"Adamantine Sealing Chains!?"
An ordinary ninja might not recognize the technique, but Jiraiya identified those golden chains instantly. They were the legendary Adamantine Sealing Chains (Kongō Fūsa) one of the Uzumaki Clan's most powerful sealing techniques. Even the mighty Nine-Tails could scarcely escape their suppression.
And yet…
Menma could actually use them.
Jiraiya's heart trembled.
Not because Menma possessed Uzumaki blood, but because of his age.
He was only thirteen years old.
To display such monstrous talent, terrifying combat ability, mastery over the Nine-Tails' chakra, and now the Adamantine Sealing Chains…
The most complete Uzumaki bloodline…
The thought surfaced involuntarily.
But reality gave him no time to dwell on it.
Boom!
The golden chains shot forward.
One instantly coiled around Gamaken's sasumata, locking the weapon in place.
The second wrapped tightly around Gamaken's massive body.
The tremendous suppressive force of the sealing technique erupted immediately.
"…!!"
Gamaken froze.
These chains had once restrained the Nine-Tails itself.
Although Menma's mastery was still far below that of Uzumaki Mito or Uzumaki Kushina and he could currently manifest only two chains Gamaken was not a Tailed Beast.
Two chains…
Were more than enough.
The next instant, one of the enormous chakra tails lashed forward like a gigantic whip.
BANG!!
It smashed directly into Gamaken's head.
BOOM!!
The giant toad crashed violently into the earth, collapsing the ground beneath him into a massive crater.
"Urgh !"
Blood sprayed from Gamaken's mouth as nearly half of his face was scorched by the corrosive Nine-Tails chakra.
The crimson chakra continued eating away at his flesh.
Taking advantage of the opening
Boom!
Urushi lunged.
Like a mountain crashing down, the giant lizard slammed onto Gamaken's restrained body.
The crushing weight forced another pained groan from the giant toad.
"Hah!"
Menma poured even more chakra into the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
The golden chains tightened further, completely immobilizing Gamaken.
The battle had become utterly one-sided.
Jiraiya attempted to intervene, but Menma's shadow clones harassed him relentlessly, preventing him from reaching his summon.
He could only watch as Gamaken was overwhelmed.
There was no time to hesitate.
"Release!"
Leaping backward to evade another wave of shadow clone attacks, Jiraiya rapidly formed hand seals.
He immediately canceled Gamaken's Summoning Technique.
Puff!
In an instant, Gamaken's enormous body dissolved into white smoke and vanished.
Menma, who had intended to finish the giant toad with a final blow, paused briefly.
Still…
He had expected this.
Unlike Manda, who would abandon Orochimaru the moment things turned unfavorable, the toads of Mount Myōboku would never desert Jiraiya.
Likewise, Jiraiya would never stand by and watch one of his companions die.
Unless Menma could kill a summoned beast instantly…
Jiraiya could always dismiss it before the fatal blow landed.
After all, the Summoning Technique could not simply be interrupted.
Only someone possessing Six Paths-level abilities and true mastery over space-time such as Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, with techniques like Yomotsu Hirasaka or Amenominaka could completely interfere with such spatial transfer.
Menma was still far from reaching that realm.
Nevertheless…
The strength he displayed now had already reached the very pinnacle of the Kage level.
Without entering Sage Mode, even Jiraiya found himself being steadily suppressed.
The Six-Tails state…
Was simply too overwhelming.
Jiraiya's expression had become far more solemn than it had been at the beginning of the battle.
Gamaken had already withdrawn after suffering severe injuries.
Meanwhile, Gamabunta had likewise fallen into a difficult struggle.
Compared to Gamabunta, Manda possessed slightly superior combat ability.
Likewise, Sasuke in Curse Mark Level Twocurrently held a slight advantage over Naruto.
When those advantages overlapped…
The disparity became obvious.
Naruto could hardly support Gamabunta effectively.
By contrast, Sasuke coordinated perfectly with Manda, continuously helping the giant snake suppress the giant toad.
Every attack pressed forward relentlessly.
Every strike aimed to kill.
