"Yeah… you're right, Menma."
After a moment of thought, Naruto nodded.
Outside the tree hollow, Sakura noticed Naruto had woken up. She approached with a relieved smile, carrying a steaming bowl of fish soup.
In her mind, if Naruto was awake, then Sasuke should be close to waking up as well.
"Naruto, here."
"Oh! Thanks, Sakura. I'm starving."
The rich aroma of the fish soup hit him, and Naruto's stomach growled loudly. He immediately took the bowl and began eating with the speed of a true Uzumaki.
Sakura's attention then shifted to Sasuke. Seeing that he remained completely unresponsive, she glanced at Menma anxiously.
"Menma… Sasuke still hasn't woken up. Is something wrong?"
"Don't worry, Sakura. There shouldn't be any problem. Naruto woke up, right? Sasuke will just take a bit longer."
Menma's voice was calm, steady.
"That's right, Sakura. You don't have to worry about that guy Sasuke—"
Naruto, sitting on the ground with legs crossed while gulping down soup, echoed Menma—but before he could finish—
"Buzz!"
A violent surge of chakra erupted from Sasuke's unconscious body.
"What!?"
"This chakra—!?"
All three of them instantly turned toward Sasuke.
Menma narrowed his eyes as he saw a mass of dark, thick chakra bubbling from Sasuke's skin, swirling like smoke around him.
Naruto and Sakura froze in shock.
So it's activating… the Curse Mark.
Menma, fully aware of Orochimaru's experiments, immediately recognized the signs. Though wicked in appearance, the energy at the core came from Jūgo — pure, unstable natural energy of the world itself. Orochimaru had twisted that power into a seal that mixed physical enhancement with a brand of spiritual corrosion.
For those who couldn't control it, the natural energy triggered madness.
But for those who adapted — the power was genuine, amplifying everything, including darkness.
Sasuke, at this moment, was dangerously close to losing control.
The black markings crawled across his skin like living snakes, spreading rapidly.
"Sasuke—what's happening!?"
"Menma!?"
Naruto and Sakura looked at Menma for an explanation. They had no understanding of this kind of chakra.
Suddenly—
Sasuke's eyes snapped open.
The scarlet Sharingan spun violently in his pupils.
"Sasuke-kun!?"
Sakura gasped, stepping forward instinctively—
—but froze when she met Sasuke's gaze.
His eyes were sharp. Cold. Hollow.
A chill filled the entire space around them.
Naruto's expression hardened.
"Sasuke… do you even know what's happening? Are you still conscious?"
Menma asked sharply.
"Conscious? Of course I'm conscious."
Sasuke's voice was low and icy, but disturbingly clear.
"I've never felt this strong. Menma… where is that Grass ninja? Did you drive him off?"
His gaze locked onto Menma with a dark smirk—the kind that didn't belong to the old Sasuke.
The fighting intent rising off Sasuke was overwhelming.
At that moment, Menma understood instantly:
Ah. The sky clears after the rain…
Sasuke thinks he's invincible now.
The Curse Mark's sudden empowerment inflated Sasuke's pride beyond reason.
The slowly spinning magatama in his Sharingan gleamed with a ferocity he had never shown before.
"No. He was gone when I found you. So—"
"Gone?"
Sasuke cut him off sharply.
"Then we're going after him. He dared attack Team Seven. That humiliation needs to be repaid."
His chakra flared violently.
Sasuke was no longer thinking rationally — his negative emotions were being amplified to the extreme. The proud Uchiha ego blended with the Curse Mark's influence, sharpening every desire for revenge.
Black-purple chakra poured from him, malevolent and overwhelming.
"Sasuke, what's wrong with you!?"
"What's wrong? Nothing."
Sasuke sneered.
"That guy beat us senseless. Don't you want payback, Naruto? Don't you want to prove we're better? We—"
His steps grew more aggressive, the chakra around him turbulent.
"Sasuke, you need to calm down."
Menma's voice dropped. Sharp. Cold.
A disobedient child needed discipline.
And Menma already knew how to deliver it.
His own chakra surged, locking onto Sasuke's every movement.
"Menma—?"
"N-Menma…!?"
Naruto and Sakura gasped at the sudden rise in tension.
"Don't worry," Menma said without looking back.
"Sasuke's emotions are unstable right now. I'll calm him down. Properly."
A faint ferocity glinted in Menma's eyes — the faint outline of fox-like pupils flickering in his gaze.
"Hah… Menma, you think you can stop me!?"
Sasuke grinned — not with joy, but with an unhinged confidence.
BOOM!
Chakra burst beneath his feet as he launched forward.
In an instant, Sasuke attacked — flashing toward Menma with speed he had never shown before, moving like lightning.
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