Ignoring Fū's depressed expression after her curiosity went unsatisfied, Menma left her residence with a faint smile on his face.
His joy did not stem solely from obtaining a portion of Chōmei's chakra.
Rather, the moment the Seven-Tails' chakra had entered his body, he had felt something subtle.
The chakra pathways throughout his body seemed to become slightly more active, and even his own chakra circulation had accelerated by a small margin.
Of course, it might have been nothing more than an illusion.
But what if it wasn't?
What if the effect was real?
Then it would prove that his previous hypothesis had not been entirely misguided.
I need more opportunities to verify it…
Menma's eyes drifted toward the distant south, and a fiery light flickered within his pupils.
"Whoosh!"
With a burst of chakra beneath his feet, his figure shot into the distance at high speed.
He was heading toward the agreed meeting point.
While Menma was leaving Takigakure and traveling southeast, another scene was unfolding at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers.
"Rasengan!"
A blond figure leaped high into the air.
A swirling sphere of blue chakra condensed in his palm before he slammed it downward.
Boom!
The ground exploded.
Dust and rubble scattered in every direction as a deep crater appeared.
However, the blond boy looked at the result with dissatisfaction.
"You still need better chakra control, Naruto."
A white-haired man approached slowly, carrying a kettle in one hand.
"Only when your control improves can you further increase the power of the Rasengan."
"Yes, Pervy Sage! I understand!"
The blond boy accepted the kettle and gulped down half of its contents in one breath.
These two were none other than Jiraiya and Naruto.
Several months had already passed since they had left Konohagakure together.
After the battle at the Valley of the End, Naruto had nearly fallen into complete despair.
In the original timeline, only Sasuke had defected.
But in this world, not only had Sasuke left the village, but Menma his own twin brother had also abandoned Konoha.
The double blow had nearly shattered Naruto's spirit.
Especially the killing intent Menma had displayed during their battle.
Naruto still couldn't believe that his brother had genuinely intended to kill him.
He was only twelve years old.
How could someone his age calmly accept such a reality?
For several days after returning to Konoha, Naruto had remained completely lost.
Then Jiraiya returned to the village.
After a long heart-to-heart conversation, Naruto had finally regained his footing.
After all, Naruto was still Naruto.
Even though he carried the surname Namikaze in this world, his essence had never changed.
That was also why Menma believed Naruto still carried Asura's chakra rather than himself.
Only someone like Naruto could truly inherit Asura's will.
It was because of Jiraiya's encouragement that the two of them embarked upon a journey, just as they had in the original story.
To train.
To gather intelligence.
And to become stronger.
In Jiraiya's eyes, people could still understand one another.
He firmly believed that Naruto could one day bring Sasuke and Menma back.
As long as he became strong enough.
Naruto believed it too.
Thus, around the same time Menma joined Takigakure, Naruto and Jiraiya had departed from Konoha.
Several months later, they had already traveled across much of the Land of Fire.
Their current stop near the border was meant to improve Naruto's Rasengan and continue his overall training.
"Haha, take a break first."
Jiraiya pointed toward the freshly grilled fish and rice nearby.
"Training isn't something that can be completed overnight. Rest is equally important."
"Right!"
Naruto immediately sat down.
As expected of Konoha's famous glutton, he began devouring the food in front of him at an astonishing speed.
Jiraiya sat beside him, taking small sips from his cup while watching the boy with a gentle expression.
He had never married.
Nor had he ever had children of his own.
In many ways, he already regarded Naruto as his grandson.
After all…
Naruto was Minato's son.
And so was Menma.
Thinking about the other boy caused the smile on Jiraiya's face to fade.
A trace of sorrow flashed through his eyes.
He had regretted many things throughout his life.
But nothing as much as this.
He should not have left the village so often.
He should not have placed so much trust in his teacher and the elders.
He should have stayed.
He should have watched over Naruto and Menma himself.
If the two brothers had grown up together…
Would things really have ended like this?
Perhaps they would have stood side by side as Konoha's pride.
Perhaps they would have become the village's twin heroes.
Instead…
They had nearly killed one another.
Even though he had not witnessed the battle at the Valley of the End personally, merely hearing Kakashi's report had caused his heart to ache.
They were brothers.
Real brothers.
If one day one of them truly killed the other…
How could he face Minato and Kushina?
It's all my fault…
Jiraiya sighed inwardly.
Never in his life had he experienced such deep regret.
"Huh?"
Naruto looked up.
"Pervy Sage, why aren't you eating?"
He scratched his cheek.
"You said you'd teach me taijutsu training after lunch."
"Haha."
Jiraiya quickly adjusted his expression.
"No rush."
"I'll finish my drink first."
Naruto frowned.
