023 Crowd Gathering

"Haa... haa..."

Hinata stopped, breath ragged. Sweat rolled down her face, freezing into tiny icicles in the wind and snow.

There were many people in front of her, but in her white eyes, she saw only Naruto.

Naruto's eyes trembled. His heart ached.

How far did you run to get here...?

After all these years, they were finally face to face again.

It should have been a joyful reunion.

But the past cast a dark shadow over this moment.

Before him stood the girl he loved, anxious and out of breath.

Behind him stood Raikage and the others, watching closely, ready to strike.

Please… don't come any closer, Naruto silently begged.

"Naruto-kun..."

Hinata's voice trembled as she took a step forward.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a dark shape stretched across the snow, linking to her feet.

Shadow Possession Jutsu.

Above them, a bird made of ink flapped through the sky.

On its back sat Shikamaru, his leg still wrapped from the injuries he suffered during Pain's attack. Hands forming seals, he called out:

"Hinata, I get how you feel. But now's not the time. Look at the situation around you. If you rush in now, you'll only distract Naruto."

Hinata bit her lip hard, her eyes full of worry.

But in the end... she stopped herself.

Naruto said sincerely: Shikamaru, thank you.

The Raikage, standing with his guard up, watched closely, his gaze shifting to the group.

"They're from Konoha. Given their age, they must be from the same generation as that guy. But are there two from the Hyuga clan?"

The Kumo Shinobi had a long history with the Hyuga, and naturally, the Byakugan drew their attention.

Darui's eyes locked onto Neji.

"Hm... I've seen this boy before during a mission. Hyuga Neji, a young Jōnin in Konoha. Unfortunately, being born into the branch family, he's trapped in the cage of his own clan."

Raikage sneered.

"To deal with their own rogue ninjas, they send immature brats like these. Konoha really is as pretentious as ever! Let me beat Uzumaki Naruto senseless, drag him back to Kumo's prison, and torture him until he tells us where Sasuke is hiding!"

With a fierce twist of his neck, Raikage unleashed his lightning-charged speed, launching himself toward Naruto!

It was too fast. Neither Konan nor Orochimaru could react in time. In a flash, Raikage's lightning-infused strike sent Naruto flying!

Wham!

Naruto, quickly reacting, used his katana to block the blow, but his feet skidded across the snow.

Raikage grunted, tightening his fist.

"Hmph!"

With a sudden surge of power, his punch landed with crushing force

SNAP!

The katana shattered under the impact.

Sage Mode's enhanced perception allowed Naruto to dodge the punch by swiftly moving sideways.

However, Raikage adapted quickly, turning his fist into a blade and slashing horizontally at Naruto's right shoulder.

Snap!

A sharp sound of dislocation filled the air. Pain flashed across Naruto's face as he activated the power of his left eye.

—Gakido!

Crack!

Raikage's lightning cloak shattered and dissolved into pure chakra, which Naruto quickly absorbed.

"Huh!?" Raikage was taken aback by the sudden shift.

Crash!

At that moment, Konan took advantage of the opening, using a paper talisman with an explosive seal and attaching it to Raikage's back.

Boom boom boom!

The explosion erupted at point-blank range.

Taking this chance to retreat, Naruto clutched his dislocated shoulder with his left hand and pressed firmly. 

Crack! 

The shoulder popped back into place.

He thought to himself, That was close... If I hadn't absorbed that lightning chakra in time, the dislocation would have been the least of my problems.

Meanwhile, from the distance, Chee called out, "Hey, Boss! Are you alright?"

Darui remained calm. "Even without the protection of his lightning armor, an explosion like that can't harm the Raikage's body."

As expected, the Raikage emerged unharmed, his eyes wide in surprise. "Humph, it seems you have a good eye," 

"You were able to neutralize Ōnoki's Dust Release at the negotiation site, probably because of that eye, right? But unfortunately, there's still a slight delay between being hit and absorbing the attack. That tiny delay is enough for me to kill you three times!"

Crack!!!

Even more intense lightning exploded around the Raikage, his hair standing on end like sharp spikes.

