Chapter 407: Departure from Mount Myōboku
"Yes! Master!"
Naruto stepped forward, his hands blurring as he formed the familiar seals.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Poof! Poof! Twin clouds of white smoke erupted, revealing two identical clones flanking the original.
"Here we go!"
The original Naruto, his eyes marked with the distinct orange pigmentation of Sage Mode, planted his feet firmly. He thrust his right hand forward, concentrating his chakra. The clone on his left immediately began molding the shape transformation, while the clone on his right infused the razor-sharp nature of Wind Release.
Hum—! A piercing, high-frequency screech tore through the air.
White Wind Release chakra spun frantically in his palm, expanding and flattening until it took the shape of a massive, four-bladed shuriken. But this time, the chaotic screeching began to smooth out. Naruto mobilized the ambient Natural Energy coursing through his body, carefully weaving it around the violent jutsu.
The chakra core, which had previously been volatile enough to tear his own arm apart, miraculously stabilized under the binding force of senjutsu.
"I can feel it..." A brilliant light flashed in Naruto's toad-like eyes. "This time... it is going to work!"
He hoisted the massive construct above his head. The high-speed rotation of the wind blades shredded the surrounding air, creating a localized vacuum that tugged at their clothes.
"Sage Art: Wind Release Rasenshuriken!" Naruto roared.
Twisting his waist, the muscles in his arm bulged as he hurled the glowing sphere fiercely toward the distant, barren wasteland.
Whoosh—! The projectile tore from his grasp.
Unlike his previous failed attempts, it did not collapse into a chaotic burst of wind. Instead, it expanded rapidly mid-flight, transforming into a blinding stream of white light that crossed hundreds of meters in a fraction of a second. The sheer aerodynamic pressure plowed a deep, jagged trench into the earth below its flight path.
Boom—! In the dead center of the wasteland, the Rasenshuriken detonated.
A colossal, hemispherical dome of blinding white light expanded in eerie silence. A heartbeat later, the delayed shockwave hit. A deafening roar swallowed the landscape. The earth trembled violently beneath their feet, and a torrential gale howled outward, snapping their cloaks wildly in the turbulent wind.
"If someone were hit by that..." Jiraiya swallowed hard, his eyes wide as he analyzed the terrifying mechanics of the blast. "Their entire chakra network would be severed instantly. The cellular destruction would be absolute."
Uchiha Akira stood calmly, his hands clasped behind his back. He watched the glowing dome in the distance slowly dissipate, a fleeting trace of satisfaction warming his cold, crimson eyes.
As the light finally faded, the dust settled to reveal a massive, smooth-edged crater carved into the once-flat wasteland.
Naruto collapsed onto his backside, panting heavily as the orange pigmentation faded from his eyes, deactivating Sage Mode.
"Master! Pervy Sage!" he yelled between gasps for air. "I did it!"
Akira walked forward, extending a hand to pull the boy to his feet. "Well done."
The two toad sages, Fukasaku and Shima, stared at the devastation, entirely speechless.
"Such destructive power..." Fukasaku muttered, shaking his small, warty head. "Even Minato, back in his prime, never developed a jutsu this terrifying."
Akira did not allow them much time to marvel at the destruction. "Alright. Since the jutsu is complete, it is time for us to return."
He activated his ocular jutsu. The space around them twisted into a spiraling vortex. In an instant, the group vanished from the Tianyu Space.
A second later, the dry, sterile ground beneath their boots was replaced by the damp, mossy soil of Mount Myōboku.
"The test is over," Akira stated, his tone shifting back to the authoritative cadence of a Kage. "It is time to go back. There are many matters in Konoha waiting to be dealt with."
At the word return, Naruto sprang from the ground with an energetic kip-up.
"Great! Finally, we can go back! I am going straight to Ichiraku Ramen! I am going to eat ten bowls! No, twenty bowls!"
Over the past few days, the local cuisine of Mount Myōboku had inflicted severe psychological trauma on the young jinchuriki. Right now, Naruto's only desire was to sprint back to the village and consume something that did not squirm on the plate.
