Chapter 34: The Show of Strength
Everyone looked as the smoke cleared, revealing Jiraiya standing there. "Your favorite Sannin is here," he posed dramatically, trying to lighten the tension.
Everyone stared at him, dumbfounded. Menma glanced at him and scoffed, "Here comes the world-famous pervert of Konoha, always found peeping at women's baths using his ninjutsu."
Many inwardly agreed, though none dared to say it aloud because of his status. Jiraiya flushed red in embarrassment. "You—" he started, but stopped himself, taking a deep breath to calm down.
"Everyone, this isn't the time to focus on random matters," Jiraiya said seriously. "We have an intruder here showing some information, and you're all just believing it?"
Though outwardly composed, he cursed Hiruzen's entire generation in his mind. 'If only this man wasn't my teacher,' he thought bitterly. Hiruzen shot him a grateful glance.
Menma scoffed. "So the student comes to bail his teacher out? Since you call me a liar, show proof that what I revealed is fake."
"And don't tell me, as his student, you know nothing about any of this, like the matter regarding Sakumo Hatake?" Menma's voice echoed coldly.
Jiraiya fell silent, and so did the other clan heads. How could they not guess the truth behind it? Sakumo was one of Konoha's strongest ninja.
He had completed multiple S-rank missions, yet a single failure destroyed all his achievements. The details of that mission had coincidentally leaked to civilians.
If the clan heads believed that nonsense, they might as well commit seppuku on the spot. The silence in the arena only made things heavier.
Guy looked at Kakashi. His face was completely covered in shadows. He had known it—it didn't take a genius to figure it out. But one question kept bothering him. "Why?"
The question echoed in the silence of everyone. Shikaku sighed. "Troublesome." Menma laughed. "Why do you think? He was a threat—not to Konoha, but to Hiruzen and the elders' power. Think about it."
"A ninja whose name alone made other villages hesitate, right, Mr. Rasa?"
Rasa gritted his teeth in anger but stayed silent. "He was a man who completed multiple S-class missions flawlessly. A man already considered the Fourth Hokage by the people. Do you think they would let him be? Even if he had no interest in the position?"
"What if one day he changed his mind and decided to become Hokage? Wouldn't the elders' and Hiruzen's political power decrease in the village?"
Kakashi stayed silent, then looked at everyone. Every clan head lowered their head, not meeting his eyes. "No—no, it's fake. We never wanted to kill Sakumo—"
"And the evidence for that? If I'm not wrong, the one who was caught and forced Sakumo to sacrifice his nearly completed mission was your son, right?" Menma laughed.
"Hypocrites. Even now, you want to maintain your kind façade? You have walked a path of no return, Sarutobi Hiruzen. You sent countless talented kids to die on the battlefield while you stayed in the village, puffing on smoke."
"You betrayed the very Will of Fire and the reason Hashirama created this village. This village was never meant to be the strongest. It was built so children wouldn't have to fight in wars."
"You all are hypocritical parasites hiding behind a mask of kindness."
Jiraiya clenched his fists. "Then why not reveal your face? Why hide behind a mask? Don't worry, I, Jiraiya, guarantee your safety—"
"Pfft—hahahaha!" Menma burst into laughter. "What gave you the impression I'm afraid of any of you?"
He raised his hand toward the sky. "Dai Rasenringu." A black orb with a white ring formed in his palm before he flicked it toward the forest outside the arena.
Everyone blinked in confusion, but Jiraiya, Hiashi, and the sensory-type ninja went pale. "Everyone, grab something—!" Jiraiya shouted urgently.
{Baka, what are you doing?!} Ino shouted through the telepathy seal as soon as the Dai Rasenringu formed. {Naruto-kun?} Hinata called, worried.
{Don't worry, I won't go too far,} Naruto's voice replied calmly. Hearing that, both of them relaxed slightly, though their tension remained.
A massive mushroom cloud rose outside the arena, followed by a deafening boom. The shockwave hit instantly, shaking the ground violently.
Everyone clutched their ears as the blast shattered glass and cracked the arena walls. The sheer force made even seasoned ninja lose their balance.
A massive crater formed outside, leaving everyone in stunned silence. They finally realized Menma wasn't someone they could handle casually.
Hiruzen's face turned pale as the weight of the situation sank in. This was no ordinary enemy—this was a monster in human form.
Meanwhile, outside the hidden entrance of Root's base, another masked figure stood. His excitement was impossible to hide.
"Heheh, finally I can use some moves I've been practicing," Kurama grinned. A barrier quickly spread, sealing the entire Root base.
"Now let's give them a surprise gift," he muttered, dropping to all fours. His body shifted into a fox-like form as five tails appeared behind him.
"Tsk, only five tails… whatever," he muttered, gathering purple and black energy in his mouth mixed with natural energy.
Kurama aimed at the entrance. "Hyper Beam." A concentrated Bijūdama laser shot forward, piercing through the doors and entering the hidden base.
A massive explosion followed, shaking all of Konoha. The ground trembled as destruction spread deep underground.
"Damn, got too excited," Kurama laughed, clearly unconcerned. From the massive crater, a body began reforming as if reality itself was being rewritten.
Danzo Shimura knelt on the ground, breathing heavily as he looked around. His decades of work—his entire Root—was gone.
All his loyal subordinates had been annihilated in an instant. Even he had died, saved only by the Sharingan embedded in his arm.
His eyes turned red with rage. "Who dares—" before he could finish, he was sent flying, crashing violently into the rocks.
"Quick Attack," Kurama grinned as he dashed forward again. Danzo's body was still reforming when Kurama struck once more.
"Iron Tail." His tails shredded Danzo's body, carving a massive canyon into the earth along with the impact.
Kurama leapt back as fire gathered in his mouth. "Flamethrower." A massive wave of flames surged forward, melting the ground into glass.
Danzo revived again, only to be burned to ashes before he could even react. His body disintegrated instantly under the overwhelming attack.
"Four gone, seven lives remaining," Kurama grinned, clearly enjoying himself. The destruction around him didn't concern him in the slightest.