When Menma slowly opened his eyes, what met his vision was a vast, deep cylindrical space, like an ancient well abandoned for a thousand years.
Looking around, there were mottled stone walls covered with ancient patterns. Faint daylight filtered down from high above, illuminating the dust floating in the air.
He pushed himself up with his arms, sitting up from the icy ground beneath, which was covered in broken tiles and years of accumulated dust.
He found himself in a cylindrical space resembling the interior of an abandoned temple. Apart from moss and weeds, there were no traces of other living beings.
Focusing his mind, he tried to sense the Flying Thunder God Technique's coordinates, the Chakra Network, and the Giant Tenseigan far away on the moon.
However, the once clear connections were now a void, as if completely isolated by an invisible barrier.
"Just as expected..." Menma murmured to himself, his voice echoing slightly in the empty ruins. "Not a time reversal, but a parallel world?"
This conclusion didn't exceed his expectations… instead, it verified his earlier speculation.
Just then, from within the furry collar around his neck, a small dark red head cautiously peeked out.
Kokyu blinked her lively eyes, curiously observing this unfamiliar environment, her small nose twitching slightly.
"Such a strange feeling, Menma," Kokyu's voice carried a natural softness yet held the sharpness of an ancient being. "The scent of Chakra here feels a bit different! Mixed with a... hmm... decaying and oppressive smell. Is this the 'parallel world' you mentioned? Then... will there be another me here?"
Menma stood up, brushing the dust off his robe. His gaze beneath the white three-eyed fox mask calmly scanned the sealed environment.
"The Nine-Tails of this world should still be that guy called Kurama," He answered while searching for a way out.
"Kurama, huh..." Kokyu smacked her lips, waving a paw somewhat defiantly. "Hmph, so what? Kokyu is invincible now!"
After absorbing Isshiki's Ten-Tails, Kokyu's Chakra quantity had surpassed that of the complete Nine-Tails, and the gap with a complete Ten-Tails was growing smaller, making her increasingly proud.
"Yes, yes, my Kokyu is invincible," Menma responded with a smile, continuing to observe the surroundings.
The surrounding stone walls were smooth and steep, with no doors.
His gaze finally turned to the patch of sky framed by the ceiling opening above.
Without hesitation, Menma willed it. His body defied gravity's constraints as if lifted by an invisible force, floating lightly upward. His speed gradually increased from slow to fast, steadily ascending towards the opening.
The moment he emerged from the opening, his vision suddenly widened.
A city full of exotic style appeared before his eyes.
Tall buildings stood in rows, most made of dark stone with unique spire structures, typical of desert tribe architecture.
On the crisscrossing streets, pedestrians flowed like water, carriages and horses moved back and forth, displaying a distorted kind of prosperity.
However, Menma's gaze passed over those ornate rooftops, clearly seeing the endless, lifeless yellow sand at the city's edge, as if this city was merely a lone boat stranded in a sea of sand.
Hovering mid-air, his gaze fell, carefully examining the people on the streets.
The Mangekyo Sharingan in his left eye silently activated. On the crimson background, a complex pattern slowly rotated.
In his vision, these pedestrians weren't illusions or puppets… they were individuals with real vitality and Chakra Fluctuations.
Yet, most had haggard faces, numb eyes, and hurried steps carrying a weariness borne from life's heavy pressures, contrasting starkly with the city's surface prosperity.
'It seems Mukade, or rather this world's Anrokuzan, hasn't fully controlled Roran yet,' Menma thought to himself. 'I still can't determine whether this world's Mukade crossed over with me or is following the 'original' Mukade. The top priority is determining the timeline.'
He needed to gather information.
His figure suddenly vanished from the air. The next moment, he appeared in a remote, filthy corner of the city.
A middle-aged man in tattered clothes, looking panicked, was thrown to the ground by an invisible force. An icy-cold kunai precisely pressed against his Adam's apple, the chilling cold instantly making him rigid, his teeth uncontrollably chattering.
