Menma felt a sense of urgency far greater than Sasuke's.
Sasuke's brother wasn't actually going to hurt him, even if the brooding avenger didn't know that yet and was consumed by thoughts of revenge.
Menma's situation was different.
The Nine-Tails inside him was a massive, glowing target.
Whether it was the Hidden Leaf or the Akatsuki, everyone would be watching him like a hawk.
He needed the power to protect himself, and he needed it yesterday. Beyond that, he needed a solid plan and a clear goal.
He had spent the last few years solidifying the latter. He knew what he wanted to do.
It was the "power" part that was proving difficult.
Just being a "good student" at the Academy didn't exactly lead to explosive growth. Menma had worked hard, sure.
But in terms of raw personal strength, where did he stand? Maybe Chūnin level?
being the king of the playground among a bunch of kids was meaningless.
His future enemies were the people standing at the very apex of the ninja world.
And that wasn't even counting Black Zetsu hiding in the shadows, Obito, or Madara, who was currently biding his time in the Pure Land.
Oh, right.
And let's not forget the Rabbit Goddess, who had been on "standby mode" on the moon for a millennium.
Every single one of these enemies was more terrifying and absurd than the last.
How could Menma possibly relax?
He was desperate to graduate early, but his reasons were completely different from everyone else's.
Kurama, with my current physical constitution, how many tails of your chakra do you think I can handle?
Menma walked home with a calm expression on his face, but inside his mind, his spiritual avatar was standing before the giant fox, asking the question directly.
"Now? Hmph. At best, you'd cap out at three tails."
The Nine-Tails cracked an eye open, glanced sideways at Menma, and snorted with a tone of disdain.
Ever since that first meeting in early Year 55, Menma had made a habit of visiting his inner world over the last five or six years.
He would chat with the Nine-Tails, and over time, they developed a mutual understanding.
Of course, this also led to more questions.
Specifically for the Nine-Tails.
Kurama found Menma to be a complete enigma.
The kid didn't just know his name. He knew the names of the other eight Tailed Beasts. He knew about Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. He even dropped subtle hints about events from a thousand years ago.
That was enough to genuinely shake the ancient fox.
Menma certainly didn't tell Kurama everything he knew, nor did he reveal his "true identity" as a transmigrator.
He simply used this knowledge to send a message:
I am special.
Very special.
Special enough that even a Tailed Beast needs to look at me with respect.
After weighing his options, Menma decided this mysterious persona was the best way to gain Kurama's "trust."
And it worked.
Did Kurama truly accept Menma? Definitely not.
But Menma had infiltrated the fox's psychological defenses enough that the thousand-year-old demon had to take him seriously. Plus, the deal Menma offered—freedom and revenge—was genuinely tempting.
---
With all these factors combined, Menma and Kurama had established a unique relationship.
It was far earlier than in the original story, but Menma already had permission to borrow Kurama's power.
However, he hadn't used it once.
The reason was simple: he was still under surveillance. Even if Hiruzen wasn't watching him 24/7, the ANBU were always there.
Menma didn't want to reveal that he could control the Nine-Tails' power just yet.
In the original series, although it wasn't explicitly stated, it was implied that the ANBU surveillance was lifted after Naruto graduated.
After all, the team leader was Kakashi Hatake. If a situation arose that even Kakashi couldn't handle, a few ANBU agents wouldn't make a difference anyway. So, Hiruzen naturally reassigned them.
Barring any accidents, Menma would gain his true "freedom" after graduating next year.
Until then, he had to be patient.
Because he hadn't tested it, Menma couldn't accurately judge his body's limit for the Nine-Tails' chakra.
Leaving aside the fact that he and Kurama weren't perfectly synchronized yet, there were physical limits. What the body couldn't handle, it couldn't handle.
The power of a Tailed Beast wasn't exactly user-friendly.
Only three tails, huh? That's not quite enough, Menma thought, frowning internally.
Three tails of chakra should be enough to sweep through Jōnin-level opponents. But against a Kage-level threat? It would fall short.
Menma's baseline goal was to be able to handle four, maybe even five tails by the time the Chūnin Exams rolled around.
If he could do that, he would truly have the power to protect himself.
"Hmph. Don't get cocky. When I say 'three tails,' that's me being optimistic. You've never used my chakra before. Who knows how your body will adapt? If your consciousness gets corroded by the malice within the chakra... heh... even I won't be able to help you then."
Kurama raised an eyelid, looking at Menma with a look that suggested he found the boy troublesome.
Menma paused, then slowly nodded.
That was true.
Even without Kurama actively trying to take over, the corrosive nature of his chakra was extreme.
It wasn't just physical damage; the spiritual corrosion was the real danger.
One slip up, one moment of weakness against the negative emotions in the chakra, and Menma could lose himself completely.
Yeah, I get what you mean, Kurama. I'll be careful. But I really need to find a time to test your power soon.
Menma's voice was low and serious.
"Hmph. That's your problem. I'll only do what we agreed upon. Anything else? I'm not interested."
Kurama snorted again and laid his massive head back down on his paws.
Menma couldn't help but smile at the fox's duplicity. He was acting indifferent, but he had just given a genuine warning.
Menma didn't call him out on it.
Maintaining this kind of relationship was good enough for now.
Next up...
It's time for the main stage.
Menma turned his head to look at the Hokage Tower standing in the distance, a faint, sharp light flickering in his eyes.
---