The Amenotorifune, in mythology, is the divine vessel that carries the creator gods, possessing the power to navigate freely through chaos.
Naming it this wasn't an insult to its ability.
One had to admit, Naruto's naming sense was still on point at critical moments.
Naruto withdrew from his Otsutsuki form and found he could still perform this divine technique. It seemed reverting to his original form earlier was just a 'necessary manifestation' during his first creation of a divine technique.
Like his Onogoro.
Amenotorifune could be considered a complete enhancement of the Flying Thunder God Technique, its flexibility increased by more than just a little.
However, the cost was that it had to rely on the special Chakra Control of the Otsutsuki Clan and their powerful eyes to be performed.
The Kokugan, the Tenseigan, the Rinnegan… the Otsutsuki Clan's divine techniques all seemed to use the eyes as their medium.
Therefore, ordinary people could almost disregard the possibility of learning this move.
'—No, perhaps it wasn't completely impossible… as long as one could find an Otsutsuki, kill them, and gain the upper hand in the struggle for the body, it might still be possible to learn this technique.'
'Wasn't there an unknown Otsutsuki right now who could be used for experimentation? If successful, then…'
Unknowingly, the Otsutsuki Clan traversing the sea of stars had, in Naruto's eyes, transformed into a kind of 'resource'.
Just like they treated other people's worlds as nourishment.
Moreover, Naruto always felt that the almost cheating 'zero-time teleportation' wasn't the most powerful aspect of this technique.
He had a guess… but would need to wait until he returned to the One Piece world to verify it.
If it was as he thought, then perhaps he wouldn't need to rely on the Nature Will for cross-world travel anymore.
...
Scenes similar to Sunagakure occurred simultaneously in Iwagakure and Takigakure.
Naruto had been to these places, so he directly opened Yomotsu Hirasaka and sent his clones to imprint marks on the Jinchuriki there.
At the same time, he's leaving the clones there served as an early warning.
Once a clone dispersed, Naruto would immediately use Amenotorifune to rush to the scene.
However, Kumogakure was a bit troublesome.
He hadn't been there, so he couldn't use Yomotsu Hirasaka to teleport.
Thus, Naruto had to let a clone fly over to unlock the 'teleport point' there.
As for his main body, he had already returned to Konoha with Konohamaru and Jiraiya.
After the routine grave-sweeping for the Fourth Hokage couple at the Memorial Stone, Naruto teleported away first, leaving only the belatedly arriving Third and Fifth Hokage staring wide-eyed at Jiraiya.
"Grandfather."
Looking at Hiruzen in casual clothes without his hat, Konohamaru's eyes reddened slightly.
"Konohamaru, you… you brat, you've grown taller."
Hiruzen had originally come hoping to meet Naruto, but he didn't expect his beloved grandson to have returned with him.
And when he saw the now greatly changed Konohamaru, a hint of surprise arose in his heart.
Actually, even back when Konohamaru was still in Konoha, he had already started training his body according to the methods Naruto taught him.
But back then, Konohamaru only looked slightly stronger and taller than other kids his age,
Not like now.
Not only had his appearance become as tall and sturdy as an adult's, but his skin had also tanned considerably.
On the exposed skin of his arms, Hiruzen could see clear scars, suggesting that the daily training alongside Naruto was perhaps even harder than he had imagined.
Konohamaru, too, only realized this when his grandfather spoke.
After taking off that Hokage hat, his hunched-back grandfather looked completely different from the 'invincible' figure in his memory.
'Huh?'
'Was grandfather always this short?'
'Was grandfather's shoulder always this narrow?'
It wasn't until Hiruzen's hand reached up and patted his shoulder that Konohamaru snapped out of it.
"Grandfather… I'm back."
"Hmm, you've gotten much sturdier. Looks like you've been through quite a lot too."
After all, they were the closest grandfather and grandson… Hiruzen could notice even the slightest change in Konohamaru, let alone a growth as transformative as this.
Jiraiya didn't interrupt the pair and instead turned his attention to the Fifth Hokage, Hyuga Hiashi on the other side.
"How is everything in the village? All well?"
"Everything is normal, I suppose. After all, Konoha's Jinchuriki isn't in the village. That guy is probably aware of that."
Despite having only been Hokage for half a year, visible aging had appeared on Hiashi's face.
It was a change in complexion… every wrinkle on his face stemmed from the troublesome affairs in the village.
Being a clan head was nothing like being Hokage.
Originally, Hiashi had also conflated the two, thinking managing Konoha was just like managing another, slightly larger 'clan'.
But once he actually started, he realized how troublesome it was.
Not to mention the affairs within the Hyuga Clan itself, just balancing the major Ninja Clans in the village and dealing with the Land of Fire's Daimyo was no easy task.
Let alone the fact that, as Hokage, he had to review countless intelligence documents daily, assign different mission ranks, and formulate the next steps for the village's development.
For someone as responsible as Hiashi, the pressure of every action potentially affecting the village's future was immense.
If it weren't for the assistance of the Third Hokage and Shikaku by his side, he might have crumbled long ago.
But if someone like the Root's leader were in this position, it would be different.
With his selfish personality, he would only treat the village's other inhabitants as sacrifices to gain more power and benefits for himself.
The number of mysterious disappearances in the village would likely skyrocket.
"This time Naruto came back…"
Hiashi suddenly spoke, but his tone was hesitant.
"After dealing with the attacker's issue, he will still leave."
Jiraiya understood his thoughts, so he preemptively dashed any unrealistic hopes.
"Is that so…"
Honestly, while letting out a long sigh, Hiashi also felt a slight hint of relief in his heart.
Admittedly, if Naruto was willing to stay in Konoha and protect the village, the village's safety level would skyrocket, and interactions with other Ninja Villages would become more frequent… after all, he'd heard the kid had good relationships with Jinchuriki from other villages.
But conversely, someone with such overwhelming combat power, who had such unpleasant history with the village, was, to some extent, also a ticking time bomb.
He didn't want to stake the village's future on one person's mood.
...
On the other side, Naruto wasn't using any Transformation Technique this time. He was walking openly on Konoha's streets.
His appearance drew frequent attention from passersby.
Perhaps only some of them recognized him… the rest were mainly attracted by his towering figure, which is over two meters tall.
After all, in the Ninja World, aside from Kumogakure, other villages rarely had individuals reaching this height.
Ignoring the stares, Naruto headed familiarly toward a certain direction.
Ichiraku Ramen.
"Huh? Why so many people?"
When he reached the ramen shop, he saw it surrounded by layers of people.
Fortunately, with Naruto's build, even without using Ninjutsu, people instinctively made way for him.
This allowed Naruto to see what was happening inside.
A banner hung on the shop's curtain, reading [Eating Contest] in big letters.
Several contestants were already seated inside, some Naruto recognized, some he didn't.
"Alright, everyone get ready, the contest is about to… Huh? Isn't that Naruto?"
Teuchi's daughter, Ayame, acting as host, was about to announce the start when she spotted the burly man at the entrance.
"Yo! Is it too late to join?"
Looking at the contestants, then at Teuchi and Ayame, Naruto's face broke into a friendly smile.