Chapter 269
The very next second
With a burst of white smoke, the giant lizard Urushi appeared.
Almost simultaneously
Boom!
Not far away, Satori spread its massive wings and shot into the air.
Whoosh!
Its enormous body blurred across the underground chamber, arriving overhead in an instant.
Its grotesque appearance and terrifying aura were enough to make an ordinary person lose consciousness at a single glance.
Menma, however, remained completely composed.
Clap!
He brought his hands together sharply.
“Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!”
As his hands formed the seal, a violent torrent of wind burst forth.
At the same time
Urushi slammed both forelimbs into the ground.
Boom! Boom!
Layers of earth were torn free and compressed into enormous boulders. Enhanced by Menma’s Wind Release, the massive projectiles accelerated with frightening speed as they hurtled toward Satori.
A barrage so dense that even elite shinobi would find it nearly impossible to evade.
Yet
To Satori…
It was nothing extraordinary.
Its sensitivity to emotional intent allowed it to anticipate the trajectory of every attack before it arrived.
With only a slight flap of its wings, Satori effortlessly weaved between the incoming barrage.
Not a single stone struck its body.
Instead
It immediately folded its wings and dove straight toward Menma and Urushi with overwhelming momentum.
A pure probing attack…
Watching Satori evade so effortlessly, Menma quietly reached his own conclusion.
‘So it really can sense human emotions…’
Inside the seal
Kurama snorted disdainfully.
“Hmph. That creature is born from humanity’s accumulated emotions. Naturally, it’s extraordinarily sensitive to emotional fluctuations.”
Satori could not literally read minds.
But its ability to perceive emotions was so overwhelming that it achieved an effect nearly identical to mind-reading.
“I understand.”
Menma smiled faintly.
“But sensing it…”
“…doesn’t mean you can stop it.”
“Go, Urushi!”
“Yes, Master Menma!”
Urushi answered with a deep growl.
Boom!
Its chakra exploded outward.
The enormous lizard launched itself skyward, swinging its thick tail like a giant whip directly toward Satori.
A straightforward frontal assault.
Satori merely let out its eerie laughter.
“Hehehe…”
Its wings tilted slightly.
Its body floated sideways with incredible agility, easily avoiding Urushi’s attack.
Although they were underground, the enormous chamber provided more than enough space for aerial maneuvering.
To Satori
Such attacks were child’s play.
However
The instant it shifted to dodge
Menma smiled.
“…!?”
The subtle change in Menma’s emotions immediately reached Satori.
Its instincts screamed in warning.
But
It was already too late.
Clang!
Whoosh!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Four enormous golden chains erupted upward.
Radiating brilliant golden light, they surrounded Satori from every direction.
At unimaginable speed, they shot toward it.
Although Satori reacted instantly, frantically beating its wings in an attempt to escape
Menma had already committed to ending the battle in one decisive strike.
He would never allow Satori another opportunity.
The Nine-Tails’ chakra surged violently.
His crimson fox-like pupils became fully visible.
Boom!
Behind him
Seven chakra tails erupted simultaneously.
The underground chamber shook beneath the overwhelming pressure.
Far behind them
Wuwei and the four elders stared in complete disbelief.
Especially Wuwei.
Until this moment, he had believed Menma might merely be somewhat stronger than himself.
After all…
So what if he was the Nine-Tails’ jinchūriki?
At most, he possessed an absurd amount of chakra.
Wuwei had never believed a thirteen-year-old could truly wield the Nine-Tails’ power to such a terrifying extent.
This was still his territory.
If Menma failed…
Or deceived him…
Wuwei had believed he possessed enough confidence to suppress him.
He had never fully trusted the exaggerated rumors spreading throughout the shinobi world.
Like most people, he had assumed Menma’s achievements were largely Orochimaru’s handiwork.
But the scene unfolding before his eyes completely shattered that belief.
This wasn’t simply someone stronger than him.
They weren’t even on the same level.
Looking at Menma enveloped in the blazing crimson chakra cloak, Wuwei’s eyes filled with shock.
Yet…
Beneath that shock…
Hope quietly emerged.
The stronger Menma proved himself to be…
The greater the chance his son could truly be saved.
The immense chakra surged wildly.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains radiated overwhelming suppressive power.
They converged from every direction.
“…Damn you!”
Satori’s hideous face twisted into unmistakable rage.
It wanted to flee.
But there was nowhere left to escape.
Bang!
One of the Nine-Tails’ chakra tails slammed into its body.
The tremendous chakra explosion disrupted Satori’s balance while the suppressive force of the chains rapidly weakened its movements.
“ROOOAAARRR!!”
Its roar became increasingly ferocious.
Dark chakra burst from its body as it struggled desperately to break free.
Then
Menma shot upward into the sky.
The four golden chains followed immediately behind him.
“Suppress!”
Clang!
One from the front.
One from behind.
One from the left.
One from the right.
The four chains completely wrapped around Satori.
Bang!
Crack!
The sealing power intensified dramatically.
Satori’s resistance weakened further.
“What… is this!?”
The Adamantine Sealing Chains were capable of suppressing even the chakra of the tailed beasts.
Although Satori was a unique entity born from the Box of Bliss…
Its existence was still fundamentally sustained by chakra.
Therefore
The Uzumaki clan’s supreme sealing technique remained just as effective.
The chains completely immobilized Satori.
Boom!
Unable to sustain its flight any longer
Satori crashed heavily onto the ground.
Dust exploded throughout the chamber.
Whoosh!
Urushi immediately lunged forward.
