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

Chapter 283 Shukaku: I'm free...?!

The elite soldiers of Sunagakure were on high alert, and their formation quickly contracted to protect the injured Kazekage Rasa in the center.

The air was thick with the smells of blood, dust, and an overwhelming sense of fear.

In just two encounters, their proud Kazekage was already severely injured, which was a huge blow to the morale of the Sand Village ninja.

Granny Chiyo suddenly ripped open a huge scroll and quickly formed hand seals!
"White Secret Technique: The Ten Nearpines!"

boom!boom!boom! ...

Ten plumes of white smoke exploded in succession!

Ten puppets, each with a unique design, intricate joints, and wielding different weapons, appeared instantly, surrounding her like loyal guards!

Each of these puppets exudes a cold and dangerous aura; they are the pinnacle of puppetry and once helped Granny Chiyo conquer a castle!
On Granny Chiyo's withered fingers, ten chakra threads connected each puppet, her gaze fixed intently on Menma on the sand dune.

Taking advantage of the moment, Ebizo stepped forward, his long eyebrows trembling slightly with tension. He forced himself to remain calm and demanded loudly, "Who exactly are you?! Why are you acting so recklessly within the Land of Wind! And what is your relationship with those two tailed beasts?!"

He tried to buy time through dialogue, allowing the team to regroup and extract intelligence.

At the same time, the Sand Village ninjas demonstrated extremely high tactical skills.

The combat squad quickly dispersed, taking up advantageous positions, with kunai and shuriken in hand, and wind and earth ninjutsu ready to be unleashed.

The sealing team and the barrier team tightly protected Gaara, who was holding the doll, in the middle.

Maki, Yura, Fushigi, Yekura, Ryosuke, and Sasuke, among other Jonin, each stood guard at the front line, their faces extremely solemn, cold sweat soaking their backs.

The strength of this young man in front of me is simply terrifying!
Menma coldly looked down at the Sand Village members who were standing ready below, as if he were watching a group of busy ants.

He made a grasping motion with his right hand, and a black chakra rod instantly materialized in his palm.

He casually waved it, the black rod cutting through the air and emitting a low hum.

"Telling you ants is no big deal." Menma's voice was calm and even, yet it carried a condescending indifference: "I am the Shura of the Star Kingdom."

"Asura?!"

This name resounded like a thunderclap in the hearts of everyone in Sunagakure!

Even though they were mentally prepared, when they heard this fearsome name that had suddenly risen in recent years and made the major countries tremble with fear, Chiyo, Ebizo, Rasa, and all the Jonin who knew the weight of this name were all shocked and turned pale instantly!

The scorching air seemed to freeze, with only the distant, unwilling roar of the Ten-Tails and the low whimpering of the Dark Nine-Tails as it devoured chakra serving as background music, adding to the oppressive atmosphere of this desolate place.

“Shura…” Granny Chiyo’s dry lips moved slightly. This name, which had resounded throughout the ninja world in recent years, overlapped with the youthful face of the boy in front of her, creating an extremely unreal sense of dislocation.

That's the mysterious ninja who turned Kumogakure upside down, moved freely in Konohagakure, and forcibly gouged out four pairs of Byakugan from the Hyuga main family!
The high-ranking officials of various ninja villages privately assessed that his threat level had already been raised to the same level as that of the former "God of Shinobi" Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. Some even believed that the next Fourth Shinobi World War would inevitably be related to this person!
Chiyo and Ebizo quickly exchanged a glance, both seeing an unprecedented solemnity in each other's eyes.

The sudden appearance of Shura within the Land of Wind must be related to those two tailed beasts!

"You bastard!" Rasa struggled to his feet again. The sharp pain in his abdomen made cold sweat bead on his forehead, but his dignity as the Kazekage did not allow him to back down.

He shoved aside Maki, who tried to help him, and took a few steps forward, roaring with a fierce but weak voice, "This is the Land of Wind! Did you let those two tailed beasts run rampant? Are you trying to start a war?!"

Mianma stared at him expressionlessly, slightly surprised by how resilient this guy was; he could still stand after taking two heavy kicks from him.

But then I thought about it again, and it's normal that the other party is stronger because they are someone who can suppress Shukaku with Magnet Release.

"The tailed beasts over there have nothing to do with you." Menma's tone remained calm, his clothes fluttering in the wind.

“If you hadn’t come, it would have ended in a few days. But since you’ve delivered yourself to my doorstep…” He paused, a cold smile curving his lips, “It’s a good opportunity for me to stretch my muscles.”

