Chapter 423: Inukai Takeru
What exploded first wasn't light—it was a sphere of expanding blackness that devoured sound and illumination. Then, that dark core reached critical mass—
No time to react.
Searing white light erupted! Like a miniature sun suddenly rising over the gloomy sea, it instantly illuminated the rolling dark clouds, towering waves, and the terror-stricken faces of the Sky ninja on their warships.
Waves of destruction—clearly visible spiral rings mixing pitch-black and crimson energy—expanded outward from the impact point with brutal force. Wherever they passed, the sea surface wasn't pushed aside but directly vaporized, leaving enormous hemispherical depressions.
The Sky ninja warships were as fragile as paper before these spiral explosive energy rings. The hulls were easily twisted, torn apart, then vaporized directly under the high temperature and impact, leaving not even large fragments behind.
The explosion's roar was like heaven and earth collapsing, briefly drowning out even the ceaseless pounding of the storm.
An enormous mushroom cloud mixed with water vapor, metal dust, and unburned chakra flames rolled upward into the sky, becoming the most brutal and dazzling totem of death across this sea.
Standing on his clay bird, Deidara looked down at his "work," trembling with excitement, breathing heavily.
"See that?! Yeah! This is... ultimate sublimation!"
The rain curtain had been torn open by the massive explosion. The leaden gray clouds had been blasted through, leaving a huge cavity. Pale sunlight spilled down onto the turbulent sea surface.
Konan hovered in midair, her paper wings trembling slightly. Her usually cold expression had lost all color.
Defeated.
Utterly, unquestionably defeated.
Juzo Biwa and Raiga Kurosuki—defeated by Ice Release combination attacks. Hidan had become a laughable prisoner in water. Hiruko had been completely erased from existence by Uchiha Shisui's sealing technique.
And Shinno... his Sky ninja army that he'd hidden for years and considered his trump card for conquering the world, those massive steel warships and elite flight divisions, hadn't even managed to join the battle before being reduced to slowly spreading oil slicks and dust on the sea by Deidara's catastrophic explosion.
Only she remained capable of fighting.
Meanwhile, the Ember organization's core combat strength was virtually intact. Their leader "Menma" hadn't moved from the beginning. Uchiha Shisui and that newly appeared Mangekyo Sharingan wielder's chakra signatures were stable.
Kakuzu, Momochi Zabuza, and Haku were coldly watching. Not to mention that Deidara laughing maniacally in the clouds above...
In this sea area suddenly bathed in sunlight, permeated with smoke and deathly silence, another change occurred.
BOOM!
Not far away, the sea surface suddenly exploded with waves dozens of meters high! Some massive creature bursting through the water caused violent turbulence.
"MENMA! Hey, you! Look over here!"
A voice forced to sound fierce but distorted from excessive effort rang out. Beneath the forced bravado in that voice was undisguisable trembling.
Naruto, who'd been standing silently and observing the battle, tilted his head slightly. The Akatsuki organization... still had people who hadn't arrived? And judging by this voice, it seemed... somewhat familiar?
He directed his gaze toward the source.
The scene that met his eyes was rather... peculiar.
A youth with sharp shark-like teeth and white hair cropped short had merged his lower body with a large patch of seawater beneath his feet, presenting an unstable liquid fluctuation. Using the Hozuki Clan's signature Water Transformation Technique, he forcibly manipulated the surrounding massive volume of seawater, condensing it into a transparent water monster dozens of meters tall.
The water monster bared its teeth and brandished its claws, towering over the sea surface. At first glance, it appeared quite imposing.
However, Suigetsu Hozuki himself—the core and controller of this "sea monster"—formed a pitiful contrast with the massive creature's momentum.
Half his body was exposed, his face pale as a ghost, lips trembling uncontrollably. Cold sweat streaming from his forehead and neck created faint wisps of vapor around him.
