"Based on the evidence, you're right."
Menma nodded. There was no turning back now.
Hearing Menma's confirmation, Naruto let out a bitter, hollow laugh.
"So... that's the truth."
"Yeah." Menma sighed and shook his head.
His eyes shifted back to their natural blue, releasing Naruto from his control. He casually steered the conversation toward Konoha. "We wouldn't be in this mess if they'd just treated you properly."
"We could have gone to the hospital for surgery when we were kids, but instead..." Menma trailed off with a meaningful look.
Naruto's past flooded his mind, his bright eyes blazing with fury. "You're right! It's all Hiruzen Sarutobi's fault! That bastard Hiruzen Sarutobi!"
"Just thinking about him makes me sick! When I was little and finally caught two fish, he wanted one! He was the Hokage, his family was loaded, but he always told me—a helpless orphan—that he was struggling financially, crying poverty!"
"And then he'd toss me a few coins, expecting me to be grateful! I was the son of the hero who protected the village, the man who sacrificed himself to seal the Nine-Tails! But he hid my parents' legacy, took my inheritance, and turned everyone against me!"
"And the worst part? I was stupid enough to trust him, to treat him like a grandfather... I was such a complete idiot!"
Without Ashura's chakra suppressing his intelligence, Naruto's mind was sharp again. He finally saw everything clearly, just as Menma had shown him.
Now, he just felt like the biggest fool alive.
Seeing Naruto no longer acting like he was "letting it slide," Menma smirked with satisfaction.
"Don't worry, little bro. You'll get your chance for revenge soon."
Naruto: "..."
Hearing "little bro," Naruto instantly broke. He threw himself on the ground, kicking and flailing like a toddler.
"My name is Naruto! Not 'little bro'! Call me Naruto! Naruto! Aaaah!"
Menma's eye twitched. "Fine, fine. Naruto, your name is Naruto."
"And even if I became a girl, I still like girls! I'll never think of myself as a girl!"
"Alright, alright. You're not a girl. You're just... weird." Menma waved him off dismissively.
Naruto couldn't make sense of the insult, but he knew it wasn't good. He scrambled to his feet, pointing an accusing finger.
"You're dead meat! I'm telling Dad and Mom you bullied me!"
Menma rolled his eyes. He ignored Naruto's "threat"—the kid looked more excited than angry. (Naruto: Yes! Parents are gonna spoil me rotten!)
Menma reached out and touched the Eight Trigrams Seal on his abdomen. Time to deal with Kurama.
He wasn't the original Naruto. He wasn't going to let Kurama stick around as a permanent roommate with benefits. Besides, with his current body—strengthened by numerous Sage Mode forms—extracting a Tailed Beast would only leave him temporarily exhausted, not dead.
Plus, he'd promised to set Kurama free.
Without hesitation, Menma's fingers glowed with chakra as he activated his Mangekyō Sharingan. The outer Four Symbols Seal key wasn't in his possession, so he'd have to brute-force through the first layer.
As he twisted his fingers, the seal contorted violently, then shattered into black ink that dripped away like ink from a broken brush.
A torrent of crimson chakra burst forth like a broken dam. In an instant, a massive fox head materialized outside his body.
"Menma?! You're letting me out?!"
Kurama's eyes locked onto Menma, its expression conflicted. If this were before, it would have been overjoyed to escape its cage. But now? A shadow clone connected by chakra was waiting outside—no different from being free.
Besides, this internal prison was safe. Kurama didn't want to go back to the outside world, where it would constantly be hunted.
"I won't go out! Don't force me! A Tailed Beast leaving its jinchuriki kills the host! Menma, stop! I don't want you to get hurt!"
Kurama shouted, "It's for your own good!" while desperately trying to pull its head back inside.
Menma didn't care. He activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, seizing control of Kurama's eyes. Then, applying pressure from both inside and out, he ripped Kurama free.
The massive fox tumbled into the open space outside.
Once the extraction was complete, Menma felt a wave of weakness wash over him. It felt like catching a minor cold.
Even with my current physique, extraction still takes a toll. No wonder jinchuriki die when their Tailed Beasts are pulled out.
Frowning, Menma released the control on his Sharingan, freeing Kurama from his genjutsu.
Kurama's eyes returned to their slitted pupils. After a blank glance around, it locked onto Menma, lowering its head menacingly.
"What the hell, brat?! You use me and then throw me out?!"
"I know all your secrets! If you dare abandon me, I'll... I'll keep my mouth shut! I'll protect your secrets to the death!"
Kurama stopped halfway through its rant when it saw the look in Menma's eyes. It quickly changed its tone, looking sheepish.
"Hey, I was just kidding. Don't take it seriously."
"But I'm not leaving! You took my house, so you owe me a new one!"
With that, Kurama flopped onto the ground like a stubborn child. The message was clear: Accept, or I make a scene.
Menma was too lazy to argue. After all, Kurama had been obedient and useful.
"You can stay in Hidden Void Village or the Land of Waves. I'll make you the village's guardian beast—worshipped and offered offerings."
"Worshipped and revered?" Kurama considered this, then nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at rice. "Deal! But you can't recall that shadow clone!"
Kurama's massive body was cumbersome to move, and the shadow clone could eat—which had become Kurama's new hobby.
"No," Menma countered. "The ninjas in the village still need your chakra. You'll keep providing it."
For the ordinary shinobi of Hidden Void Village, Menma always had Kurama supply the chakra directly rather than distributing it himself. After all, the Nine-Tails chakra from the system wasn't infinite. He couldn't maintain his own combat readiness while constantly sharing that much power.
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