Uzumaki Menma lay sprawled on the water's surface after being beaten, his mind reeling. This... this was supposed to be training?!
What kind of training turns someone into this kind of monster? Was this a joke?!
How the hell did you even train like that?
A hundred push-ups? A hundred sit-ups?
Why aren't you bald yet?!
Sensing the hostile thoughts coming from Uzumaki Menma, Kiyosuke looked down at him with eyes as cold as a corpse's and said,
"I get the feeling you're thinking something rude... but whatever. You won't have to think for long — I'm about to finish you off."
His face might've been identical to Naruto's, but that didn't mean Kiyosuke couldn't strike him down. Quite the opposite — he could, and if he wanted to kill him, he'd do it instantly.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Menma tore off his tattered cloak, revealing a muscular torso, and formed hand seals once again.
From the ground rose a flurry of orange-red sparks. Now, they surged toward Uzumaki Menma and slammed straight into him.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
An immense, feral chakra burst out from Menma's body. With a thunderous roar, the earth trembled as a gigantic Nine-Tailed Fox appeared beneath him.
"ROOOAAARRR!!!"
The dark crimson-furred Nine-Tails emerged, its nine tails lashing violently as the monstrous beast glared down at the minuscule Kiyosuke with bared fangs.
Standing atop the fox's head, Menma shouted,
"Let's see if you can handle this!"
He had released the Nine-Tails' seal and taken control of it, though he hadn't entered the full Nine-Tails Mode. Instead, he treated the fox as a summoned beast, maintaining a direct link so he wouldn't die from losing the tailed beast's chakra.
Naruto could do the same — but only if the Nine-Tails didn't go berserk and sever the connection. Normally, a jinchūriki would die upon losing their beast. Even with the Uzumaki bloodline's vitality, they could only last a little longer.
It was an incredibly risky method — something no one should attempt without first building a bond with the beast.
But Menma seemed to have pulled it off.
"Well, that's interesting. I've never tried beating up a jinchūriki and their beast together before."
Kiyosuke laughed, a purple tint appearing around his eyes as his pupils shifted into golden serpentine slits.
"Kid, let me teach you something — a tailed beast's power isn't everything. There's always someone stronger."
He clenched his fists, flames erupting from his body, illuminating half the sky as if it were daytime.
The fire coalesced into a towering giant, with Kiyosuke standing within it.
"Come on, Nine-Tails! You're only half a beast — you're no match for me!"
"Arrogant brat!"
Both the Nine-Tails beneath Menma's feet and the one sealed inside Naruto's belly let out a simultaneous snort.
The Nine-Tails lunged at the flaming giant, who met it head-on with a thunderous punch. The impact cracked the air itself, slamming into the fox's face with immense force.
The fist carried searing flames that ignited the fox's fur upon contact.
A physical strike... with magic damage attached.
No resistance? No defense? You're doomed!
"Damn it! Giant Rasengan Barrage!"
A massive Rasengan formed in Menma's hand and hurled forward. It smashed into the fire giant's chest, carving out a massive crater — but the flames quickly regenerated, sealing the hole shut.
"With this level of power, hurting me is nothing but a dream!" Kiyosuke declared.
He waved his hand, grabbed one of the Nine-Tails' tails, and flung the beast with terrifying strength.
BOOM!
The Nine-Tails slammed into a mountain, and Menma nearly lost his balance, sent tumbling through the air.
"What the hell is this monster...?" Menma couldn't recall Kiyosuke being this strong in any of his memories.
"Hey, hey, do we even need to stay here?" Deidara muttered, watching the monstrous brawl. "If he's this strong, why did the Hokage even hire us?"
"We're just here to complete the mission and get paid," Kakuzu said. "With Asakawa Kiyosuke being this powerful, we barely have to lift a finger. The Hokage gave us quite a hefty payment this time."
The Akatsuki hadn't made money this easily in years — might as well enjoy it.
"Retreat."
Pain issued the order, taking Sakura with him. Their mission had been to rescue her — nothing else. The Hokage hadn't paid them for any extras.
Want them to do more?
Sure — just pay up!
"ROOOAAARR!!!"
The Nine-Tails howled, forcing itself back to its feet. Its mouth opened, unleashing a barrage of Tailed Beast Bombs that detonated in rapid succession.
Yet none of that could stop the flaming giant's advance.
The giant sprinted forward, leapt high, and came crashing down atop the fox.
The sky trembled.
"ROAR!!!"
The Nine-Tails' fur ignited once again, its screams echoing through the battlefield as the flaming giant pummeled it mercilessly.
BAM!
The Nine-Tails vanished, retreating into Menma's body.
Screw this. Never again.
Not one of its attacks could even scratch that man — what was the point of fighting?
Who's the real tailed beast here, anyway?
In short — the Nine-Tails had been beaten into trauma.
Its pride shattered, its chakra and Tailed Beast Bombs useless, and now it had been slammed into the dirt.
Kiyosuke looked down from above, meeting Menma's eyes.
Menma staggered back a step, pulling out a kunai and preparing for a desperate final stand.
"I won't lose to you!"
He roared and charged forward.
The flaming giant flicked its finger — just once — and Menma was sent flying, crashing into a crater. The giant dissipated.
Kiyosuke walked over to the pit, crouched beside Menma, and lightly slapped his cheek.
"Hey, brat. Still planning to go dark side on me?"
But the unconscious Menma couldn't answer.
As his body lay there, his black hair gradually turned golden, his hairstyle now identical to Minato's — a perfect mirror of his father.
He lay still and silent.
Kiyosuke hoisted him over his shoulder and started walking toward Obito.
Rin had fled when the fight turned bad, and no one knew where she'd gone.
When Kiyosuke approached, Obito asked, "How did it go? Where to next?"
"To Konoha. We'll head back afterward."
"Got it."
Obito nodded and led the three of them away, back to Konoha.
They personally delivered the unconscious Uzumaki Menma to the Minato couple.
"This is your real son," Kiyosuke said. "I don't know exactly why he turned out like this — you'll have to ask him yourselves. But... I'm glad we could see each other again."
Kushina broke down in tears, clutching Menma tightly.
So the masked man who appeared a year ago... had been her own son all along? Why? Why had he strayed so far into darkness?
Minato's face darkened.
"Thank you, Kiyosuke. You too, Obito... and Naruto."
"No need to thank us," Naruto said, scratching his cheek awkwardly. "I'm just happy to see you both again!"