A.N: Hoo boy, this was a tough one to finish up. Seriously, you'd think being quarantined at home would make things easier, but it's the exact opposite. Well, while I definitely had some struggles with this chapter, overall I like how it turned out. Hope you all do as well.
Chapter 27: Conviction and Genius
Sagi scowled in frustration at being confronted by Naruto Uzumaki. "What in the blazes were those idiot soldiers doing?" He wondered out loud. "When you see someone like Naruto Uzumaki, you attempt to impede him, no matter what."
"I think we both know what would've happened to your men if they tried to get in my way." Naruto pointed out. "Nothing was going to stop me from getting to my friends. I'd have kicked any of their asses for getting my way."
Sagi chuckled. "Oh my, did you get that from a stupid little storybook about heroes and chivalry?" He asked. "You're not going to rattle me with your 'hero talk' you know."
Naruto scowled at Sagi now. "You really have a lot of nerve, acting the way you do. Since you're the leader of this army, that means you're the one who ordered the Fishmen to be forced into that liquid…and then dumped it on my friends."
Sagi laughed. "And now you're going to tell me that you won't let me get away with it, because what I did was immoral. War crimes this, ethics violation that. I've heard them all before, and to be perfectly frank, I really don't care. The experiment was a success, I just won't be able to apply it anywhere else."
Naruto took a deep breath. "I won't let you provoke me. I let your boss provoke me back in Fiore, and I won't make that mistake a second time."
Sagi chuckled. "Ah, you're referring to your brief inconvenience of a mere mental fragment of His Majesty's. You know, when I first heard about that whole story, I just laughed and laughed. Because you're supposed to be one of the biggest threats to our conquest."
"You Otherworlders think you're so special, but in reality, you're nothing but big fish in the smallest of ponds. I'm sure you, or one of your precious friends have heard this before, but the Kingdom of Rakuen is where your hope goes to die. What exactly did you think was going to happen when you tried to fight against a kingdom with the confidence and power to conquer an entire universe? There was only one way this was going to end from the get-go. The deaths of everyone who resists. Being the heroes the universe needs? Standing up for what's right? You're just weaklings hiding behind foolhardy self-righteousness! You won't even get a chance to meet the real Lord Konton!"
Naruto narrowed his eyes at Sagi. "This is the beginning of the end! The death knell for the Allied Forces will toll with your death, Naruto Uzumaki!" Sagi declared.
Then, Naruto vanished from sight. Sagi gasped. He was faster than Jellal!
Sagi was then sent airborne by a hard punch to the metallic jaw from the blonde Genin. "What?" Sagi could only say in surprise managing to land on his feet.
"You seriously love to hear yourself talk, don't you." Naruto gave Sagi a chilling glare. "In fact, you talk way too damn much, you know that."
"What?" That was still what Sagi could only say.
Four Shadow Clones then appeared above Sagi. "WHAT?!" Sagi screamed furiously.
Two of the Shadow Clones tossed their compatriots at Sagi. "Rasengan!" They yelled.
Sagi yelled in frustration as he suddenly blasted both the clones with the laser cannons in his hands, vaporizing them both out of existence. However, the real Naruto Uzumaki was not going to let him off that easy. "Rasengan!" He yelled, nailing Sagi right in the chest.
Sagi was knocked off his feet by the Rasengan. He quickly recovered in midair and landed on his feet. Naruto let his Nine Tails Cloak shimmer brightly around his body. "Why you…" Sagi growled.
"I'd stop talking if I were you." Naruto told him. "Seriously, you talk so much, you have a really bad habit of letting your guard down. Or hey, if you want to keep running your stupid mouth, by all means. It'll make things easier for me."
"You," Sagi snarled, "you are not going to humiliate the likes of me. I will not let one of Chitsujo's little science projects ruin my glory."
Science projects? Naruto frowned slightly. That was definitely an odd way to describe him, and what he could only assume were his three 'brothers.'
"Don't let what he's saying get to you, Naruto." Kurama warned him. "It's just as you said, the guy loves to hear himself talk. And he's a classic malignant narcissist, so of course he's going to throw odd insults like that your way."
"Still, science projects?" Naruto was still weirded out by that description. "I know the dude's a malignant narcissist. I've only just met him and I can tell that much. He could've chosen any insult to throw at me, and he chose that of all things, why?"
"Naruto, for the love of everything holy and sacred, and for both of our sakes, please do not overthink this. Especially in a fight to the death. If you want to worry about it that much, worry after you kick this guy's ass."
"...Fair enough." Naruto conceded.
Sagi enveloped both of his metallic hands in blades of Reiki. "I'll dissect you." He promised. "Let's see just what makes you ninjas tick, Naruto Uzumaki!"
"Pure grit, jackass!" Naruto leapt above Sagi, avoiding his first swing with ease.
"I won't let you strike me again!" Sagi assumed Naruto was going to nail him from above with a Rasengan.
Naruto smirked. He fooled him. "Hyah!" He yelled, swinging his arm to the side, creating a massive Chakra claw that swept Sagi up and knocked him in midair.
Naruto then landed and immediately launched himself towards Sagi. Nine tails appeared on his Chakra Cloak and then formed into fists. Naruto let out a loud roar of power before rapidly assailing Sagi repeatedly with eleven fists. "Deploying flares!" Sagi yelled, as several holes in his Faux Man body opened up, and blasted Naruto away with flares.
As Naruto fell from the sky, Sagi flew upwards with rockets in his feet. Sagi's mouth opened up, revealing another cannon. "You can just go straight to hell, you brat!" Sagi still managed to scream out. A nice reminder that this was not his actual body.
Naruto's eyes widened at the tremendous amount of Reiki gathering at the cannon. "Oh man, that'd actually hurt." He muttered.
"Kid, it's not just you that you'd have to worry about. That blast would actually wipe out the entire area below you. As in, it'd kill everyone you're trying to protect!" Kurama yelled out in warning.
Naruto could not help but chuckle at Kurama's franticness. "You really have changed, Kurama." He noted. "The old you would've never cared about anyone other than me. And that was only because if I died, then you died too."
"Okay, I get it, I'm not an ass anymore! Now please do something to get everyone out of this situation!" Kurama yelled.
Naruto smirked. "Don't you worry, I'm already on it!" He yelled, forming a familiar, spinning ball with blades on the sides.
"Die!" Sagi yelled, firing a laser beam of Reiki that would envelop the entirety of Ryugyu Palace in an explosion upon touching down on the ground.
"Take this! Tailed Beast Rasenshuriken!" Naruto yelled, tossing the Rasenshuriken at Sagi's laser beam.
