Chapter 213: Naruto: Grandpa Third, I'm Here to Protect You All
"Retreat!!"
Standing atop a tree, Sarutobi Hiruzen snapped back to his senses, decisively issuing a loud warning to the surrounding shinobi.
Although they were far from the battlefield in a relatively safe area, such a distance wouldn't spare them from the shockwave of the meteorite's impact. They had to retreat even further to have any hope of escaping its reach.
As for whether the meteorite would hit the village…
"Everyone, be prepared!" Hiruzen warned with a grim expression. "The people from the Crimson Moon won't be so kind as to solve our dangers for us."
At the same time, the figure of Naruto had already charged toward the two Ōtsutsuki, launching forward like a swift arrow.
Of course, this Naruto knew Ōtsutsuki Tatsuhito's plan.
But they would never have imagined that this entity possessing such immense power was merely a "Wood Clone."
Even if it couldn't destroy the meteorite, the only risk was exposing its true nature.
Moreover, this Naruto knew full well that if he couldn't seize the Ōtsutsuki bloodline this time, they would never return to the ninja world after they fled. They would surely hide until they had completely mastered the power of the Tenseigan.
Therefore, if he missed this rare opportunity, killing them in the future would be far more difficult.
Even if it meant taking a slight risk, he had to give it his all.
"You're not going anywhere!"
Naruto's arm shot out, reaching for the terrified Toneri.
Staring into the azure eyes visible beneath the mask's holes, the last dregs of chakra in Ōtsutsuki Tatsuhito's body flared.
"Get away!" he roared in a low voice, beginning to expend his final chakra to desperately call upon the power of the giant Tenseigan.
A powerful repulsive force suddenly descended.
But the force didn't act on Naruto; instead, it shoved the flying ninja tool away.
Under normal circumstances, he would have had the resolve to fight to the death.
However, the meteorite about to fall from above was putting him under immense pressure.
He, Ōtsutsuki Tatsuhito, could die, but Toneri absolutely could not die here.
"What is fated cannot be escaped!"
Seeing this, a smirk tugged at Naruto's lips. He knew his gamble had paid off.
Ōtsutsuki Tatsuhito had far too little combat experience. Faced with this situation, he was still holding back, misjudging both the circumstances and himself.
In the field of vision of Tatsuhito's Byakugan, he saw an extremely strange chakra fluctuation erupt from within the body of the figure before him.
"You?!"
Tatsuhito's expression immediately turned stern, a flicker of confusion flashing in his Byakugan.
Does he really intend to perish with me?!
Such a mutual destruction is utterly meaningless!
But before he could react, thorny vines suddenly shot out from the ground.
Ōtsutsuki Tatsuhito, being the closest, was yanked back, pulled uncontrollably toward Naruto's hand.
Only Toneri, who had been shielded behind him, escaped the attack.
As Naruto's hand closed around Ōtsutsuki Tatsuhito's neck, a look of terror appeared on his face.
In the next instant, it turned into one of grim resolve.
"Flee! Toneri! Remember! After you master the power of the Tenseigan, come back and avenge me… Gack, ghh!"
CRACK!
Naruto mercilessly snapped his neck. With a crisp crack, all sound from Tatsuhito ceased.
"What a shame. In your case, there's no need for you to live."
Naruto held up the corpse with one hand and looked toward the distant Toneri.
Seated on his flying tool, he had already escaped the attack range, his youthful face a mask of terror and hatred.
Unfortunately, he was out of reach.
Naruto frowned, a hint of regret in his heart.
RUMBLE!!
Amidst a deafening roar, the falling meteorite drew closer.
The sky-high flames generated by the friction with the atmosphere painted the dim world into a sea of crimson fire. Even the surrounding air began to spark.
Naruto looked up at the colossal descending meteorite and once again spread his arms toward the night sky.
"Although it's just an insignificant Wood Clone, as the debut show for Takamimusubi no Mikoto, it can't end in such a sorry state."
Meanwhile, a distant Sarutobi Hiruzen witnessed this scene and frowned in confusion.
"What is that guy doing? Has he given up resis—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Hiruzen froze.
It wasn't just Hiruzen; the surrounding Anbu, and even Neji and Hiashi back in Konoha, were all stunned.
In their perception, the Wood Golem simply made a grabbing motion toward the sky, and an incomparably terrifying chakra fluctuation erupted from its body.
This powerful chakra signature was so distinct, it was like a brilliant sun suddenly appearing in the night sky.
CRACKLE!!
