Snap!
Raikage charged at Naruto, lightning surging around his two fingers as he aimed straight for Naruto's face!
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"This is the Third Raikage's strongest spear..."
—Shinra Tensei!
Zap!
The lightning-covered fingers met the invisible repulsive force. Sparks flew as the two powers clashed, but Raikage couldn't break through!
Bang!
After a few seconds of stalemate, Raikage planted his feet and leapt back, landing at the broken edge of the wall.
Boom!
All four walls collapsed at once! The shockwave kicked up dust and rubble, turning the Raikage's office into an open square.
Raikage growled,
"Tch! That rebound force again!"
Naruto thought to himself,
"If he had used just one finger, it might've pierced through..."
Whoosh!
Wind swirled at Naruto's feet as he rose into the air.
Raikage shouted,
"Running away?!"
Naruto looked down and replied calmly,
"If you fight me seriously, your whole village could be destroyed. So tell me are you ready for that?"
Raikage barked back,
"Hmph! I've lived through half a life in the ninja world! I wasn't afraid of your father, the Yellow Flash, why would I fear his son? Especially one who sneaks around like a petty thief!"
He scoffed
"Chicken-stealing, dog-stealing punk!"
Naruto's Rinnegan glowed coldly as he spoke in a deep voice:
"Back then, Kumo shinobi tried to steal the Hyuga clan's Byakugan. They used the Peace agreement as cover to kidnap the Hyuga heiress. Even after the plan failed, you kept pushing… and in the end, Hizashi died. Tell me, was any of that fair?"
Raikage snorted proudly,
"Hmph! That's just how the strong survive. The Third Hokage didn't dare go to war, so he let Hyuga Hizashi die. That's not my fault!"
Naruto closed his eyes, his voice cold.
"Hmph… so you admit it."
Raikage mocked,
"What, now you're defending Konoha? Aren't you a traitor?"
Naruto opened his eyes slowly.
"Yes, I'm a rogue ninja. That means I act on my own beliefs, not for a village, but for myself."
Clap!
He suddenly pressed his palms together.
Zzzt!
Between them, a small black sphere formed, radiating dark chakra.
Though it was barely an inch wide, the black ball gave off a chilling energy, as if even light and sight were being pulled into it. A wave of fear crept over the battlefield.
Raikage's eyes narrowed sharply.
"What… is that?!"
Naruto calmly raised the sphere with his left hand, then threw it into the sky.
Buzz!
The black ball floated into the night, merging with the dark sky. It shimmered against the moonlight, then suddenly burst into a dazzling display of white lights that rained down like stars.
Naruto said calmly,
"Consider this a parting gift."
Bang!
He suddenly clasped his hands together, and a bright light shone from his left eye!
—Chibaku Tensei!
Boom!
The Raikage's mansion collapsed instantly. Rubble and debris shot upward, carrying the Raikage into the sky!
"Damn it! This is… gravity?!"
As he rose, Raikage jumped between the flying debris, trying to escape the pull. But no matter how many rocks he smashed with fists and kicks…
Crack! Crack!
The ground below burst open, and even larger boulders surged upward endlessly.
Raikage couldn't keep up. Eventually, he was slammed into the growing mass of stone—and buried by the falling debris.
Naruto's voice echoed faintly:
"That Lightning Style scroll… I'll come back for it later."
Whoosh!
With the Flying Thunder God Technique, Naruto vanished into the sky.
Whoosh!
Ten seconds later, Naruto appeared on the ridge outside Kumogakure with his group.
"Huff… huff…"
Suigetsu leaned on his beheading sword, catching his breath.
"Thanks for the save. Kumo's Lightning Style is a bad match for my water form. One minute later, and I'd be dead."
Swoosh!
Jūgo's cursed seal faded. His chest and back were covered in cuts. He spoke in a low voice,
"Kumo's sword techniques are impressive. They cut through my cursed body like nothing. I almost lost control..."
Kisame slung Samehada over his shoulder and grinned.
