Naruto: I'm in Konoha, my name is Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 339 Absorbing the Dragon Vein [9K]

Menma, standing atop the diamond-shaped crystal in the center of Susanoo's forehead, looked down arrogantly at An Lushan and Centipede, who had transformed into giant puppets.

"What...what is this?!" An Lushan's roar, mixed with the sound of metal scraping, came from the centipede monster's head, his voice filled with disbelief and horror!
His puppet's eyes were fixed on the towering black giant, feeling the terrifying pressure emanating from it, and an unprecedented fear surged in its heart.

But soon, fear was replaced by madness!

"You bastard! You really did have a trump card!" An Lushan roared hysterically, "But this is Loulan! This is my territory! The power of the dragon vein is inexhaustible! You can't win!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly swung his massive tail, which was tens of meters long and covered with thick metal plates!
The sharp barbs on both sides of the tail slashed through the air, creating a piercing sound, like a giant metal whip, lashing fiercely at the waist of the black Susanoo!

At the same time, the spider-shaped centipede puppet also launched an attack!
Its eight long legs, made of sharp, giant blades, pushed off the ground with a bang, and its bulky body leaped into the air, swooping down from the sky. The eight blade-like legs, like eight giant scythes, slashed towards Susanoo's head and back!

Faced with this pincer attack, Menma simply snorted coldly.

The black Susanoo didn't even try to block; it simply let the attacks land on it.

clang! clang! clang! clang!
A series of dense and crisp metallic clanging sounds rang out!
The centipede's tail struck the black armor on Susanoo's waist, but it didn't even leave a scratch!

The centipede's eight bladed legs slashed at Susanoo's helmet and back armor, the blades even bending slightly due to the recoil!
"How is this possible?!" The centipede's ferocious head exclaimed in astonishment, its eight bladed legs using the force to spring backward, landing on the ground not far away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

An Lushan was also stunned.

He had absolute confidence in the destructive power of his puppets. The barbs and blades were made of a special alloy, and with the enhancement of the dragon vein chakra, they were enough to easily cut through the hardest rocks!
Yet, not even a scratch could be left on this black armor!

Just then, the noodles started to move.

The black Susanoo slowly raised its right arm, and the chakra sword burning with black flames in its hand swung horizontally at an extremely fast speed!
The blade sliced ​​through the air with a dull, terrifying whistling sound!
Wherever the broadsword passed, the surrounding air seemed to be cut open, forming a visible, distorted trajectory!

The first to be affected are several tall towers near the edge of the park.

These buildings, hundreds of meters tall and constructed of metal and stone, are as fragile as paper in front of the Chakra Blade!
The blade sliced ​​through the tower without any resistance.

Boom! !

A series of loud collapse sounds rang out!

The three towers were cut in half at the waist, with the upper half of the tower slowly sliding down along the smooth cut before collapsing with a roar, crashing to the ground and kicking up clouds of dust!
Gravel and metal fragments flew everywhere like a torrential rain!

"Watch out!" Minato shouted immediately, his hands quickly forming hand seals.

"Wind Escape·Big Breakthrough!"

A powerful gust of air shot out from his mouth, scattering the rubble and debris flying toward Sarah and the Loulan civilians.

Dingzuo and Zhiwei immediately sprang into action, standing on either side of the civilians and using kunai and insect walls to deflect the sporadic flying debris.

Naruto stood in front of Sara, his eyes fixed on the battle, filled with shock and excitement.

"So...so awesome!"

In the center of the battlefield, the chakra sword, having severed three towers, continued its sweeping attack on An Lushan's centipede monster with undiminished momentum!

An Lushan's pupils shone with a brilliant purple light. He roared furiously and manipulated the two thick arms on the upper body of the centipede monster. The five giant rotating blades at the ends of the arms spun rapidly, emitting a piercing buzzing sound!
"Get out of my way!"

The centipede monster crossed its arms in front of it, and five rotating blades formed an impenetrable defensive barrier, attempting to withstand the blow head-on!

clang--!
A deafening metallic clang rang out!
The chakra sword slammed down on the barrier formed by the spinning blades!
A terrifying force traveled along the blade. An Lushan felt a violent tremor in the arms of the puppet he was controlling. The five rotating blades suddenly slowed down the instant they came into contact with the black flames, and even tiny cracks appeared on the blades!

