Root Attacks Again

While Kakashi and Kushina continued chatting, a knock sounded at the door.

Afternoon sunlight spilled over the house, and the only sound in the quiet surroundings was the rustling of leaves in the breeze. The relaxed, cozy atmosphere inside was broken by the knock.

"Excuse me, is Menma home?" a man called from outside. The voice sounded familiar to Kushina, so she opened the door. When she saw who it was, she greeted him warmly.

"So it's you, Fugaku! It's been ages. Come on in, come on in. Hm? Didn't Mikoto come with you?" Kushina beamed with delight at first, but after looking around and not seeing Mikoto, she couldn't help asking.

Fugaku paused. He studied the woman before him, whom he had never seen before, but couldn't figure out who she was. Uncertainly, he asked, "Excuse me, miss, do we know each other?" Fugaku couldn't remember who she was or understand why she was in Menma's house. He had checked several times; otherwise, he would have thought he'd come to the wrong place.

"Oh, come on. It's been a long time, but surely you haven't forgotten me? I'm Kushina," she said with a grin. Then she seemed to realize something, glanced around, and pulled Fugaku inside.

Fugaku was clearly startled when the woman before him claimed to be Kushina. He stared at her in disbelief, and before he could recover, she had pulled him into the house.

"Are you really Kushina?" Fugaku asked tentatively.

Only then did Kushina dispel her Transformation Technique and return to her original appearance. She covered her mouth and giggled. "Who else would I be?"

Fugaku finally realized that the person standing before him really was Kushina.

Just then, Kakashi came over and greeted Fugaku.

"Hello, Clan Head Fugaku."

Fugaku turned, noticed Kakashi, and nodded in reply.

"So, Kushina, are you alive again?" Fugaku asked.

"I wouldn't exactly call it coming back to life. Menma brought me back with Impure World Reincarnation," Kushina replied.

"What?" Fugaku stared at Kushina in disbelief, then looked at Kakashi. When Kakashi confirmed it, Fugaku became even more convinced that there was something extraordinary about Menma.

"By the way, Fugaku, did you come to see Menma? Unfortunately, he went to bed not long ago," Kushina said.

"Looks like I came at a bad time," Fugaku said helplessly.

"Oh, what does it matter? It's been so long since we've seen each other. Sit down and have a chat. You can talk to Menma after he wakes up." As she spoke, Kushina led Fugaku into the living room.

"But..." Fugaku started to refuse, but he couldn't resist Kushina's warm invitation.

Some time later, Menma walked out of his room.

The three people downstairs heard the movement upstairs and all looked up.

"Oh? Uncle Fugaku is here too. Then you can witness it as well," Menma said as he came down the stairs.

"Witness what?" Fugaku echoed in confusion. Kushina and Kakashi looked equally puzzled.

"Oh, you'll find out in a moment. Come a little closer." Menma put an arm around Kushina and Kakashi.

Kakashi immediately understood and put an arm around Fugaku. Then, with a whoosh, all four vanished from the spot.

Naruto and the others were playing hide-and-seek. Sunlight filtered through the leaves overhead, casting dappled shadows across the woods, while a gentle breeze brought a touch of coolness. Suddenly, a gust swept through. They felt their bodies grow heavy, then collapsed.

It was obvious they had fallen under a genjutsu. A few masked figures stepped out. With them was a man whose right eye was covered by bandages and whose right arm hung as if broken. It was Danzo.

"Lord Danzo, it's done," said a masked Root ninja.

"Good. Take the Jinchuriki and withdraw," Danzo ordered.

One of the Root ninja hoisted Naruto onto his shoulder and prepared to leave.

Just then, with a whoosh, four figures appeared before them.

"You're trying to take my brother without even letting me know first?" a voice called out. It was Menma, who had arrived using the Flying Thunder God.

Menma knew that Root would try again after their first mission failed, so he wouldn't let Naruto go out alone. When Naruto left, Menma created a Shadow Clone and used the Flying Thunder God to reach him. He had been following Naruto in secret ever since.

