FWF Chapter 357 Kakashi wanted to bluff, but luckily someone did a good deed.
Chapter 357 Kakashi wanted to bluff, but luckily someone did a good deed.
Chapter 357 Kakashi wanted to bluff, but luckily someone did a good deed.
Faced with Masami's merciless questioning, Naruto could only manage to squeeze out a sound from his throat.
"I—I don't know! I really don't know!"
He had no idea about any sorcerer, and the dream that plagued everyone was also an unsolved mystery to him.
Seeing Xiang's face gradually turning blue due to difficulty breathing, Naruto felt a surge of heart-wrenching anger and helplessness at the same time.
His mind was in complete chaos.
hateful!
I can't just stand by and watch my comrade be killed in front of me, but—what should I do?
He was at a loss, and his usual ninjutsu was useless in this situation.
"fragrant!"
Sakura called out anxiously, but she didn't dare to rush forward. She could only stand frozen in place, her eyes filled with anxiety and anger.
Despair and rage surged within Naruto, causing his breathing to become increasingly chaotic and unstable.
Suddenly, a sense of danger filled the air.
With a low, strange sound, crimson chakra suddenly seeped out from every pore of Naruto's body.
This chakra was thick and violent, like bursting miasma, instantly enveloping Naruto.
The whisker-like lines on his cheeks suddenly deepened and lengthened, and a hint of bloodthirsty crimson appeared faintly in the azure irises of his eyes.
A terrifying, chaotic, and destructive chakra surge swept outwards from Naruto's center, causing the dust on the ground to ripple slightly.
Kakashi's internal alarm bells rang, and he shouted sharply at Naruto, "Naruto! Calm down!"
At this moment, Naruto was on the verge of exploding, and the crimson chakra surging around him carried a beast-like ferocity.
The worst is happening: fueled by extreme anger, the Nine-Tails' chakra sealed within Naruto begins to run rampant out of control.
Kakashi's pupils contracted as a series of terrifying consequences flashed through his mind.
Once Naruto completely loses his mind and transforms into that terrifying fox demon, not only will it be difficult to rescue Kaguya, but the entire Hidden Leaf Village will likely relive the Night of the Nine-Tails.
In stark contrast to Naruto's sudden change in aura, Menma remained calm and composed throughout.
He took in Naruto's changes, and the mockery on his face became even more pronounced.
He scoffed dismissively, mocking, "What? You can't even tame the beast inside you? What's the difference between uncontrollable power and a wild animal?"
"With your pathetic state, you dare to dream of—"
Before Mianma could finish speaking, another unexpected event occurred!
Just before the raging Nine-Tails chakra completely engulfed Naruto, a low hum was heard, and a tiny golden light suddenly shone from Naruto's chest.
At first glance, the light was as faint as a firefly, but in an instant it spread like wildfire from Naruto's heart.
A dazzling golden light flowed across his entire body with lightning speed.
Wherever it went, the originally violent and rampant crimson chakra was instantly evaporated and transformed.
In the blink of an eye, the chaotic and ferocious crimson tailed beast chakra surrounding Naruto was completely transformed into flowing and solidified golden chakra.
The golden light was dazzling yet not blinding, warm yet surging, without a trace of violence. Instead, it exuded a boundless life energy and a sacred aura, seemingly originating from the sun.
At this moment, Naruto was bathed in golden light, as if he were wearing a shimmering, flowing golden battle suit.
Just as the golden light emerged, a gentle and familiar voice resounded deep within Naruto's mind.
"Calm down, Naruto, anger won't solve anything."
The voice seemed to come from a distant memory. Although it lasted only a moment, it carried an inexplicable power that calmed the raging anger in Naruto's heart.
He was on the verge of losing control when he suddenly jolted, the bloodshot color in his pupils gradually receding, and reason regained its advantage.
Naruto was shocked. Was this the power left behind by his other self from that time?
An indescribable warmth of chakra surged continuously from his body, perfectly merging with his will, allowing him to feel an unprecedentedly powerful force.
He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the urge to rush forward and fight to the death, and instead quickly considered the current situation.
His gaze shifted downwards, and his right hand quietly slipped into the ninja tool pouch at his waist, touching a specially made kunai.
The handle of the kunai was engraved with the Flying Thunder God Technique formula.
Naruto exerted a little force, gripping it tightly in his palm.
There's still a chance—as long as we make good use of this kunai and work with Kakashi to hold off the enemy, we'll definitely find a way to rescue Kaori.
On the other side, Menma's previously confident expression finally cracked.
He stared intently at the golden chakra cloak slowly flowing over Naruto's body, his eyes filled with disbelief.
The Nine-Tails' chakra—it can actually transform into this?
That was a ferocious power that even he found troublesome, so why did it suddenly seem to be tamed in Naruto?