Sagi watched in shock as the Rasenshuriken collided with his laser. The impact detonated both techniques, darkening the entire area in dark red between himself and Naruto. Naruto gasped, as he landed on his feet. "Holy woah, that might've actually killed everyone...except me of course. But that would've hurt."
"We need to try and force the fight elsewhere." Kurama suggested. "We can beat this guy, Naruto. But we can't unleash too many of our stronger attacks because it could very well get everyone else caught in the blast."
"Naruto!" Naruto looked over his shoulder to see a concerned Temari.
Naruto smiled and gave Temari a thumbs up. "Don't worry, I've got this." He assured her.
"Idiot!" Kurama yelled. "If she can move then ask her to get the wounded out of here! Or better yet, make some freaking Shadow Clones and have them take the wounded away as well!"
"I can do that, can I?" Naruto deadpanned inwardly.
"You're practically a grown man now, how is it that I still have to think of everything for you!" Kurama screamed in disbelief.
"For crying out loud, Kurama, stop screaming in my head. It's basically the same as you screaming in my ear you know." Naruto muttered, forming the familiar hand sign. "Anyway, Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Temari watched in surprise as Shadow Clones suddenly appeared at Naruto's side. They immediately went to work scooping up the wounded and exhausted. "Naruto...wait…" Jellal muttered while being placed piggyback atop one of the Shadow Clones, not wanting to leave his subordinate to fight Sagi alone.
"Don't worry, Jellal." Naruto gave him a thumbs-up. "You can't do anything, as you are now. So let me just handle this on my own. This is just me taking a precaution so none of you get caught in the crossfire."
The Shadow Clones first left with the most injured and exhausted of the bunch. Then, one scooped up Temari into his arms like a princess, making the Sand Kunoichi let out an uncharacteristic squeak in response. "Oi!" Naruto yelled at the Shadow Clone carrying Temari. "Do not carry my friend's sister like a princess!"
The Shadow Clone stuck his tongue out at Naruto in response. "You are breaking like...several bro code rules, dude!" Naruto insisted, but to no avail.
The Shadow Clone just ignored Naruto and ran off with the shocked Temari. Naruto just gaped in disbelief. "What...the actual...hell?" He muttered.
"Wow, that might be the first time I've actually seen one of your Shadow Clones stand up to you like that." Even Kurama was shocked by what he had just witnessed. "You know, we should probably look into that."
"Hell no, why would anyone want to waste their time dealing with rebellious Shadow Clones?" Naruto replied. "They've always been a little whack, they're me after all."
"Fair enough," Kurama shrugged, "it would be a waste to devote thirty minutes to rebelious Shadow Clones. Why anyone would think that'd be a good use of time is beyond me."
Something suddenly landed behind Naruto. Well, it was not exactly something. That would imply it was unknown. Naruto knew exactly what it was. Naruto looked over his shoulder to see that it was indeed Sagi, who had finally come back down to the ground after his laser had failed to wipe everything in sight.
"Back to continue the fight, Sagi?" Naruto asked.
"Have I told you not to look down on me? I had to have told you not to look down on me at some point. You have no right to look down on someone like me." Sagi growled.
"You sound very insecure about your so-called 'intellect'." Naruto bluntly noted.
Sagi snarled at this. He dug his metallic feet into the ground before rocketing towards Naruto. Naruto quickly countered by creating another giant claw of Chakra that swiped Sagi to the side, knocking him off track. Sagi recovered and fired a laser beam from one of the palms of his hands. Naruto quickly formed several chakra tails that moved out in front of him, acting as a barrier that blocked Sagi's attack.
Sagi landed and launched himself at Naruto once more, creating Reiki blades on his hand once more. "Deploy flares!" Sagi yelled, blasting Naruto with flares once more to blind him and leave him vulnerable to Sagi's blades.
Naruto gasped at the flares exploding around him once more. Sagi laughed, preparing to decapitate Naruto with his blades. However, what Sagi failed to count on was one of the Chakra tails to actually sweep across the floor and trip him with enough force to actually send him airborne. Naruto recovered from the flares and quickly formed another ball of Chakra. "Rasengan!" He yelled, driving it into the airborne and vulnerable Sagi, sending him flying away.
Sagi just growled. He was not able to feel pain, but just the fact that Naruto was actually doing well against him...it irritated him to no end. He hated it. He hated Naruto Uzumaki. He hated every single one of these uppity Otherworlders who had the nerve to think they could stand against him. An elite. The most senior member of the Nine Dark Circles. One of Konton's most trusted soldiers.
A stupid brat like this kid. This stupid brat who is nothing more than a science project. A stupid brat, who only means something to the universe because of near-literal divine intervention. He had no right at all to be defying him.
"Missiles away!" Sagi yelled, as his shoulders, elbows and kneecaps opened up, revealing small missile silos.
If lasers will not work, I'll just blast this little pest with so much firepower that even he won't be able to dodge it all.
Naruto just smirked as the missiles were fired towards him. "It doesn't matter what you throw at me, Sagi." He promised. "I've got an answer for everything you've got!"
With that, Naruto formed two miniature versions of his Rasenshuriken in both hands. They appeared between two fingers. Meanwhile, his Chakra tails did the same. Sagi gasped, realizing what Naruto intended to do. An attack of near-surgical precision. "Mini-Rasenshuriken Barrage!" He yelled, launching the miniature wind blades at Sagi's missiles.
Sagi gasped in disbelief as the miniature shurikens cut through his missiles with ease, exploding between him and Naruto without actually managing to hit their mark. A giant Chakra hand then appeared from the smoke and grabbed Sagi. "WHAT?!" He yelled in shock before being hurled into the air once more.
Naruto leapt after Sagi and began punching him repeatedly with his Chakra arms. "Like I said, I have an answer for everything you've got, you son of a bitch!" Naruto yelled. "That's what makes me Naruto Uzumaki! The Number One Hyperactive Knuckle-Headed Ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village."
"Damn it...divert power to shields!" Sagi commanded, trying to mitigate the damage to his beloved creation. This little brat was not going to break his greatest creation yet. Not this easily. Not without a fight.
Structural integrity is still sound. Energy levels are still battle-ready. Good, I can still continue! Sagi noted with relief.
Naruto then propelled himself upwards by extending his Chakra tails to the ground and using them to push himself above Sagi. "Huh?" Sagi looked up.
"Big mistake!" Naruto yelled tauntingly as Sagi was suddenly grabbed from behind by a Shadow Clone, Naruto had made at some point.
