"You bastard!"
Menma's speed was terrifying. Danzo and the Hyuga ninja beside him, Yamanaka Fu, didn't react until the blow had already landed.
"Protect Lord Danzo!"
Whoosh!
Fu and the other Root ninja quickly stepped in front of Danzo, who was bleeding from the mouth.
"What?"
"I taught the dog a lesson, and you're still not satisfied?"
Danzo cowered behind his subordinates, staring at Menma with a venomous expression. Menma's eyes narrowed slightly. He immediately raised his leg and kicked out three more times.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
With Kage-level taijutsu combined with Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, the three guards couldn't even see Menma's movements. They were all kicked backward, crashing into the office wall with a heavy thud.
"Pfft—stay down, you two."
Danzo was curled up on the ground, coughing up blood. He held his subordinates down before they could attack again, then, enduring the pain in his abdomen, he forced himself to stand.
"Menma, don't go too far!" Danzo spat. "This is the Hokage's Office. You can't act like this here!"
Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent, Danzo turned around angrily.
"Hiruzen! Say something!"
Hearing Danzo's shout, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally snapped out of his reverie.
Menma's earlier words about Danzo colluding with Orochimaru had suddenly clarified many mysteries for the Third. For example, Yamato's ability to use Wood Release, and the research on the Sharingan. If Orochimaru, a research genius, was involved, then everything made sense.
And then there was Danzo's mention of the Chunin Exams. Hiruzen had a sinking feeling that some scheme was waiting for him.
However, that was a problem for his future battles with Danzo. Right now, he had to deal with Menma standing in front of him.
Hiruzen raised his head, looking at the disheveled Danzo, and finally spoke.
"Stop, Menma. This farce ends here. I will get justice for you later."
As he spoke, the Third adopted a benevolent posture, as if an elder forgiving a junior's mistake.
"Considering you did this to save your comrades, I will not pursue the traitors you killed or the base facilities you destroyed. However, these ANBU ninjas are not traitors. They were my men sent to protect you. Release them immediately. As for the surviving traitor, hand him over to Danzo."
Upon hearing Hiruzen's decision, Danzo was stunned.
"Hiruzen, are you senile?" he growled. "He publicly assaulted and insulted high-ranking leaders, and you're telling me this is a farce?!"
Hiruzen didn't even lift his eyelids. "It was just an unintentional act in anger. No need to be so harsh. Do you, at your age, want to hold a grudge against a twelve-year-old?"
"You!!!" Danzo, who had been suppressing his anger, let blood spill from the corner of his mouth again. He was clearly enraged by these words.
After a long while, he finally suppressed his fury and growled in a low voice, his face ashen. "I admit defeat. Release him now, and I'll leave immediately!"
Watching this scene, which resembled a theatrical performance, Menma couldn't help but laugh.
"Pfft—"
"Hiruzen, who do you think you're calling 'Grandpa'?" Menma sneered. "You want me to release him? I'm your grandfather!"
Menma was too lazy to continue pretending and arguing with these two old geezers. He had brought these ANBU ninjas here to slap Hiruzen in the face. How could he let the old man fool and use him without paying a price?
Hiruzen's kind expression froze. His face instantly turned ashen, just like Danzo's.
"Stop spouting nonsense," Hiruzen snapped, his voice dropping the grandfatherly tone. "Release them immediately. I don't want to repeat myself."
"You bluffing old geezer. You're just as worthless as Danzo," Menma taunted.
With Menma's current strength, there was no need to feign politeness with Hiruzen anymore. He'd just hurl insults however he pleased, since the Third couldn't do anything about it anyway.
Danzo, standing to the side, was startled by the sudden change, then let out a mocking laugh. "Ha. You've shot yourself in the foot. You should have just handed over Root to me in the first place..."
"Shut up!" Hiruzen roared, turning his head. Then he looked back at Menma, his brows furrowed, his expression more serious than ever before. "I'll ask you one last time, as your grandfather: Will you release them or not?"
Hearing this, Menma's smile vanished. He calmly met Hiruzen's gaze.
He knew that if he didn't release them, Hiruzen would definitely break off all pretense of civility and call Naruto to force him.
But so what? Since he dared to bring people here to disgust Hiruzen, he wouldn't fail.
"Your hypocritical face is truly disgusting, even though I've insulted you like this," Menma shook his head, his face filled with contempt and malice. "It doesn't matter anyway. Since you want me to release him, I will. I just hope you, old geezer, won't regret it."
As he spoke, Menma pulled out a large hand. The golden-red chakra ropes instantly flew from the hands of the ninjas behind him.
Hiruzen also sensed something was wrong and roared in a commanding tone.
"Naruto, come out and take over this body!"
However, it was too late.
The Nine-Tails chakra that Menma had implanted in everyone's bodies beforehand had already erupted. The group of ANBU ninjas behind him immediately let out shrill screams.
"Ah!!!"
"Fire! Fire is burning me!"
"It hurts! My body is going to explode!"
"Hokage-sama, kill him! Avenge us!"
After the chakra ropes in the hands of these ANBU ninjas disappeared, it was as if some kind of switch had been flipped. Crimson Nine-Tails chakra, like will-o'-the-wisps, overflowed and burned from their pores. Blood gushed from the seven orifices beneath the white masks, staining them a pale red.
Although Hiruzen's shout came too late, Menma reacted quickly. A tremendous suction force emerged from within him, causing his consciousness, which had taken over his body, to teeter on the brink of collapse.
However, Menma reacted swiftly. Using a sliver of Ashura chakra he had previously exchanged from the system, he desperately stalled for time.
"I'll give it back to you soon. Stop yelling," he muttered to himself.
Only half of Menma's face retained its contempt and malice. The other half was filled with panic and regret, accompanied by Naruto's scream.
"Menma, you lied to me!" Naruto shouted from within. "You said you would let these innocent ANBU go as long as I didn't interfere with you teaching Danzo a lesson!"
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