Chapter 22: The Twin Uzumaki

After a brief reunion session, Naruto got back up with the help of his friends. "Harry…Itachi, thank you for looking after them," Naruto said gratefully. The two nodded, "Glad to have you back Naruto," Harry stated, as the two did their custom handshake. "Anyways, do you have the prophecy in hand?" Naruto asked. "Yeah, I kept it safe, now come on we have to get out of here," Harry said. But before they could leave, Naruto sensed something ominous. "Guys…I think Menma is here," he said, which shocked the others. Itachi decided to use his Mangekyo Sharingan to check to see if Naruto was right and sure enough the blond was right, as the masked ally of Voldemort was in the Ministry and he countered Itachi's Sharingan, with his jinchuriki power. "You're right Naruto, what are you going to do?" he asked. "It's time I face my enemy by myself, please Itachi, let me do this?" he asked, with a serious look. "Very well, but don't die, do you understand?" Itachi asked, to which Naruto nodded, as he put on the mask. But before he left, Naruto looked at his friends, "Harry, whatever you do, keep the prophecy safe, got it?" he asked, to which Harry nodded. "Wait Naruto, aren't you forgetting this?" Hermione asked, as she handed the blond his missing sword. "You kept it safe, thank you," Naruto said gratefully. She smiled, as she slowly opened the mask and kissed him in the lips. "Go get'em tiger," she said encouragingly, as Naruto blushed, but smiled and nodded as he left quickly. Daphne smirked, "I see what you did Granger, not bad," she stated winking at her, as the brunette blushed, while the others chuckled at the scene. "Come on guys, lets go," Harry stated and so he and his friends followed Itachi out of the room.

With Naruto

The masked blond was running quickly to wherever Menma was. He wasn't entirely alone, as his partner, Brutus joined in on the hunt. "Brutus, do you sense the bastard?" he asked the wolf. The wolf was sensing the target and snarled, "He's close, be ready for anything as this could be a trap," the wolf stated. Naruto nods, as he sees a couple of Death Eaters in his way, but doesn't pay any attention to them, as he summons some clones to dispatch them quickly. He continued on his way, until he found his target, as Menma looked like he was waiting for Naruto to show up. Menma appeared as how he was dressed when the two met each other last year at the final task of the Triwizard Tournament, when the trophy turned out to be a portkey that led to the graveyard of the old Riddle mansion.

"Menma…" Naruto said, as he was clutching his sword, almost ready for a battle. "Naruto…" Menma said, as he turned around to see his opponent. "Looks like we finally meet again, though you seem a lot different, almost as if you've trained enough," Menma snarked. "Yeah…I have, I trained for this moment, just so I could finally avenge Jiraiya and kill you," Naruto stated. "Kill moi? You must be joking, huh? You haven't even asked me who I really am or why I'm after you specifically and yet you came here to kill me?" Menma retorted. Naruto scoffed, "I don't need to waste words with a killer and an ally of an obsessive bald freak who is hellbent on killing my friend." Menma shook his head, "Oh you really aren't a patient person when it comes to knowing why I am after you. Very well, might as well show you who I really am," Menma said, as he took off his mask. Naruto was shocked when he saw who Menma looked like once he took off the mask.

"No…it can't be…you're…" Naruto was having difficulty saying it as he wanted to deny what he saw. Menma darkly chuckled, "Naruto Uzumaki, I know. It's like looking in a mirror, isn't it? Though I must say I was always the handsome one, if I do say so myself," he snarked. "There's no way you can't be me, this all has to be an elaborate trick," Naruto said. "You fool, this is no trick, I am the real deal, after all I don't see any signs that I am a fake," Menma spat with venom. "Ok if you look like me, then how come you want to kill me, huh?" Naruto asked, looking rather dangerous. Menma kept laughing, which honestly was creeping Naruto out. "So now you really want to know why I'm after you? Heh, very well, let me indulge you?"

