Akahoshi

Essentially, the main conflict within Hoshigakure is a clash of ideas about how much price is worth paying for power.

Akahoshi believes that without sufficient power, one cannot establish oneself in the world of Hokage, while Natsuhiboshi believes that acquiring power is for the purpose of living better. However, the terrible side effects of the Mysterious Peacock Method have completely deviated from the original intention of living better.

Neither approach is without merit, so the Hoshigakure has been constantly oscillating and tormenting itself between these two ideas: when they tasted the bitterness of lacking power, the Star Ninja revived the Star Meteorite; when they were tormented by the side effects of the Mysterious Peacock Method, and some even died as a result, the Star Ninja turned around and rejected this secret technique...

Because their power level wasn't high, to outsiders, it all looked like a poorly made third-rate ninja power struggle, with the Star Ninja holed up in remote mountain areas far from the conflicts of the Five Great Nations, scheming and plotting over a worthless secret technique.

--Of course, on a grander scale, perhaps the humans of the Hokage world, or even Earth, who are trapped in endless infighting on a single planet, are also seen as petty, pathetic, and utterly unworthy of existence by a higher level of "being"?

Back to Hoshigakure.

The Star Ninja figure in this power struggle, the Fourth Acting Hoshikage Akahoshi, is a character rife with flaws: he came to power through underhanded means, such as assassinating the Third Hoshikage, demonstrating narrow-mindedness, crude and clumsy methods, and causing endless harm; despite being in power for so many years, he has not gained the people's approval, and the title of "acting" has always been firmly attached to him, making him a typical example of someone whose ambition and ability are completely mismatched.

With the help of Natsuhiboshi, Naruto quickly gathered all the evidence and seized the opportunity to expose the Fourth Hoshikage's true colors in front of the entire village. Jiraiya had thought that Akahoshi would create some difficulties for Naruto, but he didn't expect Naruto to be so clumsy in his response. In his panic, he even admitted to the bad things he had done.

This led to the scene in the first two chapters where Naruto and Akahoshi engaged in a verbal battle in front of the training hall.

Then, unsurprisingly, the one who lost the verbal battle— Akahoshi— angrily pressed the meteorite to his chest, unleashing the Mysterious Peacock Method to its fullest extent!

"To condense Chakra into such a substantial form, the Mysterious Peacock Method is quite a remarkable Ninjutsu even outside the Five Great Shinobi Villages." Jiraiya calmly observed the purplish-red Chakra dragon emerging from Akahoshi's body not far away, pondering to himself, "However, even if Akahoshi wins this battle, he's probably not far from death..."

He could see it clearly: beneath the majestic dragon, ugly purple tumors were quietly growing on Akahoshi's body!

While placing a meteorite against one's chest can maximize the enhancement and activation of Chakra, it also significantly increases the radiation damage to the body, causing it to deteriorate to the point where the body could collapse at any moment in a short period of time...

"Unfortunately, even fighting with such a life-or-death resolve couldn't change his fate of defeat. If relying on unorthodox methods to increase Chakra was enough to fight against Tailed Beast, Naruto wouldn't have had to work so hard these past few years!"

Jiraiya, to himself, concluded the battle on the sidelines.

The battle off the field, just like Jiraiya's, quickly devolved into a situation where Akahoshi was completely suppressed by Naruto.

Boom! The giant dragon and Naruto's thick fox tail collided head-on once again, triggering a violent explosion with a deafening roar!

Akahoshi's face paled, and he staggered back several steps, swaying as he struggled to regain his footing. He felt the tangible Chakra dragon above his head was about to collapse, almost becoming a blur. Meanwhile, the orange-haired boy standing not far away remained firmly in place, his four long, powerful, crimson tails waving gracefully behind him, seemingly unaffected by the collision.

Where did this monster come from...? The Mysterious Peacock Method is completely suppressed by him! The difference between this boy's Chakra Cloak and the Mysterious Peacock Method is like the difference between an elephant and an ant!

He started to feel a slight headache and his whole body was itchy.

Just now, when his Chakra was abundant, he felt perfectly fine. But now that his Chakra was starting to wane, Akahoshi realized that it was just an illusion. The side effects of the Mysterious Peacock Method were gradually taking hold, leaving his body riddled with holes. An extremely ominous premonition rose from the depths of Akahoshi's heart.

"Damn it, you bastard!" Akahoshi cursed, panting heavily. "Who are you?!"

"I am Naruto, Genin Konoha." Naruto frowned, wondering why he was being asked the same question again, so he simply repeated his previous answer.

Genin?

Akahoshi was utterly disheartened. The pride of Hoshigakure for over a hundred years, the invincible Mysterious Peacock Method, had been completely trampled underfoot by a Genin? His ambition and his schemes suddenly became worthless!

He wanted to laugh out loud, but a headache came over him like a tidal wave. Akahoshi's head was throbbing, and his face was contorted with pain and laughter, making him look extremely ferocious.

"Aaaaaah--!"

Akahoshi screamed wildly.

"You've already lost! Surrender, Akahoshi!" Naruto looked at Akahoshi, puzzled, then frowned and said, "The village will give you a fair trial!"

"Shut up—!" Akahoshi shouted frantically, clenching his teeth as he squeezed out another Chakra from his body to replenish Shiryu. Then, with a powerful wave of his right hand, the Chakra dragon, now solidified again, charged forward once more!

"Go to hell!"

The dragon roared, charging towards Naruto with unparalleled power.

Was this the final blow? Naruto calmly extended his right hand as he sensed Akahoshi's rapidly dwindling Chakra after unleashing this attack.

Snap!

A long Chakra claw extended from the Tailed Beast Cloak, effortlessly grabbing the menacing dragon in its hand.

Then, pinch it tight.

Boom!

The colossal dragon, harder than steel, was crushed by Naruto!

Akahoshi collapsed softly to the ground, without a sound.

"It's over, Akahoshi! Surrender!" Natsuhiboshi, who had been watching for a long time, walked over and shouted loudly.

"No need to call him anymore, he's already... unconscious." Naruto walked to Akahoshi's side, felt his pulse, and said solemnly.

The Star Meteorite fell from Akahoshi's chest. When Naruto pulled open his shirt, he saw a body covered in newly grown purple tumors, huge and thick, with an uneven surface, which was extremely disgusting.

"This is the aftereffect of the Mysterious Peacock Method." Natsuhi walked slowly over, her tone quite solemn. She peeled off Akahoshi's shirt, revealing the hideous tumors that had turned Akahoshi into a grotesque figure.

"He's been exposed to too much radiation; he's beyond saving." Natsuhi stood up and sighed. For some reason, even though she had overthrown Akahoshi's rule, she felt no joy at all. There were many, many ninjas in the village like Akahoshi who suffered immense side effects from practicing the Mysterious Peacock Method...

Naruto stood silently to the side.

He was once regarded as a demon, and he suffered a lot and went to great lengths to gain the recognition of his comrades as "Naruto Uzumaki"; the ninjas of Hoshigakure were willing to turn themselves into something as disgusting as demons in order to gain power.

Is it worth it?

Naruto felt that his values had been severely impacted.

(These two are taking care of my sister's sick baby. When I was writing this chapter at night, my mind seemed to freeze. I spent the whole night writing this chapter, but I really can't revise it anymore. I'll leave it at that for now.)