Chapter 36: The True Power of Empire Naruto! Fist of the Azure Heaven!

Chapter 36: The True Power of Empire Naruto! Fist of the Azure Heaven!

A thunderous roar shook the heavens as a mighty punch was thrown!

A hurricane of unprecedented strength once again swept through the world.

Naruto Uzumaki, cradled in Minato Namikaze's arms, felt as if his face was being scraped by a knife.

This sensation came and went in an instant.

In a flash, Empire Minato had carried them out of the storm's reach, appearing over a thousand meters away.

It was then that Naruto finally caught sight of the demonic figure at the eye of the storm.

There he stood, his fist still raised to the heavens.

Brighter and more intense than ever, the sun's rays shone down on Empire Naruto.

Naruto couldn't help but stare, his mouth agape, before finally looking up.

High above, directly above Empire Naruto, the sky was clear for several kilometers, not a cloud in sight!

A gaping hole had formed in the sky, from which the scorching sunlight poured down.

"The heavens... They've been torn apart!"

Naruto muttered in astonishment.

"These two... They're truly something else.

Thankfully, Naruto only punched the sky... But even so, the maintenance crew will surely have their hands full with complaints."

Empire Minato muttered with a hint of exasperation.

"...Too... too powerful...

This world's Uchiha Sasuke and Big Brother Naruto are incredibly strong!"

Naruto murmured, still dazed and unable to snap out of his awe.

It wasn't until someone tapped him on the head that he realized everyone had gathered around.

Empire Naruto stood there, having reverted to his previous state, wearing only a pair of shorts.

Empire Sasuke, looking down at him, exuded arrogance and a hint of mockery:

"Well now? Not so long ago, you were boldly challenging me to witness your true strength, and now you're cowering before me and Naruto?

But I suppose it's to be expected from someone of the ninja era, a mere insect that has never witnessed true power."

"...”

Naruto remained silent, ignoring Empire Sasuke's provocative taunts.

He simply bit his lip.

Kakashi Hatake let out a bitter laugh:

"Sasuke, anyone would be terrified the first time they witness such power."

"It's unbelievable," added Sakura Haruno. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that humans in this world could possess such power. The legendary gods must be no more than this..."

"So, when we get back, behave yourselves," Empire Sasuke continued. "Let go of your delusions.

Cooperate with us nicely, and joining the Empire is the best future for you.

If we end up in a conflict, Naruto and I will personally get involved, and you don't want to see what that would do to the ninja world, do you?"

Team Asuma fell silent.

"Sasuke, stop saying such things," Kushina Uzumaki chided. "We're friends, after all! And I believe that Sakura, Naruto, Kakashi, and Sai will do their best to convince everyone in the ninja world to join us, won't you?"

"Of course," Sakura nodded vigorously. "I'll do my best to convince the Hokage to join the Empire!"

Daisuke nodded solemnly, then added, "Not just Konoha! I'll convince the entire ninja world!"

In a daze, Naruto wasn't sure how he ended up back at their residence, how he managed to tidy up, or how he got out of bed the next morning.

He met up with Sakura, Daisuke, and Sai, and together they headed out.

"Naruto! Are you alright?"

The trio asked, concerned, as they noticed Naruto's continued daze outside the dormitory building.

"Huh? I'm fine, what is it, Captain Daisuke?" Naruto replied, still somewhat bewildered.

"Snap out of it, Naruto! We're running out of time! Why are you still in a daze?"

Haruno Sakura couldn't bear to see Naruto's current state and delivered a solid punch to his head.

This caused Uzumaki Naruto's head to swell up instantly, and he cried out in pain as he held his head.

"Ouch! Sakura, why did you hit me?"

"You idiot, Naruto. How much longer do you plan to keep everyone worried? Is it because you saw the power of this world's Naruto and Sasuke? Why are you acting like the sky is falling?"

Sakura yelled.

"I... I just feel so weak... I actually felt proud of myself and thought I could take on Sasuke... "

Naruto said, ashamed, still holding his head.

"So what? Do you feel like a clown now, all puffed up with pride?"

Sakura asked.

"Yeah..."

"You idiot!"

Sakura scolded and threw another punch at Naruto's head!

"Ouch! That hurt! Why did you hit me again?! Sakura-chan!"

Naruto crouched down, looking at Sakura with a mixture of pain and tears in his eyes.

"If you're a clown, then what about us? We've been training for two months, barely mastering three of the Six Styles, and only one of them properly. Are we even bigger clowns?"

Sakura retorted.

"No... of course not."

"Naruto, pull yourself together! You're not a clown; you're our pride! You're the genius recognized by Iruka-sensei and a worthy opponent acknowledged by this world's Sasuke!

Even though you lost, there's a huge gap between your strengths.

But so what?

This world's Sasuke and Naruto have simply been training for longer. If you work hard enough, there's no reason you can't catch up!

Also, do you know how strong this world's Naruto and Sasuke are among the entire population of the Shinmu Empire?"

"No... I don't know... How strong are they?"

Naruto asked, still a little dazed.

"I asked Uncle Minato yesterday. Naruto and Sasuke are among the top five strongest in the entire Shinmu Empire! That's out of a population of over 100 million! Can you believe it?"

"Wow... That's amazing..."

Naruto was stunned, then murmured after a moment:

"So, the Naruto in this world and that obnoxious Sasuke are that incredible..."

As he spoke, his eyes gradually regained some of their sparkle:

"I've made up my mind! I want to be just as strong as them! If they can be that strong, then so can I. Even if I'm not as good, I won't let them leave me too far behind! I'm just starting out, and anything is possible!"

"That's more like it! We're just beginning our martial arts journey. Who knows who will be stronger in the future? Keep it up, you idiot, Naruto!"

A smile finally appeared on Sakura's face as she tilted her head up.

"Then let's cheer each other on, Sakura, Sai, and Captain Yamato!"

Naruto raised his right fist and roared.

"What a lively roar, Naruto-kun! But I won't lose to you! Let's go! Let's take another step forward on our martial arts journey and reach new heights!"

A familiar voice suddenly shouted from behind them, causing the four members of Team Asuma to turn around.

There stood the Empire's Rock Lee, with his distinctive bowl-cut hairstyle and skintight outfit, along with the Empire's Itachi Uchiha in a black coat, the Empire's Neji Hyuga in a pure white coat and a gentle smile, and the Empire's Minato Namikaze, all walking towards them.

Seeing the looks on their faces, the Empire's Neji and Itachi smiled.

The Empire's Neji even said encouragingly:

"That's the spirit! Keep it up, Naruto-kun."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end