Defeat

---

"What's this?!"

Kakashi's eyes widened as he took in the sight of Menma's Rasengan. The familiar blue hue was gone, replaced by something dark, violent—a Rasengan infused with the sinister chakra of the Nine-Tails, its core pulsing with ominous red energy.

The intensity of Menma's chakra washed over Kakashi, a wave of malevolent power that made the hairs on his neck stand on end. In that moment, Kakashi felt it—a chilling presence, like death itself looming over him.

But retreat was not an option.

Buzz!

Kakashi's chakra surged, pushing his body to its limit. There was no room for hesitation. The Sharingan in his left eye spun, capturing every detail of Menma's movements as he closed the distance between them.

Zzzzssshhhh!

Lightning crackled to life in Kakashi's hand, the sound sharp and piercing as his Chidori lit up the battlefield. The power of his jutsu was unmistakable—a fierce, unwavering resolve made manifest.

From a distance, two figures watched the intense clash.

"What's... happening?" Naruto gasped, his eyes wide in shock.

He couldn't look away from the deadly exchange between Kakashi and Menma. "Is this... is this what Menma's become?"

Naruto wasn't alone in his disbelief. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, focused on the raw display of power before him.

Naruto's heart twisted painfully. His team, once united, was now fractured, with friends on the brink of killing each other. How had it come to this?

Team 7... how did we end up here?

But Naruto clenched his fists, determination hardening his gaze. He wouldn't give up—not on Menma, not on Sasuke.

"I don't care what it takes! Menma... Sasuke... I'm bringing you both back, even if I have to break every bone to do it!"

With a determined shout, Naruto charged at Sasuke, his heart aching for the team he had lost, even as Menma and Kakashi's fight escalated.

But Menma's focus remained fixed on Kakashi.

The chakra swirling around him was oppressive, compressed to its very limit by the Nine-Tails' influence. The Rasengan in his hand had transformed, darkened by the beast's rage, into a violent, pulsing weapon.

"Kakashi," Menma's voice was cold, merciless. "Today, you die."

He lunged forward, the dark Rasengan spinning in his hand. Its edges glinted dangerously in the dim light as he hurtled toward Kakashi.

"Rasengan!"

With deadly intent, he brought the enhanced Rasengan crashing toward Kakashi.

Kakashi's gaze locked onto Menma's face as he charged. Lightning surged in his hand, his Chidori roaring with energy.

"Raikiri!!"

BOOM!

The two jutsu collided with a deafening explosion, sending a shockwave through the battlefield. Earth trembled, and light and shadow clashed violently.

Kakashi gritted his teeth, pouring everything he had into his Raikiri. But Menma's chakra was overwhelming—its dark, twisted nature began to swallow the lightning, consuming it.

Kakashi's pupils narrowed.

Menma's eyes gleamed with a mocking confidence. "Foolishness."

And then—

BOOM!

Menma unleashed the full force of his Rasengan, detonating it with a surge of power.

Is this it? Kakashi thought as the energy engulfed him, his body barely able to withstand the onslaught.

Darkness crept into the edges of his vision as he was hurled backward, crashing hard against the riverbank.

THUD!

He skidded along the ground, carving a deep trench in the earth before coming to a stop. Blood dripped from his mouth, his chakra nearly drained. His vision blurred, but he fought to rise.

Da... Da... Da...

Footsteps echoed through his dazed mind.

Weakly, Kakashi raised his head. Menma was walking toward him, his expression cold, indifferent. The air around him was thick with murderous intent.

Kakashi's gaze drifted over the battlefield. Menma's shadow clones had wiped out the remaining Root operatives—it was a slaughter.

This is it, Kakashi thought. Perhaps this is my punishment... the price of my failure.

Summoning the last of his strength, Kakashi looked up at Menma.

"Menma," he rasped, his voice filled with sorrow. "Perhaps the village failed you... perhaps I failed you. But Naruto—he's innocent. He's your brother, your blood. He knows nothing of this. And Minato-sensei... Kushina-san... They'd never want to see you two like this. Please... don't lose what's left of your family."

There was a desperation in Kakashi's words, a raw, pleading honesty that seemed to cut through Menma's cold exterior.

