I Am Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 367 367 Your Strength is Still Insufficient to Gaze Upon The Truth

The cruel truth, the bizarre scene of the White Zetsu being forced out of their bodies left the three of them shaken, plunging them into silence for a moment as they digested this overwhelming influx of information.

Only the monotonous sound of rainwater dripping into buckets remained in the room, adding to the oppressive atmosphere.

Yahiko opened his mouth, wanting to ask more about the mastermind, the details of the ninja world's truth. He yearned to know who the enemy truly was and how they should respond.

But before he could speak, Menma lightly waved his hand, interrupting his unvoiced questions.

His gaze swept over the three with varied expressions: "Let's stop here for today. Knowing too much is not good for you at this stage. With your current strength, even if you knew the whole truth, you'd be powerless to resist. Instead, it would shake your convictions, your hearts consumed by hatred and a sense of helplessness, affecting your predetermined path."

These words were like cold water poured over their heads, cooling Yahiko's fevered mind somewhat.

He clenched his fist, feeling the insignificance of his own power.

At that moment, Nagato abruptly stood up from his chair.

His body trembled slightly. His Rinnegan, hidden beneath his red bangs, flashed for the first time with such clarity, a light of obsession.

Nagato stared fixedly at Menma, his voice somewhat hoarse: "If I... if I become strong enough! Strong enough to face any enemy! At that time, will you tell me who the true mastermind behind my parents' murder is?!"

Menma looked at Nagato with some surprise.

In his memory, Nagato of this period, though harboring hatred for Konoha due to his parents' deaths, was under Jiraiya's guidance and Yahiko's ideals. This hatred was suppressed and channeled, not the primary driving force behind his actions.

However, the truth Menma revealed and the deeper hand behind it seemed to instantly ignite something long suppressed in Nagato's heart.

He transferred his hatred for Konoha to the 'mastermind' manipulating everything.

Nagato raised a hand, pointing to his own Rinnegan, rasping: "Since these eyes were 'deposited' with me by him! Then sooner or later, he'll come to take them! At that time... that will be my chance for revenge!"

His voice was hoarse from excessive agitation, conveying a fierceness born of feeling toyed with by fate.

"Nagato!" Yahiko and Konan exclaimed simultaneously, both shocked by the aura Nagato displayed now, so different from his usual gloomy silence.

But thinking carefully, the other party, having gone to such lengths to transplant such important eyes into Nagato, would never leave them unattended.

Yahiko immediately stepped forward, placing both hands on Nagato's shoulders. His eyes also turned sharp, his voice firm: "Nagato, you're right! If that day truly comes, Konan and I, and everyone in Akatsuki, will definitely help you! We'll take revenge on that mastermind together!"

Konan, though not speaking, silently stood on Nagato's other side, expressing wordless support through action.

Menma looked at the three united in hatred before him, his gaze lingering on Yahiko and Nagato especially. But in the end, he shook his head, stating the cruel reality: "A good thought, but your strength is too weak."

"As you are now, you might not even defeat the 'chess player' he nurtured, let alone face him personally."

These words were like ice picks, stabbing at the three, their expressions darkening, a surge of unwillingness rising in their hearts.

Yahiko took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing that feeling of powerlessness. He straightened his back. The light of idealism in his eyes didn't extinguish under Menma's discouragement… instead, it burned more fiercely: "Not now doesn't mean not in the future! Our strength improves every day! We believe that with continuous effort, we will one day reach the strength needed for revenge! And—"

He glanced at Nagato and Konan beside him, then as if seeing the like-minded comrades outside the base.

"We are not fighting alone! We have each other, we have many comrades sharing the same ideals! The power of unity will ultimately surpass individual might!"

Looking at Yahiko, though young, filled with unyielding will and bonds of comradeship, the corner of Menma's mouth suddenly lifted in an ambiguous smile.

He said softly: "Is that so? Then, don't die so easily."

This made Yahiko shudder, instantly recalling his worthless death in the Genjutsu and the pain and corruption Nagato and Konan experienced after his death.

His face paled slightly. He turned to look at Nagato and Konan, his eyes filled with worry: "Nagato, Konan! If... if a situation like in the Genjutsu really happens in the future, someone using you to threaten me... I will definitely use every possible means to save you! But if I..."

