Chapter 186: Whitebeard: Konoha's Cowardly Rats, You Are No Match**

As the ground beneath him became more distant, Naruto no longer cared why he was being kidnapped.

If he were to suddenly fall right now, he would undoubtedly be smashed to pieces.

Naruto tightly hugged Marco, worried that he might actually fall.

“Hahahaha, I am a Phoenix Fruit user, after all. I just haven’t shown my abilities since arriving in Konoha,” Marco laughed. “I’m one of the few Devil Fruit users on the sea who can fly. You haven’t experienced anything like this before, have you?”

“When we get to the sea, Dad will find you a powerful fruit to eat. Then you can fly however you want and maybe even transform into a powerful creature.”

Seeing how nervous Naruto was, Marco couldn’t help but chuckle. This kid was quite adorable, more so than any of the brothers on their ship. Maybe it was because he was younger; after all, they’d never had such a young child on board before.

“Dad didn’t originally want to get involved in this kind of thing, but staying in Konoha would bind you for life.”

“Activate the barrier! Don’t let him escape!” shouted Danzo.

Danzo looked at the slowly rising Marco with surprise. He had thought those wings were just for show.

“Yes!”

It was to prevent the enemy from using any other tricks. Now that Dad had made his move, the battle with Konoha would not end.

He didn’t expect even himself to be part of it!

There aren’t many flying techniques in the Ninja World, just a few.

Marco's wings didn’t seem to have a solid form; they looked like flames condensed together.

Naruto hesitated for a moment.

Now it seemed that his preparation wasn’t wrong at all.

Marco’s ability to fly didn’t resemble any of the known flying techniques.

But according to the information Danzo had, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki was a girl.

Marco seemed more like he was showcasing the power of that so-called Tailed Beast.

Seven-Tails!

Of course!

“Especially since you’ve been living in a lie since you were born. That makes Dad even angrier.”

Naruto had originally agreed with Dad and Brother Marco.

“Hahahahaha, it's not up to you. When Dad heard that you were treated unfairly in Konoha, he was furious,” Marco laughed.

Naruto, however, wanted to stay in Konoha, live according to his parents’ wishes, and become Hokage.

The most notable ninja who could fly was Onoki from the Hidden Stone Village.

Danzo instantly thought of the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki.

He didn’t expect these wings to be truly useful, but he had never heard of this technique before.

The more chaos, the better!

Naruto looked up with wide eyes at Marco and asked.

Naruto said with a pained expression,

But these pirates from the sea...

Danzo spoke in a deep voice, already prepared with a sealing technique at the ready.

“Freedom... I do long for it, but my mother...”

But now he was retreating at the last moment.

“What technique is this guy using that allows him to fly? And those wings behind him don’t look like mere decoration.”

They’re just afraid there won’t be enough fun to be had on the sea.

This is like divine treatment.

No matter how you look at it, this is his problem.

I’ve heard that kids are really cute when they’re young, but once they grow up, that’s not always the case.

The more noise, the better.

“Brother Marco, I want to become Hokage in Konoha. I don’t want to go to the sea.”

Naruto’s face was full of reluctance as he spoke.

Compared to Marco’s idea of freedom and the sea...

And Marco’s wings, while they seemed a bit slow, had great endurance.

Marco chuckled lightly. Right now, it wasn’t up to Naruto whether he wanted to leave or not.

“Ah, can I have one too?”

Several ANBU members exchanged glances and nodded, quickly forming hand signs with great coordination.

A massive barrier instantly rose up, extending straight into the sky.

“Damn it, that’s the technique used by Uchiha Raijin before!”

Marco shouted in surprise. He reached out to touch it, but instead of the flames he imagined, it was a natural barrier. Breaking through it with brute force would take an immense amount of power.

“Uchiha? It seems like you’re connected to the Uchiha clan! That gives me another reason to capture you,” Danzo sneered. “Collaborating with the evil Uchiha—what exactly is your purpose in coming to Konoha?”

