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Natural geographical advantages.
Excellent man-made fortifications.
And a mid-sized sensory barrier Menma had personally set up a month or two prior. Unless an invading force took a massive detour—swinging way south through the Land of Grass or far north through the Land of Iron into the Land of Earth—it was impossible to bypass this specific defensive line and penetrate the Hidden Waterfall's interior.
Otherwise, an army's advance would absolutely never escape the Waterfall's detection.
A surprise attack by a small, elite squad might be harder to spot, but their threat level would be limited. And if they were discovered, they would instantly find themselves trapped inside a Waterfall encirclement crafted by Menma. At that point, they wouldn't escape even if they sprouted wings.
Menma was highly confident in the defense system he had built.
Trailing behind Menma, Naruto looked around with genuine curiosity at the facilities and personnel they passed. At first, he just thought it was neat. But a moment later, reality crashed back down on him. He remembered that many of his own village's shinobi were stationed in a camp not far from here. A massive war was about to break out, and many people were going to die. Naruto's face paled, shifting rapidly through a spectrum of uneasy expressions.
Just as they stepped into Menma's personal, earth-walled quarters...
"Brother, I think..." Naruto started, trying to voice his thoughts.
"Think carefully before you open your mouth," Menma cut him off, stopping in his tracks and glaring at him coldly. "If you're just going to spout more pointless nonsense, don't blame me for being ruthless. Right now, I can still afford to give you a little room to breathe. But if you annoy me again, you'll be permanently locked in a sensory-deprivation cell. I'll make sure you never even get the chance to speak again!"
Before Menma even finished his threat, Naruto felt whatever courage he had instantly evaporate. Permanent solitary confinement? Where he couldn't even talk?
Just picturing it made Naruto shudder violently. He absolutely could not handle that. Besides, he needed to stick around, learn more about Menma, and find an angle to talk him down. If he got locked away in a dark box, who knew if he'd ever get another chance?
And Menma's expression made it glaringly obvious he wasn't bluffing. Naruto wasn't about to test him. He immediately shook his head frantically, like a rattle-drum.
Seeing Naruto submit, Menma's expression softened considerably. He walked over to a cabinet on the far left side of the room, opened it, and pulled out a heavy, dark-colored harness interlaced with chains. It featured five red indicator lights and was covered in various black sealing formulas.
Under Naruto's bewildered gaze, Menma walked back over. As he released the Adamantine Sealing Chains, he immediately strapped the heavy harness onto Naruto. The moment it clicked into place, Menma formed a hand seal and tapped the central red light.
Hum! A pulse of red light flashed. The black sealing formulas inscribed on the chains seemed to come alive. A second later, all five red lights blinked in unison.
"Seal!" Menma commanded sharply.
Naruto instantly felt his entire body turn incredibly heavy. The most terrifying part, however, was that his chakra flow completely vanished. It felt as though it had just been erased from existence.
"Huh? What is this thing? Why did my chakra disappear? Brother!?" Naruto asked, his face a picture of shock. He tried to raise his right hand instinctively and found it required significantly more effort than usual.
"It's a specialized sealing harness. The formulas etched into it restrict the wearer's chakra. Did you really think I'd just let you wander around freely?" Menma said flatly. "Also, this harness is forged from special chakra-conductive materials. It weighs eight hundred kilograms. Without my release formula, you're not taking it off. For the foreseeable future, you're wearing it. I'll also have someone watching you 24/7. If you manage to escape under these conditions, Naruto, I'll honestly be impressed."
Ever since taking control of the Hidden Waterfall, Menma had exhausted every possible avenue to strengthen the village, and technological innovation was a major part of that. He actively scavenged equipment and technology from other nations through black-market channels. He had to leverage his knowledge of the original plot wherever possible. This specific chakra-restricting harness was a piece of technology he'd acquired from the Land of Snow.
The captured Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii, was currently wearing the exact same harness. She was also locked in an ultra-secure, subterranean isolation cell guarded by elite shinobi, custom sealing formulas, and defensive barriers. Furthermore, she was kept perpetually unconscious using a combination of drugs and genjutsu.
Even though Matatabi had already agreed to Menma's terms, he wasn't taking any chances. Necessary precautions were still necessary. He had to ensure absolutely nothing went wrong.
It was worth noting that the sealing harness was just a side benefit. Menma's primary goal in contacting the Land of Snow had been to acquire something with immense tactical value shown in the original story: Chakra Armor.
Sure, the armor didn't do much for Kage-level combatants. But for lower- and mid-tier ninja—even up to the Jonin level—it provided a massive boost to combat effectiveness. You couldn't just magically spawn more shinobi out of thin air, so upgrading their equipment was the next best thing. Menma absolutely wasn't going to pass up something that could instantly double his army's strength.
The only issue was the exorbitant manufacturing cost. Currently, only a small fraction of the Waterfall's forces could be equipped with it. Otherwise, if he could outfit every single Waterfall shinobi with Chakra Armor, Menma would be confident enough to lead a frontal charge against the Leaf and Mist's combined eight-thousand-strong army. Saying their combat power would double was not an exaggeration.
"What? This thing seals chakra? And it weighs eight hundred kilos?! That's heavier than all of Bushy Brow's training weights combined..." Naruto stared in disbelief, his eyes wide.
"What did you expect, Naruto? Remember your place. You're a prisoner now," Menma said coldly.
"Oh," Naruto nodded, looking a little depressed.
