"Luffy, are you shaking my shoulders?"
In an instant, Naruto snapped out of his daze, staring at Luffy in disbelief.
"You unlocked a new transformation again?!"
Luffy puffed out his belly and burst into laughter, unable to contain his joy.
"What? Nah, I lost!"
"No, to be exact—I died just now when you punched me!"
Then, he pointed toward Roy.
"It was the Grand Priest who brought me back!"
"My current state is the same as before we started fighting."
"Oh right! You're still all banged up—do you want me to heal you a bit?"
Seeing the massive scar on Luffy's chest completely gone, Naruto finally processed everything.
Right—he had won.
Healing? It didn't matter anymore.
Naruto looked a little downcast. After all, the companion who helped him win—Kurama—was gone. What was the point of healing?
But before he could reply—
A beam of bright blue light suddenly enveloped his entire body.
Warm energy flooded through him, soothing every cell in his body.
"Healing ninjutsu? I've never seen such powerful healing before!"
"It feels amazing!"
In the next moment—
Naruto began shrinking, visibly reverting to his 12-year-old self.
When the transformation ended, he looked down at his familiar old, tattered coat—his eyes filled with confusion.
Suddenly—
"Naruto! We meet again!"
A wild, dominant voice echoed in his mind.
What the—?!
Kurama?! You're alive?!
Naruto was stunned.
Inside his mental space—
He stared at the orange figure behind the sealed gate, voice trembling.
"Kurama... you…"
"Did returning to my younger state revive you too?"
"I'm so glad to see you again!"
His voice cracked with emotion.
Kurama, ever the tsundere, waved his claws arrogantly.
"Quit crying! I need rest!"
"Don't bother me unless I say you can!"
"And stop acting like we're best buds—call me Great Lord Nine-Tails!"
With a snort, a strange energy kicked Naruto out of the mental space.
But just before he was ejected, Naruto clearly saw Kurama smiling.
"Ha! Kurama's back too!"
No sadness remained. Naruto laughed with pure joy.
"Haha! I won! I really won!"
Looking around—
He felt the roar of the crowd, the thunderous applause shaking the sky.
"What an incredible battle! I knew Naruto would win! Haha!"
"Truly two cheat-code-level fighters! No one could tell who'd win till the very end!"
"They flipped the match over and over again—definitely worthy of being chosen!"
Naruto, overwhelmed with excitement, waved wildly to the audience.
"You're seriously amazing!"
Luffy grinned at Naruto, now noticeably shorter than him again.
"After being revived, I finally realized it…"
"No wonder you kept punching—it turns out your fists could shorten my lifespan!"
What?!
Shorten lifespan?!
Naruto was stunned. He hadn't known that at all.
Luffy kept laughing.
"My second and third Gears already burn blood and life to fight."
"Then I used Gear 4 and Gear 5 again during that last match. I probably had only a bit of life left."
"Your final transformation used up all of that remaining life force."
"Haha! That was crazy fun!"
Hearing that—
Silence fell across the multiverse.
Even the air seemed to freeze.
Then came the sound of countless people swallowing hard.
And a second later—
"WHAT THE HELL?!!!"
The audience exploded into chaos.
---
Marvel Universe
"To affect an opponent's future... Is this some kind of law of karma?"
Tony Stark muttered, eyes filled with awe.
---
Fairy Tail Universe
"What?! There's a power like that?!"
Natsu looked shocked, then glanced at Master Makarov.
"If the old man took a few punches like that, would he just, y'know—ascend?!"
Erza punched him in the head.
"Natsu! Don't disrespect the master!"
"Even if it's true, you shouldn't say it!"
Ugh...
Makarov twitched, a swarm of cartoon crows flying overhead.
---
One Punch Man Universe
"Life only lasts a hundred years… and yet that kid can judge life and death with a punch?"
Metal Bat stared at the screen, dumbfounded.
"Not only is his form bizarre, but even his fists are god-tier!"
"Talk about young prodigies..."
Then, he remembered Saitama breaking that enormous meteor.
"Could Saitama defeat this Naruto kid…?"
---
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Universe
"Shortening lifespan? That's a seriously broken ability!"
The Star Crusaders widened their eyes in astonishment.
"Hey! If Jotaro had that power, wouldn't he be unbeatable?"
"Star Platinum's punches are so fast…"
"If he fought someone with equal power, couldn't he reduce their lifespan in just seconds?"
Polnareff asked curiously.
"Yeah... that's probably true."
Avdol nodded.
"But now that you mention it—what is Star Platinum's special ability, anyway?"
"We've never seen Jotaro use anything out of the ordinary!"
Behind them, Kakyoin joked:
"Maybe his hidden power is lifespan reduction! Guess we'll find out soon enough!"
Hearing this, Jotaro sighed.
"Yare yare... You guys really are a pain."
He already knew Star Platinum's true ability.
But it still felt unbelievable.
Only after facing DIO would it be revealed.
---
Konoha Village, Naruto's World
Every villager froze, trembling.
None of them had expected Naruto to possess such terrifying power.
A dark, ominous feeling rose in their hearts.
"Wait—hey! I didn't call him a demon fox brat or anything! I'm only seventy—I haven't lived long enough yet!"
"Liar! You were the one who yelled at him and chased him with a broom! When Naruto gets back, you're toast!"
"You're no better! You always talked trash about the Nine-Tails! Your lifespan's probably up too!"
"We're doomed! When Naruto returns, we're all dead meat!"
Most of them didn't even understand what Baryon Mode was—
They just thought it was one of Naruto's many transformations.
Immediately, all the villagers who had mocked or shunned Naruto collapsed to the ground, limp like puddles of mud.
---
Highest Platform, Arena
Two completely different auras hovered in the air.
Orochimaru licked his lips, eyes burning with greed.
"Naruto… my perfect vessel… Hurry back to me!"
Beside him—
Sarutobi Hiruzen was ice cold, as if he'd just been pulled from a frozen lake.
He kept trying to reassure himself:
"Don't panic! I'm the grandfather Naruto respects the most!"
"He wouldn't harm me. On the contrary—he might even fulfill my wish to be young again! Yeah… that's it!"
But the more he tried to convince himself—
The colder his scalp felt, as a chilling dread crept up his spine.
Sarutobi Hiruzen… was terrified.