Seriously, when did he make these Shadow Clones? Did he just constantly keep them on standby? Or was this simply what it meant to be a Shinobi who fights from the Shadows. "Damn you!" Sagi yelled furiously. "Do you have any idea who you're dealing with? Let me go! Let me go, you insect!"
Both the Shadow Clone and the real Naruto just smirked as Naruto formed an even larger version of the Rasengan. "Giant Rasengan!" He yelled, plowing the large orb into Sagi's metallic chest, driving both the Circle and the Shadow Clone into the ground.
Sagi yelled in shock as he was slammed through the floor and down to the basement level once more. Naruto, meanwhile, landed safely, gazing at the hole he had made and then buried Sagi within. "You think that was enough, Kurama?" Naruto asked curiously.
"I'll say this much, I can sense the level of energy from that guy. It's heavily suppressed. Must be a side effect from not fighting in the flesh. But it's something. I haven't sensed something this dangerous since Madara Uchiha." Kurama acknowledged.
"For real? That might've been great information to have earlier." Naruto frowned.
"Oh, like that would've mattered to you." Kurama said in a matter of fact tone.
"...Yeah, I guess you're right." Naruto shrugged. "Anyway, you don't think that was enough to take him out?"
"Hell no, if he really is as strong, if not stronger than Madara, then there's no way in hell that was enough to take him out." Kurama noted, audibly concerned about Sagi. "Still, you're doing really well so far, Naruto. Just don't let your guard down and we'll be going home winners before you know it."
"Hey, I've got you with me, buddy." Naruto grinned. "No way in hell can this mechanical moron bring us down!"
Meanwhile, at the basement level of Ryugu Palace, Sagi growled in frustration as he rose to his feet. "What the hell?" He growled. "What the hell? What the hell? What the hell?! What the hell?! WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT THE HELL?!"
"This is wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong! All wrong!" Sagi furiously ranted. "Naruto Uzumaki was not supposed to be this strong! Nothing in my data pointed to him reaching this level of strength! I'm not supposed to be wrong! I'm never wrong!"
Sagi then took several deep breaths. His body remained chillingly motionless as the sound of his breathing rang out in the palace basement. "Calm yourself, you fool." Sagi berated himself. "You are better than that. You are Sagi, the 8th Circle. The Circle of Fraud. You do not turn into a neanderthal when the situation is going poorly. That is not you."
"You are the genius of Rakuen! The man whose intellect is unsurpassed by everyone else! You stand a giant among men! You are Sagi! The one unmatched by all!"
"That's right," Sagi was now completely calm, "I have no reason to be frustrated. No matter how difficult things may seem, I always win. I never lose, certainly not to some otherworld trash that thinks they can win by being an idiotic tryhard."
"Now then," Sagi muttered, "what's the current damage?"
"Hmm…" Sagi took a moment of silence to analyze the state of his Faux Man. "You can't be serious. Structural damage is at 50%. Power levels are currently at 50% as well. He's actually managed to damage my Faux Man with all of those ruthless attacks of his."
Calm down...calm down...do not let him get to you!
"First thing's first, I need to figure out how he got so much stronger since Fiore." Sagi decided. "That is absolutely necessary for my research and updating my Faux Men. Win or lose, I cannot afford to have my beautiful creations be damaged like this in the future."
Sagi then dug his heels into the ground. "And then...well, it looks like I'm going to have to make some adjustments in the field as well." Sagi let out a dark chuckle. He had now fully regained his composure. "Oh well, this is just part of being a scientist. When parts of your experiment aren't working out, you alter them and improve them on the spot. Yes, that's right, I'll solve this like any other problem. I shall persevere and change my experiments until I've arrived at the conclusion I desire: in this case, my victory!"
With that, Sagi leapt into the air and landed back in the throne room. Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Hey again, Sagi." He said.
"Don't you 'hey again' me, you bastard." Sagi snarled. "You will answer this question for me, do you understand me? You have no right not to answer me."
"You're awfully demanding for a man in your position." Naruto snarkily responded.
"Don't mock me." Sagi warned him. "Your death will be even more unpleasant if you keep mocking me."
Naruto just smirked uncaringly. Sagi kept his composure and got to his question. "How did you get this strong?" He demanded. "Your current level of strength does not match my previous research and conclusion. And I hate it when my research leads to incorrect answers."
"So you will tell me how in the world you've surpassed my expectations."
Naruto laughed at this. "You know, for a scientist, you have very limited thinking, Sagi." He taunted. "Did you really think I wouldn't have gotten stronger after Fiore?"
"What are you talking about?" Sagi demanded.
"We had several months to rest and recuperate after the final battle at Tenrou Island." Naruto pointed out. "Many of us rested up and grieved. However, I had my focus elsewhere. I had my focus elsewhere...as did my 'brothers.' We spent the past several months doing the same thing, together."
Sagi gasped at this. "And do you want to know what Ichigo, Luffy, Natsu and I did in the months we had to rest before this campaign?" Naruto asked with a grin. "We ate, sparred, ate some more, sparred some more, slept, and then repeated the process all over again when the next day began."
"We got to know each other and became best buddies from sparring back before the war began, after all." Naruto admitted. "So, it seemed only right that we continue to spend time together afterwards the same way."
"And so yeah, all we did was spar these past few months." Naruto smiled at all the memories. "Hell, I spent several days straight in a pissing contest with Luffy over who's Tailed Beast was stronger and better."
"A pointless argument, by the way, we all know that it's the mighty Nine Tailed Fox, yours truly." Kurama said haughtily.
"Damn straight," Naruto said proudly, "Luffy and Son are eventually going to have to just learn to deal with that, because we be spitting straight facts when we say that you're the strongest of the Tailed Beasts."
"What a load of crap!" Sagi screamed. "There is no way in hell you've gotten strong enough to match my beautiful creation!"
"Wow," Naruto smirked, "you seem to be deluding yourself with quite the delusion, Sagi. Well, hey, luckily for you, busting people out of the illusions they had created for themselves happens to be my specialty. I got a good friend of mine to stop spouting crap about fate. Another friend to stop believing only he could love himself. And my best friend from believing he had to shoulder all the world's hate for the sake of peace."
"You get the idea," Naruto said, "my Genjutsu skills may be nonexistent, but damn am I good at breaking illusions."
Sagi regained his composure upon hearing Naruto's words. He started to laugh, much to Naruto's confusion. "A master at breaking illusions, you say?" He said. "Oh now that's a good one. Seriously, I'm not one for jokes, but that is a damn good joke!"
"Wow, he changed his attitude really quick." Naruto muttered.
"That should be a major red flag, you idiot." Kurama deadpanned.
