Naruto's voice carried no emotional fluctuation, but Satori's expression changed.
It wasn't because of Naruto's taunt that it felt anger, but rather, it was terrified by Naruto's calmness.
The monster known as Satori could peer into the hearts of its enemies by sensing their fear, but it couldn't detect even a trace of emotion or thought from the person standing before it.
'This person was not afraid of me at all.'
This realization made Satori hesitate, too afraid to take the next step.
"What a mediocre ability."
It wasn't that the ability itself was weak, but rather, it was highly situational. When it worked, it was incredibly effective, but when it didn't, it was utterly useless.
Take the current situation as an example. As long as Naruto felt no fear, Satori couldn't predict or understand his actions at all.
"Monster, are you the one who's afraid now?"
While Satori hesitated, Naruto had already moved.
In an instant, Naruto appeared behind Satori, his fist raised high, brimming with a powerful surge of Chakra.
"Damn it!"
Panic surged through Satori's mind. As expected, it couldn't sense any thoughts or intentions from Naruto. Unable to dodge in time, Satori could only raise its right arm to block.
Crack!
The sound of bones breaking echoed as Satori's arm snapped in two. Naruto's monstrously powerful fist slammed into its body, sending it flying like a cannonball into the thick walls of Hozuki Castle. A massive cloud of dust erupted, obscuring its form.
The onlookers were still in a daze. The sequence of events, from Satori emerging from the Box of Ultimate Bliss to being sent flying by Naruto's punch, had happened in mere moments.
They were still reeling from the shock of seeing the prisoner gain the power of the Box of Ultimate Bliss when, in the blink of an eye, that same prisoner was sent flying by a young boy. This made the crowd look at Naruto with a mix of awe and fear.
"Cough, cough... Damn you, brat!"
From within the dust cloud, Satori's voice rang out, filled with both rage and terror. After all, it was a monster that had been sealed within the Box of Ultimate Bliss for centuries. It wasn't going to let itself be defeated by a single punch.
As the dust settled, Satori's figure reappeared before the crowd. Its right arm hung limply, swaying like a willow branch, while its face was twisted and half-caved in, leaving only half of its head intact.
"You... you've made me angry!"
After its furious roar, Satori's body began to undergo a grotesque transformation. Its small frame stretched and twisted unnaturally, and large feathers sprouted from its body.
Finally, it transformed into a massive, winged monster with only a gaping mouth and no body… a horrifying, grotesque sight that made everyone's stomachs churn.
Its wings spread wide, creating a violent storm that shook the surrounding buildings. Many of the onlookers who had been watching from above lost their footing and fell to the ground.
Satori opened its bloody maw and roared at Naruto, "I'll devour you!"
But while its gaze was fixed on Naruto, its attack was directed at the surrounding crowd.
With a flap of its wings, Satori unleashed a barrage of feathers, raining them down on the bystanders.
Many of the onlookers couldn't react in time, and within moments, numerous people had fallen to Satori's attack.
"Is this the monster from the Box of Ultimate Bliss?"
Mui's face darkened as he watched the scene unfold. He couldn't help but feel a sense of relief, 'Thankfully, I hadn't used Muku to open the Box of Ultimate Bliss. If Muku had gained this power, would he still be Muku?'
Thinking of this, Mui's gaze shifted to Naruto, filled with gratitude.
Naruto, however, paid little attention to Mui's change in attitude. This was all within his expectations. After all, Muku meant far more to Mui than the entire Kusagakure.
Naruto turned to Mui and said, "Take care of yourselves. Things are about to get a bit chaotic."
He knew Satori's goal. The Box of Ultimate Bliss could absorb those killed by Satori, and in doing so, Satori's power would grow even stronger.
Sure enough, the four gaping maws of the Box of Ultimate Bliss began to produce a powerful vortex, sucking in all those who had been killed by Satori.
At the same time, Satori's chakra surged, becoming even more stronger. Yet, it still didn't attack Naruto directly. Instead, it flapped its wings and soared into the air.
It needed more prey, and it planned to use its aerial advantage to attack Naruto from a distance.
But just as its body began to rise, before it could even react, Naruto's figure appeared above it in an instant.
"It seems that I overestimated you!"
Naruto's voice, filled with disappointment, rang out as his Chakra-infused fist came crashing down onto Satori's head. Faced with Naruto's fearless assault, Satori didn't even have a chance to react.
Bang!
The sound of flesh colliding with flesh echoed like a dull drumbeat, accompanied by the crisp sound of bones cracking.
Satori's head, which is a grotesque mass with only a mouth, caved in, and its massive body, which had been ascending, was sent plummeting back to the ground at an even faster speed.
Boom!
Satori's towering body, which is dozens of meters tall, slammed into the ground. The impact caused the earth to crack and the entire Hozuki Castle to tremble.
To Naruto's surprise, Satori began to rise again after the impact, its caved-in head slowly regenerating.
Naruto glanced at the Box of Ultimate Bliss, sensing that it was supplying Satori with Chakra, allowing its injuries to heal. This was somewhat similar to the Tailed Beasts… not truly living creatures, but rather, unique conglomerations of Chakra.
This time, Satori didn't wait idly. Its feathers shot toward Naruto like a rain of arrows.
But Naruto's body was now cloaked in a red Tailed Beast Cloak, with four tails swaying behind him. The feathers disintegrated into particles of light upon contact with the shroud, vanishing without a trace.
Though surprised, Satori didn't stop. With a powerful flap of its wings, its massive body lunged toward Naruto at incredible speed, its jagged maw opening wide as it aimed to bite down on Naruto and drag him into the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
That was its true domain.
But as it closed in on Naruto, its movement was abruptly halted. Naruto's four tails transformed into four large hands, tightly gripping Satori's limbs and preventing it from moving any closer.
"The power is not bad."
Naruto roughly gauged that Satori's strength was slightly weaker than Guy when opening the sixth gate, but while its body was agile, its speed was significantly slower.
"In that case, let's test its regenerative abilities!"