"You little runt! DIE!"
Ever since he'd grown strong, the Black Tiger King had never been humiliated like this.
'What, just because I haven't roared lately, you think I'm a damn house cat!?'
With a furious leap, the tiger launched itself at Naruto, its enormous black claws glowing faintly with purple energy as it slashed down.
That kind of strike could easily shatter boulders into powder.
But Naruto had been fighting Tailed Beasts, Susanoo juggernauts, True Several Thousand Hands, and Ōtsutsuki gods.
Facing this tiger felt… jarringly small-scale.
'Seriously? This is supposed to be a boss fight?'
Sensing the scorn in Naruto's eyes, the Black Tiger King roared louder, deepening the glow of its purple claw aura in rage.
"Look out!" Shen Bingran cried, stepping protectively beside Naruto and readying her blade.
But Naruto simply waved his hand casually—
A few hundred-meter-long Wind Release: Breath of Wind blades sliced through the air.
In the next instant…
SHHHRAKK!!
The Black Tiger King was shredded into a rain of meat and blood, the stench of iron filling the plain.
The wind blades didn't stop there.
They razed the entire forest behind the beast—
Even a massive mountain in the distance was cleanly flattened into a mesa.
The scene silenced everyone.
Shen Bingran and her squad stood frozen, mouths slightly agape.
Those effortless slashes hadn't just vaporized the Black Tiger King—
They had left armageddon-level destruction in their wake.
Even the strongest warriors they'd heard of couldn't do anything remotely close to that.
Naruto slowly lowered his hand.
'Oops… I was only trying to cut out a few small gusts. Guess I'm rusty. Haven't used Breath of Wind in a while, and I've leveled up too much since then.'
The short-haired girl suddenly sprang forward, stars in her eyes.
"W-Wow! Handsome! What martial art was that? That was crazy strong!"
Shen Bingran, more composed, stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Senior… thank you for saving us."
The rest of the team quickly followed, bowing one after another.
"Thank you, senior!"
Naruto casually waved them off.
He'd been about to leave—
But then paused.
rActually… I am new here. Having a few locals guide me around might be useful. Especially if I plan to plant a Divine Tree later.r
'I should learn about this planet's top combatants. Who knows—maybe there are some species here that grow tails and go berserk when cornered.'
The team was stunned—and a little excited—that such a powerful figure would want to travel with them.
Even Han Li, still injured, had limped back into the group.
He had clearly seen Naruto's attack while lying there—
And that power… it was the level he had always dreamed of reaching.
As they walked, Naruto asked casually:
"You guys travel everywhere on foot? No one flies?"
"Fly?" the short-haired girl blinked.
"Big Bro Naruto, are you talking about actual flying?"
After learning his name, she'd become disturbingly affectionate.
She tried to hook arms with him a few times, but Naruto dodged easily.
'Flat. No cushion. Feels like bone. Pass.
Now, if it were Shen Bingran… that's a different story.'
Naruto nodded.
"Yeah, flying."
"That's way out of our league! Only Tier Seven cultivators and above can fly!" she pouted.
"But wait, Senior… With your strength, you're definitely above Tier Seven, right?"
Han Li, having patched himself up, spoke respectfully.
But deep in his eyes, Naruto caught the flicker of scheming thoughts.
Naruto noted the slip.
'Better watch what I say around these people.'
Just then, Shen Bingran caught up from the rear.
"Senior Naruto, here—this is the Black Tiger King's beast core."
She opened her palm, revealing a pitch-black crystal.
Naruto took it silently.
He could sense faint energy pulsing from it.
Weak.
Compared to a Tailed Beast's chakra, this was nothing.
Still, it was new energy. Maybe worth studying.
The rest of the team's eyes flicked toward the core with barely hidden greed.
Clearly, this was a valuable item in their world.
They finally returned to the city.
It looked similar to the modern Earth Naruto remembered—
But with many key differences.
Shops didn't sell groceries or electronics.
They sold martial arts scrolls, magical beast cores, enchanted weapons—anything to increase power.
Bit by bit, Naruto grasped the world's power system.
This world had far denser ambient energy than the Shinobi World or his past Earth.
Humans here had developed a cultivation path focused on body refinement and martial techniques, climbing tier by tier to fight ever-evolving magical beasts.
The ranking system went from Tier One to Tier Ten.
The kids he was traveling with were around Tier Two or Three—students, basically.
If Earth was spiritually dry, then this world was awakening—just starting to bloom.
And dense energy like this meant rapid evolution.
New monsters, stronger creatures… like the Black Tiger King.
Naruto was very pleased.
'A planet like this… The Divine Tree fruits will be exquisite.'
But before planting anything, he needed to know:
What kind of power did Tier Ten experts actually have?
Planting a Divine Tree would definitely stir the whole planet.
He couldn't avoid fighting its top dogs.
And once energy started being drained…
It wouldn't just be humans.
Even magical beasts might turn on him.
'Hah… imagine that. Me, the public enemy of an entire world.'
He chuckled.
—
Once back in the city, the others quickly found excuses to leave.
Only Shen Bingran remained at his side, lips pressed together.
Her white combat suit clung to a flawlessly toned body, every curve refined by years of training.
Lean, muscular, and elegant—
Girls like this were rare in both the Shinobi World and Earth.
"You need something?" Naruto asked, seeing her hesitate.
He had a decent impression of her.
She'd been respectful. She'd handed over the beast core without hesitation.
At his question, Shen Bingran nodded firmly.
"Yes, senior. I have a request."
Her eyes flashed with a hint of shame.
She'd just been saved—and now she was asking for help?
But it was too important.
When Naruto didn't reply, she bit her lip and added:
"I know… this is very presumptuous of me…"
"Mm. Then maybe don't say it."
Naruto's blunt reply cut her off mid-sentence.
She froze—completely dumbfounded.