Flower / The World Is Calling (5.6k)

Bang.

Bang, bang, bang.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—!!

Deep in the forest.

The dense impacts sounded like runaway drumbeats, tearing through the roar of the waterfall. Countless Narutos came from every direction, from above and below, from left and right, throwing themselves into punching Kalifa with everything they had. Like a golden downpour, they completely engulfed her!

Four or five Narutos had each latched onto one of Kalifa's limbs, while even more Shadow Clones trailed behind each of them, forming layer upon layer of sturdy human chains that pinned her in place and left her unable to move.

One mistake in the middle of the fight had left Kalifa in this predicament. She had already defeated at least a thousand of Naruto's Shadow Clones, but with no margin for error, she had finally given Naruto an opening.

Fists powerful enough to smash through giant trees surged like an endless torrent, raining down furiously on her torso. The Narutos showed no mercy; their eyes held only the cold resolve of men taking an enemy seriously.

Behind them, a group of Narutos stood ready to take turns pummeling her with Rasengans.

Kalifa might have been beautiful, fair-skinned, sexy, and mature—and she was completely naked now—but none of that was any reason to let her distract them from the fight, nor did it stop the Narutos from unleashing their full violence with the utmost respect!

Yet at the center of the pure violence and suffocating roar of thudding fists, Kalifa remained as immovable as a silent fortress amid the raging waves. The fists striking her didn't sound like they were hitting flesh; they sounded more like they were battering some kind of metal construct.

Six Powers: Iron Body!

The moment her limbs were restrained, Kalifa's muscles, bones, and even skin compressed and hardened all at once.

It was this secret technique, developed within the Navy to push the human body's potential to its limits, that let her endure the storm of attacks. Her internal organs trembled with each blow, her wounds tore open from the recoil, and blood continued to seep out—but she had held on!

The next instant, an incredible amount of foam began secreting from the surface of her body. Like a tsunami, it turned around and engulfed the Narutos!

Bubble World!

Shouting the name of her technique, Kalifa broke free. Her foam could make both herself and her enemies slippery, preventing the Narutos from getting a firm grip on her. It could also sap the strength of anyone who touched it, making them feel exhausted and burdening them with all sorts of negative effects!

A huge mass of foam surrounded Kalifa, letting her dart through the sea of Narutos like a mountain goat. The Thorn Whip in her hand cut through the air with rippling sonic booms, and every swing caused dozens of Shadow Clones to burst apart!

But just as her charge reached its peak—

The forest suddenly filled with wind.

Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves.

The Narutos waiting in formation around the perimeter joined forces to use an advanced version of Vacuum Wave. A gale whipped through the forest. Though Kalifa was some distance away and the gusts themselves lacked much force, they were more than enough to blow the foam away.

That was right. Wind could blow foam away. It was that simple.

The foam shell that had just wrapped around Kalifa like armor collapsed into the air after only a few strong gusts, leaving her body "empty-handed" once more.

The Devil Fruit abilities in the Pirate World often worked like this. Once you found the right way to counter them, the effect could be almost child's play. Rubber not conducting electricity and water-coated fists being able to hit sand were examples of the same principle.

"Rude little brat..." Kalifa panted. Her body felt heavier and heavier—a sign that she was nearing her limit. "So you're really curious about women, huh?"

No one answered.

The Narutos said nothing. They just kept throwing punches, Rasengans, and Vacuum Waves.

They didn't give her even a moment to recover.

Ten minutes later.

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

Four sharp, teeth-grating snaps rang out as the Narutos pinned Kalifa firmly to the ground and broke the joints in all four of her limbs, completely robbing her of the ability to move.

Kalifa was battered and bruised, but she remained stubbornly silent. Deep down, though, she couldn't help feeling a chill at the blonde brat's ruthlessness and decisiveness toward his enemies.

Naruto looked sunny and amiable, but his mercilessness 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..."

As footsteps approached, the sea of Narutos surrounding her parted to either side, opening a path. A figure emerged from among them, its presence subtly different from that of the surrounding Shadow Clones.

He stopped a full twenty meters away from Kalifa.

"So...you're the real one?"

