Chapter 169
Meanwhile, the special crew members who had ventured far and wide throughout the Land of Fire raised their heads, their gaze directed toward Konoha Village.
They were all well-versed in the customs and landscapes of various regions within the Konoha Village.
"Has the captain used that technique once again?" Escanor in his inflated form, remarked, a shiver coursing through his body.
"It's absolutely terrifying!"
"Until now, I never truly grasped the extent of my own foolishness," Obito chimed in.
"And my limited vision. Uchiha Madara? What's he compared to our captain..."
"The captain's wrath is not to be trifled with; we should return swiftly," yet another crew member somewhere else urged.
"Albedo, I still wish to continue our shopping," Power said.
"As with the captain's power, there's no need to worry for us!"
"..."
Hearing Power's suggestion Albedo was furious, an enraged expression was etched on her face.
But still, she tried to maintain a calm demeanor in front of Power and replied.
"I refuse"
"Let's enjoy the journey back. I'm certain there will be plenty of excitement along the way."
"We might also encounter something intriguing on our way."
...
..
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"Hn...sure I agree," Power hesitantly replied.
"Yeah, very well," Tatsumaki also chimed in.
After a prolonged silence, the ninja of Konoha Village gradually emerged from their stupor.
As for the civilians, both young and old, they remained in the safety of the shelters, blissfully unaware of the extraordinary events that had unfolded outside.
"It's... unbelievably powerful!"
"Yeah, utterly astonishing!"
"Is that person here to help our village? What a stroke of fortune!" asked one of the ninjas who had seen Carnes and Demiurge earlier.
"Yeah, it seems that guy has come to our aid. How marvelous!" his friend replied.
"It's almost inconceivable to think about what might have happened if this technique were to be successfully used within the village."
"Our entire village could have been obliterated."
"Such power, I've never witnessed anything like it!"
"Yeah, me too, I've never seen a ninja of such incredible might!"
"Even Lord Hashirama, revered as the god of ninjas, might not match this..."
The ninjas of Konoha Village, both elated by their survival and awestruck by the formidable jutsu they had witnessed, couldn't help but engage in spirited discussions.
Now safe, they eagerly gathered to converse and deliberate.
Who was stronger—Senju Hashirama or Carnes?
This remained a conundrum as their abilities transcended the realm of human comprehension.
So, no one could truly tell which among them was powerful.
Nevertheless, Senju Hashirama had long since passed away, and no matter how remarkable his legacy, it had become a part of history.
Carnes' power, on the other hand, was unleashed right before their very eyes.
Hence most of them thought Carnes to have a slight edge over Hashirama.
At the rooftop of the Hokage building, Tsunade's face bore the lingering traces of fear.
She finally mustered the question, her voice a mix of disbelief and wonder.
"Are you...really Jiraiya's friend?"
Tsunade stood face-to-face with Carnes, her expression an intriguing mix of curiosity and disbelief.
His face, true to the tale, was a sight to behold, almost as if it had been handcrafted.
Carnes being Jiraya's friend seemed odd, and it wasn't that she underestimated Jiraiya or that she looked down on Jiraiya, no, far from it.
It was mainly because of the power that Carnes had displayed.
His strength was borderline absurd, almost on the edge of outrageous, it was an almost unreal display of power.
Describing it simply as an impressive feat felt like an understatement.
Still, she reminded herself, it wasn't prudent to speak ill of another's abilities.
It was a statement difficult to verbalize; but both Jiraya and Carnes simply belonged to entirely different worlds.
They weren't even on the same playing field.
Jiraiya's strength was formidable, yes, but it still fell short of the upper echelons.
He was, in essence, an elite master. Not quite at the peak. The peak, where the true powerhouses of the world are.
But the man before her was a different breed altogether.
He had transcended the boundaries of humanity.
Her thoughts momentarily drifted to her grandfather, Senju Hashirama, who had wielded that extraordinary Chakra.
She believed that Carnes had also gone past his human limitations, much like her legendary grandfather, Senju Hashirama.
The unique chakra pulsating from Carnes was unmistakably familiar to Tsunade.
The resonance sent shivers down Tsunade's spine; awakening memories she thought long buried.
Carnes began to turn his head, on the verge of weaving yet another layer to the tapestry of lies he'd spun, but his attention was drawn elsewhere, something caught his eye.
It was an unintentional diversion, owing to his seating position, yet the sight before him was entirely different from what he had expected.
The encompassing mountains that once guarded Konoha had been flattened.
Yet, the two peaks before him soared higher and grander than any natural creation.
He tried to remain unfazed by their massive size, but still Carnes couldn't turn his eyes away, his gaze inexorably drawn to them.
It dawned on him that this was the true beauty of Konoha Village - a place where people with big hearts live.
Gradually, Tsunade picked up on Carnes' strange behavior.
She looked down to the direction where his eyes were fixed, and suddenly a rosy hue appeared on her cheeks.
"Now, I see how you and Jiraiya became friends!" she exclaimed.
"You two share the same pervy behavior."
"Both you and Jiraiya are cut from the same cloth."
"Disgusting, utterly disgusting."
"Two rotten apples in the same basket."
With that, Tsunade gripped his collar tightly.
Carnes, feeling the weight of the situation was at a loss for words, so he chose to remain silent.
Trying to alleviate the tension and to ease the embarrassment he coughed a little.
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