Its massive forelimbs pinned Satori firmly against the ground.
Under the combined suppression of Urushi, the chakra cloak, and the Adamantine Sealing Chains
Satori completely lost its ability to resist.
It could only roar helplessly.
This terrifying monster hadn’t even managed to unleash half of its true strength before being perfectly suppressed by Menma.
Whoosh!
Menma landed lightly beside it.
Looking down at the struggling Satori
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
‘That went even smoother than expected.’
Truthfully
Satori’s combat ability was anything but weak.
Judging from the events surrounding the Box of Bliss, Menma estimated its strength to be roughly comparable to that of a tailed beast perhaps even approaching the level of the Eight-Tails under favorable conditions.
Under normal circumstances…
Defeating it would have required considerable effort.
But this time
Menma had arrived thoroughly prepared.
From the very first exchange, he had already identified Satori’s greatest weakness.
Unlike true living creatures
It was merely a derivative existence created by the Box of Bliss.
Once he understood that…
Everything afterward became straightforward.
Even if this strategy had failed…
Menma still possessed several backup plans.
At worst
He would simply fight Satori head-on.
Letting out a slow breath, Menma looked down at the monster still roaring beneath him.
“Now then…”
“Let’s see whether you’ve truly been completely assimilated by the Box of Bliss…”
“I hope your own consciousness is still fighting, Wugou.”
Stretching out a massive chakra arm, Menma pressed his palm firmly against Satori’s face.
‘Kurama.’
He called inwardly.
“Hmph.”
Kurama responded immediately.
The moment their consciousness connected
“…!?”
An overwhelming torrent of cold, twisted emotions surged toward Menma.
Hatred.
Despair.
Jealousy.
Malice.
Greed.
Countless negative emotions flooded his mind all at once.
Even Menma was momentarily shaken.
Fortunately
Kurama’s own monstrous malice erupted immediately afterward.
The Nine-Tails’ overwhelming negative chakra swallowed those chaotic emotions whole, completely suppressing the influence radiating from Satori.
Only after carefully examining everything
Did Menma finally smile.
“…There’s still hope.”
His fox-like eyes brightened.
“Hah!”
With a low shout
The world suddenly spun.
Space distorted.
In the blink of an eye
Satori found itself standing within a vast gray world.
An endless, desolate plain stretched to the horizon.
Silence.
Loneliness.
Nothing else existed.
Confusion appeared in Satori’s eyes.
Then
A calm voice echoed throughout the spiritual space.
“This is your spiritual world.”
Menma slowly appeared before it.
“What?”
“Are you planning to keep wearing that ugly appearance?”
The words had barely fallen
When Satori’s body suddenly trembled violently.
“AAAAAAAHHHHH!!”
A shrill scream echoed endlessly.
Its massive body began shrinking.
The black fur gradually disappeared.
Its enormous wings dissolved into nothingness.
Within only a few seconds
The monstrous form vanished completely.
Standing before Menma once again…
Was the pale young man dressed in white.
Wugou.
“As expected…”
Menma smiled gently.
“Welcome back, Wugou.”
The young man looked toward Menma and slowly shook his head.
“No…”
“I should be thanking you.”
“If you hadn’t forcibly suppressed that consciousness…”
“I wouldn’t even have been able to regain temporary control.”
“Thank you… Menma-kun.”
“…Temporary?”
Menma raised an eyebrow.
“Yes.”
Wugou lowered his gaze.
“I’m Satori…”
“But Satori is no longer entirely me.”
“I’ve already become part of the Box of Bliss.”
“My original body no longer exists.”
“I can never truly return to being the person I once was.”
His voice carried deep sorrow.
Becoming nothing more than a monster driven by slaughter…
No normal person could calmly accept such a fate.
Wugou understood this better than anyone.
For eight long years inside the Box of Bliss…
He had resisted with every ounce of will he possessed.
Even so
He had only managed to preserve a tiny fragment of his own consciousness.
The Box of Bliss had already assimilated almost everything else.
He never believed Menma could completely separate him from it.
As long as the Box of Bliss existed
He would remain part of it.
“Haha…”
Menma merely chuckled.
“You’re right.”
“Completely separating you from the Box of Bliss and restoring your original human body…”
“…is impossible.”
“At least with my current strength.”
“But…”
“Helping you regain control over your own consciousness…”
“…that’s another matter.”
Wugou froze.
“…What?”
“What I mean is…”
Menma smiled calmly.
“I can make your consciousness the dominant one.”
“Instead of Satori controlling you…”
“You will control Satori.”
“In that case, you’ll be able to return to human form whenever you wish.”
“The only drawback…”
“…is that you’ll still remain bound to the area governed by the Box of Bliss.”
This idea…
Was the result of countless discussions between Menma and Kurama ever since he first formulated this plan.
Ultimately
Both Wugou and Satori originated from the Box of Bliss.
The difference lay only in which consciousness held dominance.
No one else could accomplish such a feat.
But Menma possessed one unique advantage.
Kurama.
Using the Nine-Tails’ overwhelming negative chakra
He could suppress the chaotic emotions generated by the Box of Bliss itself.
With that suppression
Wugou would have an opportunity to seize control.
Of course…
Even if it succeeded…
The control would remain extremely delicate.
Everything would ultimately depend on Wugou’s own willpower.
The moment his resolve weakened
Even for an instant
The consciousness of the Box of Bliss would devour him completely.
A true death.
One that left nothing behind.
“…Can such a thing really be done?”
Wugou stared at Menma in disbelief.
“You can truly make me the one who controls the Box of Bliss?”