Naruto: I'm in Konoha, my name is Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 195 The Gift of Parting

【Bee—! !!】The Eight-Tails within Killer Bee let out a heart-wrenching roar!

The Tailed Beast Ball formed by the Dark Nine-Tails far surpasses the Tailed Beast Balls formed by the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails in both quality and size.

The shadow of death loomed over them in an instant!
Killer Bee, now in his tailed beast form, roared as his eight enormous tentacles, driven by their survival instincts, frantically coiled and intertwined upwards, piling up layer upon layer in front of his head to form a thick wall of flesh and blood!
At the same time, a large amount of tailed beast chakra was poured into it without regard to cost, in an attempt to withstand this annihilation!
boom--! ! !
The dark red orb of destruction, carrying a dark core that could devour everything, slammed into the hastily constructed defense of the Eight-Tails!

Time seemed to stand still at that moment, and then—

A terrifying explosion, indescribable in its devastation, erupted at point-blank range!

The explosion instantly engulfed the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails!

The blinding light made the entire Hell Valley as bright as day. The shockwave that followed was no longer a spreading circle, but condensed into a destructive torrent of energy. The rocks instantly vaporized, and the ground was plowed into a bottomless, massive ravine filled with flowing lava!

When the devastating light finally dimmed, the deafening roar turned into a low hum, and the billowing smoke and energy particles slowly settled.

The scene at the epicenter of the explosion was horrific.

The Dark Nine-Tails still stood there, its dark red chakra surging around it, seemingly unharmed. Its large mouth, which had just spat out a Tailed Beast Ball, spewed out air, as if it was quite satisfied with its masterpiece.

The eight-tailed bull demon that was captured by it suffered an extremely miserable fate.

The eight tentacles used for defense were all blown off, leaving only charred and broken roots, like the stumps of a felled giant tree!

On the massive bull's head, most of the sharp horns that symbolized power had been erased, leaving only jagged edges from which flowed molten, scorching blood.

Its massive body was covered with deep, charred wounds that exposed the bone. Dark red, corrosive energy, like maggots clinging to the bones, spread and burned at the wounds, making a sizzling sound.

Killer Bee's tailed beast form was extremely weak, emitting a painful and weak hiss. His massive body swayed precariously, only managing to stay upright thanks to the giant claws of the Dark Nine-Tails.

"Bee—!!!" Yugito let out a shrill scream of grief and despair upon seeing the Eight-Tails' miserable state!

The dark blue flames surged wildly in anger!
The enormous cat paw, burning with fury, slammed down on the side of the Dark Nine-Tailed Fox!
At the same time, the Fourth Raikage, A, transformed into a blue lightning bolt that tore through the air!

He unleashed his full power of lightning chakra armor, emitting a piercing shriek, and leaped high into the air. His left arm was wreathed in violent lightning powerful enough to cut through gold and jade, his target aimed directly at the imposing black-robed figure atop Dark Nine-Tails' head.

Thunder-torture level Chiyomai!
"Shura! Die—!!!" Ai's roar was filled with deep-seated hatred and a resolute determination to perish together with his enemies!

Despite being attacked from both above and below, the mask on Dark Nine-Tailed Fox's head didn't even budge an inch.

His icy gaze swept over the burning giant claws rushing down below, and the Dark Nine-Tails casually swept out one of its huge tails, as if swatting a fly, accurately striking the Two-Tails Matatabi's claw wrist!

boom--! ! !
A dull thud was accompanied by the cracking sound of bones breaking!
The wooden figure let out a shrill roar of pain. Its huge body was violently pulled off balance by the immense force, and it rolled and crashed into the distant rock wall. Even the dark blue flames dimmed considerably!
At the same time, facing Raikage A, who descended from the sky like a meteorite and was accompanied by deadly lightning, Menma simply raised his left hand slightly.

In his palm, a jet-black rod, seemingly formed from pure shadow, appeared out of thin air!
There was no sound of air being cut, no energy fluctuations, only an extreme, all-piercing chill!

call out!
The black rod shot out as if it had teleported!

Pfft——!
A soft sound, yet it struck Ai's heart like a thunderclap!

That seemingly inconspicuous black rod ignored the violent lightning chakra armor on his body and easily pierced through his left palm, which was filled with the strongest lightning chakra, like a hot knife through butter!
A cold, domineering force surged into his arm's meridians in an instant!

"Ugh!" Ai let out a suppressed groan of pain, and the terrifying lightning gathered in his left arm dissipated instantly like a candle flame being extinguished!

Rai Natsumi's offensive was abruptly interrupted!

