r18novel Chapter 453 Menma: Sasuke, is your timeline at peace?
Chapter 453 Menma: Sasuke, is your timeline at peace?
Chapter 453 Menma: Sasuke, is your timeline at peace?
Young Sasuke looked up and met Menma's gaze.
Menma spoke directly: "I know you have many questions in your mind."
Young Sasuke tensed for a moment, the purple light of his Rinnegan flowing beneath his bangs meeting Menma's gaze in mid-air.
He could sense that the way the other person looked at him was completely different from how they looked at others.
"Let's talk alone," Menma invited.
Young Sasuke paused for a second; he found it hard to refuse this suggestion.
"That's exactly what I was thinking." Young Sasuke was also very curious about how the changes in this timeline had occurred.
"Very good." Menma chuckled lightly, no longer looking at the crowd below with their various expressions, and turned to give instructions to Yukimi, Ita, and the others at the edge of the sinkhole.
"Your mission is complete. Return home according to the established plan."
Upon hearing this, Yukimi, Ita, Neji, Gaara, Kaori, and the others immediately became respectful, bowing slightly to Menma in the air in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized, demonstrating a high degree of discipline.
"Yes, sir!" The response from the crowd was crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
Long before everyone set off from the Land of Stars for Miya, several detailed evacuation plans had already been devised.
After the Konoha Crush plan was launched, their mission was to hold back a portion of the Konoha ninjas at the competition venue and coordinate with other teams.
Meanwhile, Shisui, along with Kimimaro, Haku, Toneri, and others, took advantage of the chaos to collect the books and scrolls of secret techniques belonging to the Uchiha clan that had been taken over by Konoha.
To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, each squad will disperse and withdraw after completing their mission, eventually reuniting at a designated location on the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Stars.
After arranging the evacuation of his subordinates from the Land of Stars, Menma's gaze lingered on Kakashi for a very brief moment. Then, he took a deep look at Hinata, the eldest sister, and Naruto, who was still sitting on the ground, looking up at him.
That gaze was complex and difficult to understand, but in the end, it all returned to a bottomless calm.
He didn't say anything more to anyone in Konoha, nor to Naruto.
Only a slight flash of golden chakra light appeared around him.
call out-!
The next moment, he transformed into a dazzling golden streak of light, like a shooting star tearing through the sky, speeding towards the Star Kingdom!
It moved so fast that it left only a fading golden trail in the air.
Seeing this, young Sasuke grabbed Boruto, who was still somewhat dazed, by the back of his collar and simply said to Jiraiya, who had a complicated expression, "Thank you for taking care of me these past few days. Goodbye."
Before he finished speaking, his figure, carrying Boruto, had already transformed into a blurry afterimage and quickly chased after Menma in the west.
The two figures quickly disappeared into the horizon.
"Wait—" Jiraiya subconsciously reached out his hand, seemingly wanting to call out to the young Sasuke, but he swallowed the words back.
He gazed at the two trails that disappeared one after the other in the western sky, his face showing deep weariness and worry.
He already had a general idea of the identities of young Sasuke and Boruto, especially after seeing their unusual attention to Naruto and the look in young Sasuke's eyes.
But now, there are more troublesome and urgent things to deal with than confirming their identities.
He slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Naruto, who was still sitting on the ground, seemingly lost in thought.
Jiraiya sighed inwardly, walked to Naruto's side, squatted down, and gently patted Naruto's slightly prickly short golden hair with his large hand.
The touch and warmth from above seemed to bring Naruto's unfocused gaze back to focus.
He slowly turned his head, his usually unrestrained and energetic azure eyes now veiled with a thick layer of confusion and helplessness as he stared blankly at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya felt another pang of pain in his heart when he saw Naruto like this.
He tried to make his voice sound gentle and reliable, and said in a low voice, "Naruto, I think—we need to find some time to have a good talk."