Even more terrifying, the blade of the broadsword was not completely blocked, but continued to advance!

Tsk-!
A piercing sound of metal tearing apart rang out!
A deep gash was cut open in the thick armor on the centipede monster's arms, revealing the complex mechanical structure and the dragon vein chakra energy that shimmered with purple light!

Purple chakra energy gushed out from the crack like blood, forming dazzling yet dangerous streaks of light in the air!

"Ughhhhhh—!" An Lushan roared in pain. Although his body had been transformed into a puppet and his sense of pain had been greatly reduced, the knife had directly damaged his energy core, making him feel real "pain"!
"Centipede! What are you doing! Attack!" he roared frantically.

The spider-like centipede immediately reacted, its bloated body leaping up again, its eight blade-like legs stabbing towards Susanoo's back like a storm!
Ding ding ding ding—!

The dense thuds of impact sounded like raindrops pattering on banana leaves!
However, to the centipede's despair, no matter how it attacked, its eight bladed legs, which were capable of easily piercing through steel, could not even penetrate the weakest joint on Susanoo's back armor!
The blade clashed with the armor, producing a piercing clang, yet the armor remained as smooth as ever, without even a white mark!

"How is this possible... What kind of defense is this..." Centipede's voice was filled with disbelief.

At this moment, Menma's Susanoo exerted its power once again!
His right hand, gripping the hilt of the sword, suddenly flared up, and the black flames on the sword surged violently!

"Break it for me!"

With a low shout from Menma, the power in the chakra sword surged once more!

Click——!
A crisp cracking sound rang out!

Three of the five rotating blades on An Lushan's arms shattered under the immense pressure!
The fragments flew in all directions like bullets!

The blade encountered no further obstruction and slashed fiercely into the centipede monster's chest armor!
laugh--! !

The broadsword sliced ​​through the thick metal armor with ease, like a hot knife through butter, and continued downwards, splitting the centipede monster's tens of meters long body in two from the chest!
Purple dragon vein energy gushed out from the cut like a fountain, forming a strange purple pillar of light in the air!

"Ugh—!" An Lushan let out a shrill scream.

The centipede monster's upper and lower body slowly separated, with sparks of electricity and purple light leaking energy flashing at the cut. The two halves of the body tilted to the sides.

boom! boom!
Two muffled thuds followed as the two massive puppet bodies slammed heavily onto the ground, kicking up dust dozens of meters high.

Upon seeing this, the spider-shaped centipede was terrified and kicked its eight bladed legs wildly on the ground, trying to escape.

But how could Mianma possibly give it a chance?

The black Susanoo released the hilt of its sword with its left hand, spread its five fingers, and then suddenly clenched its fist, punching the retreating centipede puppet!
This punch was as fast as lightning, carrying a violent airflow and dark red chakra, and it slammed solidly into the center of the centipede puppet's bloated body!
Bang——! ! !
A deafening sound, like a heavy hammer striking a broken gong!

The centipede's body was dented by the punch, its surface metal armor shattered inch by inch, and its internal mechanical structure was shaken to pieces!

Its eight bladed legs twitched limply, and its entire body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing through two towers behind it and finally embedding itself in the base of a third tower, where it fell completely still.

"That's... a win?!" Naruto's eyes widened as he looked at the two giant puppets on the battlefield that had lost their ability to move, a smile of excitement spreading across his face.

"That's amazing! He took care of it with just one sword and one punch!"

Minato, Dingza, and Zhiwei remained vigilant, their eyes fixed on An Lushan's centipede-like body, which had been cut in two.

really--

"Ha...haha...hahaha..."

A low, twisted laugh emanated from the head of the centipede monster's upper body.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, the tallest and most magnificent tower in Loulan suddenly emitted a beam of purple light!
The beam of light spanned hundreds of meters and shone precisely on An Lushan's two broken body parts!
Buzz buzz—!
The dense dragon vein chakra surged into the broken puppet structure as if it were a tangible substance. The severed energy lines reconnected at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the damaged armor was quickly repaired and regenerated!
Even the three shattered rotating blades reformed under the purple light!

