---
"Villain? Selfish? Narrow-minded? Lacking justice? So what!?"
This was a world where the strong ruled and power determined everything. Was it wrong for him to be selfish?
He wasn't Naruto Uzumaki. He was Menma Uzumaki.
To achieve his goals, the first thing he needed was absolute freedom and greater power. Without those, talking about anything else was pointless.
"Your father and mother? So you really do know who you are, Menma-kun. And you're just like me? Haha, interesting. You're a fascinating one, Menma-kun." Orochimaru's snake-like eyes glimmered knowingly, as if he had expected this all along.
"Well, Menma-kun, that's enough for today. I look forward to our next meeting."
As his words faded, so did his figure. Within seconds, Orochimaru and Karin vanished from Menma's sight.
The forest fell silent once more, a gentle breeze rustling the leaves. Within Menma's sensory range, Orochimaru's presence disappeared entirely. Menma exhaled deeply and sank down against the trunk of a large tree, feeling as though all his strength had drained from his body.
"Luckily, nothing went wrong..." Menma muttered, a sense of relief washing over him.
Though he had acted confidently in his dealings with Orochimaru, Menma knew that Orochimaru held the upper hand. If Orochimaru hadn't wanted to strike a deal, or worse, had chosen to betray him, Menma would have been powerless to stop him.
But why would Orochimaru do that? The answer was simple: this was the best option for both of them. And besides, Orochimaru was pragmatic. As long as he got what he wanted, he wouldn't break his word. He had proven that with Danzo, and the same held true when he dealt with Tsunade in the past.
Ninjas might not speak of trust, but in his own twisted way, Orochimaru was trustworthy. That was part of the reason Menma had approached him.
However, there was a certain "beast" who might not be as pleased.
"Hmph, brat, you're good at twisting things to your advantage. What's this about getting information from inside you? Are you implying I told you all that? And where did you come up with that nonsense about the connection between the Sharingan and the Rinnegan? You've got some nerve, using my chakra as a bargaining chip," the Nine-Tails growled, raising its head inside Menma's mind.
Normally, Menma could suppress and isolate Kurama's chakra, preventing it from learning anything about the outside world. But during his encounter with Orochimaru, Menma had drawn upon some of the Nine-Tails' chakra. That leakage was enough for Kurama to pick up on the conversation. Naturally, the fox was displeased and made its feelings known.
"Haha, don't be so impatient, Kurama. You needed a cover, didn't you? How else could I have convinced that guy? Don't sweat the small details," Menma replied with a smirk in their shared mental space.
"Who are you, brat? After 12 years, I may not know everything about you, but I know enough to be sure you haven't been in contact with anyone who'd know this kind of information. How do you know my name? And what about that Rinnegan? These aren't things you should know, are they?" Kurama's massive head lowered, its eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Shh, Kurama, these are forbidden topics. Like I said, you don't need to trust me. Think of this as a game to pass the time. Even if I fail, you can start over. At worst, you'll have to wait a while to be revived. Either way, I'm just a useful partner to you, Kurama. I'll tell you everything when the time comes. But not now."
Menma raised a finger to his lips, his eyes twinkling mischievously. Before Kurama could respond, Menma's consciousness withdrew from the mental space.
"You brat!" Kurama snarled, his voice booming in the darkness of the mental plane. In less than a second, Menma had vanished, leaving the Nine-Tails alone with its thoughts.
'Is it those two boys? Or is it you, old man?' Kurama mused, clenching its massive paws as a rare look of contemplation crossed its face.
Back in the real world, Menma's thoughts shifted to his imminent departure from the village he despised. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
The time had been set. The destination was clear. All that remained was to wait. The encounter with Orochimaru had given Menma a deeper understanding of Kurama's chakra, and he could feel his own power growing. The transformation of a Jinchuriki's body by the Tailed Beast's chakra was subtle, yet undeniable.
'Now, I just need to watch it all unfold,' Menma thought, glancing in the direction Orochimaru had left. He straightened up, brushing the dirt from his clothes, and began walking back toward the area where Orochimaru had fought Naruto and the others.
As Menma approached the spot where Sasuke and Naruto had fallen unconscious, he noticed that they were no longer there.
Menma wasn't surprised. He spread his senses, scanning the area.
"Eight o'clock," he murmured, pinpointing their location.
Channeling chakra to his feet, Menma leapt swiftly in that direction.
"Who's there!?"
Sakura's voice rang out as Menma neared a hollow tree. She stood ready, her body tense with fear and determination.
It only took a second for her to recognize him.
"It's me, Sakura," Menma said calmly.
Sakura's face lit up with relief.
"Menma-kun!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with emotion.
