal emotional fluctuations and venting of a human being.
Losing emotional balance is a common human experience. Faced with the same situation and circumstances, an outsider can always analyze things with crystal clarity and comprehensively point out flaws with absolute logic and calm. But the moment you become the one trapped in the situation—the moment you become the one being "pointed at"—your mental state can violently destabilize.
In that moment, you might find yourself doing the exact same things you previously criticized, feeling the exact same—or perhaps even worse—negative emotions as the people you judged.
"Empathy"?
That was a hollow, arrogant concept.
If you haven't lived through the exact same experiences, how could you ever claim to truly understand someone else?
That wasn't kindness.
That was arrogance!
Do not urge others to be forgiving if you have not tasted their suffering.
That was the only truth.
Before coming to this world, Menma had just been an ordinary college student—a normal person with very little life experience. His mindset only began to shift after arriving here, slowly crystallizing as he finally understood the path he had to walk.
Because of this understanding, Menma could finally see clearly how he needed to handle his relationship with his brother.
"You already see the truth of everything, yet you're still this stubborn. Should I praise you, or mock you? My foolish little brother."
Menma stared coldly at the blonde boy standing a short distance away. His voice was completely devoid of emotion.
"Because never going back on my word... that's my ninja way! Brother, I don't care about what's right or wrong anymore. But I will stop you. Even if it costs my life! That is my resolve."
Naruto took a deep breath, forcing down the turbulent emotions in his chest. His posture became intensely calm.
That unnatural calm actually made Menma raise an eyebrow.
Perhaps it was the butterfly effect of Menma's existence, but the Naruto of this timeline had clearly matured much faster. This wasn't just about his strength as a ninja.
It was about his mindset.
His capacity.
He was far more grounded and steady than he should have been. It gave Menma a slight sense of dissonance.
"Heh. Is that so? Betting your life? Then let me see exactly how deep your resolve runs, Naruto!"
Menma took a heavy step forward, a razor-sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
The next second.
BOOM! A monstrous wave of chakra erupted outward. An icy, suffocating killing intent instantly saturated the space between them.
Seeing Menma's absolute, unyielding stance, the sorrow in Naruto's bright blue eyes deepened.
Right or wrong? Justice?
Discussing those things now was completely meaningless.
Naruto himself couldn't tell the difference anymore.
But the one thing he was certain of was his own heart.
His own obsession.
Inhale... Exhale. After a deep breath, he quickly reined in his emotions.
Within seconds, Naruto's face mirrored Menma's absolute resolve.
"Then let's settle everything right here, Brother!"
The next second, Naruto bit down hard on his thumb, drawing blood.
!? Just as Menma pushed off the ground, accelerating forward for a brutal strike—
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Naruto flashed through the hand signs and slammed his palm against the earth.
Poof! A thick cloud of white smoke erupted from nowhere.
Seeing this, Menma's eyes narrowed.
But as the wind scattered the smoke, the figures revealed weren't the massive, Kage-level warrior toads of Mount Myōboku that Menma had expected.
Instead, it was two tiny figures: Fukasaku and Shima, the Two Great Sage Toads of Mount Myōboku, second only to the Great Toad Sage himself.
Could it be? Seeing this, Menma's pupils shrank.
"Fukasaku-sama, Shima-sama. I'm counting on you."
"Right! Don't worry, little Naruto!"
The two elderly toads leaped up, landing securely on Naruto's left and right shoulders.
Clap! Both toads slammed their palms together.
Instantly, under the sweep of his sensory perception, Menma felt a massive, highly unique energy violently rushing from the surroundings and converging directly on Naruto.
Nature Energy! The realization hit Menma instantly.
In that exact moment, he felt Naruto's chakra signature explode exponentially.
Even without the Nine-Tails in this timeline, Naruto was still the reincarnation of Asura. He still inherited the Sage's body.
His baseline chakra reserves were already obscenely massive.
Now, he was drawing in Nature Energy, perfectly blending it to create Senjutsu Chakra.
Hummm! Vibrant orange pigmentation bloomed around Naruto's eyes. When his previously half-closed eyes snapped open...
They revealed pale yellow, horizontal, bar-shaped pupils.
A terrifying presence instantly expanded across the battlefield.
Sage Mode! The most perfect iteration of Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode.
And with the two Great Toad Sages fused to his shoulders, it was a Sage Mode that completely eliminated the need to worry about Nature Energy replenishment.
In this moment, Naruto's aura spiked to a level rivaling—perhaps even slightly suppressing—the Fourth Raikage.
"So that's how it is. Good. It wouldn't be any fun otherwise, Naruto!"
A look of ultimate coldness settled over Menma's features.
BOOM! Kurama!! With an internal roar, a mantle of crimson, bubbling chakra surged outward, coating Menma's body.
The moment it enveloped him, an icy, sinister aura of pure danger violently expanded in all directions. Facing that pressure head-on, Naruto's breath caught in his throat.
"Little Naruto, here he comes!" Fukasaku warned from the left shoulder, his eyes narrowing.
"Yeah, I know, Fukasaku-sama!" Naruto replied, his expression deadly serious.
Under the effects of Sage Mode, Naruto's sensory capabilities had doubled instantly. The movements that had been nearly impossible to track before were now crystal clear.
BOOM! Menma closed the distance in a flash.
!? Naruto immediately stepped into the attack.
Swish!
BAM! Crossing his arms, Naruto perfectly blocked Menma's heavy, downward strike.
A dull, thunderous crack echoed out as violent shockwaves rippled through the air. At point-blank range, they could clearly gauge the sheer weight of each other's strength.
Pale yellow toad eyes met crimson fox slits.
