After Sailing with the Pirate King, I Returned to Konoha - 238

Chapter 238: The Truth

When the blade of Musōkō scraped against its sheath, the will of nature below, still gathering a Tailed Beast Bomb, reacted as if hearing a predator closing in. Every hair on its body stood on end.

That fear exceeded even the helplessness of having life force drained away.

Perhaps Naruto's words had truly taken effect. Under this terror that surpassed all limits, a new power sprouted quietly in the will of nature's heart.

This time, it did not choose to flee.

"Aaaaaaah!"

A roar tore out instinctively. Blood vessels bulged beneath the skin as chakra flow spiked, looking somewhat like the Hyūga clan's Byakugan activation, only slightly more savage.

More natural energy surged in with that roar.

In that instant, the sky was the enemy, the earth was the enemy, mountains and rivers were enemies, and even the flowers, grass, and insects underfoot were Naruto's enemies.

Under that focused will, natural energy completely coated the Tailed Beast Bomb, dyeing it a kind of "iridescent black."

It was the color of all things.

"Ha!!"

The bomb, tall as a man, shot skyward with mountain-shattering, sea-splitting momentum.

Above, Naruto floated quietly. Under Life Return, his muscles began compressing.

Unlike the fight with the Golden Lion.

Naruto's form grew lean and gaunt, yet the hand gripping the hilt was rock-steady.

"All sounds silent, no thought, no form."

In an instant, the hostility of heaven and earth stilled. Even the "breath" of plants vanished completely.

The next moment, transparent light like the Milky Way.

When the will of nature came to, Naruto had already appeared behind it, slowly sheathing his blade.

"Musō, Severance."

When did he—

I did not sense anything.

Everything around had marked Naruto as an enemy. The senses of all living things had become the will of nature's "eyes," yet it only realized after Naruto had finished the cut.

What incredible speed, what—

Brilliance!

The Tailed Beast Bomb, split in two without anyone noticing, exploded in midair.

As if applauding that stroke.

Boom! Without getting close, Kosei, Karin, and the others could see the terrible explosion.

That kind of power could destroy any hidden village.

"Dad!"

"Naruto-san!"

Different voices from different places, but the worry in their hearts was the same.

"Huh? This is—"

Running, Kosei suddenly felt something cool on her face and reflexively touched it.

A faintly glowing green mote. Looking up, she saw countless light raindrops spreading out from the explosion's range.

The motes flickered on her skin a few times before fading, as if merging into her body.

Where they fell on trees and flowers, the leaves seemed a few shades greener.

This was the breath of life.

"How about it? Not scared now, are you?"

On a large flat rock, Gaara was laid out neatly as he slowly withdrew from the sage state. Beside him sat Naruto, leisurely sipping sake.

In Naruto's perception, that figure who had seemed like a god was more like an unprotected, threatened newborn.

Beneath the mask of indifference lay fear, worry that more lives would be lost.

It had always loved deeply all life that grew on this planet. That was why it would rather cull a portion early than see them all destroyed.

It was a biological instinct.

"Uzumaki Naruto—as expected—you are special."

The voice from Gaara's mouth had grown halting.

Do not misunderstand—Naruto had not killed Gaara outright.

What he "severed" was the spirit.

This sword art had transcended the realm of cutting life and reached a higher plane.

Achieving this also required absolute mastery of mental will and innate chakra control. Both were indispensable.

"Everyone knows that already. No need to belabor the obvious. Come on, say something deeper."

Naruto's face showed no heavy mood. He even tried cheerfully to pour sake into the will of nature's mouth.

It was refused.

The will of nature had not vanished—Naruto had only severed its link to this body.

More precisely, it was being expelled from the body again.

Without another person with a weak will yet capable of absorbing natural energy, the will of nature would struggle to resurface.

Unless Naruto actively drew in massive natural energy and reentered that Super Sage Mode.

After facing the fear of death once, the threat of the outer-space race seemed less terrifying.

The will of nature barely turned Gaara's head to study the man closely.

Its birth was because of him.

Before being perceived, it had only been a hazy planetary consciousness.

It was a perception that gave it self.

For beings at this level, cause and effect became abstract.

"Perhaps you truly can—protect this world."

"So who is the enemy? At least give me something useful."

"They—call themselves—the Ōtsutsuki clan, beings from beyond the stars—"

From Gaara's mouth, Naruto learned the basics about this Ōtsutsuki clan.

They typically worked in pairs, found a planet rich in life force—natural energy—and one would become a God Tree to drain that energy and bear so-called "fruit."

The other would then harvest the fruit that represented the planet's life.

Chakra was the product of the God Tree's fruiting.

Because they fed on these fruits, the Ōtsutsuki clan naturally countered nearly all ninjutsu.

At the current strength level of the ninja world, there probably existed no one who could match them.

And that was just one or two members. In the distant sea of stars, countless Ōtsutsuki still existed.

This despair-inducing truth was what drove the will of nature into madness and terror. Combined with the shadow of life being drained with no recourse, it gave rise to the idea of "erase the scent and hide."

"A thousand years ago—the Ōtsutsuki who arrived here—have not yet perished—"

"One hides deeply. I do not even know where. The other—is there."

With effort, the will of nature raised Gaara's arm and pointed skyward.

There, a pale orb was faintly visible.

"The moon?"

"You mean there is an Ōtsutsuki on the moon?"

Naruto scratched his head at that. Did he have to fly to the moon now? He wondered if Light-Weight Rock Technique could go that high.

"Not on the moon. Sealed by the moon."

"The entire moon is her seal."

From the will of nature's mouth, Naruto heard for the first time the ultimate truth of the ninja world.