His face paled, his pupils contracted slightly, and various guesses quickly flashed through his mind.
He concluded that Naruto could never control such power on his own, so there was only one answer: this kid had gotten incredibly lucky and possessed a secret technique left behind by another powerful figure!
Realizing this, Mianma's expression grew even colder, and the murderous intent in his eyes was as sharp as the coldest winter month.
Filled with resentment, he muttered under his breath, "Hmph, this kid's good luck is truly disgusting."
Kakashi was also shocked by the unprecedented change in Naruto, but his rich combat experience allowed him to quickly calm down.
He keenly noticed that Naruto had regained his senses and was gripping the Flying Thunder God kunai tightly, clearly waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.
In a critical moment, every second counts.
Thinking of this, Kakashi resolutely stepped forward, shifting his attention from Naruto back to Menma, and said in a deep voice, "Listen! No matter where you got your information, none of us here, including Naruto, know where the caster you're talking about is hiding!"
"And don't forget, this is the heart of Konoha! With the commotion we just caused, if we delay any longer, the Anbu and other patrolling ninjas will arrive at any moment. Then you'll face an attack from the entire village of Konoha!"
Kakashi's gaze sharpened as he stared intently at Menma, his words ringing with conviction: "I advise you to release the hostage now and retreat immediately. Perhaps then you'll have a chance to escape unscathed. Once surrounded by Konoha's reinforcements, you'll have nowhere to run!"
These words were both an ultimatum and a desperate delaying tactic.
Kakashi knew that his opponent's strength was unfathomable, and if the fight continued, his side's chances of winning were slim.
He could only try to intimidate his opponent with words. Du Mianma was not a completely irrational person; at least he would be wary of Konoha's upcoming reinforcements.
However, Kakashi's warning fell on Menma's ears and had no effect.
His expression was indifferent, and he chuckled lightly as if he had heard something ridiculous.
"Does Konoha even deserve it?" Menma sneered disdainfully, his arrogance and contempt evident. "If I want to leave, who among you can stop me? I can get away anytime."
Changing the subject, Menma's gaze swept over the ready-to-fight Kakashi and Naruto, finally landing on the dying Karin's face, his previously playful expression suddenly turning cold.
"But if you don't reveal the whereabouts of the caster—"
"Then this annoying little girl can forget about living any longer; she has to die now!"
At the critical moment, a sudden change occurred!
In the blink of an eye, a series of shrill and chaotic cries of crows suddenly erupted without warning.
"quack-!"
The strange cry broke the silence.
At the same time, the incense in Mianma's palm underwent a bizarre transformation, as if it were a phantom.
Xiang's originally frail body suddenly blurred, as if it had turned into a pool of spreading ink.
The next moment, it suddenly shattered into pieces, transforming into a sky full of pitch-black crows.
Dozens of crows took flight, their flapping wings creating a gust of wind that scattered in all directions with a cacophony of cawing.
Mianma's pupils suddenly contracted, and for the first time, a wavering appeared on his face.
"An illusion? When did you fall for it?"
opportunity!
The moment Menma revealed a weakness, Kakashi's eyes flashed, and he seized the fleeting opportunity without hesitation.
The three-tomoe Sharingan in his left eye instantly changed its pattern, transforming into a bizarre kaleidoscope design.
With a terrifying surge of ocular power, Kakashi activated the Mangekyou Sharingan.
Kamui turned his head!
In an instant, Mianma's hair stood on end, and a chill ran down his spine. A deadly danger loomed over him. Even with his deep mind, he didn't have time to think about the reason for the Black Crow Illusion. His fighting instincts drove him to react as quickly as possible.
At the same instant Kakashi activated Kamui, Menma sensed an unusual distortion and suction force in the surrounding space. He grunted and his body suddenly retreated to the side.
laugh!
Space was torn open like a curtain, and a thin but sharp tear grazed past the figure who was dodging.
It was just a hair's breadth away!
Mianma was ultimately a step too slow; the hem of his left sleeve was completely shredded, and a horrific, deep wound that exposed bone was torn open on his wrist.
Fresh blood gushed out like a fountain, splattering onto the ground!
A strong, pungent smell of blood filled the air!
If he hadn't dodged in time, what would have been twisted and crushed by the divine power wouldn't just be the flesh on his wrist, but his head.
Just as Kakashi made his move, a roar filled with rage exploded from the other side.
"asshole!!"
Naruto's eyes were already spitting fire.
This damned guy not only betrayed everyone's trust, but what Naruto found even more intolerable was that he dared to hurt Kaoru. At this moment, Naruto was truly enraged.
Fury transformed into boundless fighting spirit. Naruto suddenly swung his right hand from his waist, and the Flying Thunder God kunai in his hand shot out, drawing a sharp arc in mid-air.
