Natsuro's expression also looked somewhat strange.
After successfully fusing Swift Release, he wasted no time in beginning his exploration of Magnet Release.
Thanks to his experience with Swift Release, the process went relatively smoothly, even though Magnet Release did not have someone like Hiruko to act as a "mentor."
In the end, Natsuro managed to fuse Earth Release and Wind Release to create Magnet Release.
This made him somewhat amazed. So Magnet Release in this world really doesn't require Lightning Release?
As he continued his experiments, he started to suspect that this Magnet Release was not the same as the magnetism he remembered from his previous life.
This was because it didn't just affect ferromagnetic metals like iron, cobalt, and nickel. Even gold, which shouldn't be magnetizable based on his previous-life knowledge, could be manipulated...
This made Natsuro suspect that the fundamental rules of this world might differ from those of his past life.
However, since electric currents do generate magnetic fields, he figured that while most physical laws probably remained the same, there were some exceptions.
To verify this, he tried using an electromagnetically induced field to affect pure gold and as expected, it failed.
At that moment, he understood why Magnet Release doesn't require Lightning Release, because this world's Magnet Release isn't purely based on real-world magnetism. Instead, it allows control over all metals, not just ferromagnetic ones.
Of course, while this result defied Natsuro's previous understanding, it was ultimately a good thing.
After all, a broader range of applications meant greater versatility.
With these experiments done, Natsuro massaged his temples and put aside any lingering contradictions.
Because he had to move on to the most important experiment, the Railgun. In truth, he had pursued Magnet Release purely for the sake of developing the Railgun.
His research into Magnet Release had cost him quite some time, if it turned out to be useless, he would definitely start cursing.
Previously whenever Natsuro used Railgun, the method was roundabout because the conventional Railgun required two long conductive metal rails to generate a powerful magnetic field, but he obviously couldn't carry around two rails all the time.
Although that setup might have produced greater power, it would be too obvious when and where he planned to attack. In his past life, such a setup might not have mattered, but in this world filled with inhumanly fast ninjas, telegraphing an attack was asking for trouble.
However, now he had no intention of discarding the electromagnetic fields generated by Lightning Release.
After all, the power of the Railgun is directly related to the strength of the magnetic field. Since his Magnet Release was weaker due to his mastery of Earth Release being lower than Wind Release, its power was somewhat limited.
So instead of discarding Lightning Release's electromagnetic properties, why not combine both fields together?
Sure, this would consume more chakra, but was chakra even a concern for him anymore?
At this point, Natsuro's chakra reserves were nearly on par with a Tailed Beast.
With that, the latest version of Railgun was completed. Since he had already developed the technique step by step, adding Magnet Release into the mix was relatively simple, the core principle remained unchanged.
The next moment, Natsuro pulled a small metal projectile from his ninja tool pouch and glanced up at the sky.
Then, his entire body crackled with lightning, especially his right arm, which was now completely shrouded in a brilliant aura of electricity.
The surrounding air reverberated with the constant booming of lightning.
Under these conditions, the metal projectile seemed to pulse with anticipation, as if brimming with energy, waiting to be unleashed.
Then, just like before, Natsuro simply flicked his finger.
In an instant, a beam-like streak of light shot toward the sky, surging forward relentlessly, as though it would never stop.
Along its path, traces of lightning flickered intermittently.
Seeing this, Natsuro grinned, it was clear he was extremely satisfied with this version of Railgun.
This time, the Railgun's power seemed to have truly reached the level of Misaka Mikoto's, perhaps even stronger. In other words, he had managed to unleash a Railgun of comparable might in a world that wasn't designed for such a technique.
After all, if Mikoto Misaka's Railgun truly operated at only three times the speed of sound, it would never have been as powerful as shown in the anime.
Natsuro stretched lazily. After working on this for so long, the results had not disappointed him, it was all worth it.
Moreover, since Railgun's destructive power comes almost entirely from speed, it was compatible with the Shadow Clone Shuriken Technique.
As long as he could react fast enough, he could use Shadow Clone Shuriken the moment the projectile reached maximum velocity, multiplying his Railgun shots.
Of course, this would require far more chakra than normal. But for him, that was never a problem.
At that moment, he suddenly paused, deep in thought, and then his expression turned odd.
He realized that his connection with Misaka Mikoto seemed strangely deep.
After all, he had now mastered her signature Railgun technique, and its power was roughly the same.