The names Minato and Kushina stirred something in Menma. For just a moment, his hardened expression faltered. Even after all these years, he couldn't deny they were his family in this life.

Namikaze Minato... Uzumaki Kushina...

His gaze softened, almost imperceptibly, as his mind wandered to distant dreams, of perhaps finding his real family one day, traveling through the stars like the Ōtsutsuki. But the bonds of this life were not so easily forgotten.

Yet, in a heartbeat, Menma forced the emotions down, hardening himself once again.

"Don't try to appeal to me with sentiment, Kakashi," Menma replied coldly. "I've already burned those bridges."

---

Menma loomed over Kakashi, his gaze sharp and unrelenting.

*Whoosh!*

"Menma…" Kakashi managed to gasp, but before he could say more, Menma's right hand darted forward.

*Schlurk!*

In a swift, brutal motion, Menma's fingers struck Kakashi's left eye socket, extracting the Sharingan. Agonizing pain surged through Kakashi's body as blood poured from his empty socket. Menma remained unfazed, his expression a mask of detachment.

He held the blood-soaked Sharingan, feeling its latent power. This wasn't just any ordinary Sharingan; it had evolved beyond the three tomoe, carrying the potent chakra and experiences of its bearer.

With a small nod of satisfaction, Menma took out a vial of preserving fluid and placed the Sharingan inside carefully.

"This Mangekyō Sharingan will serve well—not only against Obito but for my research on space-time ninjutsu," Menma thought coldly. He dismissed any risks. *Obito's attention is inevitable,* he reasoned.

"Kakashi, don't take this personally. It's not about grudges," Menma said, his voice as icy as his stare. "We're simply on opposing sides. If you must blame someone, blame Konoha… or this broken world."

With a flick of his wrist, a kunai appeared in Menma's hand. He raised it to strike Kakashi's throat, a cold finality in his movement.

*Obito…*

As Menma's kunai descended, Kakashi's final thought was of his friend—not Minato, not his father, and not even Rin, but Obito.

He closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate.

"Menma! Stop!!!"

A thunderous voice echoed across the battlefield.

Naruto's golden figure burst into view, chakra flaring with raw intensity. In his hand, he formed a Rasengan that blazed with fury. To Naruto, Kakashi wasn't just a teacher—he was family.

Menma noticed Naruto's rage, breaking free from Sasuke's grasp to reach him. But Menma's expression remained cold, unwavering. He was ready to kill Kakashi, regardless of Naruto's intervention.

But before Menma could strike—

"Partial Expansion Jutsu!"

A booming voice cut through the chaos.

A colossal hand appeared out of nowhere, forcing Menma to leap back, abandoning his attack.

*Boom!*

The ground quaked as the enlarged fist and Naruto's Rasengan collided with Menma's position, sending a shockwave across the battlefield. Dust and debris clouded the scene, masking the outcome.

When the dust settled, Naruto stood protectively over Kakashi, joined by a towering figure with blazing red hair—the same hue as Menma's.

'Akimichi Chōza,' Menma recognized, taking in the leader of the Akimichi clan.

Chōza, Chōji's father, was a formidable jōnin and a master of the Akimichi clan's secret techniques, amplified by their unique food pills. Menma knew he was a force to be reckoned with.

'Just perfect,' Menma muttered, annoyed by the mounting number of opponents.

And Chōza wasn't alone.

From another direction, Hyūga Neji and Aburame Shino approached, having aided Naruto in bypassing Sasuke's defenses. Menma noted that without their help, Naruto wouldn't have made it past Sasuke, who had grown significantly stronger with the power of the Cursed Seal.

Naruto knelt beside Kakashi, his face filled with worry.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you alright?!"

Kakashi, pale and barely able to keep his eyes open, managed a faint, reassuring smile.

"I'll… manage, Naruto… Don't worry…"

He coughed weakly, wincing in pain. Kakashi was on the verge of collapse; without immediate treatment, he wouldn't survive.

---

"Why, Menma? Why are you so heartless?" Naruto's voice shook, wavering between anger and despair. "Did Kakashi-sensei… did *I* do something to push you this far? Why!? Why are you so cruel?"