In just a few seconds, An Lushan's centipede monster was completely restored and stood up again!
The centipede that had been blasted into the tower base was also bathed in another purple beam of light. Its sunken body swelled up again, its shattered armor was restored, and its eight bladed legs regained their vitality!

"Hahahaha! Useless! No matter how fierce your attacks are, you can't kill me!"

An Lushan's arrogant laughter once again echoed across the battlefield, filled with smugness and madness.

"See that? This is the power of the Dragon Vein! Endless chakra! As long as the Dragon Vein exists, I can repair myself infinitely! Regenerate infinitely! But you—your chakra will eventually run out! And then, it will be your death!!"

Naruto's expression changed: "How is this possible... He recovered so quickly..."

Minato's expression was grave as he said in a deep voice, "An Lushan's power comes from the Dragon Vein chakra. As long as we sever the Dragon Vein's chakra transmission to him, we can..."

Before he could finish speaking, Mianma on the battlefield had already reacted.

The black Susanoo slowly raised its left hand, its five fingers spread, pointing towards An Lushan and the centipede.

"King Kong Blockade."

Mianma uttered four words softly.

Splash! Splash!

Five dazzling golden chakra chains shot out from behind Susanoo!

Each of these chains was as thick as a bucket, with golden light flowing across its surface. Like five giant golden pythons, they drew graceful arcs in the air, instantly covering a distance of a hundred meters, and firmly binding the newly recovered An Lushan and the centipede puppet!
Chains were wrapped around the puppet's joints, torso, and limbs, fixing it firmly in place!

"What...what is this?!" An Lushan was horrified to discover that he was unable to break free from the golden chains binding him!
What terrified him even more was that the golden energy flowing on the surface of the chains was actually suppressing the flow of the dragon vein chakra within his body, greatly slowing down the repair speed!

"Impossible... these chains... are a sealing technique?!"

Menma did not answer; he simply manipulated Susanoo and raised the chakra sword in his hand once more.

“Since you can recover,” Mianma’s voice was as cold as iron, “then let’s see if your recovery speed is faster, or if I can chop you into mincemeat faster.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he swung the broadsword again!

This time, the blade no longer swept horizontally, but instead chopped at meat with an extremely high frequency and speed, frantically hacking at An Lushan and the centipede puppet who were bound by golden chains!
Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Uh-huh!
The flashes of blades, like black lightning, wove together in the air into a web of death!
With each strike, large shards of metal and purple energy liquid flew up!

An Lushan and the centipede puppet were hacked to pieces, their arms, legs, and torsos cut into dozens or hundreds of pieces!

But whenever they try to repair themselves, the golden chains burst forth with an even stronger light, suppressing the repair process, while the black greatsword falls again, shattering the parts they have just gathered together once more!
"Ah ah ah ah ah--!!!"

An Lushan let out a bloodcurdling scream that was so shrill it was inhuman.

Although his body had been transformed into a puppet and his sense of pain had been greatly reduced, the black flames wrapped around Menma's chakra sword were Amaterasu, and the sword also contained the power of Yin-Yang Release. Every strike directly burned his soul!

That was real, bone-deep pain!

Even more frightening is that as the number of strikes increases, the repair speed becomes slower and slower, and the shattered parts become increasingly difficult to reassemble!

"Stop...stop! Stop!!" An Lushan roared madly, his voice filled with despair.

But Mianma ignored him, and the broadsword continued to fall like a storm.

Finally, after the 127th strike, the centipede puppet completely collapsed.

The shattered pieces could no longer be reassembled. The purple dragon vein energy dissipated from the fragments and vanished into the air, leaving only a pile of broken copper and scrap iron scattered on the ground, where it remained motionless.

An Lushan also concentrated all the dragon vein energy into his body, accelerating the repair process and barely managing to re-form a complete centipede shape.

But he could no longer afford to attack. The centipede's tail, which was tens of meters long, coiled around the blade of the chakra sword like a python, trying to stop it from continuing to slash.

At the same time, his upper body lunged forward, his hideous mouth opened to its limit, and a dazzling purple light shone from the depths of his mouth!
"go to hell--!"