Not only that, but her ultimate move, "Super Electromagnetic Cannon," was basically just Lightning Release: Kirin, which he also knew. Even her Iron Sand Sword techniques could be replicated with his Magnet Release.
So in a way, he had mastered everything she could do. The only thing he lacked was her hacking skills.
Now that he thought about it, traveling to Misaka's world might actually be pretty interesting.
And considering that the world of Naruto existed, then surely Misaka's world must also exist somewhere, right? There was no reason for Naruto's world to be the only special one.
Shaking his head to dismiss these thoughts, Natsuro refocused on assessing his current strength.
Firstly, he had already refined all three of the Sage Modes from the Three Great Summoning Lands to perfection. He typically maintained Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode at all times, as its vitality and stamina-boosting effects were unparalleled.
Moreover, he discovered that by staying in this mode constantly, its powerful regenerative properties gradually enhanced his body permanently, even when he wasn't using Sage Mode.
This was something only he could achieve, as no one else could maintain Sage Mode indefinitely.
Additionally, Natsuro's greatest difference from other Sage Mode users was that his base physical abilities, after all his enhancements, were already superior to Guy in his Six Gates state.
This was why even Naruto, after mastering Sage Mode, couldn't match Natsuro, because their starting points were vastly different.
Secondly, his chakra natures.
He had been naturally attuned to Lightning and Wind since birth. Meanwhile, his Earth, Water, and Fire nature affinities had improved over time, and he could now use jutsu from those natures at normal effectiveness without expending extra chakra.
Still, Natsuro had no intention of investing too much time in those elements.
Of course, he would learn any high-power jutsu that was available to him. Given his rapid learning speed, it wouldn't take much time.
As a result, he had already mastered most of the powerful jutsu available in Konoha.
However, he had no plans to refine the hand signs for those techniques. Doing so would be an enormous waste of time.
Since those jutsu were only meant as supplementary options, there was no need to master them to perfection.
But now, thanks to Swift Release, even his hand-seal-based techniques could be executed at unprecedented speed, effectively achieving instant casting.
Lastly, he reviewed his most powerful jutsu.
His strongest attack? Exploding Truth-Seeking Orb.
However, this technique couldn't be used carelessly, it wasn't instant, and it was too destructive. If used in populated areas... Everything, including buildings and civilians, would be obliterated.
Fortunately, he had other powerful techniques.
For wide-area attacks, he had Lightning Release: Kirin. Since he could harness natural energy, he wasn't as dependent on weather conditions as Sasuke was.
For single-target devastation, he now had the Railgun. But thanks to the Shadow Clone Shuriken Technique, it might not remain a single-target jutsu for long.
And, of course, there was Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, which remained a formidable weapon.
Reflecting on all of this, Natsuro realized that with his enhanced Railgun, his Lightning Release had now completely surpassed his Wind Release.
Unfortunately, there was little he could do about that.
After all, the strongest Wind Release jutsu was essentially just Rasenshuriken.
Even though he had tried to explore new applications for Wind Release's cutting power, the results were less than ideal.
With a sigh, he admitted, this was probably his only real failure, and it just happened to be in Wind Release.
At this moment, Natsuro gazed at the sky, contemplating the current timeline. He understood that the final battle was truly approaching, and now, he only had one last step left to take.
That step was the fusion of the Three Great Sage Modes. At this point, he had mastered ninjutsu, possessed all chakra natures, and had reached the pinnacle of overall strength.
Whether he could break through this level depended entirely on this final step.
If he succeeded, it would naturally be ideal. If not, he still had an alternative, he already had the foundational conditions to fuse a Kekkei Tōta.
However, if two chakra natures were already this difficult to combine, then a Kekkei Tōta would undoubtedly be even harder.
Natsuro sighed, hoping he wouldn't have to resort to that step.
.....
Konoha, Hokage's Office
At this moment, Shikaku was reporting some matters to Natsuro. The most important piece of information was that traces of the Akatsuki organization had been discovered in the Land of Lightning.
Based on Shikaku's analysis, the Akatsuki had likely already captured all the Tailed Beasts from One-Tails to Seven-Tails. Once they succeeded in capturing the Eight-Tails, they would inevitably set their sights on Konoha.
To this, Natsuro merely nodded, showing little interest in the matter.
After all, Shikaku's analysis was likely correct. There was a specific order in which the Tailed Beasts were being sealed. Now that Akatsuki was moving to capture the Eight-Tails, it naturally meant they had already secured the first seven.
