Chapter 48: The Three-Headed Strange BeastThe Five Kage and the others looked at the eerie and violent aura emanating from the Crystal Core, recalling the discomfort of the backlash they felt when they touched it earlier.Even though they were full of resentment, they could only clench their fists and fall silent; no one dared to speak up to fight for it anymore.Raikage A let out a muffled snort and turned his face away, full of defiance but helpless.Rasa withdrew the Gold Dust from his palm, his expression gloomy, yet he knew clearly that no one could control this Crystal Core that harbored hidden dangers.Ōnoki, the Mizukage, and Hiruzen Sarutobiexchanged glances and all nodded helplessly, tacitly accepting the result that the Crystal Corebelonged to Naruto.After all, only Naruto could see through the secrets of the Crystal Core, and only he dared to face the eerie energy on its exterior.Seeing that everyone had no further objections, Naruto didn't say much. With a flick of his wrist, the Five-colored Thin Sword in his palm instantly unsheathed.The sword light was sharp and precise, hacking straight towards the basin-sized iridescent Crystal Core.There was no world-shaking roar; the sword light easily penetrated the surface of the Crystal Core, and it cracked open with a gap.The concentrated pure spiritual qi inside instantly gushed out, while that violent and eerie aura remained only on the surface of the Crystal Core.In contrast, the internal spiritual qi was exceptionally warm and mellow, slowly flowing into Naruto's body through his pores, where it was entirely absorbed and refined.This scene stunned everyone present; no one had expected that this seemingly uncontrollable Crystal Core could actually be used by Naruto in such a way.From the very first moment he saw the Crystal Core, Naruto had already used Observation Haki to perceive that the devouring power only existed on its surface.Furthermore, under his guidance, the spiritual qi was completely transformed into pure cultivation energy.In just a moment, the spiritual qi within the Crystal Core was completely absorbed by Naruto.Naruto stood with his sword sheathed, his aura a bit more stable, and gave a faint nod to the crowd."The hidden danger of the Crystal Core has been removed. We shouldn't stay here long; the sixth floor of the secret realm is the key."Although everyone had their misgivings, they seemed to have grown accustomed to Naruto's unpredictability.Immediately, they stopped dwelling on it, regulated their respective Chakra, and followed Narutotoward the passage leading deeper into the secret realm.Passing through a path interwoven with flesh and bone fragments, they soon arrived at the junction between the fifth and sixth floors.Naruto stopped and turned around, looking at the people behind him and speaking in a deep voice."This time we go in together. The dangers of the sixth floor are far higher than those of the fifth."Everyone nodded in agreement. As soon as he finished speaking, Naruto gripped the Five-colored Thin Sword in his hand and applied force to his wrist, slashing horizontally at the stone wall of the passage ahead, intentionally widening it.In a moment, a smooth and clean cut over ten meters wide appeared on the stone wall.Seeing this, Raikage A stepped forward, intending to use an elbow strike to smash through the remaining stone wall.But before he could even raise his hand, the heavy stone wall was suddenly smashed outward from the inside, and the entire boulder flew straight toward the group!Everyone reacted extremely quickly, instantly activating defensive Ninjutsu to block.Under the collision of immense force, the stone wall shattered into countless fragments, and dust instantly filled the air.Before everyone could steady themselves, a deafening beastly roar pierced through the dust and exploded in their ears.A behemoth, with a size far exceeding that of the flesh beast on the fifth floor, stood formidably in their path.Its entire body was covered in dark purple flesh, with veins bulging like pythons under its skin, and it shockingly had three heads growing from its neck.Three heads and nine eyes; upon those vertical pupils were still the golden-patterned Rinnegan...The three heads roared toward the sky simultaneously, the sound waves several times stronger than the previous strange beast, and the Chakra and spiritual qi fluctuations emanating from its body far surpassed those of the fifth-floor beast.Everyone immediately went on alert, each activating their Chakra to prepare for battle. Raikage A stared at the three-headed strange beast and spoke in a deep voice."This monster has two more heads than the one just now, and its aura is more than just a little bit stronger. What exactly is the origin of this kind of creature?"Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze was locked onto the strange beast."We've walked all the way from the outer secret realm to here. The deeper we go, the higher the concentration of spiritual qi in the surroundings.""The strange beast on the fifth floor was already powerful. This sixth-floor beast has grown extra heads and its strength has skyrocketed; this is definitely no coincidence."Floating in the air and sensing the dense spiritual qi around him, Ōnoki took up the conversation: "The core of these ruins should be on the final floor deeper down; the spiritual qi concentration around the core is the highest.""The closer a strange beast's territory is to the center of the secret realm, the more abundant the spiritual qi in its environment. Long-term absorption of such high concentrations of spiritual qi will cause mutations in the beast's physique, strength, and even form.""Growing extra heads and doubling in strength are the most direct manifestations. The deeper we go, the stronger the strange beasts we encounter will be."Standing at the front of the group, Naruto sensed the energy within the three-headed strange beast, which shared the same origin as the previous one but was much more violent.He reminded everyone in a deep voice."This strange beast's strength, defense, and recovery will all be stronger than the one on the fifth floor. The three heads should be able to launch attacks simultaneously.""The weak points are at the junctions of the heads and the neck area. Everyone, perform your respective duties; don't launch a solo assault recklessly."As soon as he finished speaking, the three-headed strange beast took the initiative to attack, its three heads simultaneously spitting out dark purple energy beams that blasted toward the group.The three dark purple energy beams swept in with a destructive force, scorching and distorting the air wherever they passed, instantly blasting several bottomless ravines into the ground.Not daring to be careless, everyone immediately dispersed according to Naruto's reminder and launched a counterattack, each performing their assigned role.Lightning surged around Raikage A as his Lightning Release Chakra condensed to the extreme. His body transformed into a blue-white bolt of lightning, charging straight at the front of the strange beast instead of retreating.Having finished charging his Lariat, he smashed it hard against the jaw of the strange beast's middle head, attempting to disrupt its attack rhythm first."Lightning Release: Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chiyo Dance!"A shouted as he unleashed a barrage of punches, the power of thunder striking the beast's flesh in dense succession, causing bursts of blood to spray.However, the strange beast's defense was far more formidable than the one on the fifth floor; as soon as wounds appeared, they began to heal rapidly.Hiruzen Sarutobi flickered into the air, his hands quickly forming seals as he unleashed Fire Releaseand Wind Release Ninjutsu in succession, the wind fueling the fire.The Fire Dragon Flame Bullet transformed into a blazing dragon several zhang long, coiling around the strange beast's left head.The high-temperature flames scorched the beast, causing it to roar repeatedly. The left head instinctively turned away to avoid the heat, causing its attack rhythm to suddenly stall.The attack was so fierce that it left a hideous and terrifying brand on its body.Yet shockingly, the wound was healing frantically at a speed visible to the naked eye. Before the residual power of the coiling fire dragon had even dissipated, that severe injury was already nearly as good as new.Seeing this, everyone's hearts sank, feeling that things were going poorly."Naruto! Why haven't you made a move yet?" the Fourth Raikage roared, his tone tinged with anxiety."If you want that Rinnegan, just chop off its head!"Raikage's words gave Naruto a slight pause, then a flash of realization crossed his eyes, and a playful curve appeared at the corner of his mouth."True... that makes sense!"He stretched his wrists, and the Chakra around him suddenly seethed. His tone was casual yet carried an unquestionable dominance."You guys hold it off for a moment; I'll finish this."Seeing this, The Five Kage understood and no longer held back.The Tsuchikage formed seals, and the ground rose into a heavy rock shield, while countless sharp stone spikes pierced out like a rainstorm, firmly locking down the opponent's evasion space.The Kazekage controlled a storm of Gold Dustfilling the sky, transforming it into a strangling vortex that trapped the beast firmly in the center....The Five Kage joined forces, their offensive like an inescapable net, forcing the opponent to struggle just to cope in place.In that split second of restraint, Naruto moved.His figure turned into an almost imperceptible afterimage, his speed reaching the extreme, leaving only a trail of blurred tracks.He didn't even draw his blade; relying solely on physical strength and extreme speed, he unleashed a sweeping kick like a blade's edge."Puchi—!"The three heads fell to the ground in response, rolling away.However, the terrifying regenerative ability manifested again. Flesh squirmed at the severed necks, and almost the instant the heads hit the ground, they began to recover frantically, looking as if they were about to reconnect.Naruto's gaze turned cold, and at some point, a Black Longsword shimmering with a chilling light appeared in his hand."Still trying to recover?"Before his voice faded, the sword light surged.Between the continuous horizontal slashes of sword light, the sword momentum reached its peak speed. Only the incessant "chi chi" sounds of cutting could be heard.The blade went all the way down from the neck, slicing that rapidly recovering body into pieces, inch by inch, layer by layer, until it was completely shredded!Beyond the starry sky..."It seems the Sand Sea Ruins have been invaded by those Ninjas...""No matter. This planet is also nearing its end. Let them enjoy a moment of joy before their demise..."