Naruto was enveloped in a ferocious, pale blue chakra. Immediately after, red and white roses grew rapidly from within his body, spreading down to cover the entire body and arms of the Wood Golem beneath his feet.
As the Wood Golem assumed a sword-wielding stance, a powerful might burst forth, ultimately converging into the palm of its right hand.
Rose vines condensed into the shape of a sword in its palm, pulsing with a terrifying, heart-stopping power.
"What immense power!"
Even though he had anticipated it, when he truly wielded this crimson rose sword, Naruto couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
But his tone remained as calm as ever, as if nothing in the world could shake him.
"This seed, nourished and irrigated with my own body for years, has finally reached the moment to reveal itself before the world."
This rose sword was connected to Naruto's mind and bloodline, moving like an extension of his own body—effortless and solid as rock.
Using this rose sword, which had been nourished with Yang Release chakra, he could easily unleash his full power.
BOOM!!
With a ferocious surge, his chakra poured into the rose sword without reservation, warping the very air around it.
The ground buckled under the pressure of this power. A violent gale of chakra swirled around him, forming a small hurricane, only to be perfectly gathered and focused onto the wooden blade by Naruto's control.
"What hell is this place called? This is the Mountain of Blades, Forest of Swords!"
Gazing at the meteorite, Naruto uttered in a cold, low voice.
"Slash!!"
With the activation of this Wood Release ninjutsu, the "Mountain of Blades, Forest of Swords," which held nearly all his chakra, was finally unleashed in the instant before the meteorite's impact.
The Wood Golem held the sword with both hands and swung it violently at the night sky.
A green beam of light tore forth from the blade, a terrifyingly long slash visible to the naked eye, roaring forward.
Carrying a presence that seemed to split the night sky asunder, the astonishing beam, pulsing with the power to sever anything, shot directly toward the flaming meteorite overhead.
BOOM!!
In that instant, the two terrifying forces collided. The chakra fluctuation erupted violently, unscrupulously tearing everything apart.
The vast night sky seemed to be ripped in two.
Under the impact of this terrifying power, a deafening crack echoed. The seemingly unstoppable giant meteorite halted its thunderous descent.
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!!
At this moment, looking up, one could only see terrifying annihilation wherever the eye could reach.
The terrifying, blade-like beam of light continued to cleave downwards. A massive explosion instantly swallowed the night sky, and the surrounding light flared, enveloping everything.
The heavens and the earth were illuminated by this astonishing light.
In a flash, a massive fissure was carved into the meteorite's surface. Cracks spread rapidly across it, and it began to shatter piece by piece.
Endless clouds of smoke billowed out, abruptly shrouding the entire night sky.
It painted everything in sight a heart-stopping gray, like a ravenous beast devouring all in its path.
This unprecedentedly terrifying ninjutsu was revealed to the world for the first time.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Whether it was the fleeing Anbu shinobi or the spies from other nations who had infiltrated the Land of Fire, they all looked up in terror at the horrifying scene.
"Are you kidding me?!"
"What is that jutsu? I've never seen it before!"
In the distance, Sarutobi Hiruzen also stared grimly at the towering pillar of dust and smoke.
"Too frightening… That Crimson Moon member, was that his jutsu?!"
BOOM!!
Without giving Hiruzen any more time to think, the entire earth began to tremble violently. Ravine-like fissures spread out in all directions like a spiderweb, crawling across the land.
A shockwave dozens of meters high, carrying endless smoke and dust, rose with a roar and spread outwards.
Even the shinobi who had already fled far away were not spared. They were sent scattering by the force of the shockwave. Even Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was standing on a tree, was blown away.
In Hiruzen's perception, the dust cloud was saturated with a dense and chaotic chakra fluctuation, making the entire cloud feel like a maelstrom of chaotic energy.
Even with sensory ninjutsu, it was impossible to see what was happening inside the dust.
"Cough, cough! Did it fall?"
Barely managing to steady himself, Sarutobi Hiruzen's brows furrowed.
It should be… dealt with, right?
Just as Hiruzen let out a sigh of relief, a sound of something cutting through the air came from within the dust cloud, which began to part and disperse.
Immediately after, a massive dark shadow slowly emerged from the dust, revealing half of a battered meteorite.
"What's going on?"
Hiruzen's aged face was filled with shock and doubt.
Without a doubt, that person had truly sliced the meteorite in half, drastically slowing its descent and greatly weakening its power.
But… half of the broken meteorite was still falling toward Konoha?!
The Anbu shinobi swayed before this power, their mouths agape as they could only watch the meteorite fall.
