The clash grew increasingly brutal.
It almost didn't look like a battle between humans anymore.
Even though it wasn't the fully matured Zero-Tails, Shinno had successfully utilized its power to forcefully ignite every ounce of his body's latent potential. In his current state, Shinno undeniably qualified as a Kage-level powerhouse.
And he wasn't just scraping the bottom of the barrel either; he was solidly above average. Facing an opponent like this...
Kisame could no longer maintain his previous leisure.
He swung Samehada with overwhelming, torrential force.
Over and over, the massive blade cleaved toward Shinno's mutated flesh.
Bang!
Clang!
But time and time again, the strikes were deflected by the thick, writhing tentacles sprouting from Shinno's body. Worst of all, Samehada's normally infallible chakra-absorption ability actually failed to drain Shinno's corrupted energy.
Because of this, the fight devolved into a raw, hyper-violent slugfest.
Watching from a short distance away, Menma couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. He genuinely hadn't expected Shinno to be this strong. After all, out of all the standalone villains introduced throughout the original series, Shinno was undeniably one of the weakest. Both his personal combat power and the upper limits of the Zero-Tails were severely underwhelming.
Because of that, Menma hadn't thought Shinno could cause any real trouble at this stage. He only cared about the man because of the Land of Sky's technological legacy.
But looking at him now...
Shinno actually had some real bite to him.
While it was unclear if directly swallowing the 'Zero-Tails' embryo had any lethal side effects, his current Kage-level combat power was undeniable. Across the entire ninja world, he was currently standing at the top of the pyramid.
However...
It's still not enough... Menma thought to himself, a trace of pity flashing in his eyes as he watched Kisame and Shinno locked in what appeared to be a dead heat.
Putting Itachi Uchiha aside entirely...
Kisame Hoshigaki, fighting at full strength with Samehada in hand, was an absolute top-tier Kage-level monster.
A mere Shinno stood zero chance of actually defeating him. Might Guy had already proven that fact in the original timeline.
And just by analyzing the current flow of the battle, Menma's current power level and combat experience allowed him to accurately gauge the massive chasm between the two.
The initial stalemate was merely the result of Shinno's sudden explosive burst of power, combined with Kisame taking a moment to adapt to the new rhythm.
Itachi remained exactly as he had been. While he had briefly repositioned during the initial clash, as the fight dragged on and Shinno's absolute limits became glaringly obvious...
Itachi simply returned to standing guard on the perimeter.
Shinno's combat style and absolute maximum output had been completely seen through.
Bang!
Facing a heavy, frontal smash, Kisame instantly shifted his offensive stance.
Spotting a glaring opening as Shinno swung his tentacles wide to block, Kisame ruthlessly brought the colossal Samehada crashing down.
This time, while violently tearing through the tentacles, the blade struck true, slamming directly into Shinno's left shoulder.
Crack!
Squélch!
Flesh tore open and bones shattered.
As dark blood sprayed through the air, Shinno's face instantly contorted in agony.
This development completely shattered his expectations. Based on the intensity of the fight just moments ago, Shinno had arrogantly assumed his massive power spike would allow him to effortlessly crush both of them. He thought this shark-faced freak, and even the legendary Uchiha prodigy standing on the sidelines, would be no match for him.
But now?!
Itachi Uchiha was still casually watching from the sidelines.
And even in a pure one-on-one against Kisame, Shinno was being absolutely physically dominated. No matter how you looked at it, he had been pushed to the absolute brink of death once again.
If Shinno still hadn't realized that Kisame hadn't just been holding back earlier, but practically releasing an entire ocean of mercy... then his brain was truly rotting.
In that split second, a bizarre thought crossed Shinno's mind: Were they actually telling the truth about inviting me? Why else would they have pulled their punches so heavily at the start? Not only did they refuse to jump him two-on-one, but the guy actually fighting him had been constantly holding back.
Wasn't that a twisted form of sincerity?
However...
The thought barely registered before Shinno violently violently rejected it. Who did they think he was?! He was a former high-ranking official of the Land of Sky, and its sole surviving leader! He was the man destined to resurrect his nation and conquer the entire ninja world!
How could he ever bow his head and serve under someone else?!
It was an absolute joke!
