The World is Calling

Bang.

Bang, bang, bang.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang--!!

Deep in the dense forest.

The dense sound of impacts, like a drumbeat gone out of control, tore through the roar of the waterfall. Countless Naruto swarmed from all directions—above, below, left, and right—throwing punches at Kalifa with reckless abandon. Like a golden rainstorm, they completely submerged her!

Kalifa's four limbs were simultaneously pinned by four or five Naruto. Each Naruto holding her limbs had even more Shadow Clone trailing behind them, layering over one another to form a solid human chain that locked her in place, leaving her unable to move.

A single mistake in the heat of battle had landed Kalifa in this predicament. Although she had already crushed at least a thousand Naruto Shadow Clone, she had no room for error, and in the end, Naruto had seized his chance.

Fists capable of shattering giant trees struck her torso like an endless, raging torrent. There was no mercy or gentleness; in the eyes of the Naruto, there was only the coldness of treating an enemy with the utmost seriousness.

Behind them, a group of Naruto who had already condensed Rasengan stood ready to take over the beating.

Even though Kalifa was fair-skinned, beautiful, and maturely sexy—and currently stripped of all clothing—none of these were reasons to interfere with the battle, nor did they hinder the Naruto from unleashing their maximum violence with the most respectful of attitudes!

However, in the center of this storm of pure violence and suffocating "bang-bang" sounds, Kalifa stood like a silent fortress, unmoved by the raging waves. The fists striking her did not sound like flesh hitting flesh; it was more like shaking some sort of metallic construct.

Six Powers: Iron Body!

The moment her limbs were locked, Kalifa's muscles, bones, and even her skin had simultaneously compressed and hardened.

It was this secret technique from within the Navy, which pushes the potential of the human body to its absolute limit, that allowed her to withstand this storm-like onslaught. Although her internal organs trembled from the impacts and her wounds tore open from the recoil, with blood constantly seeping out—she had held her ground!

The next instant, her body began to secrete a massive amount of foam at an incredible speed. The foam surged like a tsunami, turning the tables and submerging the Naruto!

"Bubble World!"

Shouting the name of her technique, Kalifa broke free from her restraints. Her foam could not only make herself and her enemies slippery, preventing Naruto from getting a grip on her, but it could also cause any enemy who touched the foam to involuntarily lose strength, grow weary, and be afflicted with various negative status effects!

Massive amounts of foam enveloped Kalifa, making her move through the tide of Naruto like a goat. The Thorn Whip in her hand swept through the air, creating ripples of sonic booms; with every swing, dozens of Shadow Clone would explode into nothingness!

However, just as her momentum was at its peak--

The forest suddenly grew windy.

Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves.

The Naruto waiting in the periphery had joined forces to unleash an advanced version of the Vacuum Wave ninjutsu. A gale suddenly whipped through the forest. Although they were quite far from Kalifa and the wind itself lacked lethal force, it was more than enough to blow away the foam.

--That's right, wind can blow away foam. It's just that simple.

The foam shell that had just been coating Kalifa like armor was scattered into the air by a few gusts of wind, leaving Kalifa's body "bare-handed" once again.

The Devil Fruit abilities of the Pirate World often had this characteristic: as long as one found the right countermeasure, the suppression would work like child's play. Just like how rubber doesn't conduct electricity or how fists coated in water can hit sand—all were manifestations of this trait.

"Rude little brat..." Kalifa panted. She felt her body growing heavier; it was a sign that she was nearing her limit. "It seems you are very curious about women?"

No one responded.

The Naruto remained silent, mindlessly throwing punches, Rasengan, and Vacuum Wave.

They didn't give her a single gap to recover.

Ten minutes later.

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

Accompanied by four crisp, teeth-grinding sounds of bone fractures, Kalifa, who was being pinned firmly to the ground by a group of Naruto, had the joints of her four limbs snapped. She had completely lost the ability to move.

At this moment, the bruised and battered Kalifa remained stubbornly silent, but deep down, she couldn't help but feel a trace of horror at the ruthlessness and decisiveness this blond brat showed toward his enemies.

Although Naruto's appearance seemed sunny and kind, this cold-bloodedness and caution toward his enemies reminded her of Lucci... the man who had killed five hundred soldiers with his bare hands at the age of thirteen.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Accompanied by footsteps, the tide of Naruto surrounding her parted to the sides, clearing a path. A figure walked out from within, his aura subtly different from the surrounding Shadow Clone.

This figure stopped steadily at a distance of twenty meters from Kalifa.

"It seems... you are the original?"

