"Nonsense! How dare a hidden, shadowy figure like you attempt to overthrow the iron order of the Ninja World!"
The Raikage's roar was like a clap of thunder. His Lightning Release Armor flared, and the ground beneath his feet cracked in a spiderweb pattern from the overflowing Chakra.
At the same time, the Third Hokage's voice rang out. "Masked Man, you say you want to stop war?"
"But your actions now, aren't they precisely starting a war? Do you realize that your words just now are tantamount to declaring war on the entire world!"
Menma's fox mask tilted slightly, as if he was sneering. "I said—I want to become 'war itself'."
His black robe flapped wildly in the surging Chakra, and the jet-black Spiral Wheel Ring spun in his palm, exuding a suffocating pressure.
"You're right, this is my war against the entire world."
The Third Hokage's brows furrowed deeply. He suddenly raised his voice. "Wait! Your Space-Time Ninjutsu—is that Flying Thunder God?! Where did you get that Ninjutsu from—"
But before he could finish, Menma had already acted.
The Spiral Wheel Ring, charged for a long time, was flung backward with immense force. The jet-black energy sphere cut through the sky, plummeting straight towards the distant forest.
At the moment of impact, the world fell silent.
"Boom—!!"
Immediately following, a blinding white light engulfed their vision, and a shockwave spread in a ring. Towering trees were instantly reduced to dust. A scorching fireball expanded and rose, painting half the sky crimson. The blast swept over them, making everyone's robes flap wildly. Even the Third Hokage and the Raikage had to raise their hands to shield themselves from the incoming heatwave.
When the light dissipated, a catastrophic mark appeared in the distant forest. The forest within a hundred meters was obliterated, replaced by a charred crater nearly a hundred meters in diameter. Smoke still rose from the edges, and the air was filled with a pungent, burnt smell.
"Declare war on the world?"
Menma's voice was terrifyingly calm, as if that devastating blow just now was merely an afterthought. "If such words came from an ordinary Ninja, they would only be considered a madman. But what if the speaker—"
His gaze from beneath the fox mask swept over the drastically changing faces of the Third Hokage and the Raikage. "Possesses the power to turn such 'boasting' into reality?"
The expressions of the two "Kage" completely darkened. This man, who called himself "Menma," was by no means bluffing. When a person's power is strong enough to single-handedly threaten the entire Ninja World order, "declaring war on the world" is no longer a wild claim, but a chilling—reality.
"Come, I do not wish to harm the innocent."
Menma's voice was remarkably clear amidst the aftershocks of the explosion. He raised his hand, pointing towards the still-burning ruins of the distant forest.
"My target is only the fools deluded by ambition—Raikage, I await you there."
The next moment, his figure vanished from the spot without a trace, as if erased by an eraser.
The Raikage's muscles tensed like steel. His breathing was heavy and hot. This level of power... this ambition... he must be eliminated here!
Without a moment's hesitation, the Raikage's figure suddenly transformed into a blue-white flash of lightning. The ground beneath his feet collapsed into a crater at the moment of his burst. His speed was so immense that he left a residual image in the air, leaving only scorched lightning marks and flying dust in his wake.
After Minato Namikaze's death—the value of the Ninja World's fastest speed was fully displayed at this moment.
"Raikage-sama!" C and Darui stepped forward almost simultaneously, wanting to follow, however.
"Roar—!!"
The roar of the Nine-Faced Beast sounded, its body blocking their path. Darui's mouth twitched, his usually lazy expression long replaced by seriousness. He once again drew the Ninjutsu blade from his back.
"Looks like it's no good..." He mumbled softly, his gaze sweeping over the menacing summoned beasts. "These guys' mission seems to be to stop us here..."
C's sensory Ninjutsu was fully activated. His fingers rapidly formed hand signs, and cold sweat dripped. "Chakra reactions... each one is stronger than me!"
On the other side, the Third Hokage's gaze retracted from the direction the Raikage had left. "All Anbu, listen! Defeat these summoned beasts, then—support the Raikage!"
"Swish—!"
Konoha's Anbu surged out like a black tide, their eyes beneath their masks cold and focused. The cold glint of Kunai formed a continuous line. Kakashi's figure quietly appeared at the front of the team, his Sharingan slowly rotating, locking onto targets.
The battle was about to erupt.
