Chapter 3: The Fake World and the Beaten Nine-Tails

Chapter 3: The Fake World and the Beaten Nine-Tails

Over a decade ago, Uzumaki Menma arrived here from an earth planet.

He initially thought he had become the protagonist of the Naruto world, but after calming down, he discovered various points of incongruity.

The Fourth Hokage was Haruno Kizashi; the Namikaze Minato couple was still alive; the Fifth Hokage was a flat-chested girl with glasses; and there was that willful and domineering Hyūga young lady...

These various differences made Menma understand that the place he had arrived might just be a genjutsu world like the Limited Tsukuyomi or Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Even so, it didn't really matter; he could still live well.

But after realizing the "truth," he noticed many inconsistencies he had never spotted before.

This world had no Divine Tree, no Ōtsutsuki, not even a past or future. Everyone was like an actor playing a role according to a script.

Lifeless and utterly boring!

Blinded by a single leaf, stuck in their ways!

Only Uzumaki Menma knew the truth.

"This world will inevitably head towards destruction!"

Menma said there were worlds beyond worlds, universes beyond universes, that this world was "false," and only by leaving could one reach "reality."

But people listened only to dismiss him as a madman, a lunatic, keeping their distance.

After that, Menma fell silent.

He hid this secret in his heart.

This intense feeling of nausea and dissonance, caught between "illusion" and "reality," plagued him for eighteen years.

Apart from a certain willful person, he never felt any sense of belonging in that world.

He became Hokage, using Konoha's resources to find the "Book of the Crimson Moon" for himself.

It turned out the Tsukuyomi World was merely a byproduct dependent on the Real World. The entire world was formed around this "Book of the Crimson Moon," just a page or two written within it.

After understanding everything, an even stronger sense of detachment filled Menma's body; the entire world seemed to despise and target him.

However...

Although some accidents occurred while breaking the passage between "illusion" and "reality," causing his physical body to collapse and dissipate...

At least, he finally escaped that "cage."

Moreover, he obtained the Book of the Crimson Moon in his hands, capable of "turning illusion into reality."

Uzumaki Menma reeled in his wandering thoughts, looking at Naruto with a serious expression: "Judging by your state, you probably won't get to the main points. Next, I'll talk, you listen."

"We are currently still within the seal space inside your body. And this silly big fox..."

Menma pointed to the Nine-Tails beside them: "His name is Kurama. He's your tenant, and also the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox that makes those people pale at the mere mention of 'fox'."

Naruto's small mouth gaped slightly as he carefully looked the Nine-Tails up and down.

Didn't those people say the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox was extremely cruel and violent, eating children and drinking human blood daily?

But the one before him...

No matter how he looked at it, it just seemed like a gluttonous and lazy big fox!

The Nine-Tails, clutching its oversized chip bag, yelled impatiently: "Hey, hey, hey, what does this have to do with me? It's not like I WANTED to be inside this brat's body."

Uzumaki Menma ignored the fox, letting it shout and roar beside them. He knew the toughest part of Kurama was his mouth.

"Don't doubt it. This big fox IS the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox the other villagers talk about."

"But... apart from its appearance, it's clearly a creature with emotions just like us. And it doesn't seem scary like everyone says," Naruto asked, scratching his head.

Being acknowledged by a human cub for the first time, the Nine-Tails awkwardly flicked its tails. This kid...

Facing Naruto's confusion, Menma chuckled: "Naruto, I'm truly gratified that you can think this way."

"But let me finish talking before you make your judgment."

With a wave of Uzumaki Menma's hand, a small stool appeared on the ground.

Signaling little Naruto to sit, he then began to recount the persecution of the Nine-Tails by the First Hokage Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, and the distribution of the nine Tailed Beasts among the Five Great Villages.

"Kurama originally lived alone in his own territory, leading a peaceful and free life, uninvolved with the world. But later, humans saw him as a terrifying monster rather than a sentient being, while simultaneously fearing and coveting his power..."

"Hmph!!"

The Nine-Tails had no interest in hearing this, snorting coldly and turning its head away.

Logically, with its personality, it would never allow someone to recount its dark past right in front of it.

But alas...

Back during the Nine-Tails Rampage, when it was sealed into Naruto's body and still raging impotently...

This detestable guy suddenly appeared and directly called out its true name.

The first time it looked down and saw Menma, the Nine-Tails instantly bristled.

Bristled in every sense of the word.

It lowered its body like a wild beast, arching its back, fur standing on end, its nine tails raised high behind it.

Eyes wide, pupils contracted, a low, menacing growl rumbled in its throat.

Who is this guy? How did he suddenly appear here!? it thought frantically.

A wild beast's sharp intuition constantly warned the Nine-Tails.

Danger! Danger!!

This guy before it constantly emitted a "scent" called danger.

But this only made the invincible Lord Kurama cautious; it wouldn't make him show weakness.

The Nine-Tails quickly mixed and compressed chakra in its mouth at a 2:8 Yin-Yang ratio into a super-dense, small Tailed Beast Ball.

Just as it was about to enjoy the damn brat's desperate expression...

Uzumaki Menma's lips curled into a grin, and he extended one finger.

A small, entirely pitch-black sphere, surrounded by a halo-like ring resembling planetary rings, condensed on his fingertip.

The Nine-Tails' smile froze on its face, its expression management gradually losing control.

"Have a taste, Mini Rasenringu!"

Menma directly threw the small sphere into the Nine-Tails' mouth.

A golden chain shot out from behind him, binding the Nine-Tails' muzzle shut.

Peng! Puff!

Then, with a muffled bang from inside the Nine-Tails' belly, it transformed from a fox into a "ball" of fox.

Its highly resilient chakra body instantly inflated into a large sphere, white smoke spewing from several holes like a boiling kettle.

Recalling Menma's persecution and beatings, recalling its own eye-rolling, devastated expression at the time, the Nine-Tails bared its teeth somewhat angrily.

It thought bitterly, if it weren't for those disgusting Adamantine Sealing Chains, how could it have been powerless? Although that Rasenringu thing was strong, Lord Kurama wasn't weak either!

It resolved inwardly, "I must find a chance to beat this brat up, otherwise he'll really think this old fox is made of clay!"

Just as the Nine-Tails was secretly making this resolution in its heart.

"Kurama possesses the largest amount of chakra among the nine Tailed Beasts and is the strongest."

Hearing this, the Nine-Tails' body jolted, its fox ears instantly shooting straight up.

Rare, too rare! Was this guy actually praising it? it thought in disbelief.

Catching little Naruto's admiring gaze out of the corner of its eye, the Nine-Tails gave an arrogant 'hmph'.

Its face wore a coolly indifferent expression, but its tails were practically wagging up to the sky.

This guy actually had good judgment, it conceded internally. It decided it must let that damn stinky tanuki hear this someday. One tail just couldn't compare to nine tails!