On their way back, the messenger had already explained the situation at headquarters to Naruto and Killer B.
They understood the two most important points.
First, the Fourth Shinobi World War had been temporarily suspended.
All grudges between shinobi were to be set aside while humanity formed a united front.
Second, Valkyries had arrived in the shinobi world, and humanity needed to select thirteen warriors to fight the gods one-on-one.
Seven victories would allow humanity to survive.
Defeat would mean extinction.
When Naruto and Killer B first heard the news, they thought it sounded completely insane.
That was why they had hurried back to confirm it for themselves.
A golden flash suddenly appeared before Naruto.
“Dad!” Naruto could hardly believe his eyes.
He had dreamed of seeing his father again more times than he could count.
“Naruto, you’ve grown so much.” Minato studied him with unconcealed pride.
“And you’ve already learned to draw upon the Nine-Tails’ chakra and enter Nine-Tails Chakra Mode?” “As expected of my son.
Excellence clearly runs in the family.” With a brief sensory check, Minato immediately noticed how drastically Naruto had changed.
Now that Naruto could access the Nine-Tails’ power, his strength had risen by several levels.
Minato could not have been happier.
This was exactly the future he had hoped for when he sealed the Nine-Tails inside his son.
“Naruto.
Killer B.” Ren appeared before them and addressed both men as though they were already familiar.
Naruto scratched his head.
He had never met this person before, yet Ren seemed to know him extremely well.
“Yo!
So you’re the Ren-sama everyone mentioned, the one leading humanity into battle against the divine.
May victory follow every step you take—yeah!” Killer B immediately slipped into his usual rhythm.
Ren offered him a polite smile.
“Hey, Ren.” Naruto looked between him and Killer B.
“Uncle B isn’t on the roster?” “That doesn’t make sense.
He’s the Eight-Tails jinchūriki, and he’s incredibly strong.” “If I was selected, why wasn’t he?” Ren looked barely older than Naruto, so Naruto addressed him by name without hesitation.
“Killer B isn’t quite strong enough.” Ren smiled.
The Eight-Tails was certainly powerful.
Among the nine tailed beasts, it ranked second only to Kurama.
But that strength was overwhelming only when compared to ordinary shinobi.
At most, it placed Killer B around the level of a powerful Kage, comparable to the Third Raikage.
Against monsters beyond the Kage level, the Eight-Tails was no longer enough.
In front of Madara and Hashirama, even the Nine-Tails had once been treated like little more than an unruly pet.
The gods were likely stronger still.
“What do you mean he isn’t strong enough?” Naruto frowned at Ren.
“Uncle B is amazing.
Have you ever even seen his Lariat?” He looked at Ren as though questioning whether he understood shinobi at all.
Minato quickly covered Naruto’s mouth before he could continue.
“My apologies, Ren-sama.” He bowed repeatedly.
“Please forgive him.” “It’s fine.” Ren did not take offense.
“Killer B may not qualify for the Ragnarok arena himself, but we still need his power.” “And yours as well, Naruto.” Those paying close attention immediately understood what Ren meant.
He was referring to the tailed beasts within them.
“What exactly are you planning?” The Raikage pushed through the crowd and stepped in front of Killer B, shielding his brother behind him.
Obito arrived late enough to witness the confrontation and immediately became interested.
Was Ren planning to take the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails after all?
“To win Ragnarok, we need the power of both tailed beasts.” Ren answered directly.
“That is all.” “But I will not perform a complete extraction.” “Naruto and Killer B will not suffer any danger to their lives.” Ren understood their concern.
As far as they knew, removing a tailed beast from its jinchūriki meant certain death.
But Ren naturally had a way to prevent that.
“And why should we believe you?” The Raikage was not about to endanger his brother based on a few words.
Minato also moved to Naruto’s side.
He said nothing, but his eyes remained fixed on Ren.
Behind them, Sakura, Neji, Hinata, Rock Lee, and the members of Ino–Shika–Chō gathered around Naruto as well.
Should the situation turn dangerous, they would protect him without hesitation.
Ren sighed.
“You can ask Naruto and Killer B whether they trust me.” “Or ask the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails themselves.” At that moment, both tailed beasts were already communicating with their jinchūriki.
“There’s something familiar about that man.” Kurama studied Ren through Naruto.
“He reminds me of that old man, the Sage of Six Paths.” “I don’t sense any darkness from him.” Inside Killer B, Gyūki gave his own suggestion.
“B, if you still have doubts, fist-bump him.” “You’ll be able to feel what is in his heart.” Killer B possessed a special ability.
Through a fist bump, he could share thoughts and emotions with another person and gain a clearer understanding of their intentions.
It was a sensible proposal.
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