Naruto might be dense, but he wasn't stupid. He could clearly see his brother genuinely didn't care about him, and that realization made his heart sting. Back in the Academy, and even after they were assigned to the same squad, they had gotten along relatively well. The sudden, drastic shift in Menma's attitude was a massive shock.
That was exactly why Naruto had always assumed Menma was just blinded by hatred. But now, it seemed that wasn't entirely true either. So why the massive change? Was it possible Menma just inherently hated him?
The thought popped into Naruto's head unbidden. He immediately shook it off, dismissing it as ridiculous. That's impossible, he comforted himself.
Step, step, step.
Just as the brothers finished this latest "bonding moment," the sound of approaching footsteps—one heavy, one light—echoed from the hallway.
"Lord Menma."
Two figures stepped into the room. It was Muku and Doran, whom Menma had summoned earlier. The moment they reached him, they dropped to one knee, bowing respectfully.
"Rise. No need for formalities," Menma said, waving a hand dismissively. "Did anything happen while I was gone? Have the Leaf or Mist made a move?"
Doran stood up and replied steadily, "No, Lord Menma. At present, the enemy forces haven't made any aggressive moves. Our frontline scouts report that both armies are currently establishing their camps. Based on their positions, the Leaf is setting up to the northeast, and the Mist is slightly further south. However, the distance between them is negligible—a ten-minute sprint at most."
"I see. That aligns with our projections," Menma nodded slightly. "Have we received any specific updates from Utakata or Shibuki-san?"
"No, sir. Everything is proceeding normally in their sectors."
"Excellent. Proceed according to the established plan. Doran, I'm leaving the outer perimeter defense entirely in your hands. Keep a close eye on logistics and pressure Fushimi. We cannot afford any vulnerabilities."
"Yes, Lord Menma!" Doran bowed his head deeply.
"Good. Dismissed."
"Sir!" After bowing once more, Doran turned and left the room. Aside from a brief glance when he first entered, he hadn't looked at Naruto once. Even if he recognized the blonde boy's identity, Menma hadn't offered an explanation, which meant Doran wasn't going to ask. The Waterfall shinobi knew the rules.
Once Doran was gone, Menma glanced at Naruto before turning to Muku, who remained standing calmly to the side. "Muku, you likely already recognize the idiot standing next to me. For the time being, unless explicitly ordered otherwise, you are to shadow him at all times. As long as he stays within the base, you don't need to restrict his movements. But if he tries anything suspicious, you have my full authorization to use whatever means necessary to stop him. Just ensure he doesn't die."
As the current contractor of the Box of Ultimate Bliss—and essentially a human vessel for Satori—Muku was perfectly suited for the job. Whether it was his terrifying combat power or Satori's unique ability to read emotional intent, he was the ideal warden. If Naruto somehow managed to escape through all these overlapping security measures, Menma would just accept the loss.
"Yes, Lord Menma. Please rest assured, I will keep a very close eye on Young Master Naruto," Muku replied with a polite bow and a pleasant smile, meeting Naruto's slightly terrified gaze.
Since Muku didn't know the exact nature of the brothers' relationship, he maintained a baseline level of respect. But Menma's orders were absolute. As long as the kid didn't die, it was fine, right? He didn't have much experience as a jailer, but he figured it couldn't be that hard to learn.
"Young Master Naruto, I look forward to spending time with you. Please try not to make my job difficult," Muku said, his smile never wavering.
Meeting Muku's seemingly harmless smile, Naruto unconsciously shivered. It felt as though the other boy was staring straight into his soul. Though this was their first meeting, and Muku looked perfectly friendly, every instinct in Naruto's body was screaming that this teenager was incredibly dangerous.
"Uh... yeah... nice to meet you too..." Naruto managed a stiff, awkward smile.
"Brother, I..." Naruto immediately turned back to Menma, wanting to try again.
"As long as you follow the rules I set, you have free reign of the base. Otherwise, you know exactly what will happen," Menma cut him off instantly, his face an emotionless mask. "Muku, assign a dedicated detail to watch him 24/7. I don't want a single mistake. Remember, I am not joking. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Lord Menma. Your will be done," Muku replied seriously.
"Go." Menma nodded.
"If you would please follow me, Young Master Naruto," Muku said, stepping aside and gesturing toward the door.
Naruto looked at Menma, clearly still wanting to talk, but eventually swallowed his words. He gave a silent nod and walked out.
Don't panic. Absolutely do not panic. This is only day one. I'll have plenty of chances, Naruto told himself silently.
Watching Naruto and Muku leave, a distinct gleam flashed in Menma's eyes.
Truthfully, keeping Naruto alive wasn't just about his own lingering reluctance to kill his brother, nor was it solely about honoring his parents' final wish. There was another, far more pragmatic reason.
The Naruto of this timeline was still the reincarnation of Asura's chakra. While Menma couldn't be one hundred percent certain yet, he highly doubted he was a reincarnate himself. Naruto definitely fit the bill.
It wasn't that Menma feared the Sage of Six Paths doing something to him. He refused to believe that Hagoromo Otsutsuki—a being with impure Otsutsuki blood who hadn't even achieved true immortality—possessed any real power from beyond the grave.
In his past life, many fans theorized that Naruto and Sasuke reaching Six Paths level—one manifesting Truth-Seeking Orbs and the other awakening a unique Rinnegan—was entirely due to the Sage's intervention.
To Menma, this was a logical fallacy. Was the Yin and Yang power granted by Hagoromo important? Unquestionably! Without it, they could never have matched Six Paths Madara, let alone perform the ultimate Planetary Devastation to seal Kaguya.
But that power wasn't the deciding factor! It was merely an important prerequisite.