"About your parents—and also about your brother—"
"Brother—Menma is—my brother—" Naruto unconsciously repeated these two words, and the thick layer of confusion in his eyes seemed to be pried open a crack, revealing a deeper confusion, bewilderment, and a faint hope for family affection.
Jiraiya's words stirred up a murmur of discussion and realization among the surviving Konoha ninja around him.
Among the Konoha ninja present, some special Jonin might not know Naruto's true identity, but whether it was Shikaku, Hiashi, or Kakashi, Might Guy, and Asuma, they all knew that Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son.
If Menma is also the Fourth Hokage's son, and Naruto's older brother—
Shikaku took a deep breath, forcing himself to break free from the shock of Menma's declaration of "unifying the ninja world".
He knew this wasn't the time to be daydreaming.
Konoha has suffered a great calamity, with three generations of Hokage sacrificed and surrounded by powerful enemies. The internal and external troubles are unprecedentedly severe, and immediate action must be taken to stabilize the situation and clean up the mess.
He walked to Jiraiya's side, his face grave, and said in a low voice, "Lord Jiraiya, the aftermath of the village's situation is of utmost urgency. The evacuation and resettlement of civilians, the treatment and tallying of the wounded and injured, the redeployment of the defense system, the elimination of any remaining Sound Ninja and spies, urgent communication with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, and the monitoring of the movements of other ninja villages—there are countless things to do—"
This was both a hope that Jiraiya, the third generation disciple, could shoulder great responsibilities and a way to find a pillar of support for them.
Jiraiya nodded, a solemn and resolute expression on his face.
He glanced at Shikaku, then at the Konoha ninja around him, who were covered in wounds but still had a sense of responsibility for the village in their eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Shikaku, immediately organize manpower, activate the emergency plan, prioritize the treatment of the wounded, appease the civilians, and stabilize the order in the village."
"Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, you will assist Shikaku. Hiashi, the Hyuga clan will be responsible for the village's security and reconnaissance, especially guarding against enemies who may be hiding in the shadows."
"Yes!" Shikaku, Kakashi, Might Guy, Asuma, Hiashi, and the others responded in unison.
Despite the heavy heart, with clear instructions and a leader, everyone's actions immediately had direction, and they began to disperse quickly and orderly to carry out their respective tasks.
Ao, Hozuki Suigetsu, and Chojuro from Kirigakure, along with Samui, Omoi, and Karui from Kumogakure, exchanged glances, all seeing in each other's eyes a mixture of shock and an eagerness to leave.
They must immediately relay everything that happened here, especially Shura's announcement, back to the village!
Regardless of whether the enemy from beyond the heavens they mentioned is real, the fact that they set a one-month deadline is a clear signal of war, a major event that could change the entire ninja world and affect the life and death of ninja villages!
They didn't linger, and didn't even exchange pleasantries with the people of Konoha, nor did anyone in Konoha have the inclination for pleasantries at that moment.
Each of them, filled with the relief of surviving a disaster and the immense pressure of life, sped off towards their respective villages outside Konoha.
The young ninjas of Konoha—Sasuke, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Sai, and others—stood in place, gazing at the sinkhole that seemed to lead to hell, at the direction Menma had disappeared in, and then at Naruto, who was being helped to his feet by Jiraiya and looked somewhat distraught. Their hearts were filled with indescribable complex emotions.
Everything that happened today—war, death, incomprehensible power, enemies from beyond the heavens, the ambition to unify the ninja world—
The truth of the ninja world's history is far more cruel and grand than they imagined.
Sasuke clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, causing a slight stinging pain.
He stared intently in the direction where Menma and young Sasuke had disappeared.
The immense power Menma displayed, the silhouette of the one-armed man in black, and that Mangekyou Sharingan—
They were all deeply imprinted in his mind.
"Mianma—" he murmured the name, a strong longing welling up in his heart.
Get stronger!
So strong that one can see through all the fog of delusion, so strong that one can control one's own destiny, so strong that one day one will have the power to kill that man, and the power to stand above all living beings!
