"Orochimaru... and 'Shura'..." Kakashi's Sharingan remained locked onto the two figures standing side-by-side. Beneath his mask, his breathing was slightly labored.
Judging by the state of the cavern, the two had clearly clashed, and Orochimaru had come out the worse for wear. Yet now they stood together, seemingly having reached some form of understanding.
"What is your evaluation of Kinoe's Wood Style?" Orochimaru's raspy voice held a note of testing. His vertical pupils flickered toward Shura, eager to know if his 'masterpiece' held any future value.
"Mediocre," Menma's cold, flat voice drifted from behind the mask. "He lacks the lineage of a specialized clan; his chakra reserves are destined to be meager."
"Beyond the novelty of the Wood Style, he is worthless."
Yamato's greatest strength was indeed his Wood Style, but because he was born a commoner—lacking the boundless chakra of the Uzumaki or the potent vitality of the Senju—his growth was fundamentally capped. At his peak, he would be an elite Jōnin, nothing more.
Seeing that Shura had zero interest in the young Kinoe, Orochimaru's tongue flicked over his lip. It seems Kinoe's growth is limited... or perhaps my future self produces even greater works.
"I'll leave this place to you; I must depart the Land of Fire," Orochimaru said, turning toward an exit. "I will continue my research into the Iburi bloodline. You likely know where my next base will be." He cast a meaningful sidelong glance. He had shown initiative; it was time for the other party to show some sincerity.
"I won't see you out," Menma's reply was as brief as a blade's edge.
Hmph—
Without getting the information he craved, Orochimaru squinted and let out a soft huff. Clutching his wounded side, he vanished into the lightless depths of the tunnel.
"Orochimaru!" Kakashi started to call out, but a figure suddenly blurred toward him. The sound of pebbles being pulverized underfoot echoed sharply.
"Don't just stare at Orochimaru. Play with me for a bit," Menma said mockingly, wanting to test the current limits of the famous Copy Ninja.
THUD!
The heavy sound of a shin striking an arm erupted against the rock walls. Though Kakashi managed to block the sudden kick, the sheer force sent him skidding back several meters.
"Kakashi!" Having grown closer to the senior ninja through today's events, Kinoe immediately lunged with a kunai.
Faced with Kinoe's approach, Menma didn't retreat. He stayed low and closed the distance instantly.
"Too slow!" With a cold laugh, Menma's left hand parried and gripped Kinoe's wrist. His right fist followed like a torrential downpour, striking Kinoe's chest with rapid-fire precision.
Kinoe coughed up blood, the kunai slipping from his numb fingers.
Chirp—Chirp—Chirp—!
The roar of a thousand birds erupted from behind!
Menma hooked Kinoe's leg with his foot, releasing him and sending him flying backward with a final punch just as Kakashi charged. Kinoe's body hurtled through the air directly toward the oncoming lightning.
Seeing Kinoe flying toward him, Kakashi's Sharingan vibrated violently as a painful memory surged to the surface. He forcibly dispersed the Chidori chakra and caught Kinoe mid-air.
As he held the boy, Kakashi's three-tomoe eye shook with a traumatic tremor. The image of Rin Nohara dying by his hand—his Chidori through her chest—was a nightmare that never stopped haunting him.
Splat! Kinoe spat out a mouthful of blood, his chest feeling as if it had been crushed by a thousand-pound boulder.
"Tsk, tsk. Is that all it takes?" Menma had already appeared beside Yukimi, his palm resting lightly on the trembling girl's head.
The taijutsu sequence he had just used was a personal style he'd developed by blending traditional martial arts with the Gentle Fist he'd learned from Hinata—integrating internal energy strikes (Fa Jin) with point-striking precision. It carried the faint shadow of Leaf-style taijutsu but was far more unpredictable.
Kinoe was only thirteen; his taijutsu and Wood Style were still in their infancy. To Menma, it was almost boring.
"Yukimi!" Kakashi grit his teeth, holding the injured Kinoe as he watched the girl fall under Shura's control.
"Relax. I won't hurt her," Menma said, ruffling Yukimi's hair. "After all, I'm not Orochimaru."
The girl, trembling like a rabbit in an eagle's talons, had been considering using her smoke form to flee.
"Lord Shura!" Gotta emerged from the depths of the cave. The burn of the Curse Mark still lingered on his neck as he stepped behind Menma, carefully maintaining a respectful distance.
He looked at Yukimi. "Do not resist the Lord. Our clan belongs to him now."
Orochimaru had retreated. According to the terms of their bet, the Iburi would serve Shura for generations. Gotta and the others had accepted this fate of seeking shelter under the strong.
At her relative's comfort, Yukimi's trembling subsided. she looked up at Menma, her eyes still clouded with fear.
"I will free you from the flaws of your bloodline. You will walk in the sun with your heads held high," Menma promised them.
"The Iburi clan shall serve the Lord for generations!" Gotta dropped to one knee, bowing his head deeply to expose his defenseless neck in a gesture of total submission. The oath echoed through the hollow.
Menma nodded, quite pleased. If the flaws were resolved, the Iburi's smokeform could rival the Hozuki's hydrification. Gotta already touched the level of a Jōnin; without the wind's interference, he could grow significantly.
As Menma turned to walk deeper into the cave, he cast a final glance at the two Leaf ninja. He had the Hashirama cells; Kinoe was currently useless to him, and he had no means of brainwashing him yet. As for Kakashi... he needed to remain on the board to deal with Obito later.
Watching Shura's retreating back—a silhouette that had looked upon them with nothing but disdain—Kakashi's fingernails dug into his palms. First he had been ignored by Orochimaru, and now by Shura. This humiliation burned hotter than the blood Kinoe had coughed onto his shoulder. He began to truly doubt his own strength.
"Yukimi, let's go," Gotta called out. Seeing that Shura had no intention of finishing off the Leaf ninja, he followed closely.
Yukimi hesitated for a moment. Once the others had vanished into the darkness, she ran over to Kakashi and Kinoe.
"Tenzō, are you okay?" her voice was as soft as melting snow.
"Cough..." Kinoe wheezed out a bit of blood. "He... he's too strong..." Then, he slipped into unconsciousness.
"I have to get him medical attention immediately," Kakashi said, hoisting Kinoe onto his back. As Konoha's only Wood Style user, the boy's life was no longer his own. To Kakashi, Kinoe's survival was currently more important than intel on Shura.
"Go quickly, and don't come back!" Yukimi whispered her farewell. Orochimaru had failed, and the clan would likely follow Lord Shura to a new home. She didn't want these new friends to die; she had already lost too many people.
"Yeah," Kakashi nodded, leaping toward the exit with his heavy burden. He looked back one last time, catching a final glimpse of the girl dissolving into smoke and fading away.
"Until we meet again," Kakashi murmured.