"What the hell is that golden-red chakra giant?!"
"Is that the one who fought the First Hokage?"
"No, he's coming this way!!!"
Menma's furious roars, combined with the terrifying explosions caused by his sword strikes and the swirling forest of blooming trees clashing against the blasts, had already drawn the attention of every shinobi in the village. They rushed toward the chaos, most notably the ninja forces temporarily conscripted from the four great clans.
Earlier, when Hashirama and Tobirama were heading this way, Tobirama had ordered the ANBU to alert these shinobi. He instructed them to immediately direct the evacuation of nearby villagers and comrades, to avoid being caught in the crossfire of Menma's rage and suffering unnecessary casualties.
It turned out Tobirama's prediction was spot on. Because Danzo had escaped, the battle was indeed spreading. Fortunately, they had moved quickly enough to evacuate everyone in the vicinity.
Led by Enoki and Zō, the small group of ANBU members had sharp eyes. They immediately spotted Menma's spirit between the eyebrows of the golden-red giant—the very same entity that had caused the Hokage's direct ANBU to shrink by eighty percent.
"He's angered Menma again!"
"That damn Danzo! Even without the Third Hokage's senile protection, he still dares to pull a stunt like this!"
"He's been spoiled rotten by that selfish old man!"
In the past, loyal ANBU like Enoki and Zō wouldn't have dared to speak of Hiruzen Sarutobi that way. But the Third Hokage's actions had been proven true, and his reputation was now in tatters. Even the resurrected First and Second Hokage were furious with him.
Furthermore, upon learning that the pitiful jinchuriki they had previously supervised was actually a descendant of a hero, these ANBU members—who had admired Minato Namikaze for sacrificing his life for the village—naturally changed their attitude. Their love turned to hatred! Just as Menma had said, everyone knew the jinchuriki's identity, but no one knew the identity of the hero's son. It was truly heartbreaking.
Meanwhile, Sasuke Uchiha stood beside Kakashi. Looking up at the towering golden-red giant, he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists again. If I had that kind of power...
Thinking of the terrifying explosion that had just darkened the sky, and the shockwave that—even from this distance—was almost enough to blow people away, Sasuke was certain that under such power, Itachi would be absolutely crushed. Not someone with his mere two-tailed chakra.
"No, I can't waste any more time," Sasuke muttered. "That place... only that place can..." He remembered the mysterious masked man who had given him the Tailed Beast chakra and told him it would help him become stronger and take revenge. Sasuke didn't want to wait a moment longer. And now was the perfect opportunity to leave.
With a resolute expression, Sasuke turned and quickly headed toward the village entrance.
"Sasuke…" Kakashi frowned, sensing something was wrong with his student. He glanced at the approaching golden-red giant, sighed, and called out to the onlookers. "Everyone, while it's still safe, get your families to safety."
"Menma is using power comparable to the Nine-Tails' appearance; he must be enraged beyond measure. Once the fight starts, he won't care who you are. Be careful not to use Danzo as a shield. He's most likely planning to use your lives to force the still-hesitating First and Second Hokage to act."
Kakashi understood Menma. He also understood Danzo's cunning and ruthlessness. Now that Menma had started moving, it meant Danzo was still alive and fleeing. To survive, Danzo would definitely use any ninja he encountered as a shield. He would also try to drag the entire village into forcing the First and Second Hokage to attack Menma.
After stating his speculation, Kakashi didn't try to persuade Sasuke any further. Instead, he turned and chased after him.
"Inoichi Yamanaka, Choza Akimichi, let's go quickly," Shikaku Nara, Shikamaru Nara's father, said — instantly understanding the situation. "This is a feud between the jinchuriki and the previous generation of Konoha's high-ranking officials. It's not our place to interfere, nor can we. We should hurry back and arrange for our clan members to take refuge."
This wasn't the Nine-Tails destroying the village; it was a follow-up struggle to previous events. Without orders from Hashirama and Tobirama, they didn't need to take sides or intervene. They just needed to ensure they weren't dragged in.
With the three leaders leading the way, the other ninjas followed suit, except for Genma Shiranui, Raido Namiashi, Aoba Yamashiro, and Hayate Gekko.
While others didn't intend to interfere, these four, as Minato Namikaze's personal guards, couldn't remain indifferent. They had been misled before, unaware of Naruto Uzumaki's true identity—that was why they had remained indifferent. Now they not only knew who the young master was, but they had also witnessed Minato Namikaze's chakra. Of course, they had to take his side.
"Hayate, you're not feeling well, so you don't need to participate this time."
"No need. I'm fine. Cough, cough. Very fine." Hayate Gekko, his face pale, coughed as he spoke.
Genma Shiranui spat the senbon he was holding in his mouth onto the ground and looked at the golden-red giant with slight excitement. "Fourth Hokage's Guard, depart now. Find and intercept Danzo!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The four of them transformed into black shadows, quickly scattering in all directions.
---
On the other side—
"Found you again, Old Geezer Danzo!"
Danzo, who was frantically fleeing along the ground, was suddenly covered by a shadow. Then a large foot, accompanied by a white shockwave, descended from the sky. It stomped him, along with the dirt, into the ground — like stepping on a cockroach, then grinding it under his heel.
Only two chances left... Rage filled Danzo as he thought, Damn Menma!
Having been killed in such a humiliating way time and again, Danzo was now furious. Choosing the furthest, most remote spot to rewrite history, he continued his frantic escape.
But this time, he hadn't gone far when a look of joy appeared on his face. He saw the combined forces of the four clans ahead.
"Lord Danzo!" The four clans' forces also saw Danzo.
But before they could ask any questions, Danzo shouted, "All ninjas, listen up! Attack the traitor jinchuriki, Menma!"
"Traitor jinchuriki!" The four clans' forces were shocked. The Shimura Clan ninjas were the first to take up battle stances.
Zō, however, didn't believe him at all and quickly shouted, "Everyone, retreat! Don't listen to Danzo's lies!"
No sooner had she finished shouting than Danzo roared even louder, "Damn it! These are the orders of the First and Second Hokage! You dare disobey? Immediately stop the crazed jinchuriki! They won't abandon you; they'll be here immediately!"
Hearing Danzo's sophistry and seeing the wavering ninja of the four clans, Zō and Enoki cursed loudly.
"You're talking nonsense! Menma is clearly only chasing you!"
"Everyone, listen to my orders! Retreat now and clear the battlefield!"
But even after the two shouted, none of the ninja from the four clans moved. For them, Menma was a blood feud, irreconcilable. Just as Danzo said, the First and Second Hokage certainly wouldn't abandon them. So they might as well take this opportunity to attack, forcing the First and Second Hokage to join the fray. Eliminate Menma in one fell swoop and remove a major threat to their clans!
"Protect Lord Danzo! Eliminate the traitorous jinchuriki!"
The Shimura Clan ninjas once again took the lead, spreading out to prepare long-range ninjutsu for interception. The other three clans immediately followed suit.
"Damn it, idiots!" Zō cursed. "Forget about them, everyone else, retreat with me!" It was impossible to reason with these damned fools. These ninjas from the four clans, used to their privileged lives, clearly hadn't adjusted to the new situation. They still thought the Konoha higher-ups would side with them.
Ōkami didn't say anything more, immediately leading her dozen or so ANBU members away at top speed.
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