"What a cliché question."
Menma's voice, tinged with a lazy mockery, came from behind the fox mask. He slowly raised a hand, his fingertip gently tapping his mask with a crisp tap, tap.
"However, I don't want to be called 'masked man' or 'black-robed man' all the time either—" He paused, then stated his name simply.
"Menma. That is my name."
The Raikage's brow furrowed deeply, his bronze muscles bulging as they tensed, lightning chakra crackling across his body.
"Wiping out the Cloud convoy and even targeting me, the Raikage... Brat, no matter who you are, the entire Land of Lightning is now your enemy!"
He took a sharp step forward, and the ground cracked under his feet.
"Tell me the village or organization behind you!" The Raikage's fist tightened, lightning sparking. "And I'll finish you off cleanly!"
Menma just shrugged indifferently. "The answer to that question will probably disappoint you. If you're looking for some 'mastermind' or 'backer'..."
"I don't have anything like that. Or rather... the leader of the organization behind me is me."
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Before he finished speaking, a stream of intense fire suddenly blasted from the side! A giant fire dragon roared as it tore through the air, the high temperature distorting the surrounding scenery. The flames instantly engulfed Menma's figure.
However, the moment the flames touched Menma's body, an invisible barrier quietly appeared, blocking the intense heat as if it had hit a transparent wall. After raging for a few seconds, the flames slowly dissipated, leaving Menma—completely unharmed.
Everyone looked towards the source of the fire jutsu—
Hiruzen Sarutobi, at some point, had changed into his black battle uniform, his aged eyes fixed on Menma. Behind him, the entire Konoha ANBU was on alert, the cold light of kunai and ninja swords glinting.
Among the ANBU, one figure was particularly noticeable, with silver-white hair that couldn't be hidden even by a mask.
Ten to one, that's Kakashi.
Menma's gaze lingered on that figure for a moment, the corners of his mouth under the mask turning up slightly.
"Lord Raikage! Now do you believe the masked man isn't a Konoha conspiracy!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice carried across the noisy battlefield. His eyes were locked on the unharmed Menma in the distance, his body in a defensive stance.
The Raikage's chest heaved violently. He let out a heavy "tsk," forcing down his anger. The Third Hokage had a point—if Konoha had secretly trained a ninja with such terrifying power, it was impossible that there would have been no word of him until now. Moreover, staging an invasion of their own village would be a huge blow to their reputation.
But the vigilance honed by years of war made the Raikage retain a sliver of suspicion.
Just then, the Third spoke again. "Lord Raikage, regarding the matter of the Cloud envoy, we can renegotiate after we've dealt with the current crisis."
He turned slightly, signaling the ANBU behind him to prepare for battle. "For now, the masked man who wiped out the envoy and invaded Konoha is our common enemy. Why don't we join forces to take him down first, whether we capture or kill him..."
The Raikage was silent for a moment. He took a deep breath, the smell of burning filling his nostrils. "...Although it's annoying, I'll go along with your plan for now, Hokage."
"Unfortunately, the option of 'capture' does not exist."
Facing the two imposing Kage, Menma's voice came from behind the fox mask. His black robe fluttered in the churning chakra, and the Nine Masked Beasts surrounded him, exuding a suffocating pressure.
"My purpose for coming here is clear—"
He slowly raised a hand and pointed at the Raikage.
"To kill the Raikage."
"Don't get cocky, brat!"
The Raikage's roar exploded. Enraged, his figure instantly transformed into a streak of lightning, lightning chakra flowing violently across his body, the air screaming as it was torn apart. Almost as soon as he spoke, he was in front of Menma, his right hand forming a chop, wrapped in lightning, and he brought it down hard!
"Liger Bomb!"
The attack was so fast it almost surpassed the limits of vision. The air sizzled where the lightning chop passed. The next moment, Menma's figure vanished at the last possible second.
He had instantly teleported to the head of the Azure Dragon. These powerful summoning beasts were each a coordinate for his Flying Thunder God.
Without any pause, Menma threw a Flying Thunder God kunai. The kunai flew towards the Raikage, and just as it was about to hit—
Menma's figure appeared out of thin air at the kunai's position, his right palm holding a sphere of inky black energy. The surface of the sphere was wrapped in an ominous chakra vortex.
"Spiraling Ring!"
The black sphere pressed towards the Raikage's chest with destructive force! The Raikage instinctively pushed his lightning chakra to its limit, crossing his arms to block.
BOOM—!!
The moment the two terrifying energies collided, a blinding light erupted. The ground under the Raikage's feet instantly collapsed, and spiderweb-like cracks spread rapidly outward. He gritted his teeth, his lightning armor humming under the strain, but he ultimately managed to withstand the blow.
The Raikage's mind raced. His muscles bulged, and with brute force, he flung the Spiraling Ring into the sky!
"GET—UP!!"
The black sphere traced a deadly arc, shooting straight into the clouds.
RUMBLE—!!!
The explosion high in the sky lit up all of Konoha. A white-hot fireball expanded, tearing a giant hole in the clouds. The blast wave swept down, making everyone's robes flap wildly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up at the scene, the color draining from his old face. If that attack had landed in Konoha...
The power of the aftershock alone was terrifying. If it had exploded within the village... the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Don't be in such a hurry to fight, Raikage."
Menma's voice suddenly grew deep. He slowly raised a hand, making a "pause" gesture. "Aren't you curious? About my purpose for all this."
The Raikage's brow furrowed into a knot, but he ultimately didn't continue his attack. He stood his ground, staring at Menma as if trying to see through the mask.
Menma looked around, his gaze sweeping over the Konoha ANBU on high alert, finally returning to the Raikage.
"In this world... peace has never truly arrived." His voice suddenly took on a strange resonance. "Soldiers, ninja, civilians—they are strangers to each other, have never seen each other's faces, don't know each other's names."
A sudden gust of wind picked up, making his black robe whip around. Dark clouds began to gather in the sky, and faint flashes of lightning flickered within them.
"Simply because the emblem on their forehead protector is different... simply because of an order from the 'higher-ups,' they must raise their weapons and slit each other's throats."
"People say it's because their 'stances' are different, so they can't understand each other..."
"Ridiculous."
"Their true stance was never chosen by them." Menma raised his hand, and dark chakra began to gather in his palm, forming a slowly rotating Spiraling Ring. "The feudal lords of each country sign war treaties in their luxurious palaces, while the ninja on the battlefield fall one by one."
The Spiraling Ring spun faster and faster, and the surrounding air began to distort with a strained hum.
"Those who are high and mighty can make thousands bleed with a simple stroke of a pen. And the ninja... they can only die for a hollow 'greater good'."
The Raikage's pupils contracted slightly. He never thought he would hear such words from an "enemy."
"So—I will force you, you fools deluded by ambition! I will kill you all!"
His chakra exploded, and the dark clouds in the sky instantly thickened, thick bolts of lightning roaring and rolling within them.
"I belong to no ninja village, no country. I... will become 'war' itself."
The Spiraling Ring floated in his palm, its dark halo reflecting on the fox mask, outlining strange patterns.
"Whenever a country tries to start a conflict, I will descend, destroy their armies, and crush their ambitions."
"I will make them fear, make them understand—that if they dare to start a war, they will face a price more terrifying than death."
The rotation of the Spiraling Ring reached its peak, and small cracks began to appear in the space around it.
"If peace cannot be achieved through understanding... then it will be maintained with absolute 'despair'."
"...This is my wish."
-------
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