Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 172 Ashura, Become Naruto's Zanpakuto!

"Huh...ha..."

Matt Kai sat up in bed, yawned, and rubbed his sleepy eyes.

He groggily gazed at the night sky shrouded in rain, and saw a faint red light rising on the distant horizon.

"Huh? It's dawn?"

Matt Kai frowned, muttering with a troubled expression, "My sleep quality last night wasn't great. It's already dawn, and I'm still a little sleepy."

"Looks like I'll have to double the training today so I can get a good night's sleep..."

As he spoke, he stretched out a big yawn, but before he could finish, his body suddenly stiffened, and his eyes stared straight into the distance, at the red light on the horizon.

That red light, like the morning glow, seems to be getting stronger and stronger.
"Wait a minute." Matt Kai's sleepiness vanished almost instantly. "Sunrise? No, that's not right, the direction is wrong, and the color..."

No, it's not getting worse, it's turned a blood-red color.

Moreover, that beam of light is approaching Konoha at an astonishing speed!
"not good!"

Matt Kai's expression changed instantly, and a sense of crisis, stemming from instinct, gripped his heart in an instant.

Not only him, but all the ninjas who needed to stay at home saw the light in the distance.

However, the moment they saw the true nature of that red light, their pupils suddenly contracted.

hum! !

The ear-piercing shriek that tore through the air instantly shattered the tranquility of the rainy night!
Several crimson beams of light finally arrived, shooting in from afar like spears, illuminating several terrified and helpless faces!

The next moment, everything fell silent, but it wasn't truly silent.

Rather, it's because the sound and light from those beams were too much for the ears and eyes to bear.

Everyone was temporarily deaf and blind at that moment, only able to perceive the earth beneath their feet trembling wildly!

I don't know how much time passed before my vision and hearing returned to normal, and my voice came back.

boom! !

A deafening roar suddenly echoed over the once peaceful Konoha.

Apartment windows, shop windows, and streetlights shattered like raindrops under the sweeping shockwave!

The earth shattered the instant the beam of light descended, and the ground beneath our feet was instantly covered with cracks, with large chunks of rock being ripped up.

The deafening explosion left everyone with only a piercing ringing in their ears. The scorching air and shockwaves pounded on them like heavy hammers, and their vision was completely filled with blinding red light and rolling flames!
After an unknown amount of time, amidst the ruins of the apartment building.

"Cough! Cough cough!!"

A suppressed, painful cough came from the ruins, and an arm covered in dust and blood emerged from a pile of twisted steel bars, rubble, and furniture debris!
Immediately afterwards, he reached out with his other hand and used both hands to pry away the rubble pressing down on him.

Mighty's disheveled figure emerged from the vast ruins.

At this moment, his ridiculous pajamas were already tattered and mostly burned, revealing his muscular body covered with abrasions and bruises.

His body was covered with tiny wounds, and blood mixed with mud flowed slowly.

"How is this going?"

His face, with his eyes closed, was full of pain, and no sound could be heard even when he raised his voice.

So he covered his head and shook it vigorously, trying to dispel the tinnitus and dizziness.

But when Matt Kai looked up and saw his surroundings, his face froze in a daze.

fire!
There is fire everywhere!
All that could be seen was thick smoke billowing into the sky, flames shooting into the air, and heat waves distorting the air in front of us, turning the black rainy night into a dark red!
The towering Hokage Building was completely pierced by the beam of light that fell from the sky, and even the steel structure supporting the building was melted and dismantled.

Crack! Bang!
Flames crackled and burned before my eyes, and the building groaned and collapsed completely amidst the flames!

The trees on both sides of the street spontaneously combusted, turning into a raging inferno.

The ground was left with terrifying scars, completely penetrating the cross-section that revealed several streets.

"..."

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in front of a residential building, holding a gigantic Ruyi Jingu Bang in his hand, the firelight stretching his shadow long behind him.

Looking at Konoha, which had been completely engulfed in flames, and then turning to look at the direction from which the attack had come, his face was already extremely gloomy.

That direction leads to the Uchiha clan's territory!
So, it still couldn't be resolved smoothly?

"Sandaime-sama!"

Several dark figures appeared behind Hiruzen Sarutobi like ghosts.

They are elite members of the Anbu, specifically responsible for protecting the Hokage.

They were all wearing ANBU uniforms and masks, but even through the masks, one could feel their solemnity, anger, and a hint of fear.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't turn around; his gaze remained fixed on the direction of the Uchiha clan's territory. He then took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Emergency Alert, Level 3!"

"Order all ninjas in the village, regardless of their affiliation or mission status, to immediately drop everything and come here."