"Don't say it, Yahiko!" Konan raised a hand, covering Yahiko's mouth. Her cool eyes revealed such obvious fear and reluctance for the first time.

She shook her head vehemently: "If... if it really comes to that, I'd rather... I'd rather you not come to save me! Don't make that kind of sacrifice for me!"

"How could we?!" Nagato almost growled: "Whether it's you or Yahiko, I will never abandon either of you! No matter who the enemy is, no matter the cost!"

Looking at the deep, steadfast bonds between the three, Menma said no more.

He stood up, indicating to Kanon.

Kanon immediately followed obediently.

Seeing this, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan also suppressed the emotions churning in their hearts, rising to see them off.

From the exchange, they knew Menma's strength far surpassed theirs… just his Genjutsu ability alone was something they couldn't resist. He was genuinely friendly.

But regarding the actual level of Menma's strength, how it compared to Jiraiya's, they had no concept whatsoever.

The group silently passed through the damp passageway, arriving at the simple iron door of the Akatsuki's base.

Outside, the rain still fell. Cold rain threads veiled the steel city in a blurry curtain.

Yahiko took a deep breath of air carrying the scent of rust and rain, regaining his usual enthusiasm and candor. He said to Menma and Kanon: "Menma-kun, Kanon-san, thank you very much for coming today, telling us so much... Though hard to accept, it's very important."

"Please remember, the doors of Akatsuki are always open for you. You are welcome to visit anytime."

Menma stood under the rain shelter, looking at the continuous rain curtain outside as if pondering something.

A moment later, he turned his head and said to Yahiko: "I won't stay in the Land of Rain for long. But if my target appears here, a battle between us will inevitably erupt."

His words were calm, yet they instantly made the hearts of the three tighten.

Nagato instinctively pursued the question: "Is your target that mastermind?"

He meant the person who transplanted the Rinnegan into him.

Menma shook his head, his black eyes appearing exceptionally deep under the dim light of the rainy day: "It's another fellow. Unrelated to the mastermind you're concerned about, but more troublesome than him."

He paused, adding: "And stronger."

Yahiko keenly grasped the key information in Menma's words, his expression turning gravely serious. He stepped forward, solemnly inquiring: "Menma-kun, are you saying... Amegakure will inevitably become your battlefield?"

Menma nodded, giving an affirmative reply: "Mm."

This simple syllable made Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan's hearts tremble violently!

They couldn't imagine what kind of battle could engulf the entire Amegakure!

Yahiko, still holding a sliver of hope, or perhaps trust in the leader of Amegakure, its strongest Ninja, couldn't help but confirm again: "Even... the one called [Demigod of the Ninja World], Hanzo the Salamander-sama, and the entire Ninja Force of Amegakure under his command... cannot prevent this battle from happening?"

Even after seeing Hanzo's future betrayal in the Genjutsu, Yahiko, deep down, still retained respect and trust for that hero who once protected the Land of Rain.

He wanted to know why Hanzo, hero of the Land of Rain, would become like that, conspiring with other Ninja Village to persecute his own Amegakure's Ninja!

Hearing this, Menma's mouth curved into a slightly mocking smile. He didn't answer but stepped directly into the rain curtain.

Dense raindrops fell towards him but slid off an invisible force just before touching his body, not wetting a single corner of his clothes.

His back to the three, he walked towards the depths of the grey street, leaving only a voice clearly audible amidst the rain, carrying an aloofness that overlooked all beings:

"When the time comes, you'll naturally understand just how vast the gap between Ninja and Ninja can be."

"The so-called Demigod of the Ninja World you revere, before certain existences, is nothing more than a stray dog on the roadside that can be kicked to death at will."

The contempt and cruelty in these words left Yahiko and the other two standing there dumbfounded!

That was the Demigod of the Ninja World whom even the three great nations of Fire, Earth, and Wind were helpless against during the Second Great Ninja War!

"Farewell, you three." Kanon slightly bowed to them, then opened an oil-paper umbrella, trotting to catch up with Menma's steps. The two figures soon disappeared into the misty rain curtain and the depths of the crisscrossing steel pipes.

Until Menma and Kanon's figures completely vanished, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan still stood in place, letting the cold rain threads strike their faces, unable to calm down for a long time.

After quite a while, Konan finally spoke in a low voice tinged with a tremor of doubt: "What he showed us... could it really... be the future?"