The pair had completely fallen onto the defensive.
Elsewhere, Kabuto Yakushi's arrival allowed Orochimaru's remaining subordinates to stabilize their formation.
Not only did they regroup
They gradually began suppressing the Root operatives.
This forced the injured Aburame Ryōma back into battle despite his condition.
Among all the battlefields, however…
Jiraiya's side had undeniably become the disadvantaged force.
Unless…
He could enter Sage Mode.
Unfortunately…
That was not something he could accomplish instantly.
Unlike Naruto, Jiraiya could not enter Sage Mode alone.
He required Fukasaku and Shima to gather natural energy on his behalf, allowing him to refine Senjutsu Chakra safely.
Only then could he activate Sage Mode.
Therefore…
Facing Menma's relentless offensive…
Jiraiya simply had no opportunity to prepare it.
Whoosh!
Bang!
Although Menma, even in his Six-Tails state, still could not easily defeat Jiraiya outright, he maintained the initiative throughout the battle.
He could suppress him.
But only suppress him.
Actually defeating or killing Jiraiya remained another matter entirely.
After all…
Jiraiya was an exceptionally balanced shinobi.
Whether in ninjutsu, taijutsu, battle experience, chakra control, or tactical judgment, he possessed virtually no obvious weaknesses.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Regardless of which technique Menma employed, landing a decisive blow remained extraordinarily difficult.
The massive Adamantine Sealing Chains swept through the battlefield repeatedly.
Bang!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Jiraiya continued dodging them with remarkable precision.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains possessed incredible suppressive power against chakra.
But…
As long as they failed to bind him
He remained free.
Jiraiya possessed both the confidence and the ability to avoid them.
Still…
Even if he could withstand Menma's attacks…
The situation across the remaining battlefields continued deteriorating.
Kabuto had already captured the heavily injured Ryōma alive.
The remaining Root operatives suffered mounting casualties.
As for Naruto's battle against Sasuke…
Although Sasuke deliberately refrained from delivering a killing blow whether out of lingering friendship or consideration for Menma's feelings toward Naruto
The gap in strength remained undeniable.
Naruto fought desperately.
Yet he accumulated injury after injury, his situation becoming increasingly perilous.
Gamabunta, likewise, endured repeated blows from Manda's enormous tail.
Without outside intervention…
The defeat of both man and toad was only a matter of time.
Unless…
Jiraiya could somehow enter Sage Mode immediately.
But Menma would never allow him such an opportunity.
Boom!
The instant that thought crossed his mind
The two thick Adamantine Sealing Chains whipped toward him once again.
Jiraiya no longer hesitated.
"Bunta!"
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
The moment Gamabunta heard it
He understood.
"Water Release: Water Bullet Technique!"
Opening his massive mouth
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Several enormous spheres of water erupted toward Manda with tremendous force.
The attack completely enveloped the giant snake's path.
Manda's vertical pupils narrowed.
Twisting his colossal body with astonishing agility, he slipped aside.
At precisely the same moment
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Jiraiya completed another series of hand seals.
The ground beneath Manda suddenly liquefied.
In an instant
The earth transformed into a vast swamp.
"Tch!"
Manda's enormous body immediately began sinking.
His movements became severely restricted.
Standing atop Manda's head, Sasuke's footing shook violently.
Manda's expression twisted with fury.
His massive tail lashed violently as he unleashed brute force to drag himself free.
He succeeded…
But only after losing several crucial seconds.
That brief opening proved enough.
Gamabunta seized Naruto and leapt away from the battlefield.
Whoosh!
Jiraiya immediately followed.
"Summoning Technique!"
He bit his thumb, completed the seals, and slammed his palm downward.
Puff!
A giant green toad materialized high in the sky.
Barely half a second later
It descended like a falling mountain.
Its enormous shadow instantly covered both Menma and Urushi.
The technique resembled a devastating aerial crush.
Menma's vision was momentarily obstructed.
While Urushi shifted position to evade the descending toad
Menma immediately directed the Adamantine Sealing Chains toward the new summon.
The golden chains wrapped around it almost instantly.
