"Adamantine Sealing Chains!?"
An average ninja might not recognize this technique, but Jiraiya identified the golden chains instantly. Known as the strongest of sealing jutsus, even the Nine-Tails—the most powerful of the Tailed Beasts—would struggle to escape its suppression.
The fact that Menma could actually use it left Jiraiya shaken.
It wasn't just about his bloodline, but his age. Menma was only thirteen years old. To display such terrifying combat prowess and talent, and then top it off with the Adamantine Sealing Chains?
Is this the perfect manifestation of the Uzumaki bloodline?
Jiraiya couldn't help but mutter internally.
However, the reality of the battlefield didn't allow him much time for sentimentality.
Rumble!!
The golden chains shot forward. One easily wrapped around Gamaken's unique weapon, while the other tightly bound his torso, exerting immense crushing pressure.
!?
Gamaken found himself completely immobilized in an instant.
Even though Menma was still a step behind the likes of Kushina or Mito Uzumaki, and could currently only manifest two chains, this was a technique the Nine-Tails couldn't break. And Gamaken was certainly no Tailed Beast.
Two chains were more than enough to completely lock him down.
In the next second, the massive demon fox tail formed into an exaggeratedly large hand.
Wham!
It slammed heavily into Gamaken's head.
Thud!
The giant toad was smashed violently into the ground, creating a deep crater.
"Gwah!"
Gamaken spat out a mouthful of crimson blood. Half of his face was already scorched and damaged, and the Nine-Tails' chakra continued to corrode his flesh.
Bang!
Having lost his center of gravity and unable to resist, Gamaken was helpless as Urushi the lizard leaped up and crashed down on him like a falling mountain. Under the heavy crushing weight, a look of agony appeared on the toad's face.
"Hah!"
Menma vented even more chakra. The Adamantine Sealing Chains solidified further, firmly restricting Gamaken and rendering him unable to move.
It was practically a one-sided slaughter.
Just as Jiraiya attempted to support him, he was harassed by several of Menma's shadow clones, leaving him no choice but to watch his summon beast fall into critical condition.
He couldn't hesitate any longer.
"Release!"
Jiraiya leaped back to create distance, dodging the pincer attack from the shadow clones, and rapidly formed hand seals. He canceled the summoning contract with Gamaken.
Poof!
In an instant, Gamaken's massive body turned into a cloud of white smoke and vanished. This caused Menma, who was preparing the finishing blow, to pause slightly, though he had anticipated this outcome.
While the toads of Mount Myoboku weren't like Manda—who would abandon his summoner the moment he got hurt—Jiraiya wouldn't stand by and watch his companions die unless Menma could instant-kill them.
Otherwise, with the Summoning Jutsu in play, no one in the ninja world could interrupt the un-summoning process unless they reached the level of the Sage of Six Paths and possessed strong spatial locking abilities—like the Rabbit Goddess with her "Yellow Springs Hirasaka" or "Kaguya's Dimension." That was true spatial control.
The current Menma was still far from that level.
However, the strength Menma displayed now was infinitely close to the limit of a Kage-level ninja. Even Jiraiya, without entering Sage Mode, was being suppressed by him.
Six-tails worth of Nine-Tails chakra!
Jiraiya's expression was far graver than it had been at the start.
Gamaken had retreated with heavy injuries. Gamabunta was struggling in a bitter fight.
Manda was inherently a bit stronger than Gamabunta, and Sasuke in his Cursed Seal Level 2 state was a notch stronger than Naruto. With those two matchups, the disparity was obvious.
Naruto couldn't cover Gamabunta, but Sasuke could assist Manda in suppressing the toad. pressing forward step by step with lethal intent. The boy and the toad were completely at a disadvantage.
Meanwhile, Kabuto's entry into the fray allowed Orochimaru's subordinates to regroup and suppress the Root members, forcing Ryoma to rejoin the melee.
It was clear that on every front, Jiraiya's side was in a losing position.
Unless Jiraiya could enter Sage Mode.
But he didn't have the ability to do so alone. His Sage Mode was powerful but came with high limitations; he couldn't enter it solo. He needed the Two Great Toad Sages from Mount Myoboku to absorb natural energy for him.
Therefore, facing Menma's relentless assault, Jiraiya had no means to counterattack.
Whoosh!
Bang!
While Menma in this mode couldn't easily defeat base-form Jiraiya, the situation remained relatively balanced, with Menma holding the upper hand. Killing him was out of the question; even defeating him was a maybe.
Jiraiya was a "hexagon warrior"—a ninja with almost no obvious weaknesses.
Zip!
Clatter!
No matter what jutsu Menma used, it was hard to truly threaten Jiraiya. When the giant golden chains whipped around, Jiraiya managed to evade them. The Adamantine Sealing Chains were strong and suppressed chakra, but they only worked if they actually caught you.
Jiraiya had the confidence and skill to ensure they didn't.
But while he could withstand Menma's attacks, the rest of the battlefield was in dire straits—crisis mode, really.
Aside from the Root members—where the injured Ryoma had already been captured by Kabuto and the rest were suffering heavy casualties—Naruto and Sasuke's battle was grim. Even though Sasuke was holding back slightly due to old times and the fact that Naruto was Menma's brother, the gap in power left Naruto in a sorry state, injured and in danger.