— — — — — —
In the distance, on a tall rooftop somewhere in Konoha, a small blonde figure looked helplessly at the distant battlefield, where dust billowed. Three-year-old Uzumaki Naruto couldn't help but sigh, rubbing his forehead.
So my inner self... is this chuunibyou?
Naruto's eyes were full of speechlessness. That's right—the "Menma" who was confronting the Raikage and the Third Hokage was a Shadow Clone using the [Vortex Menma Experience Card]. As for the one standing here, that was his true body.
What "become war itself"... what "declare war on the whole world"...
Naruto rubbed his hair, recalling his impassioned declaration just now, and his toes almost dug a three-bedroom apartment into the ground. It was too embarrassing! Although the lines were certainly effective, thinking back on it now was just explosively awkward.
His true goal wasn't that noble at all!
His plan was actually very simple. Step one, create a villainous alter ego to facilitate recruiting powerful but ideologically diverse rogue Ninjas in the future, such as:
Deidara, who constantly shouted, "Art is an explosion."
Kakuzu, who was only interested in money.
Zabuza, who failed to assassinate the Mizukage but was instead idolized by the Hidden Mist Ninjas.
Step two, stage a self-directed crisis, making "Menma" a threat feared by all nations, while he himself rises as a "Konoha genius" and becomes a "guardian" against the threat. This way—he could legitimately acquire more training resources, rack up system points, and integrate combat power at critical moments.
Step three, deal with future threats. Although he didn't know how strong the so-called Otsutsuki aliens really were, if Earthlings were constantly fighting amongst themselves, wouldn't they be directly doomed when the true external enemy arrived?
Internal strife... it's better to avoid it if possible.
"Naruto!"
A sudden, urgent cry sounded in his ear. Naruto jolted, almost sliding off the rooftop. He hurriedly turned his head, and a familiar figure came into view—long black hair slightly disheveled from running, cheeks flushed from exertion, chest heaving violently, clearly having run all the way.
"Sa... Satsuki?"
Naruto's eyes widened. He hadn't expected to see her here at all. Why was Uchiha Satsuki here? Shouldn't she be with the other villagers in the shelter?
Before he could react, Satsuki had already darted forward, her fingers fiercely pinching his ear.
"Wait! Ow ow ow! What are you doing?!"
Naruto struggled in pain, but instantly froze when he looked up and met Satsuki's eyes—those proud, dark eyes were now filled with fear, the corners slightly red, and her eyelashes still held traces of moisture.
"What do you mean?!" Satsuki's voice trembled noticeably. "The village is being invaded! Everyone has gone to the shelter! Do you know how dangerous it is outside?!"
Naruto opened his mouth, the words he was about to use to defend himself suddenly stuck in his throat. He just then realized that Satsuki had specifically run out to find him.
What happened just now?
Just now, when the alarm sounded, Satsuki hurried to evacuate with the Uchiha Clan's women and children. Fugaku led the Uchiha Ninjas to evacuate civilians. Itachi was on an external mission and not in the village. Not counting the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox Incident, which she didn't remember, this was Satsuki's first experience with an invasion.
And when the chaos in the shelter had somewhat subsided, the first thing Satsuki did was look around for that blonde figure. Upon finding Naruto absent, she anxiously asked the Ninjas responsible for evacuation, but received only a cold response.
"That demon fox kid? Who knows where he is."
For some reason, no one cared if he lived or died.
This realization made Satsuki's heart feel as if it was being squeezed by an invisible hand. She didn't even have time to explain to her mother before running out of the shelter, running all the way through the almost empty village, just to confirm his safety.
That white light that illuminated the entire sky just now...
Recalling that world-destroying explosion, Satsuki's fingers unconsciously tightened. That level of Ninjutsu, even her father and sister couldn't do it, could they? No... could a human even do that? If it had landed in the village...
"Satsuki... are you crying?" Naruto asked softly.
"I'm not crying!" Satsuki abruptly turned her face away. "Never mind that! Let's go quickly! You big idiot! If that Ninjutsu had exploded in the village just now, you would have surely died!"
She pulled Naruto's hand without question, with surprising strength. Naruto could feel the cold sweat and slight trembling in her palm.
She's scared... for me?
A complex emotion he had never felt before spread through his chest, both bittersweet and warm. He let Satsuki pull him towards the shelter.