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

Chapter 196 Konoha! It must be Konoha!

On the outskirts of Hell Valley, on a relatively intact rocky ridge.

Darui, however, looked extremely disheveled at this moment.

His signature white broom-like hair was covered in dust and blood, and his dark Cloud Village Jonin vest was torn in several places, revealing blood-soaked bandages underneath.

He leaned against a huge weathered rock, breathing heavily, his eyes filled with indescribable shock and helplessness.

Beside him, Xi was kneeling on the ground, his hands radiating a soft green chakra light, pressed against Troy's bloodied and mangled chest.

Troy's face was ashen, his breath weak, and the huge square shuriken lay to the side, covered with cracks and scorch marks.

The other three surviving ANBU ninjas were either sitting or lying down, all wounded, weak, their masks shattered, their faces revealing the shock of surviving a disaster and a deep-seated exhaustion.

They had just endured a combined attack from nine strange summoning beasts, along with Kakuzu and Kisame.

If it weren't for Darui's desperate use of Storm Release to hold them off, Xi's timely medical support, and the Tailed Beast Balls from the main battlefield that allowed both sides to fight their way out of the core combat zone, their elite squad would probably have fared even worse.

Even so, Troy was critically injured and on the verge of death, and the rest of the troops were also completely out of fighting strength.

"Damn it! There are nine of those bizarre summoning beasts!" Darui coughed, recalling the battle three years ago when he was beaten down to the foot of the Raikage Building by Shura.

Two levitation beasts were already keeping them busy, and now there are a few more!
Furthermore, there are two powerful ninjas whose strength far surpasses that of ordinary elite Jonin.

Where exactly did Shura recruit such ninjas?
However, before Darui and his companions could even process their own miserable state, their attention was immediately drawn to the terrifying battle in the center of the canyon, a battle beyond human comprehension.

The deafening roars and earth-shattering collisions, like continuous muffled thunder, rolled from the core area of ​​Hell Valley, each loud bang causing the ground beneath their feet to tremble.

Even from a distance of thousands of meters, the violent energy fluctuations were like a real gale, making their clothes flutter and their cheeks sting.

Darui braced himself and climbed to the edge of the rock ridge, his pupils suddenly contracting beneath his white hair.

Rumble——! ! !
In the field of vision, two colossal beasts, as large as mountains, were engaged in a frenzied battle!

The eight-tailed bull demon, a deep purple creature, writhed wildly with its eight tentacles, emitting painful roars.

The two-tailed Matatabi, its dark blue color, flickered with flames, and its massive cat paws slammed down repeatedly with grief and anger.

Their opponents were also covered in Tailed Beast Chakra, condensing terrifying dark red Tailed Beast Balls!

The Tailed Beast Balls launched by the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails collided with an even more sinister and violent dark red Tailed Beast Ball, like three falling death stars, accompanied by a shrill shriek that tore through space!

Boom boom boom——!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
An indescribably terrifying explosion occurred! A blinding flash of light instantly engulfed everything in sight!
Even thousands of meters away, Darui and the others felt a blinding white light before their eyes, and their ears were ringing from the shock, causing temporary hearing loss!
The shockwave that followed was like an invisible giant wall, slamming hard into the rocky ridge where they were hiding, causing rocks to fall in a shower!
A massive sphere of light, mixed with three colors of destructive energy, rose slowly in the center of Hell Valley, like a newborn sun, yet exuding an aura of death that annihilated everything!

“Tailed Beast Ball…collision…” Darui murmured in a daze. The destructive light, accompanied by a powerful airflow, crashed down, and the surrounding soil and gravel were blown about by the gale. He subconsciously formed hand seals and used an Earth Release ninjutsu to block the powerful airflow for his companions.

But at the same time, Darui looked towards the center of the battlefield, his worries growing.

The Raikage seems to have lost ground, having forced two perfect Jinchuriki of Kumogakure into a desperate situation where they had to clash with Tailed Beast Balls.

Just how terrifying was that Asura's power?!

Suddenly, a sudden change occurred!
In the smoke after the explosion, a body even larger than the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails appeared!

“That…that is…” Darui’s voice was dry and hoarse, trembling with disbelief.

From the smoke emerged a nine-tailed fox, its body dark red, its nine enormous tails dancing wildly like burning crimson flames, radiating a sinister and tyrannical aura that sent chills down one's spine!

With an unparalleled momentum, it suddenly rushed forward and suppressed the Eight-Tails!

The two tails that were trying to rush up were flung away!

Each claw strike and each tail whip carried a terrifying power capable of shattering mountains and breaking peaks, leaving deep, bone-revealing wounds and corrosive dark red energy on the massive bodies of the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails!

Darui's voice was dry and hoarse, trembling with disbelief: "The Nine-Tails? The Nine-Tails of Konoha... how could it be here?!"

