The Avengers of the Uzumaki Family

"Ok!"

Karin nodded emphatically.

Then.

Karin then told Menma in great detail about the intelligence she had gathered during this period.

While listening, Mianma was also silently making plans in her mind.

It must also be said that Orochimaru is indeed a rare talent. This is not only due to his strength as a ninja and his scientific research ability, but also because his leadership skills are fully demonstrated. To put it simply, someone like Danzo is no match for Orochimaru.

Even a mere Root organization has to be controlled through the art of eradicating the root of evil through the tongue. This is indeed one of the best ways to prevent information leaks, but isn't it also a sign that Danzo doesn't trust his subordinates?

Orochimaru doesn't need such methods; he has a large number of people under his command who are willing to die for him.

Curses and similar things are not for controlling subordinates; rather, they are used to enhance the power of subordinates.

At most, it can only be considered a backup plan that Orochimaru left for himself.

Orochimaru never used the cursed seal to forcibly control his subordinates.

In his view.

That's the worst approach.

Kimimaro, Guren, Kabuto Yakushi, the Sound Four, and others all obeyed and followed Orochimaru for one reason or another.

The founding of the Sound Village was no exception.

The fact that Orochimaru was able to build such a massive force in such a short time speaks volumes.

However, the Sound Village is now somewhat outwardly strong but inwardly weak. It took ten years of preparation to build up its ninja population of over a thousand, and hundreds of them were lost in the recent Konoha Crush plan.

Based on Karin's own perception, there were only three or four hundred ninjas that could be detected in Orochimaru's exclusive base. Most of them were still very weak, and only a few could reach the level of Jonin.

'It seems that even if Konoha doesn't pursue us, this base is practically useless now...'

Mianma pondered silently in his heart.

"Um, Menma, are we just going to stay here indefinitely?"

Karin's face seemed to show a hint of struggle and hesitation, but she finally mustered up the courage to look at Menma timidly and ask.

“Yes, we can’t leave here anytime soon, Karin. Putting aside the deal we made with Orochimaru before, we need Orochimaru right now, whether it’s your Uzumaki clan bloodline or my identity.”

Menma nodded and spoke in a solemn tone.

In the conversation just now.

Menma casually revealed his identity and briefly explained why he left Konoha. He already considered Karin his comrade, and she was currently the only comrade he could truly trust. Of course, Menma needed to tell Karin some important information.

It should be said that Menma's identity did indeed have a great impact on Karin, and it also makes it understandable why Menma wanted to leave Konoha. Isn't this similar to her environment in Kusagakure?

They are not recognized by others.

They were ostracized just the same way.

They too lost their loved ones forever.

At this moment, Karin felt more than ever before how similar and close she was to Menma. The sense of intimacy, dependence, and trust she felt in her heart became much stronger.

"Of course, this is only a temporary arrangement. I have some other ideas, but these will take time to realize."

Menma looked at Karin with a gentle expression and said.

This wasn't Menma deliberately comforting Karin; Menma genuinely had his own series of plans.

Orochimaru was ultimately just using this place as a stepping stone for himself.

He is different from Sasuke. He is obsessed with avenging Itachi Uchiha and restoring the Uchiha clan. This is already very obvious in the original work. Sasuke didn't have a complete plan at all, and he never actually carried it out. He just talked about it.

Of course, if Sasuke truly wants to revive the Uchiha clan, the first thing he needs to address is the issue of the clan members.

One person cannot revive an entire ninja clan.

Even if I become the strongest in the ninja world, it won't matter.

Mianma, on the other hand, has his own specific goals and plans.

The first step is to break away from Konoha and fully grasp his own freedom. Currently, he has only achieved half of that. After all, he is still living under Orochimaru's roof. Calling him a collaborator is just a nice way of putting it.

It wasn't a true case of treating Orochimaru as an equal.

Menma herself is well aware of this.

Therefore, at this stage, making oneself stronger is the primary goal.

"Yes, I believe you, Mianma."

Karin tilted her little head up and nodded obediently in reply. Although Karin didn't know what Menma's plan was, she didn't think she needed to know. In her opinion, she just needed to keep following Menma and become a necessary helper for Menma.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 132 The Shock of the Ninja World (Third Update)

Over the next two or three days.

Menma has been resting the whole time. After all, he just went through such a thrilling battle. Menma needs to adjust both physically and mentally. Everything else has to be put aside for now, including Orochimaru. Menma is 100% sure that Orochimaru hasn't had time to deal with him these past few days.

As someone who is incredibly proud.

Orochimaru could not allow himself to lose his hands.

That not only means he can no longer use many of his proud forbidden and secret techniques, but also that he can no longer conduct the precise experiments he used to do. This is the biggest blow to Orochimaru, and he must prioritize solving this problem.

