Chapter 62: By Lord Asura’s Command, We Come To Assist
Inside Konohagakure, in Menma’s basement.
A Flying Thunder God Kunai hung upside down, as Menma lightly stroked the intricate jutsu engraved on its surface.
The shadow clone left inside Konohagakure reported the latest situation and research progress to Menma’s main body active outside through dispelling.
There had been some breakthrough progress particularly in the research direction of Yin-Yang Release jutsu, so Menma’s main body directly returned to Konohagakure via the Flying Thunder God Technique.
“Having this Flying Thunder God Technique is really handy.” Menma toyed with the Flying Thunder God Kunai in his hand.
In just two short months, he had constructed secret teleportation outposts in nine countries including the Land of Fire, Land of Lightning, Land of Fields, Land of Hot Water, and others, leaving behind his custom Flying Thunder God Kunai.
He had even specifically dispatched two shadow clones to the Land of Water, Land of Wind, Land of Earth, Land of Rain, and other countries to construct secret outposts and set up custom Flying Thunder God Kunai.
It wouldn’t be long before the entire Ninja World became a chessboard for him to traverse at will.
In the training room on the second floor, two shadow clones were still practicing chakra nature control precision.
Menma walked to the desk, his gaze quickly scanning the data in the experiment notebook.
“This research direction should be correct, just…” Menma stroked his chin and muttered to himself, suddenly falling silent.
Then, he raised his right hand, mixing the Yin Chakra and Yang Chakra within his body in a certain ratio, gradually condensing a black short rod.
This black rod was less than twenty centimeters long, only as thick as a pinky finger, and extremely unstable.
But the Yin-Yang Release jutsu contained within it was becoming increasingly evident.
Clang—
With a crisp sound of disintegration, the black rod in Menma’s hand instantly disintegrated, turning into a mass of chakra that dissipated into the air.
Menma stared at his empty palm, savoring the operation and sensation from moments ago.
His research on Yin-Yang Release jutsu had already touched the threshold; he was just one step away.
After leaving several shadow clones to continue researching chakra nature changes and precision control, Menma’s main body dispelled the Transformation Jutsu, reverting to his childlike appearance.
His persona in Konoha was that of a young master, so he naturally had to go out and about frequently, leaving the grueling training to the shadow clones.
Thanks to the Uzumaki Clan’s physique and the massive chakra provided by the Dark Nine-Tails, he could sustain countless shadow clones, handling ninjutsu practice, taijutsu moves, and scientific research all at once.
The only downside was that when the shadow clones dispelled, the various memories and muscle soreness transmitted back to the main body felt quite refreshing in a painful way.
Walking on Konoha’s streets, Menma pondered whether to visit Naruto or Hinata today.
But after thinking it over, the Hyuga Clan’s training was intense; if Hinata could get out, she would definitely come find him, while Naruto’s status was special, with Anbu surveillance around him—even as a little kid now, frequent visits wouldn’t look good.
‘Alas, looks like I’ll just have to wander around by myself.’ Menma clasped his hands behind his head, strolling boredly along the bustling Konoha streets.
As the largest ninja village in the Ninja World, Konoha had a population of eighty to ninety thousand, with at least one-fifth able to refine chakra.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, the countries assembled a ninja force of over eighty-seven thousand; the Five Great Nations averaged over ten thousand ninjas each, and Konoha could engage in multi-front wars against multiple great nations across the Ninja Wars, so it likely had the largest forces.
Konoha’s ninja numbers were tentatively over fifteen thousand.
With the ninja village backdrop of total mobilization, using a soldier-to-population ratio of 1:5, Konoha had at least seventy-five thousand people.
Of course, this was a special case of the Fourth Great Ninja War, with many retired ninjas and unregistered ninjas from various ninja clans joining the Shinobi Alliance, leading to that calculation.
Otherwise, based on Kishimoto’s statement in the manga that Konoha had produced a total of just over thirteen thousand ninjas, the registered ninjas in each ninja village would be even fewer than Konoha’s, making it impossible to muster over eighty-seven thousand for the Shinobi Alliance.
“Wow! So cute!” A delighted laugh came from a nearby shop, drawing Menma’s attention.
He turned his head slightly and saw a somewhat familiar symbol.
The Uchiha Clan crest.
Menma stopped, looking up.
It was a weapon shop with a cat-eared signboard. A Uchiha boy about seven or eight years old had his back to Menma, being forcibly fitted with cat-ear headband by a girl ninja of similar age with two braids.
Beside them was a jonin vest-wearing team leader with several scratches on his face, and another spiky-haired boy also wearing a cat-ear headband, holding a struggling cat in his arms.
Seeing passersby looking over, the spiky-haired boy quickly turned his head away.
“Itachi! Look! It’s clearly so cute!” The girl said to Itachi Uchiha, her eyes full of stars.
But the eight-year-old Itachi Uchiha didn’t resist, merely curiously touching the cat-ear headband on his head.
The team jonin with scratches on his face watched this warm daily life of the three little ones with a gentle gaze.
The group laughed and chatted while carrying the cat into the weapon shop.
‘It’s Itachi’s teammates and teacher…’ Menma clicked his tongue twice.
His gaze followed their backs entering the weapon shop, as if looking at dead people.
Being targeted by Obito Uchiha, they could only count themselves unlucky.
And—
What does it have to do with me?
Menma hummed a little tune and continued shopping.
——————
Capital City of the Land of Bears.
Kado and Kakuzu, who had arrived in the Land of Bears ahead of time, were waiting in a suburban camp for another squad.
“Strange, the people I sent out didn’t hear about any abnormalities in Hoshigakure.” Kado, wearing small glasses, scratched his head.
On the crate opposite, Kakuzu disdainfully crushed a heart.
Watching that pitch-black heart threaded with strings turn into black blood dripping to the ground made Kado feel nauseous.
“Still a jonin, tch—I think that kid has at most chunin strength.” Kakuzu was very dissatisfied with the guy who claimed to be a jonin earlier; his heart toughness wasn’t even up to a special jonin from a major ninja village, leaving Kakuzu disappointed after getting his hopes up.
A breeze blew, and Kakuzu noticed the anomaly first, looking toward the camp door.
This camp was where the Kado Group stockpiled supplies in the suburbs of the Capital City of the Land of Bears; the guards had long been driven away by Kado.
Kado followed Kakuzu’s gaze and saw two women leading a child walking over.
He was just about to stand and berate them when he saw Kakuzu also stand up.
The perceptive Kado immediately sensed something was off.
These two women with the child… could they be…
“Sorry, kept you waiting.” Uzumaki Kushina held the somewhat timid Little Karin’s hand, bowing to the two menacing men in front: “By order of Lord Shura, we have come to provide support.”
“Uzumaki Kushina.”
“Nameless.”
Uchiha Hikari stepped forward, her Three-Tomoe Sharingan spinning as she met Kakuzu’s gaze head-on.
Kakuzu, who had initially been somewhat dismissive, trembled entirely in his pale pupils upon seeing those eyes.
“To think it’s—the Uchiha Clan!” Kakuzu, who had lived from the Warring States Period to now, exclaimed in astonishment from beneath his mask: “And… the Uzumaki Clan!”