A thick beam of purple chakra shot out from An Lushan's mouth, shooting towards Susanoo's face like a dragon's breath!
This attack concentrated all of his remaining dragon vein energy, and its power was so great that it even caused a slight distortion in the surrounding space!
Faced with this fatal blow, Menma made a move that surprised everyone.

The black Susanoo released the hilt of the sword with its right hand, letting the sword be entangled by the centipede's tail. Then, it stretched out both hands, spread its fingers, and actually grabbed the upper and lower jaws of An Lushan's open mouth!

"Wh...what?!" The purple light in An Lushan's pupils flashed violently.

The next moment, Menma controlled Susanoo, spreading its arms wide and tearing them forcefully to the sides.

Swish——!!

A sickening metallic tearing sound rang out!

An Lushan's massive metal mouth, made of a special alloy and capable of withstanding the bombardment of S-rank ninjutsu, was actually torn open by the hands of Susanoo!

The dragon vein cannon that had been condensing in the mouth was now freed from its restraints, and its energy went berserk, transforming into dozens of purple rays of varying thickness that sprayed wildly in all directions!

call out! call out! call out! call out! call out!
These rays are like the scythe of death, easily slicing through anything they pass through, whether it be towers, buildings, or the ground!

Towers were sliced ​​in half by rays and collapsed with a crash; deep trenches, several meters deep, were plowed into the ground; the entire central area of ​​Loulan City was riddled with holes in just a few seconds!
"Retreat immediately!" Minato shouted.

Ding Zuo and Zhiwei did their best to cover the civilians' evacuation. Ding Zuo even used the partial multiplication technique again to enlarge his arm and shield the civilians from flying debris and energy shockwaves.

Naruto, with his agile skills, leaped through the ruins to help civilians with mobility issues avoid danger.

In the center of the battlefield, the freaked Susanoo had completely overwhelmed An Lushan.

After tearing open its massive mouth, Susanoo raised its enormous right fist, which was wreathed in dark red chakra flames, and then slammed it hard into An Lushan's head!
Bang——! ! !
The dull, deafening sound was like the beating of a drum!
An Lushan's ferocious head was dented by the punch, and the outer armor shattered inch by inch, revealing the mechanical structure inside and a brain organ that was protected in a special container and immersed in purple liquid!

"As expected... like Sasori, only a brain is left." Naruto, watching from afar, muttered to himself as he witnessed this scene.

Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!
Susanoo's fists pounded on An Lushan's head and torso like a pile driver!
Each punch sent up large fragments of metal and purple energy liquid!

An Lushan's puppet body was smashed to pieces, and its centipede-like tail helplessly released the chakra sword. The entire body was pressed to the ground and beaten like a rag doll.

"No...no...Dragon vein...my dragon vein..." An Lushan's voice grew weaker and weaker, until only intermittent electronic noise remained.

Finally, after the eighteenth punch landed, An Lushan's puppet body completely stopped struggling.

The brain organ, which had been immersed in the purple liquid, also burst open from the inside under the shock of the final punch, turning into a pool of blurry fluid.

The purple beam of light emanating from the tallest tower in Loulan suddenly went out at that moment.

Deprived of its energy source, An Lushan's tattered puppet body quickly dimmed, its metallic luster vanished, and it turned into a lifeless pile of scrap iron.

The black Susanoo slowly straightened its body, its fiery wings on its back gradually retracted, and the dark red chakra on its body gradually faded away, finally turning into specks of light and dissipating into the air.

Menma fell from the diamond-shaped crystal on Susanoo's forehead and stood lightly on the messy battlefield, his body spotless.

He glanced at An Lushan's remains, and after confirming that the man was completely dead, he turned to look in the direction where Minato and the others had retreated.

"It's...it's over?" Sara, protected by Minato and Naruto, looked at the battlefield from afar, her voice still trembling slightly.

Minato nodded, looking at the black-haired boy's back in the distance with a complicated expression.

The Susanoo of the Uchiha clan… “Let’s go, we should go find the Dragon Vein.” Menma’s voice came, and he had already walked to the vicinity of the group.

Minato snapped out of his reverie and nodded: "Yes, although An Lushan is dead, the problem of the dragon vein hasn't been resolved yet. Princess Sara, do you know where the core of the dragon vein is?"