The scene was too real, too despairing.

Yahiko slowly shook his head. Rainwater flowed down his spiky orange hair, but his eyes were exceptionally clear and heavy.

He didn't directly answer Konan's question. Instead, his gaze swept over Nagato and Konan in turn as he asked in return: "Konan, Nagato, if... if the future really becomes like in the Genjutsu, I'm dead, only you two remain of Akatsuki... would you... become like in the Genjutsu? Would you walk that path of gathering Tailed Beasts, judging the Ninja World in the name of a god?"

Nagato and Konan fell into a long silence.

The rain was cold, but the answer burned in their hearts.

If Yahiko truly were gone-

If their most important comrade, the sun guiding their direction, fell-

For revenge, they might truly be willing to pay any price, even if it meant making enemies of the whole world!

Moreover, a strong premonition lingered in Yahiko and Nagato's hearts.

The battle Menma mentioned probably wasn't too far off.

It was like a Sword of Damocles hanging over Amegakure, not knowing when it would fall with a crash.

"We must act as quickly as possible," Yahiko took a deep breath, wiping the rain from his face, his eyes turning resolute again: "Once a battle of that level erupts within Amegakure, the first thing we must do is protect the innocent villagers to the best of our ability, evacuating them to safety!"

Nagato and Konan nodded heavily.

No matter the future, no matter how strong the enemy, protecting comrades, protecting those ordinary people longing for peace… this was the original purpose of Akatsuki's founding, a belief they would never abandon.

The rain still fell.

But in the hearts of these three young people, seeds of changing fate had already been sown.

…

Kanon held the oil-paper umbrella, trotting to keep up with the figure walking leisurely in the rain without a drop touching him.

She followed closely behind Menma, walking while unable to suppress her curiosity, observing this city called the 'Crying Village', Amegakure.

The rain seemed endless, sliding from towering steel towers and intricate pipes, converging into small streams on streets covered in rust and slippery moss, gurgling into deep, unfathomable drainage ditches on either side of the road, or directly merging into the murky river running through the village, eventually flowing to who-knows-where outside the village, perhaps to the gloomy sea to the north.

The entire village was enveloped in a wet, greyish hue… even the air carried an inescapable smell of rust and mildew.

Menma's pace was neither hurried nor slow, as if strolling in his own backyard, but his gaze sharply scanned the buildings on both sides of the street, seemingly searching for something.

Suddenly, he stopped on a relatively quiet street where the sound of rain striking metal roofs could still be heard.

He slightly furrowed his brow, looked around, a flicker of doubt in his eyes as he murmured softly: "Strange... I remember, it should be here..."

In his world, the early form or old site of that [Regenerative Medicine Company] founded by Amado, should be on this street.

However, what met his eyes now was only a rather old-looking, two-story building with peeling paint. A crooked wooden sign hung at the door, reading [Ninja Tool Repair Shop]. Apart from that, nothing else.

Menma stood still, pondering for a moment. His gaze shifted to a simple stall steaming with heat nearby.

It was a bun shop run by a woman. The aroma of food wafting from the steamer seemed especially enticing in this cold, rainy weather.

He turned his head, looking at Kanon beside him, carefully holding the umbrella, and asked casually: "What flavor of buns do you like?"

Kanon didn't expect Menma to suddenly ask this. She was momentarily stunned before quickly stepping forward, replying obediently: "Menma-sama, I'm not picky. I like both vegetable and meat buns."

When she was wandering before, being full was already a luxury. Even during her time in that small mountain village, she rarely got to eat meat, let alone dare to be picky about flavor.

Menma nodded, asking no more.

He walked to the bun stall and said to the kind-faced woman: "Excuse me, five vegetable buns and five meat buns, please."

"Alright!" The woman responded enthusiastically, deftly wrapping the buns in lotus leaves and handing them over.

Menma took out some paper money from his clothes, previously confiscated from those imprudent bandits, and paid. However, he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he seemingly casually inquired of the woman: "Ma'am, may I ask you something. Do you know of a pharmaceutical company called [Regenerative Medicine Company] nearby?"

The woman frowned in thought while giving change, ultimately shaking her head: "Regenerative Medicine Company? Never heard of it, sir. Our street is all old residents and small businesses, no big companies."

Menma wasn't surprised, continuing to ask: "Then, have you heard of someone named 'Amado'?"

