"It's useless, do not..."
Before 'Gaara' could finish speaking, Naruto's fist was already upon him.
For someone like Naruto who disliked speaking too much during combat, he had no patience to listen to long speeches from his opponent before acting.
It was one of the unwritten rules among the strong on the seas.
Act first, talk later.
If they lacked the qualification to stand before him, then there was no point in wasting time on discussions.
Naruto considered testing whether his opponent could truly ignore Ninjutsu by launching a few Conqueror's Bomb, but he held back, considering the three other people nearby.
Thud!
Sand created from Senjutsu Chakra formed dense, resilient defensive walls before Gaara. The moment Naruto's fist struck, countless grains of sand acted as buffers, dissipating the terrifying force.
"Now, it is my turn."
As Gaara spoke, more sand materialized from the air around them, rapidly coiling toward Naruto.
In the blink of an eye, he was wrapped into a sphere of sand.
At this, Kousei could no longer remain still.
Ignoring Haku's attempts to stop her, she stomped her small foot hard against the ground, launching herself toward the airborne Gaara like a cannonball.
But she knew neither the Ultralight-Weight Rock Technique nor the Geppo. Once she shot into the air, she had no control over her direction.
Gaara, who could react to Naruto's punches, was even less likely to be hit by this crude headbutt.
While previously 'hidden' within Gaara's body, Nature Will had already discerned that this young girl possessed a naturally robust physique, but it seemed largely untrained.
She might handle ordinary, low-level Ninja, but she was not qualified to intervene in their battle.
Fine sand transformed into ropes, binding Kousei's ankles, then mercilessly hurled her downward.
"Although you are also special..."
As the Nature Will spoke, numerous Sand Senbon gathered in mid-air, aiming to pierce the young girl's limbs.
"... you can serve as a backup. I will spare your life. Wait quietly over there."
Seeing this, the guardian duo on the ground sprang into action. One rushed to Kousei's predicted landing point to catch her, while the other formed hand seals, creating countless Ice Senbon that shot upward, attempting to intercept the attack mid-air.
Unfortunately, Haku's Ice Release still could not compare to Senjutsu.
Despite their volley, the ice needles could not destroy the Sand Senbon, nor even divert their course.
Even without systematic combat training, Kousei's innate talent marked her as a natural-born warrior.
Mid-air, she kept her eyes locked intently on the pursuing sand. The more perilous the situation, the calmer she became.
Kousei tried to twist her body, but the Sand Senbon seemed capable of active tracking, adjusting their trajectory accordingly.
'No good? Then I have to destroy them directly.'
The young girl clenched her fists, preparing for a direct clash with the Senjutsu Chakra-imbued attack.
But the next moment, a towering figure shielded her from above.
The Naruto who had been wrapped in sand dissipated into smoke. The Naruto now appearing before Kousei held her gently with one arm, while his other hand transformed into a blade, slashing upward.
A slash tinged with black lightning collided fiercely with the Sand Senbon.
The clash of Chakra and Haki created strange, rippling distortions in the air, like folds in space itself.
Ultimately, Naruto's Haki proved superior, utterly destroying all the senbon.
"Little one, are you alright?"
Naruto himself did not know why he instinctively softened his voice, as if afraid of startling the child in his arms.
He felt this girl was somehow special.
"... Kousei is fine."
It was an expression the guardian duo, and even Nyon Ba and the others, had never seen on her before.
Like a timid fawn in the forest, her face wore a look of fragile vulnerability.
For some reason, the little troublemaker who had been so unruly on Amazon Lily, in the Land of Vegetables, and throughout their journey, had become a shy, reticent girl before Naruto.
Being held by Naruto, Kousei even felt the urge to cry.
After all, no matter her innate gifts or strong will, she was still a child not yet five years old.
Her mother was often occupied and could not frequently stay with her, and her father existed only in stories.
Kousei also wish to be cared for and protected by her parents, like the other children around her.
Perhaps this was precisely why she had been so bold as to search through 'the treasures her Father left behind', find that turtle-shaped device, and, without any clear guide or certainty of returning to her own time, choose to come here.
Sensing the complex emotions swirling within the young girl, Naruto set Kousei down on the ground with unprecedented gentleness, then softly ruffled her hair.
"If this is our affair, we should not involve innocent people."
"Innocent? No one in this world is innocent-"
Before 'Gaara' could finish, a large hand gripped his head, carrying him flying rapidly away into the distant forest.
But he was not like the others Naruto had faced before, powerless to resist.
The sand autonomously morphed into spiraling 'drills', boring directly into Naruto's body.
Upon contact, Naruto could clearly feel the Haki coating his arm being rapidly worn away.
'This is...'
"Specially prepared for you."
That intense rate of Haki Consumption was abnormal, so Naruto had to release his grip prematurely, allowing his opponent to create distance.
"A fascinating power, different from that Chakra."
"This is precisely why I selected you as my partner."
'Gaara' raised a hand to touch the spot where Naruto had grabbed him, seemingly still recalling the sensation of contact with Haki.
"A pity that 'He' lacks this qualification."
The 'He' was, of course, referring to the original Gaara.
Without the Nature Will's control, Gaara's overall strength was inferior even to Kousei's, let alone his willpower.
If Gaara possessed willpower like Naruto's, this mere amount of Natural Energy would be insufficient to fully dominate his body.
Consciously, Naruto could even forcefully reject Nature Will through sheer will alone.
"So? Merge with me."
Gaara uttered words that were easily misinterpreted.
"If we become one, we can destroy all Chakra in this world."
"Only then can this world be protected."
The Nature Will required a vessel.
Without a sufficiently powerful physical form to serve as its foundation, they could only remain as a planetary energy source, vulnerable and helpless.
"Protect? From whom?"
This was the first time Naruto had heard this.
Previously, when the other had occupied his body, its speech had always been vague and cryptic.
Naruto's question seemed to stir an instinctive fear within 'Gaara'.
"They... they are a calamity."
"They feed on the life force of planets."
"The entire planet is merely nourishment for them to produce their 'fruit'."
Hearing this description, Naruto was momentarily stunned.
'Something that feeds on planets? I had never heard of such a thing.'
"What does that have to do with Chakra?"
Hearing this, 'Gaara' snapped out of his fearful state, turning his head to gaze profoundly at Naruto.
"If all Chakra is destroyed, they will not turn their gaze here."
"A planet incapable of producing Chakra will not be 'preyed upon'."
In Nature Will's view, all living beings on this planet combined could not hope to resist that terrifying race.
Not to mention anything else, a threat hung in the void right beside this very planet, perilously close.
This doctrine of 'non-resistance' seemed to strike a nerve deep within Naruto.
An image he was not keen to recall surfaced in his mind, slowly overlapping with the figure before him.
He did not know if it was because of Nature Will, or because of that person from his memories-
But for now, Naruto's mind was filled with a feeling of sheer frustration.
"You have the courage to attack me, to attack others in this world, but not the courage to resist those who would truly harm you?"
A prominent vein throbbed on Naruto's forehead.
"Are you so terrified of failure?!"
As Naruto's words rang out, the very skies seemed to shift, winds and clouds swirling as a terrifying Conqueror's Haki erupted skyward.
"Whoever they are! If they dare to come, let them try!"
"If there truly exist beings that devour worlds, then I, Uzumaki Naruto, will be the one to handle them!"