Sarah nodded vigorously, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "I know! My mother once took me to the underground altar, the source of the dragon vein is there! Please come with me!"

Led by Sarah, the group traversed the ruins and ventured deeper into the underground city of Loulan.

Along the way, they witnessed even more shocking sights.

Inside the massive underground factory, hundreds of unfinished humanoid combat puppets were lined up on an assembly line; in the cage-like rooms, hundreds of Loulan male civilians were imprisoned, each one emaciated with numb eyes, clearly having been forced to work for a long time.

When Sara, Shuimen, and the others opened the cages, the civilians initially couldn't believe it. It wasn't until they saw Sara and the Loulan women who had followed them that they finally realized they were free.

"Your Highness...it really is Your Highness!"

"We...we're saved?"

"Father! Mother! I'm here!"

"Son! My son!"

"father!"

"husband!"

Cries, shouts, and joyful sounds of reunion echoed through the underground factory.

Sarah looked at her suffering people, and tears welled up in her eyes again.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry everyone... It's my fault for not protecting you... It's the Loulan royal family's fault for not protecting you..."

An elderly woman, who had been rescued, walked shakily to Sarah and knelt on one knee: "No, Your Highness, this is not your fault. It's that demon An Lushan! We all know that he bewitched Her Majesty the Queen, forced us to work for him, and in the end... in the end, Her Majesty was killed by him to release us..."

Sarah was shocked: "My mother..."

"Before Her Majesty the Queen was assassinated, she secretly released some people, sending them to seek help from the outside world." The elder choked up as he said, "She also said... if anything were to happen to her, she asked Your Highness... to be strong, to lead the people of Loulan back to the oasis, back to the life we ​​once had..."

Sarah knelt on the ground, covering her face with her hands, her shoulders trembling violently.

Naruto walked over to her and awkwardly patted her shoulder: "Um... don't cry. The bad guys have been defeated and everyone has been rescued. You should be happy!"

Sara raised her head, looking at Naruto through teary eyes, then at the Loulan people around her who were gazing at her expectantly. She wiped away her tears and stood up.

"Everyone... let's get out of here!"

“Your Highness, aren’t you coming with us?” an old woman asked worriedly.

Sarah shook her head, her eyes hardening: "Although An Lushan is dead, the power of the dragon vein remains. If we don't deal with it properly, others may try to use its power for evil in the future. I must go to the underground altar and reseal the dragon vein."

She looked at Minato and Menma: "Please take me to the underground altar. It is the duty of the Loulan royal family."

Minato looked at Menma, who nodded: "The dragon vein does indeed need to be dealt with, otherwise the disorder of spacetime may continue."

The crowd split into two groups.

Ding Zuo and Zhiwei led the rescued Loulan civilians out of the underground factory exit and to a relatively safe area outside Loulan City.

Meanwhile, Minato, Naruto, and Menma, led by Sara, continued their journey deeper underground.

After passing through a long and winding underground passage, the group finally arrived at the underground altar at the deepest part of Loulan.

This is a huge natural cave, with a circular altar in the center, carved with ancient and complex runes.

At the very center of the altar, a dense mass of purple energy was slowly rotating and surging, emitting a chilling spatial fluctuation.

That is the core of the Dragon Vein Chakra.

“This is it…” Sarah stepped forward, placed her hands on the edge of the altar, closed her eyes, and began to chant an ancient incantation.

As she chanted, the runes on the altar lit up one by one, emitting a soft white light.

However, at this moment——

"Dragon vein...my dragon vein...I haven't lost yet...not yet..."

A faint, distorted sound came from behind the altar.

Everyone turned their heads sharply and saw that An Lushan's broken puppet body was crawling out of the passage like a dying snake!

His lower body was completely destroyed, leaving only his upper torso and an arm. His head was reduced to half a metal shell, with his ruptured brain clearly visible inside.

Even with such a wreckage, it was still struggling to climb toward the purple energy at the center of the altar, relying on the remaining dragon vein energy!
"How is this possible... He's not quite dead yet?!" Naruto's eyes widened.

Minato immediately drew his kunai and stood in front of Sara.

