Menma casually stepped on Adult Sasuke's shoulder with one foot, firmly pinning him to the bottom of the crater.
Then, Menma turned with keen interest to Boruto, who was frozen in place, the white mask gazing at him.
"Interesting..." Menma's voice sounded again, his tone carrying a hint of probing and curiosity. "You carry... the aura of the Otsutsuki."
These words made both Adult Sasuke and Boruto shudder simultaneously.
'This mysterious person, so incredibly strong, had seen at a glance that Boruto had been implanted with Momoshiki Otsutsuki's Kama?'
'How was this possible?!'
'At this point in time, how could anyone know of the Otsutsuki's existence?!'
Through the mask, Menma observed Adult Sasuke and Boruto beneath his feet, very satisfied with their reactions.
He slowly raised his left hand, the same hand that had just pressed down Adult Sasuke. His five fingers slightly spread, he made a grabbing motion towards the frozen Boruto from a distance.
"Come here, let me have a closer look..."
Boruto wanted to retreat, but his feet felt nailed to the ground.
It wasn't that he was trapped by some technique, but a fear of being targeted by an apex predator that made his body unresponsive.
Adult Sasuke struggled at the bottom of the crater, but Menma's foot was like a mountain pressing down on his shoulder, his Chakra completely suppressed, making even moving a finger difficult.
"Boruto... run..." Adult Sasuke shouted hoarsely.
Just as Menma's hand was about to reach Boruto.
"Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
A vigorous, powerful, and angry shout exploded like thunder!
At the same time, a thick, tough, almost living mass of white hair swept in from the side like a waterfall, extremely fast, its target not Menma, but Boruto!
The white hair was incredibly agile, instantly wrapping around Boruto's waist and then yanking him back!
Boruto felt a strong force pull him, and he flew backward involuntarily.
Menma's movement paused slightly, stopping in mid-air.
He slowly turned his head to look in the direction of the attack.
There, at the other end of the street, a tall, white-haired figure had appeared at some unknown time.
He had red war paint on his face, wore a red haori and wooden sandals, and carried a giant scroll on his back. He was the legendary one of the [Sannin], Jiraiya!
Jiraiya's expression was grave, his hands maintaining the hand seal position, looking at Boruto whom he had just saved: "Kid, are you alright?"
Boruto looked up, dazedly staring at Jiraiya, whom he had only seen in photographs in his father's study.
Menma clicked his tongue.
He had actually noticed from the beginning of the fight that there was a Chakra Reaction hidden in the shadows of a nearby building.
Very concealed, almost blending into the environment, but it couldn't escape the perception of the Mind's Eye of the Kagura.
So Menma deliberately 'slowed down a little'. He knew that after Boruto revealed the Rasengan, Jiraiya would absolutely not allow him to just grab Boruto.
Sure enough, after saving Boruto, Jiraiya's hands were already rapidly forming hand seals again. Then he suddenly knelt on one knee and slammed his right hand onto the ground!
"Summoning Technique!"
Boom!!!
A gigantic cloud of white smoke, accompanied by a strong Chakra Fluctuation, shot into the sky!
The smoke quickly dissipated, revealing a giant toad the size of a small hill. Its skin was dark red, it held a gigantic pipe in its mouth, bandages were wrapped around its waist, and two short swords were crossed on its back. It unmistakably appeared on Konoha's streets!
Its massive size occupied most of the street, casting a shadow that enveloped everyone.
"Bunta!" Jiraiya stood on Gamabunta's head with the startled Boruto.
"Shura of the Ninja World..." Gamabunta took a deep drag from his pipe, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke. Its gigantic frog eyes looked gravely down at the black-robed masked figure below, who appeared extremely tiny before it yet emanated an aura that made even it feel palpitate. It spoke in a rumbling voice, like thunder.
"Tch, Jiraiya, every time you call me out, it's never anything good. This time you're directly going up against such a troublesome guy." Although its tone carried complaint, Gamabunta's body had already slightly lowered into a battle stance, its short swords' hilts already in its claws.
Jiraiya stood on Gamabunta's head, the strong wind blowing his long white hair backward.
He stared fixedly at Shura, who was stepping on Adult Sasuke below. The war paint on his face looked especially solemn in the twilight.
"Although I personally don't want to be your enemy, but..." He looked around at the chaotic street, the injured Young Sasuke and Sai lying on the ground, and the unfamiliar one-armed traveler pinned at the bottom of the crater. His tone was resolute.
"This is Konoha! Not your Land of Stars!"
"Shura, you've overstepped!"
Boruto sat on Gamabunta's bumpy head, his heart still racing from the narrow escape just now.
He instinctively grabbed the wrinkled skin of Gamabunta's head, feeling the steady, powerful pulse of the giant beast beneath his feet, but his gaze involuntarily turned to the tall, white-haired man beside him.