This was Shinno's ultimate obsession. Furthermore, forcibly assimilating the Zero-Tails had exponentially magnified his darkest ambitions and triggered a primal, beast-like fury, driving him completely insane.
"ROAR!!!!"
Letting out a deafening, inhuman bellow, the blinding purple aura around him violently flared.
Boom!!
He unleashed a wave of suffocating pressure that would have paralyzed an ordinary ninja.
Squélch!
The flesh on Shinno's abdomen voluntarily ripped open. A split second later, countless dark purple tentacles violently erupted from the wound.
These new appendages were far more grotesque and corrupted than the ones before. They whipped through the air with extreme malice, shooting straight for Kisame at point-blank range.
It was a desperate, suicidal final strike.
Instead of panicking, a savage, bloodthirsty grin split Kisame's face.
He actually charged forward to meet the attack head-on.
Fully unleashing Samehada...
"!"
The massive sword peeled back its bandages, opening its terrifying, cavernous maw.
Chomp!
Chomp!
In a fraction of a second, Samehada viciously bit through several of the incoming tentacles. Kisame violently twisted his torso, narrowly dodging the remaining strikes.
Swish!
Squélch!
While he couldn't evade them entirely, he allowed two tentacles to graze his sides, plunging deep into his abdomen.
Despite his flesh being cleanly pierced, Kisame didn't let out a single groan.
Instead, the murderous, psychotic gleam in his eyes only burned brighter.
As Shinno's pupils shrank in absolute terror, Kisame ruthlessly smashed Samehada directly into his chest.
Crack!
This time, the concussive force was devastating.
Shinno's ribcage violently shattered.
"Blargh!"
He violently vomited a stream of dark, purple-tinged blood.
The next second...
Samehada unhinged its jaw and brutally clamped down on Shinno's shoulder, violently gorging itself on his corrupted chakra.
Shinno's body began to violently convulse.
"AAAAARGHHHHH!"
An agonizing, blood-curdling scream tore from his throat.
Kisame sneered disdainfully. Flexing his massive arm, he violently violently whipped Samehada outward, treating the sword like a baseball bat.
Shinno was launched through the air, violently smashing into the earth.
Boom!
A sickeningly heavy thud echoed out as a massive crater was smashed into the ground, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. Shinno's vision flared white as agonizing, paralyzing pain wracked his entire body.
"Gah!"
He groaned in agony, his terrifying aura rapidly fizzling out.
Now's the time!
The outcome was decided. Shinno was exactly one hit away from death.
Lurking in the shadows, Menma's eyes lit up.
With a flick of his wrist, a specialized Flying Thunder God kunai slid into his palm.
Just as he was about to make his move...
Suddenly...
Directly across the battlefield, Kisame, who had been charging forward to deliver the final blow to Shinno, violently violently pivoted mid-stride.
He violently whipped his arm out.
Samehada: Flying Chain Slash!
Samehada rapidly expanded once more, the handle detaching and extending into a long chain.
In a fraction of a second...
The massive sword extended twenty or thirty meters.
Crossing the massive distance, it hurtled directly toward the shadows where Menma was hiding.
What?!
The attack was blisteringly fast.
Menma's pupils violently violently constricted.
With no other choice, he hastily violently hurled the specialized kunai in his hand.
Clang!
The kunai collided head-on with Samehada, throwing sparks before being violently deflected. But that tiny fraction of a second of buffer was all Menma needed.
He violently pushed off the ground, instantly launching himself out of his hiding spot.
Simultaneously...
Barely half a beat later...
A massive barrage of blazing fireballs carpet-bombed the exact spot he had just been standing in.
As his previous position was engulfed in roaring flames and smashed into a crater by Samehada, Menma landed gracefully in an open clearing a short distance away.
He wore a look of genuine surprise and mild amusement. "And here I thought I had hidden my chakra perfectly. I didn't expect to actually get caught. I suppose you don't earn the title of S-rank missing-nin for nothing, huh?"
Now standing completely out in the open...
The moment they saw Menma's face, the expressions of all three men on the battlefield subtly shifted.
Itachi Uchiha, in particular, locked his deep, crimson Sharingan directly onto Menma.
"Menma Uzumaki."
