Over the next two or three days, Menma spent his time resting.
After all, having just survived such a thrilling and perilous battle, Menma needed to recover both physically and mentally. Everything else had to be put on hold for the time being—including Orochimaru. Menma was one hundred percent certain that Orochimaru had no time to bother with him right now.
As a being of immense pride, Orochimaru could never tolerate the loss of his arms.
It didn't just mean he was unable to perform the many forbidden and secret jutsu he took such pride in; it also meant he could no longer conduct the precise experiments of the past. This was the greatest blow to Orochimaru, and he would undoubtedly prioritize solving this issue above all else.
While Menma was enjoying a rare moment of relaxation and truly resting, news of the joint surprise attack on the Hidden Leaf Village by the Sound and Sand was fermenting across the ninja world and spreading rapidly.
The deaths in battle of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa; the capture of the One-Tail Jinchuriki, Gaara; and the total defeat of the Hidden Sand Village—these events alone were enough to shock and captivate the other ninja villages.
However, all of these paled in comparison to the most stimulating and earth-shattering news of all: the defection of the Fourth Hokage's other son, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Menma Uzumaki.
This was a fact that simply could not be concealed.
Setting aside the high-level spies that every nation undoubtedly had planted within the Hidden Leaf, the Sand Village alone would ensure this information was leaked. In less than three days, the entire ninja world was aware of this ultimate scandal involving Konoha.
The son of a village's Kage had betrayed his own village.
Moreover, he was an existence that served as the ultimate pillar of military power.
In that moment, the leaders of the various ninja villages issued orders, dispatching their most elite and trusted subordinates to conduct a carpet search across the entire ninja world. After all, that was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!
Hailed as the strongest among the Tailed Beasts.
Even though Konoha hadn't deployed the Nine-Tails in the Great Ninja Wars over the past few decades, the simple fact that the First Hokage kept the Nine-Tails for his own village during the distribution of the Tailed Beasts was proof enough of its supremacy.
Not to mention the Nine-Tails' rampage twelve years ago, where Konoha suffered a devastating blow—a fact known to all nations in the ninja world.
Therefore, the defected Menma instantly became a highly coveted prize in the eyes of the nations. The Hidden Stone and Hidden Cloud villages, in particular, adopted a stance of absolute determination to acquire him. They further strengthened their border defenses along the Land of Fire. If Konoha showed any further signs of weakness, it was foreseeable that these two great nations would not let this golden opportunity slip by.
A new Great Ninja War could erupt at any moment.
The Hidden Leaf naturally sensed this shift in the atmosphere. Under the orders of the two advisors, the entire village entered Level 1 combat readiness. Immediately after the funerals for the Third Hokage and the many fallen Konoha ninja, Jiraiya set off. He needed to find Tsunade in the shortest time possible; the current Konoha desperately needed a leader with a strong hand and formidable power!
Beyond the varying attention of the great ninja nations, in a very remote small country to the south...
"What did you say? Orochimaru killed Hiruzen Sarutobi and Rasa, and even abducted the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"
In a dimly lit underground laboratory, a low voice filled with surprise rang out.
Then came the sound of footsteps.
Illustrated by the dim light of an oil lamp, the black robe with red clouds, the orange spiral mask, and the single exposed three-tomoe Sharingan appeared—a familiar outfit, a familiar appearance.
This figure was none other than Obito Uchiha, who could be considered one of the final bosses of the original story.
And the pitch-black creature appearing before Obito at this moment was the third "son" created by the Rabbit Goddess using Yin-Yang Release—Black Zetsu.
"This intelligence has been confirmed. That Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—Menma Uzumaki—is fully aware of his own identity. What should we do? Do we need to act ahead of schedule? Capturing the Nine-Tails now... this should be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
Black Zetsu cracked open his signature flytrap-like mouth, speaking in a raspy voice.
"Interesting. Truly interesting. Orochimaru actually managed to seduce Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? Heh, Menma Uzumaki defecting from the Leaf... that is truly delightful news. I wonder, if my dear teacher has a spirit in the afterlife and could know of this, just how spectacular his expression would be."
Obito chuckled in a low voice, a look of utter mockery visible in his eye.
"However, we still don't need to take excessive action. The time isn't ripe yet. Neither we nor Nagato are fully prepared. Furthermore, the capture of the Tailed Beasts must still proceed in order. Not to mention, the eyes of the entire ninja world are currently fixed on Menma Uzumaki. If we act too casually, it will be easy to draw the attention of the nations. That conflicts with our plan and isn't worth it. The Nine-Tails needs to be captured last anyway, so there's absolutely no rush. Instead, we can utilize this situation to further intensify the conflicts between the nations. If another Great Ninja War were to break out... that would be the most favorable scenario for our plan."
After a brief pause, Obito shook his head and continued.
The Five Great Nations were the biggest obstacle to their "Eye of the Moon" plan. Even though Obito was supremely confident that their plan would succeed, he would not skimp on caution where it was due.
He certainly wouldn't miss a chance to stoke the flames of war so easily.
As always, everything had to revolve around the "Eye of the Moon" plan.
Hearing Obito's words, Black Zetsu nodded in agreement.
"However, we still cannot neglect intelligence gathering. Especially regarding Orochimaru and Konoha—we must possess the necessary information at all times!"
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Obito looked at Black Zetsu with a serious expression.
"Mhm, I understand what needs to be done. I will go contact Nagato."
Black Zetsu nodded in response.
Immediately after, Black Zetsu sank directly into the ground and departed.
"Konoha, Orochimaru, Menma Uzumaki... Heh, interesting. Truly interesting. Let me watch a little longer and see what other splendid moves you can all make."
Obito gazed toward the north, a glint of coldness in his eye, whispering in a tone filled with mockery.