During this rare period when Menma was able to relax and truly rest, news of the joint attack on Konoha by the Sound Ninja and Sand Ninja spread throughout the ninja world.

The deaths of the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, the capture of Gaara, the One-Tailed Jinchuriki, and the complete defeat of Sunagakure were enough to shock and draw the attention of other ninja villages. However, none of these news could compare to the shock and excitement of Menma Uzumaki's defection, who was another child of the Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki.

This is an undeniable fact.

Not to mention that each country must have its own high-level spies in Konoha, Sunagakure alone would definitely leak this news. In less than three days, the entire ninja world knew about Konoha's scandalous news.

The son of the village's leader betrayed the ninja village.

Moreover, it serves as a pillar of ultimate combat power.

At that moment, the leaders of the various ninja villages all issued orders to dispatch their most elite and trustworthy subordinates to conduct a thorough search of the entire ninja world. After all, that was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!

It is said to be the most powerful of the tailed beasts.

Even though Konoha has never used the Nine-Tails in the Fourth Shinobi World War in the past few decades, the fact that the First Hokage kept the Nine-Tails in his own village when distributing the Tailed Beasts is enough to prove that the Nine-Tails is the strongest.

Not to mention the Nine-Tailed Fox rampage 12 years ago.

Konoha suffered a devastating blow.

This was also known to all the countries in the ninja world.

Therefore, Menma, who had defected, became a coveted prize in the eyes of the nations above the ninja world, especially Iwagakure and Kumogakure, who were determined to acquire him and further strengthened their border defenses with the Land of Fire. If Konoha showed any further signs of weakness, it was foreseeable that the two great nations would not let go of this excellent opportunity.

A new round of the Ninja World War could break out at any time.

The Hidden Leaf Village naturally sensed this change in the situation. Under the orders of the two advisors, the entire village entered a state of high alert. Jiraiya set off immediately after the funeral of the Third Hokage and many fallen Konoha ninjas. He wanted to bring Tsunade back as soon as possible. Konoha really needed a leader with strong leadership and formidable strength!

Aside from the different attention given to these major ninja nations.

In a very remote, small southern country.

"What did you say? Orochimaru killed Hiruzen Sarutobi and Rasa, and even abducted the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and defected?"

In a very dark underground laboratory.

A deep, surprised voice rang out.

Then came the steps that led out.

Under the dim light of the oil lamp, the fiery cloud robe, the orange-yellow spiral mask, and the exposed three-tomoe Sharingan were all clearly visible – a familiar setup, a familiar appearance.

This figure is none other than Uchiha Obito, who can be considered one of the villainous bosses in the original work.

At this moment, the pitch-black creature that appeared before Obito was the third 'son' created by the Goddess of the Rabbit using Yin-Yang Release—Black Zetsu.

"This is confirmed information. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Menma, is fully aware of his identity. What should we do? Should we act now and capture the Nine-Tails? This should be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Black Zetsu opened his distinctive, serrated mouth and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Interesting, really very interesting. Orochimaru actually managed to bewitch Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? Heh, Uzumaki Menma's defection from Konoha is truly delightful news. I wonder how interesting my dear teacher's expression would be if he knew this news from beyond the grave."

A mocking look appeared in Obito's eyes as he chuckled softly.

"However, we still don't need to take too many actions. The timing isn't right yet. Neither we nor Nagato are fully prepared. Moreover, the capture of the tailed beasts is still being carried out in order. Besides, the entire ninja world's attention is focused on Uzumaki Menma. If we act too casually, it will easily attract the attention of other countries, which conflicts with our plan and isn't worth it. Anyway, the Nine-Tails will be captured last, so there's no need to rush. Instead, we can use this situation to further intensify the conflicts between countries. If another ninja world war breaks out, that would be the most favorable situation for our plan."

After a slight pause, Obito shook his head and continued.

The five great nations were the biggest obstacle in their "Eye of the Moon" plan, even though Obito was very confident that their plan would be successfully implemented.

However, Obito still wouldn't skimp on the necessary precautions.

Obito would not miss such an opportunity to easily escalate a conflict.

To reiterate, everything must revolve around the 'Eye of the Moon' project.

Hearing Obito's words.

Black Zetsu nodded in agreement.

"However, some intelligence gathering is still essential, especially with Orochimaru and Konoha. We must always have the necessary information!"

Then, as if he had suddenly thought of something, Obito looked at Black Zetsu with a serious expression and said.

"Okay, I understand what I need to do. I'll contact Nagato."

Black Zetsu nodded and replied in response.

Then, Black Zetsu immediately burrowed underground and disappeared into the distance.

"Konoha, Orochimaru, Menma Uzumaki, hehe, interesting, really interesting. Let me see what other amazing moves you can pull off."

Obito gazed northward, a cold glint in his eyes, and spoke in a low, mocking tone.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 133 Commands and Actions