"Flying Thunder God!"
Before he could finish speaking, Naruto's figure vanished from the spot with a burst of dazzling golden light.
At the same instant, his figure appeared like a ghost in mid-air to the side of Menma, right where the Flying Thunder God Kun had nowhere to land.
In mid-air, Naruto's right arm was stretched high, and a rapidly spinning, dazzling blue chakra ball had already condensed in his palm.
The dazzling light illuminated his angry face.
"Rasengan!!"
With a roar, Naruto spread his five fingers and slammed the Rasengan, which contained terrifying destructive power, into Menma's chest!
In an instant, a burst of incandescent light exploded with a deafening roar.
The Rasengan unleashed devastating power the moment it hit its target, the surging torrent of chakra sweeping outwards from Naruto and Menma like a raging storm.
The bluestone paving stones on the street were violently torn off and shattered into countless fragments, with smoke and dust billowing into the sky. The entire street trembled under the terrifying impact of this energy.
In the distance, Sakura instinctively raised her hand to shield herself from the sudden gust of wind.
As the roar subsided, she looked expectantly at the center of the explosion, her heart pounding in her throat.
"Did it work??" She unconsciously clenched her fists and murmured the question aloud.
On the other side, Kakashi suddenly groaned. The backlash from forcibly activating the Mangekyou Sharingan earlier surged forth, and he felt a piercing, bone-scraping pain coming from his left eye.
Kakashi covered his eyes tightly with his left hand, and blood was dripping continuously from between his fingers.
The powerful strain of his eye technique caused him to feel dizzy and his chakra to become disordered.
As the world spun before his eyes, he could no longer support his body.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura then noticed her teacher's unusual behavior. She exclaimed and rushed forward to help the swaying Kakashi.
However, just as Sakura took a step, a tall, dark figure arrived even faster than her.
The dark figure appeared almost instantaneously, landing silently beside Kakashi and Sakura.
The newcomer was wearing the uniform of Konoha's Anbu and a cat-face mask with a red inverted triangle pattern on his face.
At the same time, Xiang was brought over by him.
Sakura stared in shock, only to see that Kaori's eyes were closed and her face was pale. Fortunately, her breathing was steady, and it seemed that she had just fainted and was out of danger.
The masked ANBU member gently placed Kaori into Sakura's arms.
He then nodded slightly, his voice hoarse through the mask.
"treat."
"Ah, yes!"
Sakura suddenly snapped out of her daze and hurriedly nodded in agreement.
She carefully helped Xiang lie down, and then a pale green medical chakra light emanated from her palms as she began to carefully treat the wound on Xiang's neck.
Despite her hands moving non-stop, Sakura couldn't help but raise her eyes to examine the mysterious, powerful ANBU member who had suddenly appeared, her mind filled with doubts.
Who exactly is this person?
Kakashi endured the excruciating pain in his left eye and struggled to lift his head.
He stared at the reinforcements who had descended from the sky, his gaze lingering for a moment on the other's unique cat-face mask and the eerie illusion he had just cast, and then he understood.
"It really is you—" Kakashi's voice was weak but filled with complex emotions, including the relief of surviving a disaster and the joy of a long-awaited reunion.
Upon hearing this, the ANBU member slightly turned his head to look at Kakashi, without denying his identity, but simply nodded in greeting.
Immediately afterwards, his calm voice came from behind the mask: "Kakashi-senpai, now is not the time for reminiscing."
Before he finished speaking, he withdrew his gaze, abruptly turned to look at the still-lingering dust in the sky, and said in a deep voice, "It's not over yet."
"It's not over yet?!" Upon hearing this, Sakura's hands, which were healing, involuntarily paused, and she looked up in disbelief at the center of the smoke-filled battlefield.
How is that possible?!
Naruto's Rasengan just now clearly hit the target head-on. Even the strongest Jonin would not be able to escape unscathed after taking that hit.
As if to confirm the words of the Dark Division, the dust and smoke ahead were gradually dissipating.
The first thing that catches the eye is Naruto's figure, still shining with golden light.
His right arm remained extended forward, his golden chakra cloak billowing in the wind.
However, Naruto's face did not show any joy after the attack; instead, it was filled with shock and confusion. His palm was pressed against the surface of some huge object.
The sensation felt under that palm was not human flesh and blood, but a piece of carapace.
As the smoke and dust completely dissipated, a huge black shadow was fully revealed to everyone.
What stood between Naruto's fist and Menma was a massive summoning beast.
The spirit beast was entirely dark brown, with its thick limbs planted firmly on the ground like stone pillars made of rock.
Its massive armor on its back bulged high, its surface covered with ancient and rugged patterns and protruding ridges, making it look indestructible.
