Chakra… Massive chakra… Even ordinary people could see it.
Purple light surged through the Dragon Vein's channels, an endless flow of chakra bursting forth, breaking through its containment and streaming into the sky.
And at the center of it all—Urashiki.
The queen immediately reacted, standing up in shock as she looked toward the heavens.
"This… Is the Dragon Vein responding to him?"
The centipede guardian beside her froze for a moment before his pale face twisted in disbelief.
"The Dragon Vein… isn't it supposed to be a power only your clan can control? Why is it reacting to *him*?"
"I don't know." The queen lowered her head, looking down at the buildings through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows of the council chamber.
The streets, which should have been lively, were now completely empty.
She let out a sigh, then her gaze became firm. "An Lushan, I'm going to shut down the Dragon Vein."
Centipede seemed like he wanted to say something, but the queen cut him off immediately. "A few years ago, when you arrived, we reached the peak of using the Dragon Vein's energy. Roran grew from a small country into what it is today."
"But now, it's time to give it back." She sighed again. "These years have been enough for Roran to grow strong, and we'll only keep getting stronger. Even without the Dragon Vein, our clan's mission has always been to guard it and prevent it from going out of control. And now... it's time for me to fulfill that duty."
This queen was much more mature than the princess in the movie. She knew what she had to do, why she had to do it, and when to stop when it was no longer necessary.
Just like in the original, when she noticed something off about Centipede, she immediately shut down the Dragon Vein project.
If Centipede hadn't been a ninja and couldn't assassinate the queen, then even in the movie, he never would have been able to rise to power like that.
...
Naruto controlled the chains and landed on Urashiki. A smile spread across his face. It was over.
Minato let out a breath of relief. The battle had been insane, and none of the reinforcements he called in could really help, but at least they had won. Now, all that was left was—
*Clang!* The chains shattered on the spot.
As Urashiki's face twisted into a grin, a surge of powerful Dragon Vein chakra exploded around him.
Minato's expression darkened. Without hesitation, he used Flying Thunder God to teleport himself and Naruto away, appearing next to Sasuke. The two of them looked at Urashiki in the sky, confused.
Purple Dragon Vein energy swirled around Urashiki, constantly healing his injuries. In just a few moments, the wounds he took from Naruto's Rasengan had completely disappeared.
Floating above, Urashiki looked down at the three of them and the fox. His face twisted with madness.
Without a word, he reached into the fish basket on his waist, pulled out several differently colored chakra orbs, and swallowed them all in one go as Dragon Vein energy surged around him.
The rising chakra was all too familiar. Kurama instinctively took a step back.
Not because he was scared. It was just that... Urashiki's second phase had a built-in "brain drain" effect. Not only did he get dumber, but everyone around him did too.
Just look at *Boruto.* Adult Sasuke and Jiraiya were reduced to near idiots, and in the end, it was only by some miracle that a transformed Naruto and Boruto managed to take Urashiki down.
So...
*Kaguya, why were you even scared of this guy?*
"Not enough..." Urashiki's face twisted as he felt the surging chakra inside him.
Then, he suddenly grinned maniacally. Under everyone's shocked gazes, he reached up and *ripped out his own left eye.* Blood streamed down his face, just looking at it was painful, but Urashiki didn't seem to feel a thing.
And then, without hesitation, he reached up and *ripped out his right eye too.*
The horrifying scene left everyone frozen in shock, momentarily forgetting to stop him.
Naruto felt a chill run down his spine. "Is this guy insane?"
Sasuke instinctively clenched his fist. "No... He must still be hiding something."
Then he turned to look at Kurama.
Kurama's ears twitched, and he gave Sasuke a puzzled look. "What?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "What the hell is Urashiki doing? Don't you know?"
"Second phase, Crane Sage Mode. Didn't I already tell you guys?" Kurama sounded just as frustrated.
Naruto looked horrified. "You never said he eats his own eyes first!"
"That doesn't matter," Kurama waved his hand calmly.
As Naruto shouted, "How could that not matter?!", Kurama continued in a steady voice, "Everyone knows that the Sharingan and Rinnegan are renewable resources. If you go blind, just awaken the second stage, and your vision comes back. It's common sense."
Itachi's eyes were transplanted into Sasuke, yet after being reanimated, he could still use them—an Eternal Mangekyō at that.
Madara went blind, but when he awakened the Rinnegan, he could see again. Even after he died and his eyes were gone, they still appeared when he was reanimated. It makes no sense.
Urashiki? He swallowed a pair of Rinnegan, and the next thing you know, his second-stage eyes were working just fine.
And look, it's happening again.
As Naruto, Sasuke, and Minato struggled to react, Urashiki suddenly moved. A strange golden Rinnegan opened on his forehead, its vertical slit pupil looking eerie.
At that moment, a glowing mirror-like portal appeared in front of him. His body was pulled inside without his control.
A flash of light swept through, and under everyone's gaze, Urashiki stepped out—completely transformed.
His legs had turned into talon-like claws. His hands were covered in white Hagoromo-like wings. The horns on his head didn't grow back but instead reshaped into something… feather-like?
Mysterious black markings spread across his face, leaving only symmetrical patches of skin visible.
As his sinister chakra surged, his grin became crazed. Gone was his smug arrogance—he was now filled with bloodlust as he pointed at the three people and one fox below.
"I'm going to slaughter every last one of you!"
"Try me!" Naruto shouted defiantly. "You think I'll be scared just because you changed your look?! Watch me beat the crap out of you!"
"Actually… his power really has increased several times over," Sasuke said logically, before shifting his tone, "But I still support you. I say we rush him and beat him down. Don't chicken out, Naruto. Go!"
Naruto froze on the spot.
"Naruto, you know me," Kurama sighed, speaking with great seriousness. "I will never acknowledge anyone jumping around above me except for the Sage of Six Paths. And since you're one of the only three people in the ninja world that I recognize, I trust you'll help me smash that guy into the ground, right?"
Kurama then raised his voice in a dramatic rallying cry.
"So don't hesitate! Go, Naruto! Unleash every last bit of your hidden power!"
Naruto: "…"
Minato, still a bit confused, asked, "Naruto has hidden powers?"
"Of course!" Kurama nodded firmly, his expression serious. "Naruto has already mastered the three ultimate techniques of the Konohagakure Style! He has used the Taijutsu Ultimate Art and the Ninjutsu Ultimate Art. Now, it's time to showcase the Genjutsu Ultimate Art!"
"The Konohagakure Style Ultimate Arts…" Minato looked at Naruto with pride. "I never imagined that in the future, the village would develop such powerful techniques!"
…Well, one way or another…
Minato believed it.
Naruto: Why did I have to open my mouth…?
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