Menma didn't dwell on the question. With his current strength, even if he couldn't defeat the Sage of Six Paths, he wouldn't be in any danger. Besides, this power was gained from the system, not native to the shinobi world, so there was no risk of hidden consequences.
He turned to Nagato and Konan. "Go bring the Hidden Cloud ninja over."
The two nodded and immediately moved to gather the prisoners, escorting the remaining Cloud shinobi into the clearing.
Among them, A, though needing support to stand, still shot daggers with his eyes. "The victor is king, the loser is a villain. Kill me or do whatever you want! If you think you can use us to negotiate with Kumogakure, forget it! In Kumogakure, we only have shinobi who die in battle, never prisoners released!"
Having been captured alive, A's heart burned with humiliation. All previous Raikage had died fighting; none had ever been taken alive like him. Now, he just wanted death—refusing any terms, unwilling to bring shame to his village.
Inspired by their leader, the other Cloud shinobi behind him adopted heroic, death-defying stances.
"Lord Raikage is right!"
"We won't yield! Kill us if you dare!"
"Kumogakure won't accept threats!"
Faced with their shouts, Nagato and Konan glared with killing intent, whispering to Menma, "Lord Menma, should we just execute these stubborn fools?"
"No need." Menma found the noise annoying, picking his ear with his little finger in annoyance. He stepped forward, the nine-tomoe Rinnegan between his brows glowing a pale red light. "I hope you'll still be this resolute later."
Menma's voice wasn't loud, but it drowned out all the shouting. The next moment, the Cloud ninja abruptly fell silent. Even their leader, A, wore a fanatical expression. Their shouts transformed into: "Down with the tyranny of the old world! The shinobi world belongs to the Four-Star Village!"
Seeing Menma's control work again, Nagato and Konan grew even more respectful. They knew they would never dare betray him, even in death. Their minds and perceptions had been altered, turning them into this terrifying state.
Menma ignored their thoughts, severing all the ropes binding the Cloud ninja with a wave of his hand. He approached A and unleashed the Yang Release technique he had mastered after fusing the chakra of all the Tailed Beasts. A faint golden light erupted, spreading through his entire body. His injuries healed at a visible speed. Even his severed fingers regrew from nothing until he was completely healed.
"Alright." Menma withdrew his arm and pointed to the group of Cloud ninja before him. "Take them back to Kumogakure. I'll give you a month to integrate them. After that, I hope Kumogakure and the Land of Lightning will be under the Uzumaki Clan. Can you do that?"
Hearing Menma's question, A, now completely dominated and utterly devoted, excitedly patted his chest and promised, "No need for a month—just a week! In a week, I'll lead Kumogakure and the Land of Lightning to join the Four-Star Village!"
To avenge Killer Bee and take the opportunity to bite Konoha, A had brought most of Kumogakure's forces. Although much of that force had been lost, it was still enough to completely suppress the Cloud Village. The main trouble lay with the Daimyo and nobles of the Land of Lightning; he'd need considerable time negotiating with them.
Upon receiving A's reply, Menma nodded in satisfaction and waved for him to leave with his men. Watching A quickly depart, Menma regretted not sparing Onoki's life earlier. If he could have controlled Onoki like A, he could have dealt with Iwagakure at the same time. However, he only felt a fleeting regret before dismissing it. After all, he now had a considerable number of capable subordinates; he could easily sweep through the shinobi world without personally intervening. The only obstacle was the time it would take.
After resolving the Impure World Reincarnation and the Cloud Village ninja issues, Menma led his subordinates quickly toward the Gates of Konoha. Although, according to the ten-day period he had given, only half the time had passed, Menma—having already come this far—decided to settle things completely in Konoha. He wouldn't spare a single villager or Sarutobi Clan ninja, no matter what. As for the other ninja clans and ordinary shinobi, he had already given them a chance to surrender. If they didn't cherish that opportunity, there was nothing he could do.
At this moment, a dense crowd thronged the Main Gate of Konoha. These were the various ninja clans who had decided to surrender and then attack the villagers and the Sarutobi Clan. Naruto, Sasuke, Minato, and Kushina were inspecting the heads and ears with satisfied expressions at the entrance. Zabuza, Deidara, and the others maintained order, preventing anyone from escaping.
As Menma arrived, Naruto spotted him from afar and waved vigorously. "Brother, over here!"
Hearing Naruto's call, Kushina immediately stopped what she was doing and peeked around, searching for Menma. "Where? Where?" Only when she saw him approaching quickly in the distance did she greet him with a happy smile, affectionately hugging his arm. "My son is amazing! He even subdued the legendary Uchiha Madara! Much better than that useless father of mine!"
Minato, referred to as that useless father, smirked, pretending not to hear these words, and quickened his inspection.
Naruto tossed the ear he'd just received to Sasuke, then ran over to Menma and Kushina, pouting. "Mom, I'm really good, but you never praise me."
Kushina wasn't angry at his words. She released Menma, grabbed Naruto's neck, and pulled him to her chest, then frantically rubbed his head left and right with her other hand.
"There, there, there, there, there!"
"My Naruto-chan is amazing too, he's become a great ninja!"
Menma: "..."
Looking at this bizarre scene before him, Menma felt a little embarrassed. But thankfully, Hashirama and Tobirama's group squeezed out from the crowd on the other side, breaking the awkward silence.
"Hahaha, what an enviable family bond!"
Hashirama, with his signature laugh of scratching the back of his head, approached Menma. Behind him followed a large group of people, including Tsunade and Guy.
Seeing his brother awkwardly chatting and laughing like an idiot, Tobirama called out to him in a low voice. "Big brother, stop the nonsense and get to the point."
"Yes, yes, the point." Hashirama stopped laughing and pointed to the group behind him. "Menma, don't worry—the matter of Konoha will be resolved today. Tsunade has also chosen to surrender after being persuaded by me and Jiraiya. These are the people she and that young man named Guy chose to surrender to our Four-Star Village. Take a look."
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