Not to mention the injured him now.
Even in his prime, he likely wouldn't be a match for this young man. After all, he had just borrowed a bit of the Tailed Beast's chakra and already possessed such terrifying power. What if he fully transformed into a Tailed Beast!?
Utakata couldn't be sure if this young man could currently achieve that, but if he could... then he was definitely no match for this young man, no matter how many times they fought.
And that dark-colored chakra sphere just now.
That jutsu also gave Utakata a certain degree of palpitation.
And the more Utakata looked at that thing, the more it resembled the exclusive killer move of Tailed Beasts—the Tailed Beast Ball!
Could Jinchuriki in human form now use Tailed Beast Balls!?
Utakata really couldn't figure it out.
Is this the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?
Utakata looked at Menma's back with an expression that was either lament or apprehension, thinking silently.
Cough, cough...
Unlike Utakata's complex inner thoughts.
Darui, who had already reached the end of his life, looked at the approaching Menma with a look of despair.
Even if Menma did nothing next.
Darui didn't have much life left.
That Great Spiralling Ring completely destroyed all cells near Darui's chest; the internal organs were shattered. Even if Tsunade came, she couldn't save Darui.
Death was Darui's only outcome.
"Menma... Uzu... maki."
These last words were spat out tremblingly.
Menma glanced at Darui indifferently.
Whoosh!
With a kunai flipped in his single hand, he aimed at Darui's vital throat and slashed lightly.
Squelch!
"Ugh!?"
Blood splattered, further accelerating the drain of his last life.
Raikage-sama...
With the image of the Fourth Raikage A assigning him the mission freezing before his eyes...
His vision darkened accordingly.
His hands dropped abruptly.
Thud.
This future Fifth Raikage of the original story tilted his head and died directly.
Watching Darui's death.
Menma felt no fluctuation in his heart. This was such a cruel world; it was either you die or I die.
Facing an enemy.
Menma wouldn't show any mercy.
"Seal!"
He took out another special sealing scroll from his chest. With both hands forming seals, he sealed Darui's corpse directly inside. Possessing the Storm Style Kekkei Genkai and personal strength approaching the Kage level, he absolutely had extremely high research value. Not to mention this guy was one of the quasi-high-ranking officials of the Hidden Cloud Village; the intelligence in his brain was also very valuable!
Menma could ignore the corpses of other Cloud ninja, but this guy's corpse, he definitely had to take back.
A battle resolved easily in less than a few minutes.
When Menma released the Summoning Jutsu and walked back...
Utakata's entire body tensed subconsciously.
During the previous battle, Utakata had considered taking the opportunity to flee directly. But firstly, there was Kabuto Yakushi watching on the side, and secondly, the strength Menma displayed was truly too strong. At least that summon beast wasn't something the heavily injured he could deal with easily.
Moreover, Utakata didn't know if the other party had any backup plans.
Looking at Menma's posture, he indeed didn't seem like the Cloud ninja group who would resort to brute force directly. There should be a possibility of talking?
Of course, this was all just Utakata's personal guess. To put it bluntly, it was a gamble.
Since he had to gamble anyway, he might as well take this opportunity to recover properly.
As for Kabuto Yakushi's treatment, he'd pass on that. Utakata had to ensure he at least possessed the ability to fight to the death.
He couldn't let others approach him easily.
"Hm? Why hasn't Kabuto-san treated Utakata-san yet?"
Menma naturally couldn't guess Utakata's twists and turns. Upon returning and seeing Kabuto and Utakata standing apart, a look of faint surprise appeared on his face.
But seeing Kabuto's slight shrug the next second, he reacted immediately.
It seemed the other party didn't trust him.
But this was very normal behavior.
"Heh, it seems Utakata-san still doesn't trust us."
Menma chuckled lightly.
"However, please don't worry about this, Utakata-san. We truly have no malicious intent in coming here this time. We purely want to invite Utakata-san to join us. Of course, the initiative is still in your hands, Utakata-san. If you are unwilling, I won't force you either."
After a slight pause, Menma continued with a smile.
"Invite me? Initiative?"
Utakata's gaze hardened slightly. Beneath that seemingly calm face, a hint of mockery seemed to flow faintly.
This blatant look of 100% distrust.