Naruto's fists trembled at his sides, his gaze unwavering. The frustration, sadness, and confusion in his face were genuine. No matter how much he tried to understand, his brother's actions left him bewildered.

Yes, he understood that Menma's life had been different—harsher. He knew the village had failed him in ways. Even the Third Hokage could have done more to protect Menma from the shadows that had poisoned his heart. But to see this raw hatred? To see the brother he had once admired become so callous? Naruto struggled to reconcile it.

He had believed, deep down, that he could reach Menma—that a conversation would be enough to clear the misunderstandings between them. They were brothers, after all.

"Menma, what about Shikamaru? Choji? Iruka-sensei? Can you really say you feel *nothing* for them?" Naruto's voice softened, hoping his words could reach Menma's heart.

But Menma's expression remained cold as he glanced down at the bloodied ground, littered with fallen Anbu and Kakashi's weakening form.

"Cruel?" Menma scoffed, his tone filled with disdain. "Naruto, are you truly a shinobi? You sound like a naive child."

Naruto felt the sting of those words like a slap. The person before him looked at him with a mixture of pity and contempt.

"You think I hate Kakashi?" Menma's lip curled into a smirk. "I don't hate him, Naruto. But if he stands in my way, he dies. That's the simple truth."

Naruto's eyes widened, heart pounding as Menma spoke with chilling indifference. He barely recognized this person before him—the brother who once shared his dreams.

"Menma, I can't let you do this!" Naruto yelled, chakra flaring around him as his determination hardened. His aura blazed blue, radiating his powerful resolve.

"Wait, Naruto!" A deep voice called out.

Akimichi Choza stepped forward, watching the tension build. The battlefield lay scarred by Menma's ruthless power, his three chakra tails of the Nine-Tails swinging like serpents behind him. Choza's fists tightened—he knew this wasn't an ordinary foe.

Naruto didn't hold back, charging at Menma, fury etched on his face.

"Partial Multi-Size Technique!" Choza shouted, his right arm swelling into a massive size as he sprinted to assist Naruto. His enlarged arm cast a shadow over Menma as he prepared to strike.

Menma's gaze flickered with mild interest. With a swift clap of his hands, he channeled the Nine-Tails' sinister chakra. The crimson aura surged, and one of the chakra tails stretched out to meet Choza's massive arm.

*Boom!*

The two forces clashed with a deafening roar, the impact shaking the ground. Choza grunted, pouring his strength into the clash, but Menma's chakra tail resisted effortlessly.

"Naive," Menma muttered, as two other chakra tails whipped around, ensnaring Choza's arm. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the giant shinobi to the side as if he were weightless. Choza crashed into the ground, groaning from the impact.

Naruto used the opening, leaping into the air with his fist poised, emotion burning in his eyes. But Menma effortlessly caught Naruto's fist mid-air, their eyes meeting for a brief, tense moment—Naruto's filled with pain, Menma's with disdain.

With a cold twist, Menma wrenched Naruto's wrist and slammed him into the ground. Naruto gasped, the force knocking the wind from him. Before he could rise, Menma placed his foot on Naruto's chest, pressing down hard.

"Gah—!" Naruto gasped, struggling to breathe under the weight. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, his eyes reflecting pain and desperation as he stared up at his brother's impassive face.

"You're weak, Naruto," Menma said, his voice a cold whisper. "That's why you'll never understand."

Naruto's vision blurred from the pain and lack of air, but he continued looking up at his brother—the one who had once shared his dreams, his hopes… Now, all he saw was a stranger, a merciless force who cared nothing for the bonds they'd once shared.

---

Menma stood before Naruto, memories of his past life swirling in his mind. Naruto had once been his hero—the protagonist he admired for his passion, sense of justice, and perseverance. He remembered Naruto's battle against Neji in the Chūnin Exams, and his emergence as the Sage of Six Paths during the fight with Madara—moments engraved into Menma's soul.

But now, as he faced Naruto, that admiration had soured. His hero was nothing like the idealized figure he had once revered.

His admiration had turned into contempt.

