"Lead the way."
Menma nodded, his expression calm and unreadable.
The ANBU leading the way felt a chill creep up his spine. The man in front of him didn't ask a single question, which he found unnatural.
Remembering Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders, the ninja hesitated. "You… don't want to know anything else?"
"The Hokage told me that if I wanted answers, you wouldn't hold back."
Menma didn't look at him, but the sudden drop in temperature was unmistakable.
A wave of chilling killing intent rolled out, crushing the ANBU's senses. It felt as though a rabid beast with jaws wide open was inches from his neck, and cold sweat soaked his back instantly.
He stopped wasting time, and gritting his teeth, spilled everything Hiruzen had told him in a single breath.
"Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno were taken to the Root base this morning. The Hokage sent me to inform you and hopes you won't make a scene."
Without waiting for Menma to reply, the ANBU turned his stiff body and hurriedly led the way forward.
Menma retracted his killing intent and followed silently, his face a mask of indifference.
But internally, Naruto was furious.
Sasuke and Sakura? Captured? Taken to the Root base?
Damn it! Is this another one of Danzo's threats?
That's why they weren't at the Training Grounds today. I assumed everyone was just taking the day off because of the holiday.
Recalling how Sasuke never skipped training, Naruto finally realized something was wrong. He was late to notice.
Menma sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm inside their shared mindscape.
"You were having a blast training this morning. You really didn't notice your classmates were missing?"
"I..." Naruto's face flushed in embarrassment, unable to form a rebuttal.
To be honest, he had been secretly smug that morning. He'd thought he was gaining ground on Sasuke while the Uchiha was slacking off. Menma had sensed that hidden pride, which was why he was mocking him now.
In the end, Naruto, unable to lash out at Menma, directed his anger at Danzo.
"It's all that despicable Danzo's fault! Menma, you have to beat him up good when we see him!"
Recalling Danzo's repeated attacks on him and those close to him, Naruto's rage flared.
"Beat him?" Menma chuckled darkly. "Don't be naive."
He didn't need to guess to know this was a setup orchestrated by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
If Danzo really wanted to kidnap people, he would have targeted Sakura. Maybe Iruka Umino, too. But Sasuke? Danzo wasn't stupid enough to touch him, not with Itachi Uchiha standing behind him.
Besides, Root's activities had been heavily suppressed by Hiruzen recently. For them to suddenly bypass the Hokage and kidnap students? Nobody would believe that.
Hiruzen's goal was obvious: use Menma to intimidate and suppress Danzo. At the same time, he wanted to test his control over the Nine-Tails jinchuriki.
But Menma had no intention of playing along with this dirty politician's little game.
Sensing Menma's disdain, Naruto quickly warned him, "Hey, they're still Konoha ninja! Don't kill innocent people indiscriminately! I'm going to be Hokage, not just the man behind the scenes!"
Hiruzen had spent yesterday explaining Danzo's background to Naruto—how he had done terrible things for the village, how that had twisted his personality, and what sacrifices a Hokage must make.
Hiruzen was clearly trying to groom Naruto as the next Hokage, and Naruto, naive as ever, had eaten it up. He felt closer to the Third Hokage than ever.
Hiruzen was also using Naruto to reach out to Menma, but he ignored him completely.
"Innocent people?" Menma laughed, amused by Naruto's idealism. "Your 'Grandpa Hokage' doesn't think that way."
While the two bickered in their minds, the ANBU led Menma to a massive iron rock deep within the Forest of Death. He pushed aside the stones, revealing a massive entrance leading underground.
"Lord Menma, we've arrived."
The ANBU respectfully pointed to the entrance, then quickly retreated, clearly planning to flee.
He hadn't taken two steps when Menma's icy voice cut through the air.
"Did I say you could leave?"
Before the words finished, a massive, golden-red fox tail appeared, stretching out like a bolt of lightning. It coiled around the ANBU instantly.
Malevolent chakra overflowed from the tail, scorching the ninja's skin.
"What are you doing!?" the ANBU shouted, suppressing his terror. "I'm here on behalf of the Hokage to guide you!"
"Then why are you running?" Menma grinned, but there was no humor in his eyes. "You ANBU and Root wear the same masks. I don't trust you."
"Come with me. Behave."
Ignoring the ANBU's struggles, Menma dragged him into the underground entrance.
---
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's Office—
Hiruzen Sarutobi interlaced his fingers, resting his chin on his hands as he watched Menma's movements through the crystal ball. Seeing him obediently follow the ANBU into the trap, a satisfied smile touched his lips.
Good. Walk right into it.
Suddenly, the office door was pushed open from the outside. Danzo's arrogant voice filled the room.
"Hiruzen. Did you call me here to apologize?"
Danzo, still heavily bandaged, entered with his new bodyguards: Yamanaka Fu and a Hyuga clan ninja. It seemed he had wasted no time replacing Aburame Torune after his death.
"You should be the one apologizing to me, Danzo!" Hiruzen's voice boomed, his smile vanishing instantly. His gaze toward the bandaged elder was filled with resentment.
Danzo had attacked the Nine-Tails jinchuriki multiple times. Worse, he had recently tried to recruit a member of the Sarutobi clan into Root.
For Danzo to touch the Sarutobi clan was crossing a line. Hiruzen had been lenient over the years, allowing Root to recruit from various clans and even suppressing other ninja clans' complaints. But this was too much.
"Hmph." Danzo didn't back down, glaring aggressively at Hiruzen. "Those juniors of yours have potential. With proper training, they could be powerful Fire Style users."
"You're bold," Hiruzen said, pushing the crystal ball away. "But kidnapping Sasuke and Sakura went too far. Menma is already on his way there."
"What!?" Danzo's face paled instantly. He looked at the crystal ball and saw the ANBU and Menma entering the Forest of Death.
"Hiruzen! What exactly do you mean by this?"
Danzo had received intelligence about the events in the Land of Waves. He understood Menma's current strength. With Hiruzen's obstruction, Danzo had already decided to hold back.
But now, Menma was inexplicably heading straight for his base—and before Danzo even knew about it.
This was clearly Hiruzen using Menma's hand to crush him.
---
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