Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou [180]

Under the gloomy sky, the sound of thunder and explosions continuously echoed from behind, creating a stifling atmosphere for the group weaving through the forest.

"Lord Danzo, we've broken through, but our rear guard has been surrounded by the Kumo Shinobi!"

A Root sensory ninja, cold and emotionless, reported this as the battered group of ANBU and Root members escorted the Hokage to safety.

Hearing this, Koharu Utatane felt an urge to snap at the Root ninja for their tone, but seeing the emotionless machine-like demeanor characteristic of Root operatives, she swallowed her frustration and instead turned to Danzo with a cold voice:

 "Danzo, the Root ninja needs better discipline!"

Under such oppressive circumstances, the insensitivity of the Root operative's words only worsened the mood.

However, Danzo ignored Koharu entirely, his expression grim as he glanced at the Third Hokage, who was silent, his head lowered as he hurried along.

"Hiruzen, I know the pain in your heart. But as Koharu said, Konoha still needs us!"

Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi shared a deeply ingrained belief that Konoha belonged to them. They were two sides of the same coin.

Hiruzen believed that only his "Will of Fire" could bring peace to Konoha, while Danzo was convinced that only he could lead the village to greater strength.

Both men were powerful shinobi with twisted and warped ideals.

"Hiruzen!"

Even Koharu, lowering her voice, followed closely behind the Third Hokage as the group pressed forward. She tried to console him, her voice hushed:

 "Hiruzen, perhaps this is also an opportunity. Nearly half of the elite forces from the major clans have been lost on the battlefield—this weakens the power of the clans within the village. More importantly, we might be able to deal a devastating blow to the Kumo Shinobi and crush them completely.

We didn't force anyone into this. Hiruzen, you don't need to feel guilty. This is their mission as shinobi…"

Listening to Koharu's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi kept his head lowered as they rushed through the dark forest, his expression unreadable.

"Koharu, I understand! Konoha still needs us. We cannot leave the village in shambles!"

Hiruzen's raspy voice echoed as a warped and obsessive determination burned in his eyes.

The conflict between the clans and the civilian shinobi within the village was far from resolved. He hadn't completed his mission. He couldn't die—not yet.

At the very least, until the village's hidden threats were dealt with, Konoha could not be allowed to descend into chaos.

"Koharu, go back and issue the order: Konoha is to fully mobilize for war. The madness of the Kumo Shinobi will not go unnoticed by Onoki of the Iwagakure nor by the Kirigakure!"

"Yes!"

With firm resolve, both Hiruzen and Koharu revealed the mindset of Konoha's long-standing leadership—a perspective deeply centered on themselves. They believed Konoha couldn't function without them.

They even clung to the hope that through mutual destruction, they could weaken the Kumo Shinobi and still see their original plans succeed.

"Hiruzen!"

Trailing silently behind, Danzo's eyes gleamed with ambition. The Third Ninja War—this might be his opportunity.

The failure of the Konoha plan to collapse the Kumogakure had been a major strategic blunder. Regardless, the Third Hokage would have to bear the primary responsibility for it. If Danzo could distinguish himself in the coming war…

The thought filled Danzo with growing excitement.

...

BOOM!

A deafening roar marked the Eight-Tails' rampage. The massive beast let out an earth-shaking howl of fury.

Meanwhile, the Third Raikage had been teleported to Konoha's rear lines using the Heavenly Transfer Technique. He was panting heavily, but when he saw the rampaging Eight-Tails, a smile spread across his face.

"A Tailed Beast rampaging in one's village is a disaster. But in the enemy's camp, it's the ultimate weapon!"

As the Eight-Tails wreaked havoc, Konoha's shinobi were thrown into chaos.

"Raikage! You Kumo Shinobi violate the rules set by the Five Great Shinobi Villages and use a Tailed Beast within our borders!"

"Have the Kumo Shinobi gone mad? Do you think you're the only ones with Tailed Beasts?"

Amid the chaos, Konoha's enraged shinobi shouted in protest.

But in response to their accusations, the Third Raikage roared back in fury:

 "Konoha! It was your Hokage who violated the treaty first! Now, you Konoha shinobi will taste the wrath of the Kumogakure!"

Tailed Beasts were akin to nuclear weapons, regarded as ultimate weapons by the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

The villages had established a rule: Tailed Beasts were not to be deployed on foreign soil during wartime. Violating this rule was tantamount to full-scale war and would invite collective retaliation from the other villages.

But such rules were ultimately meaningless. Konoha's attempt to collapse the Kumogakure under the guise of peace talks, while secretly planning an assassination, was already an act of war.

