Chapter 304: Susanoo
Konoha.
Once the most prosperous village in the ninja world—now it stood slightly desolate.
The war in the Land of Water years ago had claimed the lives of too many Konoha shinobi. And in the chaos that followed, the Sacred Tree's indiscriminate assault on the ninja world devastated countless civilians.
Even after years of reform, Konoha's population remained less than a third of what it once was.
Yet, because of this, resources once stretched thin had gradually gone idle.
In the past, many civilian-born ninjas had to climb tirelessly over peers just to inherit established techniques. But that pressure had eased.
Some noble clans, ravaged by casualties, were even forced to abandon their rigid traditions—integrating into the broader Konoha culture, much like the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance once had.
The old prejudices faded. The new generation rose.
And so, even amid scars of war, Konoha had begun to thrive again—producing talent like never before.
---
"Are you really not going to take my place, Naruto? Your father would probably want you to step up too, you know."
Inside the Hokage's office, Jiraiya leaned forward with a forced grin. Across the room, Uzumaki Naruto sat cross-legged, calmly absorbing natural energy.
"Don't want to."
Naruto's voice was steady.
Though he had lost the Nine-Tails, his Sage Mode had grown even deeper.
He no longer needed to beg power from a tailed beast.
Now, nature answered him willingly.
Besides...
He had gained abilities this world had never seen.
"Tch…"
Jiraiya turned to Tsunade, who leaned by the window, pipe in hand.
"Don't look at me," Tsunade replied sharply, barely glancing his way. "I wouldn't sit in that chair again even if I were dying."
Jiraiya frowned. "The situation in the ninja world is getting worse. These alien invaders are coming nonstop. What if something shows up we can't handle?"
He rubbed his hands together anxiously. "I'm old. My skills and mind aren't what they used to be. If I stay in charge, Konoha will just spiral. But if one of you—"
Naruto cut him off, eyes still closed. "If I sit in that seat, I won't have time to train."
Tsunade followed up without hesitation. "I'm a medic-nin, not a strategist. I can't compare to either of you."
"You two—"
Before Jiraiya could press further, a deep tremor shook the ground.
The air changed instantly. Their light-hearted tone turned grim.
"Hokage-sama!"
A shinobi flew in through the window and dropped to one knee. "A giant beast, likely from another world, has appeared outside the village and is charging toward Konoha! Kakashi is already leading a team to intercept it."
"A giant beast?" Jiraiya's brow furrowed. He shot to his feet.
Moments later, several shadows leapt from the Hokage's office and ascended the Hokage Building.
---
"So big…"
From the rooftop, they spotted the creature approaching from afar. Its enormous body loomed over trees and hills, its presence impossible to ignore.
"It's about half the size of a complete Susanoo," Tsunade noted grimly.
But they had seen worse. After surviving the catastrophic battle in the Land of Water, this wasn't enough to shake them.
"Earth Walls... Kakashi must be trying to restrict its movement and follow up with sealing," Jiraiya muttered, watching closely.
He issued rapid orders to the ninja beside him. "Mobilize the jonin squads. Sound the evacuation alarm."
As the four massive earth walls rose around the monster like fortress gates, Jiraiya recognized Kakashi's strategy.
But then, the creature smashed through them—without effort—and kept charging.
"The surface armor's harder than alloy," Naruto said, eyes narrowing. "Ordinary attacks won't work. We'll need to bypass the shell and hit its core."
"Good. Its movement speed is slow enough. We can circle around it."
But just as he finished speaking—
A sharp screech and a burst of lightning echoed across the battlefield.
Naruto's voice stopped mid-thought.
That sound…
Raikiri.
Only one man could move that fast with such precision.
Kakashi.
Naruto had witnessed Raikiri's strength firsthand—the speed, the cell-piercing chakra.
Yet the creature hadn't dodged. Hadn't even flinched.
It took the blow head-on and kept moving.
"…It withstood Raikiri," Jiraiya muttered, his voice grave. "This thing's on par with a small Susanoo. I don't know what else it's hiding besides brute strength."
As if in response, the beast suddenly halted.
Then, it raised its head.
"Something's wrong..."
Naruto vanished before Jiraiya finished speaking.
In a blur, he sped across rooftops, so fast not even an afterimage remained.
Only a handful of elite sensory ninjas could follow his path.
---
At the same time, the beast's mouth opened.
A dense orb of energy began forming—eerily similar to a Tailed Beast Bomb.
The surrounding air warped. The temperature spiked ten degrees in an instant.
Just from condensing the blast, the creature's body radiated blistering heat.
The heatwaves surged outward in every direction.
Nearby shinobi, desperately trying to stall the monster, were instantly overwhelmed.
They screamed as their skin burned red, then split open, blood flowing freely.
Even Kakashi, caught off guard, could only raise a hasty Water Style defense.
But the steam exploded on contact.
His defenses cracked. Blood poured from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.
Every breath was agony—raw fire crawling down his throat and ripping through his lungs.
His vision blurred, tears and blood mixing into a crimson haze.
Behind him, reinforcements froze mid-step.
There was no need for a sensor.
Every ninja in range felt the raw, terrifying threat radiating from that single sphere of energy.
"In an emergency, I'll use slugs to protect the villagers."