The softly spoken name sent a violent shockwave through the critically injured Shinno. While Shinno paid attention to global intelligence and had certainly heard of Menma's recent, world-shaking exploits, he had never actually seen the boy's face.
He hadn't paid that much attention to the details. Naturally, he hadn't recognized him immediately.
But hearing Itachi say the name...
Shinno's mind rapidly spun into overdrive.
He had thought he was definitely going to die, or be forced to surrender into slavery. But now... it seemed a third option had just presented itself.
Struggling slightly, Shinno shakily forced himself up from the dirt. Trying to steady his ragged breathing, he looked toward Menma with a highly complex expression.
Right now, Menma was his only lifeline.
However, Shinno could never have possibly imagined that Menma was also here to capture him—even if it was just a spur-of-the-moment decision.
"Oh? If it isn't the Hidden Leaf's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. To think we'd run into you all the way out here... what a bizarre coincidence!!"
Kisame briefly glanced at the shifting Shinno, easily determining that the old man had lost the vast majority of his combat power and was practically half-dead. Kisame immediately shifted almost all his focus onto Menma.
Menma's recent track record was absolutely terrifying.
Furthermore, the Akatsuki's grand design eventually required the capture of all the Tailed Beasts. The boy standing in front of them was one of their ultimate targets. Since Kisame couldn't determine why Menma was here, he naturally went on maximum high alert.
There was a very real possibility this kid had the power to kill him.
But then again, Kisame wasn't alone. With Itachi-san standing right beside him, Kisame refused to believe Menma could take them both on.
"Mm. It really is quite the coincidence. But since fate brought us together, I wonder if you two famous missing-nin would be willing to do me a favor and hand over Shinno-san? I actually need his help with a tiny little project," Menma said with a light, breezy smile, his tone completely casual.
It genuinely wasn't a lie.
Menma hadn't tracked them down on purpose. He had literally just stumbled across them in the wilderness and decided to opportunistically hijack their prize.
But while Menma knew that was the truth...
Itachi, Kisame, and especially Shinno absolutely didn't believe a word of it. The moment Shinno heard that he was Menma's target as well, the hair on the back of his neck stood up.
He groaned internally.
Why the hell is everyone after me?! Do I have some kind of hidden value that even I don't know about?!
Shinno furiously wracked his brain in total bewilderment, but even if he thought about it for a hundred years, he would never guess the truth.
The Akatsuki genuinely just wanted to recruit him.
Menma simply wanted to strip-mine the Land of Sky's technology.
"A tiny little project? Heh."
Kisame's expression clearly screamed, I don't believe a damn word coming out of your mouth. He subtly shifted his gaze, entering a state of absolute, total combat readiness.
Kisame was fully aware of exactly who Menma was. In his mind, there was zero chance this was a coincidence. Menma had to have come fully prepared, and there was no way he was alone. There had to be an ambush waiting nearby.
Naturally, Kisame was on maximum alert. The entire world knew exactly how terrifyingly powerful the military force Menma commanded was!
"My apologies, but we need to take this man with us. Menma-kun, I must ask you to step aside. We have no desire to make an enemy out of you here," Itachi finally spoke after a long silence. His eyes remained perfectly flat, and his voice carried absolutely zero emotional inflection.
He spoke like a machine.
"You won't hand him over? Well, that's a shame. I suppose I'll just have to apologize in advance, then," Menma murmured softly, lowering his eyes.
Swoosh!
The next second...
Hum!
Menma sharply violently yanked his hand back.
Suddenly...
The specialized kunai that Kisame had violently deflected earlier violently reversed course, rocketing directly toward Shinno's back.
As the lethal, freezing edge closed in...
Shinno froze for a tenth of a second in absolute bewilderment. Aren't you guys having a standoff?! Why the hell are you attacking ME?!
But Shinno was a highly experienced veteran. During the wars decades ago, he had slaughtered countless ninja. His combat experience and reaction speed were top-tier.
The shock only lasted for a fraction of a second before he violently violently reacted.
Swish!
With a wave of his hand, a thick, dark purple tentacle erupted from his torso, effortlessly violently batting the kunai away.
Immediately after, Shinno aggressively aggressively divided his absolute focus between Menma, Itachi, and Kisame, hyper-vigilant against the next strike from any direction.