What horrified him even more was that the black rod not only pierced through his palm, but the strange power attached to it also instantly disrupted and blocked the flow of chakra in his entire left arm!
My arm is numb and I've lost all my strength!
Just as Ein froze in pain and horror, the other massive tail of the Dark Nine-Tailed Fox swept down like a battering ram with a piercing whistle that tore through the air!

boom--! ! !
A solid, muffled thud! Aina's burly body was struck as if by a speeding train, turning into a blue afterimage as he flew backward at an even greater speed than he had come from!

With a deafening roar, it slammed into the still partially collapsed rock face hundreds of meters away!

Rock fragments flew everywhere, dust filled the air, and he was completely embedded in it!
"Lord Raikage!" Yugito, who was struggling to his feet in the distance, cried out in alarm, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Big brother~ are you alright~" Killer Bee, in his tailed beast form, endured the excruciating pain and let out a weak cry.

Ai struggled to break free from the crater in the rock wall, as gravel fell down in a flurry.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his left arm hung limply at his sides, and a horrifying hole ran through his palm, with blood dripping from his fingertips.

What chilled him to the bone was that the chakra in his entire left arm was frozen, completely unable to be mobilized!

That eerie black rod not only caused physical damage, but also completely crippled his fighting ability by removing one of his arms!

He looked up and saw that the center of the battlefield resembled an apocalyptic scene.

Matatabi, the two-tailed beast transformed from a wooden puppet, had just crawled up from the ruins of the rock wall. His eerie blue flames were dim, indicating that he had also suffered serious injuries.

Killer Bee, who had taken a full hit from a Tailed Beast Ball, was reduced to half a broken body in his Tailed Beast form, barely clinging to life, struggling futilely under the giant claws of the Dark Nine-Tails.

The Eight-Tails that once went berserk, causing the entire Hidden Cloud Village to be on high alert and requiring the entire village to mobilize to suppress it.

In front of Dark Nine-Tails, he was like a three-year-old child, being manipulated at will!

No resistance!

Raikage A couldn't help but recall the legends passed down from his father's generation. Although the ranking of the nine tailed beasts' strength wasn't based on their tails, the strongest tailed beast was undoubtedly the Nine-Tails.

Raikage A once scoffed at this, having participated in suppressing the rampage of the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails. Although the two tailed beasts were terrifyingly powerful, they were not yet capable of destroying the world.

Throughout the several Shinobi World Wars, Konoha has never seen the use of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in battle.

But today...

The terrifying, dark red nine-tailed fox, and the figure atop its head wearing a white three-eyed fox mask, displayed absolute power and an overwhelming sense of oppressive force that instilled despair.

An unprecedented sense of powerlessness and anger surged into A's heart. 'Is this... the power of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki...' Now, even Raikage A had to admit that his opponent was definitely the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!

'So those bastards in Konoha! How could they even lose the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?!'

The crushing defeat three years ago, the humiliation three years later, the casualties of his subordinates, the devastating loss of his brothers…

All my emotions were boiling in my chest like magma.

He glanced at his completely useless left hand, then at Killer Bee and Yugito who were still struggling in the distance, and a resolute glint flashed in his eyes!

"Ah—!!!" A beastly roar burst from deep within Ai's throat!
He suddenly raised his right hand, his palm pressed together like a knife, and violent lightning chakra instantly condensed on it, forming a dazzling blue lightning blade!

Without the slightest hesitation, he slashed down hard on his left elbow joint, which had been pierced by the black rod and had lost all its chakra!

laugh--!
Blood splattered!
A strong arm was severed at the elbow and fell heavily onto the scorched ground!

The excruciating pain contorted Ai's face instantly, but he swallowed back his scream!
Blood gushed from the severed arm, which he forcibly burned to stop the bleeding with his violent lightning chakra, even emitting a burnt smell.

His only remaining right hand clenched into a fist, and lightning chakra once again covered his entire body. Although his breathing was somewhat disordered due to blood loss and intense pain, his fighting spirit of never giving up burned even more fiercely!

Like a wounded lone wolf, he charged headlong into the demon-like Dark Nine-Tailed Fox with a fierce and resolute spirit!
"The dignity of Cloud Village! I will protect it!!!" Ai's roar echoed across the battlefield, tragic and resolute!
Above the Dark Nine-Tails, Menma quietly watched the Raikage, who was still roaring and charging forward despite losing an arm.

For the first time, a barely perceptible flicker of emotion flashed in the eyes beneath the mask.

That is an affirmation of pure will and courage.

Although the Raikage of each generation were all reckless, they still possessed some of the backbone of a village's leader.

Just then, a subtle yet clear thought came through the "chakra network" imprinted in his mind—it was Kakuzu.