Also made Menma frown slightly.
Then he relaxed slowly.
Continuing, he said: "Utakata-san, there's no need for this. While I, Menma Uzumaki, am certainly not a good person, I won't lack credibility where it's due. If Utakata-san is determined to travel alone, I absolutely won't force you. As long as Utakata-san is willing to give me a portion of the Six-Tails' chakra, that will suffice. I will never stop you from leaving. It's just that I have to clarify some things first. Utakata-san should be aware of your current situation. Leaving aside the Mist ninja's pursuit, the Cloud ninja have also blatantly targeted you."
"Next, there are the Leaf, Sand, and Stone ninja. Whether they have the same goal is unknown. If Utakata-san continues alone, you are bound to encounter more risks. Perhaps Utakata-san is confident in your own strength, but you can fight once, twice... what about three times, four times, or even more enemies? Trust me, Utakata-san, you need comrades. And I, Menma Uzumaki, am your best choice, because I am also a rogue ninja. Huddling together for warmth is the best choice for each other, isn't it?"
Menma looked at Utakata seriously, speaking in a very calm tone.
For Menma, Utakata's joining was naturally the best outcome. He and the Hidden Waterfall Village needed such a combat force. Whether in quality or quantity, the Waterfall ninja were very worrying. Even with him and Fu, apart from the Hidden Sand which they could indeed contend with or even bully a bit, the other four major ninja villages weren't so easy to deal with.
Not to mention the Akatsuki organization led by Obito and Nagato in the dark.
As the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, Utakata couldn't be considered a top-tier existence, but he could definitely be counted as a representative of very powerful combat strength.
But if Utakata was truly unwilling, Menma couldn't force him. A Jinchuriki who joined involuntarily couldn't be counted as friendly combat power at all. As for forcibly stripping the Six-Tails Saiken from Utakata and sealing it into someone else's body...
It wasn't that it couldn't be done, but the risk and trouble were too high.
And it might not necessarily become immediate combat power like Utakata. In that case, it would be better to let Utakata roam the ninja world; at least he could attract some attention.
As long as he could obtain a portion of the Six-Tails' source chakra from Utakata, Menma's trip wouldn't be in vain. Of course, this was a minimum requirement. If possible, Menma would still try his best to persuade Utakata to join his side.
Assurance... there should be a little.
From this perspective, Menma had to thank Darui and this group of Cloud ninja. Humans sometimes need a reference point. Once a strong contrast result appears, the heart easily makes a judgment with strong tendencies.
Just like now.
Utakata was indeed touched by Menma's words because of the Cloud ninja's attack and his own severe injuries.
"Then, can you definitely bring me a safe and stable life? Menma-kun? As you said, being targeted by several major ninja villages is indeed very dangerous, but you are the one receiving more attention, right? If I join your side, won't the risk increase further!? And on what basis can I trust you? Menma-kun."
Utakata looked at Menma with a very calm expression and asked directly.
"Indeed, I don't deny that. But ultimately, the strength of two people is greater than one, isn't it? Utakata-san, regarding the level of risk... given that you are already on the watch lists of major ninja villages and are a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki yourself, does this difference have much significance? If Utakata-san wants to be limited to this point, I can only say I overestimated you. Moreover, what I have displayed is far more than what you see. Of course, before Utakata-san decides to join my side, it's inconvenient for me to reveal some things. I think Utakata-san doesn't want to know either, right?"
Menma chuckled lightly, speaking with a tone that seemed to hide a hint of sarcasm.
Some intelligence indeed couldn't be revealed to Utakata now. Otherwise, it would force Utakata to either join or fight a great battle with him right here.
Utakata could also hear the subtext in Menma's words.
In fact, Utakata was indeed somewhat moved just now. He didn't want to die; he wanted to live freely. But his identity destined his life not to be under his control, whether in the Hidden Mist Village or after defecting.
His past twenty-odd years of life had always been lived in fear.
He truly longed for a stable and peaceful environment.
But he knew clearly that this was an extravagant hope.
Even Menma's invitation... Utakata understood equally well what it meant.
Plus, seeing Menma for the first time...
Utakata knew almost nothing about Menma. Therefore, Utakata naturally had many misgivings.