Chapter 470: Everything I've Done Is to Set Things Right!

High above the clouds, two massive stone spheres floated silently in the sky. Not far from them, a golden-armored winged giant stood, sword in hand, unmoving.

Uzumaki Raiden didn't know how to deal with Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. One was his nephew. The other, the son of his late best friend.

Killing them was out of the question. Even imprisoning them required careful thought.

After all, there were very few promising youths in Konoha's current generation—very few who could shoulder true responsibility. Raiden's original intention had been to allow Naruto and Sasuke to gain experience through war, hoping that witnessing the true nature of the battlefield would accelerate their growth.

The reason the Land of Lightning still maintained an effective resistance was due to Raiden's intentional leniency. He could have destroyed the Hidden Cloud Village single-handedly. But from the very beginning, it had been nothing more than a carefully arranged training ground—for Naruto and Sasuke.

But things hadn't gone according to plan.

Instead of abandoning their idealism after seeing the cruelty of war, both had become even more determined in their opposition to it. They now saw Raiden as the "original sin of war."

With that, Raiden's strategy had completely deviated from its intended course.

"Those two boys… they really know how to trouble me."

"They won't follow the path I set—they always insist on forging their own."

Raiden gazed at the two massive boulders formed by Chibaku Tensei and sighed inwardly.

"I'll bring them back to Konoha and lock them up. Once the Land of Lightning is secured, I'll release them. Their influence can help stabilize the civilians."

Decision made, Raiden reached out with one hand toward the two spheres, intending to lower them to the ground.

But suddenly—a purple beam of light burst from one of the stone balls, piercing the clouds and grazing the golden-armored giant's body as it shot into the distance. Where it landed, a mushroom cloud erupted. Moments later, the sound of the explosion reached Raiden's ears.

Boom!!!!!

Daylight seemed to return to the darkened sky. At the same time, the outer layers of the Chibaku Tensei spheres began to crumble and fall away.

"Oh? You broke free?"

"I underestimated you."

Raiden's eyes flickered with brief surprise as he turned toward the crumbling stone sphere. As the dust and debris peeled away, the figure of Susanoo emerged. Protected within, Sasuke was unharmed, though he was clearly winded. Breaking Raiden's Chibaku Tensei had consumed a considerable amount of chakra.

Boom! Just seconds later, the second sphere emitted a muffled rumble—like a drum being struck in a sealed chamber. The sound was low, but powerful.

Then, the sphere rapidly expanded—until it reached its limit and exploded, hurling rock and debris in all directions. From within, the chakra form of the giant insect—Naruto's manifestation of Chōmei—reappeared.

"Even Chibaku Tensei can't contain these two?"

"I'll have to try something else."

Raiden's expression darkened. The golden-armored giant spread its wings and shot toward the giant insect. Susanoo was also mid-flight. The golden giant raised its blade, the energy of the heavens seeming to follow the swing, lightning crackling in the clouds as the sword came down toward Sasuke.

"Naruto, be careful!" Sasuke called out, raising his chakra-forged twin blades in front of him.

Raiden's strike reached Susanoo in an instant. Sasuke raised his swords to defend, but the sheer force of the blow shattered them. The remaining impact struck Susanoo's chest, sending it flying into the clouds and out of sight.

Naruto, having just escaped his own stone prison, heard Sasuke's warning—but before he could react, he felt a crushing force slam into him. The giant insect was knocked from the sky, plummeting toward the ground.

The impact force surged through Naruto's body. It felt like gravity had increased a thousandfold. Every inch of him ached. He couldn't even move.

Raiden's strike had smashed the insect's head down, and now the golden giant tore through the clouds in pursuit, diving after it.

Boom!!!!

The giant insect crashed to the earth. Naruto grimaced from the impact, but once they landed, the pressure vanished.

Just as he tried to rise, a shadow fell from above—Raiden. A brutal knee strike landed squarely on the insect's body.

Boom!!!

The shockwave exploded outward. This time, the insect's chakra wasn't enough to fully shield Naruto. The concussive force slammed into him. His skin turned bright red, nearly to the point of bleeding.

He coughed blood, his limbs limp against the ground. Though his physical body was badly injured, his chakra was still flowing. The insect form held together.

Crack! Raiden noticed Naruto's injuries. Seeing his nephew cough blood made him wince—but he quickly regained composure. The golden giant grabbed the insect by the head and lifted it up.

"Naruto, it's not too late to change your mind."

"Follow my orders. Go to the Land of Lightning and fight for Konoha."

"I acknowledge your strength. You should be using it to inspire others—not wasting it fighting me."

"Make your mark in the war, and I'll ensure you become Hokage."

"Then you can pursue your ideals."

"But for now, just obey."

"Your current understanding of the world is far too naïve. The shinobi world has no place for illusions of peace."

Raiden's voice echoed as he addressed Naruto inside the insect's body. Before imprisoning him, he still hoped to shatter Naruto's idealism and make him see reason.

"Illusions of peace? What are you talking about?"

"People are homeless. Children lose their parents and have to beg. Shinobi lose their families."

"And you call that a peaceful world?!"

Naruto gritted his teeth and stood, glaring up at the golden-armored giant.

"I'm telling you—that's the only way peace can be achieved."

Raiden didn't refute Naruto. Everything Naruto said was true. But facts alone didn't change outcomes.

"You still think you're right?!"

"You still think you're RIGHT?!"

Naruto screamed, his voice raw with disbelief. That someone like Raiden—who had triggered this war—could stand there, calm and composed, as if he bore no shame… how could this be the same uncle he once admired?

"Neutral countries?! What a joke!"

"There's no such thing as neutrality. They only stayed out of past wars because they were too weak to participate!"

"Give them power, and they'll jump into the conflict in a heartbeat!"

"Among the troops I've integrated, many were volunteers from 'neutral' nations!"

"Do you know the most peaceful eras in Konoha's history?"

"The First Hokage's era—and now."

"Why? Because both of us had the power to suppress the entire shinobi world!"

"Do you know why the First Great Ninja War happened? Because Hashirama distributed the Tailed Beasts to other villages, giving them power they never should've had!"

"Later, Kumo and Iwa allied to attack Konoha—and the war began."

"Even the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, died at the hands of the Hidden Cloud!"

"So why did Konoha survive after losing its Hokage? Because we had a perfect Jinchūriki."

"Because my grandmother, Uzumaki Mito, protected the village!"

"All of this... was because Hashirama gave power to people who didn't deserve it!"

"You think peace just appears out of nowhere?"

"You think your father became Hokage because of connections?"

"No—he was 'Konoha's Yellow Flash.' Before that, he was 'The Golden Flash.'"

"Everything I've done—was to set things right!"

Raiden's voice boomed as he poured his heart out to his nephew. He hoped Naruto would finally understand.

But...

"This… isn't how it should be."

Naruto was shaken.

Raiden's words hit hard. As a child, he'd never thought deeply about history. In the Academy, his grades in written subjects were average. Like most kids, he found history boring.

His objections came from his values: kindness, fairness, compassion. Judging Raiden with those values made him seem evil.

But the world was never so black and white.

"You're being naive."

"Where there are people, there will be conflict. The only way to stop war—is overwhelming power."

"Not everyone listens to reason."

"And what are you and Sasuke doing now?"

"You're trying to stop me—with force."

"You just don't have enough of it yet."

Raiden's tone sharpened. He'd said enough.

You couldn't change someone like Naruto with words alone. If he were the type to be easily swayed, he wouldn't be Naruto.

For people like him—change took time.

But Raiden was patient. He planted the seed today. In time, it would grow.

He and Minato were still young. There was still time to guide the next generation.

Crack! Raiden clasped his hands together. His chakra flared as golden chains erupted from the giant and bound the insect tightly.

Then the golden giant raised its sword overhead.

Clang! In the next instant, Susanoo appeared, both blades crashing down—but Raiden blocked them with his own sword.

"You want to dance too?!"

Raiden grinned. He pushed Susanoo's blades aside and fired golden chains from the giant's body, entangling Susanoo's swords.

But suddenly, Susanoo vanished—replaced by the giant insect. In its mouth, a Tailed Beast Bomb had already formed.

BOOM!

The explosion engulfed the golden-armored giant in blinding flames. The sound was louder than thunder and echoed for miles.

From within the flames, a golden blade suddenly pierced through. With a twist, it struck the insect's head, sending it crashing into the earth.

Raiden turned again—but Susanoo had disappeared.

He blinked.

"He left?"

"He actually escaped?!"

Raiden was stunned. Then he turned his eyes southeast, narrowing them.

"...Hey, Old Man Sage... Why did you send me out first?!"

"I haven't even stopped Uncle yet!"

(End Of Chapter)

Gimme Powerstones :)))

Also Check out my Patreon at [Patreon.com/GGFanfiction]