Chapter 80

Aresia's eyes glowed crimson as her fury consumed her, her entire body encased in an ornate suit of enchanted armor that pulsed with dark energy. She gripped her blade tightly, the metal gleaming with lethal intent.

"Are you finally going to show your true colors, scum?" she growled, her voice laced with venom.

Across from her, Naruto stood tall, calm and unwavering. His golden-white armor shimmered under the eerie glow of the battlefield, its intricate magical seals pulsating with stored power. He had removed his helmet, revealing his face—his expression was neither anger nor hostility, but one of quiet determination and kindness.

"I have always shown my true self," he replied gently, his blue eyes locked onto hers. "I don't need to wear a mask anymore. I'm here to save you, Aresia, from self-destruction."

The words only served to enrage her further. Aresia's gauntleted fingers clenched around her weapon, her muscles coiled like a spring ready to strike.

Naruto, however, remained at ease. His armor, a masterpiece forged with Veritas's technology, had been crafted to withstand the destruction of stars. With the help of his allies, Kara and Superboy, they had all received their own versions—though Naruto's stood apart. Inscribed with potent magical seals, his suit not only enhanced his already monstrous power but also reinforced his body's resistance against elemental and mystical forces.

In the year since his future self had warned him of stagnation, Naruto had trained relentlessly using his clones, pushing his abilities to unfathomable heights. He had shattered every limit, his strength evolving beyond comprehension.

Even without tapping into his full might, Naruto's sheer physical power now allowed him to lift entire planets. In his final form, infused with the boundless energy of nature and the amplified effects of Asura's body technique, he could lift stars. The evolution of his abilities was staggering.

But he was not the only one who had changed.

Kurama, his lifelong companion, had finally begun to grow in strength for the first time in his existence. Once thought to be at a fixed power level as a fragment of the Juubi, Kurama had defied fate itself. With Naruto and Raven's help, he had broken free from his predetermined limits. Now, his energy rivaled that of the original Ten-Tails, his mastery over sage chakra elevating his destructive potential to an entirely new level.

Together, Naruto and Kurama had reached a level where they could easily overwhelm Kara and even Clark in combat. His raw power was monstrous, making him one of the most dangerous beings in existence.

And yet, for all his strength, Naruto was still vulnerable to certain opponents. Against Zatanna or Raven, he would have to be cautious. Magic was his greatest weakness, a reality he could not ignore. He would have to strike from the shadows to defeat those two.

Still, he believed a clone was more than enough to handle Aresia. Though she had gained tremendous strength, Naruto held the advantage in skill and technique. Here, in this distant battlefield, he had no reason to hold back.

Aresia, however, had no intention of surrendering.

"You should have left me alone, accursed filth!" she roared, her fury consuming her as she activated her most devastating spell.

Dark energy crackled around her as she launched herself at Naruto with blinding speed, her blade singing through the air.

Somewhere deep in her mind, a sinister voice whispered. It urged her forward, promising her the strength to cut him down, to drown him in the same despair that had long consumed her heart.

Naruto met her charge head-on, his stance unshaken.

"Feel the wrath!" she screamed, bringing her sword down with all her might.

The battlefield pulsed with energy as Aresia lunged forward, her blade gleaming with the destructive power of the Immortal Slayer. The sheer force behind her attack distorted the air, a surge of energy crackling as it threatened to bind Naruto in place.

He knew the sword's danger well—one direct hit, and even his clone would be erased instantly. That was not an option.

With a flicker of movement, Naruto vanished, reappearing at a safe distance. In the same breath, he countered with a precise chakra beam, sending Aresia hurtling backward. She crashed into the shattered ground, dust and debris rising around her, yet her body moved almost instantly, eyes burning with hate.

"You know, I understand you, Aresia." Naruto's voice remained steady, unwavering. "We were born into similar circumstances. For most of my life, I thought my parents abandoned me. I was hated and feared from the moment I was born, treated like a monster. But you—" His gaze softened. "The Amazons treated you like family, didn't they?"

Aresia snarled, eyes dark and stormy.

"That look in your eyes," Naruto continued. "I've seen it before—since birth, actually. 'Monster.' 'Abomination.' 'Scum.' I've heard it all. And I can tell you're afraid of change. It's not weakness, Aresia, but isn't your reaction... childish?"

"Stop talking like you know everything!" she snapped, her voice raw with emotion. Dark tendrils of energy pulsed around her armor as her eyes turned pitch-black. She launched herself forward, her blade humming with death.

Naruto dodged effortlessly, his movements fluid, reading her attacks as if they were slow, predictable motions. "I can feel the fear and hatred inside you, Aresia. But it's misplaced. Men have done nothing to you. Evil doesn't have a gender—both men and women are capable of cruelty. So why do you blame only one side?"

"SHUT UP!" she roared, slashing wildly, her strikes growing desperate.