Menma begins his explanation, "You see Naruto, you and I are not so different, from a certain point of view. We belong from different universes, yet we are the same when it comes to our origins. Growing up hated by the village for holding the very monster that has ruined our lives since the day we were born. Treated like trash, filth, scum, you name it. That fool of a hokage, Sarutobi, hid our lineage from us and allowed the villagers and shinobi of Konoha to unleash their abuse on us." Naruto scoffed, "So what, how does that have to do with the fact that you're an evil piece of shit?" Menma shook his head, "Patience is a virtue, my fellow Uzumaki. I'll get to why I'm after you, when I'm done explaining everything." He continued with his origins, "You see the difference between us is that when I met the Nine Tails, he had offered me power way beyond the capabilities of any shinobi. Naturally I accepted, as I held hatred far beyond the likes of any mere mortal. So I began training, honing my capabilities so that one day I could escape from Konoha and soon come back to destroy the very village the fourth hokage swore to protect in his dying breath. Of course, when I escaped, I was considered a rogue nin, so the third hokage decided to call in Jiraiya to track me down and bring me back. But I knew this would happen so I decided to go to the very least expected place no one could ever find me and that was Uzushiogakure."

"Uzushiogakure?!" Naruto exclaimed, as Menma nodded. "That's right, Uzushiogakure, the forgotten nation Konoha and Suna failed to protect. Anyways, when I hid in Uzushiogakure, I kept training. But I wasn't just training as a shinobi, no I discovered something even more fascinating that should belong only to me. It was the knowledge of dark chakra, an all powerful form of chakra that once belonged in the Sky Temple and yet it was in the ruins of Uzushiogakure. Using the texts that were hidden in the ruins, I managed to mix this power with the Nine Tails and I must say I feel like a new man. So for many years, I trained as hard I could to get stronger, if not deadlier in order to exact my revenge. When the day came, I was as eager as a child getting a gift on his birthday. You want to know the best part? I unleashed my revenge on the day I was born, the day where the Nine Tails was defeated by the fourth hokage, after the beast was destroying the very village that hated our existence. The village was celebrating of course, but I ruined their fun when I unleashed the very beast they feared and hated. Everybody was screaming and dying, as the Nine Tails rampaged, exacting its vengeance. The shinobi of the village and their sworn leader tried stopping me of course, but that's where they failed, as they have really underestimated me and my power."

As Menma continued his explanation, Naruto was horrified by how sadistic Menma sounded. In a way, the blond thought he could've ended up like him, but he knew Menma is beyond redemption. "After I defeated the hokage, Jiraiya tried to stop me, but he too failed as well. Soon I slaughtered everyone in the village that were still alive and burned the village to the ground. But that wasn't enough, I needed more power so I ventured far out in the five great nations in search of a challenge. I fought much tougher enemies, but even then it bored me so much that I didn't even bother saying who they were, as I feel they don't deserve the right to be mentioned at all. However, one day when I was looking through some of the old texts, I found one that interested me. It mentioned something about venturing to other realms, so of course the prospect of other worlds made me excited, as I grew bored of staying in that realm I was at. Somehow, I ended up in this world and let me tell you, I wasn't interested in staying until I heard about the mentioning of a dark lord. I was curious, so naturally I eavesdropped, but when they caught me a fight was going to take place as they used magic, whereas I'm proficient in chakra. I beat them of course and when I was going to kill them, one of them offered to take me to their dark lord. I was interested, so I told the person to take me to their leader."

"When I met their so-called dark lord, it was almost as if he knew what my intentions were and he offered me a place since he could tell I was strong and held the blood of Uzumaki. I was shocked by how he knew, when he explained to me how the Uzumaki were a powerful wizarding family that was considered extinct. Power…that word was what got me interested in joining him as I believe in this world or any world, only the strong should prevail and that there is only power. So I fashioned a new identity, I decided to change my name to Menma and decided to learn the power of the dark arts. Given my knowledge of dark chakra, I was able to adapt quickly when it came to learning dark magic, while still retaining my shinobi roots. But in order to be mysterious to others, I embraced the idea of wearing a mask, so that nobody can know who I really am when I do the dark lord's bidding."

