Like a clap of thunder.
Almost the instant the Leaf scout finished his sentence, Jiraiya shot up from the main seat, his face registering pure shock. Beside him, the expressions of Kakashi, Shikaku, and Inoichi instantly hardened into grim masks.
"What!?" Jiraiya's voice spiked several octaves.
"How did Naruto get out!? Didn't we have two full ANBU squads watching him around the clock!? What the hell were they doing!?"
Driven by pure worry, Jiraiya displayed a rare flash of sheer panic.
He knew that boy's temperament too well, and he knew even better just how dangerous Menma had become.
A younger brother?
No. In the eyes of the boy who had long since turned his back on the Leaf, anyone standing on the Leaf's side—anyone connected to it—was an enemy that had to be eliminated.
Jiraiya could perfectly picture the horrific scene that would unfold if Naruto actually ran into Menma.
"Shikaku, Kakashi! Organize a grid search immediately! Focus everything on locking down the borders. We cannot let that idiot boy do something reckless!" Jiraiya ordered, taking a deep breath to steady himself.
"Yes, Lord Jiraiya!" Shikaku and Kakashi replied in unison.
Clack! Clack! Clack! With rapid footsteps, the two men rushed out of the command tent simultaneously.
Seconds later.
Swish!
Swish!
Swish!
Swish!
Inside the camp, under the coordinated commands of Shikaku and Kakashi, over a hundred Leaf shinobi blurred into motion, fanning out in every direction to launch a massive dragnet search.
---
At that exact same moment.
Dozens of miles away at the Waterfall forward base, Menma was directing his shinobi to fortify their defensive measures.
Especially the barriers.
Setting up large-scale defensive barriers on short notice was incredibly difficult. Forget the regular Waterfall shinobi; even Menma struggled with it right now. After all, his primary focus had always been elevating his personal combat power. In his daily training, sealing jutsu and barrier techniques were pushed to the bottom of the priority list.
Maximizing his individual strength always came first.
Because of that, Menma couldn't deploy a massive, city-scale shield. However, he had mastered a number of smaller, interlocking defensive barriers that could block attacks, as well as specialized barriers designed to trigger mechanical traps.
He had taught these to the Waterfall's barrier squad. While they weren't ultimately refined, they provided solid, foundational defense. At a critical juncture like this, every extra layer of protection helped. It was better than nothing.
Under Menma's orders, ninja tools and explosive tags were handed out as if they cost nothing.
As long as they won, the investment was worth it.
If they lost, whatever they saved would just become enemy loot anyway, rendering it completely meaningless.
On this crucial step of his journey, Menma refused to allow any mistakes.
"Lord Menma, the barrier deployment is proceeding smoothly."
"Lord Menma, the trap laying is essentially complete!"
"Lord Menma, the forward scouts and perimeter guards have all been dispatched."
"Lord Menma..."
"Lord Menma..."
With every order issued and every task executed, it was visibly and tangibly clear that Menma had secured immense prestige within the Hidden Waterfall.
Though he hadn't formally usurped Shibuki yet, the current Menma was utterly irreplaceable in the village. The prestige granted by leading them to victory in war was always the most direct and powerful kind.
To put it bluntly, even if Shibuki didn't step down voluntarily, as long as Menma won this war, he already possessed the power and the right to take the throne by force. And the Waterfall shinobi wouldn't resist; they wouldn't raise a single objection.
Menma himself was highly satisfied with the current situation.
This special moment, born from careful planning, proved that these people were essential pillars in his quest to change the future and achieve his dream.
In the ninja world, individual strength was obviously paramount. If you were strong enough, you could indeed reshape the world. But there were some things one person simply couldn't do alone.
And building that foundation was exactly what Menma was working toward.
"Good. Doran, I'm putting you in charge of supervising the frontline defenses. If anything happens, send a signal immediately. Keep a close eye on the flanks—Shibuki-san and Agun-san's positions. Remember, establish contact every hour. Do not let communication drop. Understood?" Menma ordered, his expression strict.
"Yes, Lord Menma. Your orders will be followed," Doran replied softly, his face a mask of absolute respect.
Unlike the regular Waterfall shinobi who simply saw Menma as a rising star qualified to sit in on high-level meetings, Doran—as the head of intelligence—knew perfectly well that Menma was already the village's true leader.
And by far the strongest leader in their history.
All that was missing was the paperwork and the ceremony.
Gone was the wariness Doran had felt at the beginning. Now, his heart was filled with absolute submission. Unless Menma led them into a catastrophic defeat, Doran and the other high-ranking Waterfall jonin would remain eternally loyal to him, just like Suigetsu and Muku.
"Good. Then—"
Menma nodded slightly, about to issue further instructions.
"Lord Menma!"
Suddenly, a figure blurred in from outside the base.
It was a blue-haired male Waterfall shinobi with a clean-cut face. The moment he reached Menma, he dropped to one knee and reported, "A blonde boy named Naruto Namikaze, claiming to be your younger brother, has a letter for you."
As he spoke, he pulled a scroll from his vest and presented it with both hands.
Menma, who had expected a routine intelligence update, froze momentarily at the unexpected words.
Beside him, Doran, and Muku—who had been shadowing Menma since they deployed—both exchanged strange, calculating looks.
Naruto Namikaze!