"Oi, don't call me names, I've done nothing to earn that." Naruto deadpanned right back.
"A master at breaking illusions...you have no idea what true illusions are, Naruto Uzumaki." Sagi said darkly.
"And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Naruto demanded. "I live in a world where the freaking Sharingan existed, and people tried to put the entire world into some whacked out dream world. Where do you get off saying I don't know what real illusions are like?"
Sagi chuckled. "Oh, you poor simple fool," he said, "I'll let you in on a little secret."
"This metallic body of mine...it restricts me to the point where I can only form Reiki into various energy-based attacks, like blades and lasers." Sagi explained. "However, my true strength lies in the Art I am currently unable to use."
"Grand Illusion, the illusory-based power without equal." Sagi revealed. "If you thought the Mangekyo Sharingan's Tsukuyomi was terrifying...oh, my boy, you have no idea what kind of hell I'd unleash upon you and your pitiful friends if I were here in the flesh."
Naruto was immediately put on guard at this. An illusion based power more terrifying than Tsukuyomi? A part of him wanted to believe that Sagi was just messing with him, or tooting his own horn.
However, there was something about this that made him believe every word of it. This monster had a power that could mess with someone's mind even worse than the Tsukuyomi. Naruto still remembered hearing the details of how Kakashi had been hospitalized after getting hit by Itachi Uchiha's Tsukuyomi. A Genjutsu had put one of the strongest men he knew in the hospital. And then of course there's all the times that Itachi had used Genjutsu to mess with Sasuke's head in order to make him hate him enough to kill him.
And Sagi. This guy. This freaking guy. He was claiming that he had an even greater mastery over illusions than guys like Itachi. "It appears I piqued your interest, Naruto Uzumaki." Sagi said with a chilling laugh. "That's good. You need to know just how doomed you are. Conquest is only successful when the losers are beaten to the point where they're too defeated to ever consider mounting a comeback."
"In other words, you need to experience true defeat and despair." Sagi told him. "The kind where you no longer have the strength to ever fight again!"
Naruto glared at Sagi. "You can knock me down as many times as you want, Sagi...but I can promise you this, you should give up on trying to make me give up."
Sagi laughed. "You really are an idiot." He said. "Your hopes...your dreams...your determination...it will all fall to pieces before true power."
"Now then," Sagi continued, "how about I let you on another secret?"
"I mean, you won't shut up until you share it, so go right ahead, jerk." Naruto glared at the metallic man.
"The truth is, I've been holding back a lot of the specs in this machine. You've only seen half of the weapons and capabilities of my Faux Man." Sagi revealed. "I was fighting a little conservatively because I was concerned about overwhelming my darling Faux Man on its first fight out in the field."
Naruto was put on guard by this statement. "Ooh, now I've definitely piqued your interest." Sagi teased. "But of course I did. I almost killed so many of your friends, when I was concerned about really taking this Faux Man for a proper spin."
"But see, since you've really, really pissed me off, I'm going to annihilate you." Sagi promised.
And with that, Sagi's body lit up in crimson red. Naruto's eyes widened at the sudden boost in Reiki. "This is what 30% of a Circle's power actually looks like, Naruto Uzumaki." Sagi revealed. "I hope you're prepared to be my little guinea pig for whatever's left of your life, because fair warning, when it comes to my test subjects...I'm quite rough on them."
Naruto scowled. "I told you, you can't make me give up. So just give up on that!" He yelled, rushing in with a Tailed Beast Rasengan.
Sagi just laughed at this. "Naruto Uzumaki, you are without a doubt one of the biggest idiots I've ever had the good fortune of meeting."
And with that, Sagi held his hand out in front of him. His palm then opened up, revealing a small hole that lacked the laser cannon from before. Kurama was immediately put on guard, realizing that there was something up with.
"Don't charge him!" Kurama yelled. "Get back, Naruto!"
Naruto ignored Kurama. If he could just get a good shot in on the Circle, he could damage him to the point where he could put the finishing touches on this fight. Victory would be Naruto's. Victory would be for the Allied Forces. And everyone's pain and misery...and not just the Alliance's, but the Fishmen as well. It would not be for naught.
Sagi chuckled. "Nope." He said cruelly as the Rasengan suddenly vanished from Naruto's hand, much to the shock of the ninja and Jinchuriki.
"Wait...what?!" Naruto could not believe what had just happened. His Ninjutsu had just vanished. How was something like that…
Then, Naruto noticed that his Nine Tails Chakra Cloak was starting to fade from his body. What the hell was happening to him? Sagi just laughed at this sight. "I told you, you're an idiot, especially compared to my stunning intellect." Sagi bragged, now confident in this fight once more. "Did you really think I wouldn't design this machine with a couple countermeasures for fighters like yourselves?"
Naruto's eyes widened. Sagi kept laughing. "I'm draining your Chakra, you idiot!" He said smugly. "And I'm not going to lie, this will take awhile. Even I have to admit that you're a giant, living Chakra battery."
"But this was designed specifically for you in mind, so you better believe that I intend to continue using this weapon against you!" Sagi declared. "In fact, I have countermeasures built in for all four of you idiot Acts!"
"Damn it!" Naruto yelled. "I let my guard down!"
"Yeah you did, dumbass!" Kurama yelled. "Even with our massive Chakra reserves, they're still not infinite. If he manages to drain you of all your Chakra…"
"I know!" Naruto yelled, cutting Kurama off so that he could focus on the fight. "All I have to do is beat him before he drains me completely, right?"
"That may be true, but you can file this under easier said than done!" Kurama pointed out.
Naruto smirked. "I always did love a challenge!" He declared. "And besides, I think I've already got a workaround!"
Naruto leapt over Sagi, getting himself away from the man's outstretched hand. Naruto noticed his Chakra Cloak becoming more stabilized. "Just as I thought," he noted with relief, "if I get out of the way of his hand, he can't drain me. It's a direct line."
Something's off, Kurama thought to himself as Naruto created several dozen Shadow Clones of himself to rain down Chakra-enhanced justice onto Sagi in the form of several Rasengan, this guy's an arrogant prick, but he's honestly got every reason to be. He is a genius. He wouldn't design something like that knowing it would have an easy bypass.
Sagi chuckled. "Fool." He said. "Activate Drain Field."
"Drain what?" Naruto asked in confusion before his Shadow Clones suddenly started to disappear. They no longer had the Chakra to maintain their forms.
Meanwhile, Naruto's Rasengan vanished in his palm once more. "I think of everything, you idiot." Sagi reminded him before delivering a powerful kick right to the Jinchuriki's ribs. "I'm a genius, remember?"
