Chapter 51: Chaos Unleashed
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During his last infiltration, Naruto had already marked locations in Kumogakure with the Flying Raijin Jutsu, so there was no need to rely on the previous method to bypass the Heavenly Retribution Technique.
Swish!
Naruto appeared on an open field in Kumogakure, with Konan by his side.
This field, once the site of the Raikage's residence, had been destroyed during battles and further transformed into a sunken terrain due to the Chibaku Tensei. It had recently been renovated, with fresh soil scattered across the area.
As soon as they arrived, the surrounding Kumogakure shinobi spotted them and encircled them tightly.
Naruto spoke indifferently, "It seems your leader has no intention of obediently handing over what I want~."
A Kumogakure shinobi shouted, "The Will of Lightning will never bow to plunderers!"
Naruto's expression was unreadable as he replied, "The Will of Fire, the Will of Stone, the Will of Lightning... It seems the founders of the major villages all conformed to the times, passing down highly subjective ideologies that their successors regard as sacred."
"I used to believe in such things too, but as I gained more experience, I realized that these so-called wills are mostly just rhetoric used by the self-serving to rally people."
The Kumogakure shinobi exchanged uncertain glances.
Naruto continued, "Don't get me wrong. I'm not denying or belittling your beliefs. These ideologies have indeed strengthened the unity of villages and even nations."
"But to someone with overwhelming power, they seem rather... flimsy."
"Tell me, have you ever heard of the Will of the Gods?"
The Kumogakure shinobi were puzzled. "Gods?"
Naruto smiled faintly.
He wasn't referring to his self-proclaimed godlike master, but to true deities—those who exist far beyond the mortal realm, looking down on all living beings. Genuine gods.
"The Will of the Gods," Naruto explained, "is to scorn the cycles of cause and effect, to see the heavens and all living beings as mere tools. That's how they view us humans—us shinobi."
The Kumogakure shinobi were bewildered. "What is this guy even talking about?"
Naruto shook his head with a faint smile. "Well, it's too early to explain. That kind of oppression, that kind of despair, can only be understood by those who experience it firsthand."
His gaze shifted to the ground beneath the shinobi. "By the way, the chakra beneath your feet—is that meant to counter my abilities? It seems you've made some preparations for my arrival~."
"But it's meaningless."
Swish! Naruto began forming hand seals.
"He's about to cast a jutsu!" The surrounding shinobi tensed up.
However, the anticipated repulsive force did not erupt.
After completing the seals, Naruto placed his palm on the ground.
Summoning Jutsu!
Boom!
With a puff of white smoke, a monstrous bird appeared. It had a grayish-brown body and a long, sharp beak.
Naruto and Konan leaped onto the bird's back and soared into the sky, far beyond the reach of the shinobi below.
Then, an oval-shaped object descended into Kumogakure's view.
"A... an egg?" one of the shinobi stammered in shock.
Bang!
The strange egg landed in the soil, its shell cracking open to reveal pulsating golden light that sent shivers down their spines.
"Retreat! Quickly!" a shinobi yelled in alarm.
BOOM!!!
It was too late. The explosion lit up the night sky, signaling the start of the assault.
The bird soared hundreds of meters above the ground.
Konan remarked, "Finally, there are casualties."
Naruto replied, "This isn't some childish ninja game. I've already given them a chance."
Konan smiled faintly. "Good. Honestly, I was worried you might hesitate when it was time to be ruthless, only to suffer for it later."
Naruto chuckled softly. He gazed at the chaos below and said seriously, "Speaking of which, there was a guy in Akatsuki named Deidara. His abilities were similar—perfect for destroying strongholds."
"Indeed," Konan agreed. "But Deidara's aerial combat had limitations. His left eye was equipped with a miniature telescope, giving him a visual range of about 100 meters. Beyond that, he couldn't accurately drop his bombs. So his greatest threat was in close-range combat. At 100 meters, long-range shinobi could still target him."
Naruto nodded. "But for indiscriminate stronghold destruction, imprecise bombing is still highly effective."
Konan added, "However, he needed to form hand seals to detonate his bombs. If the distance exceeded 500 meters, he couldn't trigger them. And his Earth Release clay bombs had a fatal weakness—they became duds when struck by Lightning Release."
"I see." Naruto smiled sincerely. "Konan-nee, you really know everything about Akatsuki members' abilities."
Konan replied, "After all, yesterday's enemies could become today's allies, and vice versa. I had to be prepared. The only one I could never fully understand was Itachi Uchiha."
Whoosh! The explosive bird streaked across the sky, releasing a series of bombs.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A fiery wave of explosions rippled in a straight line below.
In the area where the Raikage and his forces were stationed, Kumogakure shinobi used binoculars to observe the sky.
"A strange bird has appeared in the sky!"
"It's the enemy from the previous invasion! They're on that creature's back!"
Dodai's expression turned grim. "This time, they're launching an aerial assault! As I feared, the enemy didn't show their full strength last time. My worst fears have come true!"
"Raikage-sama!"
The Raikage growled, "Hmph! It's just a bird. Nothing to worry about! As long as we track the bombs' trajectories and predict their landing points, we can avoid the explosions! After all, Body Flicker Technique is our specialty in Kumogakure!"
This was no idle boast.
Once they adapted to the situation, the Kumogakure shinobi began using the bombs' trajectories to anticipate their landing points. Combined with the Body Flicker Technique, they significantly increased their chances of evading the blasts.
"The appetizers are almost done. Time for the main course," Naruto murmured as he imprinted the Flying Raijin mark on the bird's back. He then stood up and scattered a large number of kunai engraved with the Flying Raijin mark.
Swish!
Naruto teleported to a corner of Kumogakure and formed hand seals.
Summoning Jutsu!
Boom!
A giant rhino emerged from the white smoke, roaring as it charged forward.
Swish! Naruto swiftly moved to another location.
Summoning Jutsu!
Boom!
This time, a giant centipede appeared.
Swish!
Naruto continued to teleport, repeating the process.
Summoning Jutsu!
Summoning Jutsu!
Summoning Jutsu!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One after another, massive plumes of white smoke erupted as Naruto unleashed the large-scale summoning beasts of the Animal Path across Kumogakure.
Swish!
After completing his task, Naruto returned to the bird's back. "That should keep them busy for a while."
A shinobi reported, "Raikage-sama! Countless monsters have suddenly appeared all over the village, wreaking havoc!"
The Raikage's eyes widened. "What did you say!?"
Dodai said gravely, "Raikage-sama! Under these circumstances, our original strategy won't work!"
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The Raikage clenched his teeth, the sound echoing as he suppressed his fury.
"Change tactics! Full defensive formation!"
"Yes, sir!"
"And take me to the nearest battle zone immediately! I want to see for myself what kind of monsters could possibly be stronger than a Tailed Beast!"
At the nearest battle zone, a large group of Kumogakure shinobi was struggling to fend off a massive summoning beast.
"Damn it! How do we deal with this thing!?"
"Where's the reinforcements!?"
Bang!
Just as despair set in, the Raikage arrived, cloaked in lightning and exuding power.
"It's Raikage-sama!" The Kumogakure shinobi sighed in relief.
"Hmph!" The Raikage bellowed, "Move aside, brats! Watch me take this thing down in one move!"
The creature before the Raikage was none other than the Hellhound, one of the Animal Path's signature summoning beasts, now named the Infernal Three-Headed Warhound by Naruto.