Menma simply looked calmly at the remains and shook his head: "Obsession... How pathetic."

He indeed did not sense any life fluctuations from An Lushan. The current An Lushan was merely a puppet manipulated by obsession, no different from any other puppet.

An Lushan's remains crawled to the edge of the altar, his last remaining arm reaching out with difficulty towards the purple energy, his voice broken and fragmented: "Dragon Vein...give me power...I can still...can still heal...I haven't lost yet..."

Just then, the noodles started to move.

He didn't use ninjutsu or even chakra. He simply walked forward slowly, raised his right foot, aimed it at An Lushan's mangled head, and stomped down.

Pfft——!
A sickening crushing sound rang out.

The half-metal skull was completely crushed, and the remaining brain organs inside were ground into a pool of blurry liquid, mixed with purple energy liquid, which splattered all over the ground.

An Lushan's remaining arm hung limply, and his remains ceased to twitch completely.

This time, he was truly dead.

Mianma withdrew his foot, not even glancing at the filth, and walked straight to the center of the altar.

Sara had finished chanting the incantation, and the white light on the altar grew brighter and brighter, beginning to resonate with the purple dragon vein chakra energy in the center.

“The sealing of the dragon vein requires royal blood as a key.” Sarah opened her eyes and looked at Menma. “But if it’s just sealed, the dragon vein’s power will still exist and could be used by others in the future. Do you… do you have any solutions?”

Mianma stood in front of the purple energy, extending his right hand with his palm facing the surging energy.

“I don’t need to seal it away,” Menma said calmly. “I need to… absorb it.”

"Absorb?!" Minato and Naruto were both shocked.

“The power of Dragon Vein Chakra is essentially a mixture of immense natural energy and the power of spacetime,” Menma explained. “My current physique can withstand the impact of this energy. Moreover, I need this power to accomplish certain things.”

He didn't elaborate on what it was about, but Minato thought of Menma's earlier mention of "leaving this time and space."

Sarah hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded: "I trust you. Please... use this power wisely."

Mianma glanced at her and nodded.

Then, he closed his eyes, and a strong suction force burst forth from his right palm!
Buzz buzz—!
The purple chakra energy in the center of the altar fluctuated violently, as if stirred by an invisible hand, and began to surge wildly toward Menma's palm!
The purple energy flowed like a river overflowing its banks, continuously pouring into Mianma's body!

This is the chakra absorption technique that Menma learned from Isshiki.

A faint purple light appeared on the surface of Mianma's body, his hair moved without wind, and his robes fluttered.

As the dragon vein chakra energy was absorbed, Menma and Naruto simultaneously began to emit faint white light spots, like fireflies.

“This is…” Naruto looked at the light spots appearing on his body in surprise.

"It's a repulsive reaction from the power of spacetime." Menma explained while absorbing the dragon vein's energy: "The dragon vein is one of the anchor points that maintain the stability of this spacetime. By absorbing its power, I've essentially destroyed the anchor point. Your existence and mine are both 'foreign objects' in this spacetime, and now spacetime is starting to reject us."

"Rejection... What will happen to us then?" Naruto asked nervously.

“We will all return to our original timeline,” Menma said gently, looking at Naruto.

Upon hearing that they were going home, Naruto instinctively looked at Minato, who in turn looked at Naruto and Menma, his two sons from the 'future,' with a complicated expression.

Mianma absorbed the last of the dragon vein's energy with all its might.

The purple light on the altar grew dimmer and dimmer until it disappeared completely.

When the last wisp of dragon vein chakra energy was absorbed, the entire underground altar fell into a brief darkness, with only the white light emanating from Sara and the light spots on Menma and Naruto flickering.

Mianma slowly opened his eyes, and a flash of purple seemed to appear deep in his pupils.

He felt the surge of power within him and nodded in satisfaction.

The power of the dragon vein was far greater than he had imagined.

“Well then, it’s time to say goodbye.” Menma looked at everyone.

Sara looked at Naruto, whose body was beginning to glow, and her heart tightened for no reason. A premonition that she was about to lose something important surged into her heart.

Naruto chuckled carefree, waved vigorously at Sara, and shouted, "Hey! Sara! Don't forget your promise to everyone! You must lead everyone to a better life!"

