Click—
The camera accurately captured Naruto's heroic pose in the air and the dazzling pillar of destructive light.
Kakashi looked back. The Ninja World Daily reporter, Tsuchino Taihei, was putting away his camera.
Taihei gazed at the golden figure in the sky with a look of reverence, exclaiming, "Kakashi-san! To have guided a student like this is truly amazing, to be able to defeat the God of Shinobi!"
Even with such praise, Kakashi's dead-fish eyes remained as still as an ancient well.
He knew this reporter. Naruto had complained that the Dress-Up Men photobook had sold over a million copies, but he only got 150,000 yen.
"Swoosh!"
Just as the light pillar dissipated, a figure shot out like an arrow from a bowstring.
Kakashi looked to the side, seeing the figure's signature long white ponytail flying in the wind—it was Lord Jiraiya.
"Hurry! The battlefield is clear now. Naruto has the advantage. This is our chance!" A low shout came from Jiraiya's departing figure.
Might Guy immediately looked at his best friend, "Kakashi, let's go too!"
Before, everyone had been forced to retreat several times due to the unclear, chaotic, and intense nature of the battlefield.
Now, it was exactly as Jiraiya said—a golden opportunity!
"Right!"
Kakashi looked at the several-hundred-meter-deep pit left by the light pillar and was about to leap when Taihei Tsuchino grabbed his arm.
"Kakashi-san! Take me with you!"
The reporter's face was a mess, his acting incredible, "If I don't get this headline, I'll definitely be fired!"
He was the very picture of a helpless civilian.
Thinking that Naruto seemed to enjoy being the center of attention, Kakashi only hesitated for a second before taking him along.
The center of the battlefield was completely empty.
After the overwhelming baptism of Dust Release, there was nothing left in sight.
Even the First and Second Hokages had become air, not a speck of ash was left.
But the nature of Edo Tensei bodies was that they were still powerful and unkillable.
In his senses, the "stubborn" dust particles in the air were slowly gathering again, just like they had after the Black Hole Rasengan, but this time they were moving even more sluggishly.
To reassemble into a complete human form? It would take at least twenty more minutes.
But the problem was that in his senses, his cheap master Jiraiya, his teacher Kakashi, and a large group of other shinobi were already rushing over.
It seemed the battle was already over!
"Huh!"
Naruto floated down, feeling a sense of genuine regret. He couldn't help but mutter, "I get that the Second Hokage couldn't handle the AOE, but you, First Hokage... your title as 'God of Shinobi' is a little 'undeserved,' isn't it?"
"I still haven't used Wood Release yet. What if my teacher Kakashi thinks I haven't learned it?"
He feigned annoyance, but was actually frustrated by the overpowered nature of Dust Release.
Why didn't the old man Onoki have this kind of oppressive feeling when he used Dust Release in the training field?
Ah, he understood now.
His Dust Release: ✓ (Instant cast + super large range)
Onoki's Dust Release: ✗ (Slow charge + severely shrunken range)
Tsk, what a difference!
But this super-sized Dust Release was a real chakra drain!
He had been spamming attacks for half an hour just now, and the chakra he recovered was more than what he used.
It was hilarious, truly unlimited firepower.
But the moment Dust Release came out, it was different!
In a thousandth of a second! One hit cost 200,000 chakra!
And that was after multiple buffs reduced the cost. Without the buffs, one hit would have been 4,000,000 or more to start.
Terrifying!
Let's check his stats:
Total Chakra Bar: 14.52 million chakra available to be extracted and converted!
Dust Release Chakra Cost: 200,000 per use.
Chakra Recovery: About 1.08 million per minute.
Sustained Usage: Firing continuously = 5 times per minute?
"That's it! I'm starting to get anxious!" Naruto felt the urgency of going on a long trip with only 10% battery life.
And this was just a "tiny" Dust Release covering an area of ten kilometers and a depth of one kilometer!
Luckily, he had a hidden "backup power source"!
"Naruto!"
A shout came, and Naruto turned his head.
A white figure, like the wind, shot past and instantly appeared before him—it was Jiraiya with his flowing white hair.
Jiraiya's eyes were sharp, quickly scanning Naruto's body.
Seeing that his disciple was not only uninjured, but his clothes were not even stained, the heart that had been in his throat finally fell back into his stomach.
His tense shoulders visibly relaxed, and then, an unconcealed pride welled up within him.
"Good job, kid!"
He laughed so hard his teeth showed, giving Naruto a heavy clap on the shoulder, his voice filled with smugness, "You didn't disappoint this old man after all! You're truly my disciple!"
Naruto blinked.
Uh... who are you?
Oh right, he remembered now!
This was his cheap master who had been completely absent since becoming his master!
It had been almost a month since they last met. Had he finally returned from his "research"?
Naruto rolled his eyes internally, but on the surface, he placated his cheap master with a few words. After all, the concern in the old pervert's eyes was genuine.
