Chapter 34: Kakashi, Yamato, Yukimi
Menma has a near-obsessive pursuit of research on the Bloodline Limits of various Ninja Clans.
During his time in the ‘Limited Tsukuyomi World’, he also liked to collect various Bloodline Limits from the Ninja World to study their genes, attempting to unravel the secrets of the Otsutsuki Clan.
As everyone knows, any family in the current Ninja World with special abilities can trace their ancestors back to the Sage of Six Paths.
Such as the famous Uchiha Clan’s Sharingan, Hyuga Clan’s Byakugan, Takarai Clan’s Corpse Bone Pulse—these Bloodline Limits are all weakened versions of Kaguya Otsutsuki’s various abilities.
However, compared to Orochimaru and other mad live experiments by Ninja World scientists, Menma maintained his bottom line even in the ‘Limited Tsukuyomi’ world, refraining from live experiments.
On one hand, he couldn’t accept the false world of ‘Limited Tsukuyomi’; on the other hand, he didn’t want his bottom line to be breached, descending into madness.
This struggle continued until Menma launched the Fourth Great Ninja War against the Five Great Nations of the Ninja World.
After robbing Orochimaru and plundering several of Orochimaru’s secret bases, Menma found experiment research materials on the Iburi Clan in Orochimaru’s experiment log.
This reminded Menma of this small Ninja Clan that only appeared in three episodes in the original anime before being exterminated.
This Smoke Transformation ability was a Bloodline Limit Menma had never seen in the ‘Limited Tsukuyomi World’, so it sparked his desire to collect it.
Not some malicious collection—just wanting this clan to serve him, providing some cellular tissue and blood for research on the ‘Smoke Transformation’ Bloodline Limit.
“Lord Shura, this is our Iburi Clan’s historical records, all here.” In a stone room deep in the underground space, Gōta introduced their clan’s treasures to Menma.
Although Gōta verbally expressed disbelief in Orochimaru breaking his promise to them, he tacitly agreed to temporary cooperation with Menma, awaiting Orochimaru’s arrival.
So when Menma suggested wanting to see the Iburi Clan’s history, Gōta did not obstruct but directly provided it to him.
Looking at the scant historical scrolls in the stone room, Menma roughly understood that the Iburi Clan did not place much emphasis on history and inheritance, so there weren’t many collected historical scrolls, mostly passed down orally.
Or rather, for the Iburi Clan, even survival was an issue—acquiring food, medicine, and living supplies was not guaranteed—so the importance of these historical scrolls was greatly diminished.
This could also be seen from the Iburi Clan’s generally monotonous coarse rags.
Even Clan Head Gōta had no handy weapon, using a cleaver during the slaughter with Kakashi.
In the dim stone room, Menma’s fingertips brushed over the dust-covered scrolls.
“I’m not the type who likes owing others anything.” Menma then took out a scroll and tossed it to Gōta behind him.
“This sealing scroll contains enough grain to feed a hundred people for a week.”
Hearing it was grain, Gōta caught the scroll with both hands, joyfully saying: “Thank you.”
Menma said nothing, silently picking up a dust-covered scroll, opening it, and immersing himself in the ocean of Iburi Clan history.
For Menma, this was just a supplies scroll he carried with him, filled with easy-to-preserve food—the taste was naturally nothing special, mainly for emergencies.
But for the Iburi Clan, this grain could provide for their clan for one or two months if rationed carefully.
When Gōta took the scroll back to the clan members, he happened to see Yamato fighting a silver-haired ninja wearing a mask, with surrounding clan members also attempting to attack him.
“Are they Konoha pursuers?” Gōta immediately turned into a cloud of smoke and rushed forward.
In《Kakashi Anbu Arc》, Gōta’s taijutsu combined with Smoke Transformation in combat displayed fighting power on par with Anbu Ninja Kakashi, and even in the end, Kakashi only won by luring Gōta out of the cave, stirring up a strong wind in the forest that dispersed the smoke-transformed Gōta, ultimately leading to Gōta’s death.
So after Gōta transformed into smoke and joined the battle, he immediately used the ‘Smoke Infusion Technique’, entering Kakashi’s body through his nostrils.
Kakashi, who had been fiercely clashing with Yamato wielding his inherited swordsmanship using a kunai, immediately felt his internals scorched by smoke, even his eyes flashing with smoke.
“Aaah!” Kakashi painfully dropped his weapon, clutching his head, sometimes scratching his ears and cheeks, sometimes grabbing his lungs, screaming in agony.
“Wait!” Seeing this, Yamato hurriedly performed the ninjutsu ‘Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall’, enveloping Kakashi and forcing Gōta to spare him.
“Why save him?!” After exiting Kakashi’s body, Gōta dispelled his smoke form and questioned Yamato.
“He’s a Konoha Ninja, can’t die yet.” Yamato quickly found an excuse: “Perhaps I can interrogate him for some intelligence on Konoha pursuers, and on Orochimaru.”
Yamato used Wood Release to manipulate several wooden logs to bind Kakashi, preparing to interrogate him.
Gōta frowned in thought, then slowly nodded: “Alright then, he’s yours. I’ll go consult that lord.”
With that, Gōta turned and left, handing the food storage scroll to a woman responsible for gathering food for the clan.
After Gōta and the others left, Yamato exhaled, walked to the Wood Release-bound Kakashi, and said: “Sorry, this is the only way I could temporarily save your life.”
At this moment, Kakashi’s internals still retained the lingering smoky scorch from earlier, his whole body in agonizing pain, sweat streaming down his forehead as he looked at Yamato before him.
Yamato had once been ordered to assassinate the Third Hokage, defeated by Kakashi, but Kakashi believed a ninja who could use Wood Release was crucial to the village, so he spared Yamato and reported his intelligence to the Third Hokage.
And this time, Yamato had also saved Kakashi’s life.
“Who are they?” Kakashi gasped, asking: “The ‘that lord’ he mentioned earlier—is it Orochimaru?”
Though Kakashi had stumbled upon this tree hole by chance, it was clear the Iburi Clan had deep ties with Orochimaru.
Yamato shook his head: “Orochimaru hasn’t arrived yet. It’s ‘Shura’.”
“‘Shura’ seems to want the Iburi Clan’s Bloodline Limit, so he’s waiting here for Orochimaru.”
“Shura…” Kakashi’s Sharingan twitched slightly.
He recalled that aloof figure wearing a white three-eyed fox mask on the Hyuga Door.
Though he hadn’t clashed with him directly, from ‘Shura’ openly crushing the two Hyuga Clan Head brothers and causing chaos in Cloud Village, these two incidents showed this person’s strength was immeasurably deep.
Moreover, how did such a strong practitioner learn of Orochimaru’s defection?
“Tenzo!” While Kakashi and Yamato were exchanging intelligence, Yukimi returned again.
“She is?” Kakashi looked at this girl about their age, stunned for a moment, then glanced at Yamato.
“Her name is Yukimi, the Iburi Clan’s only remaining child. The other children… were all taken by Orochimaru for experiments.” Yamato introduced Yukimi to Kakashi.
Though it was their first meeting, that sense of affinity made their relationship feel like long-lost friends.
“Taken by Orochimaru…” Kakashi didn’t need to think to know those children had likely died in Orochimaru’s laboratory.
Yukimi still didn’t know the specifics; she just instinctively worried about this boy who resembled Tenzo so much: “I’ll lead you out. If that lord asks, you two will be in trouble.”
Kakashi’s masked face moved once more. This kind girl living deep underground yet maintaining a sunny, cheerful personality reminded him of his departed companion—
Rin Nohara.