The figure wearing the fox mask stood before him like Death, his voice coming through the mask, carrying a cold killing intent. "I ask, you answer. What year of Konoha Calendar is it now? How many years has your country's Anrokuzan been here?"
The man, terrified out of his wits, stammered, "Kon-Konoha? I... I don't know what year of Konoha Calendar it is, Lord! ...An... Anrokuzan-sama... he, he has been our Roran's minister for... for five years now!"
'Five years.'
Menma quickly calculated in his mind.
Based on the 'plot' he knew, if everything proceeded as usual, then Naruto and Yamato would travel to this era around the sixth year.
This one year was enough time for him to do many things.
"Very good," Menma said flatly, withdrew the kunai, and his figure vanished from the man's sight as if merging with the shadows.
The man slumped to the ground, panting heavily, sweat having long soaked his back. It took a good while before he scrambled away, fleeing this corner where he nearly lost his life.
One day later, Land of Fire, Konoha Village.
It was afternoon. Sunlight filtered through lush leaves, casting dappled shadows on the clean streets.
Asuma, Kurenai, Shizune, and Guy, all with Konoha's forehead protectors on their foreheads, walked down the street with high spirits.
Their faces were radiant with the joy and excitement of becoming official Ninjas and starting to perform missions.
"Hey hey, look! That's the super-famous Ichiraku Ramen recently!" Asuma pointed at the long line in front of a shop. The air was filled with the enticing aroma of bone broth and soy sauce, making him swallow involuntarily.
The brand new noren at the shop entrance prominently displayed the characters [Ichiraku Ramen].
"Smells so good!" Guy's eyes sparkled, energetically waving his fists. "A youth's first mission reward should be used to fill his stomach!"
Kurenai and Shizune smiled, watching their two companions, anticipation also on their faces.
Asuma patted his chest, speaking quite grandly, "No problem! My treat today! I just completed a few D-Rank missions recently and saved up some pocket money."
Just as the four were about to join the queue, another group approached from the opposite side.
Leading them was Minato with his brilliant blond short hair and blue eyes, with a gentle smile on his face. Behind him were three slightly younger children.
The mask-wearing, cool-looking Kakashi, and the lively Obito and gentle Rin.
"Good afternoon, Asuma, Kurenai, Guy, Shizune," Minato greeted with a smile. He had just returned from leading Kakashi and the other two on a simple mission. Seeing the new ramen shop, he also planned to bring his students to try it.
"Minato-sensei!" Asuma and the others promptly greeted him.
Although Minato was only a few years older than them, he was already a renowned Special Jonin, highly respected.
Minato's gaze swept over the bustling ramen shop. "You're also here to try it? It seems this new shop is really popular."
"Yes, Minato-sensei! Want to join us?" Asuma could also tell they had just returned from a mission, probably thinking about lunch.
"Minato-sensei! Let's eat this for lunch too!" Obito sniffed the air, his stomach rumbling audibly.
Rin smiled gently beside him. Kakashi had an expression of general disinterest, his gaze casually scanning the surroundings.
The two groups merged, chatting amiably as they queued together.
Minato's gaze inadvertently swept inside the ramen shop, landing on a figure sitting alone near the counter.
That person wore unremarkable dark casual clothes, had black short hair, and from the back looked somewhat slender, seemingly just a half-grown youth.
However, a flicker of something crossed Minato's gentle eyes.
An indescribable intuition stirred ripples in his heart.
The youth was merely sitting there quietly eating ramen, yet he gave off a sense of alienation from the surrounding bustle, as if an invisible force field surrounded him.
What made Minato more attentive was that he had never seen this youth in the village before, and the other wore no forehead protector.
The sharp Kakashi immediately noticed his teacher's subtle change in expression. He followed Minato's gaze and saw the black-haired youth dining alone.
Just then, the youth seemed to have finished his last bite of ramen. He set down the bowl, placed some coins gently on the table, and said to the busy cook, Teuchi, "Sir, the money's here."