Shikamaru rubbed his throbbing temples, watching his father Shikaku quickly enter command mode, watching Jiraiya comfort Naruto, watching the shocking crater, and then slowly reincarnating, standing atop the Hokage Rock, looking down at the ruined Konoha.
He sighed silently: "Menma, so you're the biggest trouble after all —"
At the edge of the sinkhole, only busy Konoha ninjas remained, along with the howling wind carrying the smell of gunpowder and blood.
A massive battle has temporarily come to an end, but the storm it has unleashed, which will sweep across the entire ninja world, has only just begun.
It is a secluded riverbank more than 100 kilometers away from Konoha Village in the upper reaches of the Namaka River.
Here, the river flows gently, the forest is lush, and the afterglow of the setting sun shines through the gaps in the leaves, gilding the riverbank with a soft golden edge.
A golden streak of light descended from the sky like a meteor, landing on the riverbank. The light quickly receded inward, revealing a pockmarked figure.
He deactivated the Tenseigan chakra mode, and his magnificent golden robe and Truth-Seeking Balls on his back quietly disappeared.
Then Menma raised his hand and carefully took out the "black eye" from Isshiki, placed it in a transparent tubular petri dish containing a light green preservation solution, sealed it, and put it away.
Then, he took out another small container and skillfully replaced his original ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan with his old one.
A moment later, when he opened his eyes again, his Sharingan had subsided, and his eyes had returned to a pair of deep, calm black eyes. He looked no different from an ordinary handsome young man, but the powerful aura between his brows still lingered.
He walked to a large rock on the riverbank and sat down casually, as if he were just a traveler who had come here to rest at dusk.
"Speaking of which, Orochimaru shouldn't be that easy to kill, right?" Menma gazed at the shimmering river surface, pondering Orochimaru's whereabouts.
Orochimaru collected Urashiki's corpse, which he naturally sensed.
After Isshiki self-destructed, Orochimaru's aura disappeared, but Menma thought that given how difficult Orochimaru was to kill, he should have been reincarnated in a clone in some laboratory by now.
As for the Sound Village troops that Orochimaru used to attack Konoha, they were nothing more than pawns that Orochimaru could discard at will.
As Menma was pondering, two figures landed lightly on the grassy riverbank not far from him.
It was young Sasuke and Boruto.
"Ouch!" Boruto seemed a little uncomfortable from being carried for a long distance at high speed when he landed. He stumbled and fell with a thud onto the soft grass, letting out a cry of pain.
He scrambled to his feet in a flustered manner, brushed the grass clippings off his body, and looked up to see Mianma sitting casually on a large rock on the bank.
Even though the opponent had restrained all his power and looked like an ordinary genin, Boruto still felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. His hair stood on end, and he involuntarily took half a step back, his face filled with vigilance and tension.
He didn't know why, but even though the other party hadn't released any killing intent or hostility, just being glanced at by those calm black eyes made him feel a sense of dread.
For a fleeting moment, he vaguely felt that the other person's gaze seemed to linger on a certain part of his body for a second longer, and that a hint of interest seemed to flash in that gaze.
But that feeling vanished in an instant, so quickly that he thought it was an illusion.
Young Sasuke stepped forward, silently shielding Boruto behind him.
He looked at Menma, his Mangekyou Sharingan carefully observing the other person.
After restraining his power, his face became numb, and his aura became even more unfathomable.
But young Sasuke could sense that the other party didn't seem to have any hostility.
"The root of the anomaly in this spacetime is indeed you," the young Sasuke said, his voice certain.
From their first encounter on the streets of Konoha, when he saw this person who had never appeared before take the place of young Sasuke in Team 7, he had this suspicion.
Later, witnessing the incredible power displayed by the other party, as well as their thorough knowledge of Urashiki and Isshiki's information, further confirmed this point.
Menma seemed to chuckle softly upon hearing this.
Snapped.
He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers crisply.
"Didn't you already know the answer when we first met?" Menma's tone was slightly teasing, and his gaze seemed to see right through young Sasuke's thoughts.