His long white hair wildly danced in the evening breeze, the red war paint looked especially striking in the afterglow of the setting sun, and his solid back exuded a powerful aura that, though weathered by time, remained heroic and unrestrained.
'So this is... Father's often mentioned teacher, one of the legendary Sannin, the Gallant Jiraiya-sama?' Boruto's heart shook.
In his era, Jiraiya was already a legendary hero, existing only in his father's reminiscences and Konoha's memorial inscriptions.
Now, seeing this living legend in person, especially having just been saved by him at a critical moment, a mix of shock and a strange sense of closeness intertwined within him.
As if feeling Boruto's gaze, Jiraiya slightly turned his head, glancing at this blonde-haired kid out of the corner of his eye.
His gaze was sharp, instantly capturing the lingering fear on Boruto's face. Of course, what Jiraiya cared about most was the technique this kid had just used.
"Hey, kid, are you hurt?" Jiraiya's voice was still booming, but his tone was much gentler than his sharp shout to Shura, even carrying a hint of concern.
He had just been wandering around the village, pondering which bathhouse to visit for 'inspiration', when he happened to sense the unusual Chakra Collision here.
At first, he just observed from the shadows, not intending to get involved. After all, the village's Anbu dealing with suspicious individuals was a normal operation.
However, when Shura suddenly appeared and instantly dealt with the two Anbu and the suspicious pair of travelers with overwhelming force, he knew things were not simple.
And what truly prompted him to act immediately was the Rasengan coalescing in Boruto's hand as he recklessly charged at Shura!
He was too familiar with this technique.
It was the crystallization of hard work he had watched his own student, Namikaze Minato, develop and perfect bit by bit.
After Minato and Kushina's sacrifice, the only ones who had mastered this technique, besides himself, were Kakashi, who had inherited some of Minato's skills.
Now, seeing this blonde-haired boy of unknown origin could actually use the Rasengan, he is shocked.
Regardless, he knew this kid is definitely connected to Minato, even to himself!
So he unhesitatingly acted to save Boruto.
"I-I'm fine!" Boruto snapped out of it, hurriedly shaking his head, his tone carrying gratitude and a hint of nervousness when facing a legendary figure: "Thank you, sir! I really, really appreciate it!"
He almost blurted out the nickname [Pervy Sage] he had heard from his father, but managed to stop himself just in time.
Jiraiya grunted in response, his gaze then turning to the other side.
At the edge of Gamabunta's shadow, Young Sasuke, supported by Sai, was getting up from a pile of rubble and broken wood with difficulty, coughing violently, a trace of blood still at the corner of his mouth.
Young Sasuke's handsome face was slightly pale from pain and anger, but his Sharingan, at this moment, were staring with unbelievable shock at the one-armed man pinned under Shura's foot at the bottom of the crater, unable to move.
That fleeting glimpse in the blink of an eye...
He wasn't wrong!
Although it was only an instant, he was certain he had seen it!
The fleeting crimson color and tomoes pattern in the right eye of that one-armed man who called himself 'Samoyan'!
'That was... a Sharingan?!'
'Besides me, how could there be another Uchiha?'
'No, didn't Itachi...'
The absurd and terrifying reality made Young Sasuke's already chaotic thoughts churn even more.
Jiraiya had also noticed Young Sasuke's abnormal expression, but at this moment, he was more concerned about Shura's attitude and purpose.
He withdrew his gaze and locked it again on the still-composed black-robed figure below, thinking to himself: 'Did this guy showing up suddenly because he is really after Sasuke?'
After all, after Shisui had defected with most of the clan, the only Uchiha left in Konoha was Sasuke.
Being 'looked down upon' by Jiraiya and Gamabunta, who were on high alert, Menma seemed to feel no pressure whatsoever.
He still casually stepped on Adult Sasuke's shoulder with that foot, as if what was beneath his foot was not a powerful Ninja, but just a stone by the roadside.
Facing Jiraiya's interrogation and Gamabunta's deterrence, he spoke unhurriedly: "I didn't trespass..."
He let out an ambiguous, soft laugh. "Jiraiya-san, I'm afraid you misunderstand. My arrival in Konoha this time was not uninvited. I was invited by your Land of Fire's Daimyo's office and Konoha Village to discuss the upcoming [Joint Chunin Exams] arrangements with the Third Hokage."
As soon as these words were spoken, not only was Jiraiya stunned, but even the Konoha's Ninja who had just arrived at the scene and were taking up alert positions on the surrounding rooftops also showed a faint stir.
'Joint Chunin Exams?'
'Inviting Shura?'
Menma continued in his calm, unruffled tone: "Passing through this place, I happened to see your village's Anbu engaging these two unidentified intruders. With friendly exchanges and maintaining Konoha's public order before the exam in mind, I conveniently lent a 'helping hand'."
