I Am Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 403 403 Black Zetsu Seeks Cooperation

Another world, the ruins of the ancient city of Roran.

The once towering city of a thousand spires was now nothing but broken walls and rubble.

The eruption of the Ryumyaku energy one minute ago had felt like a colossal beast turning over underground.

Where the purple energy had shot into the sky, a massive, bottomless crater over two hundred meters in diameter had been blasted open, sand and rocks still crumbling down its edges.

The air was thick with the smell of scorched earth and dust. The scorching sun baked the ruins, and even the wind felt hot and dry.

"Be careful, Sai."

High in the air, a giant ink-drawn bird soared in circles.

Sakura gripped Sai's shoulder from the bird's back, looking down at the terrifying crater below.

"Understood," Sai nodded expressionlessly, controlling his [Super Beast Imitation Drawing] to descend slowly.

His gaze was equally sharp as he scanned the ruins below, alert for any danger.

Just moments ago, the Sunagakure's Missing-Nin Mukade had broken the Ryumyaku seal, and the violent purple energy had swallowed Yamato and Naruto.

As soon as the Ryumyaku's purple light faded, they had rushed down to find Yamato and Naruto.

"Go down," Sakura said gravely.

Sai made the ink bird dive towards the bottom of the crater.

At the center of the crater floor, they could vaguely see the remains of a shattered circular altar and two figures lying on the ground.

"It's Yamato-sensei and Naruto!"

Sakura's eyes lit up. Before the ink bird fully landed, she leaped from over ten meters in the air!

Thud!

She landed firmly on both feet, kicking up a bit of dust, then rushed towards the two figures.

Yamato lay on his back at the edge of the altar, covered in a thin layer of sand, his eyes closed tightly.

Naruto lay on his side not far away, one arm still outstretched as if trying to grab something.

"Yamato-sensei! Naruto!"

Sakura crouched down, placing both hands on their chests. Pale green Chakra flowed from her palms as she quickly checked their conditions.

'Heartbeats normal, breathing steady, Chakra flow a bit chaotic but no serious damage… more like mental exhaustion and shock.'

"Just unconscious—" Sakura sighed in relief and was about to use more precise Medical Ninjutsu to wake them.

"Ugh—"

Yamato's eyelids fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes.

At first, his gaze was confused, as if waking from a deep dream. The sky of the Roran ruins was reflected in his pupils, and it took a moment for his eyes to focus on Sakura's face.

"...Sakura?" Yamato's voice was hoarse. He struggled to sit up, holding his forehead, his brow deeply furrowed. "Am I... back?"

"Yamato-sensei, are you okay?" Sakura asked with concern, reaching out to support him.

Yamato didn't answer right away. He looked around at the recently devastated ruins, then up at the glaring sun, his brow furrowed as if confirming something.

"How long... were we gone?" He muttered to himself, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"Gone?" Sakura was taken aback, her face full of confusion. "Yamato-sensei, what are you talking about? From when that bastard Mukade set off the Ryumyaku seal and the purple light swallowed you guys until now… it's only been less than five minutes! Sai and I saw the light pillar disappear and came down right away to find you."

Just then, Sai landed the ink bird nearby. He jumped off and walked over, still expressionless. "Captain Yamato, Naruto. Any physical issues?"

"Sai..." Yamato glanced at his perpetually stoic teammate and shook his head. "Physically fine. It's just... the experience was a bit complicated."

His gaze turned to the still-unconscious Naruto, his eyes growing deep and thoughtful.

In that other space-time, he had met a young Kakashi. The two of them observed the situation outside Roran City together, witnessed that earth-shattering battle within the city…

'The black-haired boy who called himself 'Menma', the colossal black Susanoo, and Namikaze Minato...'

"Yamato-sensei?" Sakura noticed his distraction and waved a hand in front of his eyes. "What are you thinking about? You said 'back' just now… what did you mean? Where did you go?"

Yamato didn't answer immediately, looking instead at Naruto, who was slowly waking up.

Naruto rubbed his head as he sat up, his eyes also dazed.

He first looked at the familiar ruins around him, then down at his own hands, as if confirming something.

Then, his hand went to his ninja tool pouch and carefully pulled out an object.

It was a specially made kunai, its design slightly different from ordinary ones… the blade narrower, the handle engraved with complex sealing formulas, gleaming faintly with a metallic sheen under the sun.

A Flying Thunder God kunai.

Naruto looked at the kunai in his hand, his expression complex.

There was warmth, reluctance, relief, and a faint trace of envy.

"Naruto?" Sakura noticed his strange behavior, especially the kunai she had never seen before. "What's that...?"

Naruto looked up at Sakura and Sai, a bright yet somewhat complicated smile on his face.

"Sakura, Sai... I'm fine."

His voice was soft, yet carried a steadiness never heard before.

It felt like someone who had returned from a long journey, with many new things in his eyes.

Yamato looked at Naruto and asked softly, "Seems like you... talked a lot with them over there."