Then, with a hint of sarcasm, he asked, "When you Sunagakure created conflict on the border of the Land of Stars, did you ever consider the possibility of retaliation?"

With the rise of the Land of Stars, in recent years, which of the Sand Village, Iwagakure Village, and Konoha Village hasn't continuously sent spies to infiltrate?
When have those seemingly minor skirmishes on the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth ever truly ceased?
This ninja world is a place where the strong prey on the weak.

Moreover, Menma's goal is to end this thousand-year-old decay and eliminate the nobles and daimyo who parasitize the people of the ninja world, which is fundamentally incompatible with the core interests of the existing five great nations.

"Magnetic Escape·Golden Burial!"

The moment Menma finished speaking, a fierce glint flashed in Rasa's eyes, and the technique he had been secretly preparing was suddenly activated!
He never expected that words could solve the problem; the previous conversation was merely to distract the other party and complete the hand seals!
The sand dunes beneath Mianma's feet underwent a dramatic transformation, with the originally soft yellow sand instantly replaced by dazzling gold dust!

Countless gold dust, like living tentacles, rapidly coiled upwards, forming a huge, high-speed rotating golden spiral that completely engulfed Mianma's figure!
Immediately afterwards, Rasa clasped his hands together and unleashed a torrent of chakra!
Boom——! ! !
The deafening explosion echoed across the desert!
The golden sand dunes seemed to have countless explosive tags detonated inside, suddenly collapsing inward and then violently exploding!
The violent energy impact blasted a giant crater more than 20 meters in diameter into the sand, and golden sand mixed with ordinary sand flew everywhere, like a golden rain!
"Did we succeed?" Shinobu Arisa couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice.

Luo Sha, however, dared not relax for a moment, keeping a close eye on the billowing smoke and dust.

Granny Chiyo understood immediately and manipulated three of the Chikamatsu Ten Puppet Masters' puppets, which rushed into the center of the explosion like three ghostly figures, attempting to confirm the results and finish off the enemy.

However, as the puppet moved through the smoke and dust, the senses it transmitted back were completely empty.

"Could it be... that he's dead?" Ebizo frowned, a vague unease creeping into his heart.

"Are you looking for me?"

A calm voice came from another direction.

All the Sand Ninja turned around in horror, only to find that Kanma had silently appeared on a sand dune on the flank at some unknown time. His black robe with red trim was spotless, as if the explosion had nothing to do with him.

He casually waved the black chakra rod in his hand, looked at the Sand Ninja below whose expressions had changed drastically upon his reappearance, and announced the rules of the game:

“Then, I declare,” he said with a hint of amusement, “the Death Desert Battle Royale game begins.”

"Try to live on."

Before he finished speaking, his figure had already disappeared from the top of the sand dune, turning into a black lightning bolt and rushing straight towards the Sand Village team that was waiting in battle!

"Attack!" Maki roared, completing hand seals almost simultaneously with Yura and the other Jonin.

"Wind Escape·Big Breakthrough!"

"Earth Escape·Earth Escape River!"

A raging hurricane, carrying churning mud and rocks, formed a torrent of combined ninjutsu that surged toward Menma!

Faced with this combined ninjutsu that could instantly destroy a Chunin squad, Menma's speed in front of him did not decrease at all. He simply raised the seemingly inconspicuous black chakra rod in his hand and gently slashed it at the torrent of ninjutsu coming from the front!
A strange scene happened!

The violent wind and viscous earth-style energy blasts seemed to be "cut apart" by an invisible force the moment they touched the black rod, creating a gap large enough for Menma to pass through!
He strolled through the center of the ninjutsu as if walking in a garden, letting the wind and earth techniques whiz past his sides without even ruffling his clothes!
"How can it be?!"

"What exactly is that black rod?!"

The Sand Ninja were shocked. Many of them were ninjas who had experienced two Shinobi World Wars, but they had never seen such a way to break ninjutsu!

"Stop right there!" Granny Chiyo shouted, and the remaining Chikamatsu Ten moved in unison!

The seven closest puppets, like well-trained soldiers, attacked Mianma from different angles, some wielding swords and slashing in close combat, others launching poisoned darts, and still others using mechanisms to restrain him. Their perfect coordination sealed off all his escape routes.

However, these elite puppets, each capable of fighting against ordinary Jonin, appeared so clumsy in front of Menma.

Mianma's figure moved freely among the puppets!
The black rod in his hand seemed to have a life of its own; every swing, block, and thrust accurately hit the puppet's joints or energy core!
boom!
A puppet wielding a knife was struck in the chest by a black rod, its core chakra circuits instantly becoming disordered, and it froze in place.