At this moment, Kakashi, Might Guy, and the others also arrived.
Might Guy's passionate roar caught in his throat. Looking at this junior, whom he had always thought needed encouragement, his thumb, which was always up, was for the first time just resting on Naruto's shoulder, heavy with complex, unbelievable emotions.
All the ninjas, both familiar and unfamiliar with Naruto, looked at him as if they were seeing the Hokage faces on the monument for the first time. The ease with which he had dealt with the First and Second Hokage completely shattered their perception of reality.
Kakashi stepped forward alone, the complexity in his dead-fish eyes almost overflowing.
Flying Raijin, Ice Release, Dust Release... hundreds of self-developed ninjutsu of at least A-rank!
He understood Naruto's talent. Self-developed ninjutsu was one thing, but could Kekkei Tota also be explained by "talent"?!
"Naruto," Kakashi's voice was dry, "I know you've made progress with Ice Release, but Dust Release?"
Naruto blinked his blue eyes, his expression as innocent as a freshly graduated college student, "You taught me, sensei."
"Me?"
Kakashi's face froze under his mask, "What... what did I teach?"
"You said Dust Release requires Wind, Fire, and Earth attributes," Naruto said with a look of innocent surprise, "I was bored anyway, so I just tried combining them, and guess what? Hehe, it worked!"
I was bored anyway...
Just tried combining them... and it worked?
Kakashi's brain completely crashed, his dead-fish eyes frozen in place.
Since when was a Kekkei Tota a simple trick that could be done by "just combining them"?
Why couldn't he produce even a single trace of Dust Release's effect?
Jiraiya, who was listening in, also suffered a system crash, his eyes turning into tiny dots as he once again questioned his life.
Leaving the two of them to ponder their existence, Naruto had just turned around when a short reporter zipped in front of him.
"Lord Naruto Uzumaki!"
Tsuchino Taihei's eyes shone as he pulled out his notebook and began to interview, his adoration off the charts, "In this battle of world-ending proportions, what are your thoughts on your opponent, Lord First Hokage?"
"The First Hokage?"
Glancing at the Leaf shinobi around him who were all perking up their ears, Naruto rubbed his chin. Remembering the First Hokage's status in their hearts, he tried to maintain a "humble" facade.
"Ahem, his Wood Release... it was decent, I guess? It's probably because... I'm too strong, and after one move... he just disappeared?"
Got it!
Taihei Tsuchino nodded.
[Naruto Uzumaki: The First Hokage was too weak! He was no match for me!]
"And what about the Second Hokage?"
Naruto pretended to "think hard." He didn't seem to have much of an impression of the Second Hokage's white hair.
"The Second Hokage? His presence was a bit weak... oh right! He was pretty annoying, flashing around. He kept running into my fist. It looked like he was trying to commit insurance fraud."
Got it!
Taihei Tsuchino nodded again.
[Naruto Uzumaki: The Second Hokage had no presence and was a scammer! He was finished with just a single stray attack from me!]
"And after defeating the 'God of Shinobi,' what are your thoughts on that title?"
Naruto shrugged, "It's just an empty title. I don't really care."
Taihei Tsuchino understood yet again.
[Naruto Uzumaki: I am the new God of Shinobi!]
"One last question! As a role model for the youth of the Leaf, what advice do you have for the young people of the ninja world?"
"Oh, that's a good one," Naruto's interest was piqued. "I once told a genius in the Leaf something that I'd like to share with all the young people of the ninja world."
"We, the youth, are the rising sun at eight or nine in the morning! Full of vigor and vitality! The world will ultimately belong to us!"
So... all you old folks in the village—be sensible and hand over power!
Just let a young person like me take over!
Hearing this, Taihei Tsuchino's eyes lit up.
[Naruto Uzumaki: The "Ninja World Sun" Theory!]
Just as the interview finished, Naruto turned his head again—
He saw that the First and Second Hokage, who were being sealed, were still chatting with the Leaf shinobi!
The Second Hokage was fine, but the First Hokage's goofy remarks completely shattered their "God of Shinobi" filter.
"Naruto! Are you really not Tsunade's grandson?"
Naruto hadn't expected the First Hokage to still be hung up on that.
"Sorry, First Hokage," Naruto said with a helpless grin, "it seems Tsunade-oba-san isn't married yet!"
Before the First Hokage could ask another question, the sealing squad quickly wrapped them up into two mummies and stacked them neatly.
Naruto glanced at them and then looked away.
It didn't matter that the two top-tier henchmen had been sealed.
When the time came, someone would naturally let them escape!
But the First and Second Hokage had been defeated so easily.
Did the ninja world even have any opponents left?
He put his hands in his pockets and looked up at the sky, "Tsk... how lonely. What's it like to be invincible?"
He answered his own question, "Boring!"
However, the next second, Naruto suddenly frowned and looked around, "Wait... did I forget something?"