Sarah nodded emphatically, tears welling up in her eyes again, but this time they were tears of emotion and determination: "I definitely will!"

Naruto then looked at Minato, scratching the back of his head with a rare hint of embarrassment, his smile bright and sunny: "Um... although it's still a little awkward to call you that... but, I'm really super happy to have met you this time! Thank you!"

Looking at Naruto's azure eyes and bright smile, which were just like his own, Minato felt a surge of warmth in his heart, and he also showed a gentle smile: "Yes, me too, Naruto."

Finally, Naruto looked at Menma, who had just absorbed the Dragon Vein chakra and whose aura was growing stronger, and shouted, "Hey! Menma! In that world, I must have had a super happy childhood with you as my older brother! Haha!"

Upon hearing this, Mianma paused slightly.

"Ah, he's very happy." He nodded gently. "Just like you, he's a fool."

Naruto smiled, a bright and cheerful smile: "That's good!"

Menma seemed to remember something, took out a uniquely shaped kunai engraved with the Flying Thunder God Technique symbol from his ninja tool bag, and casually tossed it to Naruto.

"Take this."

Naruto instinctively caught the kunai, examining it curiously: "What's this? Do you want to come play in my world? I have some there right now..."

Menma shook her head, interrupting him: "I have a lot of troubles to deal with in my own world. This is just a coordinate. If you encounter a fatal danger that you can't handle in the future, you can inject the Nine-Tails' chakra into it. If... I can sense it, maybe I can go and help you."

Naruto was taken aback for a moment, then broke into an even brighter smile, carefully putting away the kunai: "Haha! It might sound a bit unreliable, but thanks anyway! I'll accept this token of my appreciation!"

Minato looked at Menma and asked solemnly, "Regardless, thank you for providing us with this important information. Will you come to this world again in the future?"

Menma turned to look at Minato, a casual smile playing on his lips. "Ah, perhaps. I'm also quite interested in the mysteries of parallel universes. After all, those enemies from outer space have already mastered the technology to travel between different timelines."

"An enemy from outer space? A time traveler?" Minato and Naruto's expressions instantly turned extremely solemn.

This is undoubtedly extremely terrible news.

Seeing their solemn expressions, Menma smiled and waved casually, "Well then, farewell, and see you again someday."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mianma's figure gradually became transparent in the increasingly intense light, eventually turning into countless firefly-like specks of light and dissipating into the air above the altar.

Naruto stared at the spot where Menma had disappeared, then suddenly scratched his head and muttered, "I feel like... I forgot to ask something..."

Then, Naruto also turned into countless specks of light and dissipated into the air.

……

Meanwhile, outside the city of Loulan.

Young Kakashi crouched on a sand dune, warily observing the city in the distance that was constantly collapsing.

Beside him, Yamato, wearing a Konoha Jonin vest, was gradually becoming transparent, emitting a faint light.

"Are you... going to disappear?" Kakashi turned his head and looked at Yamato.

Yamato looked down at his hands, which were gradually turning transparent, and gave a bitter smile: "They should have dealt with the centipede. It's a real pity that I couldn't help at all."

He raised his head, looking at the ruins of Loulan City in the distant desert, then at the young Kakashi beside him, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Suddenly, he raised his hand and punched Kakashi on the head!

"Ouch!" Kakashi cried out in pain, clutching his head and jumping back, glaring at Yamato: "What are you doing!"

Yamato laughed heartily, his laughter filled with the joy of a successful prank: "Seeing a senior who is still a child, of course I can't help but want to tease him!"

He paused, his body now so transparent he was almost invisible.

"Well then, goodbye, Kakashi-senpai. Good luck in the future..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yamato transformed into countless specks of light and drifted away in the wind.

Kakashi stared blankly at the dissipating specks of light, then rubbed his head where he'd been hit, muttering dejectedly, "What... are all future juniors this disrespectful...?"

[PS: My computer's motherboard broke last night. I bought a new one online, but the memory slots were DDR4, while my memory is DDR5. So I had to replace the motherboard. It took me all day to get it working, and I finally got it fixed around 6 PM. I'm quickly writing this long post.]

(End of this chapter)