"You don't even know the truth," Naruto pressed on. "Your father never abandoned you. The Amazons erased his memories and sent him away to live on the land."

Aresia faltered for the briefest moment.

"The poor man lived his life grieving the loss of his wife, never knowing he had a daughter."

"LIES!" Aresia's scream tore through the battlefield, raw and piercing. "LIES, LIES, LIES! MEN CAN NEVER BE LOYAL!"

"Stop being delusional, Aresia," Naruto sighed. "You're afraid—afraid of being alone, of being away from your family. This place is eating away at your sanity. I'm giving you a choice: come back to your senses… or I will make you."

He appeared beside her in an instant.

CRACK!

His palm struck across her face, sending her spiraling through the air once more.

Aresia landed, her breath ragged, her fury unrelenting. "You... I will capture you. Without the women around you, you're nothing—just a parasite forgetting your own strength!"

Naruto chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, Aresia… you would have noticed something was wrong from the start if you weren't so blinded by your hatred. People back on the island already know how cautious I can be. I'm fully aware of our differences."

His expression darkened slightly. "You think my strength comes from others? No… I have another fear."

Aresia watched him warily as he took a step forward.

"I fear people calling me a monster."

His words carried an unusual weight.

"I've grown so strong, so fast, that I'm afraid to show my real strength. And only in this darkness… can I unleash it freely." His golden armor pulsed, the seals flickering with power. "I know it's cowardly of me. But some things… just take time."

Aresia stiffened. Her mind told her to reject his words, but her heart—her soul—felt them. They seeped in, carving doubt into the rage she had clung to for so long.

'He is deceiving you.' A voice whispered in the depths of her mind. 'The words of the demon spawn are sweet like honey… but it is just poison in disguise.'

"You think this will scare me?" she hissed.

Naruto gave a small, almost tired smile. "No. I just wanted you to know that I'm not some perfect monster who has it all figured out. I have weaknesses. I have fears."

Aresia lunged again, her blade aiming for his throat.

She missed.

Naruto had already moved, his fist striking her abdomen.

"Power Geyser."

The impact sent shockwaves through her body as a condensed surge of chakra detonated within her core. The sheer force could have shattered the planet beneath them.

Aresia's body convulsed as she coughed up blood, staggering from the blow. Pain like she had never felt before wracked her being. If not for her armor and the Immortal Slayer, she would have perished instantly.

"You tried to kill me!" she rasped, her voice trembling between agony and rage.

"No." Naruto met her gaze, his voice calm. "I know your limits. This is just going to be painful for both of us."

His face held no malice, only quiet understanding. He didn't enjoy this. He didn't want to hurt her. But Aresia wouldn't go down easily.

She couldn't touch him.

She wasn't fast enough.

She wasn't skilled enough.

Naruto's mastery of combat was on another level entirely. Her attacks were predictable. Her movements were sluggish in his eyes. This battle was a one-sided massacre.

"I hope you just give up, Aresia." His voice carried a note of sadness. "I don't like seeing this. Accept reality, and we'll go home."

Her fingers tightened around her blade. Her entire body trembled.

"Don't…"

Her voice cracked.

"Don't look at me like that."

Naruto exhaled softly. "Like what?"

"Like you care."

She hated it.

She hated how much it hurt.

Because deep down, she knew… she wasn't sure if she could keep believing the lie she had told herself all this time.

"Sigh."

Naruto sidestepped another deadly slash, his movements fluid and precise. Aresia's sword cleaved through empty space, her frustration growing with each missed strike. Without hesitation, he flicked his wrist and launched a Rasenshuriken from afar.

The attack that once held the potency of a small country destroyer had evolved into something far beyond. Now, in Bijuu Sage Mode, it had ascended to the realm of star destruction. Though he limited it to planetary destruction.

The sheer pressure from the spiraling chakra tore through the darkened air, making even the shadows tremble. This was the culmination of his endless training—the perfection of the shadow clone method.

Even a simple Rasengan in this form could shatter the moon itself.

His fighting style was a nightmare for any opponent—unpredictable, overwhelming, and relentless.

To make matters worse, he had honed his danger sense and emotion sense to the point where no attack could touch him.

Aresia, despite being consumed by rage, could see the difference between them.

This wasn't a battle.

It was a slaughter.

No matter how many times she swung her sword, she couldn't land a single hit. Even when she aimed for all angles at once, he evaded at the last possible second.

On the other hand, his attacks were unavoidable.

He manipulated space techniques, attacking from any direction at any distance, making it impossible to predict where the next strike would come from.

Her stamina was draining rapidly. Even her armor, enchanted to heal her wounds, couldn't keep up with the relentless assault.

A creeping dread filled her heart.

Then—

"What a useless child you are."

A voice echoed inside her mind, dripping with disdain.

Aresia's eyes widened in horror.

