The Avengers of the Uzumaki Family

Death in battle was their only fate.

Of course, this only applies to these people.

The remaining Mist Ninja, aside from a small number of guards who were initially left behind to have more time to escape, all chose to kneel and surrender. This battle completely shattered the backbone of Kirigakure, as more than three thousand Mist Ninja had died in battle, and as many as five thousand had been captured by the Light Ninja under Menma's command. Of the more than ten thousand Mist Ninja who went on the expedition, less than one-tenth managed to escape the territory of the Land of Grass with great difficulty. They would then face pursuit by the Light Ninja, and whether they could successfully return to their own village was an unknown.

As a result, a large number of fog-covered ninjas either died or fell into hiding.

The Hidden Mist Village's status as a major power has essentially been declared dead. What remains is a meager existence, probably only slightly stronger than the so-called Hidden Star Village, having completely fallen to the level of a third-rate existence in the ninja world.

And it's quite obvious that Mianma won't let such an opportunity slip by.

Since we're going to take action anyway, it doesn't matter which village we destroy first. Since we have the opportunity now, we might as well make adjustments and make Kirigakure the first village to be destroyed.

“Wuwei mulberry, wading through mulberry trees.”

The Light Ninjas on the battlefield are currently cleaning up the mess.

Mianma had already mentally planned what to do next.

"Yes, Lord Menma."

The words that were just shouted.

Just as Wuwei and Shemu stepped closer to the spot, Menma was about to say something more.

"Lord Tenkage, we have received an urgent message from Lady Karin from the village."

A ninja dressed as an ANBU member also rushed over from a distance, kneeling on one knee in greeting while immediately taking out a miniature scroll from his pocket and presenting it to Menma.

"The village?"

When Menma heard the words of this ANBU member, he first frowned, and a bad premonition appeared in his heart.

The scroll was taken directly and, with a gentle shake, it unfolded rapidly, revealing the contents recorded inside.

Mianma's expression changed slightly.

Because it was just one foot at a time.

This scroll not only records the intelligence of the large-scale invasion of Iwagakure, but also the later addition of Jiraiya's invasion of the village, and the fact that he took Naruto's information. The former was inconsequential, as Menma had already anticipated and prepared for it, but the latter was truly beyond Menma's expectations.

Jiraiya infiltrates their Hidden Light Village alone!?

Is the inertia of the original plot really that strong?! Does Jiraiya really have to choose one ninja village to invade alone?!

And yet, he actually succeeded!

"Very good, very good. Since you dare to do this, it seems you've already prepared yourself for the consequences. So don't blame me."

With a slight exertion of force in his hands, Mianma muttered something under his breath, his expression icy cold.

Amidst the startled expressions of Wuwei and Shemu, the scroll instantly turned into dust, scattering in the breeze.

"After the sweep is over, the rest is up to you two. Wuwei-san and Shemu-san, the pursuit should only go as far as the River Country. Don't go any further. Just give those guys in the River Country a little warning. Next, we need to reinforce the defenses. Something happened in the village, and I need to go back and deal with it."

Menma took a deep breath, slightly raised his eyelids, and looked directly at Wuwei and Shemu, who were standing nearby, before giving the order.

"Yes, Lord Menma!"

Wuwei and Shemu also bowed in response.

After Mianma nodded slightly.

"Whoosh!"

With a single push of his foot, his figure vanished from the spot and sped off towards the northeast.

Naruto absolutely cannot be out of his control.

Jiraiya, in particular, will have to pay the price for his reckless behavior.

With this determination, Mianma pushed his speed to the limit.

A chase under extreme circumstances.

A reversal of roles.

It only took less than two or three years.

Jiraiya and Naruto, who had just escaped from the eastern district of Hidden Light Village, thought they could leave this area smoothly and return to Hidden Leaf Village through a more stable method. But how could Toneri let them go so easily?

They relentlessly pursued them.

The distance between the two sides has never widened; it has always been kept at a very subtle level.

As for the Anbu directly dispatched by Karin, who were further away, they were completely left behind. These ordinary ninjas had no chance of keeping up with Jiraiya, Naruto, and Toneri's speed. Despite their best efforts, the distance between them continued to widen. They could only barely keep up, relying on the search for traces to determine the general direction, and then relaying the information they had gathered back to the village.

However, the longer it goes on, the less these people can keep up, and sooner or later they will completely lose track of them. Even so, as long as they are not completely lost, these members of the Dark Guard will keep following closely. This is the order of their own Lady Karin, and the person they are chasing ahead is the younger brother of their own Lady Menma. No matter what, he is someone who must be taken back.

One in front of the other.

The pursuit formation that unfolded.

Jiraiya, perched atop the giant toad's head, looked at Toneri hanging behind him from afar, a hint of anxiety showing between his brows. He truly hadn't expected that anyone could keep up with the giant toad's speed.

