After seeing Orochimaru's abilities, it would be a lie to say Naruto was not envious.
After all, the abilities of the Otsutsuki Clan are the pinnacle of power in the entire Naruto World.
But as he had decided from the beginning, with the system's existence, Naruto never planned to claim Urashiki's body for himself.
As long as he continued to sign in new locations, his strength would continue to grow exponentially. His goal wasn't limited to becoming the strongest in the Naruto World, as that would mean nothing if he remained invincible only in this single world.
He had once traveled to the Pokemon World via the system. If others also had systems that could invade the Naruto World, Naruto knew his safety wouldn't be guaranteed.
The simplest and most effective strategy was to keep signing in and enhancing his strength. Only by doing so could he face an unpredictable future while living freely and confidently.
This mindset also explained why Naruto had no intention of hoarding power for himself. Instead, he willingly shared it with his subordinates, including allowing Orochimaru to take over Urashiki's body.
Individual growth had its limits, but empowering his team ensured Naruto's peace of mind.
"Naruto-kun, it's getting late. Let's head into the village." Orochimaru suggested.
Naruto waved his hand and said, "No rush. There's something else to take care of first."
"Oh?" Orochimaru's curiosity was piqued.
Naruto explained, "We're heading to the Land of Waves. Along the way, we've been sightseeing and playing mini-games inspired by each country's unique traits. Unfortunately, your Land of Sound doesn't have any particular traits. Plus, I wanted to see how you've changed, so I thought of involving you in the next game."
"A game, huh..."
Orochimaru glanced at the group, 'While Naruto-kun seemed playful, the others were filled with determination, clearly intent on nothing less than victory. It was obvious they had misunderstood Naruto-kun's intentions and taken it as a test.'
However, Orochimaru didn't reveal the truth and silently played along.
After hearing Naruto's explanation, Orochimaru also treated the so-called mini-game as a test… a test of strength and a chance to prove himself.
"Since it is Naruto-kun's plan, I will naturally give my full support." Orochimaru said with a chuckle.
Naruto nodded in satisfaction. Releasing his Wartortle from its Pokeball, he turned to the group and explained, "Now that everyone is here, I'll explain the rules. This game is very simple, it's called 'Challenging the Demon King'. Orochimaru is the Demon King, while the rest of you are challengers tasked with defeating him."
"The game lasts one hour. If the challengers defeat the Demon King, they win. If they fail to do so within the time limit, the Demon King wins."
"Oh, and I'll also be on the challengers' side, but I won't participate in direct combat. My role is to grant blessings to the challengers."
"That's it for the rules. Any questions?"
"I have!"
Unlike usual, Kisame immediately stepped forward and questioned: "Why is Orochimaru the Demon King? Why should we try to defeat him? Is he even worthy?"
The others nodded in agreement, clearly sharing the same sentiment.
Naruto chuckled and said, "Whether he's worthy or not, you'll find out during the game. Any other questions?"
There was one thing Naruto didn't voice aloud. His original idea was to consider it a victory for the challengers if they could simply endure Orochimaru's onslaught for an hour.
However, he realized that would be too humiliating for the challengers and unfair to Orochimaru.
Scanning the group and seeing no further objections, Naruto flew into the air and declared, "In that case, the game begins!"
As his words echoed, Naruto emitted radiant light, bestowing buffs upon the challengers.
First, beams of red, blue, and purple light descended, filling the challengers with courage and significantly boosting their powers.
Then, with a wave of Naruto's hand, a golden glow enveloped Kisame's Samehada, Itachi's Sharingan, Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear, Hidan's triple-bladed scythe, and even Wartortle. They all shimmered brilliantly under the radiant light.
However, to Naruto's surprise, none of the challengers moved. Instead, they all gathered together.
Kakuzu was the first to speak, "Alright, let's settle this with rock-paper-scissors. Winner goes first. No cheating."
The group nodded in agreement with the idea.
"Rock! Scissors! Paper!"
The challengers all made their moves simultaneously.
In the next moment, Kisame burst into laughter, "I won, I won!"
From his perspective, or rather from everyone's perspective, Naruto's so-called game was way too simple.
Orochimaru was once a member of the Akatsuki. Although they may not fully understand Orochimaru's strength, they at least knew a general idea. The challengers didn't believe Orochimaru had the qualifications to be called the 'Demon King'.
Or rather, with the buffs provided by Naruto, their strength had doubled. Even in a one-on-one fight, they were confident they could easily defeat Orochimaru.
Now that Kisame had won the game of rock-paper-scissors, he firmly believed himself to be the chosen one. As long as he defeated Orochimaru, the victor of this so-called challenge would solely be him.
"Brothers, luck is part of strength. This time, I won't hold back." Kisame said, laughing heartily as he charged toward Orochimaru.
At this sight, the reactions of the other challengers left Naruto dumbfounded.
All he could hear was an explosion of cheers for Orochimaru:
"Orochimaru, go for it! You're the best!"
"Hang in there! You can definitely beat Kisame!"
"Make me look at you differently… prove that you, one of the Legendary Sannin, truly have the strength!"
"Blastoise, Blastoise!"
Naruto was utterly speechless. He couldn't figure out what was wrong with these challengers.
'How could they cheer for Orochimaru, the so-called Demon King? Shouldn't they be encouraging Kisame for his commendable courage in taking on the challenge?'
Unlike Naruto, Orochimaru seemed to understand, 'These people must have thought I was weak and lacked the power to live up to the title.'
"I was planning to just play along, but since it's come to this, don't blame me for not holding back."
Orochimaru said, his eyes narrowing. His pupils morphed into snake-like slits as his entire demeanor grew icy and menacing.
Whoosh!
With a flicker, Orochimaru appeared right in front of Kisame.
"Bring it on!"
Kisame laughed heartily. All his previous cautiousness in front of Naruto vanished. After all, his opponent was 'just' Orochimaru.
With the doubled strength from Naruto's buffs, Kisame believed he could bulldoze his way through anything, defeating Orochimaru effortlessly.
Wielding his Samehada, which is now glowing with a golden light, Kisame swung it fiercely at Orochimaru.
Bang!
The moment Samehada struck, a loud crash echoed, but strangely, not a speck of dust rose.
"How is this possible!?"
Kisame stared in disbelief at the red protective barrier around Orochimaru. It had blocked and rebounded the strike just now, leaving his arm tingling with numbness.
'By all logic, my buffed Samehada should have been unstoppable… how could it fail to even crack a mere protective shield?'
Before he could think further, Orochimaru smiled cruelly and charged at Kisame once more.
He threw a punch aimed directly at Kisame's chest at an incredibly fast speed.
But how can a normal punch cause any harm to Kisame?
After all, Kisame could rely on Samehada to absorb Chakra and heal his injuries.
Yet, at the moment the punch landed, a pitch-black rod suddenly appeared in Orochimaru's hand. Taking advantage of the close distance, the rod pierced directly into Kisame's chest...