"Going through the formalities, or straight to the meal? Forget it... take your star-crossed sweetheart and get the large serving."
A soft white glow shone from Naruto's hands as he pressed them against Zabuza and Haku, channeling out the vitality overflowing within him. He rolled his eyes.
He knew exactly how powerful that last move had been. Normally, if he had let the Spiraling Ring unleash its full power, those two would have died without so much as a body left to bury.
But Sasuke had dispersed it beforehand, drawing out all the energy inside and letting it spread rather than concentrate. That was why the two had only suffered serious injuries, without even having any organs blasted away.
But doing that made it look as though Naruto hadn't intended to hold back at all.
Rolling his eyes as he listened to Sasuke wax sentimental about star-crossed lovers, Naruto's mouth twitched. His hands never stopped moving as he continued using the method taught to him in his dreams to draw out his vitality-yang release chakra-and heal their injuries.
If he truly hadn't held back, he would have poured vitality into the Spiraling Ring as well. In that case, ultimate vitality would have been transformed into ultimate destruction, devouring all vitality in its path like a black hole and converting it into even greater destructive power.
Besides, he had placed a little ball at the core of the Spiraling Ring. Combined with Kurama's Malice Perception, the move would essentially only harm people who bore him ill will. Anyone without malice toward him would suffer little harm, at most some superficial wounds. Sasuke detonating it had actually made it far more powerful than it would originally have been.
Naruto strongly suspected that Sasuke just wanted to see how Zabuza and Haku would