Kalifa managed to whisper. Using the last of her strength, she activated Observation Haki once more. The "presence" of the Naruto before her did indeed shine more brightly than those of the surrounding Shadow Clones.

At her words, the approaching Naruto only tilted his head slightly. He gave no answer, as though he hadn't heard her.

Even so, he showed no intention of coming closer. One of the Shadow Clones pressing Kalifa to the ground spoke coldly:

"Speak up."

"Damn it, he's way too cautious!"

Kalifa cursed inwardly. She was completely spent: her strength was gone, she had lost too much blood, all four of her limbs were broken, and a group of people were holding her firmly to the ground...and even now, his real body still didn't dare approach her?!

"...Heh."

In such a hopeless predicament, Kalifa instead forced a quiet laugh from her throat.

"I admit I was wrong." Kalifa's voice held an unusual calm. "You're no brat. You're a terrifying opponent, an experienced hunter. There's no shame in losing to you...I was careless."

"I thought I'd taken you seriously enough, but in truth, I still underestimated you."

"I should have killed you at the very beginning, no matter what, instead of naively thinking I'd driven you off...But as an agent, I've been prepared to die for a long time. You shouldn't expect to get any information out of me."

With that, Kalifa prepared to use the strength she had originally planned to save for one last desperate attempt. She intended to trigger the micro-explosive implanted at the top of her spinal cord.

The method of detonation wasn't complicated. As long as she had mastered Rokushiki and could control the deep muscles in her body to squeeze in a specific pattern, she could set it off.

Ever since he learned that this world had some kind of ninjutsu capable of searching through people's memories, Lucci had ordered every CP9 member to have one of these explosives implanted. No one understood the importance of intelligence in war better than an agent.

But just then, Naruto spoke:

"You don't have to kill yourself. We don't actually have any deep-seated hatred between us. It's not like we can't negotia—Huh?"

Before Naruto had finished speaking, he noticed the change in Kalifa's face. She had been so calm until then, but now it twisted in disbelief. Her eyebrows drew together, her lips trembled violently, and in her ashen eyes—which had been set on death—an ecstatic light suddenly blazed to life.

What had happened?

Before Naruto could react, Kalifa took several deep breaths. With the oxygen entering her lungs in a certain rhythm, her exhausted body somehow managed to squeeze out a little more strength!

Bubble World!!

Foam surged from her body again like a tsunami!

The Narutos had become so slippery that they'd lost all friction. They couldn't hold Kalifa down and slid off her slick body one after another!

Although all four of her limbs were broken, Kalifa managed to move through sheer muscular contraction!

Able to control the friction across her whole body, she pushed off once and shot out like an arrow. But instead of heading out of the encirclement, she charged toward its center, toward the waterfall!

"After her!"

Naruto realized something was wrong and managed to roar out only one word.

Caught off guard, the Shadow Clones in Kalifa's path were all dispatched—but that was only natural. A single Shadow Clone had limited strength to begin with.

What Naruto couldn't understand was what had made Kalifa's expression change so suddenly. And even if she managed to get this far, what did it matter when she was surrounded on all sides?

He didn't know that Kalifa wasn't trying to escape. Just as she had said, she had already accepted that she would die.

But before she died, she had to get out one crucial piece of intelligence she had just discovered.

All she needed was for the distance she fought her way through to buy her a brief moment!

Kalifa's hair was disheveled and her expression feverish. The image of the elite beauty she had once been had vanished. Like a madwoman, she locked onto her target with Observation Haki and rushed straight into the mud at the edge of the waterfall's Cold Pool, snatching up the Den Den Mushi that had been flung away by the explosion.

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

God, please protect me.

Please let Lucci answer quickly.

Please give me time to say one sentence.

"Blu—Kalifa?"

He'd answered! After only one ring, Lucci's calm, steady voice came through the Den Den Mushi!

Kalifa was ecstatic. Summoning every last bit of strength in her body, she screamed:

"The protagonist is the blonde brat!!!"

"The protagonist is the blonde brat!!"

—!

Huh?

"Pfft...gurgle, gurgle..."

Kalifa felt a little dazed.

Why was her mouth...making bubbling sounds?

