"Damn it!"
The moment Naruto Uzumaki grabbed him, Aburame Torune reacted and tried to pull away.
But the hand gripping him was like an iron clamp, making it impossible for him to break free.
Now, with his neck being choked and lifted up, his life was no longer in his own hands.
After using the Nine-Tails chakra to dispel the surrounding poisonous mist, Menma held Torune up to his eyes and asked indifferently.
"Speak. Who sent you to trick us?"
"If you tell the truth, I might spare your life."
Although he knew Danzo Shimura was behind it all, Menma still asked, feigning concern.
"Heh. Didn't the Ninja Academy teach you any ninja rules?"
Torune's face was full of disdain, showing no remorse for being captured.
"Bring it on, but I advise you to hurry. You'll miss your chance when the others arrive."
As Danzo's right-hand man, Torune wasn't worried about being in danger after being captured.
But while there was no real danger, it would give Hiruzen Sarutobi ammunition and an excuse to punish Danzo.
Besides, having failed his mission and been captured, he would have no face to look Danzo in the eye.
So he wanted to provoke Menma into killing him, to avoid causing trouble for Danzo later.
After death, the Tongue Calamity Seal on his tongue would destroy his head, leaving no evidence.
"You have guts. I like your kind of tough backbone."
As he spoke, the chakra fox tail behind Menma suddenly pierced through Torune's wrist.
"Ugh!"
A painful groan escaped Torune's lips as he coldly stared at Menma, a provocative smile playing on his lips.
Menma didn't hold back either, controlling the fox tail to stab three more times.
At the joints of Torune's hands and feet, gaping, bloody holes appeared.
If these injuries weren't treated with medical ninjutsu to stop the bleeding immediately, his limbs would be permanently useless.
Clearly, Torune understood his current situation.
His face turned deathly pale, his eyes filled with despair.
Even his shouts ceased; he lay there like a numb corpse, helplessly manipulated.
Menma didn't stop because of Torune's expression.
Instead, he seemed to become more interested, repeatedly poking holes in Torune's body with his fox tail.
In his mind, Naruto's anger had subsided considerably.
The notification of increasing Corruption Points from Menma had also disappeared.
[Current Corruption Points: 4800]
Looking at Torune's pitiful state outside, Naruto felt both admiration and pity.
"Menma, he's already in this state. He's received the punishment he deserves."
"Why don't we let him go?"
Naruto, after all, wasn't like Menma, whose personality was primarily driven by painful memories.
Therefore, he didn't possess as much malice, and even towards enemies, he showed compassion.
"Are you pleading for the enemy?"
Menma frowned, recalling scenes from the original story where Naruto repeatedly forgave and understood his enemies.
For some reason, he felt nauseous.
Seemingly sensing the suppressed anger in Menma's tone, Naruto quickly replied, "No, no, it's just that I don't think he deserves to die. The punishment he deserves is enough."
"Besides, he wasn't the culprit. He was just a ninja following orders."
"He risked his life to complete the mission, endured torture but never betrayed us. That's kind of cool!"
"I don't want you to become a cold-blooded killer, so let's hand him over to the village."
Naruto then brought up Menma's previous promise. "Besides, you promised me you wouldn't use my body to kill indiscriminately!"
"Hand him over to the village?"
Menma chuckled in exasperation.
He could already foresee what would happen.
They'd just handed him over to the village, and Danzo Shimura would have paid a price to take him away.
So all that fighting and dying was just to benefit Hiruzen Sarutobi?
"You don't recognize his attire, do you?"
"He's a Konoha ninja. Do you expect the village to punish him?"
Naruto nodded. "I trust the village. I trust the Third Hokage."
"Fuck you!"
Immersed in the moment, an unnamed rage filled his heart.
Menma cursed and said no more.
A pale red fox tail was aimed directly at Torune's throat.
Danzo would definitely be an enemy from now on; he had no habit of letting a tiger return to the mountain.
"Damn it, stop!"
"Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
As Menma made his move, a roar came from within the Forest of Death.
At the same time, a bunch of kunai and shuriken, along with a strange ball of spiritual energy, flew out.
Unfortunately, they were useless; the projectiles were blocked by the Nine-Tails Chakra Cloak formed from the Nine-Tails chakra.
The spiritual energy was easily dodged by Menma tilting his head.
Torune's throat was successfully pierced.
His eyes lost their light at a visible speed, and his limbs fell limply.
Naruto also recovered from the shock of being cursed.
He screamed in his mind.
"Menma, you killed him! You killed him!"
"You murderer! I don't want to give you my body! I hate you!"
"Get out of here! Give me back my body!"
[Trust Level: 10%]
A tremendous suction force suddenly arose, and Menma's consciousness teetered on the brink of collapse.
He struggled against it, barely managing to turn his head and leave a single sentence behind him.
"Those watching the show, my time is up."
The moment he finished speaking, the Nine-Tails chakra vanished without a trace.
Aburame Torune, who had been lifted up, also fell to the ground from mid-air.
Only Naruto remained standing there, his face filled with grief and regret.
Grief for Menma's cold-bloodedness and brutality.
Regret for not regaining control of his body sooner.
"Tsk tsk tsk. So you discovered me all along?"
"As expected of a personality that has mastered the power of the Nine-Tails. Truly impressive!"
A white-haired, dead-eyed figure wearing a mask leaped down from a tree, blocking Naruto's path.
He was holding a book titled "Make-Out Paradise" in his hand.
Even while speaking, his eyes remained fixed on the book's contents.
"Kakashi Hatake!"
The person from the Forest of Death revealed himself.
It was Yamanaka Fu, also one of Danzo's right-hand men.
A group of masked Root ninja followed behind him.
"That's enough for today. Take the bodies back yourselves."
Kakashi closed the book, looked up at the group ahead, and his eyes held a warning.
"Otherwise, I wouldn't mind letting a few more of you lie dead."
Yamanaka Fu, knowing Kakashi's strength, refrained from uttering any threats.
He waved for his men to lift Torune's body, then turned and left.
Behind him, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha joined Naruto.
After a few quiet words, the three looked warily at Kakashi.
"What a nuisance."
Kakashi sighed, his deadpan eyes filled with helplessness.
Who knew Danzo would be so quick and audacious?
They'd just finished arguing in the morning, and by noon he was already kidnapping someone.
However, seeing Naruto's alternate personality take action made it all worthwhile for Kakashi.
Just as the intelligence had predicted, he would fight whenever Naruto was in danger.
Although his methods were ruthless and his personality quite eccentric, he was a very effective protective shield.
He truly was Minato Namikaze's son, born extraordinary.
As for whether this alternate personality was the Nine-Tails' consciousness...
Kakashi had already secretly checked with his Sharingan; the Nine-Tails was still safely inside its seal.
It even glared at him for spying.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm your team leader, Kakashi Hatake."
"I know you don't believe me. Come with me now, and I'll take you to see Iruka Umino."