This wasn't due to anything Naruto had done. It was the clash between Menma's ideals and the reality he now saw. And in this reality, Naruto was not the hero Menma had imagined.

Now, with Naruto bound by his jutsu, Menma's heart wavered.

*Kill Naruto?* It should have been simple, especially now, with Naruto so vulnerable. Yet, as he raised his kunai, Menma hesitated.

Only for a moment.

Determination hardened in his gaze. He had already made his decision, and hesitation would only become a weakness. His resolve settled, and his killing intent flooded the air.

Naruto's eyes met his, and in that instant, he saw the cold truth in Menma's expression.

"Menma… are you really going to kill me?" Naruto's voice was a mere whisper, laced with disbelief and pain.

The look of betrayal on Naruto's face cut deeper than any weapon, but Menma's grip on his kunai only tightened, the blade glinting as he aimed for Naruto's heart.

"Menma, no!"

The voice shattered the silence, echoing across the battlefield.

Both Menma and Naruto froze, recognizing the warmth and familiarity in that voice. It pierced their hearts, and for a moment, time itself seemed to stop.

A figure appeared between them—a woman with a gentle face, her sorrowful eyes full of love. Though neither brother had ever seen her before, both instinctively knew who she was.

"Mother…?" they murmured in unison.

The apparition of Kushina Uzumaki stood before them, her presence alone enough to stop Menma's hand mid-strike. The warmth radiating from her filled the brothers with peace, disrupting Menma's killing intent.

But the moment of hesitation was all Akimichi Chōza needed.

With a thunderous shout, Chōza appeared beside Naruto, his body surging with chakra. He had swallowed the Akimichi Clan's red pill, boosting his strength to near-Kage levels.

"Menma!" Chōza bellowed, charging.

Menma blocked the blow, but the force sent him flying backward, crashing several meters away as he struggled to steady himself.

*Cough…* Menma's breath hitched from the impact, but his gaze remained fierce. The strength Chōza wielded was no joke.

"Are you alright, Naruto?" Chōza asked, supporting Naruto.

Naruto staggered, gripping Chōza's arm. "I… I'm fine, Uncle Chōza," he whispered, though his eyes remained locked on Menma, a mixture of sadness and confusion in his gaze.

The killing intent from Menma had been real—so real it chilled Naruto to the core. If not for their mother's voice, he would've been dead by his own brother's hand.

*Why, Menma? Why would you try to kill me?*

Menma's eyes narrowed as he observed the scene, his expression unreadable. He sensed ANBU units closing in, surrounding him, and detected more shinobi fast approaching from afar.

Menma took a deep breath and called out, "Sasuke!"

Sasuke, who had been locked in combat with Neji and Shino, turned at the sound of Menma's voice. In an instant, he abandoned his opponents, leaving Neji and Shino bruised but alive, and landed beside Menma with a swift leap. His Cursed Mark flared briefly before he returned to his base form.

"Tch, I could've finished them," Sasuke muttered, Sharingan still active. "But fine."

"There's no point in staying," Menma said, his tone cold and measured. "We'll have other chances."

Sasuke shrugged, dismissing the battle with a wave of his hand.

Meanwhile, Tayuya returned to Menma's side, glancing at Shikamaru, Neji, and Shino. All three looked battered, their chakra nearly depleted. The power of Sasuke's Cursed Mark Second State had been overwhelming, and if it weren't for Neji's Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven and Shino's insects as shields, they would have fallen much sooner.

Menma clapped his hands together, molding chakra.

"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"

A powerful surge of water exploded from Menma's position, creating a massive wall that separated him and his team from the Konoha shinobi, blocking their pursuit.

Amidst the chaos, Menma, Sasuke, and Tayuya vanished into the forest, moving swiftly toward the border.

The ANBU prepared to give chase, but Chōza held up a hand to stop them.

"Hold your positions. We're too close to the border. Let them go," he said gravely.

The ANBU hesitated before lowering their weapons, obeying his command. Chōza turned to Naruto, his voice filled with concern.

"Naruto, are you sure you're alright?"

Naruto nodded weakly, but his heart was heavy as he watched Menma's figure disappear into the distance.

*Menma… why?*

---