"Damn it! Even half of it will still hit Konoha!"
Seeing this, Hiruzen bit his thumb and slammed his hands on the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu: Monkey King Enma!"
With a puff of white smoke, a monkey wearing a Konoha forehead protector appeared.
"Transform into the Adamantine Staff. We're in big trouble now," Hiruzen said gravely.
Enma only needed one glance into the distance to feel his heart leap into his throat.
"Where did this huge rock come from, Hiruzen? Can you really handle it?"
Even if his body was indestructible, possessing a diamond-like hardness and the ability to extend freely, it all depended on whether Sarutobi Hiruzen's old back could hold up.
Hearing this, Hiruzen didn't speak, merely taking a deep breath.
"With these old bones of mine, all I can do is try!"
Enma transformed into the sturdy Adamantine Staff. With a low roar, Hiruzen gripped the staff at his waist as it suddenly grew longer and thicker, ramming it valiantly against the half-meteorite.
BOOM!!
The staff and the meteorite collided violently. In an instant, a massive explosion erupted, and a shocking wave of force burst out, shaking the very air.
The Anbu shinobi behind him looked up.
It was as if the only thing before them was Lord Hokage, only the mighty back that shouldered everything.
"Ah, as expected of Lord Hokage."
Watching this scene, even Kakashi couldn't help but exclaim, "The Strongest Hokage, so truly domin—huh?"
Before he could finish, a figure was suddenly sent flying backward.
Thud, thud, thud!
Sarutobi Hiruzen tumbled several times on the ground. After scrambling up in a pathetic state, he spat out a mouthful of blood, clutching his waist in agony.
"Cough, cough! It's no use! It's too heavy! Heavier than the Nine-Tails back then!"
Hiruzen was covered in dirt, panting heavily, his arms bleeding profusely.
If he hadn't dodged quickly, his arms would have likely been broken.
"Ah, is Lord Third really this weak…?" Kakashi decisively retracted his earlier statement.
So it's true. The whole 'Strongest Hokage' thing was just hype.
"Damn it, Jiraiya and Tsunade still aren't back."
Hiruzen struggled to his feet, a look of hesitation on his face.
Finally, gritting his teeth, his chakra began to surge once more.
But just then.
WHOOSH!!
A figure radiating a gentle aura suddenly appeared before him.
"That was dangerous. I'm glad I made it in time. Grandpa Third, you should rest for a bit."
Naruto, cloaked in golden chakra, tilted his head slightly and spoke to Hiruzen. "This time, it's my turn to protect you all."
Gazing at that face with its gentle smile, the once-helpless Sarutobi Hiruzen was momentarily lost in a daze, feeling an inexplicable warmth.
After speaking, Naruto turned his head, looking meaningfully into the distance as his hands began to fly through hand seals.
Terrifying chakra began to surge within his body, and the concentration of chakra in the surroundings began to skyrocket.
Under Hiruzen's watchful eye, a blue-black sphere of chakra rapidly condensed in his hand, releasing a tremor-inducing pulsation.
Tailed Beast Rasengan.
A terrifying purple-black trajectory suddenly shot out from his hand.
BOOM!
Before the shocked and horrified eyes of the numerous Anbu shinobi, it directly collided with the oncoming meteorite.
In that instant, the entire world seemed to lose its sound.
In the momentary collision, the falling meteorite began to incinerate, the terrifying temperature scorching everything nearby.
The dazzling light of the meteorite dimmed, and then, a mushroom-shaped cloud of dust roared into the sky.
Vaguely, even the air itself had become incredibly turbulent.
Most of the meteorite was vaporized on the spot.
The tiny fragments that remained began to scatter in all directions, turning into fine,碎石 in the air.
"Naruto…"
Looking at the golden back before him, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.
Without him even realizing it, the little child from back then had already grown to such an extent.
"All of you, stand down! I will deal with this foe! As long as I am here, I will absolutely not allow anyone to harm the village!"
Naruto stared solemnly at the burning dust cloud ahead, as if he had already steeled his resolve, a powerful Will of Fire emanating from him.
His sudden appearance was like a godsend, invigorating the once-demoralized Anbu shinobi.
"Is that… the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?"
"As expected of a Jinchūriki, such power…"
"And that Will of Fire, you can practically see it…"
The Anbu shinobi all wore expressions of excitement.
They never expected the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki to be this powerful.
No, that wasn't right.
They shouldn't call him the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
They should call him Uzumaki Naruto!
(End of Chapter)
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