Especially when "Menma's" gaze fell upon him, Suigetsu's entire body visibly shuddered violently, and that massive water monster also swayed along with him, nearly collapsing.
Fight Menma?
Every cell in Suigetsu's body was screaming in fear. What kind of joke is this?! Make him face this monster?! This wasn't a mission—it was a suicide order!
But disobey Pain's command? Betray the Akatsuki organization? Just thinking about those indifferent Rinnegan eyes, thinking about what had happened the first time his rebellious nature made him point his finger at Pain's head...
Menma who could casually crush him ahead, Pain who held the power of life and death behind—this was an absolute dead end!
In his despair, a faint and desperate hope struggled to the surface. The rumors... that Menma who'd attacked Konoha but killed no one... perhaps... wasn't bloodthirsty? Maybe he only looked terrifying?
Perhaps... if he just charged forward and let Menma casually "deal with" him, knock him into serious injury and unconsciousness, he could avoid being labeled a deserter while luckily keeping his life?
Right! That's it! He just needed to pass out!
Thus, under the interweaving of fear and pathetic hope, Suigetsu used every ounce of strength to maintain that impressive-looking but hollow giant water monster, issuing toward Menma the most "brave" challenge of his life.
Naruto silently watched this Suigetsu Hozuki who was so terrified facing him that he was almost about to "melt" back into a puddle of water... How did I forget about him... and he actually joined the Akatsuki? Does this count as "going legitimate"?
Seeing his appearance—caught between a rock and a hard place, scared to death—Naruto instantly understood Pain's intention. A disposable pawn used to probe, exhaust, and force out certain capabilities.
"Then... I'll use it a little."
Menma spoke to himself, deciding to cooperate with this forced "probing act."
He raised one arm, aiming at Suigetsu and his tottering "sea monster."
"Three Demon Gods."
BOOM!
The sky and earth suddenly lost color!
From the palm Menma had raised, three distinctly different yet equally world-destroying auras erupted simultaneously!
Inukai Takeru—molten lava surged from nowhere, roaring like living creatures as it devoured the sea surface! From the sea of scorching red-hot magma emerged several terrifying giant "serpents" over a hundred meters long! But atop those "serpents" weren't snake heads—they were ferocious, roaring dog heads with bared fangs!
The lava dog heads opened their massive jaws, spewing sulfurous breath and destructive high-temperature exhalations.
Kijigari—flames condensed from the void, fire billowing and gathering to form a blazing giant bird with a wingspan nearly thirty meters across!
Saruiwa—rock from the seabed and earth-attribute chakra were forcibly extracted, forming a colossal ape over a hundred meters tall, composed entirely of dark brown hardened stone, that burst from the sea! It caused surrounding seawater to roll back madly, producing dull thunder-like rumbling!
Three massive existences comparable to Tailed Beasts descended upon the sea surface in a triangular formation, completely surrounding Suigetsu and his pitiful "sea monster."
The oppressive presence they radiated far exceeded ordinary shinobi comprehension—it was the vast divine majesty belonging to the Otsutsuki level!
The dozens-of-meters "sea monster" Suigetsu had condensed dispersed with a "pop," instantly collapsing back into ordinary seawater that splashed down. This was caused by chakra fluctuations alone.
Suigetsu's mind went completely blank, unable to produce any response.
His vision was filled with lava's red, flame's white, and stone's brown. His ears held only the tsunami-like roar from the giant creatures moving and the howling of energy.
Am I going to die...?
He felt no pain from an incoming attack. Extreme terror and that pervasive chakra wave stripped away his consciousness.
Suigetsu Hozuki fell straight backward, splashing into the seawater with a "plop."
He fainted cleanly and decisively, completely unconscious.
Menma slowly lowered his raised arm. The Three Demon Gods still maintained their forms, standing in place.
Menma glanced at where Suigetsu had sunk, then raised his eyes, gazing toward Hidden Rain Village's tower direction.
I've given you the probing you wanted. So then, Nagato... will you come in person next?