The skies above Konoha roared in thunderous protest.
From the ruins of the village center, a vortex of pure rage exploded into the heavens. Six fiery tails of Kurama's yin chakra tore through the battlefield, wrapped around Menma's broken form, who now looked less human and more beast. Bones jutted from the shroud. His face was masked in bubbling red chakra, and his voice—when he screamed—was no longer just his own.
It was the scream of the Nine-Tails.
A howl of pain. Of betrayal. Of confusion.
Naruto stood alone before the storm, his knees trembling, wounds leaking, but eyes resolute.
He could barely see Menma anymore. Only the monster he had become. Only the brother he was about to lose.
And still… Naruto didn't draw back.
Flashback – Naruto, after learning the truth
Minato sat silently on the rooftop, staring out at the village.
Naruto stood beside him. "Why me?" he had asked. "Why not him?"
Minato turned. "Because you reminded me of her."
Naruto blinked.
"You reminded me of Kushina," Minato continued. "Stubborn, pure-hearted, impossible to contain. And… alone."
Naruto looked down.
"He was our light," Minato whispered. "But you were our shadow… and we failed to embrace you both."
Back to present
Naruto slammed his hands together.
"Storm Release: Celestial Barrage!"
The sky answered his cry. Lightning twisted down from the black clouds, forking, humming, weaving into dozens of chakra spears that shot at Menma from above. The cloaked beast snarled, lifting an arm to defend.
The spears struck true.
Explosions rippled across the earth, dust and flame blooming in mushroom plumes. Trees were leveled. The ANBU far on the outskirts staggered as chakra quaked beneath their feet.
When the smoke cleared, Naruto stood hunched, breathing raggedly.
And Menma—scarred, burned, but alive—emerged slowly. The cloak around him was flickering now. Five tails. Four. It was weakening. But he wasn't done.
He dragged his body forward.
"You think…Can you fix everything?" Menma panted. "With words? With pity? You don't get it, Naruto!"
"I never pitied you," Naruto said through gritted teeth. "I loved you."
Menma's breath hitched.
A pause. A silence louder than the battle.
Then Menma howled.
Kurama's yin energy screamed around him, forming a colossal claw, preparing to end it.
Naruto summoned the last of his chakra. He felt his arms crack under the pressure. His Storm Release gathered in a swirling helix around his body.
He dashed forward—one final attack.
"MENMA!!!""NARUTO!!!"
They clashed—chakra ripping into chakra, brother into brother.
Then… silence.
Naruto stumbled, fell to one knee.
His blade had pierced the cloak.
Menma stood, blood trailing from his mouth. His chakra cloak fizzled out. The red light faded from his eyes. He blinked once. Twice.
Then, slowly, fell forward.
Naruto caught him.
They collapsed together into the dirt, surrounded by rubble, silence, and a mournful wind.
Naruto cradled his brother in his lap.
"Why…?" Menma whispered.
"Because I had to stop you," Naruto replied, voice cracking.
Menma coughed. Blood stained his lips. "I… I hated you so much. But I didn't want to. I just… I wanted them to see me again."
Naruto's vision blurred with tears.
"They always saw you, Menma. You just… You didn't see yourself anymore."
"…Do you think they'll hate me?" Menma asked, his voice a boy's again. "Will Mom… cry?"
"No," came a gentle voice behind them.
Minato and Kushina arrived, battered, bruised, their ANBU escorts behind them. They rushed forward as Naruto moved slightly aside, letting them kneel beside Menma's fading form.
Kushina cupped his cheek, her hand trembling.
"My baby…" she whispered. "I'm so sorry we let you fall."
Menma blinked slowly. "Mom…? You're not… mad?"
She kissed his forehead. "Never. I'm proud of you."
Minato placed a hand on his son's chest. "You fought until the end. You were strong. You were brave. And you were ours."
Menma's body trembled.
"I'm… tired…"
Naruto took his hand. "Then rest. I'll carry your dream forward."
Menma smiled weakly.
"Brother…"
He stopped breathing.
The wind carried away the last flicker of Kurama's chakra.
The battlefield was silent.
Around them, the fighting slowed. Word spread: Menma, the Nine-Tails' other vessel, was dead.
The invading forces began to break.
ANBU squads advanced to clear out the remnants. Reinforcements returned to aid the wounded. The fires were being put out. But the deepest wounds… were not on the battlefield.
They were in the hearts of those left behind.
Later that night
Naruto sat alone on the Hokage Monument, the same place he had sat so many years ago as a child.
The moon was full.
In his hand, he held a small item—a cracked whistle Menma had once given him before they were separated. A small thing… but heavy now with the weight of a life lost.
Footsteps approached.
Mito sat beside him, wrapped in a long cloak, eyes red from crying. "I saw him," she whispered.
Naruto didn't respond.
"I loved him too," she said.
"I know."
She took his hand in hers.
"Let's make sure… he didn't die in vain."
Naruto nodded slowly. "Yeah. We will."
Below them, the fires of the village glowed again—not with war, but with life.