Naruto yelled in pain as he was sent sailing into a wall. "Drain Field?" Naruto repeated. "What the hell…"
"You would not believe the amount of effort I had to put into creating this." Sagi smirked. "A sensory field that sends a command to my machine to drain any energy within range. That was difficult to create. Hell, it's still not perfect."
"But, as long as you're within the field, you'll be drained of your Chakra." Sagi revealed. "This was specifically designed for living batteries such as you, Ichigo Kurosaki and Natsu Dragneel. Because see, you could run away, but I'd chase you. But you're not the type to run away, right? What was it you said? Oh yeah, 'give up on making me give up.' How does it feel to have that turned on you as such?"
"So basically I have to kick your ass before I have to run out of Chakra? You're not underestimating how much Chakra I have, right Sagi?" Naruto glared at him.
Sagi ran up to Naruto and uppercutted the ninja in the jaw. "Are you underestimating how much I've been holding back to avoid overheating my machine?" He countered.
"Naruto!" Kurama yelled in concern, as even though Naruto had managed to land on his feet, he was swaying slightly.
"Kurama," Naruto muttered, "I think that field of his is draining us faster than we thought. My reaction time felt slower than usual."
"I hear you, I can feel him messing with my Chakra too." Even Kurama sounded concerned. "Do you want to retreat? We could fall back, think up a new plan and then return to fight him once we have a new plan."
Before Naruto could respond, Sagi appeared behind him in a slipstream and elbowed him in the back of the head, making him stumble forward. Sagi chuckled and stretched out the palm of his hand once more, firing a cannonball of Reiki that struck Naruto in the back, knocking him onto his stomach. Naruto tried to get to his feet, only to be stomped back into the ground, face-first, by Sagi's foot.
"This is a better look for you, prostrated before your superior." Sagi said smugly. "But let's see if I can find an even better look for you."
With that, Sagi removed his foot from the back of Naruto's head, only to immediately drive it into Naruto's face after he instinctively looked up. Naruto yelled in pain as he was knocked back into the air.
Sagi then leapt into the air and began kicking at Naruto repeatedly, knocking him further and further into the air. "Now that look of pain! That's an even better look!" Sagi declared. "You are nothing to me, Naruto Uzumaki! Nothing! Nothing! Nothing! Nothing!"
Naruto coughed up blood from one particularly powerful kick to the ribs. This is bad, Kurama could not believe what he was seeing, With his Chakra being drained so fast, his control over it is becoming unstable, and his fighting ability is suffering as a result!
"Naruto, hang on, I'm giving you more of my Chakra!" Kurama told him.
Naruto grit his teeth and tried to form a Rasengan, only for it to vanish as soon as it took shape. He then received a punch to the face for his troubles and then an axe kick that sent him crashing back down.
"Damn...this guy's running circles around me now." Naruto quickly got to his feet, albeit a bit shakily. "Kurama, be real with me, how much of my Chakra is this guy draining?"
"Too much," Kurama shook his head in disbelief, "he's draining your Chakra faster than you realize. It's just that you have so much, it seems like it's taking a long time. It's my Chakra you're relying on at this point."
"Heh, I mean, I can't complain knowing you've got my back." Naruto smiled.
"Naruto, this is serious!" Kurama yelled at him. "Once your Chakra is almost gone, he'll drain mine next! We'll both be suffering from Chakra Exhaustion at this rate. And without Chakra, your Shadow Clones can't maintain themselves and you can't form your Ninjutsu, like the Rasengan or the Rasenshuriken!"
"Okay, yeah, so things are serious…" Naruto muttered.
"Sorry, but you're probably going to have to rely on your Taijutsu at this rate, because from what I can tell, the more you use Chakra, the faster your Chakra drains. Basically, showing it gets it taken faster."
"Heh, guess I should've been more willing to spar with Bushy Brows back in peacetimes." Naruto chuckled humorlessly.
"Die!" Sagi yelled, landing on the ground, attempting to cave Naruto's head in with a punch.
Naruto shakily managed to avoid the punch. Sagi roared and pressed his assault on Naruto, forcing the Jinchuriki on the defensive. A punch, a kick, another punch, and another kick. Sagi simply would not let up on Naruto.
Magnificent, simply magnificent! Sagi gleefully thought to himself. The full capabilities of a Faux Man are splendid. And it seems that in spite of the damage it has taken, it is not overheating from the stress of the fight.
It appears my concerns for the Faux Man's durability were unfounded. Splendid. Now to kill this little wretch.
Naruto tried to go on the offensive, throwing a few punches and kicks of his own, only for Sagi to block them all with ease. Naruto winced with each block, actually getting blocked by the metallic limbs of the Faux Man hurt like hell.
"You're starting to slow down, Naruto Uzumaki." Sagi cruelly taunted. "But, that's really no surprise. No it is not."
"See, you Acts of Order were designed with a very, very glaring flaw. One that I would've been glad to have pointed out to Chitsujo if he only recognized my genius!" Sagi cruelly pointed out. "You're only designed with raw potential and the immense stamina and energy to match! But no real skill in combat, no brains to match. Just raw power and a lot of 'determination.' With the hopes of recognizing that untapped potential to one day challenge even the gods!"
"Take away all that raw power and untapped energy, and to be frank, you're absolutely nothing special. Just worthless thugs trying to win a street fight!" Sagi declared.
Sagi's arms then lit up even brighter. "This on the other hand is the result of the brainpower of true genius! You never stood a chance from the beginning!" And with that, Sagi's punches became a rapid-fire flurry of blows so fast and powerful that even Naruto found himself unable to keep up with them.
Soon, Naruto found himself being assailed repeatedly by heavy blows. "Useless! Useless! Useless! Useless! Useless!" Sagi gleefully yelled. "You're just an insect trying to fight a lion! This was the only logical conclusion from the very beginning! Die, Naruto Uzumaki!"
Naruto soon found himself being floored by a hard punch to the jaw. Sagi just laughed in triumph. "I've done it!" He cheered. "I've created the anti-Act of Order weapon! I've single handedly won the war for Rakuen! Revere me! Praise me! For I am the harbinger of my kingdom's triumph!"
Meanwhile, outside of Ryugu Palace, Jellal Fernandes and most of the soldiers who had fought against the Dark Circle earlier were all being treated for their injuries. Temari, however, was standing over them all with worry. "Seriously, don't fuss over us so much, Temari." Jellal smiled weakly. "We're all going to be fine."
Jellal's face then fell. What worries me is the sudden fluctuation of Naruto's Chakra. It's becoming unstable...and dropping.
