"...Honestly, I don't think we need to worry about him."
In reality, that seemed to be the case. Although the rampaging Jugo looked terrifying and his chakra was powerful, it all depended on who he was fighting and who he was trying to kill. Others truly didn't need to fear him.
Truthfully, as insane as he was, he couldn't have chosen a worse opponent.
The massive splash was another sign of failure as Jugo once again tried—and failed—to smash B into paste.
"Shouldn't you be more worried about that growing child of water?" scolded the Eight-Tails as its jinchuriki slid backward across the water's surface, talking to himself.
"Relax, we've still got time," said B, wishing he could just whip out his notebook and jot down those lyrics. But doing that on an unstable water surface wasn't such a great idea.
"...That crazy guy... doesn't get my rhymes..." He muttered to himself before shaking his head. "No, this won't do at all."
"Die!" Jugo screamed as his entire skin turned dark gray and multiple tentacles extended from his body.
B felt like this fight had gone far enough since he hadn't gained any valuable musical inspiration from it anymore.
He released his tailed beast's chakra cloak, enveloping himself in deep crimson energy. Forming four chakra tails, he grabbed Jugo's limbs, forcing him downward in preparation for an attack.
"All brute strength without any skill?" B said while pulling Jugo closer with his tails and charging forward, forming a chakra-forged horn on his right arm. "[Lightning Oppression Horizontal]!"
Jugo's body took a heavy blow to his neck and chest. The immense impact even shattered part of his back.
The force of [Lightning Oppression Horizontal] sent him soaring, his body bouncing across the water's surface before slamming into the ship like a torpedo.
"Woohoo!" B celebrated his accomplishments in battle.
Where Jugo hit the vessel, blood had already begun spreading across the water.
If the [Lightning Oppression Horizontal] itself hadn't completely destroyed his body, then being trapped against the side of that metal transport ship certainly wouldn't help matters.
"I'm the ruler of these waters!"
Now, perhaps he could finally see just what kind of ninja Naruto truly was.
This would be his first real chance to see the Konoha ninja in action.
Although he probably should go assist against whoever opponent Naruto was facing, truthfully, watching how Naruto handled things was far more intriguing.
That didn't make him a bad friend, did it? Of course not. He was simply ensuring his friend could meet the high standards he set for himself.
Exactly. He'd get to witness an amazing fight—it was just friendly support from afar.
Moving at incredible speed, B boarded Kumogakure's ship, appearing before the towering Suigetsu and the shorter Naruto, who was locked in battle with him, looking visibly annoyed.
"Hey! Wrong way! Turn this ship around!"
The ship was trying to retreat from the battlefield—for obvious reasons. Yet the strongest Kumogakure ninja aboard wasn't thrilled about it.
"If we get too close, he'll sink our ship—just like he did with the rest of the fleet," a sailor explained, voicing their reason for keeping distance from the battle.
"I don't care!" B shot back, slamming his fist on the deck. "We'll skim the edge—we'll be fine! We just have to watch out for the Nine-Tails!"
"Why don't you go help him out?"
He turned toward the visibly annoyed Kumogakure ninja, realizing that everyone else aboard also wanted an answer—and they were serious about it.
"...Because I want the best front-row seat possible."
"Dammit," the captain muttered, covering his face as he returned to the helm. "Turn this ship around. And if we die here, I swear—I'll come back to haunt you personally."
While Naruto kept grumbling over how he'd gotten dragged into such a mess, he hadn't had a fight this tough in ages. He knew his luck couldn't hold forever. He hadn't been in a spot this bad in years.
At least one mystery was solved: why Kiri hadn't mobilized or sent troops ashore yet.
"So, no hitting, no slicing, no Lightning Release, and no ninjutsu either—he just absorbs my chakra," Naruto mumbled to himself while dodging Suigetsu's attacks with Samehada.
Mixing Sage Mode with the Sharingan made dodging attacks a breeze.
"Sealing won't work. Genjutsu? Please—who uses that?"
"Other than telling you again—'Figure out what's going on, idiot!'—that's all I've got."
"Don't bark at me, stinky fox. Once this is over, I'm holding nothing back. Not even for you."
"I can still keep you in Sage Mode while you're moving."
"...Besides watching and giving commentary like some lazy critic, what else are you good for?"
"You know," Suigetsu boomed, his deep voice matching his hulking frame, interrupting Naruto's conversation with the Nine-Tails, "...truth is, I don't hate you. That's more Karin and Jugo's deal—they think only Sasuke can keep them under control. Me? I find you interesting. I mean, you took down both Sasuke and Itachi. Dude—you're legit tough."
"Mine with Itachi was more of a draw," Naruto replied as Samehada suddenly morphed into a completely different shape. "What the hell is that?!"
"A giant flyswatter? Huh... You getting the irony too, or is it just me?"
Naruto didn't have time to pay attention to his chakra-linked teammate, because he had to dodge an attack from a massive, water-formed flyswatter. Once again, he inwardly thanked his uncanny reflexes.
Naruto pulled a specialized Sealing Tag from his gear and pressed it against Samehada's blade. Then, after quickly forming a hand seal, he channeled his chakra into the talisman, effectively pinning Samehada in place until someone removed it.
So now he understood—he could influence the chakra of Suigetsu's weapon, but couldn't directly affect Suigetsu himself.
Samehada, however, had become too small for him to wield effectively.
It was like an average person trying to wield a toothpick as a sword—it slipped from his grasp and plunged into the water.
Then, Naruto shot toward Suigetsu's head like an enraged bee—more precisely, straight into his right eye.
If he couldn't beat him from the outside, what if he attacked from the inside? Every object had an internal vulnerability.
To Suigetsu's immense frustration and rage, Naruto's fist drove straight through his head and came to a halt at its core. He originally intended to pierce straight through, blasting his head apart like a melon, but his force became lodged inside, unable to move forward any further.
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