So-called natural energy was the purest and most powerful form of energy in the entire shinobi world. It existed on a level above chakra. Ninjutsu fueled by natural energy could clash head-on even with techniques at the Kekkei Tōta tier—enough to show just how terrifying this power truly was.
Arata's Thunder ability itself originated from natural elements. In fact, after acquiring this power, he himself had effectively become natural energy incarnate. As a result, the starting point of his techniques was already a tier higher than ordinary shinobi.
Yet all this time, Arata had never seriously considered where this immense natural energy within him actually came from.
In the world of One Piece, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was a Devil Fruit, and its power naturally stemmed from that world's laws. Of course, even that remained speculation among fans—One Piece's author had never officially explained it.
But the Naruto world followed entirely different laws.
Arata had always assumed that this power was simply created out of nothing by the system. Given how absurdly powerful the system was, that explanation seemed reasonable.
But now that it was once again confirmed that his body was overflowing with natural energy, Arata could no longer ignore the issue.
It became increasingly clear that the Monkey Sage's hostility toward him was likely rooted in this very fact.
Still, there was no time to dwell on it.
Arata had already seen the Monkey Sage's strength. This was his only opportunity—if he failed to kill it now, and it managed to break free of the Adamantine Chains, he would never get another chance to investigate the secrets of natural energy.
With that thought locked away, Arata controlled his lightning avatar. His right hand slowly moved to the hilt of the blade at his waist.
The moment the motion completed, the massive Lightning Armor form began rapidly shrinking.
The lightning energy that dissipated did not vanish—instead, it flowed steadily into the short blade Arata held.
In the end, Lightning Armor: Second Gear completely disappeared, leaving only Arata suspended in midair, gripping his blade.
At this moment, the blade emitted an eerie purple glow, crackling faintly. The sound was like countless birds crying out at once, yet suppressed by some unknown force. The noise was so faint it resembled a mosquito's buzz—easy to miss unless one listened carefully.
Uzumaki Mito, who was maintaining the seal on the Monkey Sage, swallowed hard when she saw the blade's condition.
Though Nine-Tails Chakra Mode was not Sage Mode, her perception was still extraordinarily sharp—sharp enough to sense natural energy.
And now, all of Arata's Lightning Armor power had been compressed into that single blade.
Lightning of such terrifying potency, condensed into something so small—once unleashed, the destructive force would be beyond imagination.
At that moment, Mito finally understood:
Even if their realms were similar, when it came to sheer offensive power, she was far behind Arata.
This strike was no weaker than the legendary slash she had once witnessed.
It was that very slash which had made her, sitting in Konoha at the time, realize that the battle at the Valley of the End had begun.
The Monkey Sage, which had just shouted moments earlier, completely panicked upon seeing Arata's stance.
"What are you trying to do?! If you release a jutsu like that, the entire shinobi world will fall into chaos!"
As an ancient existence that had lived for countless years, it immediately recognized the power of this attack.
A jutsu capable of such devastation would affect the entire continent, not just the battlefield.
This was a nation-destroying attack—and one aimed at the Land of Fire, the largest nation in the shinobi world.
Arata's expression was grave.
This jutsu was something he could only barely use after integrating Uchiha Madara's bloodline and further elevating his lightning control. As for its true destructive power—even he had never tested it fully.
But one thing he was absolutely certain of:
This strike could stand on equal footing with the full power of Perfect Susanoo.
A single slash from a complete Susanoo could cleave multiple mountain ranges and devastate tens of kilometers—a true world-ending attack.
As for the Six Paths-level techniques that could split the moon in half, Arata wasn't there yet—but he had already brushed the threshold.
Seeing that Arata showed no intention of stopping, the Monkey Sage grew frantic. It desperately gathered all of its remaining chakra.
"Sage Art! Stone-Forged Flesh!"
Though its body was completely immobilized, the moment the words were spoken, senjutsu chakra surged automatically. Its already massive muscles instantly hardened, turning the color of stone.
This was the strongest defensive jutsu it could use under the circumstances.
Without hand seals, its power was greatly reduced—but combined with its naturally terrifying physical strength, it might barely withstand Arata's strike.
Barely.
Even the Monkey Sage had no idea how strong this attack truly was. This was nothing more than a last, desperate gamble.
At last, Arata finished charging the jutsu.
It was far more difficult than expected—his control and stamina were only just enough to complete it.
"Iaido: Lightning Armor Sword."
With a quiet command, Arata drew his blade.
In the next instant, the purple lightning coating the sword vanished completely. The motion was so fast it was as if Arata had always been standing that way.
Behind him, Uzumaki Mito stood frozen in shock.
She hadn't even seen Arata move. The speed of the slash was beyond comprehension—had the image of him gripping the blade not still been etched in her mind, she would have believed he never moved at all.
Then she looked forward.
The once-invincible Monkey Sage now bore a thin crimson line straight down the center of its body.
Only then did the thunderous roar of lightning finally erupt.
Buzz—buzz—buzz—
The sound shook Mito so violently that her ears nearly went deaf.
As the thunder echoed, the Monkey Sage's body finally split apart, the two halves slowly collapsing in opposite directions.
Its ultimate defense offered no resistance whatsoever.
Even as it was cut in two, the Monkey Sage never understood what the attack truly was—or how it had passed through its body.
As the colossal corpse fell, Uzumaki Mito finally saw what had been hidden behind it.
The sea behind the Monkey Sage—along with part of the eastern region of the Land of Whirlpools—had been split cleanly in half.
The ocean itself had been parted. Near the shore, the seabed was fully exposed, and even the earth beneath had been carved into a bottomless chasm.
The divided seawater stretched for dozens of kilometers, reaching all the way to the horizon—
still separated, as if cleaved by a god's blade.
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