His voice was clear, carrying the unique quality of a youth, but his tone was unusually steady, revealing no particular emotion.
Teuchi looked up, wiping sweat with a towel, a warm smile appearing. "Alright, welcome back next time!"
His young wife also nodded with a smile beside him.
The youth stood up and walked towards the exit.
When he turned his face, both Minato and Kakashi clearly saw his features.
It was a remarkably handsome face, the brow and eyes sharing an indescribable resemblance to Minato!
Only, his pitch-black short hair and those deep, bottomless black eyes gave him an overall temperament completely different from Minato's sunny gentleness, more like an unfathomably deep pool.
The black-haired youth seemed not to mind the queuing crowd. He stretched his neck, glanced casually at the bustling street, then started walking, humming a tune, unhurriedly heading towards the direction of the Hokage Rock.
Minato's brow furrowed slightly, sensing that strange feeling grew stronger.
He patted Obito, who was still excitedly discussing what toppings to add with Rin, and said softly, "Obito, Rin, you guys eat with Asuma and the others. Don't wait for me. Kakashi, come with me."
Obito, though puzzled, nodded.
Kakashi instantly entered a state of alert, silently following Minato.
Minato and Kakashi quietly separated from the queue, like two shadows, following the black-haired youth from a distance.
The youth's pace seemed leisurely but was not slow, and he often chose paths with fewer people, as if quite familiar with Konoha's layout.
Soon, the youth arrived at the observation platform atop the Hokage Rock.
Here, the view was open, overlooking most of Konoha Village… neat streets, lush forests, iconic buildings all visible.
There were no other visitors on the platform at this moment.
The youth walked to the railing, resting his hands on it casually. He now had a slender blade of grass in his mouth.
He didn't turn around, just slightly tilted his head, a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his face as he spoke clearly towards the direction of the tree shadows where Minato and Kakashi were hiding:
"Come out, Namikaze Minato. You've followed me all this way… aren't you tired?"
His voice wasn't loud, yet carried a composure that saw through everything, clearly reaching the two.
Minato felt a slight chill, 'The other party indeed wasn't simple, not only detecting the tail but also directly stating my name.'
He no longer hid, stepping out from behind the tree. Kakashi followed closely, eyes alert, his hand subconsciously resting on his ninja pouch.
Minato stopped several meters away from the youth. His blue eyes carefully examined the other, maintaining basic courtesy but with clear inquiry. "You know me? But pardon my directness, I don't recall seeing you in the village. Could you tell me your name? And your purpose in coming to Konoha Village?"
The youth turned, leaning back against the railing, facing Minato and Kakashi's gazes head-on.
The faint curve at the corner of his mouth seemed to widen slightly. His black eyes were profound, as if capable of drawing in one's soul.
"Name, huh..." He lightly chewed the grass, his gaze sweeping over Minato's sunny, handsome face, then glancing at the tense Kakashi behind him.
Finally, his eyes returned to Minato, and he spoke slowly, "My name is Menma. Just a traveler passing by."
His posture was too relaxed… his body leaning against the railing showed not the slightest tension.
Not only was there no trace of killing intent, he didn't even bother assuming a basic combat stance.
This abnormal looseness either meant he bore no hostility, or...
It meant he possessed absolute confidence in himself, confident enough to disregard Konoha's defenses and the two before him.
Minato leaned towards believing the former.
He could sense a very strange calmness from the other.
"Menma?" He repeated the unfamiliar name softly, quickly searching his mind for known young powerhouses or important figures in the Ninja World… nothing.
This name, and this youth before him, seemed to have appeared out of thin air.
Just as the atmosphere settled into a slightly tense standoff, a figure accompanied by a light landing sound abruptly appeared beside Minato.
Jiraiya, with his white spiky long hair, red haori, but without the [Oil] headband on his forehead.