Click!

Another puppet attempting to launch a hidden weapon had its arm precisely shattered by a black rod.

clang!
The third puppet's heavy shield was pierced directly by the black rod, and it was pinned to the ground along with the puppet's body behind it!

Granny Chiyo's face grew increasingly grim. She could clearly sense that the strange black rod not only possessed astonishing physical destructive power, but was also constantly interfering with the chakra threads connecting her to the puppet, making her control over the puppet sluggish and greatly reducing its power!
"Don't stop! Provide long-range cover!" Ebizo commanded the other Sand Ninja. Countless shuriken, kunai, senbon, and various ninjutsu techniques rained down on the center of the battle.

Rasa activated Magnet Release once more, and countless enormous gold sand cubes materialized out of thin air, crashing down on Menma like meteorites!

Menma's figure weaved through the frenzy of puppets and ninjutsu, his black rod wielding with impenetrable speed.

He would sometimes shatter the gold-dust cube with a black rod, sometimes flick away scorching fireballs, and sometimes deflect a barrage of hidden weapons.

Occasionally, an attack would slip through his net and get close, but he easily dodged it with his agile movements.

He completely controlled the rhythm of the battle!
In just a few breaths, two more Chikamatsu Ten Puppet Master puppets turned into fragments on the ground.

Menma, like a tiger among sheep, charged into the ranks of the Sand Ninja!

"Stop him!" a Sand Ninja wielding a kunai roared as he lunged forward, while a Special Jonin wielding nunchucks swept from the side.

With a leap, Mianma's legs shot out like springs in the air, moving so fast that they left afterimages!

boom!boom!
Two muffled thuds sounded almost simultaneously. The Sand Ninja and the Special Jonin were struck in the chest as if by a heavy blow, spitting blood from their mouths. They were sent flying backward like kites with broken strings, knocking down several of their companions behind them.

The moment Menma landed, a Sand Ninja pounced on him from above.

Without even looking, he slapped the other man across the face with his backhand, the immense force shoving the Sand Ninja's head deep into the sand, leaving only his body twitching outside.

Immediately afterwards, he spun around and unleashed a fierce whip kick, sending three Sand Ninja rushing from different directions flying like sandbags, the sound of bones shattering clearly audible.

Any Sand Ninja directly hit by him was either killed or crippled, instantly losing their fighting ability!
Dust filled the air, and screams echoed everywhere.

"Burning Escape·Steam Kill!"

Yekura's figure flashed from the side, and several white fireballs radiating deadly high temperatures shot towards Menma in a triangular formation.

At the same time, Fugi also came from the other side wielding a kunai and thrusting it forward, attempting to join forces with Yekura to launch a pincer attack.

With a flick of his wrist, Menma precisely placed the black chakra rods onto several scorching fireballs. With a clever twist, the fireballs' trajectories were deflected, and they instead flew towards the surrounding Sand Ninja!
"what!!"

Several shrill screams rang out as several Sand Ninja who couldn't dodge in time were hit by the fireballs, their bodies instantly dried up and turned into withered, dried corpses!
Without pausing, as the black stick deflected the fireball, Mianma lunged forward, the black stick in his hand like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, precisely piercing Fuyi's lower abdomen!

Fu Yi froze instantly, his eyes filled with disbelief and pain.

Without even glancing at it, Mianma pulled out the black stick and, at the same time, turned around and delivered a swift spinning back kick, slamming it hard into Yecang's side, who had just landed and was exhausted!

Ye Cang spat out another mouthful of blood, his body flying uncontrollably dozens of meters away before crashing heavily onto the sand, where he struggled to get up for a moment.

"Yakura-sensei!" The young Komaki exclaimed in shock upon seeing this scene, wanting to rush over, but was held back tightly by Captain Ryosuke beside her.

"Barrier Class!" Maki roared hoarsely.

The four members of the barrier team, who had been preparing for a long time, immediately pressed their hands to the ground!

"Four Purple Flame Formation - Modified!"

Purple chakra barriers rose instantly from all sides, forming a huge cubic barrier that enveloped Menma, who had just defeated Fukichi!
The barrier walls were ablaze with raging purple flames, radiating an aura of intense heat and danger.

"We succeeded!" Sand Shinobu exclaimed in delight.

Luo Sha, who was also inside the barrier, would not let this opportunity pass by. He endured his injuries and formed hand seals again!

"Magnetic Escape·Alluvial Gold Realm Method!"

