Chapter 19: I'm Here to Deliver Local Specialties!

The central mountains of the Land of Lightning were shrouded in swirling clouds and mist.

Rugged mountain paths wound upward through the peaks, where a caravan consisting of over a dozen carriages moved slowly along the road.

The surrounding peaks were steep and treacherous; the terrain was precipitous, the climate was humid, and the area was perpetually blanketed in thick fog. Unless one was intimately familiar with the terrain, it would be easy to lose one's way.

"Oi, young man, we're almost at Kumogakure!" On one of the carriages, a dark-skinned merchant named Joey shouted upward.

His eyes appeared somewhat vacant as he looked toward a black-haired youth lying on the roof of the carriage, playing with a small fox.

A mask was placed over the small fox's head, with the character for "three" imprinted on its forehead.

"Thanks, Uncle Joey," Menma said, putting away the 'Nine-Faced Fox' and flipping himself down from the roof.

This caravan was composed of several smaller merchant groups. Because Kumogakure was located deep within the central mountains of the Land of Lightning—with its dangerous terrain and constant mist—it was difficult for outsiders to find.

Therefore, Menma had used the trade routes of the Kado Company to find a small merchant group heading toward Kumogakure and had used Genjutsu to control their leader.

Soon, the caravan arrived at the main entrance of Kumogakure.

The gate was guarded by two Cloud Shinobi, who were responsible for registering all civilians and shinobi entering or leaving the village.

Menma jumped down from the carriage and gazed toward Kumogakure, which lay hidden amidst the clouds.

Between the mist-shrouded peaks, oval-shaped platforms were built into the mountainsides, enveloping the summits to form a very unique architectural complex.

The villagers lived primarily within these oval structures.

Further in the distance, one could faintly see a building shaped like an inverted gourd shimmering through the thick fog.

"What is your name? What brings you to Kumogakure?" The guard's voice interrupted Menma's observation.

"My name is Danzo, no surname," Menma grinned, disguising himself with a cheerful personality similar to Naruto's.

In any case, Lord Hokage wouldn't mind taking a few more scapegoats.

He pointed his thumb toward the merchant behind him and said, "This time, I'm traveling with Uncle Joey to sell goods from the Land of Tea. I'm also looking for a Cloud Shinobi to express my gratitude to."

"Danzo, huh?" One of the Cloud Shinobi sketched a portrait of Menma's appearance and recorded it.

"What is the name of the shinobi you want to thank, or do they have any distinguishing features? I might know them," the other Cloud Shinobi said, feeling a slight sense of goodwill toward the boy who insisted on thanking a Cloud Shinobi.

"Hmm, he looks a bit fierce, has dark skin, and has bandages wrapped around his head," Menma said after a moment of recollection.

This answer made the guard shake his head helplessly. "It will be hard to find someone with just that description. There are plenty of people dressed like that in Kumogakure."

"It's fine. I brought some local specialties from my hometown. If I can't find the person, I'll just give them away randomly," Menma said, pointing to the carriages behind him.

The Cloud guards at the village entrance did not conduct an extensive investigation; after registering the group, they allowed the caravan to pass.

After entering Kumogakure, Menma separated from the caravan and walked toward the Raikage's office building with practiced ease.

During his time in the 'Limited Tsukuyomi World,' he had traveled the ninja world for many years and visited many hidden villages; most of the roads and buildings in Kumogakure were much like those in his memory.

*Yo~ yo~ yo~ yo~ yo~*

As he was climbing a staircase toward a platform, a burst of music drifted down from above.

'No way, what a coincidence?' Menma's expression twitched.

"Training since early morning~ My stomach is so hungry~"

"The favorite of this great me, who loves rap~"

"Decided for lunch to eat chicken teriyaki~"

"Yesh! Yesh! Yesh!"

When Menma reached the large platform, he saw Killer Bee on a high stage, holding a microphone and rapping loudly.

Beside him, two Cloud Shinobi were forced to smile while clapping along.

The surrounding villagers were whispering among themselves, trying their best to walk around the scene.

'I remember in the Limited Tsukuyomi World, Killer Bee was a very popular superstar,' Menma thought. Listening to Killer Bee's tone-deaf rapping, he actually felt a bit nostalgic for the Killer Bee of that world.

"Hey, hey~ Yo~ Young man over there~"

"Is it your first time in Kumogakure? Yo~"

Perhaps drawn by the presence of a Tailed Beast, Killer Bee suddenly noticed Menma not far away. His gaze locked onto him from behind his sunglasses, and he called out loudly.

The two Cloud Shinobi with Killer Bee also looked over. Upon seeing an unfamiliar face, they both became alert.

"Hello, I am a merchant from the Land of Tea. I brought some local specialties to find a Cloud Shinobi who helped me, as a way to show my gratitude," Menma said, proactively approaching.

"I didn't expect there to be a rap performance here," Menma added.

This caused the two Cloud Shinobi to break into involuntary, bitter smiles.

Killer Bee, acting as if he had found a kindred spirit, performed a large leap and a mid-air flip, landing steadily in front of Menma.

His hands began to gesture as he spoke in a rap cadence, "Yo~ young man, you've got good taste~"

"Wanna come listen to my~ solo concert~"

Killer Bee had been restricted from leaving the village by the Fourth Raikage for many years. On ordinary days, he was either training in the Cloud-Thunder Gorge or working on his rap.

Although the people of Kumogakure did not discriminate against Jinchuriki as much as those in Konoha or Suna, Killer Bee had still faced significant isolation after becoming a Jinchuriki; he had even been assassinated by former comrades. Moreover, his rap was incredibly annoying and quite bad.

"Maybe next time. I need to head to the village mission center," Menma said, scratching his head and politely declining Killer Bee's invitation.

The other two Cloud Shinobi walked over as well.

One of them asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"I don't know his name, only a general description of his appearance," Menma repeated what he had said at the village entrance.

After hearing Menma's explanation, the Cloud Shinobi frowned and said, "It won't be easy to find someone based on such a description."

Shinobi placed great importance on intelligence; searching for someone based solely on appearance, as Menma was doing, made it easy to be targeted by the Cloud's suspicion.

Clearly, these two were also suspicious of Menma.

"It's alright. If I can't find him, I'll leave the specialties at the mission center. That can serve as my thanks to Kumogakure," Menma said with a candid smile, giving off the impression of a bright and cheerful young man.

The village's mission center was generally located around the buildings where the Kage resided, which was also the area with the highest concentration of shinobi. Thus, the two Cloud Shinobi were not worried about anyone causing trouble inside the village.

After all, in all the years since Kumogakure was established, no one had ever successfully caused trouble within the village.

With the Raikage's volatile temper, he would likely jump straight through a window to beat someone up the moment he heard a commotion.

Furthermore, the Cloud Shinobi were renowned for their ferocity.

As one of the Five Great Nations, Kumogakure's ability to wage long-term wars with Konoha was a testament to the strength of its hidden village.

Killer Bee and the other two did not force Menma to stay; they cleared a path and watched his retreating figure.

"Yo, yo~ Did he bring a thank-you gift?" For some reason, as Killer Bee watched the black-haired youth disappear into the mist, he felt a sense of unease.

"Bee! This person is not right!" Suddenly, within Killer Bee's mental landscape, the Eight-Tails Gyuki issued a warning.

*BOOM!*

Not far away, an explosion suddenly erupted from the Raikage's building!

A plume of thick, black smoke slowly rose amidst the mist-shrouded peaks!