The earlier battle had rattled her. The overwhelming power of Orochimaru, combined with the sight of Sasuke and Naruto lying unconscious, had filled her with dread. She had dragged them to the hollow tree, hoping it was a safer place, but fear still gnawed at her, making her wish Menma had stayed with them from the start.
Now, seeing Menma, her fears melted away. With him here, everything would be okay.
---
But only a few seconds later, Sakura tensed up again, gripping a kunai in one hand as she took a defensive stance.
"Are you really Menma!?"
It had been a while since graduation, nearly half a year now. Even Sakura had matured somewhat during that time. This was the Chunin Exams, after all—there was no way to know whether the person approaching was a friend or an enemy.
In recent months, Kakashi had noticed Sakura's aptitude for chakra control and had considered training her in genjutsu or medical ninjutsu. However, with limited time and his own lack of expertise in those areas, he'd only managed to teach her a few basics. As a result, Sakura was still in the early stages of learning and couldn't easily tell if the Menma in front of her was the real deal. Now, her senses were on high alert.
"Huh? Of course I'm Menma! Sakura, remember the extra allowance I gave you?"
Menma paused for a moment, recalling something only a few members of Team 7 knew.
Hearing his words, Sakura relaxed. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Menma, it really is you! Naruto and Sasuke—they're both...!"
"It's alright, Sakura. Naruto and Sasuke are just unconscious. They'll wake up soon. Don't worry. Now, tell me what happened. What kind of enemy did you face?" Menma asked as he walked over to Naruto and Sasuke, pretending to check their condition. He then turned to Sakura with a serious expression.
"Well, here's what happened, Menma..."
Despite her initial panic, Sakura began to explain. Over the past few months of missions, Menma had shown strength and decisiveness that earned him the respect of his teammates. Even Naruto and Sasuke, known for their stubbornness, had followed his lead on more than one occasion.
With Menma's arrival, Sakura's fear and anxiety began to subside. She described how Orochimaru had attacked them, how Naruto and Sasuke fought but ended up unconscious, and how Sasuke had been left with a strange mark on his neck. Unfortunately, due to the chaos of the battle, she could only recount part of what had happened.
"I see. This mark looks like a sealing technique of some kind, but I can't tell exactly what it is. Once we're out of the Forest of Death, we'll have Kakashi-sensei examine it," Menma said, pretending to think for a moment.
"Yeah, that makes sense," Sakura said, feeling more reassured now that Menma was with her. As long as Menma was around, she felt safe. She trusted his judgment.
"Stay here and keep an eye on Naruto and Sasuke. I'm going to set up traps around the area and find us some food. Don't worry, Sakura. Everything's going to be fine. Naruto and Sasuke will recover, and we'll get through this exam." Menma spoke softly but with a firmness that calmed her nerves.
"I understand, Menma," Sakura nodded, taking her place outside the tree hollow to keep watch over the unconscious Naruto and Sasuke.
As Menma walked away, his thoughts turned to the situation in the Forest of Death. Twenty-one teams had entered this dangerous territory, all from different villages, and each team was now fighting for survival. To pass the second round, they needed to collect both a Heaven Scroll and an Earth Scroll. But with only eleven of each available, even in the best-case scenario, only eleven teams could pass. In reality, far fewer would make it.
In the original timeline, twenty-six teams had entered the second round, but only six made it through. This time wouldn't be any different.
The sounds of distant battles and the rustling of the forest didn't concern Menma. His true purpose for entering the Chunin Exams had already been fulfilled. From this point onward, he just needed to follow the script he had planned.
Just as Menma predicted, Naruto woke up a few hours later—before Sasuke. His eyes snapped open, and he immediately jumped to his feet, ready for a fight.
"You're awake, Naruto," Menma said calmly, his presence immediately putting Naruto at ease.
"Menma! When did you find us? Where's Sakura?" Naruto asked, still disoriented but relieved to see a familiar face.
"Sakura's outside. She's making some food," Menma gestured toward the entrance of the tree hollow, where Sakura was busy setting up a pot over a small fire.
"How are you feeling?"
"Me? Just a little headache, but otherwise, I'm fine," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head where he'd been struck. Suddenly, his memory came flooding back. "Wait! That creepy guy from the Grass Village—did you beat him, Menma?"
"No, I didn't run into him. When I found you and Sasuke, you were already unconscious. Sakura told me about that Grass ninja, but your scrolls were still here, untouched," Menma replied.
"That's strange. Why would he attack us and not take our scrolls?" Naruto frowned, trying to piece together what had happened.
"No point in thinking about it now. We'll report everything to Kakashi-sensei later. For now, you and Sasuke need to recover. Let's focus on getting through this round of the exam," Menma said, steering the conversation back to the more immediate concern.
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