"Uchiha Sasuke".
Seeing that the other party had revealed his name so directly, the young Sasuke did not show much surprise on his face. He just frowned slightly, which turned into a deeper look of confusion.
"I am confused by your existence," the young Sasuke confessed, his gaze sharp as he tried to find clues beneath Menma's calm exterior.
In my memory, in the history I have experienced, Naruto has always been an orphan.
"The Fourth Hokage and his wife perished during the Nine-Tails' attack, leaving behind only Naruto as their child."
"I've never heard of him having an older brother, an older brother named 'Menma'."
The existence of Mianma has always been a source of doubt for him, and it is also one of the key points where this space-time deviates fundamentally from his understanding.
Mianma was not surprised by this question.
He didn't answer immediately, but instead tilted his head back slightly, his gaze seemingly piercing through the dense canopy of trees and reaching towards the sky.
The afterglow of the setting sun fell on his face and the ends of his black hair, outlining a slightly lonely silhouette.
"Time and space—" he began slowly, his voice carrying a distant tone.
"Like a towering tree rooted in nothingness, with branches extending endlessly."
The most likely direction for the "mainstream" to flow is the trajectory of so-called "official history."
"And at each different point in time, due to a small choice, an unexpected encounter, or the intervention of an external force, a completely new, parallel branch may emerge."
"Some of these branches are similar to the main trunk, while others are completely different."
"They are independent of each other, yet they share the same origin."
He withdrew his gaze and looked back at the young Sasuke.
"Before you accidentally arrived in this parallel universe through the space-time artifact 'Li,' I also used the chakra of 'Dragon Vein' to travel through time and space, visiting some interesting parallel universes."
"This spacetime, this spacetime with its swirling surface, is merely one of countless possibilities."
Menma's tone was very calm, as if he were telling a distant story.
But young Sasuke sensed in this ordinariness a desolation and indifference that seemed to have seen through countless destinies.
Young Sasuke listened quietly, a glint of light flashing in his Rinnegan eyes beneath his slanted bangs.
He could sense that the other person wasn't lying.
Spacetime is like a tree, its branches forking, creating parallel worlds.
These theories vaguely coincide with the information he learned from "the plow".
He had heard of the legend of dragon veins, but he didn't know the specifics of how they could travel through time.
"You—" Young Sasuke carefully chose his words.
"You know the Otsutsuki clan, you know Urashiki and Isshiki, and you even seem to know their abilities and weaknesses quite well."
He recalled the information he had gathered in Konoha about Shura and the Land of Stars during his time there.
"You created the Land of Stars, gathered numerous bloodline limit ninja clans, even saved Shisui and the Uchiha clan, and possess the power of the Tenseigan and Truth-Seeking Balls—is your goal truly just to unify the ninja world and fight against the Otsutsuki?"
This was his biggest concern.
The power Menma displayed, and his obsession with "collecting" special eye powers, made him think of the possibility of some danger.
Especially the Land of Stars, which Menma created. Although he had never been there, it was not hard to imagine from the information he had gathered that a country located in the western part of the ninja world, which had annexed the Sand Village of the Land of Wind and forced the rock-hard Onoki Village of the Hidden Stone Village to cede territory, was probably already stronger than the Land of Fire and had become the strongest country in the ninja world.
No matter how you look at it, Menma seems to be the biggest villain in this timeline.
Menma didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "So, in your timeline, after Madara Uchiha and Kaguya were dealt with, did peace arrive?"
Young Sasuke fell silent.
Naruto promised peace to many people and put his promises into practice to bring peace to the ninja world.
But Naruto is only the Hokage of Konoha, and he has no power to forcibly command other countries and ninja villages.
For more than a decade after the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, although no war broke out between the five great ninja villages, wars between small countries continued to rage.
Even the peace promise Naruto made to Nagato did not change the predicament of the Land of Rain and Amegakure.
War, poverty, and hunger continue to occur in most parts of the ninja world.
Perhaps only the major ninja villages have truly been changed.