Menma: Your Butt's on Fire!

In a barren space separated from the Shinobi World.

As far as the eye could see, countless lifeless tombstones stood in rows, stretching endlessly into the distance.

This was the Pure Land.

A world where the dead could not reincarnate and could only sleep here forever.

Beneath every tombstone, a departed soul lay dormant, waiting for the day it would be awakened.

Above those tombstones, a strangely dressed, mysterious figure with two horns growing from his forehead sat silently in midair.

This figure was the "Progenitor of Shinobi," the Sage of Six Paths.

Legend said the Sage of Six Paths was a creator god sent by heaven. Others claimed he was a demon who destroyed everything. Yet he had always been regarded by the world as nothing more than a mythical figure.

No one could have guessed that the Sage of Six Paths was still "alive," and had even hidden himself within the Pure Land.

Buzz~~

Steady ripples emanated from the Sage of Six Paths. The tombstones beneath him also began to ripple, as though he had fused with the entire space.

But the next moment.

The Sage of Six Paths suddenly opened his eyes. His Rinnegan glimmered as he looked into the distance, as though seeing somewhere beyond this space.

"What's going on? Why is the Chakra in the Shinobi World so chaotic?"

The Sage of Six Paths turned his gaze toward the Shinobi World, but found nothing unusual.

Although he had not completely died, maintaining order in the Pure Land and gathering the souls of the dead was already pushing him to his limits.

The only hidden measures he had left in the Shinobi World were the reincarnated Chakra of his two sons, which could vaguely serve as surveillance.

But Asura and Indra's Chakra had reincarnated once more, further limiting his ability to monitor the Shinobi World.

"I'll ask Hamura later. His descendants are still on the moon guarding Mother's seal. With that Tenseigan, they should be able to see what changes have occurred in the Shinobi World."

The Sage of Six Paths hesitated for a moment before ultimately withdrawing his gaze. He did not forcefully observe or interfere.

He could not afford to exhaust what little Yin-Yang Release he had left.

The new reincarnations of Asura and Indra had yet to mature. Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, who had arrived in the Shinobi World with Mother back then, had yet to appear. And the extraterrestrial Ōtsutsuki Clan could arrive in the Shinobi World at any time.

"As long as the Shinobi World doesn't fall into complete chaos, let the living handle it themselves."

The Sage of Six Paths closed his eyes again, and the surrounding ripples returned to their calm, gentle state.

No matter how powerful someone became, as long as they did not reach the Six Paths level, they would enter the Pure Land after death.

So all he needed to do was remain in the Pure Land and guard this final place for a comeback.

At this moment, in Moon Valley.

Of course, this place was no longer suitable to be called Moon Valley.

As far as the eye could see, it was like a pencil drawing on paper that had been completely "erased" from the middle by an eraser. Only a vast "blank" remained, turned into a flat expanse.

The ground near the center of the explosion had almost been transformed by the terrifying shockwave and heat into a desolate field of crystallized earth.

Farther away, the trees, flowers, and grass were all engulfed in raging flames.

"What... kind of power... was that...?"

The Fourth Raikage was completely stunned with terror, standing frozen in place as his entire body trembled.

All that remained in his mind was the explosion and light that had destroyed everything.

"What's wrong?"

Menma had clearly enjoyed himself enough. The amusement in his voice grew stronger as he lowered his head to look at the Fourth Raikage. "Life is precious. You should cherish it properly."

The Fourth Raikage's muscular body shuddered, and a trace of fear appeared in his eyes.

But the instant Menma lowered his head.

Splat!

A mass of pitch-black liquid suddenly surged up. After forming a twisted humanoid shape, it clung tightly to Menma's back.

"Hm?"

Watching the black liquid gradually spread across his body, Menma frowned in disgust. "What disgusting thing is this?"

Just as he was about to shake off the filth, he suddenly realized that he could not move.

"Big Brother! Go!"

A familiar voice rang out, and the Fourth Raikage's body jolted.

He immediately came to his senses, rose to his feet, and fled into the distance without looking back.

But as he leaped away, he could not help glancing back.

Killer B had transformed into an enormous ox-headed octopus, entering his complete Tailed Beast transformation.

At the same time, thick black liquid poured from his mouth. The liquid took humanoid form and used swastika-shaped Taijutsu to restrain Menma's body.

Ink Creation!

This was the Eight-Tails' unique Sealing Technique. It could spew out a massive amount of ink that turned into clones, completely dyeing the target black within seconds before sealing them away.

It was a powerful Sealing Technique capable of instantly sealing thousands of enemies.

Unfortunately, it required several seconds to fully complete the seal.

Boom!!

The humanoid ink restraining Menma instantly exploded.

All amusement had vanished from Menma's voice as he said coldly, "A complete transformation of the Eight-Tails?"

Yet as he spoke, he formed a Tiger Seal with one hand, and the formation of Nine Mask Svāhā appeared behind him once more.

There was not much Chakra left in this clone. If he kept dragging this out, the clone would dissipate.

However, Menma was certain that the Old Man of the Six Paths would not be able to forcibly drag his soul into the "Pure Land."

Besides, a battle needed a proper beginning and end!

If necessary, I'll use the Crimson Moon Book inside Naruto to forcibly pull myself back.

With a thought, Menma was just about to make his move.

Bang!

The Eight-Tails Gyūki's enormous body suddenly exploded into smoke.

The instant the smoke dispersed, countless blobs of ink transformed into Killer B clones and fled in different directions.

"So decisive?"

Menma frowned. His figure flashed, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared before the nearest "Killer B."

Bang!

With one punch, the clone turned directly into ink and was instantly absorbed into Menma's body.

"Not enough! Still not enough!"

Menma did not stop moving. Using the Body Flicker Technique, he hunted down the clones one by one, destroying an ink clone with every strike.

After eliminating all the nearby clones, Menma looked toward the more distant ones.

But he did not continue the chase.

Instead, he stopped and turned to leave.

"Not chasing them?"

Kurama's voice sounded in Menma's mind.

This body had been entirely molded from Nine Tails Chakra. Kurama had placed a trace of its consciousness within it because it was curious about Menma's strength.

It had not spoken from beginning to end because it had been dumbfounded the entire time.

The Chakra in this clone, if Kurama were to use it, would only be enough for one or two Tailed Beast Balls.

But in Menma's hands...

What kind of insane efficiency is this?!

Kurama had gone from shock at the beginning to numbness by now.

"I'm not a terrorist."

In response to Kurama's question, Menma shook his head and explained, "The Fourth Raikage's injuries will take at least a few months to recover from. With an unknown powerhouse now hidden in the Shinobi World, they'll feel pressured and won't continue starting wars."

His goal had never been to start a war, much less destroy the Shinobi World.

Of course, if war could accomplish his goal, Menma would not mind starting one.

"Besides..."

Looking at the large mass of Eight-Tails Chakra within his body, Menma smiled. "I've already achieved my goal."