Time flew by, and half a month had passed in the blink of an eye.
On the beach of the battered Kirigakure, a golden-haired young man's eyes shone with excitement.
"I did it!"
Holding a specially-crafted Hiraishin kunai in his hand, he flicked it toward a distant tree, where it embedded itself firmly in the bark.
In the next instant, the golden-haired youth vanished from sight, reappearing beneath the tree.
Unable to hold back, Menma burst out laughing and threw out several more of the special Hiraishin kunai.
The moment the jutsu activated, the golden-haired youth seemed like a streak of golden light, flashing between the kunai so quickly that the naked eye couldn't keep up.
"So this is the legendary Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God) of Konoha's Yondaime Hokage?"
Izumi looked on in awe, unable to help herself from saying, "It's incredible... even our Uchiha clan's dynamic visual acuity can't capture Menma-sama's figure!"
Guren, Mei, Suigetsu, and Kaguya Kimimaro all nodded subconsciously, their eyes wide with disbelief.
To their naked eyes, Menma's figure had completely disappeared, leaving only a golden flash darting between the kunai.
"Ah!"
Menma suddenly appeared beside them, reaching out to pat Mei's shoulder.
Mei froze, glancing at where Menma had touched her, and her beautiful eyes widened in shock.
Because there, on her delicate shoulder, a seal had appeared.
"This is a Hiraishin marker," Menma's figure flickered, and before Mei could react, he was already at her left side.
"Hiraishin markers don't disappear. With this seal, I can appear at your side anytime, anywhere."
Hearing this, Mei's heart trembled once more.
Because according to Menma's explanation, once the marker was placed, it could never be removed.
This meant that Menma could come to her side at any moment he pleased, and she had no way to resist.
"So... this is a form of control?"
Mei understood this clearly but didn't seem to mind.
After all, in these two months, she had completely given up on the idea of resisting Menma.
This golden-haired young man was simply too powerful.
Whether in terms of strength... or in bed, he had utterly conquered her. She couldn't even imagine resisting anymore.
"Even if the Fourth Mizukage were resurrected, I doubt he could defeat this guy..."
Mei muttered to herself in her heart.
Menma, on the other hand, was thrilled. With the Hiraishin no Jutsu in his arsenal, he could now put his plan into action in the pirate world.
If he succeeded, he could build a ninja army in the pirate world.
Or perhaps... build a pirate army in the shinobi world.
As Menma's thoughts raced, a black crow suddenly landed on Uchiha Izumi's shoulder. Her expression changed immediately.
"Menma-sama, bad news. Shisui just sent a message through his summoning jutsu. The Raikage of Kumogakure has invaded Otogakure..."
Menma's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"The Fourth Raikage...?"
He didn't remember ever interacting with Kumogakure, let alone offending this man.
"Yes!" Izumi nodded emphatically, gritting her teeth. "It's the Fourth Raikage. According to Shisui, he's after the Sharingan and is trying to capture the young Uchiha!"
As she spoke, Izumi grew increasingly anxious, wishing she could rush back to Otogakure that instant.
With Shisui's current strength, there was no way he could fight the Fourth Raikage. He was probably already in danger.
Menma's mind cleared.
Ah, so it was the same old story with Kumogakure.
They had always coveted powerful kekkei genkai.
Years ago, Kumogakure shinobi had tried to kidnap Hinata of the Hyūga clan to get their hands on the Byakugan.
And now that the Uchiha clan was vulnerable, it wasn't surprising they were after the Sharingan.
"But... who told them?"
Menma's eyes narrowed.
He had sent the Uchiha kids to Otogakure through a space portal. No one should have known.
But there were some people who might know his secrets—like Orochimaru...
"The Akatsuki? Orochimaru?"
As thoughts raced through his mind, Menma's hand didn't stop. With a light push, he opened the space portal to Otogakure.
"Let's go. Time to meet this Fourth Raikage."
Menma raised a foot to step into the portal, but as he was about to enter, he glanced back at Mei, who looked torn.
"Oh, right. You don't need to come. You're the Fifth Mizukage of Kirigakure. If you show up, it might stir up trouble."
Hearing this, Mei let out a quiet sigh of relief, her gaze filled with gratitude as she looked at Menma.
"Thank you, Menma-dono."
It wasn't that she feared the Fourth Raikage—it was just that her status was too sensitive.
If she went, it could easily spark conflict between Kirigakure and Kumogakure, potentially leading to war.
And for Kirigakure, that would be a disaster.
"Call me 'Master.'"
Menma reminded her with a grin, and then his figure disappeared into the space portal.
Guren, Izumi, Suigetsu, and Kimimaro all followed closely, vanishing as well.
Mei stared at the portal in a daze, but quickly composed herself. Licking her red lips, she whispered softly,
"Master... goodbye. Next time, I won't let you subdue me so easily... I'll give you an even hotter kiss..."
In the depths of Otogakure, a space portal opened.
Menma had barely stepped through when he heard a deafening roar in the distance.
Spreading his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), he instantly saw the intense battle raging at Otogakure's gates.
There, a dark-skinned, burly man with golden hair, his body crackling with lightning, was exchanging fierce blows with Uchiha Shisui.
Without using any jutsu, the man's sheer physical strikes were terrifying, each punch and kick blasting cracks into the ground.
Against such a monstrous opponent, Shisui was being forced back step by step, barely holding on.
He didn't even have the chance to use his jutsu, relying solely on his extraordinary Shunshin (Body Flicker) to dodge and stall for time.
"Hahaha! Uchiha Shisui, Shunshin Shisui! I've heard of you! But is this all you've got!?"
The Fourth Raikage roared with laughter.
Shisui's expression darkened. If only he had the Mangekyō Sharingan...
"If Konoha was willing to exterminate your clan, what's left to remember? Just join Kumogakure already!"
The Fourth Raikage bellowed,
"You and those brats—if you come to Kumogakure, I promise you'll be well-treated!"
"Hmph!"
Shisui snorted coldly, forcing his hands into seals and gritting his teeth.
"Dream on! We follow Menma-dono now. There's no way we'd join Kumogakure!"
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)
A massive ball of roaring flames surged toward the Fourth Raikage.
But to Shisui's shock, the Raikage didn't dodge or evade.
Instead, he charged straight through the fire, his body surging with lightning.
In a flash of blinding sparks, he smashed through the flames and closed the distance, raising a fist.
"Don't underestimate me! My speed rivals that of Konoha's Fourth Hokage!"
As his punch was about to land on Shisui's face, a sudden burst of flames exploded in front of Shisui.
From within the swirling fire emerged the figure of a young man.
His hand, like searing flames and black steel, gripped the Fourth Raikage's fist tightly.
With a calm yet menacing voice, he said,
"Did you ask for my permission before laying a hand on my people?"
(End of Chapter)
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