Rumble...
The spinning Sanbi charged forward.
Its size, comparable to a mountain, combined with its immense weight, left deep ravines in its wake.
Mei's face turned pale. She definitely didn't want to be crushed into paste by the Sanbi, yet she also didn't dare to leave Naruto's side without permission.
While she hesitated, she noticed the blond youth beside her stepping forward and charging toward the oncoming Sanbi.
"Is he insane!?"
Mei's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the figure—so small it could be compared to a sesame seed next to the Sanbi.
Ninjas were indeed powerful, but their strength lay in their ninjutsu. No matter how much they trained their bodies, they were still human. Even the Raikage, with his cell activation technique, had never dared to go toe-to-toe with a Tailed Beast.
Yet the likes of Guren and the others seemed to trust Naruto implicitly.
Under the gaze of all present, Naruto had already reached the curled-up Sanbi. A fiery glint flashed in his eyes as he shouted in a deep voice:
"Busoshoku: Kyouka!" (Armament Haki: Hardening!)
His hands and forearms turned pitch black, his muscles bulging as he gathered all his strength and grabbed hold of the Sanbi's spiked shell.
Boom!
A deafening sound rang out. The Sanbi, a creature the size of a small mountain, was abruptly stopped in its tracks by Naruto's sheer force.
Its massive body ground to a halt.
Crack... Crack...
The ground beneath Naruto's feet splintered apart, and his legs sank deep into the earth. His face turned slightly pale.
"So this is the raw power of a Tailed Beast...?"
This was just the Sanbi, and it had already been weakened by Mei. Yet even so, its brute strength was terrifying, almost crushing Naruto into the ground entirely.
He couldn't begin to imagine how terrifying the might of the Kyūbi—known as the strongest of the nine Tailed Beasts—would be. Probably enough to level a small mountain with a single swipe.
"Hmph! My power far surpasses what you can imagine. That Sanbi is nothing compared to me. Just a little pig for me to swat away."
The Kyūbi's deep growl echoed in Naruto's mind.
But Naruto paid no attention, gritting his teeth, tightening his grip, and shoving hard against the Sanbi's shell.
Boom!
The halted Sanbi was actually pushed back by Naruto, carving deeper trenches into the earth.
Only then did Naruto pull his legs out of the ground, wiping the sweat off his forehead, muttering to himself:
"My physical strength still isn't enough. I have to go back to the One Piece world and train some more. At the very least, I need to reach Admiral-level…"
He hadn't forgotten about freeing the Kyūbi.
But to release the Kyūbi, he needed an extremely robust life force. Life force could also be seen as physical strength—only with a strong enough body could he survive the Kyūbi leaving without instantly dying.
While Naruto was lost in thought, the others behind him were already stunned into silence.
"Wait... He just tanked the Sanbi's charge with brute force alone? Is he really human...!?"
Mei stared at Naruto in disbelief.
"That's a Tailed Beast! A calamity in the shape of a monster! Even the lunatic from Kumogakure wouldn't dare compete with a Tailed Beast in raw strength..."
Guren and the others were equally shocked, but when they heard Mei's words, they quickly snapped back to reality and responded with pride:
"That's Narut– I mean, that's Menma-sama for you! The one who defeated Orochimaru and saved the Uchiha clan! A mere Tailed Beast is nothing in comparison."
"That's right! Just a Sanbi! Even the Kyūbi would have to submit to Menma-sama!"
"That guy's a monster. Mei, for the sake of Kirigakure, I'd advise you not to make an enemy of him."
"No wonder even Orochimaru-sama couldn't stand up to him..."
...
Mei couldn't help but swallow nervously, her gaze tinged with fear as she looked at Naruto's back.
What a monster... What exactly does he want from Kirigakure...?
...
Ignoring the chatter behind him, Naruto watched the Sanbi, who was about to charge again. Flames ignited in his hands as he said calmly:
"Sanbi, I don't just have brute strength."
"Katon: Dai Enkai!" (Fire Release: Great Flame Ring!)
Blazing flames erupted from Naruto's feet, spreading outward in a circle, enveloping the Sanbi.
From afar, it looked like a campfire was roasting a giant curled-up pangolin.
The flames seared the Sanbi's body, and it quickly began to writhe in pain. No matter how hard its shell was, it couldn't block the transfer of heat.
Eventually, unable to endure the burning, the Sanbi let out a furious roar, retracting its defense and revealing its limbs as it glared at the surrounding flames.
"ROAR!!!"
It opened its mouth, unleashing torrents of water in an attempt to extinguish the flames.
But as soon as it did, Naruto smiled.
Raising his right hand, he gathered the burning flames around him and spoke:
"Dai Enkai: Entei!" (Great Flame Ring: Flame Emperor!)
A massive ball of fire, resembling a blazing sun, formed in Naruto's hand.
As the Entei reached its peak temperature, the interaction of fire and wind chakra caused a change in properties, drastically increasing its heat.
The searing heat was unimaginable, setting the lush forest around them ablaze.
Then, like a miniature sun, the fireball descended.
The Sanbi lifted its head, eyes flashing with rage and even a hint of Mangekyō Sharingan, but at that moment, fear flickered in its gaze.
It could only watch as the fireball smashed into its shell.
BOOM!!!
A cataclysmic explosion erupted.
The raging flames engulfed the Sanbi's mountain-sized body.
The scorching heat made the Sanbi let out a pained scream, its massive body thrashing in the flames, desperately spraying water from its mouth.
But the high temperatures evaporated the water in an instant.
From afar, it looked like a giant turtle being steamed alive. Naruto could even smell a faint aroma of cooked meat.
A few seconds later, the massive Sanbi lay motionless.
Naruto quickly retracted the flames, rubbing his forehead with a wry expression.
"Crap, I overdid it. I must've evaporated about forty percent of the water in its body..."
When fire and wind chakra interacted, they could create a new Kekkei Genkai—Scorch Release (Shakuton).
As the name implied, it possessed unimaginable heat, able to desiccate a human body into a mummy just by proximity.
In the original series, Pakura of Sunagakure possessed this Kekkei Genkai. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, she was reanimated by Kabuto and caused significant trouble for the Allied Shinobi Forces.
The Dai Enkai: Entei just now was a manifestation of Scorch Release—though the power was indeed formidable.
Seeing that the Sanbi was on the verge of death by dehydration, Naruto quickly turned to Mei and said:
"Mei, hurry up and use some Suiton to help this turtle recover."
Mei was momentarily stunned but soon gritted her teeth and replied:
"You're a wanted missing-nin. As a Kirigakure elite jōnin, why should I follow your orders?"
"Oh?" Naruto raised an eyebrow with a playful expression, glancing at Mei and then at the village behind her.
"Why should you? Interesting question. I suppose... you wouldn't want me to destroy Kirigakure, would you?"
(End of Chapter)
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