After Sailing with the Pirate King, I Returned to Konoha - 197

Chapter 197: The Great Hero Uzumaki Naruto Arrives!

"What is—that?"

Seeing the Tailed Beast Ball he released didn't explode as expected, Killer Bee couldn't help squinting, trying to see the distant situation clearly.

Suddenly, Gyūki's voice rang in his ear.

"Dodge! Now, Bee!"

Though he hadn't yet understood what was happening, Killer Bee instinctively followed Gyūki's words. One person and one tailed beast had already reached perfect synchronization through long-term training and interaction.

Eight-Tails' massive body flashed to the side.

Just as this movement began, a pitch-black beam shot straight from the distance. Its speed far exceeded the Tailed Beast Ball, directly penetrating most of Eight-Tails' body.

If I hadn't moved just now, this strike would have blown my head off.

In the distance, smoke rose from Naruto's mouth. Though the Munch-Munch Fruit could give his mouth certain adaptability, this wasn't unlimited. Swallowing a Tailed Beast Ball whole was somewhat difficult.

Fortunately, Naruto's current body also possessed extremely powerful recovery. A few seconds after firing that authentic "Tailed Beast Cannon," his mouth's burns had already healed.

Octopuses, these soft-bodied creatures, seemed naturally possessed of strong survival ability. Even tailed beasts were the same. Though his body lost nearly half to one cannon blast, Killer Bee actually wasn't seriously injured—at most, the chakra consumption on Eight-Tails was somewhat large.

"Hey! Bee, can you still fight?"

"Of—of course! Together we'll beat the enemy!"

After taking this hit, Killer Bee actually didn't have much confidence. The fact that even his rap rhythm was disrupted showed this clearly.

Even I've never seen an existence that could withstand a Tailed Beast Ball and then fire a Tailed Beast Cannon without relying on beast transformation. Is this even human anymore?

But Naruto didn't give him much time to consider.

With a sonic boom, when Naruto's figure reappeared, he'd already punched Killer Bee's "abdomen"—if that part counted as an octopus's abdomen.

Compared to the mountain-sized beast, Naruto's height truly wasn't impressive. But it was precisely this size disparity that made his single punch sending the enemy flying from the ground seem even more contrasted.

Even the spectating Kurama couldn't help clicking his tongue. This kid seems even more powerful.

After all, this punch was pure brute force.

Though Killer Bee felt pain, he didn't lose a warrior's instinct. The octopus tentacles quickly whipped toward Naruto's position. Like a massive whip, the tentacle tip's speed had reached terrifying levels.

Something very familiar to the spectating Nine-Tails appeared: Adamantine Sealing Chains.

This jutsu was practically a tailed beast counter. And this was Naruto's sage-enhanced version.

Dozens of massive chains rapidly bound Eight-Tails completely. He wanted to fire another Tailed Beast Ball, but Adamantine Sealing Chains' suppressive power over chakra forcibly inhibited this action.

At this point, the Eight-Tails jinchūriki was sealed, and the Fourth Raikage seemed to have lost consciousness, still maintaining his upside-down posture.

Just when Jiraiya and others thought the battle was ending, they saw Naruto expressionlessly raise his hand, then the long-unused Rasengan began gathering.

The Rasengan condensed at speeds exceeding imagination. Soon its size surpassed an ordinary Large Rasengan.

"Hmm? Naruto? What are you doing?"

Jiraiya was first to react. He clearly understood Naruto's Rasengan power. Plus the current Sage enhancement, that super-giant Rasengan—already nearly half of Eight-Tails' body size—had clearly exceeded necessary limits.

This Rasengan's explosive power was enough to destroy all of Hidden Rain Village.

"Hey, brat? Are you planning to destroy this place?"

Kurama was also somewhat puzzled. Honestly, he didn't much care about ordinary humans' life and death. But after "acting heroically" with Naruto in the other world, the destructive desire in his heart had also lightened considerably.

However, Naruto didn't respond to Kurama, seemingly determined to destroy this Akatsuki headquarters village entirely.

