From midair, Menma formed a seal.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough."
He inhaled sharply and expelled a violent torrent of compressed wind chakra.
The current spiraled outward in a wide arc, tearing across the battlefield and forcing the remaining Root operatives to disengage or be swept from their footing.
Since aligning himself with Orochimaru, Menma no longer lacked access to foundational elemental techniques. While forbidden jutsu and classified kinjutsu required negotiation or proof of value, standard elemental releases, mid-to-high A-rank techniques, and various genjutsu scrolls had been provided with casual indifference. Orochimaru valued talent, and Menma had demonstrated more than enough.
With shadow clones accelerating his training efficiency, Menma's mastery of elemental ninjutsu had advanced at a pace few shinobi could replicate.
The Root operatives recovered quickly.
They attacked again.
Retreat was not encoded into their doctrine.
Even if every member fell, the mission would continue until death or completion.
Kakashi assessed the situation instantly.
He had no political sympathy for Danzō's methods but Root shinobi were still Konoha operatives.
He could not allow slaughter to continue.
His body blurred forward.
Menma's expression did not change.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Three clones burst into existence beside him in sharp detonations of smoke.
"Pop pop pop!"
Each clone intercepted a different Root shinobi, splitting the engagement and preventing coordinated suppression.
Menma himself pivoted toward Kakashi.
He descended from above, chakra cloak surging.
Their arms collided mid-strike.
"Bang!"
The impact cracked like splitting timber.
Kakashi's boots carved through stone as he absorbed the force.
His visible eye narrowed.
The chakra density radiating from Menma was markedly higher than during the Chūnin Exams.
The crimson cloak burned brighter.
two tails clearly formed and stabilized behind him.
This was no unstable outburst.
It was controlled escalation.
Kakashi's Sharingan rotated sharply, tracking muscle tension, predictive movement lines, chakra distribution.
He sought a momentary suppression. timing, rhythm disruption.
Menma saw it instantly.
"Kakashi. Your Sharingan can read movement."
A faint smile curved his mouth.
"It can't dominate a jinchūriki empowered by a tailed beast."
He pressed forward with brutal force.
Kakashi crossed his forearm defensively
"Boom!"
The raw impact launched him backward across the river's surface.
He rotated midair and landed lightly atop the water, chakra stabilizing his stance.
Across the battlefield
The Root shinobi were locked in fierce exchanges with Menma's clones. They were skilled disciplined, precise but they had not anticipated sustained Version 1 chakra reinforcement.
On the opposite statue arm
Naruto was being steadily suppressed.
Sasuke, his three-tomoe Sharingan fully matured, read Naruto's movements with near-total clarity. Without drawing on the Nine-Tails' chakra, Naruto lacked the speed and precision to overwhelm him.
Ten minutes of sustained combat had tilted the balance decisively.
Kakashi's concern deepened.
If Menma and Sasuke both committed to lethal force
Naruto would not survive long.
But he could not disengage.
Menma was already moving again.
A barrage of shuriken descended from above.
Kakashi formed seals instantly.
"Water Release: Water Encampment Wall."
A vertical surge of water erupted upward, spiraling around him and deflecting the incoming projectiles.
Without pause
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
His hands blurred through seals at elite speed.
A massive water dragon surged from the river below, roaring upward with far greater density and velocity than those previously formed by Root operatives.
Menma did not evade.
The two tails behind him extended sharply.
With a violent lash
"Bang!"
The chakra tail smashed directly into the dragon's head.
The collision detonated in a thunderous shockwave.
The dragon shattered into torrential rain.
Water cascaded across the valley in sheets.
Kakashi's expression hardened.
The difference in raw power was undeniable.
But power alone did not decide shinobi battles.
Menma charged again.
Their silhouettes blurred across the river's surface.
Strike.
Parry.
Counter.
Kakashi kept pace barely.
His reflexes were intact. His tactical judgment sharp.
But each direct exchange carried crushing force amplified by the Nine-Tails' chakra.
Another collision
"Bang!"
Kakashi slid backward, water exploding outward beneath his sandals.
Menma closed the distance instantly.
His right hand rotated.
A kunai appeared, reversed grip.
He thrust toward Kakashi's chest without hesitation.
Fast.
Precise.
Lethal.
Kakashi's pupil constricted.
He drew his own kunai in a mirrored motion.
"Keng!"
Steel clashed inches from his heart.
The force of the impact sent ripples racing across the water's surface.
For a fraction of a second
Their faces were separated by mere inches.
Behind Kakashi's calm exterior, something flickered.
Regret.
Responsibility.
The memory of Minato.
Menma saw it.
And his expression did not soften.