The ink swirling in the darkness gradually faded, revealing four figures. Sai stood at the forefront, panting heavily as he wielded his brush. Behind him were three members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, their hands already forming seals.
"Give me a second!" Sai shouted to his teammates. He unfurled a scroll mid-air, the brush tip moving swiftly across its surface.
The other three ninjas attacked immediately. The Nara clan member, his hair tied back, unleashed a shadow beneath his feet that shot out like a venomous snake or a rapidly fired arrow. In the blink of an eye, he was at Menma's feet, merging with his shadow. Instantly, invisible binding forces descended, wrapping around Menma like tenacious spider silk and rendering him immobile.
Just as Menma's movements were restricted, a Yamanaka clan ninja, hands forming a triangle, emitted a burst of invisible spiritual energy that moved with the speed of lightning, instantly penetrating Menma's mindscape.
Finally, the obese Akimichi clan ninja moved. His hands, having completed their seals, expanded rapidly as if inflated, transforming in an instant into two colossal hands that blotted out the sky. With a piercing whistle, they slammed down toward Menma.
All three were elite members of Danzo's ranks, and this smooth, coordinated attack had defeated Jōnin before.
Unfortunately, they were facing Menma, a cheat code with a system.
The first to die was the Yamanaka ninja. As his consciousness entered Menma's mindscape, he was greeted only by a giant resembling Menma with scarlet vertical pupils, accompanied by a furious, unparalleled roar.
"Get out!"
The terrifying power of the roar created a hurricane within his mind, sweeping across the Yamanaka ninja. The next second, the ninja was blasted away, dissipating into scattered energy without even screaming.
Outside, the Yamanaka ninja collapsed, blood mist gushing from his orifices like a fountain. His face was frozen in terror, lifeless.
Before the remaining two could react, the Akimichi ninja let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"Ah!"
Menma, though still restrained by the Shadow Imitation Technique, remained motionless. But the nine fox tails behind him shot upward like sharp blades, piercing nine bloody holes in the colossal hand blotting out the sky. Then, the tails tore outward from the bloody holes.
The colossal hand exploded in mid-air like a monster blasted by a ray of energy. Large amounts of flesh and blood rained down, scattering across the open space.
"Damn it, aren't you done yet?!" the Nara ninja shouted, drenched in sweat as he frantically channeled chakra. "My Shadow Imitation Technique is almost at its limit!"
"Almost done!" Sai shouted back, his pen moving even faster.
In the distance, Menma overheard them and chuckled. Ignoring the shadow's restraint, he took a step forward and appeared before the Nara ninja.
"What makes you so arrogant that you think you can control me?"
"What?!"
Whoosh!
Accompanied by the Nara ninja's scream, a fox tail swept across his neck. A massive head with a topknot flew high into the sky, the blood-stained face still bearing shock and disbelief.
The last remaining ninja, Sai, was pushed to his limit. His eyes were bloodshot, and the brush in his hand created afterimages. Finally, as Menma watched, the ninjutsu was completed.
"Super Beast Imitating Drawing: Wind God and Thunder God!"
The ink-slicked brush swept horizontally forward, and as ink splattered, two enormous gods, each over ten meters tall with muscles bulging like mountains, appeared. The moment they materialized, they swung fists as large as small mountains down toward Menma's head.
Boom! Boom!
Two deafening roars echoed through the chamber. The massive fists were blocked by the nine chakra fox tails, but the ground beneath Menma's feet cracked and collapsed from the force. The fractures even extended to the walls at the edge of the base.
"They were blocked without a scratch!" Sai gasped.
"My strength is completely on a different level," Menma said calmly.
I have to retreat immediately, Sai realized. Seeing his strongest attack easily blocked, he ran toward the passage without looking back. The Akimichi ninja, enduring the pain in his hands, ran as well.
"Trying to run?"
Menma raised an eyebrow. The fox tails behind him slashed out like a whirlwind, slicing the hands of the two deities. Just as he was about to give chase, the handless deity swung its bare arm at him again, forcing him to dodge and stop.
"After preparing for so long, this Super Beast Imitating Drawing is indeed quite something," Menma murmured. The stronger Sai was, the greater his potential, the happier Menma became. He could easily imagine Danzo's twisted old face after he killed Sai.
Ignoring the two fleeing toward the passage, Menma suddenly unleashed the Nine-Tails chakra around him. Instantly, the chakra transformed into a claw as large as the deity statue before him. The next second, the giant claw swung out. With a slicing sound, the two deity statues were instantly cut in half at the waist, falling to the ground like paper.
However, the statues didn't dissipate, instead continuing to block Menma's path with their remaining upper bodies, swinging out another claw. Menma's chakra claw tore through them, and the shattered statues finally dissolved into ink, merging with the blood on the ground.
As the battle on Menma's side ended, a thunderous roar echoed from the other side of the passage. Before Menma's main body could move, the Shadow Clones who had finished their slaughter rushed over. A moment later, a group of Shadow Clones led more than ten wounded ANBU ninja and Sai out. The Akimichi ninja with the severed hand was already dead in the passage.
As soon as they emerged, the leading ANBU ninja hurriedly approached Menma, bowing.
"Lord Menma Uzumaki, we are from the Hokage's direct ANBU, not your enemies! We're here to protect your comrades, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno! Please show mercy, or you'll have a hard time explaining to the Hokage!"
The threatening bluff made Menma glance at the leader of the ANBU. The icy chill in his eyes sent a shiver down the ANBU leader's spine. After a long pause, Menma withdrew his gaze and said calmly, "Whether they're enemies or not isn't up to you. Come with me to see Hiruzen Sarutobi."
As he spoke, a familiar golden-red chakra rope appeared, piercing through everyone's hands in an instant and spilling blood across the base once more. Screams of agony rang out.
"Ah!"
"Sir, what are you doing?!"
"Aren't you afraid of the Hokage's punishment?!"
Menma scoffed, ignoring them. Grasping the rope, he charged toward the passage like a shepherd driving livestock, smashing through the rubble to reach the outside. The sudden tug brought another cry of pain. His Shadow Clones, carrying Sasuke and Sakura, followed behind.
Menma aimed at the Root base ahead and extended his index finger. In an instant, crimson and blue chakra began to converge. Soon, a terrifying black sphere with an aura of annihilation appeared.
Gazing at the completed Tailed Beast Ball, Menma murmured softly, flicking his finger. "Danzo, Hiruzen Sarutobi, this is the first interest."
Whoosh!
The Tailed Beast Ball created a channel of air, instantly rushing into the passage below. The next second, a fiery red sun descended, engulfing the Root base.
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