"What an old-fashioned question."
Menma's voice came through the fox mask, carrying a hint of lazy mockery. He slowly raised his hand, his fingertips lightly tapping his mask, producing a crisp "knock-knock" sound.
"However, I also don't want to keep being called 'Masked Man' or 'Man in Black Robe' or anything like that—" He paused, then reported his name clearly.
"Menma, that is my name."
The Raikage's brow furrowed deeply, his bronze muscles bulging from tension, and Lightning Release Chakra crackled on his body.
"Annihilating Kumogakure's convoy and targeting me, the Raikage… Kid, no matter who you are, now the entire Land of Lightning is your enemy!"
He suddenly stepped forward, and the ground cracked beneath his feet.
"Tell me the village or organization behind you!" The Raikage clenched his fist, lightning sparks flying, "I will swiftly take you down!"
Menma merely shrugged indifferently, "The answer to that question will probably disappoint you. If you insist on talking about 'someone behind me' or 'background'…"
"I don't have such a thing. Or rather… the leader of the organization behind me is myself."
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Before he finished speaking, a scorching beam of fire suddenly blasted from the side! A giant fire dragon roared, tearing through the air, and the high temperature distorted the surrounding scenery with heat waves. The flames instantly engulfed Menma's figure.
However, the moment the flames touched Menma's body, an invisible barrier quietly appeared. The scorching fire waves were like hitting a transparent wall, being forcefully blocked. After raging for a few seconds, the flames finally slowly dissipated, and Menma—was completely unharmed.
Everyone looked towards the source of the Fire Release—
Hiruzen Sarutobi had, at some point, changed into a black battle suit, his aged gaze fixed on Menma. Behind him, all of the Konoha Anbu were on high alert, their kunai and ninja swords glinting coldly.
And among the Anbu, one figure was particularly striking, with silver-white hair that could not be concealed even by a mask.
Most likely, it was Kakashi.
Menma's gaze lingered briefly on that figure, and the corner of his mouth beneath the mask curled slightly.
"Lord Raikage! Now you believe that the Masked Man is not a Konoha conspiracy, don't you?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice reached the Raikage's ears amidst the battlefield's clamor. His gaze was tightly fixed on the unharmed Menma in the distance, adopting a defensive stance.
The Raikage's chest heaved violently. He let out a heavy "Tsk," forcefully suppressing the anger in his heart. The Third Hokage's words indeed made sense—it was impossible for a ninja with such terrifying strength, if secretly cultivated by Konoha, to have remained unknown until now. Moreover, staging an invasion of Konoha would be too great a blow to the village's reputation.
But years of combat experience had instilled a vigilance that made the Raikage still harbor a trace of doubt.
Just then, the Third Hokage spoke again. "Lord Raikage, regarding the Kumogakure delegation, we can renegotiate after resolving the current crisis."
He slightly turned, signaling the Anbu behind him to prepare for battle, "Now, the Masked Man who annihilated the delegation and invaded Konoha is our common enemy. How about we first join forces to take him down, whether alive or dead…"
The Raikage was silent for a moment. He took a deep breath, his nostrils filled with the smell of scorching. "…Though it's very irritating, let's do as you say for now, Hokage."
"Unfortunately, the option of capturing me alive does not exist."
Facing the formidable two Kage, Menma's voice came through the fox mask, his black robe fluttering slightly under the surge of Chakra, and the Nine-Faced Beast circled around him, exuding a suffocating pressure.
"My purpose in coming here is very clear—"
He slowly raised his hand, pointing at the Raikage.
"To kill the Raikage."
"Don't get carried away, kid!"
The Raikage's roar exploded. In his fury, his figure instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning, Lightning Release Chakra violently swirling around his body, tearing the air with a piercing shriek. Almost as soon as his words fell, he appeared before Menma, his right hand transforming into a lightning-infused hand blade, slashing down fiercely!
"Lightning Straight!"
This strike was so fast it almost exceeded the limits of vision. Where the Lightning Release hand blade passed, the air was ionized with a scorching smell. The next moment, Menma's figure vanished at the last possible second.