Countless sharp gold-flecked spikes instantly erupted from the ground within the barrier, like a suddenly blooming forest of metallic thorns, piercing towards the center of the barrier from all directions!

Faced with this deadly attack from all directions, Menma simply leaped lightly, his body defying common sense as he floated into the air, easily avoiding all the ground spikes.

"Flying...flying?!" The Sand Ninja outside the barrier were dumbfounded, their hearts filled with even greater chill.

"Don't give him a chance to breathe!" Luo Sha roared, manipulating a large amount of gold sand to form a towering wave that crashed against the face in the air.

Ebizo also released a dense purple poisonous gas, which permeated the barrier.

Granny Chiyo then manipulated the last five intact members of the Chikamatsu Ten to quickly form an array at the edge of the barrier!
"Puppet Technique: Three Treasures Absorption and Collapse!"

Three of the puppets formed a peculiar formation, instantly generating a powerful suction force that created a violent tornado inside the barrier, attempting to forcibly pull the Mianma down from the air!
Faced with this complex attack, Menma remained calm.

The black chakra rod in his hand suddenly extended, and he swung it like a spear, splitting the incoming waves of gold dust in two!

At the same time, he formed a simple hand seal with his left hand, and a faint halo of chakra appeared around his body, keeping the invading poison gas at bay.

Faced with that powerful suction, he simply thrust the black rod into his lower body. The rod seemed to be nailed into an invisible wall, keeping him firmly suspended in mid-air, unaffected by the tornado.

"With just one person... and..." Ebizo looked at Menma, who was effortlessly deflecting all attacks within the barrier, and his heart sank to the bottom.

“Now it’s my turn.” Menma seemed tired of this passive defense. He raised his free left hand, and dense chakra gathered in his palm, instantly condensing into seven or eight slightly shorter black chakra rods.

With a casual flick of his wrist, these black rods, like black lightning, shot precisely at the four members of the barrier team maintaining the barrier!
"Defend quickly!" Maki exclaimed.

But the black stick was too fast!
They ignored ordinary ninja tool parries and, like a red-hot iron cutting into butter, easily pierced through the barrier, precisely stabbing into the throats or hearts of the four barrier-wielding ninjas!
"Uh……"

The four barrier-wielding ninjas died instantly, their eyes filled with terror and resentment.

The chakra supply that was maintaining the barrier came to an abrupt halt, and the barrier, which was burning with purple flames, flickered a few times before vanishing without a trace like shattered glass.

The situation took a sharp turn for the worse!

Rasa was heartbroken to see his men suffer such heavy losses in an instant; these were all elites of Sunagakure!
The lowest rank is Special Jonin.

A hint of madness flashed in Luo Sha's eyes.

He instantly arrived at the heavily guarded sealing squad.

Seven-year-old Gaara was clutching his tattered teddy bear, his small body trembling with fear. He looked up at the man in front of him, who was nominally his father but had never given him any warmth, with his panda eyes caused by long-term insomnia.

Rasa showed no tenderness. He crouched down, placed his hands on Gaara's thin shoulders, and said in a cold and urgent voice, "Listen, Gaara. Now is the time for you, this 'weapon,' to be used! For Sunagakure!"

Before Gaara could respond, Rasa quickly formed hand seals and shouted, "Feign Sleep Technique!"

A surge of chakra flowed into Gaara's body, and Gaara's eyes instantly lost their luster. His head lolled to the side, and he fell into a forced sleep.

Immediately afterwards, Rasa grabbed Gaara's sleeping body without hesitation and, with all his might, hurled him toward Menma, who had just landed!
"Shukaku! Come out!" Rasa shouted.

In the air, a violent, hate-filled chakra erupted from Gaara's body like a volcanic eruption!

The sand and dust rapidly gathered, and in the blink of an eye, they formed a huge, raccoon-shaped monster covered in purple cursed patterns.

One-tailed Shukaku!
"Hahahaha! I'm free!! Let me see which blind fool... uh?!" As soon as Shukaku appeared, it let out a maniacal and excited roar, waving its short claws, ready to wreak havoc and vent its frustration from being sealed for so long.

However, Shukaku's laughter stopped abruptly.

Its tiny eyes peered beyond the minuscule Menma below, and into the distance, where the Ten-Tails, bound tightly by several enormous black rods yet still radiating a terrifying aura, stood, along with the strangely colored, dark red Nine-Tailed Fox that was frantically devouring its chakra while clinging to its body…

Shukaku's maniacal laughter froze on his face, his waving claws stopped in mid-air, and his massive body even trembled almost imperceptibly.

(End of this chapter)