"Amado?" A look of realization appeared on the woman's face. She smiled and pointed to the old repair shop next door: "You mean that Amado! His family lives in that shop."

Her tone then carried a hint of pity as she lowered her voice a bit: "Ah, speaking of which, their little Akebi is so pitiful... such a well-behaved child, in the prime of her youth, yet stricken with a serious illness. Many doctors have seen her, but no improvement. Amado, to treat his daughter, works day and night crafting and repairing kunai and ninja tools for the Ninja-samas. Almost all the money he earns goes to hiring Medical-Nin from the village. But Akemi-chan's condition never really improves. Such a tragedy..."

Menma listened carefully to the woman's account, a slight flicker in his eyes. He thanked her: "Thank you for telling me."

He turned, holding the wrapped buns, and headed towards the repair shop next door.

Kanon held the umbrella with one hand, taking the lotus leaf package Menma handed over with the other.

She opened it and found most of the meat buns pushed to her side by Menma, while the vegetable buns remained in Menma's hands.

She was momentarily stunned, looked up at Menma, a warm feeling rising in her heart.

She had said she'd eat anything, but during her past wandering days, having a bite of meat was a rare treat.

"Thank you, Menma-sama..." Kanon said softly, picking up a still-warm meat bun, carefully taking a bite. The rich meaty flavor spread in her mouth, making her narrow her eyes in satisfaction. She quickly followed Menma, who had already walked towards the repair shop.

Upon closer approach, she noticed the shop's display window was filled with various kunai, shuriken, and some seemingly repaired ninja armor and blades, like the distinctive gas masks of Amegakure's Ninja.

Though the shop front was old, the tools inside were arranged neatly, polished quite bright, showing the owner's care.

Through the rain-splattered glass window, they could see inside the shop. A man who looked thirty or forty, wearing orange sunglasses, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, stubble beginning to spread around his cheeks, was bent over a workbench piled with tools and parts, concentrating intently on repairing a complex metal ninja tool.

His fingers were rough yet exceptionally steady, his movements focused.

And beside him stood a peculiarly dressed young man.

That person wore a spotless white robe. Most of the hair on his head was shaved, leaving only a small tuft on the front and the back of his head, tied into a thin, long ponytail. He didn't even have eyebrows.

This young man was leaning slightly, conversing in low tones with the working Amado. Both their expressions seemed somewhat serious.

Menma's eyes brightened. He directly raised his hand, knocking on the shop's wooden door with his knuckles, neither too lightly nor too heavily.

Knock knock knock!

The knocking interrupted the low conversation inside.

Amado looked up, adjusted the orange sunglasses on his nose, saw Menma and Kanon at the door, quickly put down the tool in his hand, forcing a somewhat enthusiastic merchant's smile as he greeted: "Customers, please come in, come in! Feel free to look. The ninja tools in the display and on the counter are all priced. Good quality, cheap, guaranteed to work well!"

At this time, he was far from the white-haired, gloomy, calm mad scientist Menma remembered from the Boruto era. He seemed more like an ordinary craftsman toiling for life, for his daughter, only a trace of lingering fatigue and worry hidden deep in his eyes.

The young man in the white robe, without eyebrows, seeing customers enter, nodded to Amado, his voice calm: "Since Amado-san has customers, I'll take my leave. The goods and special medicine you need, I'll try to have someone deliver within a month."

Hearing this, Amado set down his work, saying to the young man earnestly: "Thank you. The special ninja tool parts you need, I'll also finish them as soon as possible, quality guaranteed."

The young man nodded slightly, said no more, turned, and prepared to walk out of the shop.

However, just as he was about to pass by Menma, who had entered the shop, Menma didn't make way. Instead, he walked straight towards him, stopping directly in his path.

Menma's gaze, calm yet carrying an intangible pressure, fell on the distinctly featured face opposite him. The corner of his mouth lifted as he said:

"I didn't expect such luck, finding you right after arriving here."

He paused, calling out the young man's name:

"Jigen."

Instantly, the originally somewhat peaceful atmosphere in the repair shop froze as if instantly solidified, the air heavy enough to drip.

Jigen slowly lifted his head. Those eyes without the contrast of eyebrows calmly met Menma's gaze, showing no panic at having his identity revealed, only an abyss-like darkness and a hint of curiosity.