But—
Just at the final moment of preparation,
Naruto paused.
Something had suddenly come to mind.
He turned back to Minato, Kushina, and Kakashi and reminded them with a casual tone:
"Oh, right."
"You all might want to step back a little."
"Otherwise, things could get... messy."
The moment those words fell, Minato, Kushina, Kakashi—and the others—nodded and followed Naruto's advice.
They quickly retreated to a safe distance.
Only when they were well out of range did Naruto breathe a little easier.
Then.
He turned back to face the riverbank ahead.
Naruto closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, then opened them—calm, focused.
In that moment, an almost divine stillness flickered in his eyes—like a Taoist sage in battle.
He raised his right hand, index and middle fingers extended together.
And pointed forward.
Wind-style chakra surged at his fingertips—
A Rasenshuriken rapidly formed, spinning with sharp, cutting precision.
Then—
FWOOM!
A Wind Style: Rasenshuriken exploded forward with a howling roar, flying across the riverbank like a storm-fueled missile.
But that wasn't the shocking part.
What stunned everyone…
Was what came next.
Like a high-speed gatling gun,
More Rasenshuriken formed at Naruto's fingertips—again, and again, and again!
In a continuous stream, dozens—no, hundreds—of Wind Style: Rasenshuriken were generated in an instant and launched at terrifying speed.
With the vast chakra reserves of the Nine-Tails supporting him,
Naruto had become a living weapon—
A one-man ninjutsu machine gun.
A technique as powerful as the Rasenshuriken—an S-rank jutsu—was now being unleashed instantly and repeatedly.
From a distance, Minato, Kushina, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura watched, speechless.
They had never expected this.
The power Naruto had cultivated…
Was monstrous.
It was said the destructive force of a single Wind Style: Rasenshuriken was comparable to a miniature Tailed Beast Bomb.
And Naruto was firing hundreds of them in just one minute.
The very thought of it—
It was terrifying beyond belief.
"Naruto..."
Minato could only mutter his name, at a loss for words as he stared at his son's figure.
Kushina's eyes welled with tears.
Her little boy had grown so strong… So far…
She couldn't help it—her pride burst forth in tears.
Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura stood frozen.
The Naruto they had known…
Had long surpassed anything they had imagined.
They realized, suddenly and painfully—
This was the level of power they'd been chasing all along…
And they were nowhere near it.
At that moment, the hundreds of Rasenshuriken struck the riverbank like falling hail.
And then—
Silence.
Time itself seemed to pause for a split second.
And then—
Reality resumed.
Followed by a thunderous explosion.
Massive, rotating chakra shockwaves blasted outward in all directions.
"BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!"
Hundreds of Wind Style: Rasenshuriken detonated at once.
The sound was deafening.
The ground trembled violently.
The sky seemed to fade under the sheer magnitude of light and force unleashed.
A blinding, golden-white radiance filled the world.
The sheer energy lit up the entire field like a second sun.
Minato and the others instinctively raised their arms to shield their eyes.
Even at such a distance, they could feel the terrifying heat and pressure.
For Sasuke and Sakura, the weakest among them, one thing was painfully clear—
If either of them had been caught in that blast zone…
Not even a direct hit—just grazed by one of those Rasenshuriken…
They'd be dead.
That was the brutal reality of Naruto's new strength.
After a long while, the residual tremors and choking dust began to settle.
The aftermath became clear.
Minato, Kushina, Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura—all of them turned toward Naruto again.
But when they looked…
Their eyes widened in absolute shock.
The riverbank where Naruto had just demonstrated his power—
Was gone.
The entire area had been reduced to a shattered wasteland.
The riverbed had been obliterated, transformed into a vast crater pockmarked with deep pits.
It was chaos incarnate.
A meteor strike wouldn't have looked much different.
The landscape of the Land of Waves itself—
Had been completely reshaped.
Naruto's power…
Had become something capable of rewriting the very land.
Minato, Kushina, Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura...
All of them stared in awe.
And the look in their eyes—
Was pure, speechless terror.
At that moment, Naruto—the cause of the devastation—stood at the edge of the massive crater he had created, overlooking the scene from a high vantage point.
From there, he could clearly observe the scale of the destruction.
The river that once flowed through this area had been completely evaporated by the explosion. But now, upstream waters had begun to slowly trickle down, filling the crater.
Naruto had no doubt:
If left alone for a year or two, this place would naturally form a huge lake.
That thought made him nod in satisfaction.
This was the true power of Tongtian—a technique that fully unlocked his potential.
With Tongtian, Naruto no longer needed hand seals, incantations, or any form of preparation.
He could unleash ninjutsu—or even spiritual techniques—instantly, following nothing but his will.
