"By the way, this is for you."
After standing quietly on the deck for a while, Naruto suddenly seemed to remember something and took out the [Super Solid Pure Gold] from his sealing scroll.
When this extremely compressed, one hundred percent Pure Gold appeared, its dazzling golden light nearly turned the night sky into daylight.
"Hiss... I should have given this to you during the day."
Naruto decisively wrapped the Super Solid Pure Gold in cloth, blocking the spread of the golden light.
"This is the Pure Gold? How did it become like this?"
At this moment, Karin also emerged from her youthful melancholy, her attention drawn to the small gold block in Naruto's hand.
She knew that since she could transform back into a human again, it meant Naruto must have used his ability to separate the Pure Gold from her body.
But she truly hadn't imagined that the watermelon-sized chunk of Pure Gold would become this palm-sized form.
"Did you only separate out this much?"
As she spoke, Karin reached out to touch the Super Solid Pure Gold, but Naruto stopped her first.
Just as Karin's finger approached within ten centimeters of the Pure Gold, the previously well-behaved gold instantly turned into a liquid state, rapidly flowing out through the gaps in the wrapping cloth, and then, as if possessing self-awareness, extended 'tentacles' trying to touch Karin's hand.
However, this action was blocked by Naruto's large hand.
His hand, no different from ordinary flesh and blood, acted like an insurmountable wall, completely blocking the Pure Gold's 'escape attempt'.
"Quite unruly..."
Saying this, Naruto simply covered it with his other hand and sealed it back into the scroll.
"This..."
Karin belatedly withdrew her hand, also recalling that when she first touched the Pure Gold block, the head-sized gold had also melted into her body in an unguarded moment.
After that, she had begun her time as a little bird.
Karin took a step back and tentatively asked.
"This thing... the Pure Gold, does it have its own will?"
Hearing this, Naruto first nodded, then shook his head.
Under Karin's puzzled gaze, Naruto slowly revealed his research findings on the Pure Gold.
"Karin, the Pure Gold you encountered before indeed contained some kind of... will, just like Momoshiki inside you, or the previous Otsutsuki Kaguya."
"Moreover… it also carries a trace of 'cosmic' flavor."
"Huh?"
Karin immediately felt a lingering fear, looking at the sealing scroll inscribed with the words [Pure Gold] as if it were some kind of parasite.
"Don't be afraid."
Seeing this, Naruto immediately explained with a smile.
"Its consciousness is already extremely, extremely faint, to the point of being on its last breath. Even if it hadn't been removed, it couldn't have influenced you like Momoshiki did."
"Actually, after I extracted it from your body, its life had already ended."
"What just happened should only be considered the final 'embers' of this consciousness."
Hearing this, Karin recalled the previous situation and asked further.
"Then my previous inability to transform back..."
At this, Naruto began to explain the true situation in detail.
"This is the second thing I want to tell you."
"You already know that Pure Gold itself is a metal with a 'special field' that can greatly slow down biological aging or disease."
"But actually, its manufacturing material also contains a certain energy… the energy brought by that unique consciousness. I speculate it was some kind of extraterrestrial object, mixed in with the Pure Gold's materials during production. As a result, because of the Pure Gold, this extraterrestrial visitor maintained a 'half-dead' state."
"The reason your body couldn't transform back after integrating with the Pure Gold was indeed influenced by that consciousness, but it wasn't malicious."
Saying this, Naruto pointed to the Kama on Karin's hand.
"It... or rather, 'He' was only protecting you, keeping your body in the state best able to withstand energy transformation."
"I believe you also saw that when Momoshiki took over your body, you could briefly transform from beast form to beast-man form."
"This is because Momoshiki far surpasses you in energy control and carrying capacity."
Hearing this, Karin nodded somewhat vaguely.
She didn't really understand all the intricacies involved, but since Naruto said so, it should be correct.
However, she soon remembered something else and looked up to ask.
"But Naruto-san, you have already removed it from my body, yet I can still master this power—"
As she spoke, golden light with healing properties emanated from Karin's fingertips. This light, mixed with her Haki and Chakra, was exactly the light that had previously made those evil beings retreat.
"And I feel... I don't seem to have weakened much..."
Although she hadn't tested her strength changes since waking up, Karin still drew this conclusion based on her control over her body.
"This is the last thing."
Naruto raised a finger and said.
"The Pure Gold... or rather, that unknown energy's transformation of you has been completed. You have now crossed a long period of growth."
"A large portion of that energy has actually already merged with you. I couldn't extract it... and there was no need to extract it… it is already yours."
"And this remaining small piece is the final portion of energy that your body couldn't withstand."
Saying this, Naruto handed the scroll to Karin.
"Your adaptability to this energy has reached its limit. If you integrate this part into your body, you would most likely enter some kind of 'overload' mode, only able to endure it by transforming into your beast form."
"Then..."
'Then why give it to me?'
Karin wanted to ask this, but she immediately understood.
He was giving this to her as a 'trump card', just like dealing with Momoshiki, for emergencies.
It must be said, although she had always been at odds with Momoshiki hiding in her mental space, if he hadn't taken the heat, she would have likely been done for long ago.
"Alright, the thing is given to you. As for when to use it, you decide for yourself."
Seeing that Karin understood his meaning, Naruto didn't say more. After patting the girl's head, he instantly disappeared from the spot.
—Spatial abilities were just too convenient.
Silently placing the scroll in her bosom, Karin touched her hair again… it still seemed to retain the sensation of Naruto's touch.
"Sigh..."
The young girl's melancholy sigh once again echoed in the sea breeze.
...
The next day.
Naruto floated in mid-air, the submarine and the ship both before him.
Even knowing what was about to happen, everyone's faces still carried some curiosity and unease.
That was space teleportation!
"Come to think of it, Blueno's Doa Doa no Mi could do something similar. Unfortunately, he's been missing since the Summit War."
Stussy, holding her child, smiled lightly as she spoke to Kalifa about their former colleague.
"By the way, what about Kaku and Lucci?"
Stussy still had a strong impression of these two, the strongest fighters in CP9. If possible, she wouldn't mind recruiting them under her command again.
Her subordinates also needed someone to direct them.
"Stussy... Madam, they... we have gone our separate ways, so we're not too sure about their whereabouts."
Kalifa didn't look Stussy in the eyes, afraid she might see something.
"Is that so... a pity."
Regarding this, Stussy didn't delve further, just gently shook her head.
"Alright, everyone prepare, hold on tight."
At this moment, Naruto's voice came over, and everyone quickly returned inside the cabins.
The next moment, a pitch-black spatial door opened, its scale far exceeding before.
The submarine and the large ship slowly sailed into the door.
Naruto did his best to maintain the stability of Yomotsu Hirasaka.
This was, after all, his first time teleporting so many people and things, and he was afraid something might go wrong.
But it had to be said, the Otsutsuki Clan's abilities were indeed convenient.
Although he had to fly in person on the way here due to the lack of spatial coordinates, returning was much easier.
Well... once he also figured out the Flying Thunder God Technique, he would truly lack nothing.