He had instantly teleported to the head of the Azure Dragon, one of the Nine-Faced Beast. Each of these powerful summoned beasts served as a Flying Thunder God marker for him.
Without any pause, Menma threw a Flying Thunder God kunai with a backhand motion. The kunai flew towards the Raikage, and just as it was about to make contact—
Menma's figure appeared out of thin air at the kunai's location, a pitch-black, ink-like energy sphere condensing in his right palm. An ominous Chakra vortex swirled on the sphere's surface.
"Spiral Wheel Ring!"
The pitch-black sphere, carrying destructive pressure, shot straight towards the Raikage's chest! The Raikage instinctively pushed his Lightning Release Chakra to its limit, crossing his arms to block.
"Boom—!!"
The moment the two terrifying energies collided, a blinding flash erupted. The ground beneath the Raikage's feet instantly collapsed, and spiderweb-like cracks rapidly spread outwards. He gritted his teeth, his Lightning Release armor humming under the impact, showing signs of strain, but he ultimately endured the blow.
The Raikage's mind raced, his muscles suddenly bulging, and with brutal force, he flung the Spiral Wheel Ring towards the sky!
"Get—up there!!"
The pitch-black sphere drew a deadly arc, soaring straight into the sky.
"Rumble—!!!"
The explosion high in the sky illuminated the entire sky above Konoha. A brilliant white fireball expanded and spread, and the shockwave tore a massive hole in the clouds. The blast swept downwards, making everyone's robes flap violently.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up at this scene, his aged face instantly losing color. If this attack had landed in Konoha…
The power, whose mere aftershocks were terrifying, if it had erupted within the village… the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"Don't be in such a hurry to act, Raikage."
Menma's voice suddenly deepened. He slowly raised his hand, making a "pause" gesture. "Aren't you curious? My purpose in doing all of this."
The Raikage's brows were tied in a knot, but he ultimately did not continue his attack. He stood in place, staring intently at Menma, as if trying to see through the mask.
Menma looked around, his gaze sweeping over the Konoha Anbu who were on high alert, finally returning to the Raikage.
"This world… peace has never truly arrived." His voice suddenly took on a strange resonance, "Soldiers, ninjas, civilians—they are strangers, never having seen each other's faces, not knowing each other's names."
A sudden gust of wind picked up, making his black robe flap wildly. Dark clouds began to gather on the horizon, with faint lightning flickering within them.
"Simply because their headbands are different… simply because of the orders of the 'upper echelons,' they must raise their weapons and pierce each other's throats."
"People say, this is because their 'positions' are different, so they cannot understand each other…"
"Ridiculous."
"True positions are never chosen by themselves." Menma raised his hand, and pitch-black Chakra began to gather in his palm, forming a slowly rotating Spiral Wheel Ring. "The Daimyo of various countries sign war agreements in luxurious palaces, while ninjas on the battlefield fall one by one."
The Spiral Wheel Ring spun faster and faster, and the surrounding air began to distort, emitting a strained hum.
"Those high-and-mighty people only need to lightly wave their pens to make thousands bleed. And the ninjas… can only die for an illusory 'greater good.'"
The Raikage's pupils constricted slightly. He had never expected to hear such words from an "enemy."
"Therefore—I will force you, you fools deluded by ambition! I will eliminate you all!"
Chakra erupted with a roar, and the dark clouds in the sky instantly became dense, thick lightning snakes rolling and roaring within them.
"I do not belong to any ninja village, any country. I… will become 'war' itself."
The Spiral Wheel Ring floated in his palm, its pitch-black aura reflecting on the fox mask, outlining eerie patterns.
"Whenever a country attempts to provoke conflict, I will descend, destroy their armies, and crush their ambitions."
"I will make them fear, make them understand—that as long as they dare to wage war, they will face a price more terrifying than death."
The rotation speed of the Spiral Wheel Ring reached its peak, and small cracks began to appear in the surrounding space.
"If peace cannot be achieved through understanding… then let it be maintained by absolute 'despair.'"
"...This is my long-cherished wish."