And from the brief display of his Wind Style: Rasenshuriken earlier…
Naruto knew.
That was only a fraction of what he was now capable of.
The Rasenshuriken wasn't his limit—it was simply one of the tools in his growing arsenal.
If he wished, he could simultaneously release multiple jutsu of different types and styles.
That thought alone...
Made him realize how limitless Tongtian's potential truly was.
Imagine it—an enemy who had infinite chakra, no cooldowns, and could cast high-level jutsu in rapid succession…
What kind of nightmare would that be to face?
Naruto had become just that.
A living nightmare for his enemies.
And even more terrifying—
Not only did he have bottomless chakra reserves, but his casting speed was without delay.
His health, defense, stamina—every stat was maxed out.
And to top it off…
He had a god-level companion: Kurama, the Nine-Tails.
At any moment, Naruto could enter Perfect Jinchūriki Mode, fusing with Kurama and fighting at full power side-by-side.
Right now, standing in the aftermath of destruction...
Naruto could only spare a silent moment of pity for any enemy who dared to stand in his way.
"It's your bad luck... to have run into me."
In the final days of their stay in the Land of Waves, Naruto successfully mastered Tongtian. His strength had skyrocketed as a result.
Soon after, Dazna—the bridge builder—excitedly approached Team 7 with good news:
"The Naruto Bridge is complete!"
The great bridge connecting the Land of Waves to the outside world had finally been finished.
"Congratulations, Mr. Dazna," Kakashi said with a warm smile.
But Dazna shook his head enthusiastically. "No, no—it's all thanks to you! Without your team, this never would've been possible. We, the people of the Land of Waves, can never thank you enough."
Kakashi chuckled softly, saying nothing.
Seeing the joy in the villagers' faces filled him with a quiet pride.
Now that the bridge was finished, Team 7's mission was officially complete.
After receiving the final payment from Dazna, Kakashi decided it was time to return to Konoha.
When they had arrived, it was by sea, slipping quietly into the Land of Waves.
But on their return journey, Team 7 walked proudly across the newly constructed Naruto Bridge—named in honor of the boy who had changed the nation's fate.
As they walked, they were showered with gratitude and blessings by the villagers lining the path.
And unknown to most, Naruto's parents—Minato and Kushina—trailed behind in secret, watching over them.
"The people here are so warm," Sakura said, smiling and waving at the villagers bidding them farewell.
"Yeah," Kakashi agreed softly. What struck him most was how they treated Naruto.
This bridge, this nation's gratitude…
It was all named after him.
It spoke volumes.
Kakashi couldn't help but compare it to the situation back in Konoha.
Despite being born and raised there, Naruto was more respected here than in his own village.
The thought stung.
And it strengthened Kakashi's resolve:
Konoha must change.
It was the strongest ninja village in the world—yet its people had grown arrogant, dismissive, and blind to their own faults.
Even ordinary villagers walked with undeserved pride.
If that continued…
Konoha would rot from within.
"Kakashi-sensei."
Naruto's voice broke the silence.
"When we get back…"
"Everything will start to change."
His voice was calm, but the conviction in his gaze was undeniable.
There was no mistaking it—
Naruto was no longer the boy they once knew.
He was now someone who would shake the foundations of the shinobi world.
He no longer wanted to hide.
He had already formed a clear idea of what he planned to do once they returned to the village.
Now, with Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, and the others walking alongside him—and Minato and Kushina silently following in the shadows—his intentions were more apparent than ever.
Everyone understood.
Once Naruto stepped foot back in Konoha...
Everything would change.
As Team 7 began their journey back home, the situation in Konohagakure continued to shift and evolve.
Among the changes, one development stood out the most—
A sudden surge in the activity of a certain "reclusive" Jonin, someone who in the past might not have shown up more than once or twice a month.
While Naruto had been away on his mission in the Land of Waves, Kurama had not been idle.
Behind the scenes, the Nine-Tails had been tempting and influencing certain shinobi—luring them into signing contracts of power, dark pacts that promised rapid strength in exchange for submission.
At the same time, these influenced shinobi began flooding the Hokage's office with promotion requests—petitioning, en masse, for elevation to the rank of Jōnin.
And just like that...
The Jonin application process in Konoha saw an unprecedented surge.
In the past, maybe two or three Chūnin would apply for promotion every month.
But now?
More than a dozen applications a day were being filed.
It was as if the title of Jonin had suddenly lost all meaning—like it was being handed out for free.
But of course, those truly in power—Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, along with Danzo Shimura and other high-ranking elders—knew better.
They understood one thing clearly:
True Jonin-level combat ability wasn't something that could be mass-produced.