Darui observed, "Oh? To deal with the Nine Tails Jinchūriki threat, did Raikage use his full power?!"

Raikage responded fiercely, "This Lightning Style Chakra Mode II was created to end Konoha's Yellow Flash. Unfortunately, the Yellow Flash is dead, so I'll end his son here!"

Naruto thought to himself, Lightning Style Chakra Mode, a powerful ninjutsu passed down through generations of Raikage, each with its own unique characteristics. The Fourth Raikage's defense isn't as strong as his father's, the Third Raikage, but his speed is unmatched. Although I've learned Flying Thunder God, without Kurama's chakra, my reflexes can't match my father's...

Darui shouted, "Boss, aren't we supposed to capture Sasuke alive and torture him for information?"

Raikage coldly replied, "It doesn't matter! As long as Sasuke keeps acting this way, it'll only take a few minutes to find out where he is!"

Boom!!!

The Raikage rushed at Naruto with the force of thunder, his speed so incredible that even the Rinnegan could barely track him.

Fortunately... Sage Mode still allowed Naruto to sense the movement!

—Shinra Tensei!

Boom!!!

The force from the blast rippled out in all directions!

Boom!!!

Raikage's charge halted just in front of Naruto, his iron fist, crackling with lightning, stopped an inch from Naruto's face.

"Ahole...!!" 

Raikage grunted as he planted his feet and pushed his fist forward half an inch, but he couldn't push it any further.

For a moment, they were locked in a tense stalemate, but with a muffled bang, Raikage was launched backward, stopping just in front of Darui and Chee.

Swish! Swish!

Orochimaru and Konan quickly moved to protect Naruto, positioning themselves in front of him.

This time, Konan unleashed a swarm of paper, while Orochimaru summoned several large snakes.

Naruto, still covering his left eye, said with a touch of fear, "When Raikage gets serious, he's terrifying. Just now, he almost withstood my Shinra Tensei..."

Orochimaru responded, "The Raikage's fighting style makes him a tough opponent for you. His overwhelming power combined with his speed can easily kill anyone who isn't careful."

Konan added, "But with the 'Double-Eyed Rinnegan,' you should be able to track his movements more accurately. The Heavenly Dao's abilities won't be as ineffective as they seem."

Naruto reflected, The truth is, my chakra still isn't strong enough. I relied too much on Kurama's power in the past, including Sage Mode's enhanced endurance, which was only possible because of Kurama's help. 

The gap between me and the First Hokage is to far...

If the Six Paths hadn't given us their power along the way, how could we have fought Madara, let alone Kaguya? I still have a long way to go. This time, I'll find a new way to truly become strong!

Darui spoke up, "Boss, the enemy's eyes are tricky, and they have two powerful allies. It's going to be hard to defeat them quickly..."

The Raikage turned to look at those behind him. "Are you just standing there watching?!"

Mifune replied politely, "Your Highness Raikage, the two men who impersonated me have been found, both unharmed. Since this is a dispute between ninjas, we samurai won't interfere for now... My back's hurting, so I'll leave it to you young ones..."

Ohnoki, rubbing his aching back, glanced aside, thinking, From the start, the Kazekage kept warning me with his eyes...

Terumi Mei spoke up, "This is Iron Country territory. If ninjas act recklessly, they'll be invading the country."

Gaara added, "I still believe that Naruto won't do anything to harm the interests of the ninja world."

Raikage gritted his teeth in frustration, seeing that none of the Kages were planning to take action. He shouted at Naruto, "Uzumaki Naruto, I know Uchiha Sasuke was here! Where did he go? Tell me now, this is your last chance!"

Sakura, standing behind Hinata, gasped in surprise. "Sasuke was here just now...!?"

Naruto chuckled, "Raikage, why make things harder for Sasuke...?"

Raikage roared, "Bastard! He killed my brother!!"

Naruto responded, "Your brother, Killer Bee, is still alive, but he's been targeted by the Akatsuki. If you hurry, you might still make it in time..."

The Raikage froze in shock. "What did you say...!?"

.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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