I Am Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 328 - 328 You Know That Little Brat?

In another corner of Amegakure, within the underground laboratory of the [Regenerative Medicine].

Amado, wearing a lab coat, pushed up his orange-framed glasses, observing expressionlessly a clone that had just lost vital signs inside a nutrient tank.

This was his 19th batch of cloning experiments, still ending in failure.

Involuntarily, the words spoken by the mysterious youth who suddenly barged in that night resurfaced in his mind-

'No matter how many replicas you create, they will only have your daughter's appearance, but possess a completely different soul.'

Soul...

This ultimate problem he had always ignored, or deliberately avoided, trying to circumvent with scientific means, was stripped bare by the other party.

"Doctor, the 19th batch experimental subject... vital signs gone." A lab assistant reported cautiously.

Amado waved his hand, signaling them to dispose of the failed experiment, his tone devoid of fluctuation. "Record the data. Prepare for the next batch."

He walked alone into the data monitoring room, looking at the densely packed failure records and chaotic vital sign curves on the screen, falling into deep thought.

The mysterious person's words were like a thorn in his heart.

Just as he was concentrating on analyzing the data, the space beside him rippled without warning, a dark red spiral portal quietly opening!

Amado started, instinctively stepping back, warily looking at the portal.

A figure stepped out gracefully.

It was Jigen.

He still wore his white haori, his demeanor composed, as if merely visiting an old friend.

Different from last time, his aura seemed more restrained, but upon closer perception, one could detect a trace of barely noticeable weakness.

"Apologies for the disturbance, Amado-san." Jigen bowed slightly, his tone maintaining its usual politeness, but deep in his eyes, there was a previously unseen gravity.

"Originally, after the battle with that person, I should have left temporarily. But after much thought, I felt it necessary to visit again, to have an... open-hearted talk with you."

He ultimately couldn't let go of Amado, this 'native' with exceptional talent in scientific research.

Finding a scientist on this planet who could understand and advance his plan was exceedingly difficult.

Amado looked at Jigen, his face calm.

He instantly deduced that the mysterious person who had sought him out that day must have also sought out Jigen.

Judging by Jigen's current efforts to conceal and his proactive visit, it was likely Jigen had suffered a loss at the other party's hands.

Amado did not hide it, getting straight to the point. "After you left that day, a mysterious person did indeed come. He mentioned the issue of clones lacking souls. Jigen-san, regarding this, shouldn't you give me a clearer explanation?"

Jigen didn't seem surprised. He elegantly pulled over a chair and sat down, supporting his forehead with one hand, showing a slightly troubled expression.

"It seems that fellow... didn't tell you the whole truth either." Jigen shook his head gently, his tone carrying a meaningful hint. "About the matter of the Pure Land."

"Pure Land?" Amado frowned.

The mysterious person indeed hadn't mentioned the Pure Land, but legends about souls returning to the Pure Land after death had always circulated among the common people of the Ninja World.

"Correct, the Pure Land." Jigen looked at Amado, his eyes becoming serious. "Amado-san, regarding your desire to resurrect your daughter, I did indeed conceal information before. Because, whether it is my current self or that mysterious person who sought you out, neither can retrieve your daughter's soul from within the Pure Land."

He paused, presenting his bargaining chip. "So, my original plan was for you to first complete the cloning technology, create perfect vessels and a batch of high-combat replicas, join my organization, and assist me in completing the great plan of 'planting the God Tree'. Once the God Tree absorbs sufficient energy and bears the Chakra Fruit, after we reclaim the fruit, we will possess enough power to break through the barriers of the Pure Land and retrieve your daughter's soul."

"Planting the God Tree? Chakra Fruit?" Amado's eyes behind his orange glasses grew grave.

This was the first time he had heard Jigen mention these unfamiliar terms. He keenly grasped the key point: "What does this have to do with retrieving my daughter's soul?"

Jigen leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice, carrying a bewitching charm. "Because, to forcibly retrieve a specific soul from the Pure Land, we might directly face the existence guarding the Pure Land… Otsutsuki Hagoromo."

