Chapter 120: Miraculous Skills! Morkel's Methods! The Whole Audience Was Shocked!
A massive eagle suddenly burst out from the thunderclouds overhead, hurtling straight toward the aircraft carrying Morkel and his team.
Upon seeing the creature, Naruto's eyes lit up. "Morkel, let me handle this!"
Without waiting for a response, Naruto leapt onto the roof of the plane and began channeling Wind Style chakra into his hand.
Clatter...
Soon, a Wind Style Rasengan began to form in his palm. The surrounding wind howled sharply as the jutsu took shape.
After some time, seeing that Naruto hadn't attacked yet, Morkel called up to him, "What's taking so long? You still haven't made a move?!"
Naruto shouted back helplessly, "That guy's riding an eagle—it's too agile! I can't get a clean shot!"
Morkel sighed. "Even when I give you the opportunity, you waste it."
With that, he deactivated the plane's steel camouflage in an instant.
Whoosh!
Both Morkel and Naruto suddenly plummeted from the aircraft.
"AHHH!"
Naruto let out a startled scream, accidentally releasing the Rasengan, which dispersed in the wind.
Click-click!
As they fell, Morkel moved with lightning speed, using Ice Release to create a platform of ice beneath them. The frozen surface caught them mid-fall.
He grabbed Naruto by the collar and muttered, "Next time, I'm getting you a summon eagle. You not being able to fly is such a hassle."
BOOM!
A loud crack of thunder echoed as the clouds rumbled above. Deep within, a large shadow stirred.
Morkel's eyes narrowed.
"So, you want to play games, huh? Fine—I'll play along."
He quickly formed a series of hand seals.
"Lightning Style: Thunder Cloud Net!"
Suddenly, brilliant arcs of lightning erupted in the clouds ahead. The bolts twisted and merged, forming a massive electric net that spread across the sky.
Within seconds, the giant bird soaring in the storm was ensnared by the lightning and brought down.
Naruto was stunned. "Morkel, wait—Lightning Style can be used like this?"
Morkel casually explained, "Those thunderclouds were already full of charge. I just stimulated them a little with my jutsu. By tapping into natural forces, I didn't need to use much chakra."
"I told you—learning science is useful. You didn't listen."
Naruto gulped and nodded. "That makes sense… But, uh, Morkel? I think you electrocuted the rider too…"
Morkel sniffed the air and grimaced. "Damn, I was planning to interrogate him. Did I actually fry him?"
Acting quickly, Morkel used his chakra to disperse the storm and flew toward the falling figure. His right arm transformed into a vine and grabbed the scorched man.
As he pulled the unconscious body closer, Morkel stared in disbelief.
"Ah… completely toasted."
Naruto muttered solemnly, "Life is so fragile."
Shortly after, they spotted Mount Sumeru ahead. Morkel decided to land and proceed on foot.
---
On the ground…
A woman dressed in a leather jacket stood accompanied by several large dogs. She squinted into the sky, waiting for a signal from her aerial allies.
"What's taking them so long? That eagle stopped moving way too fast…"
Suddenly, the charred body of the massive bird plummeted from the clouds and landed directly in front of her—smashed into a pile of bloody remains.
The woman recoiled in shock. "Isn't this the eagle summoning beast?! What happened to its feathers? It's just… ash!!"
Shaken, she looked upward again—just in time to see two figures descending from the sky.
Panicking, she mounted her largest dog and activated her signature move.
"Ghost Bud Luo Technique!"
Her chakra surged as her legs merged with her summon's head, forming a monstrous hybrid creature.
With a loud bang, Morkel and Naruto landed not far away.
Staring at the beast before him, Morkel frowned. "What in the world… Beauty and the Beast in real life?"
The dog girl sneered. "Red-haired brat—you must be Morkel from Konoha. Pretty face, but since you're meddling with Lord Hiruko's plans, I can't let you live."
She snapped her fingers.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
Multiple large dogs leapt at Morkel.
Before Morkel could act, Naruto blocked him. "This time, I've got it! Let me fight!"
He summoned thousands of shadow clones, who swarmed the dogs with punches, kicks, and Rasengans. In no time, the beasts were dispatched—except for one.
"Wind Style: Rasenshuriken!"
Naruto hurled his jutsu, blasting a crater into the mountain wall.
At the epicenter, the dog girl's leather jacket was torn to shreds by the chakra explosion, revealing far more than intended…
Morkel was silent.