As their eyes locked...
Crackle! Menma sneered coldly.
RUMBLE! As Menma unleashed even more Nine-Tails chakra, the violent, suffocating aura crashing into Naruto made the blonde boy's face turn impossibly grim.
He kept changing. Every single time.
Naruto finally understood what it meant to be a Jinchuriki, but Menma's growth rate was far beyond the scope of normal human comprehension.
Ever since the Valley of the End, and again after their meeting in the Land of Spring, Naruto had clearly realized that every time they met, Menma's strength had leaped forward so drastically it was like fighting a completely different person.
In his recent battle, Menma had defeated the Fourth Raikage head-on. Naruto didn't know exactly how strong the Raikage was, but he had heard the legends. This was a man who had fought his father, the Fourth Hokage, to a standstill and earned his respect.
That alone proved Menma's strength had reached an absurd height.
Naruto might be as naive as a hot-blooded idiot, but he wasn't actually brain-damaged.
The only reason he had dared to come meet Menma alone was the Sage Mode he had just recently mastered.
Just like in the original story, learning this overpowered, game-breaking ability in record time had triggered a fundamental evolution in Naruto's strength.
And unlike in the original story, he didn't even have to worry about the time limit. With Fukasaku and Shima assisting him, as long as Naruto didn't drain his own baseline chakra, his Sage Mode could be sustained indefinitely.
"Haaah!"
Naruto let out a deep shout, forcefully shoving his arms upward, unleashing a massive burst of physical power.
!? Feeling the sheer kinetic force rebounding against him, Menma's expression sharpened.
Swish!
Swish!
BAM!
RUMBLE! The golden and crimson blurs crossed paths violently.
Flashing through the sky and tearing across the earth, the two brothers traded vicious, high-speed blows. The shockwaves generated from their collisions created a zone of absolute destruction that no ordinary shinobi would dare approach.
Speed pushed to the absolute limit.
In their initial clash, Menma had already drawn on more than half of the Nine-Tails' raw chakra. Yet, in both strength and speed, Sage Mode Naruto was able to react perfectly. More importantly, the two toad sages on his shoulders perfectly compensated for the massive gap in combat experience and technique between the two brothers.
Any tiny opening Naruto accidentally left exposed...
The two old toads instantly covered it.
BAM!!! With perfectly coordinated offense and defense...
For a brief moment... Naruto was actually fighting Menma to a standstill.
At least, that's how it looked on the surface. Naruto was reacting to almost every one of Menma's strikes, and with the toads' support, he was even finding the right moments to launch counterattacks.
Crash!! After another violently contested clash...
Swish! Menma leaped backward, creating distance. Watching Naruto, whose aura seemed to still be steadily climbing, a rare look of genuine seriousness flashed in Menma's eyes.
He had mastered Sage Mode over a full year earlier than in the original timeline. Yet, it was still a perfect Sage Mode.
More importantly, he was able to synchronize with the two old Myōboku toads flawlessly, fighting without the slightest hint of clumsiness or hesitation.
It was an display of ultimate talent!
His unparalleled compatibility for Senjutsu training.
Combined with the absolute resolve forged in Naruto's heart after their meeting in the Land of Spring.
When fused together, it unlocked a terrifying potential!
Right now!
Even though this was his first time using Sage Mode in real combat, he was already fighting at the absolute peak of his current capabilities.
He might not be quite as strong as he was when he fought Pain in the original story, and he was still a small step away from the Super Kage tier.
But the combat power Naruto was displaying right now was absolutely at the very pinnacle of the Kage tier.
Is this the so-called protagonist halo? Then let me shatter it with my own hands! Menma's face turned icy cold. He slammed his palms together.
RUMBLE! A chakra aura far more oppressive and terrifying than before violently erupted from him.
Hummm! Even the earth itself seemed to tremble.
A brilliant, blinding crimson light flared outward, instantly coating his body.
Fwoosh!!! Layer upon layer of unique, glowing energy wrapped around him. Menma stopped holding back and instantly entered the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
The roaring shockwave and the sheer, deafening presence it commanded swept the battlefield.
"What is that!?"
This was a Jinchuriki form that no one had ever seen before.
Even Fukasaku and Shima—ancient toads who had lived for centuries and seen almost everything—couldn't identify it.
They could only judge by the overwhelming spike in raw power. They realized instantly that Menma had just escalated to an ultimately dangerous level.
"Old man, what kind of form is this? The chakra definitely belongs to the Nine-Tails, but can a Jinchuriki even take a form like this?" Shima asked from the right shoulder, her voice laced with shock.
"I... I don't know. Historically, Jinchuriki transformations have always followed three distinct stages. I've never seen anything like this form of Menma Uzumaki's. Could it be a trait unique to the Nine-Tails? But judging by the sheer intensity of his chakra... even little Jiraiya in Sage Mode couldn't match Menma right now!" Fukasaku replied, his face incredibly grim.
"Little Naruto, you need to be extremely careful. Your brother just became exponentially more terrifying than he was a second ago!"
"Yeah. I know, Fukasaku-sama."
Naruto took a deep breath, every muscle in his body pulling taut. His eyes locked onto his target, his focus absolute. The pale golden glow in his pupils grew even brighter.
Their auras clashed invisibly in the air between them.
Swish! The next second, Menma blurred into the air above Naruto.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! He rapidly hurled over a dozen kunai downward.
"Ninja Art: Kunai Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A derivative technique adapted from the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Fueled by his surging chakra...
In an instant...
The dozen kunai in the air multiplied into thousands of identical copies, raining down in a massive, unavoidable barrage aimed straight at Naruto's position.