Naruto might not be especially gifted in other areas, but when it came to "willpower," his talent was unmatched.
What kind of talent is this, exactly?
You could say most people train step by step, following logic and structure.
But someone with this kind of gift doesn't follow the usual path. Their training often looks like, "I feel like this might work," and while it may seem logical on the surface, in reality, they're taking a completely different route from normal people.
In this era, there was one more person who trained like that…
His name was Shanks.
Naruto's way of training still had a bit of logic to it — you could at least see some kind of "main character energy" in how he grew.
But Shanks? He trained in a way that made no sense at all — he just went with whatever he felt like.
And somehow, he ended up thinking his way into a whole other world, then used his sheer willpower to force it into reality.
Shanks was the one who truly "opened the source" in this world.
And because of him, the entire power system of this world became more complex.
As for Naruto's current state — it wasn't something he reached all on his own either.
When it came to "willpower," Naruto had two teachers: Shanks and Jiraiya.
Shanks didn't actually teach much — he just did things his own way, without any real structure.
But Jiraiya was different. His technique could even use the continuation of "will" to bring himself back to life, and each time he came back, he became stronger.
And Naruto had trained under Jiraiya for a long time. He had learned and seen everything he needed to.
Normally, he would just need another year or two and the right opportunity, and he'd reach this level too.
But Naruto wasn't normal. Inside his body was another kind of power—that was Asura's chakra.
It looked useful at first, but in reality, it didn't help that much.
Chakra is a mix of physical and mental energy. Asura's chakra belongs to a completely different person. Naruto could use it, but that power wasn't really his.
The reason is simple: no two people have exactly the same body and spirit. And if they're not the same, then it's not truly the same person.
Same thing with Madara before. Just because he didn't have Indra's chakra—did that mean Madara couldn't live?
If Asura and Indra's reincarnations were just filled with their original chakra, then honestly, the rest of them might as well give up.
This type of reincarnation is more like a shared existence, not a full rebirth.
Otherwise, if Naruto really had all of Asura's power, he probably could've beaten Danzo to death back when he was eight.
That's also why, since the chakra was different, when Asura's power started to awaken, Naruto responded with his own will—and made it happen.
Even Naruto himself didn't know how he did it. It just… happened.
At that moment, staring at the terrifying sight in the distance, Sasuke forced himself to stay upright, completely shocked.
"No way… Naruto… how can he be this strong?"
The swirling orange-red chakra had carved out its own space in the sky—a display of the ultimate power of ninja arts. A power so strong, it could stand apart from the will of the world itself.
Haku's power was also incredibly strong—he could dominate a whole battlefield by himself. But even then, Sasuke could accept it. Everyone could.
Because Haku was with Red-Haired Shanks. He was the youngest in his group.
But Naruto was different. Sasuke always knew there was a gap between them, but this time, he finally understood just how wide that gap had become.
"Has Naruto… already left me far behind?"
Looking at how everyone else on the battlefield was reacting, Sasuke understood—Naruto was no longer just a genius of the younger generation.
He had truly stepped into the ranks of the strongest in the world.
But just as Sasuke was thinking that…
*Crack!!*
A clear breaking sound came from the sky.
Naruto's shadow clones started vanishing, and the swirling chakra was completely shattered.
He couldn't stop Haku at all…
Naruto froze.
And it wasn't just him—Orochimaru, Kakashi, even Ross Jess—all the top fighters were stunned.
Naruto's power wasn't supposed to be this simple or this weak. But even in this form, Naruto couldn't stop Haku.
*Boom!!*
The next moment, all of Naruto's clones shattered at once. His chakra was torn apart completely.
A huge backlash of will hit him instantly—Naruto felt like his brain had just taken a direct hit, and he nearly blacked out. All the chakra in his body vanished—it was completely used up.
Using the last of his strength, Naruto rolled and crawled out of the range of the ice spear's strike, but in the end, he crashed hard into the ice and passed out.
Inside his body, the Nine-Tails looked at the chakra locked in its cage.
"I knew this stuff was dangerous. Good thing I was smart enough to shut it down ahead of time."
"This feeling…"
Kurama couldn't quite explain it, but whatever was in front of him gave off a feeling similar to facing Shanks back in the day.
Of course, it wasn't as strong.
To put it simply, it was that kind of response from someone's will.
Asura's chakra didn't have much awareness. Over the past few days, his power had been slowly pulled into the seal, and Kurama ended up locking that thing away with himself.
To Kurama, it was like a gas tank—putting it on Naruto might blow up and hurt him, but keeping it next to himself meant Naruto wouldn't touch it, and Kurama would be safe.
And right now, he really was safe.
Naruto's technique required a response from willpower, but with Asura sealed, only some leftover energy was answering Naruto's call.
So while the technique went off, it wasn't really working right.
All Asura could say was… "Heh, I tricked you. I wasn't even there when you were fighting Haku."
Since there was no full source behind it, Naruto's move—though it looked like the peak of ninjutsu power—was actually all flash with no substance.
But to everyone else watching, it just looked like Haku was unbelievably strong.
"That power gives me chills!"
"So this is the strength of the Red-Haired Pirates? And Haku is still so young."
"No normal Logia-type Devil Fruit user could pull that off. Just how strong is he?"
"..."
At that moment, the only thing left in the sky was a streak of white, carrying a cold chill.
Freezing the battlefield before the fight even started was already crazy, but now he had crushed Naruto—a guy who once created his own world under Orochimaru's Conqueror's Haki—with pure force.