"That still doesn't answer the question as to why you're after me?" Naruto asked. "You really want to know the reason why I'm after you? You see, when I killed Pettigrew in Azkaban, I heard that there was another Uzumaki in this world. I read the paper and saw your picture on it and that's when I knew I had to eliminate you, as there should only be one powerful Uzumaki in this world and it is me. From the moment I saw you, I hated the mere concept of you, as you are everything I am or was supposed to be and yet you are different. It disgusts me to the point where I just want to end your very own existence!" Menma spat, like a twisted lunatic. "You're a disease Menma, and I'm the cure. Let's finish this!" Naruto stated, having heard enough from this psycho, as he drew out his sword and got into a battle stance. Menma smirked, "I thought you'd never ask? Come then, Naruto!" he shouted, as he dramatically pulled off his robe and got into a battle stance. The two rushed at each other ready to fight to the death.

With Harry and the Others

Harry and his friends were following Itachi to some room with an archway, when they were ambushed by Death Eaters. The Death Eaters held the group hostage, as Itachi was formulating a plan on how to get the others to safety without them getting hurt or killed. "Did you actually think you could try to escape? You truly are naive to think that you could ever have a chance to stand against us," Lucius stated, as he walked up to Harry. "Face it Potter, you are weak without that Uzumaki brat being here to save you and your friends. Don't even think your friend over here will save you and your allies, as we'll know if he tries anything." Lucius brought out his hand, as he looked at Harry menacingly. "Give me the prophecy now…or watch your friends…die," he said. Harry looks around and sees that his friends are really in trouble, yet he can't call Naruto, as the blond was fighting Menma right now. "Don't give it to him Harry!" Neville pleaded, before he was slapped by Bellatrix. Harry was contemplating the odds, before he decided to hand the elder Malfoy the prophecy.

Lucius observes it, before dramatically bringing it up. However, Harry noticed a white light behind Lucius, which made the man raise an eyebrow. He turns around to see Sirius looking pretty…serious. "Get away from my godson," he said dangerously, before giving Lucius a mean right hook. Lucius tumbles to the floor dropping the prophecy, as white smoke flies around the room, disorienting the Death Eaters holding the group hostage. There were multiple white clouds, as they revealed themselves to be the Order of the Phoenix. It was an all out war between the Order and the Death Eaters, as the kids were hiding away from the battle. Itachi joined in on the fight, as he was taking out some of the Death Eaters that were trying to get to the group. Both Harry and Sirius were dueling Lucius Malfoy, and the two were like a team. "Nice one James!" Sirius complimented, as Harry used expelliarmus. The two finished off Lucius, knocking him out. But before they could celebrate, Bellatrix fired Avada Kedavra. However it didn't hit Sirius, instead it hit someone else. It was Mad Eye Moody, who somehow managed to apparate in time to save Sirius and Harry. The others were shocked, as Bellatrix seethed in rage as she failed to kill Sirius. Moody turns to the two he protected, as the two were paralyzed in shock. He smirked, as his soul transcended in the archway. Tonks screamed in anguish, as Bellatrix noticed this and suddenly cackled, before escaping. Tonks lost her mentor to her bitch of an aunt, as Lupin tried comforting her. Harry was shocked, but shock soon turned into anger, as he began to chase down Bellatrix, in order to avenge his sister-like figure's mentor.

With Naruto and Menma

The two opposing Uzumaki were fighting to the death using anything in their arsenal. At first they used magic to try and take each other out, but that wasn't happening anytime soon. Soon it was a battle of swords, as their blades clashed. They were on even ground, as both seemed to be proficient swordsmen. The two struck and struck as sparks were created, every time their blades clashed. Naruto managed to slash at Menma's chest, leaving a cut, though it seems Menma wasn't fazed by this. "Come on Naruto, I thought this was a fight!" Menma taunted. Naruto gritted his teeth, as the two clashed once again. Soon Naruto went into sage mode, as he summoned multiple shadow clones to jump Menma. But Menma was taking them down, without breaking a sweat. "Did you think increasing your numbers will help you?" he retorted, as he grabbed a punch from Naruto, and threw him to the wall. The blond bounced back of course, as Menma was preparing a dark purple Rasengan-like orb that was surrounded by a series of white rings. Naruto prepares a Rasenshuriken and the two fire at each other. But somehow the two techniques countered at each other.