"Otsutsuki... Hagoromo?" Amado repeated the unfamiliar name. Without an ancient clan heritage, Amado had never heard this name.

"Is he... the God of Death of the Pure Land?"

Jigen shook his head, a complex expression mixed with disdain appearing on his face. "According to your Ninja legends, he is known as the founder of Ninshu, the Sage of Six Paths."

"Sage of Six Paths?!" Amado was completely stunned, his face filled with disbelief.

'How did this involve a mythical figure?'

'And the Sage of Six Paths actually existed?'

"Correct, the Sage of Six Paths." Jigen nodded, his tone becoming more inflammatory. "To retrieve your daughter's soul from the Pure Land, we must find a way to weaken or even confront Otsutsuki Hagoromo's control over the Pure Land. Planting the God Tree, gathering this world's Chakra, and bearing the Chakra Fruit is the only way to obtain power sufficient to rival him!"

Jigen's words were half-truths, packaging the goal of devouring the planet's energy to transform into the Chakra Fruit as obtaining power to confront the 'Pure Land Guardian'.

For Amado, who was unaware of the truth and solely focused on resurrecting his daughter, this narrative was highly impactful and tempting, making it difficult for him to discern the truth.

Jigen's ultimate goal remained unchanged: to firmly bind this genius scientist to his chariot, utilizing his technology to cultivate qualified 'vessels' capable of bearing his own reincarnation.

.........

Eastern Border of the Land of Stars, Toriwari Mountain Castle.

This mountain fortress, strategically located in a perilous position upstream of the Yuga River, was once an important barrier for the Land of Demons against foreign enemies. (T/N: Changing Yuu River to Yuga River to make it the same as Yuga Plains.)

Now, it had become the core hub of the Land of Stars' eastern border defense line.

The towering keep overlooked the rushing Yuga River below and the magnificent giant dam on the river's surface, which regulated the water volume for the downstream Yuga Plains.

East of Toriwari Mountain Castle lay the Land of Earth's vast, barren, rocky desert plateau, desolate like the surface of an alien planet.

At this moment, the atmosphere inside and outside the mountain castle was stern and murderous.

Squads of Star Ninjas clad in deep blue Chakra Kinetic Armor were tensely reinforcing defensive works, inspecting the large kunai guns mounted on the city walls.

The air was thick with the gravity of an impending major battle.

Hikari stood atop the keep of Toriwari Mountain Castle. The hem of her deep blue clan attire fluttered in the wind, the Uchiha Clan's fan emblem on her collar trembling slightly in the strong plateau wind.

Her long, raven-black hair was also blown by the wind, but those crimson eyes, with three tomoes slowly rotating, gazed into the distance towards that vast, barren desert plateau to the east.

Hikari merely stood there, the aura she emitted making the surrounding stationed Star Ninja subconsciously hold their breath.

She had flown directly here from the Sea of Death frontline, traversing the entire Land of Stars in her Complete Body Susanoo.

Clearly, Onoki's actions, while swift, could not match the speed of a single individual with an army of tens of thousands.

Natsuhi came to Hikari's side, kneeling on one knee, her expression grave as she reported: "Hikari-sama, the defensive works centered around the Toriwari Dam and Toriwari Mountain Castle have been reinforced to the highest standard. All border patrol squads report the same: the exact location of the Iwagakure's main force has not yet been discovered."

"They are here." Hikari did not turn her head, her voice cool, like the wind sweeping across the plateau.

She relied not on ordinary reconnaissance methods.

But through the Chakra Network of her Engraved Tsukuyomi, she received continuous intelligence from spies lurking within Iwagakure.

Natsuhi, upon hearing this, felt a chill in her heart, following Hikari's gaze into the distance.

At first, the horizon showed only a blurred, constantly writhing black line.

But soon, that black line spread and advanced with astonishing speed, transforming into a tide of people covering the mountains and plains.

