Menma received the latest intelligence from Itachi's crow. Jiraiya's whereabouts seemed to have appeared on the border of the Land of Water.
"Perfect..."
Chakra flames ignited on his fingertips, incinerating the intelligence.
As the ashes scattered, his figure transformed into that of a merchant traveler, blending into a merchant ship bound for the Land of Water.
The salty sea breeze, accompanied by fine rain, revealed the islands of the Land of Water, appearing and disappearing in the mist.
Menma stood on the deck, gazing at the hazy outline in the distance.
This island-ringed country was experiencing its darkest "Village of Blood Mist" period.
He lowered his bamboo hat, a slight smile playing on his lips—the more chaotic it was, the easier it was to fish in troubled waters.
Walking along, Menma was contemplating how to infiltrate the Hidden Mist Village when he was suddenly blocked by a white figure.
"Are you from the Hidden Mist?"
The silver-haired child held a bone spike, pointing it directly at Menma. Two cinnabar dots on his forehead were as vibrant as fresh blood. He exuded a dangerous aura, like a startled young beast.
"No."
Menma answered calmly, his gaze sweeping over the bone spike in the other's hand, which seemed to be a Bloodline Limit of the Shikotsumyaku.
"Sorry."
The child retracted his bone spike, politely as if the killing intent from moments ago had been an illusion. He turned and rushed into the depths of the thick fog.
Menma narrowed his eyes and silently followed. He, too, needed to go to the Hidden Mist Village, and this child was the best guide.
In the damp mist, Kimimaro suddenly stopped.
Two figures ahead gradually became clear—
A tall Ninja was wrapped in bandages, revealing only a pair of sharp eyes. The exaggerated broadsword on his back glinted coldly in the mist. Beside him was a young boy carrying a bamboo basket, with a gentle smile on his delicate face.
"Is it the Hidden Mist's pursuit squad again?"
Zabuza's hand rested on the Kubikiribocho, his tone chilling.
Menma, hiding in the shadows, his pupils constricted.
The Demon of the Hidden Mist, Zabuza, and Haku!
His gaze swept back and forth between the three, a smile unconsciously forming on his lips: "Interesting... So that child is Kimimaro."
Kimimaro asked the same question again, and after receiving a negative answer, he rushed into the depths of the thick fog without looking back. Menma quickly formed hand signs, and a wood clone quietly followed Zabuza and Haku, while his main body continued to track Kimimaro.
Beside the stone monument at the entrance of the Hidden Mist Village, a slender figure made Menma's breath catch.
A yellow kimono was faintly visible, and black hair cascaded like a waterfall. Orochimaru was examining the village with snake-like vertical pupils, his tongue unconsciously licking his lips.
"Hoh..."
Menma almost laughed out loud. He gently caressed a Flying Thunder God Kunai, "It's truly a case of searching high and low only to find it by chance. I didn't find my master Jiraiya, but I found the S-rank rogue Ninja Orochimaru."
Just then, Kimimaro's bone spike suddenly thrust towards Orochimaru!
"Bang!"
Orochimaru didn't even turn around, kicking the young boy several meters away with a back-kick. Kimimaro rolled a few times on the ground before stopping.
"Are you from the Hidden Mist?"
The boy struggled to get up, holding his bone spike towards Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's golden vertical pupils slightly constricted, his gaze lingering on Kimimaro's arm for a moment.
He suddenly showed a meaningful smile: "The Hidden Mist Village is over there."
His slender finger pointed into the depths of the thick fog.
Menma hid in the shadows, his gaze shifting between the directions Orochimaru and Kimimaro had departed.
His knuckles unconsciously caressed a Flying Thunder God Kunai.
"Information on the Three-Tails and Six-Tails is fleeting, but this sly snake is also difficult to catch..."
He stared at Orochimaru, "I absolutely cannot let him leave."
Seeing Orochimaru turn to leave, a sharp glint flashed in Menma's eyes. His left hand quickly formed hand signs, and a new wood clone silently pursued Kimimaro, while his main body, disguised as an Anbu Ninja, shot out like an arrow from a bow.
"Whoosh—"
The sound of a Kunai cutting through the air startled the birds in the forest.