He couldn't understand or accept it.

The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki attacks Kumogakure?
Please! The previous three Shinobi World Wars were incredibly brutal, and one of them even brought the fighting to Konoha's doorstep, yet Konoha never used the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!
Xi, who was doing her best to maintain her healing ninjutsu, had fine beads of sweat on her forehead. Upon hearing this, she raised her head with difficulty and looked at the three giant shadows that were fighting like mythical creatures in the distance. Her eyes were also filled with horror.

“Captain Darui…I…I’ve never seen the real Nine-Tails either…but the power that can suppress the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails, I can’t think of any other than the Nine-Tails…and it’s a level that only a perfect Jinchuriki can reach…” His voice was weak from the exhaustion of chakra and the shock in his heart.

Lying on the ground, Troy, whose consciousness had become slightly clearer, struggled to turn his eyes toward the center of the battlefield. His face, pale from blood loss, twitched slightly, and he could only shake his head heavily in the end.

As an experienced Jonin, he could also sense the terror of the dark red Nine-Tails, a power that no ordinary ninja could possess.

Xi finally stabilized Troy's injuries temporarily, and the green chakra light dimmed.

He stood up wearily and walked to Darui's side. Gazing at the apocalyptic battle unfolding in the distance, his brow furrowed beneath his blond hair, he said, "Captain, should we... try to intervene? What about Lord Raikage and Lord Bee..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Even knowing it's like moths to a flame, we can't just stand by and watch the pillar of the village collapse.

Darui's gaze was fixed on the battlefield, watching the dark red Nine-Tails suppress the Eight-Tails as if it were toying with it, and watching the dark red Tailed Beast Ball condense in its mouth, radiating a destructive aura.

His fists were clenched so tightly that his nails almost dug into his flesh.

“Intervene?” Darui’s voice was low and hoarse, filled with bitterness and helplessness: “Xi, look carefully. That level of battle… is no longer something we can interfere with. If we approach rashly, we will be reduced to ashes in an instant.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over his heavily injured companions behind him, his voice growing even heavier: "Our mission... is now to guard the outer perimeter, to guard against Shura's other accomplices, and... to guard against the reappearance of those strange summoning beasts."

When he mentioned "spirit beasts," a hint of lingering fear flashed in his eyes.

The nine summoning beasts, each with a unique form, possessed the strength of an elite Jonin. Together with two mysterious rogue ninjas from Kirigakure and Takigakure, this battle resulted in heavy losses for their elite Anbu squad, leaving them with an indelible and terrifying impression.

As for hunting down the Blood Pool Clan?
Darui glanced back at Troy, who lay on the ground barely alive, and the other three elite members of the Dark Guard who were almost incapacitated. He could only sigh deeply and helplessly. The mission had completely failed.

All we can do now is pray that Raikage and the others can create a miracle, or... try to preserve these few remaining companions.

·
The overwhelming power of the Dark Nine-Tails left Darui and the others watching from the sidelines with grim expressions.

As a Tailed Beast Ball blasted the Eight-Tails into a sorry state, before the intense light and roar had completely dissipated, a deeper and more chilling feeling, which made Darui's soul tremble, suddenly rose up!

Before the smoke and dust had even cleared from the center of the explosion, the massive body of the Dark Nine-Tailed Fox suddenly vanished.

An explosive sphere emitting an eerie white light is rapidly spreading outwards with a suffocatingly destructive trajectory!
Even from a great distance, Darui could sense the terrifying chakra contained within!

Instantly, my hair stood on end!

This scene…this feeling of unease…Darui is all too familiar with it!

"That...that is!!!" Xi Ye screamed, his face turning ashen instantly.

"Cough...it's...it's that guy...last time...the ninjutsu that destroyed the Raikage Building..." Troy lay on the ground, coughing twice with difficulty.

Three years ago, it was this dark purple energy ball that exploded in the center of Kumogakure, destroying half of the Raikage Building and taking the lives of hundreds of Kumogakure ninja!

That hellish scene remains a haunting nightmare for many Cloud Village ninjas!

Rumble——! ! !
With a deafening roar, the enormous sphere of light rapidly expanded, like a mushroom suddenly sprouting from the ground!
Wherever the "white light mushroom" passes, all matter is annihilated!

The earth collapsed and disappeared like a fragile sandcastle!
A giant sinkhole, deeper and more regular than the crater created by the Tailed Beast Ball, with lava flowing like a waterfall at its edges, was born amidst a dark purple light of destruction!
A towering white orb of light hurtled towards them.

"Water Release: Water Wall!" Seeing that he couldn't move the wounded, Darui formed hand seals, mobilized all his chakra, and unleashed a defensive ninjutsu.

Rumble——! ! !
A massive white light instantly engulfed them.

