After cleanly defeating and sealing the Fourth Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body', Menma stepped onto the back of the Vermilion Bird.
Seeing Menma about to leave, Jiraiya anxiously shouted: "Naruto!"
Menma turned his head, gave Jiraiya a cold glance, then looked away.
At this moment, the Vermilion Bird under his feet slowly flapped its wings, carrying him into the air.
Jiraiya, unconcerned with anything else, quickly formed hand seals: "Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Boom
Instantly, a scorching fire dragon erupted from Jiraiya's mouth, shooting towards the Vermilion Bird carrying Menma high up in the air.
However, just as the fire dragon was about to swallow the Vermilion Bird, the Death God blocked in front of the Vermilion Bird, swinging its scythe.
Swish...
Accompanied by a sound breaking the air, the scythe, wielded by the Death God and emitting an eerie glow, harvested the chakra of Jiraiya's 'Fire Dragon Flame Bullet', causing the fire dragon to dissipate in mid-air.
With this delay, the Vermilion Bird had already carried Menma high into the sky. The Celestial Maiden, sealing and binding the Fourth Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body', followed closely, floating beside the Vermilion Bird.
The other Nine-Faced Beasts, including the Death God, all materialized and disappeared in place.
High in the sky.
Menma looked down at Jiraiya and Orochimaru, coldly stating: "You don't need to rush to find me, because I will come for you!"
Leaving these words behind, Menma flew away without looking back.
Watching Menma depart, Orochimaru's mouth twitched slightly: "Was that brat really Naruto Uzumaki?"
Menma's entire process, from attacking to retreating, was seamless, leaving Orochimaru very surprised.
Not just Orochimaru, even Jiraiya was feeling unsure.
Because the difference in both personality and methods was vast, if it weren't for the unchanged appearance and Nine-Tails' aura, Jiraiya would probably doubt if the person just now was truly Naruto.
In the air.
Menma sat cross-legged on the Vermilion Bird's back, leaning his head on his hand, the corner of his mouth slightly curved: "What 'Sannin' nonsense, they're nothing special!"
Successfully snatching the Fourth Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body' right under the noses of Jiraiya and Orochimaru certainly gave him a reason to be proud.
Glancing at the Fourth Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body' sealed by the Celestial Maiden, he mused: "Once I retrieve that half of the Nine-Tails, I will be the true Nine-Tails Jinchūriki!"
Naruto, as the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, was somewhat undeserving of the title.
But if Menma retrieved the other half, the Yin-Nine-Tails, merging the Yin and Yang Nine-Tails into one, he would truly be the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki!
At that time, his strength would undoubtedly surge.
It should be noted that at this current point in time, Menma's control over the Nine-Tails and its chakra far surpassed Naruto's.
The current Naruto was not yet the 'Child of Prophecy' who could use 'Nine-Tails Chakra Mode' and freely distribute his Nine-Tails chakra to all ninjas on the battlefield during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Menma, however, could forcibly subdue the Nine-Tails and use its chakra at will, bypassing the Nine-Tails' own wishes. Therefore, once the Yin and Yang Nine-Tails merged, even by the most conservative estimate, Menma's strength would increase by at least two to three times.
Just as Menma was imagining returning to the village and settling scores with the villagers who had once humiliated and discriminated against him after the two Nine-Tails merged, he happened to pass by Hiruko and Ranmaru on the flying chimera beast in the air.
"Hmm?"
"Oh?"
Both sides noticed each other instantly.
"Damn it, why did I run into them!"
Menma thought badly and quickly urged the Vermilion Bird to speed up, attempting to shake off Hiruko and Ranmaru.
He wasn't afraid of the Akatsuki organization, but he had just acquired the Fourth Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body' and hadn't had time to extract the Yin-Nine-Tails yet. He didn't want to engage in a fight with the Akatsuki organization at this moment.
"Nine-Tails Jinchūriki! And the Fourth Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body'? Ha, they're practically delivering themselves!"
After recognizing Menma on the Vermilion Bird and the Fourth Hokage's 'Impure World Reincarnation body' sealed and bound by the Celestial Maiden, Hiruko was overjoyed and ordered the flying chimera beast to pursue.
Soon, the two sides, chasing each other in the air, engaged in aerial combat!
Boom boom boom...
Hiruko's flying chimera beast was not only larger but could also fire feather explosive tags, giving it a complete advantage. In rounds of explosions, it forced the Vermilion Bird into precarious situations.
Seeing that this was not a viable solution, Menma hardened his resolve, planning to land on the ground and deal with Hiruko and Ranmaru first.
The two sides landed one after the other in a forest.
Looking at Menma, Hiruko laughed: "I never expected both Nine-Tails to be delivered right to my doorstep. Looks like luck is on my side today!"
Menma said coldly: "Since you're so eager to die, let's settle the previous scores one by one!"
Menma, who shared memories with Naruto, remembered that Hiruko had infiltrated the Hidden Leaf twice, attacked Jinchūriki including Naruto, killed Gaara once, and kidnapped Fū. So since he couldn't shake off the opponent now, he decided to settle both the new and old scores with him at once.
Hiruko, who had failed to capture the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki several times, was equally frustrated. Hearing Menma speak with such a tough tone, he sneered: "Ranmaru, step aside, don't interfere. This brat is mine to handle!"
Ranmaru frowned: "There should be Ninja Village Alliance ninjas nearby. If we drag this out too long, it might attract trouble."
Hiruko glared fiercely at Ranmaru: "Do you think I'll waste much time dealing with a brat like this?"
"Alright!"
Ranmaru, feeling helpless, had no choice but to step aside.
Menma secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Facing a combination like Hiruko and Ranmaru one against two, he really wasn't very confident.
Now that the arrogant Hiruko insisted on a one-on-one fight, it gave him a much better chance of winning.
The two sides confronted each other quietly for a moment, then both attacked!
Pouncing towards each other, both wore incredibly fierce expressions.
Both aimed for a quick victory, not wanting to get overly entangled and delayed. So one activated 'Great Spiralling Ring', and the other directly activated the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Whoosh...
In just one or two breaths, the two pouncing on each other collided.
Menma smashed a 'Great Spiralling Ring' towards Hiruko, and Hiruko, having already discerned the attack, activated 'Dark Release', attempting to absorb Menma's 'Great Spiralling Ring' and then return the 'Great Spiralling Ring' to Menma.
"!?"
However, at that moment, the smug look on Hiruko's face suddenly froze. He was horrified to discover that his 'Dark Release' was actually unable to absorb the highly condensed 'Great Spiralling Ring'.
Boom
In the next instant, Menma's 'Great Spiralling Ring' smashed squarely into Hiruko's right arm, which was channeling 'Dark Release', completely obliterating Hiruko's entire right arm from his body...