Chapter 116: Konoha's Thunder!

The setting sun dipped toward the horizon, painting the sky with shades of red and orange.

Through the dense bushes of the Land of Rivers, a giant green toad with two long swords strapped to its back bounded toward Konoha. Each leap covered hundreds of meters, and sprawled across the toad's back was a bloodied, ragged figure—a man who looked more like a beggar than a ninja.

Raiden's days of relentless combat and narrow escapes had drained his chakra reserves. Chiyo's poison continued to spread through his system, and Karura's Wind Release had inflicted additional injuries. His physical condition had deteriorated to the point that staying conscious was no longer possible. After using a contact frog to alert Jiraiya of his dire state, Raiden summoned Toad Hiroshi and issued a simple command before succumbing to exhaustion:

"Take me to Konoha."

Meanwhile, in a lush forest within the Land of Rivers, Namikaze Minato led a small team of three Konoha ninjas toward the reported location of the Gold Dust Pyramid. Midway through their journey, a flash of white mist appeared on Minato's shoulder, and a fiery red toad materialized.

"Minato! Raiden is in danger. Jiraiya has ordered you to find a way to rescue him!"

The red toad's urgent cry startled the team, causing them to nearly tumble from the treetops.

"What? Raiden?" Minato asked, his surprise evident. "Wasn't he in Mount Myoboku? How could he be in danger there?"

The contact toad explained hurriedly, "Raiden left Mount Myoboku this morning and returned to the Land of Rivers to complete his mission. However, he was ambushed by a large Sand Ninja force. He's been severely poisoned and told me he could hold on for no more than two or three minutes before losing consciousness. Toad Hiroshi is carrying him toward Konoha now, but Sand Shinobi are still pursuing them."

Hearing this, Minato's expression darkened. "Where is he now? Can you lock onto his location and return to him?"

"I can perform a reverse summoning to return to Hiroshi's side, but locking onto his exact position is difficult," the contact toad admitted.

"That's all I need. Go back to Raiden now—I'll catch up," Minato said decisively.

As the toad prepared to leave, Minato pressed his hand onto its back, marking it with a faint black seal. "Don't worry, I'll find him," he added with a reassuring smile. With that, the toad vanished in a puff of smoke.

Minato turned to his team and handed them a specially crafted tri-pronged kunai.

"Continue investigating the pyramid's location and report back. I'll take Raiden to the base as soon as I find him."

Without waiting for a response, Minato closed his eyes briefly, focusing on the toad's location. In an instant, he vanished.

When Minato reappeared, he stood atop Toad Hiroshi, startling the giant amphibian.

"Who's there?!" Hiroshi bellowed, reflexively launching its massive tongue at Minato.

"He's one of us, Hiroshi!" the contact toad interjected hastily. "This is Namikaze Minato, Jiraiya's student. He's here to help Raiden!"

Hiroshi stopped mid-strike, retracting its tongue. "Oh… sorry. I've been on edge," the toad grumbled before resuming its journey without another word.

Minato offered a faint smile. "It's fine." His expression quickly turned serious as his gaze shifted to Raiden, sprawled atop Hiroshi. Raiden's skin was tinged with an unnatural purple hue, a clear sign of the poison spreading through his body. Though his breathing was steady, Minato could tell his condition was critical.

"This is worse than I expected," Minato muttered. "Even the frontline base's medical facilities might not be enough…"

Weighing his options, Minato decided to transport Raiden to the base as quickly as possible. As he moved closer to lift him, Raiden's eyes fluttered open.

"Minato…" Raiden rasped, his voice weak but steady. Suddenly, a faint blade of chakra flickered near Minato's hand.

"Sorry," Raiden murmured. "The poison's dulled my senses. Reflex." Recognizing his old friend, he forced a faint smile. "Have you mastered the Flying Thunder God yet?"

Minato opened his mouth to respond, but Raiden's eyes had already closed again as he slipped back into unconsciousness.

Without wasting another second, Minato wrapped Raiden in his coat and disappeared using the Flying Thunder God technique.

Minutes later, Sand Shinobi pursuing Toad Hiroshi arrived at the scene, only to find Raiden gone.

"His trail ends here," one ninja reported grimly.

Rasa stood in silence, his expression dark and brooding. After a moment, he turned to his subordinates.

"Spread the word," Rasa ordered. "Announce that Konoha has produced a super genius who broke through our encirclement, killed over a hundred of our ninjas, and even injured Elder Chiyo under impossible odds."

Garura blinked in confusion. "Won't that damage our reputation? Why would we spread such news?"

"The commotion Raiden caused is too large to conceal," Rasa replied calmly. "Better we control the narrative and exaggerate it. A ninja like him will attract enemies far more dangerous than us. And the greater his reputation, the more we preserve our pride by framing his survival as a feat worthy of a legend."

Rasa's tone grew cold. "Raiden… the 'Thunder of Konoha.' He is the greatest threat Sand Shinobi will face in this war."

Two days later, news of Raiden's exploits had spread across the ninja world. Villages such as Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and even Otogakure became abuzz with curiosity about this prodigious Konoha ninja, sending operatives to uncover more about him. Even ordinary Konoha villagers now knew Raiden's name.

Back in Konoha, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, recognized the impossibility of keeping Raiden's identity as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki a secret. Anticipating the increased danger, Hiruzen deployed several ANBU squads to ensure Raiden's safety.

Yet, Raiden himself remained oblivious to the commotion. For three days, he had been lying unconscious in Konoha's hospital, his condition stable but far from recovered. The Third Hokage had urgently summoned Tsunade from her mission to treat Raiden personally. Until her return, Konoha's medics worked tirelessly to contain the poison, doing all they could to keep him alive.

(End of this chapter)