"You should drink less. Too much alcohol is bad for your health."
"Oh?"
Jiraiya laughed.
"When did you start worrying about me?"
"I'm just looking out for you!"
"Fine, fine."
Jiraiya shook his head with a smile.
At that moment
Screech!
A sharp cry echoed from the sky.
Jiraiya's expression immediately changed.
He looked upward.
A majestic hawk descended from above.
It was one of Konoha's messenger hawks.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes.
The hawk swooped down and landed smoothly on his shoulder.
He immediately removed the small scroll tied to its leg.
Then he gently patted the bird.
The messenger hawk took flight once more.
Jiraiya slowly unfolded the note.
As he deciphered the encoded message, his expression gradually became serious.
"What's wrong, Pervy Sage?"
Naruto immediately noticed the change.
He stood up and walked over.
"Did Lady Tsunade send something?"
"Is it about Orochimaru?"
"Mm."
Jiraiya nodded.
"You could say that."
The message did contain information related to Orochimaru.
However, its primary focus was another matter entirely.
The Six-Tails' jinchūriki.
Utakata.
No secret could remain hidden forever.
Although the defection of Kirigakure's Six-Tails jinchūriki was highly classified, the major villages had all managed to obtain fragments of information.
Orochimaru's recent movements had drawn Konoha's attention.
And his investigation into Utakata had naturally been noticed as well.
Neither Tsunade nor Konoha knew that Orochimaru's actions were actually at Menma's request.
In Tsunade's eyes, Orochimaru himself had set his sights on a tailed beast.
That possibility alone was enough to raise alarm bells.
Orochimaru was already dangerous enough.
Allowing him to gain control of a tailed beast was absolutely unacceptable.
As a result, Tsunade had dispatched an elite ANBU squad and simultaneously sent word to Jiraiya.
Her goal was simple.
She had no intention of capturing the Six-Tails.
But she absolutely could not allow Orochimaru to obtain it.
"What happened?"
Naruto asked anxiously.
"Why is Orochimaru involved?"
Because of Menma and Sasuke, Naruto paid far more attention to Orochimaru than anyone else.
Deep in his heart, he still believed that if Orochimaru had never appeared, neither Sasuke nor Menma would have defected.
As a result, Orochimaru occupied the top position on Naruto's list of people he wanted to defeat.
Now that there was finally news involving him, Naruto naturally became extremely concerned.
"Orochimaru has sent people to a small country in the south."
Jiraiya spoke slowly.
"The Land of Spring."
"They're searching for a very important person."
Naruto's eyes widened.
"The Land of Spring…"
Then he looked at Jiraiya.
"Let's go there immediately, Pervy Sage!"
Although Jiraiya had already intended to investigate, seeing Naruto so eager made him somewhat worried.
"Fine."
"We'll go."
"But you have to promise me something first."
Jiraiya's expression became extremely serious.
"You are not allowed to act recklessly."
"You will remain by my side at all times."
"And you will follow my instructions no matter what happens."
"Understood?"
The seriousness in his voice left no room for negotiation.
Naruto immediately nodded.
"Yes!"
"I promise!"
"I won't cause trouble."
"Good."
Jiraiya smiled faintly.
"Remember those words."
"Right!"
After a brief cleanup, the two immediately set off.
Their figures disappeared into the forest, heading southeast.
At the same time…
Deep beneath Konohagakure, inside a dark underground chamber.
"Has the information been confirmed?"
Danzō Shimura stood with his hands behind his back, his expression gloomy.
"Yes, Lord Danzō."
A member of Root knelt before him.
"The target has appeared in the Land of Spring."
A cold smile slowly appeared on Danzō's face.
"The Six-Tails' jinchūriki…"
"This truly is an excellent opportunity."
The single visible eye beneath his bandages shone with greed.
Ever since he had begun pursuing the position of Hokage, he had desired every form of power.
The Sharingan.
Wood Release.
And naturally…
The power of the tailed beasts.
In Danzō's opinion, only he was worthy of wielding such power.
Only he could properly guide Konoha into the future.
The defection of the Six-Tails' jinchūriki was nothing less than a gift from heaven.
Because of recent tensions with Kumogakure and the support of Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, Tsunade had eventually been forced to loosen the restrictions placed upon Root.
Danzō once again had access to his organization's resources.
Although Tsunade had increased surveillance on Root, Danzō didn't care in the slightest.
Konoha's elite ANBU forces were limited.
She could not possibly spare enough manpower to monitor Root's every movement.
If she did…
Danzō would gladly use it as political ammunition against her.
And if she didn't…
Then her surveillance was meaningless.
A faint, sinister smile spread across his face.
"The Six-Tails…"
"It seems fate has finally favored me."
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