Jellal looked around, noticing several worried faces of various Alliance soldiers. Jellal recognized many of them as soldiers with sensory talents. That meant they probably sensed the exact same thing he did.
That only confirmed his suspicion. Naruto's in trouble...but we don't have anyone who can actually help him without getting in his way even more. Jellal realized, clenching his fist in frustration.
Damn it, even with the medical treatment, my magic is still practically non-existent at this point! He noted. As I am now...I can't do anything for Naruto! If I could just replenish my energy…
Jellal then looked at Temari. Immediately, an idea came to him. "Hey, Temari...you wouldn't happen to have any food pills on you, would you?"
Temari looked at Jellal. "Er...well, yes, of course, I always carry a few food pills on me, just in case."
"Good, give me one, now." Jellal said, shocking her. "Ever since our worlds began to interact, so did our energies, right? That means if we take pills to replenish certain energies, they should have the same effect even if we lack the energy, right?"
"I mean, theoretically, yes, but we haven't exactly tested it." Temari noted. "Commander, I don't think you realize how dangerous taking these pills can actually be."
"While it is true that the food pills replenish the body and their Chakra with stimulants and nutrients, and can even allow the user to fight for three days and nights, it comes with immense drawbacks. For example, after that allotted time period is up, the user experiences a strong case of Chakra Exhaustion."
"Okay, fine so I'll deal with a case of magic exhaustion instead, what of it?" Jellal demanded.
"Because overusing the food pills causes an overdose! It poisons the body!" Temari yelled. "And that happens to people with Chakra."
"And I'm telling you that I should be fine because of how our energies have interacted since our worlds began to interact." Jellal pointed out to her. "I don't even need the full three days, Temari, I just need enough time to help Naruto."
"Commander, normal stimulants and certain nutrients have been known to cause allergic reactions." Temari reminded him. "Civilians are forbidden from consuming the food pills because of that concern, along with the sudden rush of energy overwhelming their bodies. Basically, their hearts would burst from the sudden rush increasing their heart rates to dangerous levels."
"The point is, even if it is true that it should theoretically work in restoring your body, you're still introducing a foreign substance that's basically a drug like opium." Temari pointed out. "We can't just give you something like that without testing it first. It'd be like if your Dragon Slayers consumed magic harmful to them. Your body might not be able to handle the stress, especially the way you are right now."
Jellal lowered his head for a moment, realizing that Temari was only telling him all of this because she cared. Then he looked at all of his soldiers, who looked so exhausted physically and emotionally from all this fighting today and from witnessing the lengths the Coalition was now willing to go for victory.
"That may be true, but I can't let all of this be for nothing." Jellal said quietly.
"Commander?" Temari did not catch that.
Jellal then gave Temari a smile. "Temari," he said, "I can live with the risk. Now please, give me the food pill so that I can go and help Naruto...help our friend."
Temari clenched her fist in frustration before heaving a sigh. "Damn it," she cursed, "why do you men have to be so headstrong and foolhardy?"
Temari then reached into her pouch and took out a single food pill. "You know, Naruto said he wouldn't be able to face Gaara if I died." She remembered. "And honestly, I'm the same. I couldn't face Gaara if he died too."
"Go and save Naruto, Commander." Temari ordered.
Jellal nodded. "Of course," he said before putting the food pill in his mouth.
Back at what was left of the throne room, Sagi laughed cruelly as he kicked the downed Naruto in the stomach repeatedly. "Honestly," he said, "for people to fawn over the likes of you, just because you're some special little hero...the universe really has fallen to pieces, hasn't it?"
"What's wrong?" Naruto remained defiant until the end. "Jealous that we took all the attention from you?"
Sagi growled and delivered a harder kick to Naruto's stomach, making the Jinchuriki wince and yell in pain. "Cheeky brat." He snarled.
"The only thing I believe in, is the reality created by science." Sagi told him. "The faith people put in you, in Chitsujo...it is nothing more than a crutch to cover their own weaknesses. Never mind that you don't deserve the faith that people place in you. Only a handful of people are qualified to lead the universe into an age of enlightenment. And I promise you this, you are not one of those people!"
Sagi's hand then formed a Reiki blade once more. "Now die." He said darkly, preparing to cut Naruto down.
Suddenly, something flew straight into Sagi's back, hitting a particular spot on his metallic spine. "What?" Sagi said flatly as several warning and error messages suddenly appeared on the helmet he was wearing back in Rakuen.
Warning! Connection to Drain Field has been interrupted. Fatal Error! Drain Field shutting down!
"What? What?!" Sagi yelled in disbelief. "Who the hell did that? How the hell did they know to strike me there?"
Simply put, there needed to be a source from where the Drain Field originated from. It was in the middle of the Faux Man's spine. Sagi never hinted at such to anyone. Hell, not a single one of the Circles knew of this weakness. Even Konton himself did not know this weakness. How the hell…
Sagi then looked to see what had embedded itself into his back. It was a kunai knife of some sort. "A kunai?" Sagi was confused now. "So then...it was a Shinobi?"
"With a little bit of Shinobi sensory abilities, I was able to pinpoint the exact spot where that field you drained Chakra originated from." Suddenly, a man in a brown cloak arrived in the ruined throne room. The cloak was concealing his identity.
"Wh-what?" Sagi could not believe what he was seeing. This Shinobi...whoever he was, found that out from sensory abilities? But there was no way he could have figured it out without getting in range of the field and Sagi's own sensory abilities. Hell, he should not have been able to throw this kunai without entering the field first. It made no sense. He should not have that kind of range in kunai throwing.
"So anyway," the man in brown continued, "would you kindly remove yourself from that young man? He's kind of important to the universe, you know."
Sagi growled. "I don't know who you are...but I don't appreciate it when people get in my way. Especially in my moment of triumph!"
Suddenly, the man in brown vanished in a flash. Sagi gasped. His entire presence simply vanished without a trace. "What?" He said in shock before being struck in the back by the man in brown, who had somehow appeared behind him in an instant.
"Consider yourself marked now." The man in brown told him.
"What the hell are you even talking about?" Sagi growled, firing a laser beam at the man.
The man in brown chuckled and patted Naruto. "You stay down, okay kiddo? I'll handle this one."
The man in brown vanished before reappearing in front of Sagi and kicking the man into the air. He then vanished and reappeared once more above Sagi. "So fast!" Sagi yelled in shock.
Meanwhile, Naruto looked at his savior in shock. "What...who...who even is that?" He wondered. "Is he an Alliance soldier?"
