The grandfather and granddaughter stood outside the training ground, deep in thought.
Previously, Ōnoki had already known that Naruto's strength was extremely high.
Moreover, Naruto was a Jinchūriki, and a Jinchūriki from Konoha no less.
Because of this, Ōnoki had been very supportive of the relationship between Kurotsuchi and Naruto.
But now…
Naruto's strength was too great.
If he ever became unhappy, he could turn the Five Great Shinobi Villages into Four.
Could combat power of this level truly be kept safely within the Village?
Ōnoki felt that it was impossible.
Especially since Naruto was still young. Although he appeared steady and composed, his mindset was inevitably closer to that of a child.
Moreover, there were rumors that Naruto intended to establish his own Shinobi Village.
This made it even more impossible for him to fully become a member of Iwagakure and wear an Iwagakure forehead protector.
However, despite his disappointment, Ōnoki was not overly panicked.
After all, up to this point, Naruto's relationship with Iwagakure was still quite good.
Even if Naruto's ambitions expanded in the future, Iwagakure would still be capable of protecting itself.
"Kurotsuchi," Ōnoki said, "go notify Roshi and Han—no, forget it. I'll go myself."
After two more days of intense training—
Naruto finally mastered Dust Release.
He could now activate it with just one arm.
Although he still needed to enter Nine-Tails Chakra Mode beforehand, this mode had already become Naruto's standard state in serious combat.
Naruto discovered that Dust Release was indeed terrifyingly powerful.
Although its range might not rival the Great Spiraling Ring, in terms of raw destructive power and activation speed, Dust Release was superior.
More importantly—
Dust Release consumed far, far less chakra than the Great Spiraling Ring.
This was because Dust Release emphasized chakra control, with its power tied directly to chakra intensity.
The amount of chakra used mainly affected its range.
Naruto got a little carried away.
He repeatedly activated Dust Release throughout the day at Iwagakure's training ground.
By the end of the day, hundreds of Dust Release explosions had detonated in the sky above Iwagakure.
Almost every Shinobi in the Village noticed it.
After all, if someone keeps setting off massive fireworks over your head, anyone who isn't blind is bound to see it.
That evening, Naruto let out a long breath.
Using Dust Release so many times in a single day had finally exhausted him.
He was actually drenched in a thin layer of sweat—something rare for him.
At the same time, Naruto achieved another breakthrough.
He could now release Wind and Fire chakra with a single hand.
The remaining nature transformation only required one Nine-Tails chakra arm to complete.
Naruto believed that with more practice, he wouldn't even need to enter Nine-Tails Chakra Mode to activate Dust Release with both hands.
If he could activate Dust Release tens of thousands—or even hundreds of thousands—of times, he might eventually be able to perform dual Dust Release, one in each hand.
Of course, this was still just a conjecture.
Dust Release demanded absurdly precise chakra control.
By the later stages, Naruto's body had begun forming muscle memory, instinctively releasing the chakra required for Dust Release.
That was why he could now reduce the number of chakra arms needed.
When Naruto finally came back to his senses, he realized that Ōnoki had already left.
He didn't even know when he had gone.
Faint sounds of a crowd could be heard outside.
Naruto frowned and activated Kagura's Mind's Eye.
He saw many Iwagakure Shinobi gathered nearby, drawn by the repeated use of Dust Release.
They had come to investigate.
After all, Dust Release was Iwagakure's signature technique.
Every Shinobi in the Village knew how terrifying it was.
The most promising candidate to learn Dust Release in the past had already mastered Earth and Fire nature transformations—
Yet that man had become obsessed with explosions and defected from the Village.
It was infuriating to even think about.
Now, another Dust Release user had appeared.
And one capable of activating it hundreds of times in a single day.
The people of Iwagakure immediately felt that they were witnessing the rise of a new pillar.
So they gathered out of curiosity.
However, the entrance was firmly blocked by Kurotsuchi, and no one was allowed to enter.
Her authority and prestige were still enough to stop them.
Soon, Ōnoki arrived at the training ground, accompanied by Roshi and Han.
Seeing the gathered crowd, he showed no surprise.
Ōnoki spoke calmly, "Everyone, go back."
"It is true that a new Dust Release user has appeared in Iwagakure."
"But this is our Village's trump card and must remain secret."
Ōnoki's authority as Tsuchikage was very different from Hiruzen Sarutobi's position in Konoha.
Hiruzen had been restrained by the two advisors and Danzō, limiting his prestige.
Ōnoki, however, had no such constraints.
Aside from the Elder Council, there were no figures in Iwagakure who could rival him.
Thus, when Ōnoki spoke, the Shinobi dispersed without hesitation.
Although disappointed, simply knowing this was enough to excite them.
After all, the more Dust Release users there were, the safer the Village would be—and the greater its reputation in the Ninja World.
A greater reputation meant more missions.
More missions meant economic growth and faster development.
Ōnoki dismissed the crowd, leaving only Kurotsuchi and the two Jinchūriki.
As they prepared to enter the training ground, Ōnoki spoke to Roshi and Han:
"It's good that you two understand."
Son Gokū snorted.
"Don't say it like that. We're being forced."
"If we don't agree, Kurama will just find another way to obtain chakra."
Kokuō sighed.
"I didn't expect Kurama to harbor ambitions of becoming the Ten-Tails. I underestimated him."
Everyone knew the Nine-Tails was powerful, but very few knew its name.
Kurotsuchi had only occasionally heard Naruto mention it before.
Now, hearing the Tailed Beasts say it again, she confirmed that the Nine-Tails' name was Kurama.
She asked curiously, "Is Kurama really that strong?"
Son Gokū replied solemnly,
"Among us Tailed Beasts, only the Eight-Tails can force the Nine-Tails to fight seriously."
"And now, for some unknown reason, that fox's chakra has increased several times over—and it has even fused with the Two-Tails' chakra."
"Even if all eight of us attacked together, we might not be able to defeat it."
Kurotsuchi's expression changed slightly.
No wonder Senju Hashirama had been willing to distribute the Tailed Beasts back then.
On the surface, he claimed it was to balance power and deter wars.
But in truth, the Tailed Beasts were weapons of war.
And the Nine-Tails was the strongest among them.
No wonder Hashirama kept only this one for Konoha.
It satisfied the other nations, preserved Konoha's dominance, ushered in an era of peace—
And cemented his reputation as the God of Shinobi.
Inside the training ground, Naruto had already sensed the chakra of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails.
He said to Kurama,
"Looks like you're getting a good deal. You don't even have to do anything, and you'll gain the chakra of two more Tailed Beasts."
Kurama snorted.
"Isn't this because of you?"
"And I suspect that if my chakra doesn't keep increasing, you'll start looking down on me for being too weak."
Naruto: "…"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to [Carlos Henrique Shura] for joining my Patreon page!🎉Your support means the world to me. 🙏
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 40+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
📢 Check out my new Naruto fanfic!
[Naruto: I Don't Want Recognition]