"Rescue people and save lives! Search all the ruins and spare no effort to rescue every possible survivor!"

"Evacuate the villagers! Guide all uninjured or slightly injured villagers to the nearest underground shelter immediately!"

"Organize the defense, notify the barrier squad to activate the defensive barrier, and prohibit anyone from entering or leaving. All combat personnel should immediately assemble and move towards me after completing the rescue and defense deployment!"

"Yes!"

The ANBU ninjas were startled, and then responded in unison, their voices trembling slightly.

They instantly transformed into several black shadows, rushing off in different directions.

Meanwhile, all the Konoha ninjas still in the village were drawn by the noise of the explosion.

Large numbers of ninjas ran through the streets and leaped across the rooftops of buildings. They had spontaneously organized themselves to dig out and treat the wounded and guide the terrified villagers toward the underground shelter.

Sizzle! Boom!

Just then, a piercing shriek came from the direction of the Uchiha clan's territory, and a scarlet beam of light tore through the rain curtain once again and slammed into them.

"Tu Dun·Tu Liubi!"

Several Konoha ninjas raised their hands and formed hand seals, and a huge stone wall rose from the ground, barely blocking the Cero.

"What's going on with this attack, this aura...?"

As Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed at the distant Uchiha clan territory, sensing the unfamiliar and chilling aura emanating from it, the gloom on his face gradually transformed into a solemn and serious expression.

These beams of light are still continuing.

Even from here, you can see the constantly flashing scarlet light in the distance.

Is this something Itachi Uchiha or that guy who calls himself Madara Uchiha could do?
Mangekyō Sharingan?

Knowing about the actions of the Dark Division and the Root Division, he hadn't slept all night, worried that something unexpected might happen.

Unexpectedly, his fears came true.

However, he never expected it to happen in such a completely unexpected way.

In his view, even if a conflict arose with the Uchiha clan, with the abilities of Yun Chuan and Danzo, plus the Anbu and Root, they could limit the conflict to a small scale.

He never imagined that it would have such a profound impact on the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

Unlike the Land of Fire, Konoha doesn't have any purely civilians. The people living here are all Konoha ninja and their families. Any deaths or injuries will be blamed on him, the Hokage!
He could already foresee the condemnation and criticism from the crowd once the matter was over.

However, now is not the time to think about these things.

"call!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled deeply, suppressing the unease and fear in his heart, and turned to look at the apartment behind him. Without a doubt, this was the home of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Realizing that the Uchiha clan might resort to desperate measures tonight, he didn't even bother with the Hokage Building or his own home, instead staying here to guard against a repeat of the Nine-Tails' rampage from years past.

There was no other way. According to the information that Yun Chuan extracted from that White Zetsu, the masked man who was the one who caused the Nine-Tailed Fox's chaos had reappeared.

Moreover, it was named "Uchiha Madara".

Upon hearing this name, Hiruzen Sarutobi trembled in fear.

However, a remark from Yun Chuan reminded him.

"Uchiha Madara, if it really is him, even if he is not dead, do you think he would appear in such a secretive manner?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally knew the answer to this question.

--Won't.

Based on Hiruzen Sarutobi's understanding of Madara Uchiha.

Even if that guy is old and about to die, even if that guy has little strength left, he wouldn't wear a mask and act like a ghost.

Given Madara Uchiha's personality, he would rather die in a place where no one knows him than show his weakness to others.

Therefore, that guy is most likely an imposter, and is probably an Uchiha clan member who inherited Madara Uchiha's extreme ideology and legacy.

Meanwhile, in the room that Hiruzen Sarutobi was watching at that moment.

Naruto Uzumaki remained peacefully asleep, completely undisturbed by the chaos outside.

Inside the sealed space, Kurama opened its eyes upon sensing several unfamiliar and familiar auras that suddenly appeared in Konoha.

"It's that damned Uchiha again!"

Sensing Obito Uchiha's presence, a hint of apprehension flashed in Kurama's vertical pupils.

It still hasn't forgotten the feeling of being forcibly extracted from Kushina Uzumaki's body using Madara Uchiha's summoning jutsu, and then being forcibly controlled by the Mangekyou Sharingan.

But soon, as if it suddenly remembered something, it looked at the quiet wooden house in the distance, and its slightly tense body immediately relaxed.

Yeah, with this old guy here, what am I afraid of?
To be honest, I've been used as a cushion by this old guy for quite a while now.

Even if they don't care about me, they should at least consider how comfortable it is for me to sit on them. If we were really in danger, they wouldn't just stand by and watch me die, would they?
"Cough cough."

Thinking of this, Nine-Tails coughed and tentatively lowered its voice, "Um..."

