NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6: Unexpected Development
Chapter
6: Unexpected Development
Kakashi graduated from the ninja
academy at the age of five and was promoted directly to Jonin at the age of 12.
If he hadn't suffered a setback later, he would probably have become another
Kage-level existence in Konohagakure before the age of 20, following in
Minato's footsteps.
Menma was not very greedy. He did
not hope to become a Jonin like Kakashi within six years—that was impossible.
Kakashi's leap was due to his exceptional talent and the growth brought by
desperate battles on the battlefield. Menma knew very well that he did not have
such conditions. All he could do was lay his foundation as solidly as possible.
If he couldn't become a Jonin, he hoped to at least reach Chunin level.
In this crucial stage of laying the
foundation, any small improvement would have a qualitative impact on the
future.
Starting in early January, before
the April admissions season, Menma devoted himself wholeheartedly to the
refinement and control of chakra. When you are focused and immersed in
something, time often passes quickly. It seems to take a long time, but in reality,
the short period of more than three months flies by. By the end of March, the
breath of early spring ushered in.
Simply speaking from the use of
chakra, Menma could already consider himself a quasi-ninja. After all, he could
already move at high speeds beyond the reach of ordinary people and reach
extremely exaggerated heights with a single jump. This was the result of three
months of concentrated training, one step at a time.
His chakra was like a spring. With
Menma's talent, even if the amount of chakra he could extract was less than one
percent of his upper limit, it could already surpass most ninjas in the ninja
world. This was one of Menma's biggest strengths.
In the original work, Kakashi once
said that Naruto had to use chakra to suppress the Nine-Tails chakra. Even
then, Naruto's chakra was already four times that of Kakashi. Without
suppression, Naruto's chakra would be a hundred times that of Kakashi. Whether
Menma's chakra was the same as Naruto's in the original novel was unknown. But
as a member of the Uzumaki clan, Menma's total chakra upper limit could be
described as immense.
Even one percent of his upper limit
was already a scary amount.
'That's enough for today. Tomorrow
is the day for admission to the ninja academy. It's better to go back early,
rest, and prepare for admission!' Menma thought. He ended his practice for the
day, stood up, stretched, and glanced at the setting sun. After estimating the
time, he planned to pack up and return home.
Although Menma felt that time was
tight, he still maintained self-restraint in his training. The physical
strength of humans in this world was far superior to that of humans in his
previous life. But Menma was still a child and needed to set limits on his
training. He was basically doing some basic training now. Slightly more
difficult and complex training, Menma didn't know how to try yet. After all, he
had just started chakra refinement this year.
Advanced chakra control
training—climbing trees, treading water, etc.—was something for later. He was
not suitable for such 'high standard' practice now. Meals had to be eaten one
bite at a time, and the road had to be walked step by step.
Menma returned home a little earlier
than usual. After taking a shower and having dinner, he did some meditation and
went to bed early. He planned to rest well and face the first day of the ninja
academy with full spirit tomorrow.
However, it seemed that tonight
would not go as smoothly as Menma had expected.
The night was completely dark, with
the crescent moon slowly emerging. Under the quiet and peaceful atmosphere,
Menma fell asleep quietly, his breathing becoming longer and smoother. This was
supposed to be a night that flew by as quickly as closing his eyes.
However.
"Tick tock!"
A clear, sweet sound of water
droplets came from somewhere. A sudden awakening of consciousness.
"This is?"
Menma's eyes suddenly opened, and
for the first time, he looked at the extremely dark space around him with a
dazed expression. But after a second, another memory came to mind. Menma
couldn't help but shudder. This was an extremely familiar scene and atmosphere.
Menma instantly realized what situation he was in.
"Is this the world inside
me?"
Empty, cold, and dark! There was
also a dark yet extremely dangerous aura coming from a location not far away.
No doubt about it! Menma was now 100% sure he had entered the sealed space
within his body. The spiritual world where the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox was
sealed!
'Is this a blessing in disguise?'
Menma muttered to himself. Although it was much earlier than the meeting time
he had expected, he was happy to meet the most powerful being among the tailed
beasts in advance.
Even though the Kyuubi seemed like a
pet in the hands of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, it was a formidable
force to others. Kyuubi could teach anyone a lesson in a minute. This was
definitely his biggest support for future combat power.
Menma walked straight forward,
heading toward the source of the aura that could be called evil. A long, dark
passage. The low sound of footsteps echoed around. He went straight through the
passage and then made a right-angle turn. Menma came to a huge circular arch.
From a closer distance, it seemed that a thick tide of scarlet chakra could be
seen flowing away from inside.
Menma's short body trembled
subconsciously. After taking a deep breath, he stepped forward, striding toward
the interior. As he entered, his sight instantly broadened. The light and
shadows seemed to become slightly brighter. A giant floor-to-ceiling metal
fence suddenly came into view. It looked exactly like a large prison.
"Boom!"
Menma's arrival seemed to have
stimulated the resident in this prison. A bright red light suddenly flashed
out, followed by a terrifying chakra aura surging, and waves rolling up from
the ground! A strong airflow blew towards him, tightening Menma's face.
"Hey, kid, come here, come a
little closer."
The next second, a seductive, low
voice suddenly rang in Menma's ears. Menma's expression became entranced. He
subconsciously took a step forward, slowly approaching the location not far
away.