Naruto was shocked, 'He can even counter my Rasenshuriken,' he thought. Menma smirked, "That's my Rasen Ring, what do you think?" Naruto scoffed, "Pfft all I see is a cheap gimmick," he spat. Menma shook his head, "Oh you just can't seem to accept that I am superior to you, in every single way." The two fought using their fists as they went at it. Naruto used his fire fist to punch Menma, despite him blocking and evading. They were trading blows, as the blond sent a mean right hook to Menma's face. Of course Menma evaded by slapping away Naruto's wrist, but that was all part of Naruto's plan, as a clone of himself, came out of nowhere and uppercut Menma. Menma was launched into the air as two other Naruto clones kicked him high in the air, until Naruto kicked him down to the ground.

Minutes have passed as the deadly battle continued. Both Naruto and Menma were looking pretty worse for wear. Naruto's mask was slightly shattered as his right eye was visible and vulnerable leaving the rest of his face covered and his suit seemed to be damaged as there was some wear and tear visible. Menma looks to be sporting some visible bruise marks along with some cuts. They were huffing and panting as they glared at each other. 'God damn it! What does it take to bring this asshole down?' Naruto was thinking, not realizing that in that moment of vulnerability he got stabbed by Menma in the stomach. "AGHHH!" he yelled out, in pain as he was staggering. Menma slashed at Naruto's chest, but before he could deal the finishing blow, Naruto caught the blade and hurled it, as he managed to kick Menma away with all his strength. Menma of course, jumped back as he was looking really pissed and really wanting to kill Naruto. Naruto was trying to think of some way to finish off Menma despite the pain he's feeling right now. That's when Naruto remembered something from what his father had told him about what he did, when he took down the masked man claiming to be Madara.

He knew he had only one shot and he cannot fail this or else he'll risk death. Getting into sage mode, he looks Menma in the eye. "Alright if you are so keen on finishing me off, let's do this! We charge at each other with our most powerful attack!" Naruto yelled, as Menma smirked. "Fine by me, just know I will paint the Ministry with your blood and bring you back to your friends as a corpse, knowing that you failed." The two charged their most powerful attacks, which was the Rasengan and the Rasen Ring, as they ran at each other.

"NARUTO!"
"MENMA!"

Naruto threw a kunai at Menma, who somehow dodged it. "Fool," Menma smirked as he was about to place the Rasen Ring at Naruto's heart. But that wasn't any kunai, that was the Flying Thunder God kunai. Before Menma could deal the killing blow, Naruto vanished from his spot, until it was revealed Naruto was in the air, as he had already prepared his true attack, the Rasenshuriken. He threw it at Menma's back, drilling it as Menma howled in pain. 'No! This can't be, how did he do that?!' he thought. Naruto has no intention of revealing his trick, as he placed a seal on Menma's damaged back, as Menma tried to escape. Menma was clutching on to his injuries, as Naruto unleashed a barrage of sword attacks. He soon stabs Menma in the chest and keeps ramming the blade inside. "There, now you will die…I hope you rot in hell…bastard," Naruto spat, as he still is reeling from his critical injuries, despite Kurama healing him as best as he could. "Did you really think I would die from this? You are a fool then, Naruto," Menma spat, as he kicked away the blond and threw away the blade. "I will let you live for now…but just so you know…I will be back…and I will kill you," Menma said, holding onto his bleeding chest, before he vanished into a dark cloud and flew away. Naruto could only sigh in tiredness, as he fell to his knees. "Ugh…I don't think I'll be doing anything major anytime soon," he quipped, as he picked up his blade, and clutched his injuries, trudging somewhere he could rest, before finding his friends. Luckily Brutus came by and led his summoner to a safe area, where he could recuperate.