Even Haku himself looked a bit surprised, but not too much. He just turned to look into the distance.
"Reinforcements already?"
Far off in the distance, more than ten warships had arrived at the edge of the battlefield. A young man stepped off one of them, with an older man walking beside him.
The young man was one of the rising Vice Admirals in the Marines—Hatsujuro. The older man was a Jinchuriki who had stayed behind with the World Government, one of the top sages from the Land Sage Nation.
"Hatsujuro, go somewhere else. That young man… he's not someone you can handle."
The old man spoke calmly, drawing a massive sword from his back. Even as a Jinchuriki working for the World Government, he wasn't sure he could survive against Haku.
That's right—not win, but survive. Haku might not be able to fully kill him, but he knew he didn't stand a chance of beating Haku alone.
"The gap is really that big?"
Hatsujuro didn't want to accept it. Maybe he couldn't.
"Yes. The difference between you and him is huge. That guy's part of the Red-Haired Pirates. He may be about your age, but don't treat him like someone your level."
The old man explained.
It was just like when they had faced Shanks. Shanks wasn't very old either, maybe around forty at most… well, honestly, he was even younger. He just looked older because of his messy appearance.
But no one ever looked down on Shanks, especially not because of his age.
Real powerhouses don't think like that. Honestly, if Rikudou Sennin were still alive, these so-called sages wouldn't respect him just because of his age.
In fact, they might gang up on him for being too old.
Morals? That doesn't exist here.
"So this is the ultimate power of ninjutsu? Looks like this era really is something different."
"But still…"
This old man wasn't just anyone. As the Jinchuriki of the World Government, he had access to its deepest secrets.
The sages had studied the Sage of Six Paths a lot, so they knew he must've left behind countermeasures—and likely more than one.
"So this is what Ninja Creed calls a bond? Using shared will to connect and fuse more people's chakra together.
Tsk tsk tsk… no wonder the Sage of Six Paths was able to control his entire generation. He had already planned for this. This kind of power… it's scary."
In just a moment, the old man figured it out. He was a sage, not a Devil Fruit user, so he could sense it more clearly.
Naruto's state wasn't just regular chakra fusion. It was chakra returning to its original source.
The way it worked was similar to a Devil Fruit—but not the same.
Chakra came from the God Tree. And this return to the source would cause an effect like the God Tree itself.
In other words, when Naruto entered that state, he basically took on the form of the God Tree, holding a powerful will of his own—like his own "world will."
And this kind of thing could be accepted by the will of the ninja world. It wouldn't be pushed back.
It worked by planting chakra seeds, then using the Ninja Creed's idea of bonds to bring those seeds together, and letting them grow—until they became a tree, even a God Tree.
Say what you will, but back in Kaguya's time, as long as she stayed within the range of the God Tree's power, even if dozens of sages went in, it didn't matter.
Of course, if Kaguya left that range—then she wouldn't stand a chance either.
That's the power of a world-level will.
Once the ultimate power of the Ninja Creed shows up, it would also be a deadly threat to the sages.
"It's a shame… this era isn't what the Sage of Six Paths imagined. With Shanks around, the Ninja Creed's final power might be better used against him instead."
That's why the old man didn't really feel threatened by the power in Naruto—though of course, it still needed to be watched.
As for Haku, he didn't know anything about this stuff.
But he understood shared will very well. Shanks had already mastered it long ago. The only difference was that among pirates, this shared will wasn't nearly as strong—because they didn't have chakra.
"Impressive… but Lord Shanks already moved beyond that path a long time ago."
Haku locked eyes with the old man who was walking over.
"A sage from the Earthly Sage Kingdom?"
"I'm no sage. Just a protector of the World Government."
Green, twisted senjutsu chakra burst out of the old man like flames, covering his entire body. Green markings appeared on his face, and the huge blade in his hand was now pointed at Haku.
But Haku didn't panic. He still looked calm, just like before.
"Alone, you probably aren't strong enough to beat me."
Haku spoke gently, his tone soft, but his confidence and pride ran deep—just like Shanks.
"You won't know until you try!"
The old man swung his massive sword, sending a wave of green energy slashing toward Haku. In the blink of an eye, Haku reacted—his body instantly turned into elemental form.
Meanwhile, Hatsujuro had already pulled Naruto away from the battlefield and brought him to Sasuke's side.
"Still have strength to fight?"
Hatsujuro supported Sasuke. The two of them looked at the pirates closing in. Sasuke gave a small smile.
"For these small fry? Yeah, I'm good."
"Be careful…"
Hatsujuro nodded, and Sasuke forced himself to stand back up.
The battle broke out again!!
With the reinforcements joining in, the intensity of the fight on the battlefield shot up fast. But at the same time, more reinforcements were still heading their way.
Elsewhere, Higgs—who had been fleeing from the Land—also realized something was wrong.
The Marine reinforcements hadn't shown up, which could only mean one thing: the Marines' support had been cut off.
Now the situation was totally different. If Higgs could reach the battlefield first, his side would gain some extra strength.
So the Mountain Bandits under Higgs were now rushing toward the fight, and the Marines who had been chasing him no longer bothered to fight—they just went full speed after him.
As the battle continued, Orochimaru's mind was starting to blur a little.
Shanks' will had started to respond, and that familiar Dragon Vein energy was starting to stir.
"We still don't have enough people!!"
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