"Hahahaha!~"
Shinazugawa Sanemi pointed at Naruto's face and laughed uncontrollably. "What's wrong with your face? It's way too funny!~"
The scars on Naruto's cheeks—symmetrical marks resembling animal whiskers—showed no sign of fading even after his recovery. They looked oddly comical. Shinazugawa Sanemi couldn't help but poke them with his finger.
"So annoying!"
Naruto slapped his hand away and scowled. "These are scars I got from fighting an Upper Moon. They're way more meaningful than the ones on your body!"
"…"
Shinazugawa Sanemi's smile vanished instantly. He smacked Naruto on the head and gritted his teeth."How did you get so damn lucky, kid? First you run into a Lower Moon, then an Upper Moon comes looking for you.
Damn it—why do I never get this kind of luck?!"
"Hehe, my luck's just better than yours!~"
Naruto laughed triumphantly, then suddenly turned serious."Mr. Shinazugawa, what I'm about to say might sting a little, but please listen carefully."
He recounted his battle with Akaza in detail, honestly explaining that if Shinazugawa Sanemi were to face an Upper Moon like Akaza at his current level, he would likely lose.
"Tch!~"
Shinazugawa Sanemi clicked his tongue in disdain, declaring that if he truly met an Upper Moon, he would gladly die in battle.
But after scoffing, his expression grew serious."Kid, you said that during the fight, your body suddenly changed—your strength skyrocketed, and that's how you won. Tell me more about that change."
"Hm… let me think."
Naruto carefully recalled the battle and spoke slowly.
"At the time, my body was already at its limit. Then it started heating up, like there was a ball of fire burning inside me. After that… it felt like endless power just kept pouring out.
"…Is that so?"
Shinazugawa Sanemi fell silent, studying Naruto from head to toe. After a moment, he asked,
"According to what you're saying, the real reason you won was that change in your body. Have you tried seeing if you can enter that state again?"
He didn't understand the phenomenon, but he sensed something crucial. If that state could be replicated, it might be the key to humans defeating Upper Moons on their own.
"No…"
Naruto shook his head, scratched the scars on his cheeks, and hesitated.
"But I feel like… my body's been in that state ever since I recovered."
"What?!"
Shinazugawa Sanemi's eyes went wide.
"You mean you can now unleash the same power you had when you defeated an Upper Moon—anytime?"
"I think so, but—"
Naruto hadn't finished speaking when Shinazugawa Sanemi grabbed him and started dragging him outside, shouting excitedly,
"This is huge—this is incredible!"
Once outside the Butterfly Mansion, Shinazugawa Sanemi impatiently drew his nichirin blade.
"Come on! Let me see your current strength—and just how big the gap between us really is!"
If Naruto truly possessed the power he'd displayed against Akaza, then Shinazugawa Sanemi already knew the answer.
Still, he wanted to see it with his own eyes.
More than that—he desperately wanted to know just how wide the gap was between himself and an Upper Moon.
"Uh…"
Naruto scratched his head awkwardly.
"My blade broke during the fight, and the new one isn't ready yet. I don't have a sword right now…"
"Use mine."
A booming voice came from behind them.
Naruto turned to see Kyojuro Rengoku approaching with an excited expression. He handed Naruto his own blade without hesitation."I want to know too—just how big the difference is between us and the Upper Moons of the Twelve Kizuki."
He wasn't alone.
Obanai Iguro, Muichiro Tokito, and Kocho Shinobu had also arrived.
They had rushed over as soon as they heard Shinazugawa Sanemi intended to test Naruto's strength.
Though none of the current Hashira had ever fought an Upper Moon—and none wished to admit it—they all knew the truth.
Every Hashira who had encountered an Upper Moon in the past century had died.
That alone proved the existence of a vast gap.
Now, at last, they had a chance to glimpse that gap directly.
The other Hashira were absent only because they were away from headquarters.
"It's you, Big Brother Kyojuro!~"
Naruto greeted them cheerfully, then accepted the blade. He took a deep breath, looked at Shinazugawa Sanemi, and smiled.
"Mr. Shinazugawa… be careful. I might actually be stronger than you now!~"
"Tch!~"
Shinazugawa Sanemi assumed his stance, gripping his blade with both hands.
"Brat, you're a hundred years too early to think you can beat me!"