"Damn it!" Itachi Uchiha's expression twisted, his calm facade shattering.
He had no idea what had just happened, but Itachi was certain of one thing: Menma had escaped his Tsukuyomi!
The person standing before him—an identical copy but clearly dim-witted—had to be Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki before he defected!
Roughly piecing together the situation, Itachi ignored Naruto and immediately released Tsukuyomi.
Just as he suspected, the moment they reappeared outside, the one raising a finger wasn't Menma, but a confused Naruto!
The Tailed Beast Ball, which hadn't fully formed at his fingertips, quickly dissipated as control shifted back!
"As expected, Itachi! You resolved the crisis instantly!" Kisame Hoshigaki shouted from nearby, still rapidly weaving hand seals. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Tailed Beast Ball vanish.
He knew firsthand how terrifying Tsukuyomi was. If the opponent had been affected, their mind should be shattered, leaving them unable to resist.
Itachi ignored Kisame's praise, his sharp gaze fixed on Menma.
Just as he predicted, Naruto's confusion vanished instantly.
Menma, radiating intense killing intent and a chilling demeanor, reappeared!
However, with Kisame present, the elder brother kept his suspicions to himself.
Menma's voice cut through the air as a massive, lightning-fast fox tail whipped out.
"A powerful eye technique, but it's useless against me."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Seeing the terrifying chakra tail attacking again, Itachi immediately activated his other technique.
"Amaterasu!"
The three-bladed windmill pattern in his right eye dilated violently, the whites flooding with blood.
Blood gushed from beneath his eyelids like tears!
In an instant, everything within his field of vision was engulfed in black flames. The earth, forest, and rocks were instantly reduced to ash!
The chakra tail Menma thrust out was also stained with the black flames, crawling rapidly toward him!
Without hesitation, Menma severed the chakra connecting the tail.
It stopped the spreading flames in mid-air.
"This flame, said to be able to burn all things, is indeed powerful," Menma muttered, a flicker of admiration in his eyes. Then, his remaining eight fox tails lashed out swiftly.
They pushed aside the ground in front of him, along with the burning Amaterasu, revealing a deep pit.
Seeing this, Itachi, who had been closing his eyes to recover, opened them again and blocked the pit with another wave of Amaterasu flames.
At the same time, he shouted at Kisame beside him.
"Kisame! Are you ready yet?!"
Itachi didn't want to activate Susanoo again after using his Mangekyou Sharingan multiple times in quick succession. At this rate, he feared he wouldn't survive long enough for Sasuke Uchiha to awaken his own Mangekyou Sharingan. He needed to give his eyes to Sasuke to create the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.
"I'm ready!"
Kisame had finished his hand seals long ago. He just hadn't expected that Itachi, using two eye techniques simultaneously, couldn't defeat Menma.
It seemed the Nine-Tails truly was the strongest of the Tailed Beasts!
"Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique!"
With a clap of his hands, a shark-shaped mass of water swiftly enveloped Kisame and his body. Carrying the two, it soared into the sky, gliding away at incredible speed!
Watching the two escape, Menma didn't give chase.
After all, his only goal was to have the system collect information on Itachi. And incidentally, to test the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan's eye techniques.
It could only be said that even without Susanoo, Itachi's strength was superior to Hiruzen Sarutobi's.
"Master... Sasuke-kun, are you alright?"
Seeing the battle end, Haku approached, carrying the unconscious Sasuke. Because he was afraid someone was eavesdropping, Haku pretended not to know him, addressing Menma as Naruto Uzumaki.
Menma ignored Haku but glanced at the forest behind him.
"Come out. Stop hiding."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
From the darkness of the forest, a familiar face from the Hokage's direct ANBU emerged. Carrying the injured and unconscious Sakura Haruno, Zō and several ANBU members darted out.
"Lord Menma! You're truly formidable! Even S-rank missing-nin Itachi was no match for you!"
Having witnessed the battle, Zō's fear of Menma only intensified. He knew all too well how terrifying Itachi was; his strength was almost on par with the old Hokage and the Legendary Sannin. Yet under Menma's attack, the Uchiha could only barely escape with his partner's help!
With such power, dealing with Orochimaru would be a piece of cake!
His superior, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was saved!
Thinking this to himself, Zō obsequiously helped Sakura over to Menma's side.
"We happened to encounter your companion being chased by Sand Ninja on the way. After some initial treatment, she's fine."
"Quite lucky," Menma said, looking at the pale-faced, seriously injured Sakura. He didn't reach out to take her. Instead, he handed the unconscious Sasuke, still in Haku's white arms, to the ANBU member before him.
"Take them both to Konoha Hospital for treatment."
"Understood." At Zō's signal, two ANBU members quickly led Sasuke and Sakura away.
"Lord Menma, the matter here is resolved. The Hokage has asked us to invite you back to the village. You'll pass the exam here automatically."
Knowing the tense relationship between Menma and Hiruzen Sarutobi, Zō didn't directly say they needed rescue, only that they wanted him to come.
Hearing this, Menma, knowing exactly what it was about, looked at Zō. Only after staring at Zō until his back was soaked with sweat did he slowly say,
"Understood. Lead the way."
"Yes, sir!" Upon receiving permission, Zō immediately bowed happily and led the way. He was practically begging, "Please come in, sir."
Meanwhile, Menma kept glancing at the system panel as he walked.
[Corruption Points +12,000]
[Current Corruption Points: 30,000]
[Trust and Dependence Level: 74% (65%)]
He had saved Hinata Hyuga and the others, plus Sasuke, and brutally beaten Sasuke's enemy, Itachi. Therefore, his Corruption Points increased considerably.
His Trust and Dependence Level, which hadn't changed in a long time, also increased by 2% and 5% respectively after this.
After reviewing these, Menma finally focused his attention on the exchange information he had just collected for Itachi.
[Uchiha Itachi]
[Total Corruption Points Value: 50,000]
[Mangekyou Sharingan (with corresponding ocular power)]
[Corruption Points: 30,000]
[Spiritual Weapon: Totsuka Blade]
[Corruption Points: 6,000]
[Spiritual Weapon: Yata Mirror]
[Corruption Points: 5,000]
[Kage-level Taijutsu]
[Corruption Points: 3,000]
[Fire Release ninjutsu...]
Itachi's total exchange value is equivalent to half of the Nine-Tails.
Of course, this doesn't mean Itachi is equal to half of the Nine-Tails. If you let half of the Nine-Tails fight Itachi, the result would only be a crushing defeat. But when the power of half the Nine-Tails is used by Menma, the result is that Menma beats Itachi so badly he flees in defeat.
Following Zō and the other Anbu, Menma quickly arrived at the arena in the center of Konoha.
As soon as he entered, he saw Orochimaru and the reanimated Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju fighting Hiruzen Sarutobi.
While Hiruzen Sarutobi was being beaten, he kept a close eye on the arena entrance. The moment he saw Menma appear, he excitedly darted through the chaotic battlefield like a monkey.
He shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Menma, save me!!!"
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