"Ahaha, finally found you, Minato!" Jiraiya slapped Minato's shoulder boisterously, an excited smile on his face, seemingly completely unaware of the slightly tense atmosphere on the scene.
"I'm telling you, I'm about to give you a big surprise this time! That hand-seal-less jutsu you spent three years researching, I finally—"
"Jiraiya-sensei!" Minato had to interrupt his slightly eccentric teacher, using his eyes to gesture ahead. "The situation is a bit special right now."
"Huh?" Jiraiya then belatedly followed Minato's gaze, seeing the black-haired youth leaning against the railing at the edge of the observation platform.
He stroked his chin, looking Menma up and down, his brows gradually furrowing, the playful expression on his face fading a bit. "Strange kid... Hey! Young man over there, you don't look like a Konoha person, do you?"
Menma's thoughts had actually drifted far away.
Through the opening time of Ichiraku Ramen, he learned this year was Konoha 47...
'The Third Great Ninja War hadn't officially erupted yet, Obito hadn't experienced that tragedy, hadn't turned dark. That old guy Uchiha Madara should still be lingering underground somewhere, right?'
'Calculating the age, he's probably in his seventies.'
'Perhaps there was a chance to 'visit' that former Shura of the Ninja World, see how much strength the old man still had in his twilight years?'
This thought made a flicker of interest, barely noticeable, pass through his eyes.
Hearing Jiraiya's call, Menma pulled his thoughts back, putting on that relaxed smile again. "I told you, I'm just a traveler passing by. Don't worry, I'll leave on my own soon."
"Just as I thought..." Jiraiya scratched his white hair, complaining, "Another guy sneaking into the village inexplicably? What are the Barrier Team guys doing? The squads at the village entrance napping again?"
He sighed, his tone turning serious. "But, since you're not from the village and appeared here so ambiguously, then I'm afraid you'll have to come with us, have a cup of tea somewhere, and explain things clearly."
At this point in time, just before the outbreak of the Third Great Ninja War, relations among the Great Ninja Villages were highly tense, with constant friction and exceptionally frequent spy activities.
It was in this year that Minato first clashed with the A-B Combo from Kumogakure, leaving deep impressions on each other.
Only about two years remained before that war engulfing the entire Ninja World fully erupted.
Any unidentified person appearing inside the village warranted the highest level of alert.
Menma took the blade of grass he'd been chewing out of his mouth, flicking it away casually, as if in his own backyard.
"Sorry, old man," his tone remained flat. "My travel schedule is a bit tight too. Probably no time for tea. Let's part ways here."
"Hey! Kid!" Jiraiya's brows completely tightened.
Though usually laid-back, he never slacked when it came to village security.
This youth before him was too composed, and his words treated Konoha's defense system as if it were nothing, rapidly escalating Jiraiya's suspicion and alertness.
"Since you're unwilling to cooperate..." Jiraiya's hands quickly came together, forming several hand seals.
"Then I'm sorry! Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"
In an instant, Jiraiya's white long hair, as if possessing life, grew and hardened wildly, transforming into torrents of white, whistling through the air towards Menma, intending to bind him tightly.
Almost simultaneously with Jiraiya's move, Minato and Kakashi also acted.
The two split left and right in a coordinated manner, kunai already in hand, eyes sharply locking onto Menma, blocking his possible escape routes.
Minato's posture lowered slightly, already in a preparatory stance for high-speed movement.
Facing this sudden three-way attack, Menma merely sighed softly.
Just as the surging white hair torrent was about to touch his body, he slightly raised his right hand, fingers spread, softly uttering four words:
"Adamantine Sealing Chains."
Hum—!
Accompanied by a peculiar Chakra hum, five dazzling golden chains abruptly materialized from the empty space behind him!
These chains, completely formed from highly condensed Chakra, like living golden pythons, carried a powerful sealing aura. Not only did they precisely collide with Jiraiya's iron-hard hair, they proceeded to break it apart piece by piece!
