Menma left the main hall and headed straight for his own quarters.
Since he had confirmed that Orochimaru had already completed his reincarnation ritual, there was no need to worry about the "Sasuke issue" for now. Although there were topics he wanted to discuss and arrangements he wanted to make—and he certainly wanted to reach a consensus with Sasuke—now wasn't the best time.
There was no need to be too hasty.
Sasuke had already defected from the Leaf.
They had plenty of time going forward.
Didn't they?
Instead, Menma needed to sort through his own affairs, specifically the special invitation from the Third Tsuchikage.
He didn't need to think too deeply to guess Ohnoki's intentions.
There was no need to sell himself short.
As the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki who had defected from the Leaf, Menma was effectively the largest mobile treasure vault in the entire ninja world.
Being targeted was entirely expected.
Hadn't he already gleaned similar information from Orochimaru's intelligence network?
The only thing that slightly exceeded his expectations was that Ohnoki didn't seem inclined to use forceful measures.
'Or perhaps this is just a smokescreen to cover his tracks?'
Menma pondered silently as he paced.
'Well, even if it is a trap, it's still necessary to meet with this Third Tsuchikage.'
Menma rubbed his chin, calculating internally.
The Hidden Cloud and the Hidden Stone.
These were ninja villages whose strength didn't lag far behind the Hidden Leaf.
Especially after the Third Great Ninja War—after the deaths of Minato and Kushina, and the Sannin leaving for their own reasons—these two villages had actually surpassed the Hidden Leaf in terms of high-end combat power.
Even now, with Jiraiya and Tsunade returning, the Third Hokage was dead, and Menma, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, had defected.
The high-end power of the Cloud and Stone still firmly suppressed the Leaf.
Tsunade was ultimately a medical ninja. No matter how strong she was individually, she was limited to the "Kage level"—and not necessarily the upper echelon of that tier.
That left only Jiraiya to hold down the fort.
In Sage Mode, Jiraiya could barely cross the threshold into "Super Kage."
But one Jiraiya couldn't withstand the pressure of two Great Ninja Villages.
Killer B of the Hidden Cloud, in his full Tailed Beast Mode, would be enough for Jiraiya to handle alone.
Might Guy was, in the end, a special case.
With the Eight Inner Gates, before the Seventh Gate, he was still within the Kage tier—at best, a strong Kage. Only by truly breaking through the Eighth Gate, the Gate of Death, would Guy become an invincible existence.
He would surpass the Super Kage level and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Sage of Six Paths.
But that was like a firework—a brilliance that lasted only a fleeting moment.
Therefore, the current Hidden Leaf had truly entered its most unprecedentedly weak period in history.
For his upcoming plans, Menma felt it was necessary to establish contact with these two major villages. Risks? It all depended on how high the returns were.
This included the Akatsuki organization.
Menma had corresponding ideas and plans for them as well; it just depended on whether he could implement them smoothly.
The success rate should be decent.
After all, in the original story, Nagato used his actions to prove that this so-called "God" was still an idealist at heart—someone who could be persuaded.
The outcome would depend on Menma's own methods.
'Things are really starting to pile up...'
As he walked back, Menma saw Karin rushing out to welcome him with a face full of joy. A flash of unique brilliance flickered in Menma's pupils.
---
Land of Fire.
Hidden Leaf Village.
After trekking over mountains and rivers for the better part of a day, Naruto, Kakashi, and the others finally returned to their village.
Unlike when they set out, the returning Naruto looked as if his heart had died. The others were either injured or dead.
The dead were naturally the elite Anbu squad dispatched by Danzo—a full seven ninja with strength above the Elite Chunin level, all killed by Menma's hand.
Naruto and Kakashi had also been heavily injured by Menma.
The latter had even had his Sharingan personally gouged out by Menma.
Even though he received timely treatment on the field and continuous care afterward, Kakashi could still feel waves of phantom pain radiating from his empty eye socket.
As for the "Konoha 11"—
Choji, Lee, and Kiba were all critically injured and on the verge of death.
Shino, Neji, and Shikamaru were also wounded to varying degrees.
It could be said that this was an utter failure of a mission.
Upon returning to the village, they were immediately rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Tsunade, as the Fifth Hokage, arrived on the scene personally.
These kids were the most important geniuses of the next generation for the major clans of the village. And even setting that aside, just looking at their relationship with Naruto, they were worth Tsunade treating them personally.
After several hours of intensive treatment...
Tsunade finally walked out of the emergency room, wearing a look of slight exhaustion.
Shikamaru, who had been sitting outside the ER the entire time since they returned, stood up abruptly with a whoosh, looking nervously at his Fifth Hokage.
Although this timeline differed slightly from the original story...
The injuries to his friends were still severe.
The power the Sound Four could erupt with in their Cursed Seal Level Two mode was truly formidable.
Especially since Kidomaru and Jirobo had teamed up at the start.
That was a textbook "Super Tank" plus "High-DPS Marksman" combo.
The effect was definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
Then there was Shino joining the fray.
Even so, Choji had to take the third red food pill to withstand Jirobo's frontal pressure.
Otherwise, if the "frontline" collapsed, the team battle would have been unwinnable.
It was because of Choji's sacrifice that Neji and Shino were able to counter-kill Kidomaru and Jirobo without paying too high a price in injuries, leaving them enough energy to go support Naruto and Shikamaru later.
Kiba and Lee faced similar struggles.
They fought Sakon and Kimimaro separately.
One used a secret technique with his ninja dog Akamaru to forcibly defeat Sakon, just like in the original, ending up critically injured and near death.
The other, Lee, opened the Fifth Gate. The power he unleashed was comparable to Kimimaro in Cursed Seal Level Two.
Kimimaro eventually died because the severe damage from Lee's Hidden Lotus, unleashed under the Fifth Gate, caused his illness to erupt uncontrollably. Lee himself fell into a near-death coma due to the side effects of opening the Fifth Gate combined with the heavy injuries inflicted by Kimimaro.
It was truly fortunate that Choza arrived with the support unit later.
Otherwise, every single one of these kids might not have made it back to the village alive.
Even so...
The follow-up treatment took a lot of effort.
"Mhm, don't worry. They are all out of danger. They just need to rest properly for a while and they will recover."
Facing Shikamaru's incredibly nervous expression...
Tsunade revealed a smile and nodded gently.
Shikamaru's heart, which had been suspended in his throat, finally relaxed.