Chapter 57: The Three Rain Sannin
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Naruto's words caused an uproar among the Rain shinobi.
"All of us at once? Is he serious!?"
"Even if he's Lord Pain, this is..."
"What, didn't you hear what I said?" Naruto interrupted, quickening his pace and moving toward the Rain shinobi.
"Scatter!" one of the Rain ninja shouted.
Whoosh!
The formation broke apart as kunai and shuriken, accompanied by explosive tags, were hurled toward Naruto.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions erupted into massive curtains of water, but Naruto emerged unscathed.
The Rain shinobi were stunned.
"What? Not a scratch?"
"Is it because of that chakra layer around him?"
Naruto's voice deepened. "The missions you will undertake and the enemies you'll face—teamwork will be the key to survival and success. Can you do it? If not, you might as well be crab food!"
"Does he think so little of us!?"
"Is he really Lord Pain? His voice sounds too young!"
"Then let's test him ourselves!"
A dozen Rain shinobi stepped forward, forming hand seals in unison.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
From their mouths, torrents of water surged forward like waterfalls, converging into a massive flood that engulfed Naruto.
A sensing ninja from the Rain whispered, "I can feel his chakra—it's definitely in the water!"
"Alright, let me handle this!" a burly Rain ninja shouted. After forming hand seals, he slammed his hands onto the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling!"
Using Earth chakra to enhance his strength, he unearthed a massive boulder and hurled it directly into the flood.
Boom!
The boulder crashed into the water, sending waves and debris flying.
Whoosh!
Six oil-paper umbrellas spun into the air above the boulder—one of the signature techniques of Amegakure.
The masked Rain ninja controlling the umbrellas formed hand seals.
"Ninja Art: Thousand Needles of Rain!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Countless senbon needles rained down, piercing through the boulder with ease.
The Rain shinobi surrounded Naruto on all sides, forming hand seals once more.
"Earth Release: Rising Stone Spears!"
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Sharp stone spikes erupted from the ground, shattering the boulder into pieces.
"After all that, there's no way he's unharmed!"
Boom!
But with a deafening explosion, the rubble scattered as Naruto leapt into the air, his body cloaked in crackling purple lightning. With a flick of his sleeve, he unleashed a barrage of purple lightning senbon, striking down the surrounding Rain shinobi.
One of the fallen Rain ninja stared at the tiny lightning senbon embedded in his shoulder, trembling. "What kind of Lightning Release is this? Just one of these needles completely paralyzed me!"
"I avoided your vital points," Naruto said as he landed. "Your teamwork isn't bad, but it's still far from enough."
He crouched slightly.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind swept over his head.
"What!?" A Rain ninja hidden behind him was shocked.
"Camouflage Jutsu, huh? Perfect for reconnaissance and ambushes," Naruto said with a smile, turning around and striking with a hand chop.
Splash!
The camouflaged figure revealed itself, dissolving into water.
"And using a Water Clone to perform the Camouflage Jutsu—that's even more impressive," Naruto remarked.
Rustle! Rustle!
Taking advantage of the distraction, another Rain ninja emerged from underground, hurling chains that coiled around Naruto's body and tightened instantly.
Naruto glanced at the chains. "Oh? Insulated gloves to prevent electrical conduction? Clever."
A group of Rain shinobi wielding swords charged toward him.
Naruto muttered, "Unfortunately, Purple Lightning can easily penetrate insulation."
Sizzle!
The Purple Lightning traveled through the chains, bypassing the insulated gloves and electrocuting the Rain shinobi holding them. They collapsed with cries of pain.
Whoosh!
Before the sword-wielding Rain shinobi could reach him, Naruto vanished.
"It's not the Flying Raijin—it's just a simple Body Flicker Technique!"
"He's gone!"
"So fast!"
The sensing ninja was horrified. "How is this possible? His chakra completely disappeared. Could it be that his Body Flicker Technique exceeds my sensory abilities!?"
"Correct."
Thud!
The ninja's eyes widened as Naruto retracted his fist from the man's abdomen, catching his collapsing body and gently laying him on the ground.
Boom! Boom!
As Naruto stood, two Rain shinobi burst from the ground on either side, wielding oversized swords.
"We knew you'd prioritize taking out the sensory ninja!"
"Sorry, Rainryo, but this is our teamwork!"
"Lightning Release Chakra Blade!"
"Wind Release Chakra Blade!"
As they charged, their swords were enveloped in Lightning and Wind chakra, enhancing their cutting power. They attacked from both sides with all their might.
"Rain Style: Twin Blades of Wind and Thunder!"
"Using a comrade as bait—this is also a form of teamwork. While I personally dislike it, I can't deny that sacrifices are sometimes necessary."
Naruto didn't dodge. Instead, he reached out with both hands and caught the descending blades, gripping them tightly.
Crack!
The Twin Blades of Wind and Thunder shattered simultaneously.
"Impossible!" the two Rain shinobi exclaimed in shock.
Whoosh!
Naruto withdrew, causing the two to lose their balance and crash into each other before falling to the ground.
"That should be enough."
Glancing around, Naruto muttered to himself. He kicked up a fallen sword with his heel, caught it, and infused it with Purple Lightning before stabbing it into the ground.
"Purple Lightning: Eight Extremes Ground Surge!"
Sizzle!
Lightning spread in all directions, striking down every Rain shinobi.
Naruto looked at the sword in his hand, now reduced to fragments along with its hilt. He muttered, "The only drawback of Purple Lightning is its excessive power, which makes it difficult to channel through weapons. I'll need to find a weapon strong enough to withstand it in the future—something like Sasuke's Kusanagi Sword."
Pant, pant, pant.
At that moment, three Rain shinobi, using their weapons for support, struggled to stand.
Naruto's voice deepened. "To be able to stand in this situation proves that among these people, your strength is exceptional. Remove your masks and tell me your names."
The three removed their masks—two men and one woman.
The rugged man spoke first. "Ryukō!"
The refined man followed. "Setsuna!"
The cold and elegant woman was last. "Violet!"
Naruto nodded. "Good. Ryukō, Setsuna, Violet. From now on, you will be known as the Three Rain Sannin!"
"The new Rain ANBU is officially established today. The 108 Rain shinobi will be divided into three squads based on their abilities and specialties. You three will serve as the squad captains and report directly to me!"
The Three Rain Sannin bowed respectfully. "Yes, Lord Pain!"
Naruto was silent for a moment but said nothing in response.
With a flourish of his cloak, he turned and walked into the rain.
Konan addressed the three. "Take them for treatment and rest. Once you've recovered, you'll officially begin your missions."
---
On the way back.
Konan said, "Pain holds immense significance to the Rain shinobi and civilians. He's practically a symbol of faith. For now, we'll need to continue using his name."
Naruto replied, "I understand. That's why I didn't remove my mask in front of those three."
Konan said, "I believe that one day, you'll be able to openly lead this village under the name Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto smiled faintly and asked, "By the way, that female ninja named Violet—why does she seem familiar?"
Konan explained, "She's the elder sister of Ziyanghua."
Naruto was puzzled. "Ziyanghua?"
Konan nodded. "She was once a Rain ninja. She died during an S-rank mission, and her body later became the Animal Path of Pain."
Naruto murmured thoughtfully, "Violet, Ziyanghua... I see."