As soon as Carl finished speaking, a distorted shadow slowly emerged beside the Third Hokage, gradually solidifying into a familiar figure—it was Danzo, the one swallowed by darkness moments ago.
Traces of fear still lingered on Danzo's face. Beneath the bandages on his right arm, a crimson Sharingan slowly closed.
He glanced down at that arm and silently felt relief. The moment Carl appeared, he had already activated Izanagi in advance—otherwise, he would've been instantly annihilated by that earlier strike.
Danzo raised his head, his tone cold.
"You know quite a lot, don't you?"
Carl smiled faintly.
"I know enough to kill you ten thousand times over."
A dangerous gleam flashed through Danzo's eyes. He quietly stepped back half a pace. The Third Hokage frowned and said,
"We can give you the Scroll of Seals—but three days is too long. If it's lost, it would be an immeasurable loss to all of Konoha. I can't take that responsibility."
The Third's tone clearly signaled compromise. He was willing to hand over the Scroll, but not for too long. Carl, however, didn't seem to care about the timing.
"Fine," he said. "Then have someone bring it here now. One night will be enough."
The Third hesitated briefly, then glanced at Danzo.
The Scroll of Seals was far too important; he had to retrieve it himself. But he couldn't feel at ease leaving Danzo alone with Carl either.
Truly, years of camaraderie spoke for itself—Danzo understood the Third's thoughts almost instantly and said,
"Hiruzen, I'll go with you."
The Third nodded in relief, told Carl to wait, and then disappeared with Danzo.
...
When the two returned, the Third was holding an ordinary-looking scroll. But this was no simple scroll—it contained the forbidden techniques of Konoha itself: the Scroll of Seals.
The Third gripped it tightly, looking at Carl.
"The Scroll of Seals is here. Now, can you deal with the meteorite outside?"
Carl stepped forward, towering over the old Hokage.
"What's the rush? Once I'm done reading, the meteor will vanish naturally."
Without another word, Carl snatched the scroll from the Third's hand. Danzo frowned, wanting to say something, but when his eyes fell on the eternally closed Sharingan on his arm, the words died in his throat.
Sharingan were precious beyond measure—each one lost was irreplaceable. Without fully understanding Carl's power, he wasn't about to make another reckless move.
Carl opened the Scroll of Seals and began reading it right there, under the watchful gazes of the Third and Danzo. He paid no mind to their scrutiny—he'd long grown used to unnerving old men.
The Scroll's contents were dense and intricate; to someone without a ninja foundation like Carl, it was a mental labyrinth. Still, he wasn't trying to learn everything in one night—memorizing it was enough.
After all, Carl possessed Observation Haki at the pinnacle of the pirate world. Observation Haki was deeply tied to one's spiritual power—and for someone like Carl, possessing a photographic memory was child's play.
He focused especially on high-utility techniques like the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, Flying Thunder God, Four Symbols Seal, and Edo Tensei.
By the time he closed the Scroll of Seals, the night had already deepened—it was around three in the morning.
Though the Third and Danzo were both well past seventy, their strength kept their stamina formidable. Even so, they couldn't help but be surprised—Carl had finished reading far faster than expected.
They had assumed he'd use the entire night, perhaps not stopping until dawn.
The Third finally asked,
"You're done?"
Carl lazily tossed the Scroll of Seals back to him and stretched.
"Yeah. Too many scribbles—it's making my eyes spin."
Danzo snorted inwardly.
As if a monster like you could understand the crystallized genius of humanity... all that worrying earlier was pointless.
The Third carefully caught the Scroll of Seals and said,
"Then... what about the meteorite outside?"
Carl waved his hand casually.
"I keep my word. It'll be gone soon. Don't forget about that mansion, though."
"I'll send people to prepare it tomorrow. It'll be ready for you to move in right away!"
Carl nodded in satisfaction. Then, raising one finger, he turned toward the two elders.
The sudden gesture startled them both. Danzo, on edge, immediately activated Izanagi again.
A moment later, deep purple rings of light bloomed from Carl's fingertip and shot upward. Before their eyes, the light disappeared through the ceiling.
Carl then turned away, glancing at the still-sleeping Naruto.
"Alright. You two planning to stay the night? The place is too small for all of us—go clean up the aftermath instead."
The phrase "aftermath" didn't sound pleasant, but neither of them had the energy to argue. Exchanging glances, the two vanished in unison.
...
When they reappeared on the street, the place was already packed with people, all staring dumbfounded at the sky.
The Third and Danzo followed their gaze—and froze, expressions mirroring those of the villagers.
The colossal meteorite that had loomed above Konoha was now rising instead of falling, as though gravity itself had ceased to exist.
Beneath it, purple rings of light were expanding outward in waves. The two elders immediately recognized that hue—it was the same dark energy that had just radiated from Carl's hand.
Danzo murmured, voice trembling,
"Is... that also Dark Release?"
The Third furrowed his brows, analyzing the phenomenon with a seasoned eye.
"Dark Release manifests as an invisible force—its direction and shape are highly adaptable. It's possible this is a form of it... but I never imagined it could be this powerful. We still don't know its upper limit."
Then, a terrifying thought struck him like lightning.
"If that power can pull a meteor down from space... doesn't that mean, if the demon fox feels like it, he could lift the entire Konoha into the air?"
Just imagining such a scene sent a chill through the old Hokage's body.
Dark Release, combined with the Nine Tails' near-limitless chakra— that was a power beyond reason itself.
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+100 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg