From Menma's perspective, there was no world in which he would allow Sasuke to walk the same tragic path as in the original timeline. Nor would he stand by and watch Itachi manipulate his younger brother once again.
In this life, Uchiha Sasuke would become Uzumaki Menma's most steadfast comrade.
He was one of the pillars upon which Menma intended to build the future.
After all, no plan was ever guaranteed to unfold perfectly from beginning to end. Should unforeseen circumstances arise, Sasuke would become one of Menma's greatest assets against whatever enemies awaited them.
To achieve that, however, Menma first had to earn Sasuke's complete trust.
And revealing the truth behind the Uchiha Clan Massacre would be the crucial first step.
"…Yeah. I understand."
Although every fiber of his being urged him to demand the truth immediately, Sasuke noticed Yakushi Kabuto approaching from the distance. Taking a slow, steady breath, he forced himself to suppress his emotions before giving a slight nod.
This truly wasn't the right place or the right time.
The truth concerned the fate of the entire Uchiha Clan.
Father… Mother… I swear I'll uncover everything. And if what Menma said is true… then Konoha… Itachi… all of you will answer for it.
His fists tightened unconsciously as icy determination filled his heart.
"Haha… Menma-kun truly lives up to his reputation. Even the legendary Jiraiya-sama was unable to stop you. To wield the Nine-Tails' power to such an extent at your age… once you achieve complete synchronization with Kurama and master the full Tailed Beast Transformation, perhaps you'll truly become the strongest shinobi in the world."
Kabuto smiled politely as he offered the compliment.
Menma merely narrowed his eyes before letting out a quiet chuckle.
"Haha… Since when did Kabuto-san become so good at flattering people? You're making me sound far more impressive than I really am."
His smile remained, but there wasn't the slightest warmth behind it.
"As for becoming the strongest in the shinobi world…"
Menma left the sentence unfinished.
The silence that followed was far colder than any direct answer.
Kabuto's expression stiffened almost imperceptibly.
He genuinely hadn't intended to probe Menma with those words. The compliment had come naturally.
Only now did he fully understand what Orochimaru had warned him about.
Uzumaki Menma could never be treated like an ordinary thirteen-year-old boy.
Yes, there were still traces of youthful inexperience in certain areas. His age occasionally showed through his actions.
But when it came to perception, judgment, and reading people…
Menma possessed insight that rivaled veteran shinobi.
Petty schemes, hidden implications, or verbal traps would accomplish nothing against him. At best, they would earn ridicule. At worst, they would provoke unnecessary suspicion.
Kabuto silently reminded himself to be even more cautious around the young jinchūriki.
"Enough small talk."
Before Kabuto could explain himself, Menma casually waved a hand.
"The battlefield should already be secure. We've stayed here longer than necessary."
"It's time to leave."
"The longer we remain, the greater the chance of attracting unwanted attention."
After Jiraiya chose to withdraw, the surviving Root operatives had immediately realized the situation was hopeless and scattered in retreat.
Only two or three had successfully escaped.
The rest had either been killed or captured.
Among them was Aburame Ryōma.
Because of Ryōma's status within Root, Kabuto had deliberately kept him alive instead of killing him outright. A prisoner like him still possessed considerable intelligence value.
During the brief period after Jiraiya's departure, the remaining battlefield had already been completely cleaned up.
"Understood."
Kabuto nodded.
The group quickly searched the battlefield one final time, eliminating any traces that might expose them.
Then
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Several figures disappeared into the forest in rapid succession, heading northwest.
Their destination was the coast.
From there, they intended to board a ship and leave the Land of Spring as quickly as possible.
More than two hours later…
Far to the east
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Several figures landed one after another.
Their attire was distinctly different from Konoha's ANBU uniforms.
The forehead protectors engraved with Kirigakure's symbol immediately revealed their identities.
These were elite hunter-tracking shinobi dispatched by the Hidden Mist.
Their mission had remained unchanged for a very long time.
Capture or eliminate the Six-Tails' jinchūriki, Utakata.
Earlier, Orochimaru's scouts had accidentally exposed themselves while tracking Utakata's movements, leading to a fierce clash with the Kirigakure pursuit team.
Although the Mist shinobi had driven Orochimaru's subordinates away, they had also lost Utakata's trail during the confusion.
Initially, they hadn't considered it a serious problem.
After all, they had hunted him for years.
Losing the trail for a day or two wasn't unusual.
However…
After several consecutive days of searching without success, the situation gradually became alarming.
Not only had Utakata seemingly vanished without a trace, but the Mist shinobi also discovered evidence that multiple groups of unknown ninja had recently been pursuing him as well.
Signs of fierce battles could be found throughout the surrounding regions.
That realization immediately put the entire pursuit unit on edge.
Unfortunately…
They had been one step too late.
Every single time.
By the time they finally reached the site of the decisive battle, everyone involved had already disappeared.
The battlefield had long since fallen silent.
After conducting an exhaustive search of the surrounding area, they found nothing that could reveal where Utakata had gone.
The captain of the Mist squad wore an increasingly grim expression.
The Hidden Mist had already suffered an immeasurable loss after the death of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, when the Three-Tails had disappeared from the village.
If they were to lose the Six-Tails as well…
It would be another devastating blow to Kirigakure.
Among the Five Great Shinobi Nations, the possession of tailed beasts represented military power, deterrence, and prestige.
No great village could afford to lose its jinchūriki so casually.
…Well.
Konoha was perhaps the lone exception.
Even without actively maintaining control over every tailed beast, the Hidden Leaf still possessed overwhelming military strength. But Kirigakure was in no position to compare itself to Konoha. Losing the Six-Tails now would only deepen the village's already fragile state.
"Aoi, return to the village immediately and report everything that happened here to Lord Genji. Inform him that the Six-Tails' jinchūriki, Utakata, has most likely fallen into the hands of another hidden village. Based on our preliminary assessment, it is unlikely to be Kumogakure. Iwagakure is currently our primary suspect."
The leader of the Mist shinobi looked toward the blue-haired ninja beside him and gave the order with a grave expression.
"Yes, sir!"
The Mist shinobi bowed respectfully before disappearing at once to carry out his mission.
"As for the rest of you…"
The captain slowly turned his gaze toward the others.
"Continue the pursuit with me."
"Yes!"
Although every one of them understood that the chances of success were already infinitesimal so small they were practically zero as long as even the slightest possibility remained, none of them would abandon the mission.
The strategic value of a tailed beast was simply too great.
Throughout the history of the shinobi world, only a handful of legendary figures had ever possessed the strength to suppress a tailed beast through their own power alone.
The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
The legendary Uchiha Madara.
Perhaps the Third Raikage, whose incredible durability allowed him to battle the Eight-Tails directly.
Such individuals stood at the absolute pinnacle of the shinobi world.
They were exceptions among exceptions.
For ordinary shinobi armies, no matter how elite they were, nothing compared to the overwhelming destructive power of a tailed beast once unleashed on the battlefield.
The Shinobi World Wars had already proven that fact countless times.
Kirigakure had already lost the Three-Tails after the death of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura.
If they now lost the Six-Tails as well, it would be an unbearable blow to the Hidden Mist.
As for why the captain suspected Iwagakure or Kumogakure…
It was simply the most reasonable conclusion.
The Five Great Shinobi Nations constantly sought to strengthen themselves.
Capturing another village's tailed beast was an opportunity no Kage would willingly ignore.
It wasn't that Konoha had been ruled out entirely.
Rather, based on the intelligence currently available, Iwagakure and Kumogakure possessed both the greatest motive and the highest probability.
Ironically…
The Fourth Raikage, A, would soon find himself carrying the blame for something his village had never accomplished.
Not only had he lost one of Kumogakure's brightest future leaders, but he remained completely unaware that suspicion was already beginning to fall upon his village.
One could almost predict what would happen a few days later.
Another unfortunate desk in the Raikage's office was about to meet its inevitable end.
In this special operation to capture the Six-Tails…
Menma had undoubtedly emerged as the greatest victor.
Not only had he successfully achieved his original objective by recruiting Utakata to his side, dramatically increasing his own strength, but he had simultaneously weakened several hostile factions.
Root had suffered heavy casualties.
Kumogakure had lost Darui along with numerous elite shinobi.
Even Orochimaru's organization had taken considerable losses.
Every outcome favored Menma.
Among them, Darui's death was perhaps the most significant.
Judging by the strength Darui displayed in the future, he unquestionably possessed Kage-level potential and eventually became the Fifth Raikage.
Had he not already exhausted a tremendous amount of chakra and sustained multiple injuries during the prolonged fighting, even Menma could not have eliminated him so cleanly.
Eliminating such a future powerhouse before he reached his peak was equivalent to strengthening Menma's own position.
After all…
Once Utakata eventually appeared within Takigakure's sphere of influence, the truth could not remain hidden forever.
Every major village would inevitably turn its attention toward Takigakure.
Even Iwagakure currently Menma's ally could not be fully trusted.