But before it could finish speaking, it was interrupted by a sound coming from inside the wooden house.

"You are mine," the voice said calmly. "They can't take you away."

Upon hearing this, for the first time, Nine-Tails wasn't angry at being treated as an "object." Instead, she felt a strong sense of security and was overjoyed.

It wasn't for nothing that I was acting as a human cushion all this time!
It was even starting to look forward to that damned Uchiha coming to find it.

but……

"Aren't you interested in those Yin-style creations outside?" Nine-Tails asked curiously.

Since Otsutsuki Toneri's father was able to see that 'Void' was a Yin Release creation, Kurama, being a Yin-Yang Release creation, could naturally also sense the nature of 'Void'.

To be honest, this was the first time it had encountered such a Yin-based creation, and it felt strange and unique in its way of existence.

Oh, no, it's not the first time...

Seemingly realizing something, Kurama's vertical pupils narrowed slightly.

"It is a product of my creation." Otsutsuki Kumo's calm voice reached my ears, "So what's the point of asking whether you're curious or not?"

This statement instantly confirmed the Nine-Tailed Fox's suspicions, deepening its sense of awe.

This ability is equivalent to creating an existence completely different from living organisms.

"So, you want to destroy Konoha?"

Nine-Tails' vertical pupils flickered slightly, its eyes filled with eager anticipation.

This is something I can do!
But the next sentence instantly poured cold water on his enthusiasm.

"Whether it's destroyed or not, what does it matter to me?" he said.

"Don't you think the existence of Konoha and other ninja villages is a mistake?" Kurama couldn't help but ask.

"What does it matter whether it's wrong or not?"

"Do you think I haven't tried to guide those lambs that are being raised in captivity and waiting to be slaughtered?"

Otsutsuki said in a cold tone, "But when I open the lambs' cage, they will just stand there, looking at me with confusion in their eyes."

"Fox, you are the same."

Hearing the arrogance in his words, Nine-Tails opened its mouth as if to say something, but in the end it obediently shut up.

Because it genuinely believes that humans are constantly repeating the same mistakes and are completely unaware of their errors, the reason it wants to refute that statement is simply because it feels it is different from humans.

But if it can see the worst aspects of humanity from its centuries-old perspective as an observer, then perhaps it sees the same in the eyes of this ancient creature that has lived for thousands of years?

While Kurama was reflecting on its own actions, Otsutsuki Kumoshiki slowly opened his eyes inside the wooden house.

"Finally, I've found you," he thought to himself.

After spending his days inside Naruto Uzumaki, he finally found what he was looking for.

Ashura's chakra!
He won't be like Black Zetsu.

After obtaining the Rinnegan from the reincarnations of Ashura and Indra, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, he completely disregarded subsequent reincarnations, causing his plan to fail.

As long as Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha are still in Hagoromo's hands, and even as long as Ashura and Indra's chakra are still reincarnated, Hagoromo could turn the tide at any time with their help.

No matter what Hyuga Kumokawa turns the ninja world into, Ashura and Indra's chakra will continue to reincarnate.

Yu Yi can create "Children of Prophecy" at any time, also known as "Protagonists of the World," and use them to overthrow his plans and rule.

Even if you kill Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, it won't make a difference. Instead, it will alert Hagoromo and cause you to lose track of Ashura and Indra.

Therefore, what the body of "Otsutsuki Kumoshiki" needs to do is to hold the "protagonist" in its own hands.

but……

Looking at Ashura's chakra, which was almost completely fused with Naruto's soul, Otsutsuki Kumoshiki couldn't help but frown.

No wonder the reincarnations of Ashura and Indra throughout history have such similar personalities; it turns out that the chakra and soul of Ashura and Indra are fused together.

Or rather, the chakra of Asura and Indra is essentially the soul.

Hagoromo Otsutsuki has truly mastered the art of manipulating the soul, achieving an effect that is nearly indistinguishable from the Otsutsuki clan's "Karma" seal.

Even he couldn't remove it to that extent, and besides Ashura's chakra, he also sensed something mixed in with it.

"A backup plan left behind by Hagoromo?" Otsutsuki Kumoshiro's blue eyes narrowed slightly. "Did he think that would prevent me from touching Ashura's chakra?"

Since you won't let outsiders touch Ashura's chakra, then I'll grant your wish and let Ashura's chakra become Naruto's power.

However, the way it is realized as power may be different from what you imagine.

"Ashura," Otsutsuki Kumoshiki whispered, "become Naruto Uzumaki's Zanpakuto."

You will no longer have a symbiotic relationship.

Rather, it is the knife and the person wielding it.

Two independent individuals.

(End of this chapter)