Kurama, however, found himself shaking in a mixture of fear and anger. He knew who this was, and he frankly could not believe he was seeing that man again. You can't be serious. Why the hell did he have to...ah, who am I kidding? Kurama could not help but smile a bit. For once, I'm actually glad he's here.
The man then delivered an axe kick to Sagi's back and sent him into the ground. He teleported back to the Faux Man and continued to assail him repeatedly with punches and kicks. I...I can't get a read on him! Sagi realized with horror. With every single punch and kick, this man continued to teleport around him and body him with more attacks. I can't...I can't…
"Deploy flares!" Sagi frantically ordered, trying to fire off more flares and blind his assailant. However, much to Sagi's horror, the man quickly stabbed several kunai knives right into the ports where the flares were.
Error! Error! Error! Sagi heard the computer hooked up to his Faux Man frantically say to him.
No! No! NO! Sagi frantically screamed inwardly.
While Naruto continued to watch his strange savior absolutely dominate Sagi with nothing more than martial arts, a familiar face suddenly appeared at his side. Naruto gasped at who it was. "Jellal?" He exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing here?"
Jellal smiled. "Here to save your life, obviously." He told him.
Jellal then looked at the man in brown. "Though it seems like someone beat me to the punch." He mused. "I wonder who that could be? I didn't hear anything about Lord Chitsujo sending any reinforcements…"
Jellal then winced, feeling the intense adrenaline from the food pill. "Wow...talk about a rush." He muttered.
"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked.
"Don't mind me, Naruto." Jellal said with a small smile. "Let's just focus on getting you out of here and leave this to our new friend here."
Sagi growled, noticing that Jellal was lifting Naruto up. "Like hell I'm going to let you get away!" He yelled, firing a laser past the man in brown towards Jellal.
Jellal gasped. The laser was coming in too fast! Suddenly, the man in brown sped through Hand Signs, shocking Naruto. This man was a shinobi? Suddenly, a barrier of space erected itself in front of Naruto and Jellal that absorbed the laser beam. "And this is why I always mark other locations as I go along." The man in brown mused. "Hopefully that area I marked earlier doesn't have anyone nearby, because a laser like that will cause some serious destruction."
Sagi chuckled. "You let your guard down!" He yelled, firing another laser beam at the man in brown.
The man quickly reacted and spun away from the attack. However, the force of the blast was actually enough to blow his hood off of his body. Jellal and Naruto both gasped in shock when they saw spiky blonde hair and a mature face with blue eyes. "No way…" Naruto muttered, tears immediately welling up in his eyes.
It's just as I thought. Kurama knew it...but he still could not believe what he was seeing.
That face...and that Chakra...it's… Jellal put two and two together.
Minato Namikaze, the 4th Hokage, the Yellow Flash of the Hidden Leaf Village, and the father of Naruto Uzumaki, gave his son a somber expression. "Heya," he said, "we really have to stop meeting in times of conflict, huh son?"
Sagi stepped back in disbelief. He was fighting the 4th Hokage. The freaking 4th Hokage. One of the few entities that neither Rakuen nor Menou could get their hands on before the war. If he was here...then that meant that it was not that neither kingdom could find him to resurrect him. It was that he actually managed to escape the Styx on his own to advance his own agenda.
Minato Namikaze escaped the Styx. He escaped the land of the dead. No one had ever done that before. It was simply impossible. Such a thing was completely unheard of.
"Dad," Naruto tried so hard to hold back tears, only to find that it was impossible, "it...it really is you...what are you doing here?"
Minato smiled. "Long story, kiddo." He said. "You know, you've grown a ton since I last saw you. That's good."
Minato then sighed. "Sorry, I wish we could catch up. But truth be told...I didn't want to see you. Not now anyway."
Naruto's mouth dropped open. "Dad...why would you say something like that?"
Minato shook his head. "Naruto, I don't expect you to be happy with this...but honestly...there is something I need to take care of first before I can see you and speak with you properly. I need you to trust me when I say that this needs to be done. This is important to me...to both of us...you just don't realize it yet."
"Hey!" Jellal yelled, glaring at Minato. "I may not understand what's going on here, but if you really are his father, you owe it to him to stay here, by his side! He's your son, for God's sake!"
Minato smiled. "I know, and that's why I have faith in him to stand without me when he needs to the most. I only came here because in the end, I can't stand aside when my son is in danger."
Minato then turned his attention back to Naruto. "Son, I love you, that has never changed." He promised. "But, again, I need you to trust me when I say I can't join you and be with you yet. This is for our family's sake. You do trust me, right?"
Naruto looked at his dad in disbelief. Then, he remembered something important. This was his dad. Of course he could trust him. Naruto then smiled. "Dad, when you're done with whatever it is you have to do, you'll immediately come to us, right?"
"Of course." Minato promised with a smile.
"That's all I need to hear, do what you have to do, Dad." Naruto told him.
Minato smiled and tossed one of his special kunai towards Naruto who caught it with the strength he still had. "Take that." He said. "It may be time for you to start learning your own variation of the Flying Raijin Jutsu."
"Naruto," he continued, "I promise you, once this is all done...I'll join your Alliance...and I'll use this new life to make us a proper family and be a proper father."
Naruto laughed. "Dad...you were always a proper father." He promised. "You love me. That alone makes you a proper dad."
Minato smiled with gratitude. He then looked at Jellal. "I'm leaving my son in your hands, stranger. And yes, I know how awful that sounds in any other situation."
With that, Minato said his goodbyes. "See ya, kiddo." He said before vanishing.
Sagi just stuttered in disbelief. What in the world was with Minato Namikaze? The guy appears out of nowhere. Beats him up for a while. And then he just leaves. Seriously, what the hell?
Jellal shook his head in disbelief. "Naruto, your dad is even odder than you are." He bluntly told his subordinate and friend.
Naruto just laughed. "Yeah, but he's my dad and I love him, so what can you do." He replied. "Dad wouldn't do this kind of stuff if he had a good reason. And he wouldn't leave this to me if he didn't have faith in me. It's basically like when he sealed Kurama inside of me."
Jellal groaned. "You say that, but you're still low on Chakra, and even with most of my magic back inside of me, I don't think I can beat this guy." He noted.
"I'm leaving my son in your hands, stranger." Minato's words rang out in Jellal's head.
An idea then came to Jellal's mind. That just might work. He realized before smiling. I guess this was why the food pill worked...for this exact moment.
"Naruto, I'm counting on you." Jellal told him before placing his hands on Naruto's chest.
"Jellal what are you-" Naruto was immediately cut off by the sensation of magic power pouring into his body.
Jellal was transferring his magic to Naruto.