Naruto nodded, his fingers gently rubbing the handle of the Flying Thunder God kunai, as if he could still feel the residual Chakra aura on it.

"Yeah... I met two... friends who were like... family."

His voice trembled slightly on the word 'family', but quickly steadied, his smile growing brighter.

Sakura and Sai looked at each other, completely unable to understand the conversation.

To them, Mukade had just broken the Ryumyaku seal, the purple light pillar had swallowed the three of them, and only a few minutes had passed.

But judging by Yamato and Naruto's reactions, it seemed like they had experienced a much longer time.

"Hey, Naruto, Yamato-sensei, what are you talking about? What 'other side'? Weren't we just dealing with Mukade?" Sakura couldn't help pressing, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion.

Naruto looked at their perplexed expressions and just smiled, offering no further explanation.

Some experiences could only be understood by those who had lived through them.

Naruto carefully put the Flying Thunder God kunai containing the special space-time coordinates away close to his body, treating it like an invaluable treasure.

Then he stood up, patted the dust off his clothes, and the sunny, energetic smile returned to his face, as if instantly reverting to the familiar Uzumaki Naruto. "Alright! That bastard Mukade is completely done for! Our mission is a success! Let's head back to Konoha! I'm gonna eat Ichiraku ramen! Ten bowls!!"

Seeing Naruto instantly return to his usual self, Sakura, though still full of questions, temporarily suppressed her curiosity and sighed in resignation. "Seriously... you scared me! I thought you hit your head or something! Mission accomplished is good! You're treating us when we get back!"

"No problem! Hahaha!" Naruto laughed heartily, hands on his hips, but deep in his eyes, there was now a glimmer of something he hadn't had before… something called 'hope' and 'certainty'.

…

Another world.

Menma opened his eyes and instantly felt the scorching sun and dry air.

He stood in a sea of yellow sand, surrounded by the familiar ruins of Roran, but not the [City of a Thousand Spires] he had just left. This was the Roran of his original world, the ancient ruins long turned to dust in history.

Broken walls, weathered pillars, building foundations buried under sand… this was the Roran he remembered.

"Back, huh."

Menma murmured softly. He first sensed the Chakra within his body, confirming the Ryumyaku's power had stabilized.

Then he sensed the Flying Thunder God markers and shadow clones he had left across the Ninja World.

"About five minutes have passed," Menma quickly judged.

'It seemed the flow of time between the two dimensions was indeed different.'

'I had been there for nearly half a year, but only five minutes had passed here.'

As Menma was pondering, his brow suddenly furrowed slightly.

Sensing Technique, activate!

In the Mind's Eye of Kagura's field of view, the surroundings became transparent, the flow of Chakra clearly visible.

About three hundred meters away, behind a half-collapsed wall, he 'saw' several abnormal life forms.

They weren't human, nor desert animals.

Their Chakra Flow was peculiar, like a mix of plant and animal, with extremely vigorous vitality but little emotional fluctuation.

White Zetsus.

'Why are these guys... here?' A trace of doubt arose in Menma's heart.

'The Roran ruins were desolate, located deep in the desert. Besides occasional nomadic desert tribes passing by, no one came here.'

'If Black Zetsu and Obito were gathering intelligence, they should be targeting great Ninja Villages or important strategic locations.'

'Unless...'

'They followed me?'

Menma's eyes turned cold.

His figure vanished instantly, reappearing right in front of the half-collapsed wall.

His right hand shot out like lightning, fingers curled like claws, plunging directly into the wall!

"Wah ah—!"

A strange shriek came from within the wall.

Menma exerted force with his arm, yanking a white humanoid creature out of the wall.

It was pale all over, with a smooth surface. It lacked normal facial features, having only a wide-open mouth and a single yellow-pupiled eye, now struggling in terror.

"L-let go of me!" The White Zetsu screeched.

Menma ignored it, merely staring coldly. "Following me?"

"I-it's our boss! He wants to talk to you!" the White Zetsu hurriedly cried out. "Shura-sama! Don't kill me! We're not enemies!"

"Boss?" Menma raised an eyebrow.

He loosened his grip slightly, allowing the White Zetsu to catch its breath.

Menma's powerful sensing ability instantly swept over the entire ruins area, only detecting five other White Zetsus lurking in different locations. He didn't catch the unique, concealed Chakra Signature of Black Zetsu.

'As expected, cautious enough… a thousand-year-old eel, hiding really deep,' He sneered inwardly.

The White Zetsu dropped to the sand, gasping for breath, its voice tinged with flattery.

"The boss sent us to find you. Told us to tell you… he wants to cooperate with you, to deal with the Otsutsuki Clan."

Menma narrowed his eyes slightly.

'So, after seeing my battle with Otsutsuki Isshiki, that millennium-old schemer hiding in the shadows could finally sit still no longer.'

"Cooperate?" Menma's tone carried undisguised mockery. "A rat who only knows how to hide in the shadows, doesn't even dare show his true face… thinks he's qualified to talk cooperation with me?"