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

Or had she only shouted them in her head?

As the kunai that had pierced her throat twisted slightly, more blood bubbled from Kalifa's lips. Air hissed out of her punctured windpipe and lungs, accompanied by the gurgle of blood and froth.

"Kalifa?"

Lucci's voice repeated her name from the other end, sounding confused. Naruto stood on Kalifa's back, expressionless, both hands gripping the kunai with a steady, firm hold. He slowly stirred it inside her throat, tearing apart her vocal cords, windpipe, and blood vessels.

"—, —!"

Kalifa's mouth opened helplessly, shaping the sounds "ah, ah," but she couldn't form a single word, only a breathy sound. In the end, even that grew fainter and fainter, until all that remained was the weak patter of blood drops hitting the ground.

As her life ebbed away, Kalifa suddenly understood, as if granted a last burst of clarity.

She understood why the pursuers had caught up with her even though she had seen them some distance away.

The blonde brat she had just locked onto with Observation Haki wasn't the real one. At most, he was only a "larger" Shadow Clone—one with more chakra assigned to it.

She'd been fooled.

The brat hadn't just refused to approach her. He hadn't even wanted his real body to stand in front of her!

He'd been hiding in the shadows the whole time, silently watching her clash with his clones. That was why, when she made her move, he'd arrived faster than any of the clones and reached her first, to kill her...

Heh...hahaha...

Kalifa's fingers twitched. But the next instant, the five fingers that had moved were severed by a kunai. A moment later, the five that hadn't moved were severed too.

Her attempt to tap out a code was cut off at the same time.

There was nothing she could do.

Kalifa's vision gradually sank into darkness.

I lost. I'm going to die. The rest is up to you now, Lucci, Kaku, Blueno, Fukuro...

"..."

Lucci seemed to sense something on the other end of the line. He stopped asking questions and fell silent.

At the end of her life, Kalifa didn't see her memories flash before her eyes.

Perhaps it was because her life hadn't held many memories worth remembering. It had been one secret mission after another, assassination, betrayal, and deceit...

So Kalifa thought only of an island.

It was the home of their CP9.

They had trained there from childhood under the World Government's cruel regime. After growing up and being defeated by a pirate crew, they had returned together once. Kalifa had planted on the island's shore a flower that a little girl had given her.

Ah.

The flower was so beautiful.

—Kalifa, dead.

"..."

"..."

The sun had completely sunk below the horizon, and the pale moon had quietly risen above the branches. Amid the waterfall's roar and the darkness, only two men remained, silently facing each other through the Den Den Mushi, as if their breaths were pressed together.

Suddenly, Naruto's expression changed. He immediately flung Kalifa's corpse away from him.

The body had only just fallen into the Cold Pool when a flash of fire burst from the back of its head, almost completely burning away her brain.

The explosive implanted at the top of her spinal cord could be triggered manually, but it would also explode after its host died, once the loss of bioelectricity stopped maintaining its stable state.

Watching the headless corpse slowly sink into the deep pool, Naruto's eyes finally showed a flicker of emotion...and exhaustion.

The fight had begun far too abruptly, lasted longer than usual, and ended in a way he hadn't expected.

He had killed someone. He didn't feel any pointless moral burden over it; anyone who had seen what happened would know that Kalifa couldn't be allowed to say even a single word...Still, he couldn't help feeling tired.

"So, Kalifa is dead, then?"

The Den Den Mushi lying on the ground spoke in a cold male voice.

Naruto didn't answer. He only listened in silence.

The moment he'd replied earlier, Kalifa had reacted strangely. Even now, he still hadn't figured out why. So he'd decided not to say another word, lest he reveal anything without meaning to.

"..." When there was no answer, the other end of the line fell silent for a moment. Then the cold voice spoke again. "...I know you're still there."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

There it was again—that barely perceptible delay in the voice.

Naruto seemed to catch a flash of insight.

"...You must be the blonde brat."

Lucci's voice continued. His tone was calm, but every word sounded coated in ice:

"...I'll kill you."

"...I promise you, I'll kill you in ten days."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Den Den Mushi's signal cut off.

