"Haha, there's no need to rush like that," Menma said with a light laugh, shaking his head.
"It's already late. Let's rest for the night in a nearby town. We can set off tomorrow. Besides, we still need to gather some intelligence. The ninja world isn't peaceful right now."
As he spoke, Menma looked toward the southeast, in the direction of Konohagakure, his expression gradually turning solemn.
Thanks to Orochimaru's covert channels, Menma had gained a fairly comprehensive understanding of the outside world during the few days he had spent in the Land of Fields. Orochimaru had not deliberately restricted the flow of information to him. From Orochimaru's perspective, doing so would have been meaningless.
On the contrary, Orochimaru believed that allowing Menma to fully grasp the increasingly dangerous state of the ninja world would only serve to strengthen Orochimaru's own bargaining position. After all, Menma was currently alone. Once the gaze of the entire shinobi world turned toward him, Orochimaru was convinced that Menma would inevitably come to rely on him more and more.
This was Orochimaru's calculation.
Menma was well aware of it.
But he was never destined to become what Orochimaru wanted.
In Menma's own plan, these people, these forces, and these great villages were merely obstacles he would eventually have to face and surpass. Submitting to them was never an option. If that were the case, there would have been no reason for him to leave Konoha in the first place.
The current state of the ninja world was exactly as Menma had previously judged, growing increasingly dangerous.
Although some events were still following familiar trajectories, Menma's defection alone had already altered the direction of many developments. Whether a new Shinobi World War would break out among the Five Great Nations was something even Menma could not predict.
All he could do was judge based on the present situation and tread every step with extreme caution.
"Let's go, Karin."
"Mm!"
With a soft response, Karin followed as Menma adjusted his direction and headed toward a small town to the northeast.
The night passed quietly.
After resting for a night in a southeastern town within the Land of Waterfall, Menma rose early at dawn. As the first rays of sunlight touched the earth, he used a Transformation Jutsu to blend seamlessly into the town.
Menma had no concerns about his identity being exposed. In his current state, he could freely move between public venues and underground intelligence markets.
He gathered as much useful information as possible.
Although this method couldn't provide truly detailed or classified intelligence, it was more than sufficient to obtain general trends especially those too large to conceal.
For example, the recent troop movements of Kumogakure and Iwagakure.
These were not small squads but large-scale mobilizations involving thousands of shinobi. Even ordinary intelligence brokers could not miss such movements.
After confirming that no further large-scale conflicts had erupted among the major villages, Menma couldn't help but feel a trace of disappointment.
Perhaps Konoha's response both overt and covert had been swift and effective. Or perhaps the long-accumulated strength and deterrence of Konohagakure still made the other villages wary.
The forces of Iwagakure and Kumogakure remained stationed near their borders, showing no signs of advancing further.
To be honest
This was not what Menma wanted to see.
Whether it was his future revenge against Konoha or the deeper ambition buried in his heart, renewed conflict among the great villages would have been the most favorable development.
The Akatsuki, Obito, and the others would also much rather see the Five Great Shinobi Villages weakened through mutual destruction than maintain a fragile balance of peace.
But reality was reality.
If war didn't break out, Menma couldn't force it. Provoking the Five Great Nations single-handedly would be nothing short of suicide.
He was already walking a tightrope. One wrong step, and he would be crushed instantly.
Moreover, in the eyes of the major villages, Menma was now a priceless target.
Konoha wanted him captured without question.
Iwagakure and Kumogakure currently the most aggressive villages besides Konoha would also stop at nothing to seize him.
The Nine-Tails was a temptation no village seeking dominance could resist.
Menma had no doubt that tracking teams from multiple villages were already searching for him across the ninja world, all racing to secure the initiative.
Until he was truly strong
Menma knew he had to treat every major village with extreme caution.
His restraint during the Konoha Crush Plan was proof enough of that, and the same principle applied now. From the very beginning, Menma had understood that war in the ninja world could not erupt easily.
War required two sides willing to clap one hand alone could not make a sound.
With that realization, Menma quickly adjusted his mindset.
After confirming the overall situation of the ninja world, he led Karin northward with renewed composure, heading toward Takigakure.
Takigakure possessed the Seven-Tails, Chōmei.
Even though the village had declined over the years, that single fact ensured it still held a pivotal position in the shinobi world.
None of the Five Great Villages were willing to act rashly against Takigakure. They understood better than anyone how terrifying the destructive power of a tailed beast could be.
It wasn't that Takigakure itself was particularly threatening but that no major nation wanted to risk pushing Takigakure into the opposing camp.
That would be the worst possible outcome.
Menma's reason for coming here at this point was simple.
He was here to test the waters and lay groundwork for the next stage of his plan.
As he had considered before, if he wanted to build his own power in a short time, the most direct and effective method was to take over an existing foundation.
Among the smaller ninja villages, Takigakure was the most suitable target.
Its potential lay in the Seven-Tails' Jinchūriki, Fū, and the village's legendary Hero Water, said to temporarily amplify chakra reserves dramatically.
Its controllability lay in its leadership.
The current head of Takigakure was young.
Although Menma didn't remember all the exact details from the original timeline, he clearly recalled that Takigakure's leader was timid and inexperienced.
Compared to dealing with scheming old foxes, Menma much preferred interacting with younger figures.
Youth meant possibility.
Bluntly put it also meant they were easier to influence.
"Huh? Takigakure is here?" Karin asked, staring wide-eyed at the massive waterfall before them. "Menma… are you sure?"
"Yes," Menma replied with a smile, nodding calmly.
"I've already confirmed it in the surrounding villages. This is Takigakure's location."
No ninja village no matter how well hidden could remain completely unknown. After all, shinobi had to accept missions.
If clients couldn't even find the village, how could they commission tasks?
And thus
Standing before the roaring waterfall, Menma's next move quietly began.