Akira nodded slightly. "Since the training has been successfully completed..."
"This is a joyous occasion!" Shima suddenly interrupted, her wrinkled, warty face splitting into a wide, enthusiastic smile. "The brat Naruto not only mastered Sage Mode but also developed such a powerful ninjutsu. We must celebrate properly!"
At the word celebrate, Naruto's excited grin froze. A block of ice settled in his stomach, and a chill shot straight from the soles of his feet to his scalp.
Shima rubbed her webbed hands together in delight. "It just so happens that I went to the back mountain earlier and caught plenty of fresh ingredients. Since it is a victory banquet, we cannot be sloppy about it. Old man, hurry and fetch that jar of treasured Dragonfly Larva Wine!"
Fukasaku nodded sagely. "A fine idea, Ma."
Naruto's face drained of color at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Ugh..." He clamped both hands over his mouth, his stomach churning violently at the mere memory of the crunch.
Over the past few days, as the primary focus of the training, the two sages had been exceptionally caring toward him. Akira, holding the absolute authority of the Hokage and possessing an intimidating aura, easily brushed off their hospitality with a simple, cold, 'I am not hungry.' Jiraiya, a seasoned old fox, always managed to slip away into the shadows with various flimsy excuses.
That left only the honest, gullible Naruto. Trapped under the relentless persuasion of the two sages—'How can you have the energy to train if you do not eat enough? This is all for your own good! It is pure, high-quality protein!'—the boy had tearfully forced down several multi-course insect feasts.
The sickening, exploding texture of giant grub worms bursting between his teeth had become an inescapable nightmare that would likely haunt him for the rest of his life.
Now, faced with the prospect of another meal, Naruto felt his soul actively trying to leave his physical body. He snapped his head toward Akira, his blue eyes wide and brimming with desperate pleading.
"Mas... Master..."
Watching his disciple teeter on the edge of a total breakdown, the corners of Akira's mouth curled up in a rare, faint smirk.
He was well aware of how thoroughly hardcore the cuisine at Mount Myōboku was. Forget Naruto; even Akira, a man who had waded through rivers of blood, felt a distinct wave of revulsion when looking at those thick, wriggling, multi-legged ingredients.
"Oh?" Akira raised an elegant eyebrow, his tone dryly amused. "This is the kind intention of the two sages. Naruto, one must know how to be grateful."
Hearing this betrayal, Naruto's knees buckled. He looked ready to drop to the dirt and beg for mercy.
Watching the boy's miserable state, Jiraiya felt a sharp pang of sympathy. He quietly took a slow step backward, desperately trying to lower his presence. He was terrified of catching Shima's attention. After all, the Sannin had not eaten a proper meal in days either, surviving entirely on chalky, bitter soldier pills. But he would gladly chew on dry rations for a month straight rather than let one of those squirming delicacies touch his tongue.
"Ahem." Seeing that the boy had suffered enough, Akira decided to stop teasing him. "Two sages."
Shima, who had already turned toward the brush to hunt for giant centipedes, stopped and looked back at him.
"Hokage-sama, what is it? Are there any dietary restrictions? Do not worry, I can prepare a lighter broth!"
Akira raised a gloved hand, smoothly cutting off her enthusiasm.
"There is no need. Urgent news just arrived from Konoha. The situation on the front lines has shifted. The allied forces of Kumogakure and Iwagakure have made new, aggressive movements. As Hokage, I must return immediately to take command of the battlefield."
It was, of course, a complete fabrication. But it was a flawless, unassailable shield.
At the mention of the front line situation, Fukasaku's expression instantly sobered. Although he was a toad sage, he understood the brutal priorities of the shinobi world. Compared to a looming war, a victory banquet was entirely trivial.
"If it is official village business, then it cannot be helped," Fukasaku sighed, shaking his head with genuine regret. "The Hokage-sama's duties take absolute precedence. Ma, stop fussing over the food."
Shima deflated, her shoulders slumping in disappointment.
"Oh my, what a terrible pity. I really wanted to let Hokage-sama taste my special cooking before you all left."
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