Marco’s words didn’t escape Danzo’s sharp ears.

He had no idea that they were connected to the Uchiha.

This was a major discovery; he was just in need of more Sharingan.

Besides...

Shisui’s eye was still in Uchiha Raijin’s possession.

If he wanted to gather both of Shisui's eyes, he had to find the hidden Uchiha.

He hadn’t been without leads on the Uchiha clan's whereabouts recently.

But this group had hidden themselves too well, with not a single piece of information coming to light.

Even that fool Fugaku was searching for them too.

He had originally planned to use Fugaku as bait.

Now it seemed unnecessary.

The evil Uchiha clan...

You’ve finally shown your tails.

“Gurararara, this jutsu has a flaw! If there’s no one maintaining it, it’s sure to break!”

“Marco, I’ll clear a path for you!” Whitebeard sneered coldly, his eyes sweeping over the surrounding ninjas.

Such an obvious flaw—did they think he couldn’t see it?

These guys were overly confident.

“Crack!”

---

Whitebeard swung the naginata in his hand, which was enveloped by a wave of white energy.

In an instant, a tremendous force gathered in his hands.

Whitebeard's eyes narrowed slightly, and the rippling energy on the blade burst forth.

"Boom!"

The air shattered like a broken mirror, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading out continuously.

The next moment!

An incredibly powerful shockwave, along with a tremor, caused the birds in the Forest of Death to scatter in a frenzy.

Before Whitebeard, it was as if the world was ending.

The barrier was smashed open with a direct blow, and the two ninjas maintaining it perished under Whitebeard's terrifying shockwave.

They didn't even know what hit them!

And the shockwave didn’t stop; its immense force continued to spread toward Konoha, blasting a corner of the village into rubble.

This display of power was awe-inspiring.

Danzo’s pupils contracted sharply. He never imagined that these people would possess such power.

Previously, when Charlotte Linlin destroyed an entire village by herself, he thought it was an exaggeration.

After all, only someone like Hashirama Senju could achieve such feats.

But could there really be two Hashirama-level powerhouses in one generation? No matter how you look at it, it's impossible.

Danzo didn’t underestimate Whitebeard, which is why he summoned all his Root ninjas.

But now, it seemed he had still underestimated this guy.

The overwhelming power that he had previously found exaggerated was now right before him.

All Danzo wanted to do now was run away.

Why does Konoha always provoke such troublesome enemies?

And why does every enemy have to be this terrifying?

Like Uchiha Madara!

And the entire Uchiha clan!

Couldn’t they just face a weaker opponent?

He hadn’t even become Hokage yet!

He didn’t want to die young like the First Hokage.

"Boom!"

Whitebeard's massive naginata struck the ground. He looked up to see Marco had already flown safely into the air.

Now, no matter how chaotic things got, Marco was out of harm’s way.

Since that was settled, it was time for him to break through.

"Come on, you Konoha scum! Show me if you have the same style as that Uchiha Raijin," Whitebeard taunted. "Forcing that kid to retreat must mean you have some extraordinary methods, right?"

"Use them all on me—don’t disappoint me."

Whitebeard straightened his posture, looking at Danzo and his men with disdain.

To him, these people were no different from the Navy’s fodder troops.

Such power would likely be useless in front of him.

However, Whitebeard still intended to give these guys some credit.

"Quick! Go get the Third Hokage! This guy..." Danzo’s face was grave as he clutched his wrapped-up arm.

He didn't want to use his Sharingan unless absolutely necessary. That would expose certain things!

It might even affect his future career.

Two ninjas quickly left the Forest of Death, heading toward the village.

"All of you, attack together!"

Danzo knew it would take time for reinforcements to arrive, so he waved his hand, signaling everyone to charge forward.

They had to stop this guy. Fortunately, the battle was taking place in the Forest of Death.

If it were in the village, the consequences could be unimaginable.