Kalifa whispered with difficulty. She used the last of her remaining strength to activate her Observation Haki once more—the brightness of the "presence" of the Naruto before her was indeed more intense than the surrounding Shadow Clone.

Hearing this, the approaching Naruto just tilted his head slightly, offering no response, as if he hadn't heard Kalifa's voice clearly.

Even so, he had no intention of getting any closer. One of the Shadow Clone pinning Kalifa down spoke coldly:

"Speak louder."

Damn it, is he really this cautious?!

Kalifa cursed inwardly. She was at the end of her rope: stamina exhausted, excessive blood loss, all four limbs broken, and still being firmly pinned to the ground by a group of people... and even then, his original body still didn't dare to approach her?!

"...Heh."

In such a desperate situation, Kalifa instead squeezed a low laugh from her throat.

"I admit I was wrong." Kalifa's voice carried a strange sense of calm. "You are no brat; you are a terrifying opponent, a seasoned hunter. Losing to you is no shame... It was my carelessness."

"I thought I had already taken you seriously enough, but in reality, I still underestimated you."

"I should have done everything in my power to kill you at the very beginning, instead of naively thinking I had forced you back... But as an agent, I have long been prepared for death. Don't expect to get any intelligence out of me."

After saying this, Kalifa prepared to channel the stamina she had intended for a final stand to manually detonate the micro-explosive implanted at the base of her spine.

The detonation method was not complex; one only needed to have mastered the Rokushiki and be able to control the deep muscles of the body to exert pressure in a specific pattern to trigger it.

Ever since discovering that this world possessed a type of ninjutsu capable of searching through brain memories, Lucci had required every member of CP9 to have this explosive implanted; no one understood the importance of intelligence in war better than an agent.

However, at this very moment, Naruto spoke up:

"You don't have to seek death. Actually, we don't have any deep-seated hatred; it's not like we can't talk... eh?"

Before Naruto could finish his sentence, he noticed that Kalifa, who had been acting extremely calm until now, suddenly wore an expression of twisted disbelief. Her brows were tightly knitted, her lips trembled violently, and in her dead-gray eyes—which had been set on suicide—a light of wild ecstasy suddenly erupted.

What had happened?

Before Naruto could react, Kalifa took several deep breaths. Following the intake of oxygen in a specific rhythm, her exhausted body actually squeezed out a sliver of strength!

"Bubble World!!"

A tsunami of bubbles surged out from her body once again!

The Narutos, who had become slippery and lost all friction, could not suppress Kalifa at all and slid off her slick body one after another!

Although the bones in all four of her limbs were broken, Kalifa managed to move solely through the contraction of her muscles!

Able to control the friction of her entire body, she exerted force and shot out like an arrow from a bow. However, the direction she dashed in was not toward the outside of the encirclement, but toward the center—toward that waterfall!

"Chase!"

Realizing something was wrong, Naruto only had time to roar this one word.

Yet, caught off guard, the Shadow Clone standing in Kalifa's path was resolved in an instant—this was to be expected, as individual Shadow Clone units had limited strength.

But what Naruto did not understand was what had happened to make Kalifa's expression change so drastically, and even if she dashed this distance, what was the point of it within this heavy encirclement?

He did not know that Kalifa was not trying to escape; just as she had said, she had long since prepared herself for death.

It was just that, before dying, she had to transmit a piece of crucial intelligence she had just discovered.

All she sought was the brief moment of time that this distance she had fought to reach would buy her!

Kalifa's hair was disheveled and her expression was fanatical; the image of the elite beauty she once was had vanished. Like a madwoman, she locked on with Observation Haki and threw herself into the mud at the edge of the waterfall's cold pool, grabbing the Den Den Mushi that had been blown away by the explosion earlier.

Her fingers flew as she dialed the Den Den Mushi in the shortest time possible. Meanwhile, looking at the pursuers still some distance behind her, she prayed in her heart:

God, please bless me.

Bless Lucci to pick up the phone quickly.

Bless me with enough time to say one sentence.

"Blu-Blu... Kalifa?"

It connected! After only one ring, Lucci's calm and steady voice came through the Den Den Mushi!

Kalifa was ecstatic. Using the last of her strength, she roared:

"The main body is the blond brat!!!"

"The main body is the blond brat!!"

--!

Huh?

"Pshhh pshhh... gurgle gurgle..."

Kalifa felt a bit dazed.

Why was her mouth... making the sound of bubbles?

Had she actually... said those words out loud just now?

Or had she only shouted them in her mind?

As the kunai piercing her throat turned slightly, more bloody bubbles emerged from Kalifa's lips. The air in her lungs hissed out through her punctured trachea, accompanied by the gurgling sound of blood foam.

