If the killing intent from the four Kage felt like a mountain falling down, then this chakra felt like the whole sky collapsing.
The crushing pressure weighed on everyone, making it hard to even breathe—it felt like their bones might snap if they moved.
A, Oonoki, and Terumi Mei's killing intent was scattered in an instant. But that didn't matter.
What mattered was... this pressure alone made it hard to breathe.
The three of them looked completely stunned. Their eyes were wide as they stared at Naruto, who had been standing quietly behind Gaara. Just moments ago, he looked harmless. Now... he felt like some ancient beast.
It was like being a genin again and suddenly standing in front of a tailed beast.
Helpless.
The overwhelming pressure made all three of them take a step back without thinking, and their hearts grew heavier with each step.
"That's enough, Naruto. We're not here to fight." As Tsunade spoke, the intense pressure suddenly vanished, as if it had never been there.
If the beams hadn't creaked in warning, if the ground hadn't cracked, they might have really thought that crushing pressure just now was their imagination.
Naruto scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile and nodded obediently at Tsunade. "Got it, Granny Tsunade."
Terumi Mei stared blankly. "A Jinchuriki... can be this strong?"
A powerful aura isn't something every strong person has, but anyone who has an aura that strong is definitely powerful.
This kid, who seemed completely ordinary and didn't even leak any chakra unless he said he was a Jinchuriki, actually had power far beyond everyone here?
Are you kidding… is this kid even an adult yet?
"The Fourth Hokage's son…" A looked closely at Naruto. The anger he had before seemed to have vanished completely. "So, that means you're only sixteen, right?"
"I'm not quite sixteen yet," Naruto replied with a bright, cheerful smile—just like his father's.
Too bad no one was fooled by it.
No one.
The Tsuchikage silently looked around the wrecked room. The tables—except for the ones in front of Tsunade and Gaara—had all been reduced to rubble. And that had only been from Naruto's aura alone.
He raised his head and looked at Naruto. "Kid, how strong are you?"
Behind him, Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi both froze for a second. That direct?
Even Tsunade looked a little surprised.
But Naruto didn't seem bothered. He thought about it for a moment, then answered,
"I'm not sure how to explain it exactly, but I once fought the Third Raikage, the Second Mizukage, the Second Tsuchikage, and the Fourth Kazekage—all at once—and I beat and sealed them."
"!!!" Oonoki was completely stunned.
Of the four names mentioned, even if you don't count the Fourth Kazekage, the other three were all legendary figures in the ninja world. Especially the Third Raikage and Second Tsuchikage—no one knew how strong they were better than Oonoki.
Beating them was one thing… but fighting all four at once and winning?
Oonoki got it now. He let out a bitter sigh. "Another Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha…"
Why is it… that these kinds of monsters always show up in Konohagakure…
Oonoki felt frustrated.
But then Naruto suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah, someone asked me to give you a message—Mu, the Second Tsuchikage."
Oonoki paused for a moment, then nodded. "Go ahead."
Naruto thought for a second and said,
"He said: 'Oonoki, when we meet again in the afterlife, don't let the first thing you tell me be that Iwagakure is gone.'"
Oonoki: "..."
That tone… it was so familiar. Honestly, Oonoki didn't want to believe Naruto was telling the truth.
Just as he was thinking that, Naruto continued,
"He also told me some things about Dust Release. If you want, I can tell you. That should prove I'm telling the truth."
Dust Release… Oonoki went quiet. At this point, even if he didn't want to believe it, he had no choice: "Dust Release is no small matter. After this meeting ends, I want to talk to you in private."
After saying that, Oonoki turned to Tsunade. "Is that alright, Lady Hokage?"
"Of course," Tsunade nodded.
Honestly, she could already hear the change in Oonoki's tone. That stubborn old man was finally starting to give in. As hard-headed as he was, at least he was trustworthy—this might finally take care of one big problem.
They had already made contact with the Eight-Tails. A looked tough on the outside, but she wasn't too worried about him. The real headache was Terumi Mei.
Probably realizing her situation wasn't looking great, Terumi Mei was the first to speak. "I'm sure everyone here already knows the state of Kirigakure. I'm not trying to play the victim—we really don't have the strength to stab anyone in the back."
Kirigakure had made some recovery under her leadership, but fixing everything wasn't that easy. Out of the Five Great Nations, Kirigakure was still the weakest.
But Tsunade didn't buy it. "Lady Mizukage, I'm not trying to threaten you, but think carefully. That 'Byakugan Killer' of yours—Ao—is still on Konoha's most wanted list."
"I can promise you'll get back to the Land of Water safely this time. But after that, Kirigakure and Konoha are still enemies." Tsunade crossed her arms, her voice calm. "Oh, and I forgot to mention—Naruto's girlfriend is the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan."
Terumi Mei clenched her fists right away, and Ao, standing behind her, showed a slight change in expression too.
Ao was the only person in the whole ninja world who had a Byakugan but wasn't from the Hyuga clan. That was a huge disgrace to the Hyuga, and he had stayed at the top of Konoha's wanted list for years. The bounty was put out by the Hyuga clan themselves.
The only reason nothing had happened to him yet was because Konoha had bigger things to deal with. But looking at Konoha's current power... Ao figured Lady Mizukage might want to reconsider.
Terumi Mei took a deep breath. "Hokage really knows how to hit where it hurts…"
Ao wasn't weak—he was one of her best people. Whether it was strategy or combat, he was solid. It wasn't that the Land of Water would fall apart without him, but right now, a top-level ninja was more useful than some kind of political promise.
"So, what do you think?" Tsunade asked her.
"Well, after what you just said, what choice do I have?" Terumi Mei shrugged like she was giving up. Then she added, "But I do hope that after this war ends, you'll stop going after him."
"Alright," Tsunade nodded without hesitation.
That disgrace had been on the Hyuga clan's list for years anyway. Keeping it there a bit longer didn't matter. And honestly, Hinata didn't seem like the kind of girl who'd push Naruto into killing anyone.
Still, just to be safe, Tsunade added, "I also hope that once your subordinate dies, that Byakugan goes back to where it belongs. Otherwise, I can only promise that there won't be trouble for now."
Ao couldn't pass on the Kekkei Genkai, but he *could* have the eye taken out and given to someone else. As long as the body didn't reject it, Kirigakure would basically have a Byakugan they could use forever.
Terumi Mei clearly had that idea, but Tsunade had no intention of letting her get away with it.
"Tch." Terumi Mei clicked her tongue, clearly annoyed, but she couldn't say no. "Of course."
Finally… Tsunade let out a long breath of relief.
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