"Mom, we can't let the people who hurt us get away," Menma said.

"I know," Kushina replied, then cast a barrier that enclosed the Root ninja, Menma, and Kakashi.

"Well, with this many people to deal with, that technique should do nicely. Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Dozens of Menma's Shadow Clones surrounded the nine men, Danzo included.

"Hmph! Don't think that just because you know the Flying Thunder God, you can look down on Root, brat!" Danzo said, ordering his subordinates to break through.

Inside the barrier, Menma's many Shadow Clones clashed with the Root ninja. Menma's clones were no match for Root in Taijutsu, but their numbers let them hold their own.

Menma himself sat on the ground, resting his chin on one hand as he watched in silence.

After some time, Menma's last Shadow Clone was defeated. The Root ninja were panting, weapons in hand, as they fixed their eyes on Menma.

"Oh? You can still fight?" Menma rose and began forming Hand Seals again.

Four Shadow Clones appeared behind him, then vanished in an instant, reappearing beside the Flying Thunder God Kunai he had already set in place.

"Let's see if you can still fight after taking this move," Menma taunted.

"You little brat! What do you take us for?" one of the Root ninja snarled.

"Nothing but Danzo's dogs," Menma replied.

"You little brat! Don't underestimate us! Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"

A huge surge of water came rushing toward them.

Another Root ninja reacted at once, forming Hand Seals.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Ball!" In an instant, the water inside the barrier became charged and surged straight toward Menma.

"Not bad! Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder!" Menma held a kunai in front of him with both hands. A magical array suddenly appeared before him.

The electrically charged water rushed closer. Just before it hit Menma, it was sucked into the array as if drawn into a black hole.

Meanwhile, by the seaside, an old fisherman was getting ready to head out to sea. Sunlight glimmered across the water. Suddenly, the sea grew turbulent, and the old man hurriedly retreated to a safe distance. Once the waves had settled, he returned to the shore for a look and discovered fish scattered along the beach and floating in the sea, barely alive.

The old man decided this must be a gift from the Sea God. He immediately knelt and bowed reverently.

"Thank you for your gift, Sea God!"

The Anbu watching Menma were shocked by what they had seen, staring at him in disbelief.

The others outside the barrier were just as incredulous as they watched Menma inside.

Kakashi, on the other hand, was used to it. He had personally trained Menma, after all, and had some idea of what he could do.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you ready? Here we go!" Menma asked.

"Yeah! Let's go." Kakashi lifted his Forehead Protector, revealing his Sharingan.

"Super-Rasengan Flash Super-Dance Howl Type Three!" five Menma clones shouted in unison, hurling their Flying Thunder God Kunai at the same time.

Kakashi grabbed a kunai and charged in as well. Under Menma's relentless attacks, the Root ninja gradually fell behind. But they weren't all incompetent; three or four could keep up with Menma's speed and prepare their defenses in time. Even so, they could only hold out for a few exchanges, and Menma's kunai still cut them.

The Root ninja carrying Naruto, who had been standing beside Danzo, could no longer watch. He put Naruto down and turned to Danzo.

"Lord Danzo, I need to help them."

After Danzo gave his approval, the ninja quickly formed Hand Seals. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" A massive fireball shot toward the group. Then he swiftly formed Hand Seals again. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

When the Wind Style met the Fire Style, the fireball instantly grew much larger.

The seven Root ninja fighting Menma saw this and all used the Body Flicker Technique to leave their positions and regroup beside Danzo.

Driven by the Wind Style, the Fire Style exploded and spread in every direction. The entire barrier filled with smoke and dust, leaving those outside unable to see what was happening within.

As the smoke gradually cleared, they saw that the Root ninja had been protected by Earth Style. A faint golden glow began to appear around Menma.

Once the smoke had completely cleared, a dark golden sphere was protecting Menma and Kakashi.

At the last possible moment, Menma had clearly entered Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and used the Nine-Tails Chakra to shield himself and Kakashi.