At the other end of the line, in a shadowy cave, a deathly oppressive heaviness filled the air.

Lucci's face showed no emotion. He simply dialed another number.

"Kaku, gather everyone."

"The day after tomorrow...we'll make this world 'remember' us."

"..."

After hearing Lucci's threat, Naruto felt little emotion.

He had his suspicions about the man's identity. It seemed Kalifa's arrival in the Ninja World hadn't been an isolated incident...But even if it happened ten thousand more times, he would still kill Kalifa without hesitation, so there was no point dwelling on it.

Anyone who killed had to be prepared to be killed.

The only question was who would be left standing at the end. So why care about a threat like that? They could just kill each other and see who was better.

"Phew—"

Naruto let out a long breath, as if trying to exhale the nameless frustration in his chest along with it.

In the end, after chasing her for so long, he still hadn't gotten many answers. It had all been for nothing...

But just then, his expression changed. He looked around in alarm and uncertainty, as if he'd sensed something strange.

"What's wrong, brat?" The Nine-Tails, which had been silently watching, couldn't help speaking.

"It seems like... something's calling my name?" Naruto said uncertainly, but the voice in his ears was growing clearer and clearer.

(...person)

(Uzumaki... person)

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Who?!"

Naruto shouted, but was astonished to find that the voice was coming from all directions. It seemed equally loud no matter which way he turned his ears, growing closer from far away.

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, confirmed dead."

"Reward: 500 Blue Seals, redeemable for Blue-rank world Gifts."

"Achievement [World First Kill] attained. This carries groundbreaking significance for the future of this world. Special reward: 100 Red Seals, redeemable for Red-rank world Gifts."

"...Gift Shop access unlocked..."

"Huh?! What the heck?"

Before Naruto could react, it felt as if something had branded the back of his right hand. A sharp pain flared, and a translucent screen instantly unfurled before his eyes!

At the very top of the screen, a line of glaring scarlet text first seized his full attention:

[Ten-Tails: Chakra God Tree]

Exchange cost: 15,000 Red Seals.

Naruto's gaze involuntarily swept rapidly downward:

Red text (top-tier Gifts/strategic-level):

[Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan bloodline]

[Flying Thunder God Technique (complete version)]

[One-Tail: Shukaku (complete form)]/[Two-Tails: Matatabi]/[Three-Tails: Isobu]...(each Tailed Beast redeemable separately)

[Impure World Reincarnation]

[Rinnegan (basic)]

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

[Harmonizer (essential for mastering conflicting abilities...)]

...

Gold text (advanced Gifts/powerful Kekkei Genkai/secret techniques):

[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 attributes (toughness, flexibility, speed, strength, stamina, recovery)]

...

Purple text (powerful ninjutsu-rank to S-rank/advanced enhancement):

[Chidori]

[Wind Style: Rasenshuriken]

[Multi Shadow Clone Technique]

[Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique]

[Reaper Death Seal]

[Comprehensive advanced enhancement of physical attributes (strength, speed, stamina, recovery)]

...

Blue text (practical ninjutsu-rank to some A-rank/basic enhancement):

[Nature Transformation proficiency Style (or Wind/Lightning/Earth/Water/Yang/Yin)]

[Comprehensive intermediate enhancement of physical attributes (strength, speed, stamina, recovery)]

[Moderate increase in total chakra]

[Precise enhancement of chakra control]

[Shadow Clone Technique (B-rank)]

[Summoning Technique (one-time summoning contract)]/other large Summoning Beasts

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

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

[Basic Medical Ninjutsu: Mystical Palm Technique]

...

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

[Three Jutsu proficiency (Substitution Technique, Clone Technique, Transformation Technique)]

[Basic Taijutsu enhancement]

[Proficiency in basic Shuriken/Kunai throwing techniques]

[Optimization of basic chakra refinement method]

[Minor enhancement of physical attributes (one attribute or a small boost to all)]

[Basic D-rank ninjutsu: such as Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu]

[Basic trap-setting knowledge]

[Chakra]

...

The more Naruto read, the more his heart raced. The calm he had struggled to maintain completely crumbled.

No... What in the world was going on with this world?!