Orochimaru's lips curved into a strange arc, and his neck twisted at an ergonomically impossible angle, easily avoiding the fatal blow.
But when he glimpsed the jutsu formula on the Kunai's hilt, his golden vertical pupils suddenly constricted into thin lines.
A cold glint appeared!
Menma's figure appeared out of thin air beside the Kunai, and with a flick of his wrist, the blade was pressed against Orochimaru's throat.
The sharp edge cut through the pale skin, and blood splattered like spilled ink onto the yellow kimono.
"Cough... cough cough..."
Orochimaru knelt on the ground, dark red blood continuously oozing between his fingers, his pupils gradually dilating.
Menma watched coldly, the Kunai spinning between his fingers: "Stop acting."
"Hoh... hoh hoh..."
A chilling laugh squeezed out from the corpse's throat. The dying "Orochimaru" suddenly opened his mouth wide, and a new, mucus-covered body slowly crawled out as if shedding skin.
The reborn Orochimaru licked away the residual mucus from his cheek with his long tongue, his cold gaze coiling around Menma like a venomous snake: "Flying Thunder God Technique... Minato Namikaze?"
Before he finished speaking, he shook his head, denying it himself.
Although the Ninja in front of him possessed Minato Namikaze's ultimate technique, he was very familiar with Minato and knew it was definitely not that man.
Orochimaru's pupils trembled violently, countless possibilities flashing through his mind—
His hoarse voice was distorted by shock, "Who... are you, really?"
"Stop guessing, Orochimaru..."
Menma toyed with the Flying Thunder God Kunai, a cold glint circulating between his fingers.
He deliberately lowered his voice, mimicking the cold tone characteristic of Anbu: "I am from the Fire Will Pursuit Squad, specially tasked with hunting down rogue Ninja."
Orochimaru's expression immediately became intriguing, his golden vertical pupils filled with "Do you take me for an idiot?".
His hoarse voice carried a hint of mockery: "I've been in Konoha for decades, and I've never heard of any Fire Will Pursuit Squad."
"Hmph!"
The Kunai in Menma's hand suddenly stopped, its blade pointing directly at Orochimaru: "Someone of your level, do you even deserve to know about the squad secretly cultivated by the Second Hokage-sama?"
He deliberately lowered his voice, "An existence even the Third Hokage doesn't know about."
Orochimaru gasped, his long tongue unconsciously licking his lips.
Although he knew the other party was spouting nonsense, that Flying Thunder God Technique... "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Without warning, Orochimaru's right arm suddenly transformed into several venomous snakes and lunged! Their sharp fangs aimed directly at Menma's throat.
"Whoosh!"
A golden flash, and Menma had appeared beside a Kunai ten meters away. With a swift movement, the snake heads were severed. At the same time, the Rasengan in his left hand mercilessly slammed into Orochimaru's chest!
"Boom!"
Wood splinters flew.
The Substitution Jutsu log was shattered, and the real Orochimaru stood on a treetop, a serious expression appearing on his pale face for the first time.
"Surrender now."
Menma stood amidst the scattered wood splinters, a confident smile playing on his lips.
Orochimaru's vertical pupils constricted violently. The skilled use of the Flying Thunder God, the perfect form of the Rasengan... This was simply—
"Minato Namikaze..."
He muttered to himself, then immediately shook his head in denial. The temperament, tone, and style of action were completely different.
"Who exactly are you?"
Orochimaru's voice trembled with excitement, the scientist's curiosity completely overpowering his fear. He stared intently at the mysterious Ninja in front of him, as if wanting to dissect and see through every inch of him.
"As I said, I'm the one who came to catch you."
Menma flicked his wrist, and a Flying Thunder God Kunai shot out.
Orochimaru's vertical pupils suddenly constricted, and he actually spat out his kusanagi sword directly from his mouth, precisely stabbing towards the flight path of the Flying Thunder God Kunai—he had predicted Menma's teleportation!
However, Menma remained completely still, a playful smirk on his lips.
Taking advantage of the momentary stiffness when Orochimaru's attack missed, a dozen Kunai were thrown like a goddess scattering flowers, cutting perfect arcs in the air, surrounding Orochimaru.
A golden flash, and Menma had appeared behind Orochimaru, the cold blade of a Kunai pressed tightly against the other's throat.