They weren't strangers to that name. Having already learned the truth of Menma's lineage, they knew perfectly well that if the blonde boy wasn't an imposter, he was indeed their Lord Menma's biological brother.
But to send a letter now? At a time like this?
What was his angle?
Both Doran and Muku fell into deep thought.
Menma's surprise lasted only a fraction of a second.
He took the letter from the blue-haired shinobi and opened it. Inside, there was nothing but a location.
In an instant, Menma understood exactly what Naruto wanted.
His foolish little brother wanted to meet him alone.
"There's always some development you just can't predict, isn't there?" Menma murmured, shaking his head with a faint, almost amused smile.
"Doran, Muku. The defense of the base is in your hands. I have to step out for a bit. I won't be gone long. Given the current layout, the enemy shouldn't launch an attack today. But if there's any movement, fire a signal flare immediately, and I'll return at once!" Menma decided on the spot.
He was willing to see his brother.
He would sever that final lingering attachment right here, right now. He wasn't worried about leaving the base's defenses.
Not only were Doran and Muku here, but the location Naruto had chosen wasn't far. Moreover, Menma had the Flying Thunder God. He had already placed several markers inside the base.
He could teleport back in the blink of an eye. There was no need to overthink it.
As for an ambush?
Naruto didn't have the temperament for that. More importantly, under the sweeping perception of Menma's Kagura's Mind's Eye, there was no one in this world who could successfully ambush him!
"Ah? You're leaving?" Doran and Muku's faces changed instantly.
Their minds immediately jumped to the worst-case scenario.
"This is too dangerous. I strongly advise caution," Doran urged. Right now, the Waterfall and Grass could not afford to lose Menma. It wasn't just about his raw combat power; his very existence had become the pillar holding everything together.
It was just like the founding era of the Five Great Villages.
The first-generation Kage were the glue that held their villages intact. For the Leaf, the difference between Hashirama Senju being alive and dead was like night and day.
Even ignoring Muku's blind loyalty, Doran absolutely refused to watch Menma take an unnecessary risk. It felt like gambling the entire destiny of the Hidden Waterfall.
"If you must go, please take me as your guard," Muku added after a pause.
"Heh. Not necessary. I'm just going to see someone. Don't worry. With Kagura's Mind's Eye and the Flying Thunder God, no one in the ninja world can ambush me. Relax, you two. I'm leaving the base in your hands for now. Don't disappoint me," Menma said with a light chuckle, patting them both on the shoulder.
Though his words were gentle, the absolute resolve behind them was impossible to miss.
Doran and Muku could only nod in compliance.
"Yes, Lord Menma."
Remembering that Menma's unique jutsu made him nearly impossible to ambush, their tense nerves relaxed significantly.
Did they really need to worry about their Lord Menma's strength?
"Well then!" Menma smiled faintly.
Swish!
With a flash of crimson light, Menma vanished from the spot.
Doran and Muku immediately threw themselves back into their duties. As fresh reinforcements, the fortifications for the base weren't fully complete yet.
---
Meanwhile.
Using the Flying Thunder God, Menma teleported out of the camp. In an instant, he appeared on a desolate hillside over twenty miles northeast of the base.
He had left numerous Flying Thunder God markers scattered across this region.
Ever since mastering the jutsu, he made a habit of leaving markers in strategic locations wherever he went, ensuring he could use them at a moment's notice.
Currently, his mastery of the jutsu was still at the beginner stage. He couldn't teleport freely to any coordinate in space; he required the physical markers.
It was Menma's ultimate survival tool. As he always said: as long as he survived, he could always start over.
Even if his comrades died, there was nothing to fear. Once his plan succeeded and he ascended to a lifeform on par with the Rabbit Goddess, resurrecting the dead would be as easy as breathing.
Swish!
Speeding forward, Menma expanded his massive sensory net to its absolute limit, sweeping every inch of the surrounding area with himself at the center.
In less than ten minutes of high-speed travel, on a hillside situated quite far from both armies, Menma sensed Naruto's familiar chakra.
Did he really come alone? Still as hopelessly naive as he was in the original story...
The chakra signature was glaringly obvious.
Unlike during combat, where he couldn't afford to divert 100% of his focus to sensing and his range was naturally restricted, out here, free to recklessly blast his sensory chakra outward, Menma could state with absolute certainty: within a twenty-to-thirty-mile radius, the only two chakra signatures present belonged to the two brothers.
Still... this is exactly Naruto's style.
A sharp glint flashed in Menma's eyes.
Pushing off the ground lightly...
Boom!
He released a massive wave of chakra, pushing his speed even higher. It was a blatant signal, telling Naruto exactly where he was.
Barely ten seconds later.
Clearing the tree line, the view suddenly opened up.
Their eyes locked.
"Menma!"
"Naruto."
They stared at each other. Menma's face remained a mask of cold indifference.
But in Naruto's bright blue eyes, a chaotic swirl of emotions was clearly visible.
Guilt, excitement, regret, and a profound, bottomless sorrow.
Because even with Naruto's naive optimism, ever since that day at the Valley of the End, he knew it was nearly impossible to talk Menma down.
All his efforts would likely amount to nothing. The chances of success were one in ten thousand, maybe even lower.
But even so.
Because he was Naruto, for the sake of that infinitesimally small chance, he had to try. He had to reach out and see if he could grasp it.
It was true in the original story.
And it was true in this life too.