There were not many preparations that Menma needed to make before his departure.
The most important task was simply waiting for more accurate intelligence from Kabuto Yakushi.
The information Orochimaru had previously provided was already several days old. Moreover, it only contained an approximate location. Even if Menma rushed there immediately, there was no guarantee he would find the Six-Tails Jinchūriki.
After all, Utakata was no ordinary shinobi.
Under normal circumstances, he already possessed the strength of an elite jōnin. Once he began drawing upon Saiken's chakra, his combat power would rise dramatically, reaching a level comparable to that of a Kage.
Even among Kage-level combatants, locating such an individual was never an easy task.
In the original course of events, the Akatsuki had been able to locate the various jinchūriki with remarkable efficiency, but that was largely due to Zetsu's unique abilities.
No one in the shinobi world was better suited for reconnaissance.
White Zetsu's techniques were practically made for espionage. Whether it was the Mayfly Technique, his ability to merge with nature, or his unparalleled infiltration methods, each was absurdly useful in its own right.
Fortunately, Menma had little reason to fear being secretly monitored.
The Uzumaki Clan's powerful sensory abilities, combined with the sensory enhancements granted by Kurama's chakra, had elevated Menma's perception to an astonishing level.
Within a vast radius around him, even subtle fluctuations in chakra could be detected.
Sneaking close to him without being noticed was nearly impossible.
More importantly, Kurama's chakra granted Menma the ability to sense malicious intent.
No matter how perfect a Transformation Technique appeared on the surface, hostility could not be concealed so easily.
Even White Zetsu's disguises would struggle to deceive him completely.
This was one of the primary reasons Menma had dared to leave Konoha in the first place.
Had he lacked such abilities, merely surviving Akatsuki's eventual attention would have been difficult.
The same principle applied to this journey.
Menma knew very well that every jinchūriki in the shinobi world was under some degree of Akatsuki surveillance.
In the future, Nagato would personally lead the operation to capture Utakata. At this point in time, however, there was no possibility that the leader of Akatsuki would be following him personally.
Zetsu, on the other hand, was another matter entirely.
There was a high probability that Akatsuki maintained some level of observation on the Six-Tails Jinchūriki.
Therefore, Menma had to account for that possibility.
Still, even if Akatsuki became involved, Menma was not overly concerned.
He already had certain ideas in mind.
If the opportunity arose, he fully intended to put those ideas into practice.
Truthfully speaking, Nagato was an idealist in the truest sense of the word.
In many ways, his worldview closely resembled that of Uchiha Madara.
Three days later, while remaining in Takigakure, Menma finally received updated intelligence through one of Orochimaru's secret communication channels.
Utakata had appeared along the southeastern coastline of a small nation.
The Land of Spring.
One day earlier, a Kirigakure hunter-nin tracking unit had once again located traces of him.
A battle had taken place between the two sides.
The pursuit team had ultimately failed to capture Utakata, but Orochimaru's operatives had arrived afterward and successfully gathered valuable information from the battlefield.
Using the clues left behind, they had reconstructed Utakata's route and determined his most recent location.
The intelligence had then been relayed through Kabuto and transmitted back to Menma as quickly as possible.
By the time it reached him, another day had already passed.
"As expected of Orochimaru-sama's most trusted subordinate."
A faint smile appeared on Menma's face as he reviewed the report.
"His efficiency is impressive."
Kabuto Yakushi truly was an exceptional shinobi.
Not only was he intelligent and meticulous, but his abilities were equally remarkable.
Even now, he already possessed strength approaching Kage level.
Furthermore, unlike Orochimaru, Kabuto possessed a natural aptitude for Sage Techniques.
While Orochimaru's body prevented him from fully mastering the Senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave, Kabuto had the potential to achieve exactly that.
Given enough time, his future growth would be extraordinary.
If circumstances allowed, Menma would have gladly recruited someone like Kabuto for himself.
Unfortunately, that was impossible.
Crushing the intelligence scroll in his hand, Menma allowed it to crumble into tiny fragments.
"It's time."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"I wonder whether Fū has completed her training."
"If not, I'll have to wait until she returns."