Thousands of Iwagakure's Ninjas, clad in earth-yellow flak jackets, surged forward like a bursting dam, carrying raised dust clouds, pressing towards this key fortress guarding the upper reaches of the Yuga River.

On the city walls, Star Ninjas clad in deep blue Chakra Kinetic Armor tightened their grips on their kunai guns. The muzzles and barrels of various large defensive instruments adjusted their direction in unison, aiming east. The heavy pressure of an imminent great battle spread in the air.

The Iwagakure's army slowly halted several miles away from Toriwari Mountain Castle.

At the forefront of the formation, a short figure floated in mid-air: the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki.

He crossed his arms, his large strawberry-like nose prominent, white beard fluttering in the wind, his small eyes squinting seriously as he assessed the Toriwari Mountain Castle ahead.

Behind him, Iwagakure's Elite Jonins quickly gathered.

Kitsuchi, Akatsuchi, Monga, Gari, Muko, Ittan and others were all present.

Even Roshi, the Four-Tails' Jinchuriki, who usually didn't participate in such actions and had been traveling outside after arguing with Onoki some time ago, was forcibly recalled by Onoki. He stood alongside Han, the Five-Tails' Jinchuriki, conspicuously present.

For this surprise attack, Onoki had almost emptied Iwagakure's reserves. A scale of tens of thousands of Ninja was enough to suffocate any village.

Even the Third Raikage back in the day had been exhausted to death by this tactic of his.

Kitsuchi stepped forward, speaking in a low voice: "Father, shall we proceed with the original plan? I will lead a thousand men to besiege Toriwari Mountain Castle, pinning down the defenders. Simultaneously, send Gari's Demolition Team to attack the Toriwari Dam. Once the dam is destroyed, the downstream Yuga Plains will become a vast ocean. The main force will follow you south directly, aiming straight for the Star City!"

Onoki nodded slightly, about to issue the order, when Monga suddenly pointed towards Toriwari Mountain Castle: "Tsuchikage-sama! Someone is descending from the mountain castle!"

Onoki narrowed his eyes and looked. He saw a figure leaping down from the keep like a graceful bird, landing steadily on a protruding boulder after a few leaps.

It was a girl with a cool, beautiful face, long black hair, wearing the high-collared Uchiha Clan's attire in deep blue. The Star Ninja's forehead protector on her brow reflected cold light under the sun, a sword hanging at her waist.

Most striking were those Three-Tomoe Sharingan calmly observing the army of tens of thousands.

"It's her... the Star Ninja's Uchiha Hikari." Kitsuchi said gravely, a trace of apprehension in his tone.

"Hmph, of course, I recognize those unpleasant eyes!" Onoki snorted with displeasure, his heart stirred by unpleasant memories evoked by those eyes.

He floated forward a distance, his voice carrying across the battlefield: "You, girl over there! What, is the Land of Stars out of people? Do you think you alone can stop my Iwagakure army of tens of thousands? Even if it were the Third Raikage back in the day, no, even if Uchiha Madara were resurrected, it would be absolutely impossible!"

He attempted to suppress the other party's momentum with words while also probing their actual situation.

Based on intelligence obtained from transactions with the Akatsuki, he knew well that this girl before him was no ordinary Uchiha Ninja, but one who had mastered the Susanoo, suspected to be Madara's descendant!

But Onoki also firmly believed that with his Dust Release and tens of thousands of Ninja, they were absolutely not something a mere individual could stop.

Hikari crossed her arms in front of her chest, her posture aloof and coldly proud, as if the dark mass of the army before her were merely a crowd of ants.

She recalled Menma's instructions before her departure. Though she felt somewhat awkward about this kind of 'pulling rank due to seniority' dialogue, she still followed the plan, speaking in a tone carrying a sense of seniority and condescension: "Uchiha Madara... you know that little brat?"

"Lit... little brat?!" Onoki almost choked on his breath.

Having lived for decades, this was the first time he had heard the man who left him with a lifelong psychological shadow referred to as such by a girl who looked young enough to be his granddaughter.