Swish!
Menma dragged Cardo back like he was carrying a ragdoll.
Thud!
He tossed the trembling businessman to the ground without a hint of care.
"See?" Menma smirked, turning to Kakashi, Zabuza, and Haku. "This is the outcome when faced with the most primitive and eternal force—violence."
Zabuza didn't respond. While Menma's approach seemed excessive, he couldn't deny it was satisfying. This was something he'd wanted to do to that arrogant bastard Cardo for a long time.
"Za-Zabuza!" Cardo stammered, his voice trembling. "You took my money! Hurry up and get rid of these Konoha pests!"
Zabuza scoffed. "Get rid of them? You think I can just do that? Even if I wanted to, I don't have the strength to pull it off."
Menma's figure blurred, and he reappeared next to Cardo. Grabbing him by the neck, he lifted the man off the ground with little effort.
"What's wrong with you?" Menma said with a hint of disdain. "Aren't you supposed to be a clever businessman? Where's your ability to assess the situation?"
Cardo's face twisted in terror as Menma's grip tightened. "I... I was wrong..." he choked, his face turning purple.
After a few more seconds, Menma released him, dropping Cardo to the ground like a piece of trash. The man gasped for air, his chest heaving.
Menma turned back to Kakashi, Haku, and Zabuza. "See? In the face of real power, all these so-called businessmen, nobles, and even Daimyo are just helpless."
The others looked at him in stunned silence. Even Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were caught off guard by his casual dismissal of Daimyo and nobles. His words went against everything they'd been taught since childhood.
"You..." Zabuza growled, his gaze flicking between Menma and Cardo's quivering form. "Sure, you can overpower him now. But doing this? How do you expect to keep taking missions and making money in the future?"
Menma rolled his eyes. "Is that all you people think about? Taking missions and making money?"
"Menma," Kuro Kakashi interrupted. "You grew up in the Empire, so you might not understand. Those who lived their entire lives in the Old Era have a fixed mindset. For them, the world functions only in one way. They can't imagine that things could be different."
Kuro Kakashi's gaze turned nostalgic. "When the Empire was established, I was six years old. I had already learned a bit about the world, but my understanding wasn't set in stone. I witnessed how drastically everything changed—how people's perceptions shattered and were rebuilt to fit the new order."
He looked at Zabuza and Haku. "Let me ask you something. What do you think a ninja is?"
The question caught everyone off guard.
"A ninja is a tool," Zabuza answered with cold certainty. "A weapon meant to complete missions at all costs."
"Hm..." Kakashi—White Kakashi—looked thoughtful. "A ninja is someone who uses chakra to perform jutsu. A warrior who fights and protects."
Kuro Kakashi nodded. "Two very common answers." He glanced over at Haku, who remained silent, eyes cast down. His existence was dedicated to serving Zabuza. As for Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, they were still too inexperienced to grasp the weight of the question.
"Alright, Menma, your turn. What's a ninja?" Kuro Kakashi prompted.
"Sure." Menma nodded and spoke without hesitation. "A ninja is a class of individuals who have mastered chakra and possess great power.
"In the Old Ninja Era, even though ninjas wielded abilities that could change the world, they never transformed that power into a true force for progress. Instead, they used it to fight each other.
"They failed to control the means of production and allowed the economic power to remain in the hands of nobles, merchants, and Daimyo. Because of that, ninjas were reduced to nothing more than hired tools, dependent on missions and contracts controlled by those who held real power.
"The so-called order of the Old Ninja Era was built on this flawed structure."
Menma finished his explanation without missing a beat, his tone carrying the authority of someone who had been thoroughly educated.
Everyone stared at him in stunned silence.
"What... what the hell are you even talking about?" Zabuza growled, bewilderment and irritation clear in his voice. "Productivity? Means of production? You're spouting nonsense!"
Kakashi's expression mirrored Zabuza's confusion. "Are you making this up? Because it sounds like pure fantasy."
Menma shook his head, looking almost disappointed. "This is the truth of your world. His Majesty calls it the 'Dragon Slaying Technique.' Before, I didn't really understand it. But now, seeing all of you... it's obvious. You're all so trapped in your outdated ways of thinking that you can't see the truth, even when it's right in front of you."
The scorn in his voice stung like a blade.
Haku and Zabuza exchanged uncertain glances, their expressions betraying both frustration and curiosity.
"Hold on a second..."
The old bridge builder, Tazuna, who had been watching quietly, finally spoke up. His tone was cautious, but his eyes showed a glimmer of understanding. "I think I get what you're saying, at least a little bit."
Menma raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Tazuna pointed to the cracked and damaged bridge beneath their feet, his voice trembling with anger and despair. "You're saying that ninjas only care about fighting and destruction. We spent months building this bridge, only for it to get torn apart in seconds by your so-called 'power.' But when it comes to actually building something, you can't do anything."
He looked up at Menma, his eyes fierce. "You call that power?"
Menma's eyes widened, then a grin spread across his face. He looked over at Kuro Kakashi and Zabuza. "You hear that? The old man gets it. Even he can understand what you two can't."
Zabuza scowled, his fists clenching. Kakashi looked frustrated, his mind trying to process everything he'd just heard.
Menma continued, his tone dripping with mockery. "You two call yourselves powerful ninjas. But you're not even as perceptive as an ordinary old man. Pathetic."
His words hung in the air, leaving Zabuza and Kakashi feeling something they hadn't felt in a long time.
Doubt.