"After all, letting suspicious people wander around the village isn't good for the upcoming grand event, don't you think?"
His words were high-sounding, both clarifying his legitimate identity as an 'invited guest' and casually dismissing the previous conflict as 'helping maintain order'.
Having said this, Menma, without waiting for Jiraiya's response, moved his foot off Adult Sasuke's shoulder.
However, this was not a release.
He casually flicked his foot, flipping the limp Adult Sasuke at the bottom of the crater over, then kicked him in the side.
"Unh!" Adult Sasuke grunted. His already weak and powerless body flew up from the ground like a ragdoll, tumbling towards Jiraiya.
"Wild Lion's Mane Technique!" Jiraiya's eyes focused, reacting very quickly. His long white hair shot out again, precisely wrapping around the flying adult Sasuke, absorbing the force, and gently placing him on Gamabunta's head, next to Boruto.
Jiraiya quickly checked and found that although the other party was seriously injured and his Chakra disordered, he was not in critical condition. Clearly, Shura had deliberately controlled his strength.
Just then, more sounds of air being pierced came.
Konoha's patrols, nearby Ninja, and even some Jonin returning from missions had been alerted by Gamabunta's massive size and the sounds of the earlier fighting. They rushed to this block one after another.
In an instant, dozens of Konoha's Ninja appeared on the surrounding rooftops and street corners, including elite Jonin like Kakashi, Might Guy, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Akimichi Choza.
Although most looked surprised and suspicious, they quickly entered a state of vigilance, vaguely surrounding the area.
"Honestly... Such a commotion, are you trying to tear down the village?" A slightly aged but authoritative voice sounded.
The crowd automatically parted to make a path. There, wearing the white Hokage's robe and the Hokage's bamboo hat, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, walked over slowly, accompanied by a team of direct Anbu guards with solemn auras.
The smoking pipe in his mouth rose with wisps of smoke. His seemingly calm gaze swept over the chaotic street, the injured Anbu, the giant toad, the confronting Jiraiya and Shura, and the two unfamiliar outsiders on Gamabunta's head, finally resting on Shura. His eyes were deep, showing neither joy nor anger.
"Third Hokage-sama!" Sai, supporting Young Sasuke while bearing his own injuries, quickly walked to Hiruzen's side and reported in a low, rapid voice everything that had just happened, including their interrogation of the suspicious travelers, the other party's resistance, and Shura's sudden intervention and display of overwhelming power.
Hiruzen listened quietly. His wrinkled face showed little expression, only occasionally taking a drag from his pipe.
After Sai finished his brief report, he slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, looked at the fox-masked Shura, and spoke in a steady but interrogative voice: "Shura-san, a distant guest is a guest. However, 'stretching your legs' in this manner on Konoha's streets is perhaps somewhat inappropriate? Your visit this time, surely it's not intended to provoke unnecessary conflict, is it?"
As seasoned as the Third Hokage was, his words carried a hidden sharpness, both pointing out the inappropriateness of the other party's actions and probing the other's true intentions.
Menma seemed to laugh softly, not directly answering Hiruzen's interrogation.
He flicked his wrist, and a delicate scroll, the size of a palm, stamped with the seal of the Land of Fire's Daimyo's office, flew towards Hiruzen.
An Anbu flashed out, catching the scroll in mid-air, quickly checking it, and presenting it with both hands to the Third Hokage.
'So fast!' The surrounding Ninjas were all surprised. Even ordinary Jonin could barely see a trace of its trajectory, and the one who had just caught the scroll was even the Anbu Commander!
Hiruzen took the scroll, unfolded it, and scanned it.
It indeed bore the Land of Fire Daimyo's seal and personally signed invitation letter, with formal wording, inviting the Land of Stars' ruler, Shura, as a specially invited guest to observe the upcoming unprecedented [Joint Chunin Exams] to be held in Konoha, aimed at strengthening exchange between countries and Ninja Villages, showcasing the achievements of peaceful development, and so on.
Closing the scroll, Hiruzen sighed inwardly.
The Daimyo's office, in order to showcase the Land of Fire's tolerance and magnanimity, had indeed issued such an invitation.
Now, the person in question had appeared with legal documentation. Even if his way of doing things was eye-catching, Konoha could hardly criticize him overtly, especially since he had just 'assisted' in subduing the intruders.
The wrinkles on Hiruzen's face seemed deeper, but his tone had returned to its usual calmness. He handed the scroll to an Anbu beside him to put away, then looked at Shura: "Since it's an invitation from the Daimyo's office, you are naturally a guest of our Konoha. Please forgive any misunderstandings. Regarding the specific arrangements for the Chunin Exams, please move to the Hokage's office for a detailed discussion."