"Fighting people with massive chakra is my thing. But in Kumo, aside from the Eight Tails and the Raikage, no one else even comes close."
Orochimaru's hair fluttered, his body coiled with white snakes. He smiled slyly and said in a hoarse voice,
"Compared to chakra, I'm far more interested in bloodline limits and forbidden arts. During this guerrilla war, I've collected some... very useful samples. Hehehe…"
Above, Chibaku Tensei hung in the night sky like a dark, majestic moon, an awe-inspiring sight.
Konan looked up, her cold eyes flashing with a hint of admiration.
"Chibaku Tensei... So you can already use this jutsu? Who did you trap inside?"
Naruto answered calmly,
"Raikage."
"!?"
Everyone turned toward him, shocked.
Konan raised an eyebrow and asked,
"Are you planning to use the Raikage's life to establish the Hikari Akatsuki banner?"
Naruto shook his head.
"No. I just wanted him to feel what it's like to be a 'caged bird.' I'm not here to take his life."
Sizzle!
Orange markings appeared, Sage Mode activated.
—Sage Art: Wind Style – Raining Shuriken!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Razor-sharp wind blades tore through the sky, each blast shaking the air with raw power!
As the storm cleared, a gap was blasted in the lower edge of the Chibaku Tensei sphere, just enough for Raikage to escape.
Naruto looked up and said softly,
"I left a Flying Thunder God mark. From now on, getting here will be as easy as going home…"
Whoosh!
The cloak of the Fire Cloud Suit fluttered as Naruto turned with a calm smile.
"Let's return to Amegakure."
Swish!
In a flash, the group vanished and reappeared in the rain-drenched city of Amegakure.
…..
Boom!
Moments later, a deafening roar echoed through the night sky. A bolt of lightning burst from the gap in the Chibaku Tensei sphere!
As the lightning faded, the exhausted Raikage crashed to the ground, his body bruised and burned.
He clenched his fists, growling through gritted teeth:
"Uzumaki Naruto... from this day forward, you are the number one enemy of me and all of Kumo!"
Boom!!!
He collapsed into the rubble.
"It's Raikage-sama!"
"Quick, get the medical team!!"
.....
Elsewhere, another battle had ended.
Snap!
A bloody tree trunk cracked and broke off from Obito's right shoulder.
Behind the mask, his Mangekyō Sharingan glowed coldly as he stared at Killer Bee, who lay motionless and barely breathing.
"Don't blame me," Obito said indifferently.
"This world is already rotten. Only the tailed beast inside you can help create a new dream... a world of peace."
Whoosh!
The Kamui vortex opened and began pulling Killer Bee inside.
"Eight Tails, captured."
The swirling vortex faded. Obito turned calmly to face the person who appeared behind him.
"You're here..." he said, not with Madara's voice, but his own.
Tobi replied,
"I was worried you might accidentally kill the Eight Tails. That would mess up your plans."
Obito looked away.
"I'm not a reckless kid anymore. I know how far I can go. This is enough to bring the Eight Tails back under control."
Tobi nodded.
"Should we seal it into the Gedo Statue right away? Honestly, with our current team, that could take more than ten days..."
Obito stared into the distance.
"Even if the Gedo Statue becomes stronger after absorbing the Eight Tails, it's useless if we can't control it."
Tobi shrugged.
"That's true. You need the Rinnegan to command that thing properly."
Obito thought for a moment.
"Until I recover the Rinnegan, I'll extract the Eight Tails from its host and use it temporarily as a summon, just like I once did with the Nine Tails."
Tobi clapped his hands.
"That works. If you could handle the Nine Tails, Eight Tails should be easy."
Obito turned, placed both hands on Tobi's shoulders, and activated his right eye.
"Let's return. Sasuke's eyes should be fully healed by now. From here on, everything depends on him."
.
.
TO BE CONTINUED
_________________
Noted : if you guys want read advance chapter up to 20+, you can check at my P@treon : patreon.com/MoonEater18