"Something's wrong—Naruto's state is wrong!"

"Karin, Sasuke, help me stop him."

Without Jiraiya saying it, they'd also realize something was wrong. After that terrifying Rasengan was released, forget Hidden Rain Village—even the three of them would be caught up. And this wasn't Naruto's style.

Previously, though he acted freely on grudges, he never harmed innocents. Much less killed his own friends and companions.

Karin, transformed into Garuda, carried Sasuke and Jiraiya, rushing to Naruto, using Garuda's sound attack to try to awaken the abnormal Naruto.

"Naruto-san, wake up!"

This sound wave—capable of making ordinary people bleed from seven orifices—had no effect on Naruto.

"Dodge!"

Jiraiya shouted loudly, his hair transforming into ink, forming a massive shield blocking ahead. The next moment, that chakra-infused ink shield was penetrated by a chain. Even Karin behind it had her wing pierced, unable to move.

Fortunately, Adamantine Sealing Chains possessed both material and chakra forms. Karin was only restrained, not truly severely wounded.

Sasuke transformed into beast-human form, feet treading flames as he charged along the chain toward Naruto.

An iron fist greeted him. Instantly breaking through the Misfortune Wolf's "damage tolerance" limit. Though Karma was still working, Sasuke had already fallen to the same fate as the Fourth Raikage—smashed into the ground, consciousness blurred.

"Naruto!"

Countless ink flew toward Naruto, wanting to write "awake," "normal," and other words on him. But before approaching, it was cleared by a slash.

After Naruto casually swung his left hand to interrupt Jiraiya's jutsu, he turned his head back again, looking at Eight-Tails below.

"Die, vermin."

This voice seemed to overlap with something else, sounding somewhat illusory and unclear. These words didn't seem only directed at Killer Bee but included everyone present.

The super-giant Rasengan was about to fall, but Naruto's right hand was suddenly grabbed by his own left hand.

"What—is—this—"

In a world only Naruto could see, an illusory voice sounded somewhat puzzled. It sounded very childish.

It was asking Naruto: "Don't you also think ninja shouldn't exist? Why not kill them? Kill these vermin polluting this planet."

"Shut up!"

With Naruto's roar, the Conqueror's Haki unique to the "Great Hero" returned. That was willpower symbolizing a strong self.

Everyone present was washed by this will. Except for Jiraiya in Sage Mode and the beast-transformed Eight-Tails, everyone else was completely overwhelmed by this consciousness.

The Eight-Tails Gyūki was also shocked by this terrifying mental impact. I've never felt such a strong will—not even from the Sage of Six Paths. The old man's power was indeed very strong, but more about chakra control. This will is pure. It's something that any life form can sense, regardless of whether they have chakra or what form they take.

Meanwhile, his left hand's strength grew increasingly greater. The area "recaptured" by Naruto's own consciousness rapidly expanded.

Soon, when Naruto regained consciousness, the "divine shell" he'd maintained finally shattered. At this moment, the Great Hero's fury seized control of his body once more.

This time, that fury's target shifted from Eight-Tails to the owner of that mysterious voice.

Naruto no longer needed his left hand to suppress his right. He directly raised his right hand high toward the sky. The next moment, the Rasengan shot skyward, its high-pitched whine resonating deep within the bones and organs of everyone nearby.

Under Jiraiya's, Gyūki's, and Killer Bee's gaze, this Rasengan comparable to a tailed beast finally exploded. Its power indeed exceeded everyone's imagination.

Previously Naruto only pierced through heavy rain, but this strike truly made the Land of Rain's sky completely "cloudless."

"Phew—"

Retracting his hand, Naruto's ears again heard that intermittent childish voice.

Uzumaki Naruto. You are different. You can do it. Eliminate ninja—eliminate chakra—clear them all away—they are this world's vermin—

"Blabbering nonsense—shut up!!"

Naruto directly retracted all Adamantine Sealing Chain links. His entire body also fell from midair without support.

