"Argh!"
Luffy got punched in the guts and sent flying across the battlefield. Before he was punched, he managed to cover his stomach with Armament Haki.
This gave him a chance of survival against Naruto.
Remember, in this battle, Naruto could infinitely use Baryon Mode. The more he used it, the more life force he was taking out of Luffy.
Even though Luffy wasn't connected through Chakra, the Baryon could destroy Luffy's life force.
It was a strange mechanism placed on the Straw Hats. But this was the biggest problem for Luffy.
"He said hundred times more dangerous. Even with my full strength, I have not been able to do anything against him."
Luffy got dragged on the ground for several meters before he quickly jumped to his feet and wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Should I use this?"
Luffy had a complicated look on his face. This hesitation didn't stem from the fact that the sacrifice was bad for him.
It stemmed from the fact that sacrificing it could lead to some problems in his world.
Liam had told him about the power of his Devil Fruit.
Luffy wasn't an idiot anymore. He had grown up, and he knew just how important his Devil Fruit was to his world.
But at the same time, Liam was even more important to him and his crew.
"Yes, Liam needs me!"
Luffy muttered.
Although there was a small possibility that Liam might not consider leaving his original world, he never thought of that possibility.
Luffy would reject Liam's rejection if it came to that.
Although there would be more trouble down the line without his Devil Fruit, Luffy didn't care.
His Devil Fruit was his strength, but it wasn't his only strength.
His dream, motivation, and training were all necessary in his path to becoming the Pirate King.
So, Luffy, upon realizing he couldn't win against Naruto, decided to use that technique.
A special technique passed down by that treasure, which allowed him to sacrifice his Devil Fruit for strength.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a golden-red light flickered in front of him. Before he could blink his eyes, Naruto appeared and said.
"Give up! You can't win against me. Although I admire your desire to save your friend, even if I give up, my thoughts will be erased, and I will be fighting you as a puppet."
Naruto wasn't very keen on getting a reward.
After becoming the Hokage, he came to realize something.
No matter what he did, the conflict between nations wouldn't stop unless he remained alive forever.
Even if he tried to conquer the entire world, there would be an uprising in the future, and the order would collapse.
He understood this because if humans were pushed to their despair, they could even use a stone as a weapon.
So pushing ninjas who could wield Chakra to their despair would only bring more trouble.
Why did so many bad things happen during the rule of the Third Hokage?
Because he was the Hokage and supported Danzo.
Danzo was the cause of every misfortune in Konoha, but without the support of the Third Hokage, he was just another Elite Jonin.
That corruption was born from the leader of the village.
So, imagine the same leader but on a global scale.
Just how many people would suffer?
Of course, suffering wasn't new in the Ninja World. But there were still people like Third Raikage who sacrificed himself for his platoon.
There were still people like Third Tsuchikage who did everything to bring more clients and money to his village.
Onoki didn't step down because he was greedy for power. He didn't step down because there was literally no one who could hold that position.
Unlike Konoha, where there were several people, but those at the top never gave them the opportunity.
After becoming the Hokage, Naruto understood this very deeply.
So, he never thought of going back in the past to change anything.
He knew the Uchiha were trying to start a coup. He understood that people weren't inherently bad.
But if the person with immense power became bad, they could bring suffering to a lot of people.
Uchiha were the most mentally unstable group of people. His best friend was a prime example of that.
Just a single Obito Uchiha was able to bring so much chaos and suffering to the Mist Village.
So, imagine bringing back that entire clan of mentally unstable people. If even one of them went rogue like Obito, it could only bring more chaos.
The current situation has forced all of the nations into a state of peace because there is no fighting force.
More than seventy thousand people died during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
It would take them several more decades to raise qualified ninjas of that number.
So, even if the war did happen, it would be short and small.
This time, Naruto didn't want to change anything. He just wanted to be more selfish.
His goal wasn't to resurrect Jiraiya. Although he loved Jiraiya, he also understood that the Pervy Sage had lived the best life.
Although he had a lot of regrets, like not being able to see Naruto becoming the Hokage and being married, he still lived to his peak and died at his peak.
Nor did he plan to resurrect Sasuke's parents. Although Sasuke was his best friend, he had also moved on.
Even Naruto had moved on. But out of his own selfishness, he wanted to bring back his parents.
They died too young.
Although there were a lot of people who died too young, Naruto just wanted to bring back his parents out of his selfishness.
He didn't want to cause a lot of chaos around the world. After all, even Haku died too young.
Just because of that, he couldn't revive Haku, could he?
Of course, if Luffy could defeat him with a lot of struggle, he would've given up.
He understood that the puppet version of himself would be much weaker.
After all, Chakra was a part spiritual and a part physical. Without any willpower, the Chakra wouldn't be able to exert much strength.
Unfortunately, the gap in power between them was too big.
So big that he couldn't consider giving up.
"I'm sorry, but I also have a goal I want to accomplish. You can't win this battle."
Naruto looked at Luffy, who was half his age, and sighed.
Luffy's power was different, but he was very strong.
Without the ultimate refill of Baryon Mode and Otsutsuki Chakra, he wouldn't have been able to defeat Luffy so easily.
With Pseudo Six Paths Mode, he could bring Six Paths-level power. That's because his base form was at Super Kage Level.
But with Baryon Mode and Otsutsuki Chakra, he surpassed the likes of Kaguya, fused Momoshiki, and Isshiki by a mile.
Right now, his mind had two options.
Resurrect his parents!
Or make a wish to inherit Otsutsuki Chakra permanently!
He was struggling between these two choices.
He wanted to preserve the present, so he couldn't give up on improving his strength.
But he also knew that Boruto would be strong enough to save the village on his own. So, he also wanted to bring back his parents.
At this moment, he truly believed he had won this battle. That's why his struggle was getting intense.
He truly didn't know which option he should choose.
"I'm also sorry! My friend is waiting for me. I will defeat you and continue my journey to bring back my friend."
Luffy grinned, a large foolish smile that almost affected Naruto for a moment, reminding him of his time as a normal Ninja.
Luffy placed his left hand on his left knee, with his right fist on the ground; he showed the Gear Second pose.
But no pink skin or steam was coming out of his body.
Just a pose and a massive burst of Haki.
At this moment, inside his body, the power of his Devil Fruit began to disintegrate.
"He said I would become a hundred times stronger if I sacrificed my Devil Fruit. You are truly a troublesome enemy."
"To defeat you, to find and bring back Liam, I will sacrifice my Gum Gum Fruit."
Even at this moment, he still called it a Rubber Fruit. The power of the Rubber Fruit disappeared.
Nika's Will let out a last giggle before it disappeared.
The changes in his body were very rapid.
Boom!
Before Naruto could react, Luffy's Haki struck him on the head, pushing him back.
The immense Haki began to distort the very space around them while Luffy slowly got to his feet.
Although he had lost his Devil Fruit, Luffy was still smiling.
"Come on! Our battle truly begins now!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Both of them dashed towards each other, both of them moving faster than the speed of light as they threw punches at each other.
Bang!