Before Jiraiya could speak, Tsunade had already released the Yin Seal on her forehead.
Countless slugs burst forth, rushing toward the scattered civilians of Konoha. A slug crawled onto each villager, one after another.
"I can't protect everyone," Tsunade said seriously. "Last time I used the Yin Seal, it drained too much of my chakra. I've been recovering it over the past few years, but it's still not enough to cover the entire village."
Jiraiya nodded, a faint breath of relief escaping him.
"That's enough."
He didn't hesitate any further and immediately chased after Naruto toward the giant beast.
Back during the battle in the Land of Water, many shinobi had survived under the protection of the Slug Sage—even when facing Uchiha Madara's complete Susanoo.
This time… things might not be so different.
Even if the battle claimed warriors on the front lines—if the villagers survived, then Konoha would live on.
---
Far ahead, Naruto had already reached the village entrance—and from this distance, the sheer size of the creature was even more overwhelming.
Earlier, he could observe the beast from a distance and maintain eye-level.
But now, standing beneath it, he had to crane his neck upward again and again… and still couldn't see its head clearly.
"This heat..."
Inky black lines extended from his face, crawling over his entire body.
His energy channels surged.
He had already surpassed Hashirama Senju in Sage Mode cultivation.
The First Hokage himself had guided him—before returning to the Pure Land after the release of the Impure World Reincarnation.
Standing on the shoulders of giants, Naruto had stepped beyond what any ninja had achieved before.
Sage chakra billowed around him in waves.
At the village gates, he stood like a bulwark against the oncoming force.
Even the air wave—a blast that even Water Style couldn't stop—was held back by the pressure of his chakra alone.
---
"It's Naruto!"
"That kid's still standing!"
"Support him, now!"
The shinobi nearby moved to assist him.
But Naruto raised a hand.
"No."
His voice was calm, indifferent. His eyes never left the monstrous shape before him.
"Get back to the village. Protect them."
He had no deep love for Konoha.
Not really.
Not long ago, Uchiha Madara had returned to the village—quietly walking the remains of the Uchiha compound.
Tsunade didn't know. Jiraiya didn't notice either.
Only Naruto, whose senses had long surpassed any ordinary shinobi, had sensed his presence.
But when Madara did nothing harmful… he let it go.
In fact, Madara came to him later, in the dead of night—with a message from Ryosuke.
Join the Hyuga.
Naruto had been confused.
Ryosuke was his first friend—the one person who understood him best.
Even better than Tsunade.
And yet…
He stayed.
Not out of loyalty. Not out of duty.
But because Tsunade, Jiraiya, and his late parents had all cared deeply for Konoha.
Ryosuke was doing fine. Hinata too.
Whether Naruto joined them or not made little difference.
But Konoha?
Konoha was fragile.
If he left now, it might crumble.
The title of Hokage? It never mattered.
He didn't want it. Jiraiya didn't either.
There were others worthy—heroes from the battle in the Land of Water.
But the villagers still clung to Jiraiya.
Still tried to trap Naruto with duty.
Jiraiya never wanted to lose his freedom.
Tsunade just wanted to leave quietly with Shizune.
The only reason they stayed… was him.
If he left, they might disappear as well.
Maybe that was their plan all along—wait for the excuse.
---
"Of course I'll become stronger."
Naruto smiled bitterly.
He still remembered the contest—the promise he had made.
Even if his opponent was unimaginably strong… he wouldn't falter.
"I'll catch up. And defeat you in my own way."
His gaze pierced through the air, through the beast, beyond the mountains and rivers—toward a white figure only he could see.
"But right now... my opponent is you."
His eyes returned to the beast before him.
Without realizing it, he was already at its feet.
The shinobi who had surrounded him earlier were now gone—likely blasted away by the heat wave.
The energy sphere gathering in the beast's mouth radiated unbearable heat.
Naruto could see the air itself warping—space rippling slowly around the orb.
But still...
"This charge-up is way slower than a Tailed Beast Bomb."
With those words, Naruto leapt.
Sage energy launched him into the sky, his form like a streaking meteor as he flew toward the creature's head.
"Wind Style: Rasenshuriken!"
Mid-air, his chakra solidified.
Dark blue energy flared, forming two beast-like claws that raised the spinning Rasenshuriken high overhead.
He had always resisted Kurama.
But over time, his fighting style had adapted to the Nine-Tails' power.
Even without him now, his instincts remained.
He infused the same rhythm, the same fury, into Sage Mode.
"He's too slow. He won't dodge this."
After observing for so long, Naruto had already estimated the creature's stats.
He knew its movement pattern, its speed, its limits.
He was sure of it.
But then…
Purple flames burst around the beast's body.
They spiraled upward—taking shape as an ethereal, flaming armor.
It encased the creature like a second skin.
Naruto's eyes widened.
Mid-air, his momentum froze.
He threw the Rasenshuriken anyway—
—but quickly retreated, stepping through air like ripples on water, distancing himself from the beast.
"…Can a Susanoo… do that?"
Just one glance was enough.
He recognized the chakra instantly.
[TL: You can also check out my newly released fanfic, Bleach: Ichigo Takes Over the Soul Society – just visit my profile if you want to read it.]