But Kurama hadn't expected this — even after reaching this level, Naruto didn't stop creating new jutsu.
By now Naruto had reached Hadō No. 88. This spell — Hadō No. 88: Flying-Dragon Strike — Sky-Rending Thunder Cannon — erupted from his palm.
In an instant, a thunder-dragon far larger and more ferocious than the Raikōhō roared into being, charging from Naruto's hand into the darkness. After a beat, the dragon struck the ground and detonated in a colossal lightning explosion; bolts crawled everywhere, turning that black void into a forbidden lightning-pond no one could enter.
Naruto watched the effect of Hadō No. 88 with ecstatic eyes. The power was comparable to an S-rank ninjutsu — even an experienced Kage-level shinobi would think twice before taking it head on.
Kurama, seeing the technique's power, was almost dumbfounded. He'd lived a thousand years and seen plenty of S-rank jutsu — but this brat casually pulling out yet another S-rank move? That was beyond belief. "What the hell is this kid? " the Nine-Tails thought, utterly stunned.
But Naruto didn't stop there. This was only Hadō No. 88, and his chakra reserves were far from drained. So he continued — and deliberately chanted, reproducing one of the classic, dramatic incantations from the source material he'd borrowed:
"Faintly emerging, a filthy sigil, arrogant talent unchained; Tide surges to deny, paralysis in an instant, thwart the long sleep! Crawling iron princess, repeatedly harming self, a clay puppet's scream! Merge and rebound, extend to the earth! Know your own helplessness! "
"Hadō No. 90 — Kurohitsugi! "
At the words, vast amounts of chakra poured forth. A gigantic black coffin rose smoothly from the ground and sealed off that space completely. Anything trapped within the coffin would be erased by a force able to warp space itself.
The black sarcophagus reflected in Naruto's sky-blue eyes. He stared at it, pride and exhilaration written all over his face. "With this, " he murmured happily, "even ordinary Kage-level shinobi are dead in one move. "
Kurama's pupils constricted at the sight — a genuine sense of danger prickled his fur; he felt his body hairs rise. What was this black force that could make him uneasy? It felt like something that could truly seal him away. In the Nine-Tails' estimation, Naruto's jutsu had already passed mere S-rank and entered forbidden-level territory.
Kurama could not understand where Naruto's head came up with all this. S-rank techniques seemed to spill out of him as if they cost nothing — occasionally even forbidden-level arts. And don't forget: Naruto had recently obtained a permanent Sage Mode that even startled Kurama. If those jutsu were further augmented with sage chakra… Kurama could not imagine how terrifying Naruto's solo power would be. A shinobi whose arsenal consisted of near-infinite sage chakra and numerous S-rank/forbidden techniques — on the battlefield he'd be unstoppable. Even facing a Tailed Beast might not be safe. Perhaps the First Hokage Hashirama himself was not so dissimilar in battlefield threat. Kurama didn't mean to belittle himself — it was Naruto's absurd strength that truly shook him.
Watching Naruto produce S-rank after S-rank left Kurama nearly speechless.
But Naruto was only testing the Hadō. Next he turned to the Bakudō — the binding spells — and tested them from No. 1 up to the highest sequences. He experienced their supreme defensive, sealing, and control capabilities first-hand.
To Kurama, seeing those ultimate sealing/binding techniques was no less shocking than watching the jutsu that had once sealed him. In Kurama's eyes, the final binding technique Naruto produced could absolutely seal the Nine-Tails in his normal state.
"Is this brat trying to show off in front of me? " Kurama grumbled inwardly. "I'm the Nine-Tails! I'm not supposed to be threatened by a kid! "
But then he thought better of it. Naruto wasn't showing off — they were allies, after all. Naruto even manifested novels, chips, and anime for him sometimes… Kurama scolded himself for the dark thought. This kid was different from other humans. He couldn't be quite so cynical.
Naruto, unaware of Kurama's mental gymnastics, finished testing the Hadō and Bakudō repertoire and noticed something else: to unleash the full power of these Kido-like spells, one needed to chant the incantations. Chanting was already far simpler than performing elaborate hand seals, but Naruto wanted to improve it further.
From the moment he first learned about shinobi hand seals, the thought had crossed his mind: with his tailed-beast-scale chakra and exquisite control, what if he could remove the hand-seal step entirely? Remove the chanting as well? If that were possible, could he achieve instant, unlimited casting of ninjutsu and Kido alike — a system where ninjutsu, sage arts, and Kido were fused into a single school?
That idea felt like it might connect to one of the Eight Miracles — the Tōten (the godlike link among the strange arts). Naruto fell into deep thought, turning the problem over in his head.
— and so the next breakthrough loomed on the horizon.
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