The two people and one beast still conscious were somewhat confused about why Naruto suddenly shouted like that. But compared to Eight-Tails, who'd developed some fear of Naruto, Jiraiya's heart secretly relaxed.

He finally sensed that familiar feeling from Naruto again. That was Uzumaki Naruto, who could discuss literature with him and repay kindness and revenge—not some emotionless deity.

After Naruto's roar, that voice seemed somewhat "scared," briefly falling silent.

Taking this opportunity, Naruto quickly recalled when this abnormality began. He was unwilling and unable to be completely controlled by this external will.

Thinking about it, everything seemed to start when I used the Munch-Munch Fruit to "devour" myself, thereby maintaining a long-term Sage state. Before that, though eating Zero-Tails also changed my temperament, that was only external—my "main body" was still completely normal. What could truly affect my spirit unknowingly was "Sage Mode." More accurately, twenty-four-hour continuous Sage Mode and natural energy.

Natural energy, unlike chakra, was as its name suggested—energy naturally existing in nature. As a power, it actually possessed its own will.

Perhaps when Jiraiya briefly maintained Sage Mode, the accumulated natural energy's contained consciousness couldn't affect the user. But with me continuously absorbing it, once it reached a critical mass, natural energy's will "awakened" within me.

Thinking deeper, this will very likely came from this world itself. In other words, the "ninja world" itself strongly rejected the chakra concept, showing no mercy toward ninja possessing chakra—even if they were life born from itself.

Naruto couldn't figure out the reasons for now, but he knew what to do now.

"Ah—"

Without any hesitation, Naruto decisively used the Munch-Munch Fruit again, performing "swallowing himself alive" before Jiraiya, Eight-Tails, and Killer Bee.

Jiraiya had seen this once and wasn't surprised. Eight-Tails and Killer Bee truly fell into shock. They watched as Naruto became only that mouth on the ground chewing something and then "spat" himself back out.

"Phew—really, almost got caught—"

This time, Naruto's face truly showed the relaxed smile Jiraiya knew. Natural energy also dissipated from him as Naruto actively canceled Sage Mode.

Those voices also completely disappeared. In their place, Zero-Tails chakra activated.

Seeing those black hands about to lash out again, this time Naruto didn't choose suppression.

"Hmph—dare resist after being eaten by me?"

After experiencing this influence, Naruto's mastery of the Munch-Munch Fruit ability had grown tremendously without him realizing. Though not yet reaching the level of "awakening," its digestive effect was far more powerful than before.

As the upgraded "Munch Factory" in Naruto's stomach began working, Zero-Tails' Dark Chakra also began rapidly decomposing. That Dark Chakra was first decomposed into ordinary chakra of various attributes, then further converted by the Munch Factory into pure energy.

Though the quantity had decreased, this energy contained no special properties—it was completely pure. This energy was easily absorbed by Naruto's body and supplemented into his flesh.

His body, which had already recovered to fifty or sixty percent of his pirate world strength, suddenly increased another fifteen percent or so. Now, if discussing comprehensive strength, Naruto could confidently match his pirate world self.

Sensing the power within his body that, though considerably reduced, was purer, Naruto nodded to Jiraiya.

"Really sorry, Jiraiya-sensei, for troubling you all."

Naruto remembered all previous memories without missing anything. He also realized he'd personally missed the chance to avenge his parents—this was why he was so angry upon regaining consciousness.

Under "natural consciousness" influence, "killing the masked man" became an optional instruction. So after he escaped, that time Naruto didn't even plan to chase, instead deciding to first handle the newly arrived "threatening existence."

"Naruto, what exactly is this?"

Jiraiya's eyes scanned up and down, seemingly still disbelieving.

"Jiraiya-sensei, becoming a 'deity' isn't any interesting experience."

After saying this seemingly out of nowhere, Naruto smiled lightly.

"Let's discuss this matter later."

Then he turned his head, looking at Killer Bee who, though having dispersed beast transformation mode, still gripped two swords guarding the Fourth Raikage.

"I think we should first resolve this 'problem'—"