[My lord, the remaining members of the Blood Pond clan, led by Miyajo En and Miyajo Jin, have successfully evacuated Hell Valley and are heading towards the coast according to the planned route. The Cloud Village ninja have been repelled by us; they suffered heavy casualties, with fewer than seven survivors.]

Kakuzu's report was concise.

Menma's gaze swept over the devastated Hell Valley, whose terrain had been completely altered.

The enormous circular crater, the lava-flowing ravines, the collapsed rock walls, the pervasive smoke and bloody stench—all were tinged with a poignant crimson by the setting sun.

This encounter has achieved the desired effect.

With the Blood Pond Clan acquired, Kumogakure suffered another heavy blow. The Raikage lost an arm, and the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails were severely injured. The goal of deterrence has been achieved beyond expectations.

Now is not the time to completely destroy Kumogakure and let the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails fall into the hands of Akatsuki.

The time is not right, and my stage has not yet been set up.

Seeing the one-armed Raikage A roaring and charging forward again, and Killer Bee and Yugito struggling to support his tailed beast transformation, Menma made a decision.

With a casual sweep of its massive tail, Dark Nine-Tails sent Raikage A leaping to dodge, activating his Lightning Release Chakra Armor and attempting to close the distance again. However, he was struck by several of the other tails and sent flying like a fly, crashing heavily near Killer Bee and Yugito.

Ai struggled to his feet, coughing up a mouthful of blood. He supported himself on the ground with one arm, his eyes still defiant.

Killer Bee and Yugito stood in front of him, letting out weak growls as they prepared for the final assault.

However, the anticipated fatal attack did not occur.

The face above Dark Nine-Tailed Fox's head slowly raised its right hand.

"Tsk, I've had my fill of fun. This time was even more enjoyable than the last."

"Consider this a parting gift."

On his palm, a chilling, even more sinister and violent dark red chakra began to gather and compress wildly!
It is no longer a pure energy sphere like the Tailed Beast Ball, but has formed a sphere that rotates at high speed, with a pitch-black core and a destructive dark red energy ring wrapped around its perimeter.

Kirabi's eyes widened in surprise.

It was the same terrifying ninjutsu that severely damaged Kumogakure three years ago, leaving Killer Bee with a permanent scar.

Great Spiral Wheel!
This dark purple energy ball was only the size of an apple, but the destructive aura it emitted made the severely injured Killer Bee and Yugito feel their souls tremble!
That core darkness seemed capable of devouring all hope!
"If you can't survive..." Mianma's cold voice, penetrating through the mask, clearly reached the ears of the three below, carrying a condescending indifference and a sense of judgment.

"Just die here."

As soon as he finished speaking, he gently pushed with his palm.

The dark purple spiral wheel, like a falling star of death, slowly descended towards the location of Raikage A, the broken Eight-Tails Gyuki, and the wounded Two-Tails Matatabi, with a silent trajectory of destruction!
Ai, Killer Bee, and Yugito watched helplessly as the dark purple orb, representing the end, grew larger and larger in their field of vision!
Just as the giant spiral wheel was about to hit the ground!

Om-!
The face above Dark Nine-Tails' head and the massive Dark Nine-Tails itself suddenly became blurry, and then disappeared from the spot like a phantom!
The next moment, he appeared high in the sky, his dark red chakra cloak burning like flames, supporting him as he floated in the sky.

Boom boom boom——!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The giant spiral wheel has finally landed!
An explosion even more concentrated and terrifying than the previous collision of Tailed Beast Balls occurred!
A deep, dark purple energy sphere, seemingly capable of swallowing light, rapidly expanded!

It then turned into a blinding white light.

Wherever it passed, all matter was silently annihilated!
The ground collapsed and disappeared like a fragile sandcastle!
A giant sinkhole, even deeper than the crater created by the previous Tailed Beast Ball, was born amidst a destructive white light!

The violent shockwave swept through Hell Valley once again, turning the already damaged terrain into dust!

The "white light mushrooms" formed by the explosion are growing wildly in Hell Valley!
The figures of Raikage A, Killer Bee in his tailed beast form, and Yugito, along with their roars, were instantly and completely engulfed by the expanding explosion!
High in the sky, Mianma floated against the backdrop of the burning sunset, his white fox face coldly looking down at the area below that was being swallowed by dark purple destructive light.

The black robe fluttered in the fierce high-altitude airflow as it silently gazed down at the scene below, which resembled a descending hell.

The blinding white light continued to expand and contract, eventually transforming into a massive pillar of energy connecting heaven and earth before slowly dissipating.

All that remains is a massive crater, tens of meters deep and over three thousand meters in diameter, with lava churning within, and the pervasive smoke and despair of deathly silence.

(End of this chapter)