Neji was now certain that Shinnō had a deep connection with the Sky Ninja, possibly holding a high rank among them.
But what exactly was the purpose behind this scene? Why fake his death to escape?
As Neji pondered these questions, a sudden wave of intense malice surged within him.
"This feeling...?"
Neji's eyes widened abruptly. He had felt a similar kind of malice before.
"Did Naruto use the Nine-Tails' power again?" Neji instinctively assumed that this malevolent chakra belonged to the Nine-Tails.
As he was still puzzling over why Naruto would resort to using the Nine-Tails' power, Neji quickly realized he was mistaken.
He saw it with his own eyes: that pitch-black energy didn't require the Byakugan to be visible. It was plain to see even with normal vision.
The sinister, dark chakra erupted from none other than the girl named Amaru.
In an instant, Neji understood why Shinnō had done what he did. It wasn't to provoke the Nine-Tails' power, it was to draw out a force within Amaru that was similar to the Nine-Tails' power.
Could Amaru be a jinchūriki?
Neji contemplated but decided not to intervene. He didn't see the need. He believed Naruto could handle it alone.
Neji's trust in Naruto's strength was as strong as Natsuro's, or perhaps even more extreme.
He trusted Naruto's abilities but thought his brain needed "remodeling."
In Neji's mind, Natsuro had likely sent him along to ensure Naruto wouldn't unknowingly fall into Shinnō's trap.
"What's going on? Amaru! Can you hear me?!" Naruto shouted in shock as he watched Amaru.
The dark chakra surrounding her began to take shape, forming a snake-like creature with a mask marked by the kanji for "zero." The creature coiled around Amaru protectively.
Naruto heard a voice, it seemed to come from Amaru, yet it also sounded like the creature's.
"I am the Zero-Tails. When the world is filled with war and chaos, and darkness breeds in human hearts, I shall awaken. I devour the darkness in hearts, manifest, and grow infinitely to bring this world under the rule of darkness!"
The Zero-Tails' mask twisted into an eerie smile, sending chills down Naruto's spine.
"What's happening here?!" Sakura and Hinata arrived, alarmed by the commotion. They gasped at the sight and demanded an explanation.
Naruto quickly recounted what had happened and speculated that the creature might be a tailed beast.
"Kid, that's no tailed beast," came Kurama's voice in Naruto's mind.
"Huh? But her state looks just like when I was about to lose control," Naruto said, confused.
"Hmph! There's no such thing as a tailed beast named Zero-Tails," Kurama scoffed. "And this disgusting chakra... Kid, I'll lend you my power. Crush this pretender!"
Kurama felt an intense disdain for the Zero-Tails. How dare something like this impersonate a tailed beast? Even Shukaku couldn't compare to the Nine-Tails, let alone this thing!
"Wait—!" Naruto couldn't finish his sentence before he felt Kurama's chakra surging through him. The fiery red chakra even began to envelop his body.
"That's enough! That's enough!" Naruto quickly said, sensing he wouldn't be able to handle any more.
"Weakling," Kurama muttered, cutting off the chakra flow.
"Interesting... So you harbor such a fascinating creature," the Zero-Tails said, its wicked eyes gleaming with greed. "The power within you is what I desire!"
"Sorry, but this power isn't for you," Naruto shot back, his blood-red eyes fixed on the Zero-Tails. "And you've pissed off my partner inside. So, you're getting a beating!"
The chakra around Naruto formed into a more refined Wind Armor. This new version was far more intricate than before.
"N-Naruto-kun..." Hinata blushed as she watched Naruto clad in his armor.
"Didn't think he could look this cool when serious," Sakura muttered before turning to Hinata. "Let's back off and leave this to Naruto."
"Y-Yes," Hinata agreed, knowing her Gentle Fist wouldn't be effective against a creature without visible chakra pathways.
However, the Zero-Tails had no intention of letting them retreat. Countless tentacles sprouted from its snake-like body and lashed toward them.
"Not a chance!" Naruto finished weaving hand signs.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Dozens of Naruto clones burst into existence, grabbing hold of the tentacles and forcefully tearing them apart.
"Looks like you're not so tough after all!" Naruto's real body darted toward the Zero-Tails with incredible speed while his clones distracted it. In his hand, a fox-red Rasengan spiraled to life.
"Rasengan!"
Naruto didn't hesitate, slamming the Rasengan into the Zero-Tails. The creature's body exploded upon impact.
Naruto thought it was over, but the Zero-Tails' mask twisted into another sinister grin.
In the next moment, its body regenerated completely. New tentacles sprouted, coiling around Naruto before he could react, binding him tightly.
"Naruto!" Sakura and Hinata cried out in alarm.
The Zero-Tails stared hungrily at Naruto, particularly the Nine-Tails' chakra emanating from him. Opening its massive maw, it prepared to devour him whole.
"Damn it!" Naruto gritted his teeth and struggled with all his might, but the tentacles held fast. His single effort wasn't enough to break free.
Should he use more power? He hesitated. Sage Mode required time to gather, but using more of the Nine-Tails' chakra might spiral out of control...
"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!"
A sharp voice rang out, followed by several waves of compressed air slicing through the tentacles that held Naruto.
In an instant, the tentacles were severed, and Naruto quickly broke free, retreating to a safe distance.
"Neji-nii-san!" Hinata exclaimed in delight as Neji emerged from the other side.
"Saved! Neji, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Lord Hokage sent me to follow you in secret. Naruto, you're far too careless," Neji said with a frown.
From Neji's perspective, Naruto's strength far exceeded that of the so-called Zero-Tails, yet he still allowed himself to fall into its trap.
"I didn't expect it to regenerate so quickly," Naruto said, scratching his head.
"When darkness arises in the hearts of men, I shall awaken. I will devour the darkness within and be reborn," Neji suddenly recited.
"That's what it said when it appeared. Based on that, we can infer that it was born from the darkness in Amaru's heart. Simply destroying its physical form might not work," Neji explained.
"I see... but..." Naruto looked at Amaru hesitantly. Her teacher had just died in front of her, how could she recover so quickly from that?
"Shinnō isn't dead," Neji said abruptly.
"What?! But I saw it with my own eyes..." Naruto's eyes widened in shock.
"I saw it with my Byakugan. I'll explain everything later, but for now, you should tell Amaru the truth. That's something you can do, right, Naruto?" Neji said, his tone serious.
Naruto nodded, a confident smile spreading across his face. "Leave it to me!"
Now that he knew about the Zero-Tails' regenerative ability, it was no longer a threat. Naruto had also felt its power earlier, it's nothing special!
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In an instant, a dozen Naruto clones appeared and launched an all-out assault on the Zero-Tails.
This time, Naruto didn't let his guard down. Whenever the Zero-Tails showed signs of regenerating, the clones immediately struck again with Rasengan, breaking it apart once more.
Meanwhile, Naruto's true body reached Amaru. Placing his hands firmly on her shoulders, he shook her and shouted,
"Amaru! Wake up! Shinnō isn't dead! And even if he was, you're his disciple, you should carry on his legacy! Besides, you still need to save your family and the people of your village. Don't give up now!"
"Shinnō... sensei..."
As Naruto shook her, Amaru's eyes slowly fluttered open.
With Amaru regaining consciousness, Naruto's clones noticed that the Zero-Tails had finally stopped regenerating. Their job done, the clones dispersed.
Check out the patreon and get 55 chapters in advance -> SaintXI
Currently on Chapter 304 - Sasuke ~ There's No Way My Future Self is This Weak