Chapter 337: Naruto Refuses to Let Someone Else Fight for Him
The gigantic puppet assembled by Sasori could be visualized as a mechanical Nine-Tails.
Sasori himself sat inside the cockpit at the center of this mechanical Nine-Tails.
However, there was no operating system inside the cockpit.
This was where chakra and the puppet master's advantage came into play, Sasori could directly control the mechanical Nine-Tails just like any other puppet.
This alone put him leagues above Kankurō, the so-called "search-and-retreat master."
Even in the dream world of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Kankurō only dared to imagine a "Gundam" that needed chakra strings to control like a kite.
Kankurō would always remain someone who merely followed in others' footsteps.
This method, placing the real body inside the puppet to control it, had already been attempted with Hiruko. Unfortunately, without Shiromo's influence, Sasori would never have continued to develop this direction further.
----
Boom!
The tailless mechanical Nine-Tails clashed fists with Naruto's fully transformed Nine-Tails. The impact shook the earth, scattering the sand and exposing the sandstone beneath.
"What?!"
The Nine-Tails was startled.
It hadn't expected that a mere shell made of scrap metal could match it evenly in a direct clash of strength.
Since when did puppet masters become this powerful?
The Nine-Tails had misunderstood.
What was powerful was never the profession, but the individual.
Before Sasori was influenced by Shiromo, even his strongest human puppet, the Third Kazekage, or even imagined human puppets like Ōnoki or the Raikage in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, all had one fatal weakness: Extremely poor defense.
Human puppets could replicate the abilities of the deceased, but they also retained the ninja's trait of high offense and low defense, if anything, it was even worse.
Wooden puppets could be smashed apart in seconds.
Even Hiruko, which appeared to have defensive capabilities, was actually quite fragile.
But this mechanical Nine-Tails was completely different.
Defense, shock absorption, resistance to high heat, resistance to low temperatures, every feature had been carefully prepared.
It even had a chakra absorption function.
After exchanging a punch with the Nine-Tails, golden chakra burst out from the previously empty tail section of the mechanical Nine-Tails, forming nine tails.
This was a function Sasori created using the remains of the Divine Tree.
The remains of the Divine Tree had long since lost all vitality and could no longer absorb chakra, but they served as an excellent medium to carry this function.
Originally, Orochimaru's planned "Mechanical Naruto" would also have included a chakra absorption device and a Four Symbols Seal, effectively making it a mechanical Jinchūriki.
Speaking of which, in a ninja world where Shiromo never appeared, if such a mechanical Jinchūriki became known to the Five Great Nations, they would all desperately want it.
It would turn Jinchūriki from weapons of war into actual weapons.
No need to find a suitable human host, no need to care about the host's emotions, just use it purely as a tool. How convenient.
[So that's how it is. No wonder it's called "Steel Horn."]
The Nine-Tails' voice echoed in Naruto's mind.
"What's going on, Kurama? Why did your chakra appear behind it after I hit it?"
Naruto asked, completely confused.
[Back in the Kumogakure Village, there were two guys named Kinkaku and Ginkaku. After I swallowed them, they ate my flesh and gained my chakra. This guy named his puppet 'Steel Horn.' Looks like it has a similar ability to absorb chakra. But it feels a bit different. It happened too fast just now, I couldn't tell exactly.]
"What feels different?"
[The absorption. Try again, kid. Just make sure to pull away quickly after contact, don't let it absorb too much.]
"Got it!"
Naruto controlled the fully transformed Nine-Tails and threw another punch. It was blocked by the mechanical Nine-Tails' arm, and Naruto quickly retreated to create distance.
"Well?"
[So that's it? Naruto, from here on you'll need to control your strength carefully. It's best if…]
The Nine-Tails, being the smartest of the tailed beasts, capable of even developing Baryon Mode, immediately identified the issue upon contact.
Rather than absorbing chakra, the mechanical Nine-Tails was converting chakra-based attacks into its own energy.
That was why the sensation felt so strange.
It didn't feel like absorption, instead, it felt as if the chakra had been actively sent into the opponent.
The Nine-Tails' assessment was correct.
The so-called "absorption" was, in essence, energy conversion.
Zzz!
The mechanical Nine-Tails swung its claw, releasing a bolt of lightning.
This lightning wasn't Lightning Release, it was artificial electricity generated after converting chakra into energy.
It lacked the power advantage of natural energy, but it also couldn't be absorbed by chakra-absorption abilities.
That's right. Sasori's hypothetical enemy when designing this puppet had never been the people of the ninja world, but the Ōtsutsuki clan.
So instead of simple chakra absorption, he directly replaced it with conversion.
As for why the absorption function was still retained, it was because the Ōtsutsuki themselves also use chakra-based attacks.
Chakra absorption was just an entry requirement, not something that would become useless against them.
"I understand now."
[You understand my foot.]
Seeing Naruto about to charge forward again, the Nine-Tails couldn't help but curse.
"Kurama, you're swearing at me."
Naruto immediately looked aggrieved.
[I'm swearing at you on purpose! Get back here, what do you think you're doing rushing in like that?!]
"If it can absorb chakra, then I'll just let it absorb it, overload it and blow it up, right?"
Naruto stated his plan.
[…]
All one could say was, it was very much in character for Naruto.
He had used this tactic countless times before. Even in the movies alone, he had done it several times, overloading chakra armor, overloading the Zero-Tails, and so on.
[Have you considered what happens if it doesn't explode?]
For a moment, the Nine-Tails began to worry, if the Ten-Tails ever appeared in the future, would Naruto try to drag it inside and blow it up from within too?
"That won't happen, right? Kurama, do you really have that little confidence in yourself?"
[That's not the issue here…]
The Nine-Tails found it increasingly difficult to communicate with Naruto.
And indeed, it was just as it suspected.
The energy storage system was also made from the remains of the Divine Tree, with Orochimaru's Four Symbols Seal applied on top. In terms of chakra and energy storage capacity, the mechanical Nine-Tails was essentially on par with a Jinchūriki.
The only flaw was that it couldn't freely change size like a true Jinchūriki.
It could either break apart into small individual puppet components, or remain in its massive form, nothing in between.
[Naruto, let me take control.]
After thinking it over, the Nine-Tails decided it would be better to handle things personally.
"No!"
Naruto immediately shook his head in refusal.
Last time, he had trusted the Nine-Tails, and it ended with Kurama taking control of his body, forcibly suppressing Sasuke, and even attempting to assault him, leaving Naruto utterly humiliated.
What if this time, after taking control, Kurama ran off to the Sunagakure Village and did something outrageous to Granny Chiyo?
No. Absolutely not!
[You brat, what the hell are you thinking?! Fine, if not that, then at least follow my instructions!]
The Nine-Tails exploded with anger, it could hear every single thought in Naruto's mind.
What kind of perverted tailed beast did Naruto think it was?
Last time, it had taken control for the sake of its own dignity!
(End of this chapter)