A sharp whooshing sound filled the air, and the kunai carved a chilling arc in the moonlight, only to be firmly caught mid-flight by a warm, large hand.
"Menma?"
The familiar voice trembled with disbelief. Menma looked up, meeting his dad's shocked, cerulean eyes.
"Dad..."
The kunai clattered to the ground.
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting dappled shadows on Minato's face, dividing his complex expression into alternating light and dark.
"You actually..."
Minato's voice was so soft, as if he feared shattering the dream. He slowly crouched down, his fingertips brushing his son's soft golden hair, the sensation so real. "Any so-called genius pales in comparison to you..."
"I'm sorry..."
Menma lowered his head.
"Why apologize?"
Minato cupped his son's small face, his thumb stroking his slightly flushed cheek. "Dad's very happy. This way, you can... protect Mom, protect your little brother, and protect the village."
Menma suddenly looked up, seeing tears glistening in his father's eyes.
He nodded vigorously: "I will definitely protect everyone!"
"But..."
Minato suddenly grew serious, gently tapping his son's chest with his fingertip. "Power is like a double-edged sword. If you become too obsessed with it, you'll gradually forget your original intention for wielding it."
The moonlight shimmered in his cerulean eyes, as if reflecting countless lessons from history.
"You should know the story of Uchiha Madara."
Minato gently held his son's small hand. "He was once a ninja with ideals, but in his pursuit of power, he gradually lost himself. In the end, he personally severed even the bonds he cherished most."
"I remember."
Menma stood solemn.
He suddenly felt as if he saw that lonely figure standing at the pinnacle of the ninja worldpowerful enough to change the world, yet with no one left to enter his heart.
"Power should be a shield for protection, not a spear for harm."
Minato's voice was as soft as a sigh. "When you start to feel like you don't need anyone, that's when it's most dangerous."
"I understand, Dad."
Menma's voice, though young, was firm. "Just as chakra needs a balance of spiritual and physical energy, power and mind must also maintain balance. Otherwise..."
He paused, then explained in a way his father would understand: "It's like forcibly performing a jutsu beyond your control; it will only end up hurting yourself."
If the mind and power don't match, the consequence is: I don't eat beef!
A flicker of surprise crossed Minato's eyes, then transformed into a relieved smile.
He ruffled his son's golden hair: "It seems I worried too much. You understand this principle even better than I imagined."
"Sleep."
He gently tucked his son into bed. As he turned, he saw Menma carefully re-tucking Naruto, who had kicked off his blanket, and a smile unconsciously curved his lips.
Time flew by, and three more years passed.
Dewdrops on the Konoha training ground sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight.
Six-year-old Naruto was suddenly enveloped in a thick mist, his golden hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. A hint of sharpness flashed in his cerulean eyes, and his young hands had already formed perfect hand signs:
"Wind Release: Violent Whirlwind Palm!"
A violent current of air erupted from his palm, splitting the thick mist in two like an invisible blade.
As the mist cleared, a figure similar in appearance but more composed gradually became clear.
"That move again!"
Naruto's lips curved into a battle-ready smile, and he formed hand signs. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
After a few soft pops, three clones appeared simultaneously. A rapidly spinning Rasengan condensed in his palm, and the swirling chakra blew away all the dust on the ground.
The original body used the force to leap up, the Rasengan descending with a piercing hum
"Boom!"
Water splashed everywhere, and the struck "Menma" dissolved into a puddle of water.
"Water Clone?"
Naruto's golden hair bristled, and a sudden chill ran down his spine.
A cold glint flashed, and a ninja blade was already behind him. In the nick of time, the struck "Naruto" dissolved into white smoke.
"When did he..."
Menma frowned slightly, looking up to see the real Naruto diving down from high above, the Rasengan's chakra distorting the very air.
"Bang!"
Mud and sand splattered, and another Earth Clone was destroyed.
"Damn it!"
Naruto stumbled as he landed, his pupils contracting sharplytwelve Uzumaki Menmas, all holding ninja blades, closed in from all directions, their cold blades reflecting a menacing glint.
Mental World: Sealing Cage
Crimson chakra surged like lava, and the Nine-Tails lazily opened one eye, its slit pupil reflecting Naruto's anxious figure.
"Kurama! Help me!"
"Hmph..."
The Nine-Tails sneered, lightly tapping the ground with its sharp claws. "With your current strength, you want to beat that monster?"
Memories from three years ago surfacedwhen Naruto collapsed from exhaustion, that golden-haired youth had actually barged into his mental world, the Adamantine Sealing Chains wrapping around him like venomous snakes. Those cold eyes still sent shivers down his spine when he remembered them.
"You damn brat... how dare you threaten me!"
The Nine-Tails bared its teeth and growled, yet then remembered how this silly kid had clumsily leaned against the cage countless times over the years, shouting that he wanted to be friends with him.
"Hmph!"
The Nine-Tails suddenly grinned, revealing a ferocious yet subtle smile. "Don't bother me!"
Crimson chakra surged through his meridians, and Naruto, feeling the surging power within him, shouted excitedly: "Thanks, Kurama!"
He rapidly formed hand signs, chakra flowing through his body: "Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Bang, bang, bang"
Hundreds of Narutos instantly filled the training ground, rushing towards the dozen or so "Menmas" like a golden tide.
However, in just a few minutes, the clones successively dissolved into white smoke.
By the time the last clone was destroyed, the real Naruto was already slumped on the ground, sweat soaking his orange training uniform.
"Big brother... you're too much..."
He panted, extending his hand, his fingertips still trembling slightly.
Menma's figure emerged from the dust, reaching out to pull his brother up: "You've already done very well."
He brushed a fallen leaf from Naruto's shoulder and said softly: "The current you, your strength already surpasses that of a Special Jonin."
"Bang!"
Before he could finish, this "Menma" also dissolved into white smoke.
"Huh? Another Shadow Clone?!"
Naruto angrily brushed the dust from his clothes, shouting at the empty training ground: "That's going too far!"
Among the distant treetops, the real Menma leaned against a tree trunk, flipping through a picture book.
A breeze rustled the pages, and he suddenly looked up, as if sensing something, a smile playing on his lips. As he lightly jumped down from the branch, he met a pair of dead fish eyes.
"Hey, give me back the book."
Kakashi lazily reached out. "If Sensei's wife finds it again, I'm afraid I'll really be laid up for a month."
Menma deftly dodged the hand, his gaze still glued to the pages: "Big Brother Kakashi, let me read a little longer."
He turned a page, still absorbed, and genuinely praised: "Grandpa Sensei's drawing skills are truly... remarkably lifelike."
"If you want to read it, buy your own."
Kakashi snatched back "Icha Icha Paradise" and grumpily stuffed it into his ninja pouch.
Remembering the bookstore owner's terrified expression, as if saying "I'd rather close shop than sell to a child," he helplessly rubbed his temples.
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