The Kumogakure's retaliation using a Tailed Beast was entirely justified—even in the eyes of the ninja world.

"You damned shinobi!"

The Eight-Tails bellowed furiously, fully aware that it hadn't broken free on its own but had been deliberately unleashed. Its Jinchūriki was still intact!

Meanwhile, the Third Raikage, concealed in the shadows, grinned savagely. He wasn't afraid of the rampaging beast. At the critical moment, he could simply wake Killer B back up.

More importantly, this battle was his chance to break through Konoha's defensive lines and elevate the Kumugakure to new heights.

"Danzo Shimura! Hiruzen Sarutobi! You conniving rats! The Kumogakure's internal strife will be unleashed on Konoha's battlefield. This is our vengeance!"

The Third Raikage's eyes burned with fury as he sought to drag Konoha into the same chaos that had plagued the Kumogakure. Their anger would be fully vented through war.

"Hold the line! Reinforcements are on their way!"

"Just hang on!"

Over a hundred Konoha shinobi were overwhelmed by the Tailed Beast's strength. At that moment, the sound of thunder echoed from the distance, and the Third Raikage's face darkened.

"Konoha's reinforcements are here!"

"Third Raikage!"

A roar erupted as crimson chakra surged into the sky.

The chakra radiated an ominous energy surpassing even the Eight-Tails, and the Konoha shinobi's faces lit up with hope.

"Reinforcements are here!"

"Haha! Konoha's reinforcements have arrived!"

As Uzumaki Kushina emerged, her entire body was shrouded in a red Tailed Beast cloak. Four tails writhed furiously behind her, but she remained in control, retaining her human form.

"Mikoto, the Eight-Tails is yours! The Third Raikage is ours!"

Three figures emerged from the forest. Uchiha Shirou, crackling with lightning, had Sharingan spinning in his eyes. The tomoe swirled rapidly, faintly connecting into black lines.

Uchiha Mikoto, her eyes concealed behind contact lenses disguising her Mangekyō Sharingan, activated her true power beneath the facade.

"The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki!"

When the Konoha reinforcements appeared, the Third Raikage was momentarily stunned before breaking into a grin.

"Haha! The Nine-Tails rampaging within the Land of Fire! Today, Konoha will taste the pain of the Kumogakure!"

But just then, blood-red Sharingan tomoe filled his vision, and the Third Raikage cursed inwardly.

Genjutsu: Dark Path Technique!

In an instant, all light vanished from his sight. Furious, the Third Raikage unleashed his Lightning Release Chakra Mode in a violent surge.

"Damn it! A genjutsu that robs vision!"

Before the darkness descended, the only thing in his mind was the blood-red Sharingan with its tomoe spinning menacingly. Even the Third Raikage was stunned by the terrifying ocular power emanating from it.

After all, under the Lightning Chakra Mode, the chakra in his body was already abnormally violent, rendering ordinary genjutsu ineffective against him.

"An opening!"

On the battlefield, despite losing his vision, the Third Raikage who excelled in close-quarters taijutsu combat, still possessed exceptionally sharp senses.

"The sound of Wind Style! And it's not inferior to Danzo's Wind Style!"

Just from the sound of the air being torn apart, the Third Raikage's face changed. He instantly deduced that only an immensely powerful Wind Style technique could produce such a sound.

Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves

In a seamless display of teamwork, Kushina unleashed a terrifying Wind Style technique in an instant. At this moment, black curse mark patterns spread across her skin.

With the Tailed Beast Cloak combined with the cursed seal's Sage Body, the power of her Wind Style jutsu surged dramatically, rivaling even Danzo's decades of Wind Style mastery.

"Now, Shirou!"

The moment the Wind Style jutsu was released, Shirou's body erupted in violent lightning. Covered in Lightning Chakra Armor, he transformed into a streak of lightning in an instant.

"Wind Style! No… there's also Lightning Style!"

The tearing sound of Wind Style reached his ears. Though his vision was shrouded in darkness, the Third Raikage relied on his hearing to dodge swiftly. Just as he evaded the Wind Style attack, the sudden roar of thunder erupted.

Lightning Style: Chidori

With his right hand transformed into the sharpest blade, Shirou, surrounded by lightning, engaged the Third Raikage in an intense Lightning Style taijutsu battle.

"Don't underestimate us Kumo Shinobi!"

At the moment the lightning drew near, the Third Raikage roared furiously. In an instant, lightning surged violently from his body. The overwhelming chakra exceeded its limits, placing immense strain on his body but simultaneously breaking the genjutsu.

As the darkness receded, the Third Raikage regained his sight. The moment he saw Shirou charging toward him, he roared in rage.

Heavy Stream Violent Thunder!

