"You're pragmatic. You see things clearly."
Kakashi's willingness to join the group surprised Menma, but, on reflection, it made sense. No one else knew that Kakashi's father, who was loyal to the village and contributed to its development, had died as the result of a conspiracy by the village elders. In the end, everyone eventually loses their faith.
"Then pick up Pain from the ground and come with me."
Menma turned and walked toward Nagato's hideout on the edge of Konoha.
"But the Akatsuki will soon be a thing of the past. Only the Four-Star Village will remain…"
Whoosh!
Menma vanished. Zabuza and the other three nodded to Kakashi and Yamato, then followed him.
Kakashi then instructed Yamato: "Go retrieve that half-corpse. We'll catch up shortly."
Not long after the others left, Tsunade arrived, leading a large group of shinobi. Looking at the utter devastation—the ruins littered with corpses—Tsunade's eyes blazed with rage. She slammed her fist into the ground, creating a crater several meters deep in the rubble.
"Damn the Akatsuki! Damn the invaders!"
"Scatter! Search for the vanished enemy! Rescue any surviving shinobi and villagers!"
"Yes, ma'am!" The Anbu shinobi quickly dispersed.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio, along with the Aburame, Inuzuka, and other shinobi clans who had followed, immediately rushed to help. However, Inuzuka Tsume twitched her nose slightly, her expression instantly losing control. She dropped to the ground, sniffing the earth.
"What's wrong?"
"Clan Head Inuzuka, have you discovered something?" Shibi Aburame noticed Tsume's movements and asked.
Tsume didn't answer. She quickly ran off in a certain direction.
"Let's follow," Shibi Aburame called to his clansmen, and they quickly pursued her.
Soon, they arrived at a large tree a kilometer away, untouched by the commotion. Beneath it lay five corpses, their bodies riddled with black rods, resting quietly on the ground.
"This is…" Upon seeing the faces of the corpses, Tsume, Shibi, and the others' pupils constricted, and their faces turned deathly pale.
"Lord Jiraiya!"
"Quickly, carry him to Lady Tsunade!"
The group, carrying the five corpses, quickly arrived at Tsunade's side. Tsunade also saw Jiraiya, his eyes closed and lifeless. A surge of immense grief welled up within her, and she swayed as if she might collapse.
"Lady Tsunade!" The shinobi rushed forward to support her.
But Tsunade bit her lip tightly and waved them off, her voice trembling. "I'm fine…"
Tsunade knew she was the only pillar of support now. She couldn't afford to panic. With a deep breath, she forced down her grief, and her voice stopped trembling, regaining its crispness and strength.
"Take the body to a safe place. The rest of you, follow Inoichi's direction and join me to drive out the invaders!"
…
On the edge of Konoha, inside the wooden hut where Nagato was hiding.
"Konan, Menma is catching up. You need to leave quickly and bring back Yahiko's body."
"No." Looking at Nagato, whose nose and mouth still showed traces of blood, Konan immediately refused. "I'll come back with Zetsu to retrieve Yahiko's body later. I'll take you away now!"
"He can't escape," Nagato shook his head. "But I won't be in any danger. Menma is really strange. He actually wants me to be his subordinate… cough, cough, cough…"
Having used too much chakra, Nagato's physical condition was very poor. After he finished coughing, he continued, "If things don't work out and he tries to take me, I'll join him. Besides, I might not necessarily lose. I still have the Gedo Mazo that sealed eight Tailed Beasts."
"Alright." Seeing Nagato's mind was made up, Konan didn't waste any more words. Her body quickly separated, turning into sheets of white paper that flew away.
Nagato, in his wheelchair, slammed open the white paper-masked wooden hut and fled. But the moment he stepped outside, his face darkened, and he clenched his fists.
"Konan…"
There he was: Menma, who had somehow arrived. His eyes were shrouded in the mysterious patterns of a Mangekyō Sharingan, and he held Konan, who had just left, captive in his hand.
"A Mangekyō eye technique…" Seeing Konan's lack of resistance, Nagato instantly understood.
Then, he slammed his palms together in front of his chest. His already thin body shrank further, the skin clinging tightly to his bones, making him resemble a skeleton.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The earth cracked open, and the sound of chains clanging rang out. The Gedo Mazo emerged halfway from the ground, roaring at Menma and the others.
"A Gedo Mazo?" Menma chuckled.
Then, still carrying Konan, he stepped forward and stood directly in front of Nagato.
"Save your breath, Nagato. I don't want a subordinate whose days are numbered. Besides, Konan is in my hands. You don't want anything to happen to her, do you?" Shaking Konan gently, Menma continued softly. "Konan is still young. She's never even been in love. It would be too pitiful for her to die like this."
"You…" Nagato's eyes widened. "I didn't expect you to be so despicable, Menma!"
Yahiko was already dead, and Nagato didn't want Konan to die too. Moreover, Menma was right. Konan's body wasn't severely overdrawn like his own, giving her many more years to live. Konan still had a long youth and a long life ahead of her.
"What exactly do you want? What's your purpose in making me your subordinate?"
"Despicable? Purpose? Heh…" Menma's aura suddenly turned fierce, and his violent killing intent sent a chill down Nagato's spine.
"You don't need to know any of this. I only need one answer." Menma's icy voice, chilling the surrounding temperature to zero, rang out. "Join, or die."
Nagato glanced around at the familiar faces, then at Konan, who was filled with despair. Finally, in a hoarse voice, he answered, seemingly resigned: "If I die, nothing can be accomplished… I join."
"Very good!" The violent killing intent vanished instantly, and the plummeting temperature returned to normal in a flash. A gentle, warm smile appeared on Menma's face.
Konan was also released, clutching her neck and turning into paper, flying to Nagato's side. This sudden change made Nagato feel that Menma was even more dangerous. If he himself was paranoid, then Menma was a madman. His unpredictable temper was truly frightening.
Menma ignored Nagato's thoughts and patted Nagato's shoulder. "Very good. You've passed the test of the revolution. Now I can tell you a few things. My goal is simple, like yours: to threaten the entire world with force."
"The slight difference is that you want to become a god, balancing the various nations and forcing them to cease hostilities. But I'm different. I simply want the entire ninja world to belong to the Four-Star Village, giving everyone a home. If everyone becomes one family, there won't be any war, and the world will be at peace! Then you can use your powerful shinobi to manage those… I mean, manage those shinobi."
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