On the battlefield, Jonin were the cornerstone of a village's military strength.
Aside from the rare few who had reached Kage-level, Jonin were often the highest-ranking combatants available.
Even among the Five Great Shinobi Nations, Kage-level ninja were rare.
That meant Jonin formed the backbone of a village's power structure.
So for so many Chūnin to suddenly step forward and claim they had reached that level?
It was unnatural.
Even for Konoha—the strongest of the Five Great Nations—this surge was too extreme.
The Third Hokage knew Konoha's internal development well. There was no way so many Chūnin had suddenly matured into Jonin.
It was impossible.
Something else had to be going on.
Naturally, once this anomaly was noticed, Hiruzen, Danzo, and the rest of the leadership immediately launched a covert investigation.
They began gathering intelligence, watching movements, tracking patterns.
And soon enough...
They discovered the truth.
A mysterious man in a crimson robe had begun appearing in Konoha Village, offering vast amounts of chakra—chakra powerful enough to make anyone significantly stronger.
In exchange, the price wasn't always money. Sometimes, it was something even more valuable.
Many shinobi within the village had already traded with this enigmatic figure. And with the massive chakra they gained, they were able to skyrocket their strength through accelerated training—jumping from Chūnin to Jōnin, mastering at least two chakra nature transformations in record time.
But...
This stranger's sudden influence made the Third Hokage and Danzo Shimura extremely uneasy.
Sure, Konoha's military power had surged almost overnight. Theoretically, if the village had several hundred more Jonin-level shinobi, they could overwhelm the other Great Shinobi Villages, even start a Fourth Great Ninja War—and win.
The potential spoils of such a conflict would be massive. Victory would strengthen Hiruzen's regime, bolster Danzo's influence, and benefit Konoha's ruling elite tremendously.
But the Third Hokage wasn't fooled.
Things that sounded too good to be true... usually were.
Even a child could tell—no one gives out power for free.
"Damn it, I can't even catch a glimpse of that bastard's trail!" Danzo growled, his face grim.
If they could just capture the man in the crimson robe, they could get to the bottom of all this.
But no matter how they tried...
He continued to slip through their fingers.
Not even Hiruzen's ANBU could catch him.
A rogue agent was moving freely within their village—causing chaos—and they were helpless to stop it.
The humiliation was unbearable.
"Hiruzen, we can't keep going on like this," said Mitokado Homura, one of Konoha's senior advisors. His gaze fell on the Third Hokage, his expression lined with concern.
Anyone with eyes could see something was wrong.
The intel they'd gathered painted a troubling picture: many of the ninjas who'd made deals with the crimson-robed man were civilians, or clan members who felt disillusioned or resentful toward the village.
Before, their strength had been too lacking to act on those feelings.
But now...
They had Jōnin-level combat ability.
Individually, they seemed unaffiliated—unconnected.
But their common link?
The man who gave them chakra.
If these individuals ever came together and turned on Konoha, suppressing them wouldn't be as easy as orchestrating a single political maneuver like the one that wiped out the Uchiha Clan.
No.
This would be different.
Smoke curled into the air as the Third Hokage puffed slowly from his pipe.
The smoke thickened, swirling around the dimly lit conference room, veiling his aged face behind layers of gray mist.
But the lines of tension were unmistakable.
The entire room could feel the heavy pressure weighing on Hiruzen Sarutobi's shoulders.
Then, after a long silence, he finally spoke.
His voice was firm—decisive.
"We can't sit around waiting for disaster to strike."
"We need to act now. Cut this rot from the roots."
Without hesitation, he turned to Danzo.
"**Capture a few of the chakra-enhanced shinobi. Extract information—use any means necessary."
"We need answers."
There was no room left for idealism. Hiruzen couldn't afford to play the noble leader anymore.
Even if some of these shinobi only wanted to grow stronger...
If they posed a threat to the village—or worse, to his position—then mercy would be wasted sentiment.
Danzo nodded. No more infighting. Not now.
If they continued bickering among themselves, the mysterious man might unravel everything before they even realized it.
Hiruzen's eyes turned to Koharu Utatane and Mitokado Homura.
"Increase the patrols."
"I want Konoha under constant surveillance—24 hours a day. Lock down the entire village if necessary."
"Even if we learn nothing from the captured shinobi..."
His voice darkened.
"As long as we catch that man—"
"We'll have our answers."
...
TN:
Hey guys, just letting you know—chapters 72 and 73 are combined in this post. Chapter 73 was super short (like 500 words), so I bundled it with 72 instead of uploading it on its own.
This isn't the first time it's happened, and it might happen again since some chapters in this novel are really short. Just a heads-up!
...
P.S:
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