"As expected of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit."
Yang Jiu stared at the pile of boulders blasted into smithereens, unable to help but sigh in admiration.
This power was far stronger than the Storm Blade.
Although the Storm Blade was sharp enough to cut through tree trunks and tear through flesh, it could only leave a deep gash against boulders weighing several tons. To completely shatter them?
One would have to slash several times and find the right spot.
Yet that single finger just now—
Was just a casual strike.
He hadn't even used half of his strength.
Yang Jiu raised his front paw, looking at the tiny electric arcs still dancing on his claws, his eyes filled with excitement.
More importantly, this thing didn't consume Chakra.
It only required physical stamina.
With a thought, the current at his fingertips instantly intensified, crackling loudly. The blue light was so piercing that one couldn't open their eyes. With another thought, the current vanished instantly, clean and without any side effects.
Chakra Ninjutsu required hand signs, refinement, and the worry of overconsumption.
But the power of a Devil Fruit was like an extension of the body; it could be used or stopped at will.
"And..."
Yang Jiu narrowed his eyes, his thoughts drifting further away.
In one piece, the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was more than just discharging electricity.
How many abnormal moves could Enel develop with it? 200 Million Volts Amaru, Mamaragan, Gloam Paddling, Mantra (Heart Net)—which was the lightning version of Observation Haki, allowing one to sense everything around them through electrical currents.
He had only just eaten it, and his degree of development wasn't even one percent.
But as his physique grew stronger and his mastery over the ability became more proficient—
Lightning Release: Chidori?
No need.
He could manifest hundreds of millions of volts of lightning himself.
Lightning Release: Kirin?
That was Sasuke's ultimate move using natural lightning.
But he himself was lightning itself.
Yang Jiu's grin grew wider and wider.
"It could be said..."
He murmured, his voice carrying an irrepressible confidence.
"The current me... an average Jonin is no longer my match."
This wasn't arrogance; it was a fact.
No matter how many tricks an ordinary Jonin had, could they withstand a shock of tens of thousands of volts? Could they keep up with movement at the speed of light? Could they remain calm within an area enveloped by lightning?
With the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, he now had more confidence when facing Konoha.
"Patriarch, you... are you okay?"
Great Remnant nervously glanced at the pile of smoking rubble in the distance and cautiously approached Yang Jiu, his voice tinged with hesitation.
Yang Jiu withdrew his gaze from the night sky and looked down at Great Remnant's worried wolf face, unable to help but smile.
"What could happen to me?"
Great Remnant examined him carefully—fur intact, eyes normal, tail still moving; he indeed didn't look like anything was wrong.
It let out a long breath.
"It's good that you're fine... It's good that you're fine..."
But in the next second, its eyes began to wander.
Wandering toward the blue electric arcs occasionally dancing on Yang Jiu's claws, toward the ground scorched by lightning, and toward that pile of stones in the distance that couldn't be any more shattered...
Its eyes were filled with restless curiosity and longing.
Yang Jiu understood that look.
It was saying: Patriarch, this thing... can you teach me?
His mouth twitched slightly.
This thing was a Devil Fruit; once eaten, it was gone, and there was only one in the entire world.
Teach? Teach my ass.
He was about to speak—
"Hmm?"
Yang Jiu's ears twitched suddenly.
He turned his head and looked to the west.
His gaze pierced through the darkness, through the layers of shrubs—
—
Two hundred meters away.
Within a thicket of dense shrubs.
Over a dozen dark figures were lying prone on the ground, staring intently through the gaps in the foliage at the clearing where the wolf pack was located.
Their eyes were wide open, their pupils reflecting the figure of the giant wolf enveloped in lightning and the pile of boulders blasted into smithereens.
Fear poured from the top of their heads to the soles of their feet like ice water.
A young bandit's mouth hung wide open, his teeth chattering uncontrollably. He instinctively wanted to cry out, but a hand reached out like lightning from beside him and firmly covered his mouth.
"Mmph... mmph..."
"Shut up!" The Boss, Kawajūrō, hissed, his voice trembling violently. "Do you want to die?"
The young bandit shook his head frantically, tears nearly falling.
"Boss..."
A bandit nearby spoke tremulously, his voice kept extremely low yet still shaking uncontrollably. "Th-that monster... seems to have discovered us..."
His eyes were fixed on the gray figure in the distance, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinheads.
Kawajūrō's heart tightened as he suddenly looked up.
He followed the bandit's gaze—
Two hundred meters away.
The giant wolf stood in the sunlight, its grayish-white fur shimmering with wisps of dancing electricity.
It didn't move.
But those eyes were looking right here.
Looking straight here.
Across two hundred meters of darkness and through layers of shrubs, Kawajūrō couldn't make out the emotion in those eyes. But he could feel it—
Those eyes were staring at him.
Like a hunter staring at prey in a trap.
Kawajūrō froze in place.
A bone-chilling cold surged up from the soles of his feet, crawling up his spine to the back of his head. His back was instantly drenched in cold sweat, and as the night wind blew, it was so cold his scalp felt numb.
He wanted to run.
But his legs wouldn't obey.
He wanted to shout.
But his throat felt as if it were being squeezed, unable to make any sound.
He just stood there frozen, motionless, watching helplessly as the giant wolf slowly—walked toward them.
"Oh no... it's coming over..."
One bandit's voice already had a sob in it, and he curled into a ball, wishing he could burrow into the ground.
"Boss, let's run!" another bandit whispered urgently, his legs already starting to retreat.
"Run?"
Kawajūrō turned his head and glared at the bandit who spoke, gritting his teeth, his voice extremely low yet full of fury.
"Where can we run?"
"Can you outrun those monsters?"
The bandit was left speechless, his face deathly pale.
Yeah, how could they run?
The image of the wolf's paw firing lightning to shatter the boulder was still fresh in his mind. That thing was faster than a Kunai and reached further than an arrow. Run? He'd probably be struck by lightning and turned into charcoal before he could take three steps.
"Then what do we do?" another bandit broke down, his voice carrying a sob. "Are we just going to lie here and wait to die?"
"Shut up!"
Kawajūrō growled, veins bulging on his forehead.
But his mind was racing.
There was no escape.
They couldn't fight it either.
That left only one path—
He took a deep breath, suppressed the fear in his heart, and said through gritted teeth:
"Don't panic."
"This monster can talk; it has intelligence."
"If it has intelligence, we can negotiate."
He looked up, peering through the gaps in the shrubs at the approaching figure, a glint flashing in his eyes.
"We are not its enemies."
"It won't necessarily kill us."
Even he didn't quite believe those words as they came out.
But right now, it was the only hope.
The dozen or so bandits looked at each other, a faint glimmer of hope arising amidst their fear.
Negotiate?
Would it work?
Would that wolf talk with them?