Even more bizarrely, a long, slender neck, disproportionately large to the massive body, protruded from the front of the thick tortoise shell.
Looking up along that long neck, one sees a hideous and eerie face—a three-eyed fox mask that looks exactly like the legendary Death God's spirit beast.
The Rasengan that Naruto unleashed with all his might was forcibly blocked by this strange turtle-shaped summoning beast using its carapace.
A faint charred mark was visible in the center of the thick tortoise shell, but it failed to cause fatal damage.
Menma stood calmly behind the giant summoning turtle, looking relaxed, as if he wasn't the one who had just been hit by the Rasengan.
His left sleeve was torn in a large tear, revealing a bloody wound on his wrist underneath.
The deep, bone-revealing wound was slowly writhing, with countless flesh and tendons pulling and tugging together as if they were alive. In the blink of an eye, the wound began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Mianma glanced down at the hideous wound on his wrist, which was rapidly closing up, seemingly unconcerned about his injury.
Just then, a chilling glint of light burst forth from the smoke and dust.
The Grim Reaper's giant scythe pierced the air with a piercing whistle, slashing straight down towards Naruto's waist.
The scythe was entirely black, and wherever it passed, the air emitted a piercing shriek.
Naruto's pupils contracted as he reacted instinctively.
The power of golden chakra erupted within him, greatly enhancing his speed and reflexes. He twisted his waist sharply, forcefully dodging the chilling edge of the scythe.
The sharp tip of the sickle grazed Naruto's lower abdomen, narrowly missing its mark.
After dodging the attack, Naruto didn't have time to think. He pushed off the ground with both feet and his body sprang backward like a spring.
With a few nimble backflips and leaps, he quickly distanced himself from Menma and landed steadily beside Kakashi, Sakura, and the others.
Naruto only breathed a sigh of relief after returning to his companions.
He immediately looked down at Kaori in Sakura's arms. Kaori's eyes were closed, and although she was still unconscious, her chest was rising and falling slightly in a rhythmic manner.
Her injuries are fading rapidly under the influence of Sakura's medical chakra.
Seeing this, Naruto finally felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders and let out a long sigh of relief.
However, this sense of relief after surviving the ordeal lasted only a brief moment.
The next second, when Naruto's gaze fell on Kaoru's still pale face and the bruises remaining on her neck, his heart clenched again.
Intense anger and self-blame erupted again like a volcano; Xiang almost—it was all because he hadn't been able to save her in time.
Overwhelming rage seized Naruto's reason once more. He slowly turned his head and stared intently at Menma, who was not far away.
"You bastard!!" Naruto could no longer contain himself and roared at Menma.
Before he finished speaking, Naruto suddenly raised his hands and quickly formed a series of hand seals.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—!
Accompanied by a series of dense bursts of white smoke, a large cloud of white mist appeared centered on Naruto.
The next instant, the white mist dissipated, revealing hundreds of identical Naruto clones. These clones were all draped in golden chakra cloaks, crowding the once empty street.
Each shadow clone wore the same angry expression as Naruto's main body, and golden chakra flowed around their bodies, burning fiercely like blazing flames, creating an astonishing aura.
The roars of hundreds of Naruto clones erupted simultaneously, echoing across the sky.
Such a breathtaking scene would have likely made an ordinary Jonin want to retreat long ago.
However, Menma merely glanced at it coldly, a nonchalant mockery playing on his lips.
His expression remained indifferent and calm, completely disregarding Naruto's human wave tactics.
In fact, Menma's attention was not on those roaring golden clones at all.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he slowly shifted his gaze to the ANBU ninja standing to the side, sword in hand.
Just now, this very person had used a mysterious and unpredictable illusion technique without anyone noticing, forcefully turning the incense packet into a flock of crows from his hands. Facepalm's heart surged again. He stared at the mysterious ANBU member wearing the cat-face mask, thinking to himself: "What a terrifying fellow—such mastery of illusion techniques is truly exceptional."
Without a sound, reality and illusion were reversed. They managed to switch the hostages without my noticing. A strange light flashed in Menma's eyes, whether it was anger or excitement, I couldn't tell.
Clearly, in Menma's mind, this ANBU ninja who suddenly appeared and successfully disrupted his plans had been listed as the most troublesome opponent.
Even with Kakashi and Naruto clones all around him, he knew that the commotion was just a bluff. In comparison, the Anbu, who possessed mysterious genjutsu, were the most dangerous people he needed to be wary of at this moment.
Menma took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and once again revealed his arrogant and cold smile.
He slowly withdrew his gaze from the Anbu, and re-examined the menacing army of Naruto's clones before him. Suddenly, he sneered, "Hmph, trash is trash. No matter how many there are, they're nothing but a bunch of chickens and dogs."
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