Sagi glared at Jellal. "You're still clinging to hope, Commander Fernandes?" He growled.
"Of course, because I have the conviction to fight for victory until the very end." Jellal replied.
"Conviction, huh?" Sagi asked.
"Yeah, and frankly, I don't think that word means anything to you." Jellal told him as he completed the transfer.
Jellal then collapsed to one knee as Naruto stood tall. Sagi snarled. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? What do you mean I don't know what conviction means?"
"What he means, Sagi," Naruto replied for Jellal, "is that a bastard like you, who won't fight for what he believes in the flesh...you have no conviction in your heart at all."
With that, Naruto was enveloped in a golden light, much like Jellal's Heavenly Body Magic. Sagi instinctively took a step back. "What the hell is this? Chakra..and Magic Power...mixing together? What the hell!" Sagi yelled.
"Have you forgotten, Sagi? Some of us have managed to mix our energies together to use powers from various worlds." Naruto reminded him. "Natsu's a Dragon Sage now, and Luffy's a Jinchuriki."
Naruto stepped towards Sagi. A calm expression on his face. "So, are you ready to continue the fight?" He asked. "After all, I want to keep going, and I'm sure you want to keep up your little experiments."
Sagi remained silent. "And that's all this is to you, right? An experiment." Naruto noted. "I mean, if you did consider this a fight, you'd be here in the flesh. Not hiding behind your robot. Can you even feel the hits I give your stupid robot? I doubt it."
"Of course I can't feel the pain." Sagi responded to that. "Why should I experience that?"
"Then you are a coward with no conviction. Pain is proof...that you're willing to do what it takes to win for what you believe in. Pain is proof that you care." Naruto told him.
Sagi growled at the jabs at his pride. But he would not let himself be provoked. The truth was, he could actually feel pain if he allowed it. He had set his Faux Man's pain receptors to zero to avoid experiencing the pain his Faux Man felt when damaged. The reason he even had pain receptors was because he wanted the users to know when to retreat to avoid his precious creations being destroyed. However, he was not going to subject himself to pain. He was exempt from his own rules, after all.
Then, back in Rakuen, Sagi heard a familiar voice. "Sagi," Konton's chilling voice rang out as the man entered his laboratory, where he was currently using his Faux Man.
"L-Lord Konton?" Sagi frantically exclaimed. Naruto froze in place, hearing Sagi's exclamation. Wherever Sagi was, Konton was as well.
Konton was flanked by Boryoku, Uragiri and Midarana. "Set your pain receptors to a hundred percent. Now."
Sagi stammered at this. "But...Your Majesty…"
"Sagi...are you disobeying me?" Konton calmly inquired. "Set them to a hundred percent."
Sagi whimpered at this before nodding. "As you command, Your Majesty."
Sagi pressed a couple of buttons on a console attached to his wrist like a wristband. The Faux Man itself then turned to Naruto, who was still trying to figure out what Konton had just ordered Sagi to do. "The pain receptors...are at a hundred percent now." Sagi promised. "All attacks you land on me...I can feel them now."
Naruto looked at Sagi in shock. Was this what Konton had ordered him to do. He then regained his composure and steeled himself. It was time to end this. "But that won't matter!" Sagi declared, keeping up a confident front to save face. "You won't defeat me, Naruto Uzumaki!"
Sagi held out his hand. I may not have my Drain Field anymore, but I can still drain him with the device in my hand! I just have to be smart about this…
Naruto then appeared at Sagi's side in a streak of light. He grabbed Sagi's metallic wrist, tightened his grip, and ripped his hand right from his Faux Man's body. Sagi screamed in pain, experiencing the sensation of his hand being forcefully separated from his wrist. "I won't allow you to drain my power this time." Naruto promised.
Jellal gasped. "That was...my Meteor." He realized. "But, it was even faster because it was combined with Naruto's own speed. He didn't fly like I do...he sprinted in a flash of light!"
"I'm not really the sadistic type," Naruto admitted, "but after everything you've done...I can't help but feel relieved you're going to feel all of this. This is for Erza and everyone else!"
Naruto kicked Sagi into the air and began kicking him repeatedly in midair while using Jellal's Meteor spell. Sagi screamed in pain with each blow. Danger! Danger! Danger! Danger! Danger! Sagi heard repeatedly from the computer.
Naruto then began to form a familiar sphere in the palm of his hand. However, this one was different from all the others. It was glowing a golden yellow. "Go on back to Rakuen, and tell your boss we're coming for him...no matter how long it takes us to get there!"
Sagi whimpered in fear at the sphere Naruto held before him. Such power...God, this was going to hurt!
"Cosmic Rasengan!" Naruto yelled, slamming his Heavenly Body Magic-style Rasengan right into Sagi's chest, sending the Faux Man flying.
Sagi screamed in pain as his Faux Man began to fall apart from the Cosmic Rasengan ripping it apart at a molecular level. He continued to fly far away from Ryugu Palace before hitting a mountain. And with that, Sagi's Faux Man shattered into millions of pieces.
Naruto grinned triumphantly. "Guess your genius didn't match our conviction this time...but when we fight you for real...we'll be ready to do it for real." He vowed.
Jellal chuckled. "Good job." He complimented.
Jellal found himself relaxing instinctively. After everything that happened...this day belongs to the Allied Forces. He thought with relief. Everyone...good job.
Meanwhile, back at Rakuen, Sagi collapsed to his hands and knees, ripping the visor off his face that had connected him to his now-destroyed Faux Man. The Circle of Fraud began vomiting blood from the pain he was in. Uragiri, Boryoku and Midarana looked on in a mixture of shock and amusement.
Konton, however, just chuckled. "Sagi," he said, "tell me, did Naruto have anything to say to me?"
Sagi looked at Konton. "Because it sounded like...he had something to say."
"Your...Majesty…" Sagi managed.
"Tell me, Sagi," Kotnon ordered, smiling darkly now, "don't worry, I won't be mad."
Sagi still shivered. He was often spared from his king's wrath due to his status. But in this very moment...he found himself experiencing the fear those otherworlders did in his presence.
And it terrified him...
A.N: And with that, we are close to the end of the Fishman Island arc. Honestly, I wish I could've done a better job with the Minato thing. But, I think his mysterious choice to remain "mostly neutral" kinda makes up for it. But, can we just take a moment to appreciate that Minato escaped the Land of the Dead, on his own for reasons unknown? I had toyed with the idea of this happening, and there was one person I wanted pulling that off: Minato Namikaze.
Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I hope everyone's staying safe, healthy and sane in spite of everything. I'll see you all next time.