Yet
"Release!"
Less than two seconds after landing
The giant green toad vanished into white smoke.
It had merely served as a distraction.
By then
Jiraiya had already landed atop Gamabunta once more.
A safe distance separated both sides.
"Grandpa Jiraiya… I…"
Naruto stared back unwillingly.
The outcome was obvious.
This was already their third failure.
"Withdraw for now, Naruto."
Jiraiya rested a hand gently upon Naruto's shoulder.
"You'll face them again when you've become strong enough."
"…But…"
Naruto clenched his fists.
Before he could protest further
Gamabunta launched himself into the distance with a tremendous leap.
Their figures rapidly disappeared.
Naruto bit his lip tightly as he watched Menma and Sasuke grow smaller and smaller on the horizon.
For the first time…
He felt as though the distance separating them wasn't merely physical.
It was something much deeper.
As though he was slowly losing both of his brothers forever.
Menma watched silently.
A complicated emotion flickered across his eyes.
But he made no attempt to pursue them.
After all…
He still lacked the power to kill Jiraiya.
Should the battle continue and Jiraiya find an opportunity to summon Fukasaku and Shima, entering Sage Mode…
The advantage would immediately shift.
At that point, Menma would be forced to gamble everything either by fully transforming into the Nine-Tails or attempting to awaken the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode before he was truly ready.
Neither option suited him.
There was no reason to continue the pursuit.
Nearby, Manda roared in irritation, determined to chase after Gamabunta.
He clearly wanted revenge against his longtime rival.
However
Sasuke ignored his complaints entirely.
With a single hand seal
He dismissed the giant snake.
The immense body dissolved into white smoke before returning to Ryūchi Cave.
At the same time, Sasuke released Curse Mark Level Two.
This battle had lasted long enough.
Although his chakra reserves far exceeded those of an ordinary jōnin, maintaining the second stage of the Curse Mark while repeatedly using high-level Fire Release and Lightning Release techniques had consumed an enormous amount of chakra.
Continuing the fight would have been dangerous.
"You alright?"
Menma walked over after releasing his own technique.
"Maintaining Curse Mark Level Two while summoning Manda places an enormous burden on your body."
Sasuke exhaled slowly before meeting Menma's gaze.
"I'm fine. Compared to the Valley of the End, I've completely adapted to the Curse Mark's power."
His expression then hardened.
"But tell me…"
"How much do you really know about the Uchiha Clan?"
"What exactly happened?"
Menma smiled faintly.
"Don't worry, Sasuke."
"I haven't lied to you."
"I'll tell you everything once we return. This isn't the right place for that conversation."
He paused before continuing.
"And didn't I already tell you? You don't have to rely solely on my words."
"You can ask Orochimaru yourself."
"He may have left Konoha years ago, but he maintained close ties with Shimura Danzō."
"Among all people outside the village…"
"He's one of those who knows the truth behind many of Konoha's darkest secrets."
Menma had been waiting for the right opportunity to reveal the truth.
The Uchiha massacre…
Was the single most important piece of information he possessed when it came to influencing Sasuke.
As far as Menma was concerned
Uchiha Itachi was never an ally.
He was a potential enemy.
To Menma, Itachi's actions bordered on madness.
Destroying his entire clan ncluding his own parents for the sake of the village…
Yet sparing only his younger brother.
Then later threatening Konoha itself for that same brother.
No matter how Menma examined that logic…
He could never understand it.
Was Itachi's hierarchy truly:
Sasuke > Konoha > his own parents and clan?
Menma simply could not comprehend such thinking.
From his perspective, no mentally sound person would reach that conclusion.
Perhaps…
The shinobi world itself had always been fundamentally broken.
Compared to people like Itachi…
Whether Madara or Sasuke, despite all their flaws, at least behaved according to emotions that Menma considered understandable.
This was no longer a question of justice or evil.
Nor was it merely a matter of ideology.
To Menma…
It was simply the difference between a mind that followed human instinct…
And one that had long since abandoned it.
WE ARE CURRENTLY ON CHAPTER 326 ON PATREON.
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