Whoosh!
Accompanied by Tsunade's roar, a devastating punch plummeted from the sky. But before it could land fully, a terrifying surge of energy erupted from Menma's body. The next second, a golden-red fox tail, encased in black Susanoo armor, manifested.
It swept Nagato and Konan aside, intercepting the monstrous blow descending from above.
Bang!
Crack!
A violent impact rang out, along with the sound of something hard shattering. A flicker of pain crossed Tsunade's angry face. She kicked off the Susanoo armor's fox tail, retreating quickly. At the same time, her right fist—which had just made contact with the tail—hung limply at her side. Two tiny cracks appeared on the surface of the Susanoo armor's tail.
"Lady Tsunade!!!"
From behind, a group of ninjas and ANBU caught up. Seeing her injured, they quickly surrounded Tsunade, wary of Menma and his group approaching.
"You were too impulsive, Lady Tsunade!" Shikaku whispered, reminding her of her importance. He turned to Inoichi beside him. "Inoichi, quickly heal Lady Tsunade to conserve her chakra."
"No need. I'll do it myself." Tsunade's authoritative voice rang out. Her left hand glowed with Mystical Palm Technique chakra as she touched her drooping right arm. Her gaze fell on Menma, who was controlling Naruto's body. Her brows furrowed deeply.
"Naruto… no, I should call you Menma!"
At first, seeing the Susanoo, she thought Madara Uchiha hadn't died. Now, seeing Menma controlling Naruto's body to unleash its power, she realized the terrifying scene from before had been caused by Menma himself!
Before Menma could speak, Zabuza stepped forward, pointing his Executioner's Blade directly at Tsunade's face. "You old hag, how dare you address the boss by his name! Let me teach you how to treat someone stronger than you first!"
Because of Menma's grand ambition and formidable strength, Zabuza had become a complete fanboy and wouldn't tolerate anyone disrespecting him. But before he could express his loyalty further, Menma's calm voice rang out.
"Zabuza, step back."
Zabuza glared fiercely at Tsunade. "Hmph. Consider yourself lucky." With that, he sheathed his Executioner's Blade and retreated.
Seeing Zabuza retreat, Kakuzu's glowing green pupils turned to him. "Heh. I really didn't see that coming. You bandaged brat, you're quite the flatterer…"
Zabuza rolled his eyes, giving Kakuzu no expression whatsoever.
Meanwhile, ahead, Menma looked at Tsunade with a playful smile. "Quite perceptive, Granny Tsunade~"
"Shut up!" she roared, her voice icy cold. "You have no right to call me that!"
Having said that, Tsunade calmed her anger slightly, making her voice less cold than before but still loud.
"Naruto!"
"Come out here, Naruto!"
"You're not a ninja who can be defeated by some setbacks!"
The deaths of Jiraiya and the others, combined with Menma's appearance and the Akatsuki's unwavering loyalty to him, made her understand that everything that had happened today was part of Menma's plan to deal with Naruto. The goal was to completely possess Naruto's body!
"Sigh. Only concerned with Naruto. Granny, you're really heartless." Menma chuckled, counting on his fingers. "Ten million ryō, five hundred thousand ryō… I've already given you so much money~"
Hearing this habit of Naruto's, Tsunade's anger reignited. Ignoring the fact that her arm had just been healed, she clenched her fists until they turned white, making a cracking sound.
"That's all Naruto. It's Naruto Uzumaki!!!"
"Not you, you selfish madman! Monster!!!"
"A selfish madman? Monster?" Menma retorted calmly. "Wasn't all of this created by your Konoha? Without you, there would be no me now~"
These words were like poison, silent yet utterly devastating. While that might be true, Tsunade, as the acting Hokage, couldn't allow Menma to erode their will or divert their hatred like this.
"Menma, what exactly do you want to do?"
"What do I want to do?" Rinnegan stripes appeared in Menma's eyes, and his body slowly rose into the sky. "Do you know? From the very beginning, no one has ever stood on this sky. Neither the powerful Hashirama Senju, nor Madara Uchiha, nor even the legendary Sage of Six Paths, nor Kaguya Otsutsuki. But now, that unbearable vacancy on the Sky Throne has ended."
Menma floated completely to the highest point, able to overlook the entire Hidden Leaf.
"From this day forward…" Golden and red robes manifested around Menma. He gently removed his headband and casually tossed it downward. Chakra enveloped his right hand, sweeping his stray bangs back, leaving only a wisp of hair hanging down his forehead. Its strands, along with his robes, fluttered freely in the cold air above.
"I will stand above the heavens."
"Stand above the heavens!?" Tsunade below felt a sense of foreboding and roared sharply. "Stop, Menma!!!"
Meanwhile, Nagato, Zabuza, and the others on the opposite side fled toward the outskirts of Konoha without looking back.
Menma, his face cold and indifferent, looked down and raised his right hand. Immense ocular power and chakra erupted from his palm. A fist-sized, jet-black gravity sphere emerged from his palm, then split into four, occupying the four corners of Konoha.
"This is a gift of parting…"
Menma slammed his palms together in front of his chest. The four gravity spheres instantly unleashed terrifying gravitational pull, enveloping the village below.
"Planetary Devastation!"
---