Concentrating Lightning Chakra on his elbow, he unleashed a terrifyingly powerful counterattack toward Shirou.

"He broke the genjutsu through sheer brute force!"

Shirou's pupils reflected his shock. The Genjutsu: Dark Path Technique, an A-rank genjutsu, had never been broken in such a crude manner before. Though it placed substantial strain on the body, it was indeed the most direct method.

From breaking the genjutsu to launching a counterattack—all of it happened in an instant!

As his three-tomoe Sharingan spun wildly, Shirou's body precisely dodged the Third Raikage's ferocious counterattack. Under the Third Raikage's shocked gaze, Shirou thrust his Chidori toward his abdomen.

Amidst the violent sound of thunder, the Chidori pierced through the Lightning Chakra Armor. Following that, Shirou's fingertips drove into the Third Raikage's abdomen.

At that moment, both their expressions changed dramatically. Shirou was astonished—his hand, as if stabbing into solid iron, could go no further.

The Third Raikage, on the other hand, was shocked that this Konoha ninja had pierced his Lightning Armor with a Lightning Style Jutsu—a technique that bore traces of Hell Stab.

Both Chidori and Hell Stab were linear, pinpoint offensive techniques. Over the years, Shirou, after working with Orochimaru, had naturally refined his technique.

"Bastard! Die!"

The Third Raikage roared and swung both hands toward Shirou. However, at that moment, the sound of the air being ripped apart came again.

Wind Style: Shuriken!

A shuriken infused with Wind Chakra spun rapidly into a deadly wind blade, speeding toward the Raikage.

"Damn it!"

Under the perfect teamwork of Shirou and Kushina, the Third Raikage was caught off guard.

Amidst the echoing booms, two bursts of lightning collided and flickered fiercely.

"You brat! I didn't expect you to have mastered our Lightning Style to this extent!"

After an intense series of battles, the Third Raikage, panting heavily, glared at the powerful Konoha ninja before him, his eyes filled with killing intent.

Damn it! Why does Konoha always have so many genius shinobi?!

First, there was a striking resemblance between Chidori and Hell Stab. Then came the advanced Lightning Chakra Mode.

Although the Lightning Chakra Armors of the two sides had subtle differences, the Third Raikage could see them at a glance.

Facing the Third Raikage, Shirou smirked coldly:

"Third Raikage, this is a B-rank jutsu I improved after extracting it from the brain of a rogue ninja. I ultimately developed my technique. The offensive jutsu is called Chidori, an A-rank technique, and as for this… it's the Armor of the Thunder God!"

The Kumogakure's Lightning Chakra Mode was a B-rank jutsu, also known as the Lightning Armor. However, Shirou upgraded it to an A-rank jutsu and named it the Armor of the Thunder God.

One word of difference between Lightning and Thunder, yet it signified two distinct techniques.

Upon hearing the name of this new jutsu, the Third Raikage laughed furiously in anger.

"Konoha! Let me teach you today that the strength of a jutsu is never determined by its rank!"

Uchiha Shirou's Armor of the Thunder God was more tightly compressed, requiring greater chakra control. However, this also meant exponentially increased chakra consumption, making it harder to maintain.

That said, this didn't mean the two techniques were truly different in rank. The Kumo's Lightning Armor focused on using violent chakra to enhance defense.

To put it simply, one increased defense through compression, while the other relied on brute-force chakra output. They weren't inherently superior or inferior, as both techniques stemmed from the same source.

The rank difference merely reflected the difficulty of mastering them!

If anything, the A-rank Armor of the Thunder God was optimized for greater stability, at the cost of increased chakra consumption and requiring exceptional control, making it harder to master.

This was a jutsu tailor-made for Shirou!

"Shirou!"

As Shirou battled the Third Raikage up close, he had already activated the perfected Sage Mode. At this point, the techniques he used could truly be called Senjutsu.

Sage Art: Armor of the Thunder God

Even so, Shirou felt as if he were fighting a solid iron man. At the same time, the Third Raikage was filled with frustration and shock.

The Uchiha before him was so young, yet his mastery of Lightning Style taijutsu already surpassed that of his son. If he continued to grow, by the time he reached the Raikage's age, he would likely surpass him entirely.

Moreover, this Uchiha made exceptional use of his advantages, namely the combination of speed and Sharingan, always avoiding direct clashes with him.

"You annoying brat! And that damn Jinchuriki of the Nine Tails!"

The Third Raikage roared in fury. Shirou was already troublesome enough, and on top of that, there was Kushina, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, relentlessly launching Wind Style jutsu from a distance.

The two worked together seamlessly, managing to pin down the ferocious warrior that was the Third Raikage.