The newly rebuilt village wouldn’t be able to withstand the terrifying brute force of this guy.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Danzo retreated as the Root ninjas rushed forward.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique!"

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

For a moment, various ninjutsu—Fire, Earth, Water, Wind—were unleashed, flying toward Whitebeard from all directions.

In the chaos of the attacks, Whitebeard's lips curled into a disdainful smile.

These jutsu were too slow. To his eyes, it looked like they were in slow motion.

This level of power was far too weak.

"Buzz!"

Whitebeard stood in place, spinning his naginata like a windmill.

A tornado whipped up around him, wreaking havoc in all directions.

His naginata deflected all the ninjutsu, and he didn’t even take a single step back.

It was clear—these jutsu were just too weak.

He was now even doubting the truth behind the Uchiha clan being forced out.

With such poor skills, that kid Uchiha Raijin could probably deal with them in two moves.

However, the attacks did not cease. A ninja stood at a distance, hands forming seals while staring at Whitebeard.

"Ninja Art: Mind Body Switch Technique!"

A member of the Yamanaka clan targeted Whitebeard, and in the next instant, his consciousness surged into Whitebeard's mind.

But before the Yamanaka clan member could do anything, he felt a powerful sense of oppression overwhelm him.

He saw a figure deep within this person's mind—a young version of Whitebeard with blazing red eyes.

“What is this that dares to probe my body? Get the hell out!”

With a roar, the Yamanaka ninja's spirit was instantly shattered, disappearing from Whitebeard's mental world.

His original body also fell silent!

It seemed he couldn’t withstand the impact of Conqueror’s Haki.

He might end up becoming a fool.

During the brief moment Whitebeard was controlled by the Yamanaka clan ninja, his naginata stopped spinning, and several jutsu hit him directly.

The strong body couldn’t help but take a few steps back!

“Gurararara, it looks like there are some decent folks here, daring to try and seize my body,” Whitebeard laughed. “But not good enough—they couldn't even last a second.”

Whitebeard touched the burns on his body. Some areas had been scorched.

After all, a ninja’s Fire Release could easily destroy a massive rock.

While Whitebeard’s body was stronger, he wasn’t immune to injury.

“But you lackeys should be about done. Someone interesting has arrived. I don’t have time to waste on you,” Whitebeard's eyes flashed red, and an indescribable power surged from him.

Expanding outward from Whitebeard as the center, it encompassed everyone around him.

In an instant, everyone was within its range.

“What is this power?”

Danzo struggled against the pressure, finding that he could barely resist.

It seemed related to one’s willpower, Danzo quickly deduced.

He tried to withstand the immense pressure, gritting his teeth to hold on.

But at some point, it felt like the world had gone silent.

“Crack!”

A ninja beside him, his eyes unfocused, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

His face was devoid of any color, and his weapon slipped from his grasp to the ground.

“Thud!”

Before Danzo could say anything, the ninja had already collapsed.

Danzo looked down and saw the man’s body trembling continuously.

He didn’t seem to have any major problems!

But the problem was big enough.

Genjutsu?

No!

Genjutsu wouldn’t achieve such an effect.

Unless it could encompass everyone nearby.

But there were very few people in the Ninja World capable of such a feat.

Genjutsu of this caliber was terrifying.

However...

Danzo’s face twisted slightly. Could it really be the opponent’s aura alone?

No matter what, Danzo couldn’t believe that.

The forest was eerily silent, as if the entire world had quieted down.

Whitebeard, carrying his naginata, stepped over the ninjas who had already fallen and couldn’t move.

He had no interest in those who were already down.

These guys weren’t worth his time to finish off.

Whitebeard didn’t even bother looking around; they were all already down.

Now, only one remained!

He hadn’t expected anyone to withstand his Conqueror’s Haki.

But these cowardly rats, sending others to charge and die while they ran for their lives...

“What’s the matter, Konoha's cowardly rats? Weren’t you going to kill me, Whitebeard?”

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