Naruto blushed. "I swear, that wasn't on purpose!"
---
Back in Konoha...
At the Shinobi Hospital, Kakashi slowly awoke to find Tsunade at his bedside.
"Tsunade-sama, I'm sorry. I was controlled by Hiruko and brought danger to the village…"
Tsunade waved it off. "It's alright. I'm just glad you're okay."
Still anxious, Kakashi continued, "Hiruko is targeting my bloodline. He'll keep coming. I have a plan—set a seal inside me. If Hiruko tries to absorb my Sharingan, I'll detonate my chakra and take him down with me."
Tsunade shook her head. "No sacrifices, Kakashi. That was the Third Hokage's greatest regret. We stand and fight together. No more trading lives for peace."
Kakashi reluctantly nodded. "But if something happens to Morkel…"
"I'm more worried than you," Tsunade admitted. "But Morkel is strong—if nothing else, he'll escape alive."
---
Elsewhere…
Inside a dim underground base, Sasuke stood beside a masked man.
"You've joined Akatsuki," the masked man said. "Now I need you to capture a tailed beast."
Sasuke replied coldly, "Plenty of them are still roaming. Your group's efficiency is pathetic."
The masked man laughed. "Our enemy is Morkel. You try dealing with him."
Sasuke fell silent.
"Head to the Land of Earth," the masked man continued. "The Four-Tails and Five-Tails are there. Capture the Four-Tails—if you get both, even better."
"I'll be going to find the Six-Tails myself…"
---
Golden Wheel Mountains, Mount Sumeru
After dispatching the dog girl, Morkel and Naruto pressed onward.
Halfway up the mountain, Morkel stopped abruptly.
"This is the perfect chance to test the Tsuchigumo clan's secret jutsu," he muttered.
"Shouldn't you wait until we see the enemy?" Naruto asked.
Morkel explained, "This technique, Wrath of Heaven, requires a long charge time. I need a quiet place."
They found a secluded spot. Morkel began hiding his chakra presence.
"You should leave," he told Naruto. "I'm worried you won't be fast enough to escape the blast radius."
Before Naruto could argue, Morkel used Flying Thunder God to instantly teleport him back to Konoha.
Alone again, Morkel entered Sage Mode and activated the Wrath of Heaven.
The natural chakra began to surge and swirl around him, forming a massive vortex. Thanks to Sage Mode, the half-hour charge time was reduced to just 15 minutes.
When it reached its peak, Morkel shouted:
"Explode!!"
A deafening boom followed.
That day, residents across the Land of Earth witnessed a golden wheel of energy rising into the sky above the Golden Wheel Mountains.
---
Moments earlier...
Atop Mount Sumeru, Hiruko paced nervously in his cave.
"Why haven't they returned yet?" he muttered. "Where is the intruder?"
Suddenly, he sensed something—an immense chakra wave.
He ran outside, only to be obliterated instantly by the explosion.
---
Konoha Village, Hokage's Office
Tsunade returned from the hospital only to find Naruto sitting in her chair.
"Why are you back?" she asked.
"Morkel wanted to test a jutsu. Said it might hurt me, so he sent me home," Naruto replied.
Tsunade blinked. "What kind of jutsu…?"
Naruto casually answered, "The Tsuchigumo clan's technique."
Tsunade's expression darkened.
"Where?"
"Golden Wheel Mountains. Mount Sumeru."
Tsunade's jaw dropped.
At that moment, a panting messenger burst in. "Lady Tsunade—urgent news!"
"The Golden Wheel Mountains have disappeared!"
"What?!" Tsunade shouted. "All of them?!"
"Yes," the messenger said. "The blast almost reached Jinlun City. Thankfully, there weren't many people nearby."
Tsunade slumped into her chair.
"We're going to go bankrupt paying for this…"
---
Iwagakure
The elderly Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki sat seething in his office, steam practically rising from his bald head.
Beside him, his granddaughter Kurotsuchi tried to comfort him with a glass of water.
"We lost everything in the Golden Wheel Mountains," Ōnoki fumed. "Who did this?!"
"Let's focus on the jutsu," Kurotsuchi advised. "Isn't it terrifying that someone could flatten 100 kilometers in one strike?"
Ōnoki paused. "During the last war… there was a clan with a similar jutsu. Not Uchiha. Not Senju."
"They had a strange name… something to do with spiders…"
---