"You're actually alive?"
Naruto's surprise was evident as he laid eyes on the newcomer. It was the Konoha ninja who had taken Karin to the hospital. Naruto had assumed he would turn to dust along with the hospital's destruction. However, it seemed he had managed to escape just before the Tailed Beast Bomb detonated, perhaps getting caught in the resulting chaos nearby.
"Hmph!"
The Konoha ninja merely scoffed, refusing to answer. If it weren't for Naruto's formidable strength, he would have relished the opportunity to crush him to ashes, but he knew better than to show any friendliness.
"Is it because of those two damn women?" Heda's expression darkened abruptly. Two mere outsiders had been taken in by their village, and now they were causing such significant trouble.
"Chief, watch out!"
Just as he spoke, the Konoha ninja next to him suddenly tensed, yelling out a warning. Unfortunately, he had been caught in the blast of the Tailed Beast Bomb, his strength severely diminished; he was in no condition to protect his leader.
Heda couldn't understand the ninja's intense reaction, but clarity struck him almost instantly.
"Looking for death!"
Naruto's gaze sharpened as he vanished in a flash, appearing right in front of Heda.
So fast!
A chill ran down Heda's spine, and without hesitation, he thrust out his palm to strike. The nearby ANBU, too, attacked Naruto simultaneously. But with Naruto maintaining his Sage Mode and unleashing full power, his speed was on par with the Fourth Raikage; there was no way these watered-down Konoha ninjas could withstand him.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several chakra arms erupted from Naruto's back, effortlessly swatting away the approaching ANBU. He reached out and seized Heda's wrist, crushing it with a sickening crack.
"Ah!—" Heda screamed in agony, a sound reminiscent of a slaughtered pig.
No matter how brave the words, flesh and blood still feared pain. In that moment, he truly regretted underestimating his opponent. How could he possibly fight back after a single encounter?
"Chief!!"
The surrounding Konoha ninjas turned pale with fear, yet they were too intimidated to approach. They could only encircle Heda, faces taut with tension, ready to assist.
"Would you like to repeat what you just said?" Naruto's voice dripped with icy menace from behind his mask.
"I… I'm sorry!" Heda's facade crumbled under the looming threat of death.
His confidence evaporated in an instant, far from the unwavering resolve he had claimed earlier.
How could this be?!
The Konoha ninjas around them gawked in disbelief; their leader had yielded far too quickly, far too easily.
Naruto raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. "I thought your resolve was stronger than that. What happened to the 'Will of Grass'? What about your commitment as a Konoha ninja? Is this all you've got?"
Heda felt the heat of embarrassment wash over him. His earlier words, driven by pure fear, had slipped out without any thought. But now, what could he do? There was no taking it back!
With his pride already in tatters, Heda surrendered entirely. "Those were just slogans meant to motivate my subordinates! Just like Konoha's 'Will of Fire' and Iwagakure's 'Will of Stone'—just empty rhetoric. Only fools take them seriously."
"I don't want to die, especially not for nothing. If you came for that mother and daughter pair, I'll let you take them. If there are consequences, we from the Grass Village are willing to offer compensation."
As a small ninja village surviving on the fringes, they couldn't afford to be noble or honorable.
Seeing no hope of winning, Heda spoke earnestly, a true pragmatist—he was willing to compromise to save his life!
"Chief!!"
Of course, not all of his subordinates agreed. A voice rose up from the crowd, shouting defiantly.
But while Heda cowered before Naruto, he showed no such leniency to his own men. Even with his wrist in Naruto's iron grip, he bellowed, "Silence! I am still the chief!"
"I won't accept this!"
One ANBU stepped forward, hands forming seals as he yelled, "The Will of Grass is not just for show! Even if the chief abandons it, I will prove its existence! Fire Style: Ghost Lantern!"
Flames shaped like lanterns appeared out of thin air, surrounding them.
"Ghost Lantern? That sounds familiar!"
Naruto suddenly recalled, "Oh right, it's from the secret scroll that defeated Orochimaru in the duel arena! Once triggered, it explodes. Just throw a Ghost Lantern in front of Orochimaru, and you can be sure it'll blow up!"
As Naruto lost himself in thought, the ANBU who unleashed the Ghost Lantern shouted loudly, "You, who have lost your dignity, are unworthy of being our chief! Die alongside the attackers of our village!"
She controlled countless fiery orbs of ghostly flames, hurling them at Naruto, intent on hitting him and Heda together.
"Don't! Dragon Tongue!"
Several ANBU attempted to intervene but were far too late, unable to defend against such a barrage.
"Dragon Tongue, huh?" Naruto felt a stir of recognition.
Hearing the voice triggered something unsettling; it was the tomboyish protagonist from the Blood Prison film. The one who had used the Dragon Resurrection technique to save Naruto, exchanging her life for his. She wasn't bad-looking, but too bland, even more so than Tsunade. And he could be certain she wasn't wearing a chest wrap.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!
Ghostly flames detonated against Naruto, the sheer number of small explosions culminating in a massive blast.
The Mist ninjas could only retreat, eyes fixated on the center of the explosion, their faces taut with anxiety.
Regardless of their opinions on Dragon Tongue's actions, they all secretly hoped Naruto and Heda would perish in the blast. This way, the crisis in the Grass Village would be averted, and the blame would fall squarely on Dragon Tongue—nothing to do with them.
However, few realized that throughout the entire encounter, Naruto had acted completely nonchalant, even distracted, and had made no effort to evade Dragon Tongue's assault. Was he impatient to die?
The answer was a resounding no!
When the explosions subsided, Naruto stood there unscathed, while Heda, still in his grasp, was left mangled and gasping for breath, barely clinging to life.
Naruto released Heda's wrist, and he collapsed with a thud, twitching, struggling to speak but failing, eventually succumbing in silence.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, this so-called Will of Grass really is something else," Naruto said, brushing nonexistent dust off his clothes, shaking his head in amusement.
Did they really think a mere Chūnin's fire technique could harm him?
Even if it had erupted with power comparable to an A-rank jutsu, so what?
Naruto was wrapped in the chakra of the Nine-Tails!
If he could be harmed, he might as well go sell ramen instead.