Chapter 271: Mother
"Kujaku Myoo Sutra."
The chant echoed through the rain curtain. Menma's hands formed seals, chakra spreading outward from him like ripples.
"Blue, White, Vermillion, Black, Void, South, North, Three, Jewel."
Accompanied by roars, nine summoning beasts of different forms and overwhelming presence appeared one by one! They also wore masks of various styles, standing behind Menma, cold gazes all directed toward those two Tailed Beast transformation monsters emanating ominous red light.
"ROAR—!!!"
The Nine Masked Beasts' unified roar mixed with the monsters' frenzied hisses, instantly drowning out the torrential rain, violently colliding across this empty plain.
Was that a threatening roar? Or the painful wails of imprisoned souls? Menma couldn't distinguish. Theoretically, these existences doubly twisted by Impure World Reincarnation and Tailed Beast chakra had long lost their self-will.
"WHOOSH—!"
Massive crimson chakra claws again tore through the air, suddenly splitting and multiplying mid-flight into dozens of deadly scarlet trajectories attempting to engulf both Menma and the Nine Masked Beasts entirely!
"Scatter!"
At Menma's command, the Nine Masked Beasts and his true body instantly transformed into afterimages, dispersing in all directions with astonishing speed and coordination, launching counterattacks from various tricky angles!
Azure Dragon and White Tiger's bodies boldly met the densest claw strikes ahead, using their hard shells and resilient flesh to forcibly withstand this fierce assault, creating opportunities for their companions.
The Southern and Northern Sage Immortals floated in midair, their staff trajectories interweaving to rapidly construct a purple sealing formation that suddenly blazed beneath the two Tailed Beast transformation monsters' feet.
However, just as the sealing light illuminated, those two monsters released even more frenzied roars, relying on the terrifying brute force granted by Tailed Beast chakra to violently shake their bodies, forcibly tearing apart and breaking free from the not-yet-fully-formed sealing formation!
Immediately after, one monster raised its massive red claw, viciously slamming toward the ground!
BOOM—!!!
Centered on the impact point, a ring-shaped shockwave mixed with rubble rapidly expanded outward, forcing several Nine Masked Beasts attempting to close in to temporarily avoid the edge.
It seemed the Nine Masked Beasts' power alone was insufficient to suppress these two monsters fusing Uzumaki physique with Tailed Beast chakra. To deal with Tailed Beasts, the most effective method was naturally...
Menma advanced like lightning. Simultaneously, brilliant golden light blazed behind him!
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Several golden chains containing sealing power shot through the air toward those two monsters' cores, intending to completely bind them.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
But a series of ear-piercing metallic clashing sounds rang out! Menma's golden chains were actually intercepted halfway by equally gleaming golden objects, tightly entangled!
Those were... power also originating from Uzumaki Clan bloodline! Behind the two Tailed Beast transformation monsters, incomparably solid golden chains also extended, stubbornly resisting Menma's seal.
Unfortunately, Orochimaru currently focused on fierce battle with the Third Hokage, his mastery of Impure World Reincarnation still far from its peak, unable to observe distant battle conditions in real-time through the Impure World bodies' eyes.
Otherwise, this common-origin Adamantine Sealing Chains might have instantly shattered his crazy misconception that "Menma is Minato Namikaze."
But since the misunderstanding couldn't be resolved...
In the distance, the contingency Orochimaru had preset to confirm this important intelligence would still continue executing coldly according to his initial judgment.
...More violent roars came from afar. Was that Shukaku? But Menma currently couldn't spare attention elsewhere. He'd originally planned to at least send off his mother's soul in the most respectful way. However, harsh reality lay before him—though his strength far exceeded these two controlled shells, completing the seal in a short time without causing additional harm was nearly an impossible task.
Self-mockery spread through his heart, ridiculing his earlier naivety. He couldn't hesitate any longer.
Menma slowly raised his right hand. In his palm, heart-palpitating energy began frantically gathering and compressing. A sphere seemingly capable of devouring all light, containing destructive energy within, made even the surrounding air distort.
"Spiraling Strife Sphere."
The next moment, his figure moved! Speed like lightning, easily evading successive incoming Tailed Beast chakra blasts, charging fiercely toward one Tailed Beast transformation monster!
Subdue, then forcibly seal—this was his only plan right now.
The pitch-black Spiraling Strife Sphere was about to viciously press against that berserk crimson body...
But at the instant before contact—
Time seemed infinitely stretched, transforming into eternity.
The crimson chakra covering the monster's face suddenly dissipated like receding tide, revealing the true face beneath that had been concealed all along—Uzumaki Kushina, that mother whose face he could only sketch in photographs and imagination, appeared clearly and defenseless in his vision.
However, those eyes that should have been full of warmth and vitality were now empty and dim. The Impure World Reincarnation's binding and Tailed Beast chakra's erosion made her present a morbid state of being deeply tortured, paranoid unease carved into this shell's instincts.
