"You're still alive?"
Naruto couldn't help but show a hint of surprise when he saw the person who had arrived.
It was the Kusagakure ninja who had taken Karin to the hospital earlier. Naruto had thought he would have turned to ashes along with the hospital's destruction.
But it was likely that the other person didn't have the ability to withstand a Biju Dama. The most probable scenario was that he had just happened to leave the hospital before the Biju Dama was fired, and then he was caught in the aftermath near the hospital.
"Hmph!"
The Kusagakure ninja just snorted coldly, not answering.
If he didn't fear Naruto's strength, he would have loved to grind him to dust; how could he possibly have a good expression?
"For those two damned bitches?" Wada's expression immediately turned ugly.
Those two outsiders should be grateful just to be taken in by Kusagakure. Yet, they brought such a huge crisis upon the village.
"Leader, watch out!" Before he could finish speaking, the Kusagakure ninja beside him was startled and shouted loudly.
Unfortunately, he had been caught in the Biju Dama's blast. Now, burdened by his severe injuries, his strength was barely a tenth of what it was, and he was completely incapable of protecting his leader.
Wada didn't understand why the other man's reaction was so extreme, but he soon found out.
"Looking for death!"
Naruto's eyes turned cold, and with a flicker, he was in front of Wada.
So fast!
Wada's heart skipped a beat, and he didn't hesitate to strike out with a palm.
The few Anbu closest to him attacked Naruto at the same time.
But Naruto was still in Golden Body Mode. With his power at full capacity, his speed alone could rival the Fourth Raikage, so how could these watered-down Kusagakure ninja possibly compete?
Swish, swish, swish!
Several Chakra arms extended from behind Naruto, easily sweeping away all the Anbu who had rushed forward.
He himself reached out and grabbed Wada's wrist, squeezing it hard. The sound of bones cracking echoed.
"Aah!—" Wada immediately let out a pig-like scream.
No matter how eloquent the words, the body was still made of flesh and blood, and he was still afraid of pain.
At this moment, he truly regretted it.
He couldn't even last a single round, so how could he fight the other person to the death?
"Leader!!"
The surrounding Kusagakure ninja's faces were filled with anxiety, but they were also hesitant, not daring to step forward.
They could only surround him, full of vigilance, ready to lend a hand at any moment.
"How about you repeat what you just said?" Naruto's expression behind the mask was icy cold.
"I... I'm sorry!" Wada ultimately gave in.
In the face of the threat of death, his resolve wasn't as firm as he'd claimed.
How could this be?!
The Kusagakure ninja around were stunned. Their leader had surrendered so quickly, so decisively.
Naruto couldn't help but freeze for a moment, then a smirk crept onto his face. He sneered, "I thought you were made of sterner stuff. What about your so-called Will of Grass? What about your resolve as a Kusagakure ninja? Is this it?"
Wada was mortified. It was genuine fear that had caused him to blurt out what was in his subconscious, completely unfiltered.
But what could he do now? He couldn't take it back!
Since his face was already lost, Wada decided to give in completely. He quickly said, "Those were just slogans to fool the people under me. Just like Konoha's Will of Fire or Iwagakure's Will of Stone, they're just words. Only fools take them seriously."
"I don't want to die, and I especially don't want to die pointlessly. If you're here for the mother and daughter, I agree to let you take them. If there are any repercussions, Kusagakure is willing to pay compensation."
They were a small ninja village, surviving in the cracks between the major powers. It was impossible to expect them to have any lofty principles.
After realizing he was no match, Wada spoke with genuine emotion.
Smart people know when to yield; it's not shameful to want to live!
"Leader!!"
Of course, some in the crowd disagreed and immediately shouted.
But Wada, who could be humble in front of Naruto, wasn't so polite to his own subordinates.
Even with his wrist still held by Naruto, he put on his leader's airs and shouted, "Shut up, I am the leader!"
"I will never accept this!"
One of the Anbu stepped forward, formed hand seals, and shouted, "The Will of the Grass is not meant to be a joke; even if the leader abandons it, I will prove its existence! Katon: Hozuki!"
A series of lantern-shaped flames materialized out of thin air, filling the surroundings.
"Ghost Lantern? This feels so familiar!"
Naruto was momentarily dazed, then suddenly remembered: "Right, it's the secret scroll that completely countered Orochimaru during the duel! It explodes on contact. As long as you hear Snake-Uncle's movements, just put down a Ghost Lantern in front, and without even looking, it's a guaranteed hit."
While Naruto was lost in thought, the Anbu member who cast the Ghost Lantern shouted.
"You, who have lost your dignity, are not worthy of being our leader! Die along with the villains who attacked the village!"
She manipulated countless balls of ghost fire, slamming them towards Naruto's position, attacking both him and their leader, Wada.
"No, Ryūka!"
Several Anbu members tried to stop it, but it was too late, and they didn't have the ability to block so many attacks simultaneously.
"Ryūka?" Naruto's mind stirred.
He'd felt something off the moment he heard her voice. It was that tomboy from the Blood Prison movie.
The female lead from the movie, who used Ryūmyaku Tensei and saved the dead Naruto, sacrificing her own life.
She looked pretty good, just... flat. Flatter than Shizune.
And he could tell for sure, she definitely wasn't wearing a chest binder.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
One after another, balls of ghost fire exploded on Naruto. Quantity led to a qualitative change.
What had started as small, individual explosions, combined into a violent blast.
Those Kirigakure ninja couldn't worry about their anxiety, they could only retreat, their eyes fixed on the center of the explosion, their faces tense.
In fact, regardless of their opinion of Ryūka's actions, the best outcome for them would be for Naruto and Wada to be blown to bits together.
That way, the Kusagakure crisis would be resolved, and Ryūka would take the blame, having nothing to do with them.
However, almost no one considered that from beginning to end, Naruto had been nonchalant, even somewhat absent-minded, and hadn't even dodged Ryūka's attack.
Was he tired of living?
The answer was, of course, no!
After the explosion, Naruto stood there, completely unharmed. Only Wada, whose wrist he had been holding, had his body riddled with holes from the blast and was barely breathing.
Naruto released Wada's wrist, and Wada immediately fell to the ground with a thud, his whole body convulsing, wanting to speak but unable to. Finally, after a few weak sounds, he died.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, that Will of Grass, they really put in some effort." Naruto patted the nonexistent dust off his body, shaking his head.
A mere Chunin's Fire Style jutsu wanted to hurt him?
Even if the final power it unleashed was comparable to an A-Ranked Ninjutsu, what of it?
Naruto was covered in Kurama's Chakra!
If he could be hurt by that, Kurama might as well go sell ramen.
....
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