Her body stopped obeying her.

A sinister force took control, and all she could do was watch as her body moved on its own.

Naruto instantly noticed the shift.

His eyes narrowed.

"So, you're the reason she was acting crazy."

A smirk curled Aresia's lips—but it wasn't her anymore.

"Yes."

Aresia's voice sounded different, laced with a darkness that did not belong to her.

"Why are you doing this?" Naruto asked, watching carefully.

"I want to test you." The voice answered. "To see if you are truly worthy."

Darkness swirled around Aresia's body.

Her lips turned purple, her eyes blackened, and her entire being was engulfed in shadows.

Naruto's expression remained calm, though his mind was already preparing counters.

"Let me guess," he muttered, rolling his shoulders. "A demon under Trigon?"

No response.

"Nemesis? Darkseid? Darkseid's wife? Darkseid's daughter? Trigon's other daughter? Or Nyx?"

Aresia's possessed body merely smiled—playful, yet unreadable.

"Who knows?"

Then she attacked.

The world around them erupted in absolute darkness.

This was her domain now.

"Really the worst place to fight someone like this."

Naruto teleported away from the incoming attack, but the moment he reappeared, the blade was already there, nearly piercing him on arrival.

Tch!

He barely managed to erect a barrier, but—

SHRIP!

The Immortal Slayer cut through it like paper and pierced his abdomen.

A sharp pain lanced through his body, but Naruto gritted his teeth, his mind racing.

"Interesting," the woman's voice hummed with amusement. "I thought you would pop."

Naruto smirked despite the wound. "So you've been watching me? I'm honored... and creeped out. That means you've seen me naked. What are you, some kind of pervert?"

The woman chuckled. "You're proving to be a fun person, Naruto. Keep it up and show me more."

Naruto sighed dramatically. "Man, I never thought I'd have this kind of woman problem. Why am I so good-looking?"

Even as he joked, his chakra hands shot from below, grabbing Aresia's possessed body while vacuum bombs detonated around her.

Naruto could tell Aresia's body was reaching its limit.

He didn't need to win. He just needed to survive.

"You can't really win against me like this, Naruto. Come on, show me more."

Aresia's possessed form cut through his chakra hands and mirrored his technique, surrounding Naruto with writhing hands of darkness.

Tch.

Naruto detonated the barrier outward, unleashing a golden shockwave that purified the encroaching darkness.

He reappeared behind her—and at the same time, his clones attacked from the sides.

But she melted into the shadows, slipping through their grasp.

Naruto didn't lose sight of her.

Power Geyser.

Instead of focusing the blast, he expanded it across the entire area.

Light flooded the shadowed world.

Aresia's body twitched as the radiance touched her skin.

Naruto didn't hesitate.

A condensed chakra blade formed in his grip—

And he struck.

The weapon pierced Aresia's body, light radiating from the wound.

The woman possessing her didn't seem bothered. If anything, she smiled.

"It was a good fight, but next time, let's do better."

She reached up, caressing his cheek with unnatural gentleness.

"This body was just too weak for you, so wait for me, okay?"

With those parting words, she vanished, dissolving into the shadows.

Aresia had witnessed everything from within.

Even though the battle was short, the difference between them was undeniable.

Naruto was beyond everyone she knew.

Not even Diana could match him in skill.

(Though Aresia was unaware of Diana's hidden power, she made this judgment based purely on skill.)

As she regained control, she heard his voice.

"Are you feeling better now?"

Aresia winced. "I have a hole in my stomach. What do you think?"

Naruto chuckled, his usual carefree expression returning.

Naruto smirked. "You look better now. Those black eyes didn't suit you. And honestly, this armor doesn't either."

She barely had time to react before he tore off her armor with a casual flick of his hand, revealing the wound beneath.

His hands glowed, warm and steady, as he began healing her body.

Aresia stared at him, confused. "You're a strange man. Why would you risk your life for mine?"

Naruto shrugged. "Because I fight for the good of the world. And you? You were just a misguided soul."

Then, with a playful grin, he added, "Also, this might be my fault."

Aresia sighed. "You make me feel like a child when you say it like that."

She looked at him seriously. "And it was your fault. So… how are you going to repay me?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"

Her answer came instantly. "Teach me how to fight."

Naruto tilted his head. "That's all?"

Aresia nodded. "To me, that's everything."

Naruto smiled. "Fine. We'll train together every day."

Aresia let out a breath, relaxing for the first time since the battle began. "Thanks."

Naruto chuckled. "No problem."

His gaze flickered back to the dark, empty world around them, his senses stretching outward one last time.

He was searching.

Looking for any trace of the stalker who had been watching him.

But he found nothing.

With a final sigh, Naruto placed a hand on Aresia's shoulder. "Alright. Let's go home."

And with a flicker of golden light—

They vanished, teleporting back to Themyscira.