Darui clenched his teeth so tightly that his gums almost bled.

Fortunately, they were located on the edge of the main battlefield, where the aftershocks of the explosion stopped.

"Cough cough—" Darui looked at Hell Valley, whose terrain had been completely altered by the several explosions, forced himself to calm down, and roared at Xi, "Xi! Take care of the wounded! Stay here!"

Before he finished speaking, disregarding his injuries and exhaustion, he dashed out like an arrow, desperately rushing towards the area that had just been swallowed by the dark purple light of destruction!
He must confirm the fate of the Raikage and the two Jinchuriki!

In the center of Hell Valley, the terrain has been completely altered.

A huge circular crater leads to an even deeper giant sinkhole, where lava flows slowly through the bottom and ravines, emitting scorching heat and a pungent sulfur smell.

The air was thick with the smells of gunpowder, burnt metal, and blood.

Darui frantically searched through the chaotic pile of lava rocks, his heart sinking to the bottom.

Finally, at the edge of a deep pit in the rock strata that had been overturned and partially buried by a huge impact, he found his target!

The scene was so horrific it was suffocating.

The Fourth Raikage, A, leaned against a scorching hot rock. His bare upper body was covered with charred marks and deep wounds that exposed bone. Most shockingly, his left arm was the most striking feature.

Below the elbow, it was completely gone, the cut was charred black, and the bleeding was forcibly stopped by the violent lightning chakra, but the hideous cut of muscle and bone could still be seen.

Lei Ying Ai's face was deathly pale, his breathing was weak, his only remaining right hand hung limply at his sides, and his eyes were unfocused, but when he saw Darui, a sliver of light forcibly gathered in his unfocused pupils.

Beside Ai, Yugito, who had withdrawn from her tailed beast form, lay unconscious. Her Cloud Village uniform was tattered, exposing large patches of her snow-white skin, which was covered in blood and scorch marks. Several sharp pieces of rock were deeply embedded in her chest, and her blood stained the rocks beneath her. Her breath was so faint that it was almost imperceptible.

Killer Bee was the most seriously injured.

He also withdrew from his tailed beast form and lay on his back at the edge of the lava pit, with almost no patch of his skin intact!

The charred wounds were deep enough to expose the bone, and many bones were twisted unnaturally. Blood had almost soaked through the rock beneath him.

He seemed to retain a sliver of consciousness; his lips moved slightly, but he couldn't utter a sound.

Darui could clearly see that around Kirabi's body, the ground showed a strange spiral-shaped tearing mark.

This is the residue left after the Eight-Tails' ultimate defensive ninjutsu, "Tailed Beast Eight Scrolls," was activated!
Clearly, at the last moment, Killer Bee used all his strength to create a spiral storm with his powerful body and chakra, protecting Raikage A and Yugito, while he himself took the brunt of the destructive impact of the Great Spiral Wheel!
"Lord Raikage! Lord Hi! Lord Yugito!" Darui's voice was choked with sobs as he rushed to Ai's side, wanting to help him up, but afraid of touching the horrific wound on his severed arm.

Ai struggled to turn his eyes to look at Darui, a hoarse sound coming from his throat. With his last ounce of strength, he managed to squeeze out a few words, broken and fragmented: "Medical...medical...ninja...call...support..."

Every word seemed to have exhausted the power of life.

Darui nodded quickly, immediately took out a signal flare, and detonated it without hesitation!
A blinding red flame, accompanied by a shrill shriek, shot up into the dim sky shrouded in smoke and dust!
After doing all this, Darui knelt on one knee beside A, looking at the Raikage who had once stood as tall as an iron tower, but was now severely injured with a broken arm and barely breathing; looking at the genius Killer Bee lying beside the lava like a broken doll; looking at the powerful Yugito with countless pebbles stuck in his chest.

An indescribable sense of grief, indignation, and helplessness welled up in my heart.

Ai's only remaining right hand gripped Darui's arm tightly with astonishing force. His bloodshot eyes were fixed on Darui, burning with resentment, anger, and a deep-seated fear that even he himself was unwilling to admit.

“Cough…Shura…” Ai’s voice was like a broken bellows, filled with deep-seated hatred: “Cough! It must be…Konoha! Cough…Nine-Tails…questioning…cough!”

He roared intermittently, coughing up blood every few words.

The image of that legendary figure from the ninja world involuntarily surfaced in Raikage A's mind—the man who could capture the nine tailed beasts with his bare hands and suppress an era like a god: Hashirama Senju!
Just how terrifying is that kind of power?!

Now, the Jinchūriki who possesses the Nine-Tails is attacking Kumogakure time and time again!

This brought his anger and suspicion towards Konoha to its peak!
Damn Konoha! Damn Danzo!

(End of this chapter)