The key is.

At such a distance.

Toneri could occasionally attack them with ninjutsu.

This also makes it a pipe dream to escape using the Reverse Summoning Technique. Although this technique is a unique escape technique, it has two main requirements: firstly, it requires a very high level of skill in summoning beasts, and not just any beast can be used; secondly, it requires a relatively stable environment and doesn't need to be too long, just two or three seconds.

The former is perfectly fine; Fukasaku is capable of doing that.

But the latter.

Sheren simply doesn't give them any chance at all.

Just like Jiraiya who infiltrated Amegakure in the original story, he killed the Animal Path Pain inside the toad wall. He actually had a 100% chance to escape using the Reverse Summoning Technique, but in order to confirm the information of the Six Paths of Pain, he took the initiative to appear. In that short time, with strong chakra fluctuations around him and he being attacked, no matter how capable the two toad sages of Mount Myōboku were, they could not possibly use the Reverse Summoning Technique to escape Jiraiya.

This is a very reasonable development. If the Reverse Summoning Technique could ignore the environment and all negative factors and directly summon the host away, then it would be one of the most overpowered techniques in the ninja world.

Jiraiya would never have died at the hands of Pain.

Such restrictions are only natural.

This aligns with 'common sense in the ninja world'.

"Grandpa Jiraiya, why don't we stop and have a good talk with Karin and the others? And with my brother too. I believe we can still understand each other. My brother just uses different methods than us. His goal is also for the peace of the ninja world. Grandpa Jiraiya, I'm sure I can persuade my brother."

Looking at Jiraiya, whose face was growing paler and paler.

Naruto couldn't help but speak up.

Although it was a simplified version, it was still the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion. Jiraiya's injuries were not just ordinary severed arms. The chakra surrounding it was gradually eroding Jiraiya's body, even further damaging every cell. If he did not receive timely treatment, Jiraiya might even be in mortal danger.

"No, Naruto, Menma has completely gone mad. In the Great Sage's prophecy, Menma's actions could destroy the world. Of course I will believe you, but not now. At least we should wait until you return to Konoha. We are not far from the border of the Land of Fire. Once we cross this distance, we can go home."

Jiraiya shook his head heavily, his voice clearly weak yet resolute, and said...

The idea that dough is made from hemp fibers is no longer credible.

As a staunch supporter of Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya believed the Great Sage's prophecy that Menma was a being who could very well bring destruction to the world.

It's not that Naruto wasn't given a chance.

Jiraiya, on the other hand, hoped that Naruto could grow even further.

The prophesied son who brings the light of peace to the world.

It will definitely be a miracle for Naruto.

We just have to wait until that day comes.

Jiraiya believed that Naruto would be able to solve all the problems smoothly. They had already been separated from Hidden Light Village for five or six hours and were about to reach the border between the two countries. As long as they could successfully enter the Land of Fire, everything else would be easy to arrange.

"But Grandpa Jiraiya, your injuries..."

Naruto still found it hard to accept.

"My injury is fine, Naruto. As long as we get back to the village, Tsunade will treat me. It's just a broken arm. The important thing now is to get back to the village."

Jiraiya shook his head again, speaking with unwavering stubbornness.

His understanding has completely aligned with the prophecy of Mount Myōboku.

At this point, whether the prophecy of Mount Myōboku is more important or the safety of Konoha Village is more important, perhaps even Jiraiya himself can no longer tell the difference.

The only thing that can be confirmed is...

From the moment Jiraiya removed his Konoha headband and put on the one with the 'oil' character representing Mount Myōboku a decade or two ago, he was no longer simply a 'hero of Konoha'.

He is the spokesperson for the so-called three holy sites—Mount Myoboku.

Seeing Jiraiya's resolute expression.

Naruto swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue again, and could only silently plan in his heart that he must contact his brother as soon as he returned to the village. Naruto felt that he had already found the foundation for mutual understanding and communication with Menma. Even if there were still some differences, it didn't matter. As long as he had some time, he could definitely eliminate this barrier.

The priority now is to get Grandpa Jiraiya back to the village safely.

"Okay, I understand, Grandpa Jiraiya. Let's go back now."

Naruto nodded emphatically and said.

Hearing Naruto's words.

Jiraiya also managed a smile, not only because Naruto had finally stopped being overly stubborn, but also because the border was already in sight. Even though Toneri was still hot on their heels, Jiraiya believed that once they entered the territory controlled by Konoha, Toneri would no longer be able to threaten them. Just as Jiraiya was about to say something...

"Go back!? Go back where!?"

Suddenly.

As the chilling words fell.

"What!?"

next second.

"whoosh"

A flash of blood-red light followed.

At the very front of where the mighty toad jumped.

A familiar yet upright figure came into Naruto and Jiraiya's view.

The moment I saw that figure.