Everyone from the Naruto Universe nodded in agreement with A's earlier statement.
Right now, the world was full of crises—any price could be dealt with later. Borrowing power and repaying it was only natural. They had already steeled themselves mentally.
Surviving the present came first. The rest could wait.
Ōnoki: "But why is it that the Cosmic Phantom Beast Fist everyone got just happens to match their elemental attributes? I'm a Doton user! Why'd I get an ice-type technique?!"
Chiyo: "I'm wind-style, but whatever, I can still learn it."
Dan: "A phantom beast of Earth style? Hmm… I don't think I've ever heard of one."
Ōnoki: "Tch… Seriously?!"
Mei: "If you don't want it, give it to me. I think it'd suit me perfectly."
Ōnoki: "Get lost! Like I'd give it to you!"
Back in the Naruto world, Tsunade stared at the red dragon sigil on her arm, feeling its blazing energy.
She gently touched the mark, which suddenly started to move and emitted a deep dragon's roar. Flames danced across its surface, making her jump in surprise.
Then, the sigil expanded, becoming visible to everyone nearby.
Seeing the sudden manifestation, several ninja thought it was a threat and immediately entered battle-ready stances.
"Wait! Calm down!"
Tsunade quickly reassured them, then reached out to touch the glowing mark.
In the next moment, her surroundings changed entirely—she was suddenly floating in space, surrounded by a vast sea of stars.
"Tsunade!"
Jiraiya's voice rang out. He had also appeared in the same space, looking just as bewildered.
"ROOOAARR!!"
A mighty roar echoed from above. A massive fire dragon, wreathed in flames and glowing crimson, descended and gazed down at the two of them.
"Watch my movements."
Though it was roaring in dragon tongue, Tsunade and Jiraiya somehow understood its message.
The red dragon flew through the cosmic void, demonstrating an array of battle techniques—tail whips, head slams, fire breathing, claw strikes—all with a powerful, primal elegance.
Tsunade and Jiraiya watched its movements, and for some reason, their bodies began to move on their own, mimicking the punches and footwork.
Each motion was brutal, sharp, and unfamiliar—techniques they had never practiced before.
As they continued the impromptu training, flames gradually wrapped around Tsunade's arms.
"Tsunade-sama!"
The voice of Shizune called out.
Tsunade blinked and realized she was back in Konoha. The vision was gone—but the sigil remained on her arm, to her relief.
"Tsunade-sama, what was that? You were just suddenly… performing some incredible martial arts!"
Guy couldn't hold back his curiosity. As a taijutsu master, he immediately sensed that the Flaming Red Dragon Fist was far from ordinary.
"Can you explain it? Does it have something to do with those monsters?"
Asuma asked as well.
"Everyone, settle down. I know you all have questions, and I'll answer them one at a time."
Tsunade raised her hand to calm the crowd. She needed to figure out how to explain this.
"SKREEEEEE!!"
Suddenly, a monstrous shriek echoed from the sky. A colossal bird monster, three hundred meters in length, descended. It had multiple tails, rotting flesh dropping with every flap, and a head shaped like a crow's skull.
It was one of the monsters from the Blood Pool—one that hadn't been cleared yet!
Panic spread instantly as everyone readied for battle.
Tsunade quickly looked at the dragon sigil on her arm, recalling the fiery power she'd just experienced.
"Please lend me your strength."
The moment she spoke, the mark flared with heat and energy.
She raised her hands and compressed the fire into a blazing orb between her palms.
As the massive bird monster neared Konoha—
Tsunade hurled the fireball!
"Flaming Red Dragon Sphere!!"
The fireball streaked through the sky with incredible force, slamming into the monstrous bird—
BOOOOM!!!
A massive explosion erupted, completely vaporizing the creature, despite it being dozens of times larger than the fireball itself.
Everyone watched in stunned silence as the creature disintegrated into scorched meat and ash.
None of them—no matter how strong—felt confident they could have survived that attack.
"So strong… it's even more powerful than any Katon I've seen…"
Tsunade stared at her hands in awe.
"This is the power of the Cosmic Phantom Beast… And when I used it, I could feel my chakra and even my Haki reacting—they can be combined! That means I don't need to abandon either; in fact, I can merge them with the Phantom Beast's power for even greater effect!"
Elated by the revelation, Tsunade could barely contain her excitement.
The most important part—this technique could be taught to others.
If all Konoha shinobi could learn the Phantom Beast Fist… then no matter what monsters emerged from the Blood Pool, they would be able to fight back!
Just imagining it made Tsunade breathe heavily with anticipation.
"BOOM!!"
Suddenly, the ground nearby erupted as giant trees burst from the soil, startling everyone—including Tsunade.
"AAAAAHHHH!!"
A scream rang out as Naruto fell from the sky, crashing hard onto the ground.
"Naruto, what are you doing?!"
Tsunade immediately recognized the culprit. She felt a mix of emotions—Naruto had inherited her ancestor's Wood Release, which made her proud… but also concerned.
He was still too impulsive to fully utilize its potential.
"Sorry! I wanted to test out the Wood Release and… yeah."
Naruto rubbed his head sheepishly.
"What?! Naruto, you can use Wood Release?!"
Iruka shouted in disbelief.
"Well, uh…"
Naruto scratched his head awkwardly, unsure how to respond.
"Oh my god… the First Hokage's jutsu… learned by the fox brat?"
"Shhh! Don't say that!"
"How did this happen? If he could use Wood Release, why didn't he use it before?"
"Even the descendants of the First can't do that. How is Naruto able to?"
The jonin around them whispered furiously, all baffled.
Kakashi, noticing Naruto becoming the center of attention, stepped forward.
"Hey, where's Kurama?"
His question silenced the crowd.
Right… where was the Nine-Tails?
That massive fox was nowhere in sight!
Had it run off? What if it came back?
Many of the older shinobi couldn't forget the devastation Kurama had once caused. And seeing its power earlier had reminded everyone just how terrifying it could be.
(End of Chapter)
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