Naruto: Reincarnated as a Demon King

"997, 998, 999, 1000!"

The final punch landed!

Raiden was just about to withdraw his fist when he suddenly noticed something strange. Looking closer, he realized that a layer of black flames had enveloped his hand.

"What… is this?"

Both of his hands were covered in black flames, yet he felt no heat at all. Doubtful, Raiden carefully touched his cheek.

"Not even warm!"

Could it be because of his body? Since this black flame had appeared on his hands, it had to be his own ability and logically, his own power shouldn't be able to harm him, right?

With that thought in mind, Raiden squatted down and reached out to touch a fallen leaf on the ground…

And then?

Nothing happened.

"No way…" A deep disappointment flashed through his eyes as he stared at the black flames in his palm.

He had thought it was something akin to Amaterasu but instead, it was just a completely useless-looking flame.

No, it wasn't even worthy of being called a flame it didn't burn anything! If it lacked even the fundamental properties of fire, could it even be considered fire?

Ever since he had eaten the Devil Fruit, the most noticeable change aside from his improved physique was the pair of horns growing from his head.

Just a regular Zoan-type Devil Fruit?

Saying he wasn't disappointed would be a blatant lie.

Devil Fruits were said to be the embodiments of the sea's devil. Those who ate them gained unique powers but as a cost, they were cursed by the ocean, becoming incapable of swimming.

Raiden was no exception.

Although he hadn't tested it with seawater, he had already discovered that if more than half of his body was submerged in freshwater, he would become weak and powerless.

The only good news was that, even in water, he didn't completely lose all strength just felt extremely weak.

Through physical training, Raiden found he could gradually overcome this weakness.

The ocean's curse didn't seal away a Devil Fruit's abilities it just sapped the user's strength, preventing them from using their powers.

Raiden had a unique advantage he could still dog paddle in the water.

With persistent training, he was slowly pushing past this limitation.

When he had first eaten the Ushi Ushi no Mi, he had nearly drowned in the river outside the village.

But now?

Even though entering the water still made him weaker, he could at least dog-paddle his way to shore.

It felt like suddenly having ten thousand tons (theoretical number) of weight strapped to his body But what if Raiden built up enough strength to handle that weight?

Wouldn't that mean he could completely ignore the ocean's curse?

Raiden experimented with the black flames over and over. Leaves, tree trunks, branches, hair, clothes, paper, everything that should have burned…

Didn't.

Not a single reaction.

"Ugh, forget it…"

Just another disappointment to add to the pile.

Sighing, Raiden took a deep breath, calming his frustration before adjusting his stance for the next round of training.

One thousand side kicks!

No matter how badly he got injured, all he had to do was eat well and sleep it off.

That alone was a cheat ability in its own right!

With that thought, Raiden swung his right leg...

BOOM!

A towering boulder, nearly twice his height, trembled as fragments of rock crumbled down. Looking closer his leg was also covered in those same pure black flames!

Raiden's eyes widened in shock.

At that moment, a wave of information surged through his mind.

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Zoan-Type, Ushi Ushi no Mi: Mythical Model, Ox King Form.

Devil Fruit Ability: The wielder is blessed by the black flames of the earth, gaining defence harder than diamonds and heavier than steel.

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HOLY SH—?!

"This is my power?!"

Raiden jumped up high, ecstatic like a 200-pound child. His mind had been hazy from exhaustion earlier, but now he was completely awake.

He clenched his right hand into a fist, his chakra surging instinctively.

Poof!

A low muffled sound rang out as the heavy black flames engulfed his hand, radiating an eerie, mysterious energy.

"The black flames of the earth… the strongest, heaviest power!"

A look of realization flashed through Raiden's eyes quickly followed by barely restrained excitement.

He wasn't just a normal Zoan user.

He wasn't some random bull-headed monster.

He had a Mythical Zoan!

He was the Ox King!

"Wait… I need to calm down!"

Taking a deep breath, Raiden tried to steady his thoughts, though his bright, starry eyes betrayed his excitement like a man who just won the lottery and had to triple-check the numbers to make sure it was real.

The pure black flames flickered weakly as if a single breath could blow them out But Raiden knew these heavy flames were linked to his chakra.

As long as his chakra was strong enough, these flames wouldn't die out so easily.

There was no such thing as a weak Devil Fruit, only weak users, But let's be honest… who wouldn't want an overpowered ability?

"But how exactly do I use this defence ability? What am I supposed to do? Stand still in a fight and let people punch me until they get tired?"

Raiden's initial excitement cooled slightly.

Staring at the black flames on his fist, his expression turned a little… awkward.

This felt like a scam.

Then, suddenly—

A memory surfaced in Raiden's mind.

A certain hulking figure, a man built like a raging bull, whose unstoppable charge could make even a Marine Admiral cough up blood!

The best defence… is an unstoppable offence.

Defence wasn't just about enduring attacks it could be converted into a sheer destructive force.

A rush of anticipation filled Raiden as he tightened his grip, his knuckles wrapped in heavy black flames.

Without hesitation, he threw a punch!

BOOM!

This time, he unleashed his full strength!

His fist didn't even make direct contact with the boulder yet the rock still shattered.

The dense black flames acted like an indestructible gauntlet, reinforcing his strike while shielding his hand from damage.

CRACK!

A subtle fracturing sound echoed the boulder's surface had split apart!

Powerful. Overwhelming. Unstoppable.

And yet Raiden felt no pain from his own attack.

"No doubt about it this is the might of the black flames of the earth!"

A grin stretched across his face, barely suppressing his excitement.

So what if he wasn't good at ninjutsu or genjutsu?

With this power… he didn't need them.

Finally calming down, Raiden took a deep breath.

"From now on, I have another goal aside from training my body, I need to fully master my Devil Fruit abilities."

For now, he'd train without using his powers.

After all, if he could break a boulder with a normal punch, then with his black flames, wouldn't he be able to shatter steel?

Repositioning himself before the boulder, Raiden readied his stance.

One thousand side kicks...

Still unfinished.

BAM!

BAM!

The moon hung high in the night sky, casting a silvery glow that bathed the forest in an ethereal light.

Its cool radiance draped over the small figure nestled among the trees, as tender and soothing as a mother's gentle touch.

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