In Konoha Village, in the basement of Menma's house.
The Flying Thunder God kunai was hanging upside down, and Menma gently traced the intricate seals engraved on the surface of the kunai.
The shadow clone left in Konoha Village had dispelled itself, relaying the latest information and research progress to Menma's main body, who was active outside the village.
There had been a particularly significant breakthrough in the research direction of Yin-Yang Release, prompting Menma's main body to immediately return to Konoha with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Having Flying Thunder God Technique really is convenient." Menma mused, twirling the kunai in his hand.
In just two months, he had established hidden teleportation points in nine nations, including the Land of Fire, the Land of Lightning, the Land of Rice Fields, and the Land of Hot Water, leaving behind his specially crafted Flying Thunder God kunai.
He had even dispatched two shadow clones to the Land of Water, the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Rainbows to set up additional hidden bases and place more of his custom kunai.
Soon enough, the entire Ninja World would become a chessboard he could traverse at will.
Entering the training room on the second floor, two shadow clones were diligently practicing Chakra Nature Transformation and Chakra Control.
Menma walked over to the desk, his eyes quickly scanning the data recorded in the experiment log.
"This research direction should be correct, but..." Menma muttered, stroking his chin before suddenly falling silent.
Then, he raised his right hand, blending Yin Attribute Chakra and Yang Attribute Chakra in a specific ratio, gradually forming a short black rod.
The rod was less than twenty centimeters long, no wider than a pinky finger, and highly unstable.
Yet, the Yin-Yang Release contained within it was becoming increasingly evident.
Clink-
With a crisp shattering sound, the black rod in Menma's hand disintegrated, dispersing into a wisp of Chakra.
Menma stared at his empty palm, reflecting on the sensations and techniques he had just employed.
His research into Yin-Yang Release had brought him to the threshold, and only one final step remained.
Leaving a few shadow clones behind to continue practicing Chakra Nature Transformation and Chakra Control, Menma's main body dispelled his Transformation Technique, reverting to his child form.
His persona in Konoha was that of a young master, so he needed to make regular public appearances. As for the grueling training, he left that to his shadow clones.
Thanks to the Uzumaki Clan's physique and the vast Chakra provided by the Black Nine-Tails, he could sustain countless shadow clones, whether for training in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, or conducting research, without missing a beat.
The only downside was the flood of memories and muscle soreness that flooded back whenever a shadow clone dispelled, which was... quite the experience.
As he strolled through Konoha's streets, Menma pondered whether to visit Naruto or Hinata today.
But after some thought, he remembered that the Hyuga Clan's training regimen was rigorous. If Hinata had free time, she would come looking for him. As for Naruto, given his special status and the Anbu's surveillance around him, frequent visits might raise suspicions… even if Menma was just a kid.
'Sigh. Guess I'll just wander around on my own.' Menma clasped his hands behind his head, aimlessly meandering through the lively streets of Konoha.
As the largest Ninja Village in the world, Konoha had a population of around eighty to ninety thousand, at least a fifth of whom could harness Chakra.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, the allied forces assembled a combined force of over 80,000 Ninjas. Assuming the Five Great Ninja Villages averaged around 10,000 Ninjas each, Konoha, which is capable of fighting on multiple fronts against several Great Ninja Villages, likely had the largest military.
A conservative estimate placed the numbers of Konoha's Ninjas at over 15,000.
With the entire village operating on a wartime footing, the ratio of military personnel to the general population was roughly 1:5, meaning Konoha's total population would be at least 75,000.
Of course, this was under the special circumstances of the Fourth Great Ninja War, where many retired Ninja and unregistered clan members joined the alliance.
Otherwise, based on Masashi Kishimoto's statement in the manga that Konoha had 'produced a total of 13,000 Ninja', the numbers of registered Ninja in each village would be even lower, making it impossible to assemble an alliance of over 80,000.
"Wow! So cute!" A delighted voice from a nearby shop snapped Menma out of his thoughts.
He glanced over and spotted a familiar emblem-
The emblem of the Uchiha Clan.
Menma stopped and looked up.
Menma paused, raising his gaze to the shop's sign, which is a cat-eared weapon store. Inside, a boy around seven or eight years old, unmistakably an Uchiha, stood with his back to Menma as a girl of the same age, sporting twin braids, forcefully placed a cat-ear headband on him.
Beside them stood a Jonin Instructor with scratch marks on his face, watching the scene fondly, along with another boy with spiky hair already wearing a cat-ear headband, struggling to hold onto a squirming cat.
When the spiky-haired boy noticed passersby staring, he quickly turned away.
"Itachi! Look! It's so cute!" The girl gushed, her eyes sparkling as she addressed Itachi.
The eight-year-old Itachi didn't resist, merely curiously touching the cat-ear headband on his head.
The Jonin Instructor with scratches on his face watched the trio's heartwarming antics with a gentle smile.
Laughing and chatting, the group carried the cat into the ninja tool shop.
'Itachi's teammates and teacher...' Menma clicked his tongue.
The way he looked at their retreating figures was almost as if he were staring at dead men walking.
'Being targeted by Uchiha Obito was just their bad luck.'
'And-'
'What does it have to do with me?'
Humming a tune, Menma continued his leisurely stroll.
…
The capital of the Land of Bears.
Gato and Kakuzu, who had arrived in the Land of Bears ahead of time, were waiting in a camp outside the city for the other team.
"Strange, the people I sent out didn't hear about any abnormalities in Hoshigakure." Gato, who was wearing small glasses, scratched his head.
Opposite him, sitting on a crate, Kakuzu crushed a heart in his hand with clear disdain.
Watching as the dark, thread-covered organ dissolved into blackened droplets of blood on the ground, Gato felt a wave of nausea.
"And he called himself a Jonin? Tch. That brat was barely Chunin-level at best." Kakuzu was deeply unimpressed with the self-proclaimed Jonin they had encountered earlier. The heart's quality didn't even measure up to a Special Jonin from a Great Ninja Village, leaving Kakuzu thoroughly disappointed.
A faint breeze drifted through the camp, and Kakuzu was the first to sense something amiss, his gaze snapping toward the entrance.
This camp was one of Gato Company's supply depots on the outskirts of the capital, and he had already dismissed all the guards.
Gato followed Kakuzu's line of sight and saw two women approaching, leading a child by the hand.
He was about to stand and shout at them when he noticed Kakuzu rising as well.
Gato, who was good at observing people's expressions, immediately realized something was off.
'These two women with a child… Could they be…?'
"Apologies for the wait." Kanon, holding the slightly timid Karin's hand, bowed slightly to the two intimidating figures before her: "By order of Shura-sama, we have come to assist."
"Uzumaki Kanon."
"Nanashi."
Hikari took a step forward, her Three-Tomoe Sharingan spinning as she locked eyes with Kakuzu.
Kakuzu originally looked down on them, but the moment he saw those eyes, his green pupils trembled beneath his mask.
"It's actually the Uchiha clan!" Kakuzu, who has lived from the Warring States Period to the present, exclaimed from beneath his mask: "And... the Uzumaki Clan!"