Time slipped away, bit by bit.
While the Hidden Leaf Village was bustling with noise and excitement, Menma turned a deaf ear to the outside world, burying himself in his training.
Since his battle with Orochimaru, Menma had completely adapted to the intensity of the Four-Tails state. If his calculations were right, he could now push further and draw out even more of the Nine-Tails' chakra. Entering a semi-Tailed Beast transformation wouldn't even be that hard.
However, that would be a massive test for his physical body. Whether he could withstand the corrosive nature of the Tailed Beast chakra and fully adapt to it remained a question mark.
So, he had to play it safe. There was no rush.
As it stood, the Four-Tails level was enough to handle almost any enemy. In the entire village, aside from the aging Hiruzen and Jiraiya in Sage Mode, the only one who could actually kill him was Might Guy with the Eight Inner Gates open.
Oh, and Yamato. Even with his watered-down Wood Release, he could still suppress Menma. Wood Release is kryptonite for Tailed Beast chakra, so against four tails, Yamato could still hold him down.
Aside from them, no one in Konoha stood a chance against Menma in a one-on-one fight. That included Kakashi—after all, the Copy Ninja didn't even realize his Sharingan had already evolved into the Mangekyō yet.
Furthermore, mastering Tailed Beast chakra wasn't something you could speedrun; it required time for the body to toughen up and adapt until it was a perfect fit.
Since rushing was useless, Menma decided to focus on other preparations—like upgrading the Rasengan and unlocking the exclusive abilities of his Uzumaki lineage.
Just like the Uchiha and their Sharingan—where awakening the eyes, and especially the Mangekyō, isn't just about emotional trauma but also genetic potential—not every Uzumaki could use their clan's special techniques.
Whether it was the "Mind's Eye of the Kagura" or the "Adamantine Sealing Chains," these were exclusive to the bloodline, but not guaranteed.
Menma was born with the Mind's Eye, but the chains had eluded him. He had once thought he just didn't have the talent for that specific skill. But after fighting Orochimaru—perhaps triggered by the use of the Nine-Tails' chakra—he felt a shift in his bloodline.
subconsciously, he had a gut feeling he could use the technique now.
So, shortly after the second exam ended, Menma couldn't wait any longer. He headed to a mountain range on the far right side of the village to test out one of the ninja world's strongest sealing jutsus.
"Mind's Eye of the Kagura!"
He clapped his hands, and his chakra expanded rapidly, covering a radius of several miles around him.
He confirmed he was totally alone. It was worth noting that since graduation, he hadn't felt that creeping sense of being watched—meaning Hiruzen wasn't spying on him with that crystal ball technique anymore.
This meant Menma could be a lot bolder.
He steadied his chakra flow.
Menma closed his eyes, looking inward, sensing the depths of his own body.
Time passed slowly.
He didn't know how long he stood there. Then, in the silence, a sudden spark flashed through his mind.
Menma's eyes snapped open.
He thrust his hands into the empty air.
Hum!
The next second, he felt his chakra draining rapidly.
A golden light flashed in his palms.
Clatter!
A visible, brilliant golden chain shot out.
Menma's eyes lit up with joy—but before he could do anything else...
Snap!
A sharp cracking sound rang out.
The Adamantine Chain, which had barely just appeared, shattered in less than a second. It dissolved into nothingness.
Menma's smile froze on his face.
In that instant, he knew he had triggered the jutsu, so why did it fall apart at the last second?
"Not enough chakra? No, I used more than two Rasengans' worth just now. That should be plenty. Was it a control issue? That doesn't make sense; I've never heard of this jutsu requiring extreme fine-tuning. Is there some other reason?"
Menma frowned deeply.
If it was just a matter of duration, strength, or quantity, that would be fine—he could improve those step by step. He didn't expect to instantly summon a dozen invincible chains like his mother, Kushina. That would be a pipe dream.
But the prerequisite was being able to stabilize at least one chain, right?
If even the first chain was this unstable and shattered before fully forming, what was the point?
"No, let's try again."
Menma took a deep breath, closing his eyes once more. He mobilized his chakra again, this time digging deeper and focusing even harder.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
His eyes sharpened. He poured out a massive amount of chakra, far more than the first attempt. With a low shout, a golden shadow manifested from his palms again.
This time, it seemed to hold for an extra second or two. The chain extended to about three feet in length.
Hum!
It shuddered violently. Then, right in front of Menma's expectant face, it snapped and vanished into thin air.
"Son of a bitch!"
Menma couldn't help but curse out loud.