The next day, on the same training ground, Naruto and Tobirama stood in the center, tension radiating off them in waves. Beneath their feet, dense black barrier runes spread outward in intricate patterns. At the outer edge, a full barrier team held massive scrolls, maintaining the perimeter.
Tsunade and Jiraiya watched from behind the team, their eyes sharp and monitoring every movement. Surrounding them, a cordon of Anbu stood guard, ensuring absolute silence and security.
With everything in place, Yamanaka Inoichi stepped forward. He was acting as the barrier team leader for this operation.
"Second Hokage, we're ready."
Naruto swallowed hard, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Tobirama placed a steadying hand on his shoulder.
"Relax, Naruto. It'll be over soon," Tobirama said, his voice calm despite the gravity of the situation. "Remember, don't resist Inoichi's technique. Clear your mind and consciousness."
"Right!" Naruto nodded firmly, though his knuckles were white.
Tobirama turned to Inoichi. "Proceed, Captain."
"Understood." Inoichi bowed slightly, then placed his hands on Naruto's forehead and Tobirama's simultaneously.
Yin Release chakra flared as the Yamanaka Clan's secret technique activated. At the same moment, Tobirama formed seals before his chest, channeling his own chakra into the barrier network. The runes at their feet glowed with a pale light.
A moment later, a translucent, pale-blue figure—Tobirama's soul—drifted from his physical body, following the chakra bridge created by Inoichi's technique into Naruto's mind.
This was Tobirama's method: using the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu as a bridge, combined with a modified Spirit Transformation Technique to allow his soul to enter Naruto's consciousness directly without the usual risks of possession or chakra drain.
Inside the sealed mindscape—
Menma watched the intrusion with an amused smile. "So this is how you plan to handle me? Expected nothing less from the Second Hokage. Your methods certainly outclass Hiruzen Sarutobi's."
Kurama, lying nearby, cracked one eye open. "Invading with their souls? Bold move."
Kurama sat up, turning his massive head toward Menma with a cruel grin. "Hey, kid, want me to teach this Senju brat a lesson first?"
The fox was confident it could handle Tobirama, especially since the Second wasn't at his peak. After all the humiliation it had suffered, the chance to push back was tempting.
Menma didn't even look at him. "Stay put. Don't ruin my plans."
"What?" Kurama's grin vanished. "Hmph, can't even have a little fun. You just boss me around—"
Menma's crimson Sharingan flashed. "What was that?"
"Nothing! I'll do it!" Kurama muttered, tail thumping resentfully. "Just tell me when."
"Once you sense Tobirama has fully entered, pull him in here."
As Menma spoke, he waved a hand, separating a small portion of his chakra. It coalesced into a perfect clone of himself.
With a soft pop, the illusion broke.
Tobirama stood in the sealed space, his expression serious. But something was wrong. The moment he arrived, Menma's eyes shifted—azure bleeding into crimson as three black tomoe spun into a six-pointed star.
Whoosh.
The world transformed instantly. The bright mental space collapsed into darkness, the vast area constricting into a cramped sewer pipe. Iron bars appeared ahead, sealing a massive gate covered in paper talismans.
"Is this Naruto's consciousness?" Tobirama murmured, glancing around. Then he locked his eyes on the gate. "No—this is the Eight Trigrams Seal's pocket dimension."
He stepped forward, directly toward the bars. Behind them, a massive claw shot out, a scarlet eye blazing in the darkness.
"Kurama!" Tobirama dodged backward.
On the other side, watching Kurama's failed lunge, Tobirama turned to Menma's clone with genuine surprise.
"You used those eyes again! The kid didn't stand a chance the moment he stepped in here."
"You're devious," Tobirama admitted, a grudging respect in his voice. "I like it."
"Save the compliments." Menma's clone moved forward, his voice cold and expressionless. "I know why you're here. Let's skip the small talk and get to it."
Tobirama hesitated, but quickly recovered. He slammed a hand to the ground, blue chakra flaring. "Wait. I need to prepare."
He wasn't just preparing—he was probing. Using Naruto's chakra connection as a guide, he spread his own chakra through the mindscape, searching for the real Menma. But every path led back to the clone before him.
Satisfied, Tobirama relaxed. "Alright. Now we can separate the personalities. Don't resist."
He approached the clone, hands moving through a rapid series of seals. "This technique is based on the Reaper Death Seal, but don't worry—I'm not tampering with souls."
As he spoke, an illusory figure materialized behind his physical body outside: the Shinigami, its massive hand stabbing into Tobirama's back.
Inside the mindscape, Tobirama grabbed the clone's shoulders. They floated upward together as a gigantic, rune-covered hand reached down from above, grasping for both of them.
"This will extract you completely. Once we're out, I'll sever the connection immediately."
Tobirama's grip tightened, preventing any struggle, but the clone remained limp—just chakra, after all.
As the Shinigami's hand pulled them toward the boundary, toward freedom...
Tobirama finally let out a breath. "Brother, I didn't fail your last request. I solved it."
But as he crossed the threshold, the scene flickered.
For a split second, he thought he saw Menma still standing below, Kurama beside him.
Then darkness swallowed everything.
"...This went too smoothly."
---
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