"H-He's the Nine-Tails…!" Aburame Torune's shout echoed through the training grounds.
The voice was loud enough that Sasuke Uchiha, checking on Sakura Haruno's injuries from a distance, heard every word clearly.
"The Nine-Tails broke free of its seal?"
"Was that Naruto Uzumaki just now… was it the Nine-Tails' consciousness?"
Sasuke Uchiha's face filled with astonishment, but a hint of relief shone in his eyes. If Naruto Uzumaki, who previously used the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, was someone Sasuke Uchiha could catch up to with a little effort, then Menma standing before him now—overwhelming Aburame Torune like a demon god—was a wall he had to look up to.
Therefore, he was somewhat relieved, Sasuke Uchiha thought, a faint, unconscious smile touching his lips. Relieved that this powerful Naruto Uzumaki wasn't Naruto Uzumaki himself. It was just the Nine-Tails acting as a substitute!
"Ouch, that hurts…"
Sakura Haruno, after Sasuke Uchiha had given her injuries a quick treatment, woke up. Opening her eyes, she saw Sasuke smiling.
Suddenly, she cried out in surprise.
"Sasuke! Did you save me?! How is that enemy disguised as a teacher?"
Hearing Sakura Haruno's voice, Sasuke immediately wiped the smile from his lips.
"Shh, don't shout!" He put a finger to his lips, then pointed forward. "It wasn't me who saved you. It was… Naruto Uzumaki."
Following his finger, Sakura saw a scene that shocked her.
Aburame Torune, who had just delivered a fatal blow to her, was now wounded and dodging Menma's attacks. And Naruto Uzumaki… he was completely devoid of his usual optimism. Although he wore a smile, his eyes were devoid of warmth, filled only with coldness and brutality.
An ominous, malevolent aura emanated from his red chakra, sending chills down Sakura Haruno's spine.
That's Naruto Uzumaki?!
What's wrong with him? Why is he so strong… so scary?
If this was the Naruto Uzumaki who stole her first kiss this afternoon, Sakura wouldn't dare punch him hard enough to raise bumps on his head, nor would she dare fight back.
And strangely… Sakura Haruno blushed. This scary Naruto Uzumaki looks kind of handsome.
The thought barely formed before she quickly banished it.
Maybe it's because he's as cold as Sasuke. Yes, that must be it!
"N-nothing!" Sakura Haruno stammered as Sasuke frowned at her outburst. "Look over there, Naruto Uzumaki's moving again!"
Sasuke didn't press further, refocusing his gaze on the battlefield.
Ahead, Menma picked at his ear, looking utterly bored.
"Hearing someone call me the Nine-Tails' Menma is so boring. Can't you come up with something else? Like, am I the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze? Or the consciousness of a previous jinchuriki?"
Aburame Torune paused, his mind racing.
Perhaps this personality was the chakra left behind by Minato Namikaze or Kushina Uzumaki, all to protect their only descendant. But the theory fell apart quickly. The person before him relied solely on taijutsu and Nine-Tails chakra. If it were truly Minato Namikaze or Kushina Uzumaki, he'd be facing the Flying Thunder God Technique or an Uzumaki sealing method!
"Damn Nine-Tails, you're cunning!" Aburame Torune snarled. "I almost fell for it."
"You talked so much during the battle but didn't kill me directly. That means the power you can currently use—based on what I've seen—is limited to a single tail's worth of chakra."
"You're bluffing. Stalling for time, waiting for reinforcements from the Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's direct Anbu."
The more Torune spoke, the more convinced he became. The fear on his face subsided, replaced by composure.
Looking back carefully, he realized he'd been injured by a surprise attack. Terrified by the Nine-Tails' aura, he'd only clashed in taijutsu and hadn't used any ninjutsu at all. And he wasn't a taijutsu specialist; his strength lay entirely in ninjutsu!
"I'm stalling for time?"
Menma laughed at the accusation. Someone he'd injured with a single blow dared to underestimate him.
"You're very confident. I wonder how long that confidence will last."
The moment the words left his lips, the ground beneath Menma's feet cracked. He vanished, reappearing instantly in front of Aburame Torune, his red chakra tail slashing down.
Torune was prepared. He bit the glove on his hand, ripping it off to reveal vibrant purple skin. Both hands reached up to grasp the descending fox tail.
Sizzle! Sizzle!
The instant the tail touched his hands, a sizzling sound rang out. The pale red chakra instantly turned purple, forming toxic spots.
"Poisonous insects. Nanosized bugs I cultivate—a ninjutsu I'm very proud of," Torune said, his expression calm but his voice arrogant. "What do you think?"
As Danzo Shimura's right-hand man, his ninjutsu gave even Kage-level ninjas a headache. Encountering them meant death or crippling injury.
"Nothing special," Menma chuckled, retracting his pale red tail. "Just some insects I could crush with a flick of my wrist."
The purple spots on the tail faded at a visible speed.
He wasn't Naruto Uzumaki borrowing the Nine-Tails' power; this was his own unrestricted chakra. When it covered his entire body, he was essentially a chakra aggregate. As long as his reserves weren't depleted, he wouldn't be harmed even if he bathed in these poisonous insects.
Torune had simply been unlucky to encounter him.
"I hope you won't blame me for crippling the jinchuriki later," Torune said coldly. He raised his hands to his mouth, cheeks puffed out. "Poison Dust Technique!"
He exhaled a massive cloud of purple mist, enveloping Menma.
Menma neither dodged nor evaded. He took a step forward, deliberately walking into the poisonous haze.
"Courting death!" Torune's eyes hardened. He blew out even more mist.
Half a minute passed. Menma, coated in purple, still walked freely with a smile on his face.
"That it?" Menma shook his head in disappointment.
Torune's expression twisted into ferocity as he continued to exhale poison.
"Impossible! Even with chakra blocking the way, my insects should penetrate deep into your skin and bones! What have you done?! Why aren't you dead yet?"
His signature technique had no effect. The arrogance that had filled him moments ago vanished, replaced by shame and anger.
"I'm not dead," Menma said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous growl. "But you're almost."
Menma had been pacing through the mist, using Torune's distraction. He stood before the Root agent now.
With a swift movement, he grabbed Torune's arm.
At the same time, a hand extended from the Nine-Tails chakra enveloping him, gripping Torune's neck and lifting him into the air.
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