With that thought, Menma immediately departed.
A short while later, he arrived at a secluded area on the eastern side of Takigakure.
This was Fū's personal training ground.
The person Menma had mentioned previously was none other than Takigakure's own jinchūriki.
Two days ago, he had come here intending to speak with her.
However, Fū had been engaged in an important training session and could not be disturbed.
Fortunately, his timing today appeared much better.
As he approached, Fū emerged from her residence.
Two Taki shinobi accompanied her as usual.
The pair had long served as her personal guards.
"Eh?"
Fū blinked in surprise.
"Menma-san? What brings you here today?"
Before Menma could answer, one of the guards spoke first.
"Echizen."
"Actually, Menma-san came looking for you two days ago as well."
"You were still training at the time, so we didn't interrupt you."
"Oh?"
Fū nodded thoughtfully.
"So that's what happened."
Then she smiled.
"Come inside first, Menma-san."
"Thank you."
Menma nodded and followed her inside.
Everyone took their seats.
Without wasting time, Menma got straight to the point.
"I came today because there's something important I need to discuss with you."
"I've already informed Shibuki-san beforehand."
Fū immediately became serious.
"Then go ahead."
"If it's important, I'm listening."
Menma paused briefly.
The matter concerned both his identity and hers.
Naturally, some discretion was required.
"This issue is rather special."
"It concerns us as jinchūriki."
The moment those words were spoken, Fū understood.
Without hesitation, she turned toward the two guards standing behind her.
"Echizen-san. Sasaki-san."
"Please wait outside."
"There are some private matters I need to discuss with Menma-san."
The two men immediately froze.
"What?"
Sasaki looked stunned.
Even Echizen frowned.
"Fū, that's inappropriate."
He stopped himself midway through the sentence after remembering Menma was present.
Yet the distrust in his voice was impossible to miss.
Fū merely shook her head.
"Don't worry."
"Menma-san is someone Grandfather Satoru trusted."
"Shibuki-san is also aware of this conversation."
"What we're discussing isn't something either of you should hear."
The two guards exchanged glances.
For years, they had remained by Fū's side.
Aside from Elder Satoru, Shibuki, and the late Shizuo, they were arguably the people closest to her.
Learning that there were matters they were forbidden to know left them feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
Yet Fū's determination was obvious.
Eventually, Echizen sighed.
"I understand."
As Sasaki prepared to protest further, Echizen quietly stopped him.
Moments later, the two men left the room.
Before departing, Echizen cast one final glance toward Menma.
The door closed behind them.
Only after confirming through his sensory abilities that the pair had moved far enough away did Menma relax.
Now they were alone.
Fū leaned forward slightly.
"All right."
"What is it, Menma-san?"
Menma's expression became serious.
"I want to meet Chōmei."
For a brief moment, Fū simply stared.
Then her eyes widened.
"You want to meet… Chōmei?"
Of all the possibilities she had considered, that was certainly not one of them.
"That's right."
Menma nodded.
"Explaining everything would take too long."
"So let's enter your inner world first."
"I'll explain everything to both you and Chōmei once we're inside."
As he spoke, Menma slowly extended his right fist.
Fū stared at it in confusion.
She didn't immediately understand his intention.
For several seconds, she hesitated.
Then a familiar voice echoed within her mind.
The hesitation vanished.
Taking a deep breath, Fū raised her own fist.
The moment their fists touched
Their chakras resonated.
Buzz!
The world around them distorted.
Space twisted.
Consciousness shifted.
The next instant, both Menma and Fū found themselves standing within a vast spiritual realm.
The scenery stretched endlessly in every direction.
The two jinchūriki stood facing one another.
Then
Boom!
An overwhelming surge of chakra erupted.
Violent winds roared across the spiritual landscape.
Behind Menma, an enormous crimson figure slowly emerged.
Kurama.
The Nine-Tails.
At the same moment, a second colossal presence materialized behind Fū.
A gigantic blue-green beetle-like creature unfolded its wings.
Chōmei.
The Seven-Tails.
The immense pressure generated by the two tailed beasts instantly filled the entire spiritual world.
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