"I'm talking about innocent ANBU ninjas!"
"Not these old geezers who kidnapped Sasuke and Sakura, whom you care about, to use as my tools!"
Menma's gaze turned icy as he looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura.
Danzo ignored Menma's words. While Menma and Naruto were locked in a stalemate, he ordered his two guards to rescue Sai.
However, the moment they touched Sai—whose body was almost completely cooked—they were scalded by the intense heat.
The Hyuga quickly activated his Byakugan, then shook his head at Danzo with a grim expression.
"Sir, the rampaging Nine-Tails chakra has completely corrupted every meridian in Sai's body! We have absolutely no way to control this chakra, unless..."
He didn't finish his sentence, glancing at Menma, whose expression was shifting rapidly.
Clearly, only if Menma intervened and withdrew the Nine-Tails chakra could these people's lives be saved.
On the other side, Hiruzen Sarutobi also heard the Hyuga's conclusion. He didn't respond to Menma's words, but instead urged Naruto sharply.
"Naruto, take your body back! Don't let these ninjas protecting you die innocently because of you! Think of their families and children. They'll resent you for this, just like the villagers harmed by the Nine-Tails! The Hidden Leaf comes first. The Hokage will only sacrifice himself for the village, never sacrifice the village for himself!"
The Third's persuasive words intensified Naruto's internal struggle. Originally, Menma, with his limited Ashura's chakra, could delay things for about six or seven seconds. But now, only five seconds had passed, and his consciousness had already begun to decline, most of it retracting into his body.
However, seeing the group of ANBU members on the ground barely breathing, he knew he had achieved his goal. He then stopped resisting and returned the body to the eager Naruto.
As the wind chakra receded back into his body, the surging Nine-Tails chakra outside also vanished. Naruto, having regained control of his body, immediately shouted urgently to Hiruzen.
"I've suppressed the wind chakra! Third Hokage, hurry and save him!"
The Third breathed a sigh of relief to see Naruto regain control of his body. Then he waved to the ANBU ninja waiting nearby.
"Go and bring the medical team for first aid."
"Yes, sir."
Several ANBU figures flashed away, quickly leaving the Hokage's Office.
On Danzo's side, his subordinate Yamanaka Fu knew medical ninjutsu. Seeing the Nine-Tails chakra disappear, Yamanaka Fu quickly stepped forward and used Mystical Palm Technique on Sai. However, just as he brought the medical chakra in his palm close to Sai's body, Sai's slightly heaving chest stopped.
His pupils also lost focus, becoming unfocused and dim.
Not only Sai, but also the scattered group of ANBU ninja lying around him suffered the same fate. They all met their end one after another after the Nine-Tails' chakra disappeared.
Yamanaka Fu, who had failed to save him, returned to Danzo's side with a face full of shame, bowing his head and whispering.
"I was a step too slow, causing Sai's injuries to escalate to death. Please punish me, sir."
"It's none of your business." Danzo wiped the slightly dried blood from the corner of his mouth, then glanced at the remorseful and accusing Naruto, finally fixing his gaze on Hiruzen.
"Sarutobi, so many of the village's men have died; are you finally satisfied?"
Not only had he inexplicably lost his base and a large number of his men, but he'd also been beaten by Menma and lost face. Naturally, Danzo focused all his resentment on Hiruzen, the culprit. Therefore, this time he didn't even address him by his title, but by his surname.
"By tomorrow at the latest, I want to see your funding, or... you can expect to be impeached by my advisors and the Daimyo!"
Without waiting for a reply, Danzo waved his sleeve and left the office with two men behind him.
As soon as Danzo and his men left, the medical team, notified by the ANBU, rushed over. The treatment was quick, as all the bodies were dead and required no further treatment.
Naruto was now filled with extreme remorse and self-blame. Unfortunately, his mental questioning received no response from Menma.
Looking at Hiruzen's grim face, devoid of his usual amiable demeanor, Naruto gritted his teeth and knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed tightly against the earth.
"Third Hokage, I'm sorry. I'm willing to take the punishment in Menma's place! I can accept any punishment!"
Hearing Naruto's words, Hiruzen's gloomy face finally softened a little.
"He is him, and you are you. You don't need to take the punishment for him, and don't let him influence you. Uphold your own ninja way."
Naruto's long delay in emerging had caused the Third considerable worry. He feared Naruto had believed Menma's words and was deliberately delaying his emergence. However, judging from Naruto's current actions and expression, it seemed that wasn't what he thought. He was still the same naive child he had once trained.
He then continued, "Why did it take you so long to regain control of your body just now? I remember before, you always regained control of your body instantly."
Naruto had already sensed and guessed at Hiruzen's question. "Third Hokage, it's probably because the difference in strength between me and Menma is too great. Ever since Menma mastered the chakra of the Nine-Tails in the Land of Waves, I felt that he could also control his body at any time. However, the initiative is still in my hands. It's just that if Menma is unwilling to return the body, I can resist a little; I'm no longer completely powerless."
One of the reasons Naruto was working so hard to become stronger was Menma's ever-increasing control over his body. Furthermore, because of his own lack of strength, he had considered the dangerous idea of having Menma live in his place.
Hearing this, Hiruzen frowned. "You still can't control even One-Tail Chakra Mode?"
Naruto lowered his head in shame. "I can't sense the Nine-Tails' chakra, and Menma refuses to teach me." Because of the Five Elements Seal, Naruto was currently completely unable to use the Nine-Tails' chakra.
Is this really Minato Namikaze's descendant? What a waste!
Compared to Menma's genius, Hiruzen couldn't help but curse inwardly. At the same time, he resolved to send more people to find Jiraiya and have him teach Naruto.
"Don't worry, Naruto. Grandpa will find you an even better teacher to teach you how to use the Nine-Tails' power. For now, focus on training with Asuma and build a solid foundation."
Hearing Hiruzen's words of comfort, which were not entirely sincere, Naruto, unaware of the situation, was moved to tears.
"Thank you, Third Hokage! I won't let you down. I will definitely become Hokage someday!"
While the grandfather and grandson were enjoying a heartwarming moment outside, Menma in his mindscape looked at the system panel.
[Corruption Points +3000]
[Current Corruption Points: 3000]
[Primary Personality Trust Level: 42% (Cannot be dropped: 42%)]