"Kalifa?"

Lucci on the other end of the phone repeated with some confusion, while Naruto, standing behind Kalifa, remained expressionless. His hands, gripping the kunai, were steady and powerful. He slowly churned the blade in Kalifa's throat, tearing her vocal cords, trachea, and blood vessels to shreds.

"--,--!"

Kalifa's mouth opened and closed in a futile "ah, ah," but apart from the sound of gasping, she could not utter a single syllable. In the end, even the gasping grew faint, leaving only the weak sound of blood dripping onto the ground.

As her life ebbed away, like a final flash of clarity, Kalifa suddenly understood.

She understood why she had been caught so quickly even though she had seen the pursuers were still some distance away.

Because the blond brat she had just locked onto with her Observation Haki was not the real body at all; at best, it was merely a Shadow Clone with a "larger" (more chakra allocated) amount of energy.

She had been deceived.

The brat didn't just want to avoid getting close to her; he didn't even want his real body to stand in front of her!

He had been hiding in the shadows, silently observing the standoff between her and his clones, which was why he could be faster than any of the clones when she made her move, arriving first to... kill her.

Heh... hahaha...

Kalifa's fingers twitched, but in the next second, the five fingers she had moved were severed by the kunai, and in the second after that, the five fingers that hadn't moved were severed as well.

Her attempt to tap out the code was cut short as well.

No way out now.

Kalifa's vision gradually faded into darkness.

I've lost, I'm dying, the rest is up to you all—Lucci, Kaku, Blueno, Fukuro...

"..."

On the other end of the line, Lucci seemed to sense something; he stopped questioning and fell silent.

In her final moments, no cinematic flash of her life played out in Kalifa's mind.

Perhaps it was because her life held no memories worth cherishing—nothing but infiltration, assassination, betrayal, and deception.

And so, Kalifa only thought of an island.

It was the home of CP9.

They had been raised there, enduring the brutal training of the World Government since childhood. After they were defeated by a pirate crew, they had once returned together, and Kalifa had planted a flower given to her by a little girl along the island's shore.

Ah.

How beautiful, the flower.

--Kalifa, deceased.

"..."

"..."

The sun plummeted from the firmament, and a pale moon quietly hung from the treetops. Amidst the roar of the waterfall and the encroaching darkness, only two men remained, separated by the Den Den Mushi, locked in a silent standoff as if their breaths were pressing against one another.

Suddenly, Naruto's expression shifted, and he flung Kalifa's corpse away.

The moment the body hit the cold pool, a flash of fire erupted from the back of her head, shattering her skull into pieces.

The explosive implanted at the top of her spine could be detonated remotely, but it was also designed to trigger automatically once the host died and the bio-electric current maintaining its stability ceased.

Watching the headless corpse slowly sink into the deep pool, a flicker of emotion finally appeared in Naruto's eyes... along with exhaustion.

This battle had come too abruptly, lasted longer than usual, and ended in a way he hadn't anticipated.

He had killed a person. While he felt no unnecessary moral burden—anyone with eyes could see that letting Kalifa speak even a single word would have been a disaster—he couldn't help but feel drained.

"So, Kalifa is dead, isn't she?"

A cold male voice drifted from the Den Den Mushi lying on the ground.

Naruto didn't reply; he simply listened.

Earlier, the moment he had spoken, Kalifa had reacted strangely. He still hadn't figured out why, so he resolved not to utter another word, lest he inadvertently leak any information.

"..." Seeing there was no response, the other end of the Den Den Mushi fell into a brief silence before the cold voice spoke again: "...I know you are still there."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

There it was again—that subtle, imperceptible delay in the speech.

Naruto seemed to catch a glimmer of insight.

"...You must be that blonde brat."

Lucci's voice continued, his tone calm, yet every word felt tempered in ice:

"...I will kill you."

"...I promise you, in ten days, I will kill you."

With those words, the signal of the Den Den Mushi was abruptly cut off.

On the other end, in a dark, gloomy cave, a heavy, deathly atmosphere permeated the air.

Lucci's face remained devoid of any ripples as he calmly dialed another number:

"Kaku, gather everyone."

"The day after tomorrow... let this world 'remember' us."

"..."

Hearing Lucci's threat, Naruto felt no great disturbance in his heart.

He had his guesses about the man's identity; it seemed Kalifa's arrival in the Ninja World was not an isolated incident. But even if it happened ten thousand times over, he would kill Kalifa without hesitation, so there was nothing to dwell on.

Those who kill must be prepared to be killed.

The only question was who would be left standing at the end, so why bother with such threats? It was just a matter of killing each other and seeing who was more capable.