Shikaku, seeing his indifference, felt somewhat helpless. Every time a Tailed Beast was captured, Konoha received intelligence reports, and he always relayed them to Natsuro in a timely manner.
Yet, each time, he seemed unconcerned, as if Akatsuki's actions had nothing to do with Konoha.
But how could that be possible?
Konoha had the Nine-Tails. Sooner or later, Akatsuki would come for them. Their goal in collecting the Tailed Beasts was certainly not something simple.
Given the immense power of just a single Tailed Beast, Akatsuki's ambition in gathering all nine could only mean one thing, domination of the entire ninja world.
There was no need for him to remind the Hokage of this; Natsuro undoubtedly understood it. That's why Shikaku believed he must have some kind of plan.
But what that plan was, Shikaku had no idea. So all he could do was worry in silence.
In truth, Natsuro really didn't care much about Akatsuki's movements.
With their strength, it wasn't difficult for them to capture the first eight Tailed Beasts if he didn't intervene.
As for the Nine-Tails, Naruto's power had already reached a level where even if Nagato personally came, he felt that Naruto could handle him alone.
Perhaps Naruto was still slightly weaker than Nagato at this moment, but if he ever found himself truly outmatched, the Nine-Tails would step in and directly make peace with Naruto.
And then? A mere Nagato wouldn't stand a chance against Naruto in his Sage Fox Mode.
After all, that stubborn and prideful fox had been waiting for this moment for quite some time.
Speaking of which, Naruto seemed to be making his final preparations as well. Once he was ready, he would challenge the Nine-Tails head-on.
Thinking about this, he couldn't help but smile.
A duel, huh? This time, Minato and Kushina wouldn't be able to interfere. And as for the Eight-Tails...
But given the Nine-Tails' personality, Naruto didn't need to completely defeat it, he just needed to prove that his power was equal to or greater than its own.
So if Naruto alone was already capable of handling Akatsuki, why should he even be concerned?
As for Akatsuki's ultimate goal, the potential fusion into a Six Paths-level enemy, Natsuro had no certainty in defeating that yet.
However, just because he wasn't confident now didn't mean he wouldn't be when the time came.
Moreover, Natsuro had been hesitating over something. Deep in his mind, he had a plan, a plan that, if executed successfully, could completely reshape the entire ninja world.
For now, he had chosen to wait and see. If events continued progressing in their current direction, then when the time came, he would no longer hesitate.
In fact, the reason he hadn't stopped Akatsuki was precisely because their plan and his own were somewhat complementary.
So he felt that refraining from secretly assisting Akatsuki was already an act of kindness to the other villages. Preventing them outright? That was out of the question.
Seeing that Natsuro still showed little interest in Akatsuki, Shikaku sighed and continued reporting other matters.
Once all affairs were settled, Natsuro stood by the window, gazing at the twilight sky. He now understood one thing.
Once the Eight-Tails was captured, it would be time for Nagato to attack Konoha.
However, this time, he wouldn't have the chance to use Shinra Tensei to destroy the village.
Still, would it just be Nagato and Konan acting alone again? Knowing Nagato's personality, he likely would. He saw himself as a god and never hesitated in these matters. Even with Natsuro displaying his strength, Nagato probably wouldn't lose faith in his own invincibility.
But would Obito allow them to act alone? Probably not.
Natsuro thought about it. Akatsuki still had several members left, at the very least, Hidan of the "immortal duo" was still around.
Whatever the case, Konoha's current strength rendered these details insignificant.
Speaking of Hidan, Natsuro had always had an idea, what if he used the Spirit Transformation Technique to take over Hidan's body and then perform the Reaper Death Seal?
Hidan's body was immortal, but that didn't mean his soul was indestructible. Reaper Death Seal should be able to take him out in one go.
Of course, given his current strength, there was no need for such elaborate methods. He could simply chop Hidan into pieces and bury him alive like in the original story. Without any nutrition, Hidan would eventually die.
Still, he was a bit curious. Since Hidan was supposedly favored by his "Jashin" deity, what would happen if his soul was taken by the Shinigami?
Wouldn't that be an interesting scenario?
Unfortunately, this was an idea that would remain untested, because he wasn't about to risk getting his own soul dragged away by the Shinigami while using the Spirit Transformation Technique.
That would be quite the disaster.
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Currently on Chapter 349 - Surrounded by Nine Dead Jinchūrikis!