The chains' momentum did not diminish. Like five golden lightning bolts, they shot towards Jiraiya, Minato, and Kakashi!
"What?!" Jiraiya exclaimed in surprise, hurriedly controlling his hair to defend while rapidly retreating, narrowly avoiding the chains' piercing.
Minato and Kakashi also relied on their exceptional reaction speed and Body Flicker Technique to narrowly dodge the attacks.
"You bastard!" Jiraiya steadied himself, his face filled with shock and disbelief. "How is that possible... This is the Uzumaki Clan's secret sealing technique! How can you be an Uzumaki?!"
"Uzumaki Clan?" Minato and Kakashi were also taken aback upon hearing this.
The Uzumaki Clan was known for powerful vitality and unique sealing techniques, but their country had long fallen, their people scarce, and all had red hair...
'This unfamiliar black-haired youth, how could he...?'
In this moment of mental shock, Minato's figure vanished from his spot!
The next moment, he appeared before Menma like a ghost. On his right hand, a highly compressed, rapidly rotating Chakra Sphere had already formed, emitting a piercing hum.
It was precisely the hand-seal-less Jutsu he had painstakingly developed for three years!
"Rasengan!"
Minato shouted, pushing this Jutsu containing immense destructive power towards Menma without hesitation.
However, facing this sudden close-range lethal attack, Menma's reaction was unimaginably fast!
His left hand lifted almost simultaneously. In his palm, a similarly blue, rapidly spinning Rasengan, emitting the exact same aura, instantly condensed!
To develop the Rasenshuriken, the Rasengan was a technique he had mastered much earlier!
"What...?!" Minato's blue eyes abruptly contracted, his heart stirred with massive waves.
Boom—!!!
Two identical Rasengans violently collided!
Intense Chakra conflict triggered a deafening explosion!
Violent energy shockwaves spread outwards, instantly blasting a massive crater into the observation platform's sturdy ground. Rubble flew, dust billowed.
Minato, using the explosion's recoil, performed a backflip and landed steadily beside Jiraiya and Kakashi, breathing slightly ragged. He stared intently at the explosion's center, his eyes filled with incomprehensible shock.
The other party not only used the Uzumaki Clan's secret technique, but even his yet-unreleased Unique Jutsu, the Rasengan...
Jiraiya and Kakashi also stared tightly at the not-yet-dispersed dust cloud, every muscle tense.
Then, a clear voice came from above them. "Alright, the game's over. I'm not playing with you anymore. I have more important things to do."
The three looked up sharply!
They saw Menma already hovering mid-air at some point, his black short hair gently swaying in the breeze, the five golden Chakra Chains behind him slowly swaying like living wings.
Looking down at them from above, the exposed part of his face showed a playful smile, as if that brief yet intense exchange truly was just an inconsequential game to him.
"F-flying?!" Kakashi's eyes were filled with astonishment.
Without any ninja tools or summoning creatures, flying through the air… such an ability was rare even in the entire Ninja World!
Jiraiya also completely discarded all underestimation, his expression extremely grave.
This mysterious black-haired youth's strength was unfathomable, his methods unpredictable!
Flight ability, the Uzumaki Clan's Adamantine Sealing Chains, and the Rasengan...
Menma's gaze finally settled on Minato. That look carried a faint, almost imperceptible anticipation. He said meaningfully, "Don't worry, we'll meet again."
Before the words fully faded, his figure began to rapidly ascend, as if pulled by invisible ropes, quickly becoming a small black dot.
The five golden chains also retracted and disappeared.
Within a few seconds, he completely merged into the blinding sunlight high above, as if he had never appeared, leaving only the messy observation platform and three Konoha ninjas with inner turmoil.
Jiraiya stared at the empty sky for a long while before muttering to himself, "The Uzumaki Clan's Adamantine Sealing Chains... Minato's Rasengan... and that damned flight ability... What in the world is that kid?"
Minato remained silent, his blue eyes churning with thoughts.
'Menma...'