"Hoo—"

Naruto exhaled a long, heavy breath, as if trying to vent the nameless irritation in his chest.

In the end, after chasing for so long, most of his questions remained unanswered. It felt like a wasted effort...

However, just then, his expression shifted. He looked around in surprise and uncertainty, as if he had sensed something unusual.

[What's the matter, brat?] The Nine-Tails, who had been observing silently, couldn't help but speak up.

"It seems... like something is calling my name?" Uzumaki Naruto said uncertainly, yet the voice in his ears grew clearer and clearer.

(...to)

(Uzumaki...to)

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Who's there?!"

Naruto shouted, only to be stunned to discover that the voice was coming from all directions, moving from far to near. No matter which way he turned his ears, the volume remained exactly the same.

It was as if... the world itself was calling out to him.

"Uzumaki Naruto, the first person in this world to slay a Calamity Thief from another world."

"Calamity Thief Kalifa, death confirmed."

"Reward: 500 Blue Imprint points, can be used to redeem Blue-tier World Gifts."

"Achievement [World First Kill] unlocked, holding pioneering significance for the future of this world. Special reward: 100 Red Imprint points, can be used to redeem Red-tier World Gifts."

"...Gift Shop access granted..."

"Huh?! What the hell?"

Before Naruto could react, the back of his right hand felt as if it had been branded. With a sharp sting, a translucent curtain instantly unfolded before his eyes!

At the very top of the light screen, a line of scarlet, eye-catching characters seized his entire focus:

[Ten-Tails: Chakra God Tree]

Redemption price: 15,000 Red Imprint points.

Naruto's gaze involuntarily swept downward in a rapid blur:

Red text (Top-tier Gift/Strategic-level):

[Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan bloodline]

[Flying Thunder God (Complete version)]

[One-Tails: Shukaku (Full form)]/[Two-Tails: Matatabi]/[Three-Tails: Isobu]...(Each Tailed Beast redeemable independently)

[Impure World Reincarnation]

[Rinnegan (Basic)]

[Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique (Kekkei Tōta)]

[Harmonizer (Essential item for mastering conflicting abilities...)]

Gold text (High-tier Gift/Powerful Kekkei Genkai/Secret Technique):

[Kekkei Genkai: Ice Release (Complete inheritance)]

[Kekkei Genkai: Steel Release (Complete inheritance)]

[Kekkei Genkai: Lava Release (Complete inheritance)]

[Sage Mode (Mount Myōboku/Ryūchi Cave/Shikkotsu Forest, Basic version)]

[Eight Inner Gates (First seven gates unlocked)]

[Spirit Transformation Technique (S-rank Forbidden Technique)]

[Yin Seal]

[Partial special enhancement of physical fitness (Hardness, flexibility, speed, strength, endurance, recovery)]

Purple text (Powerful Ninjutsu A-rank to S-rank/Advanced enhancement):

[Chidori]

[Wind Style: Rasenshuriken]

[Multi Shadow Clone Technique]

[Reverse Four-Symbols Sealing]

[Dead Demon Consuming Seal]

[Comprehensive advanced enhancement of physical fitness (Strength, speed, endurance, recovery)]

Blue text (Practical Ninjutsu B-rank to partial A-rank/Basic enhancement):

[Nature Transformation Mastery: Fire Style (or Wind/Lightning/Earth/Water/Yang/Yin)]

[Comprehensive intermediate enhancement of physical fitness (Strength, speed, endurance, recovery)]

[Intermediate increase in total chakra volume]

[Chakra control precision enhancement]

[Shadow Clone (B-rank)]

[Summoning Jutsu: Gamabunta (one-time summoning contract)]/Other large summoning beasts

[Selected powerful B-rank ninjutsu: such as Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu, Earth Style: Earth Wall]

[Basic genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique/Fox Mind Technique, etc.]

[Basic medical ninjutsu: Mystical Palm Technique]

Green text (Basic ninjutsu: C-rank to D-rank/minor enhancement):

[Three Body Technique mastery (Substitution Technique, Clone Technique, Transformation Technique)]

[Basic taijutsu enhancement]

[Basic shuriken/kunai throwing mastery]

[Chakra basic refinement method optimization]

[Minor physical fitness enhancement (single attribute or slight overall increase)]

[Basic D-rank ninjutsu: such as Double Suicide Decapitation Technique, etc.]

[Basic trap setting knowledge]

[Chakra]

The more Naruto read, the more his heart pounded with alarm; the stable state of mind he had been forcibly maintaining completely collapsed.

No... what on earth... is going on with this world??!!