The White Zetsu trembled under Menma's aura but still mustered courage, continuing with the script Black Zetsu had prepared. "Our boss thinks you're stronger, more suitable for cooperation than Uchiha Madara and those Akatsuki guys! But with your current strength, you haven't reached the Sage of Six Paths' level yet! Whether you want to unite the Ninja World or obtain the Sage of Six Paths' power, you can't avoid the Tailed Beasts!"

It stole a glance at Menma's expression. Seeing he didn't seem inclined to attack immediately, it grew bolder, continuing its temptation. "Only by collecting all Nine Tailed Beasts, fusing them to create the ultimate Ten-Tails, and becoming its Jinchuriki can you obtain the Sage of Six Paths' power! That's a realm beyond mortals, the true power of a god!"

The White Zetsu's words were filled with temptation.

If it were Obito, or the original Pain, or even Madara himself hearing this, they would likely be moved.

The Sage of Six Paths was a legend in the Ninja World, the founder of Ninshu. His power was the ultimate goal for any Ninja seeking strength.

And indeed, legends connected the Tailed Beasts to the Sage of Six Paths.

Now, Black Zetsu, through the White Zetsu's mouth, directly stated that fusing the Nine Tailed Beasts, creating the Ten-Tails, and becoming its Jinchuriki was the path to the Sage of Six Paths' power… this logic was also correct.

Unfortunately, standing before it was Menma.

He knew Black Zetsu's true origins and ultimate goal all too well.

Resisting the Otsutsuki? Helping him become a god? Uniting the Ninja World? All bullshit!

Black Zetsu's true objective had always been one and only one.

To resurrect his mother, Otsutsuki Kaguya!

The so-called 'partners' were merely carefully selected pawns to collect the Tailed Beasts, ultimately becoming vessels for Kaguya's resurrection!

"Oh?" Menma's tone remained flat. "So that guy means to help me collect the Tailed Beasts, become the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki, and obtain the Sage of Six Paths' power?"

"Exactly!" The White Zetsu, seeing Menma seemed interested, hurriedly said. "Our lurking ability is the strongest in the Ninja World! Aside from powerful Ninjas of your level, others can't detect us at all! We can gather intelligence on the great Ninja Villages for you, monitor the movements of Tailed Beasts and their Jinchuriki, help you unite the Ninja World!"

"Hmph, sweet talk," Menma scoffed. "Resist the Otsutsuki? With you lot, hiding your heads and tails, not even daring to fight head-on… you think you're worthy?"

The White Zetsu was speechless.

Menma changed the subject, speaking as if casually. "As for uniting the Ninja World? Collecting Tailed Beasts? Do I need your help for that? If your so-called 'sincerity' is only this… then I have zero interest in this 'cooperation.'"

The White Zetsu gritted its teeth. Feeling the undisguised killing intent emanating from Menma, it knew it had to offer something substantial, or escaping today would be difficult.

It asked tremulously, "Then... what do you want? As long as we can manage—"

Menma extended his right hand, fingers spread.

The next second, five dazzling golden chains shot out from behind him!

Clatter—!

The chains, like living giant pythons, drew five golden arcs in the air, instantly shooting towards five different directions in the ruins!

"Ah—!"

"What is this?!"

"Let go of me!"

Screams erupted from various spots.

The Adamantine Sealing Chains accurately hit the other five White Zetsus lurking nearby, dragging them from their hiding places, firmly binding them, and hauling them before Menma.

The five White Zetsus were bound up like dumpling, struggling and writhing on the ground, utterly unable to break free.

Menma didn't even glance at them, just stared at the messenger White Zetsu before him. "If you want cooperation, show sincerity. Start by giving me a thousand of these 'materials'."

"A-a thousand?!" The White Zetsu's voice cracked.

Although producing White Zetsus wasn't difficult, and as long as there was the Gedo Statue and enough Chakra, Black Zetsu could mass-produce them, a thousand was no small number.

More importantly, Menma had explicitly said 'materials', meaning he wanted them as experimental subjects!

While White Zetsus didn't have strong emotions, being used as experimental material was not a pleasant experience.

"What, can't do it?" Menma's tone held a hint of mockery. "Not even this much sincerity, and you talk about cooperation?"

He raised his hand, a black Chakra Rod forming in his palm.

"Or do you think... I'm easy to fool?"

"N-no!" The White Zetsu hurriedly cried. "I'll go tell the boss right now! Y-you wait!"

Looking at its five companions bound by the Adamantine Sealing Chains, howling in pain, then at the dangerous black rod in Menma's hand, it dared not linger any longer. Its body instantly merged into the sand and vanished.

Menma looked in the direction the White Zetsu disappeared, snorting lightly.

'So the old eel Black Zetsu was finally getting restless, setting his sights on me, huh?'

'Fine. Might as well use him to get more White Zetsu experimental materials.'

'As for who's the pawn and who's the player… we'll each rely on our own abilities.'