"What's your angle, Hiruzen?"
The Third Hokage leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. "I'm just advising you to stop targeting the Jinchuriki. And you're going to return my men."
Menma's face flickered between light and shadow, his expression shifting rapidly. Finally, he lowered his head in a gesture of submission. "Send the Jinchuriki back, and you'll see your juniors this afternoon."
"And," Menma added, his eyes filled with ruthlessness, "I won't step out of the shadows again until the Chunin Exams are over."
However, he knew this humiliation wouldn't last long. He just needed to preserve his strength and wait.
Hiruzen looked at him with genuine surprise. In the past, Menma would have argued endlessly.
Usually, I'd have to say, "I am the Hokage," and he'd reply, "You'll regret this, Hiruzen," before he finally backed down. Suddenly missing that familiar ritual, the Third loosened the collar of his robe, feeling strangely uneasy.
"Menma, do I need to remind you that mistakes require punishment?"
"What?!" Menma's eyes widened in shock and fury. "You want to destroy my base? Are you trying to completely erase me?!"
He slammed a hand on the table. "Don't forget all the dirty work we've done together! If you destroy my base, I'll expose everything. I'll tear off that mask of hypocrisy you've worn for so long!"
At this, Menma seemed to regain his confidence. "Hmph. I'm just a maggot in the shadows anyway. Reputation means nothing to me."
The only reason Hiruzen had tolerated him for so long was that Menma had taken the blame for countless atrocities in the Hokage's name. If the truth came out, the Third would lose his position instantly. That was why Hiruzen had always treated him with such a dismissive, haughty attitude.
Faced with the threat, Hiruzen's face darkened. He spoke slowly.
"Ten kilometers west of the Shimura Shrine, in the Konoha Forest… the Forest of Death is just one of your bases, Menma. I don't want a fight to the death."
"After all," the Third continued, his voice cold, "you've done so many wrong things. I need the Jinchuriki to vent my anger. Your base will only suffer some manpower losses at most."
Every location Hiruzen mentioned was a Root base. Menma, ever suspicious, never put all his eggs in one basket.
"Hehehehe… Hiruzen, you've got skills. You've been investigating for a long time, haven't you?"
Menma laughed angrily, slamming his hand on the table again. "They say a barking dog doesn't bite. I've seen it for myself today!"
"Then let me show you just how alluring this Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is," Menma sneered. "Let's see if you can resist attacking your old buddy!"
Menma had barely finished speaking when the image in the crystal ball showed the entrance to the Root base. What followed was the Hokage's direct Anbu being captured, nearly making Menma burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, Hiruzen! So this is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki you control? Capturing an elite Chunin so easily? Impressive."
Hiruzen didn't reply. He had expected this. He had already profiled Menma and summed it up in two words: extremely dangerous.
He didn't expect Naruto to completely suppress him just yet. He had even set aside a sealing team to research ninjutsu for sealing or separating personalities. At the same time, he had temporarily relieved Yamato of his Anbu captaincy, tasking him with researching how to better seal the Nine-Tails' chakra using Wood Release.
He was simply waiting for Naruto to master the Nine-Tails' chakra before dealing with Menma's dangerous personality.
---
Back at the Root Base
Menma, carrying the unconscious ANBU ninja, quickly traversed a long passage and arrived at a spacious underground plaza. A single glance spotted Sasuke and Sakura unconscious in the center. Several masked Anbu lay nearby, equally out cold.
"Interesting. Is this a frame-up?"
Using the malicious perception granted by the Nine-Tails' chakra, Menma sensed more than ten malevolent auras emanating from the darkness surrounding the plaza. The figures were slowly making their way toward the passageway behind him.
Menma guessed their plan immediately. Deciding to play along, he quickly approached Sasuke and Sakura. In his mental realm, Naruto began shouting, urging him to check on the two.
Just as Menma crouched down, the dozen or so figures instantly appeared, blocking the passageway. Then they roared loud enough to be heard throughout the entire base.
"Intruders! The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is attacking!"
These were the masked Anbu. After the shout, they all surged into the passageway and vanished.
Just as I guessed, Menma thought. They framed me to weaken and punish Menma.
He paid no attention to their escape. He had already destroyed the outer exit, so there was no way out for now.
The roar quickly attracted a large number of Root ninja from deeper within the base. Seeing their fallen comrades around Menma, they swarmed him.
Menma slightly flexed his cracking joints. After knocking out the ANBU ninja on his tail and tossing him to the ground, a bloodthirsty smile curled his lips.
"Anbu and Root… let's start collecting interest."
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In an instant, nearly a hundred shadow clones appeared, enveloped in golden-red Nine-Tails chakra. They split into two waves: one headed toward the blocked passage, the other directly confronted the Root ninja rushing out from the base.
A one-sided massacre began.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow… Ah!"
"Wind Release… Ah!"
Many of the rushing Root ninja didn't even have time to form hand seals. The shadow clones, wielding chakra fox tails as weapons, sliced through them with single strikes. Even those who successfully formed hand seals couldn't hit the clones' Kage-level Taijutsu.
Soon, blood and mangled corpses covered the empty ground.
"Boring," Menma yawned, supported by his chakra fox tail. "All of them are Chunin. Not a single Jonin or Elite Jonin."
In his mind, Naruto was making a ruckus. However, because Menma hadn't revived the unconscious Sasuke and Sakura, Naruto dared not seize control of the body—he couldn't risk endangering them. He could only resort to persuasive talk, trying to get Menma to take the others and leave.
Just as Menma was mocking Naruto's overly compassionate side, a sudden attack caught his attention.
"Super Beast Imitating Drawing!"
Roar! Screech!
A black-and-white ink drawing of a tiger and a giant eagle attacked from the side, smashing the nearest shadow clone into thin air. It continued its momentum toward Menma's main body.
"Oh? Sai at this stage already has the destructive power of a Jonin?" Only Jonin-level destructive power could shatter a Nine-Tails chakra shadow clone.
"Such a young Jonin. Looks like I'm going to have to pity him this time~"
As he spoke, the fox tail behind Menma suddenly pierced into the darkness on the left.
"Found you!"
Whoosh!
In the shadows, Sai was struck squarely in the chest by the fox tail and dissolved into a puddle of ink.
Immediately afterward, a series of voices rang out.
"Hurry up! The Ink Mist won't conceal us for long!"
"Secret Technique: Mind Transfer Technique!"
"Secret Technique: Shadow Imitation Technique!"
"Secret Technique: Partial Expansion Technique!"