Gamabunta had taken a vicious tail whip from Manda. Without outside intervention, their defeat was just a matter of time.
Unless Jiraiya entered Sage Mode immediately.
But clearly, Menma wasn't going to give him the time to summon the Sages.
Rumble!!
Thinking of this, and seeing two thick golden chains striking toward him just as he created some distance, Jiraiya stopped hesitating.
"Bunta!"
He shouted loudly.
Hearing the call, Gamabunta understood instantly.
"Water Style: Gunshot!"
He opened his massive mouth.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
He fired several massive cannonballs of water, ferociously attacking the advancing Manda.
Facing the enveloping energy, Manda's snake eyes narrowed. He twisted his body, dodging to the side.
At the same time, Jiraiya formed seals in sync.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
The ground instantly turned into liquid, manifesting a massive swamp that surrounded Manda.
"Bastard!"
Manda's body sank, his movement severely hampered. Standing on Manda's head, Sasuke couldn't help but sway.
Manda's expression turned vicious. He whipped his tail with explosive force, forcibly tearing himself out of the mud.
But that time difference of a few crucial seconds was enough.
Gamabunta had already grabbed Naruto and disengaged from the fight.
Whoosh!
Jiraiya leaped into the air.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Biting his finger and forming seals again, he pressed his hand against the sky.
Poof!
A giant cyan toad appeared out of thin air, crashing down ferociously. In less than half a second, its shadow completely covered Menma and Urushi.
This "Food Cart Destroyer Technique" successfully blocked Menma's line of sight.
While Urushi adjusted his position to dodge the crushing weight, Menma controlled his Adamantine Sealing Chains to forcibly bind the cyan toad.
But just as the chains wrapped around it...
"Release!"
The toad, which had been on the ground for less than two seconds, turned into white smoke and vanished.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya had already landed on Gamabunta's head. They had successfully opened up a safe distance.
"Grandpa Jiraiya, I... this?"
The situation was clear, but Naruto still showed a look of disappointment and pain. Counting this failure, that made three times.
"Let's retreat for now, Naruto. Wait until the day you become stronger!"
"But..."
Jiraiya patted Naruto gently on the head and exhaled a breath of turbid air. Gamabunta leaped, utilizing his massive jumping power to retreat rapidly in the opposite direction.
As the figures grew distant, Naruto bit his lip, watching Menma and Sasuke shrink on the horizon. For some reason, at that moment, Naruto felt a heart-wrenching sensation that he was drifting further and further away from them—that he might never get his two brothers back.
Seeing this, a strange light flickered in Menma's eyes, but he made no move to pursue.
He couldn't kill Jiraiya as he was. If he left an opening, or if Jiraiya managed to summon the two old toads and enter Sage Mode, Menma would be the one in trouble.
He would have to gamble on a full Tailed Beast transformation or entering Nine-Tails Chakra Mode to fight or defeat Sage Mode Jiraiya.
So, chasing was pointless.
On the other side, Manda was screaming in impotent rage, demanding to chase and teach that stinking toad a lesson.
Sasuke ignored him completely, releasing the Summoning Jutsu and sending Manda back to Ryuchi Cave. He then deactivated his Cursed Seal Level 2 mode.
The battle had dragged on. Even with chakra reserves far beyond a normal ninja, Sasuke had consumed too much. He might not have held out much longer.
"You doing okay, Sasuke? Using Level 2 plus summoning that guy Manda puts a huge load on you."
Menma wove signs to deactivate his sealing technique and leaped over to Sasuke.
"I'm fine. Compared to the Valley of the End, I've completely adapted to the Cursed Seal's power," Sasuke said, exhaling. His black eyes then locked intensely onto Menma. "But about the Uchiha clan... Menma, how much do you actually know? What is the truth!?"
"Don't worry, Sasuke. I haven't lied to you about anything. I'll tell you more when we get back. This isn't the right time or place," Menma smiled lightly. "Besides, didn't I say earlier? You don't just have to take my word for it. You can verify it with Orochimaru. He left the Leaf years ago, but he still has close ties with Danzo Shimura. He knows a thing or two about the dirty laundry in the village."
Menma had been waiting for the right opportunity to tell Sasuke about the Leaf's dirty dealings. The truth of the Uchiha massacre was a vital "information chip" for Sasuke.
To Menma, Itachi Uchiha was a potential enemy. Or to put it bluntly, Menma considered him a lunatic.
Willing to exterminate his entire clan—parents included—for the sake of the village? But then sparing his young brother? And then threatening the Leaf to protect that brother?
In Itachi's twisted logic, was the hierarchy: Younger Brother > The Village > His Parents and the entire clan?
Menma absolutely couldn't understand that ranking. It was baffling. No normal person's brain could be that broken, right?
Or perhaps, in this messed-up world, most people had brain damage. It was just a competition to see who was slightly less broken.
From that perspective, whether it was Madara or Sasuke... at least they could be considered "normal" people!
Irrespective of good or evil, or their stance, purely discussing whether their brains functioned logically—they were sane.