Morbid experimentation had dimmed her gaze, indelible corruption eroding her heart.
Orochimaru, for verification, could utilize everything.
"..."
Menma's body froze as if instantly bound by shackles, rigidly suspended in midair! That Spiraling Strife Sphere condensing destructive power, though encountering no actual defense, crashed into a wall of sighs built from bloodline bonds that absolutely could not be crossed, unable to advance even a millimeter further!
In this fatal moment of hesitation—
BANG!!!
Crimson chakra again covered that gentle face, transforming into a ferocious beast head. A red fist formed from malice rapidly enlarged in his pupils, solidly hammering into the mask!
Tremendous impact sent him flying backward, crashing heavily onto the muddy ground, splashing up water.
CRACK...
Accompanied by a crisp sound, that fox mask that had always concealed his face finally shattered under this strike and slid off.
At this moment, under the mysterious card's power enhancement, Naruto's body was no longer a shadow clone but presented his completely mature, future grown appearance.
When the mask fell away, the black disguise also faded. Golden hair and azure eyes were exposed without concealment in the cold rain curtain.
"...I'm sorry."
This whisper was nearly swallowed by wind and rain. The instant the words fell, Menma's eyes had returned to icy coldness. He raised his hand again. That profound, pitch-black Spiraling Strife Sphere, carrying even more condensed and powerful energy fluctuations than before, reformed in his palm.
The next moment, his figure suddenly blurred, again at speeds the naked eye couldn't track, launching a resolute charge toward one Tailed Beast transformation monster—Uzumaki Kushina!
"ROAR!"
The monster released violent cries, Tailed Beast chakra blasts continuously firing from its mouth, yet only able to futilely tear through afterimages he left behind, unable to touch his true body at all.
Seeing ranged attacks ineffective, several Adamantine Sealing Chains suddenly shot from behind the monster, winding toward Menma, attempting to bind him in place!
"ROAR—!"
The Nine Masked Beasts recalled earlier and now acting again released earth-shaking roars. They executed their master's will, fearlessly charging forward, using their massive bodies to boldly crash into those deadly golden chains, fighting for that fleeting opening for Menma!
The Tailed Beast transformation monster's attention was scattered for an instant by this sudden obstruction. Its crimson claws instinctively redirected, viciously slapping toward those Nine Masked Beasts daring to obstruct it!
Right now!
Menma's figure flickered again in the rain—Flying Thunder God Technique!
He precisely teleported beside an Azure Dragon Masked Beast using its body to withstand chains. Without the slightest hesitation, he closed his eyes, his arm gripping the Spiraling Strife Sphere thrusting sharply forward!
The pitch-black Spiraling Strife Sphere precisely, without deviation, pressed against that Tailed Beast transformation monster!
Compressed destructive energy instantly invaded and erupted! That thick crimson Tailed Beast chakra cloak violently shook, shattering inch by inch.
Having lost Tailed Beast chakra's protection, Menma suddenly opened his eyes wide. The Adamantine Sealing Chains already prepared behind him instantly shot forth!
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
This time, there were no more obstacles. Several golden chains precisely wound upward, firmly locking that figure. Powerful sealing force began purifying and stripping away all external corruption.
That crimson completely faded, peeling away a layer of painful shell, finally revealing beneath the real, confused figure—Uzumaki Kushina.
Menma formed the final sealing hand sign. Following chakra's guidance, pitch-black sealing runes began rapidly spreading across the Impure World body.
When black runes spread to her slender neck, those talismans symbolizing forcibly erasing will began melting, disintegrating, ultimately completely vanishing without trace.
Consciousness, like a drowning person sunk in the deep sea finally surfacing, gained brief clarity.
Uzumaki Kushina's originally vacant eyes trembled slightly, focus slowly gathering. She looked somewhat bewildered at this face so close... this child, why... did he look so familiar?
Like carved into the soul's depths.
Is he... crying?
Why was his face covered in tears? Those azure eyes like the sky were filled with sorrow she couldn't understand, so deep it seemed about to overflow.
Were those tears? Or... rainwater?
Her vision was somewhat blurred, consciousness also flickering unsteadily like a candle in the wind. But that face's contours, the expression between those brows, overlapped with someone in her memory, someone she'd protected tightly even at life's final moment, someone she loved so dearly that even death couldn't make her willing to separate from...
That name, that tremor from bloodline's deepest depths, even faster than her reviving consciousness, had already escaped her lips.
The voice was soft, carrying the hoarseness and weakness of just-regained consciousness, containing endless tenderness and a trace of incredulous confirmation.
"...Naruto?"
DING!
Congratulations, Host: Bond Level 7 (Maximum) established with original character "Uzumaki Kushina"!
Points Obtained: 2100 points!
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