If the benefits became great enough, there was no guarantee that the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, would continue honoring their cooperation.
The human heart…
was often more unpredictable than any ninjutsu.
From that perspective, Menma's gains were enormous.
Every opposing force had suffered severe losses.
Even Orochimaru's side had paid a considerable price.
The destruction of one of his hidden bases and the deaths of more than a dozen subordinates might not concern Orochimaru emotionally, but they nevertheless represented a tangible loss of manpower.
Kirigakure had technically lost none of its pursuing shinobi.
Yet allowing the Six-Tails' jinchūriki to escape was already a devastating failure in itself.
As for Kumogakure…
and Konoha…
Their losses could only be described as catastrophic.
Numerous elite shinobi had died.
Among them was Aburame Ryōma.
Although Ryōma could not compare to someone like Darui in overall combat ability, he remained one of Root's elite jōnin and one of Shimura Danzō's most trusted subordinates.
Within Root itself, he occupied a position comparable to that of a founding veteran.
Therefore, after more than a day had passed, the few surviving Root operatives finally managed to transmit everything that had occurred in the Land of Spring back to Konohagakure through Root's secret communication channels.
The moment Danzō received the report
Bang!
His palm slammed violently onto the desk before him.
The solid wooden table exploded into splinters.
The single exposed eye beneath his bandages blazed with murderous fury.
"…Orochimaru."
"…Uzumaki Menma."
He spoke both names through clenched teeth.
Every syllable dripped with unconcealed hatred.
Three elite Root squads.
Aburame Ryōma.
Nearly every operative he had dispatched…
had been annihilated.
And despite such staggering losses…
they had accomplished absolutely nothing.
How could Danzō possibly accept such an outcome?
His rage reached its limit.
For one brief moment, he even contemplated leading Root personally to hunt down Orochimaru and Menma.
Over the past several months, Root had suffered repeated setbacks.
Its strength had been severely diminished.
Under Tsunade's administration, rebuilding Root had become far more difficult than before.
Unlike in the past, Danzō could no longer openly recruit promising children from within Konoha.
He could still cultivate orphans from outside the village in secret…
but raising a qualified Root operative required years.
Did he have that kind of time?
Absolutely not.
What Danzō desperately needed now…
was immediate military strength.
Not long-term investments.
"Can the whereabouts of the Six-Tails be confirmed?"
Danzō's icy gaze fell upon the kneeling Root operative.
"Was Utakata taken by Orochimaru? Kumogakure? Or someone else?"
The Root shinobi lowered his head.
"We cannot confirm it, Lord Danzō."
"We cannot confirm it?"
Danzō's voice instantly became colder.
"Then confirm it!"
"Mobilize additional personnel immediately!"
"I don't care what methods you use."
"I want the Six-Tails located in the shortest possible time."
"Do you understand?"
"Yes, Lord Danzō!"
The Root operative answered without hesitation before disappearing in a Body Flicker Technique.
The room once again fell silent.
Leaning upon his cane, Danzō stood motionless for a long while.
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
Eventually…
he reached a decision.
He could no longer allow Tsunade to continue handling matters according to her own policies.
Otherwise, Konoha's position would only become increasingly passive.
The Six-Tails absolutely could not be allowed to fall into another village's hands.
Especially…
Orochimaru's.
If Danzō's fury had nearly consumed his reason…
then the Fourth Raikage's reaction was no less explosive.
Deep within Kumogakure
"What did you say?!"
"Darui and the others are missing?"
"They're presumed dead?!"
"You expect me to believe such nonsense?!"
"You bastard!"
The Fourth Raikage, A, shot to his feet.
His massive hand slammed onto the desk almost instinctively.
Bang!
Crack!
Crash!
The sturdy office desk, which had only recently replaced its unfortunate predecessor, shattered into countless fragments beneath his monstrous strength.
Standing nearby, Dodai's normally calm expression became exceptionally grave.
His eyes remained fixed upon the messenger kneeling before them.
No one understood Darui's ability better than Dodai.
Excluding the Fourth Raikage himself, Killer B the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki and Yugito Nii the Two-Tails' jinchūriki Darui was unquestionably among Kumogakure's strongest shinobi.
More importantly…
He was still young.
His future potential was immense.
Within the village, he was regarded as one of the most dependable candidates to shoulder Kumogakure's future.
The force he had led this time had consisted almost entirely of elite shinobi.
Only a handful of the weaker members had been included because they specialized in sealing techniques, an essential requirement for any mission involving the capture of a tailed beast.
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