"Is that a ninja tool? What is it?"
Namikaze Minato saw three strangely shaped weapons suddenly appear in front of Samui and whispered in surprise. Then, he saw Samui pick up the silver fan-shaped sword from the scroll and charge toward Uzumaki Raiden.
"Thunder Arrow!"
Uzumaki Raiden glanced up at the two Tailed Beast Jinchūriki attacking him, then turned his head slightly to glimpse Samui behind him from the corner of his eye, murmuring softly. As his voice fell, dense black thunder arrows appeared above his head and behind him, then burst forth, shooting toward the two Jinchūriki in the sky and Samui behind him.
"No hand seals? You used such a powerful Lightning Release technique just like that?"
Kurotsuchi, who had been watching the battle, exclaimed in shock. Ōnoki's expression darkened as he observed, murmuring, "As expected, this Uzumaki Raiden has completely surpassed ordinary understanding of Lightning Release techniques."
"whoosh"
Thunder arrows shot out, leaving the airborne Jinchūriki with no way to dodge. They could only envelop their bodies in the Two-Tails' chakra, curling up to forcibly endure the attack. Several arrows pierced through their defenses, sending them crashing hard to the ground.
Behind Uzumaki Raiden, Samui raised the Seven Star Sword to defend herself. The moment the thunder arrows struck the blade, they dissipated into the air.
Having repelled the attacks from both sides, Uzumaki Raiden flicked his arms and hurled Raikage Ai and Killer B away.
Raikage Ai and Killer B twisted their bodies mid-air to regain balance, dragging long trails across the ground before finally coming to a stop.
Their gazes toward Uzumaki Raiden were filled with gravity. The two brothers had fought against him during the Third Shinobi World War, and they had made tremendous progress since then.
Yet, facing Uzumaki Raiden again, they found that even now, with all their improvements, they still couldn't match him.
In fact, they were completely at a disadvantage.
"Samui, stop using the Seven Star Sword."
"That kind of weapon is useless against him! Use the Golden Rope to restrict his movements!"
Sensing the difficulty of dealing with Uzumaki Raiden, Raikage Ai shouted loudly while launching himself forward once again. As he resumed his offensive, Killer B coordinated by drawing a long blade from behind his back.
Hearing the order, Samui nodded and pulled another scroll from her bosom. After unrolling it, a golden rope appeared in her hand as the white smoke dispersed.
Uzumaki Raiden noticed the unusual movement, but at that moment, Killer B and Raikage Ai had already closed the distance.
"You Cloud Shinobi sure have a lot of strange things up your sleeves!"
Uzumaki Raiden chuckled. His Lightning Armor surged around him, and in a flash, he appeared directly in front of Killer B.
The sudden movement startled Killer B, who instinctively swung his blade at Uzumaki Raiden.
Against a pincer attack, the best strategy was to swiftly eliminate an opponent. The two Jinchūriki had already suffered injuries, making them unlikely to rejoin the fight soon. Now, Uzumaki Raiden shifted his focus to Killer B—if he could eliminate him, then even Raikage Ai's Lightning Armor wouldn't be enough to threaten him.
Uzumaki Raiden's hand, crackling with lightning, grabbed Killer B's blade directly. The sharp edge failed to harm him at all.
"You caught it bare-handed?!"
Killer B was stunned but reacted quickly, abandoning the weapon and drawing another from his waist, slashing toward Raiden. Simultaneously, a chakra-infused octopus tail shot out from behind him, aiming to smash into Raiden.
Killer B's attack trajectory was the exact opposite of the octopus tail's strike. At the same time, Raikage Ai had also arrived behind Uzumaki Raiden, raising his fist to strike.
"Raikage is so fast! He got behind Uncle in an instant?!"
Watching the battle, Naruto clenched his fists anxiously.
"Hmph!"
Uzumaki Raiden remained indifferent. Ignoring both Killer B and Raikage Ai's attacks, he casually hurled Killer B's long sword toward Samui in the distance before landing a direct punch on Killer B.
"Samui!"
Although Uzumaki Raiden had thrown the sword casually, his Lightning Chakra coursing through it gave the weapon immense power. Even a simple toss carried devastating force—something Samui couldn't possibly withstand.
Raikage Ai roared, abandoning his attack on Uzumaki Raiden and rushing toward Samui. However, even at his speed, he couldn't reach her before the sword.
Just as the blade was about to pierce Samui, a stone pillar suddenly rose in front of her, deflecting the sword's trajectory.
A second later, the sword slammed into the stone pillar, shattering it before embedding deep into the ground beside Samui. Even the hilt disappeared into the earth, leaving only a pitch-black hole.
"Such terrifying power!"
Samui stared blankly at the hole, cold sweat forming on her forehead.
Raikage Ai had been prepared for the worst, but seeing the intervention, he looked over in surprise.
There, Kitsuchi stood with his hands clasped, smiling at Raikage Ai.
It was Kitsuchi who had summoned the stone pillar. He had been closely observing the battle between the Cloud Shinobi and Uzumaki Raiden. The moment Uzumaki Raiden threw the sword, he decisively acted to assist Samui.
However, Kitsuchi knew well how dangerous Uzumaki Raiden was. He never intended to directly block the weapon; instead, he used the cylindrical stone pillar to change its trajectory.
Now, seeing the sword completely buried in the ground, Kitsuchi couldn't help but give himself a thumbs-up for his quick thinking.
"As expected of Uncle! He resolved the crisis so effortlessly! He's unbelievably strong!"
Watching Uzumaki Raiden, Naruto unclenched his fists, admiration shining in his eyes.
Uzumaki Raiden, however, wasn't concerned about failing to take down Samui. He had already grasped the key to victory.
When Raikage Ai abandoned his attack to rescue Samui, Killer B's attack simultaneously reached Raiden.
Killer B's long blade and octopus tail struck Uzumaki Raiden's body at the same time. To Killer B's shock, neither attack had any effect. Instead, Raiden's fist connected with Killer B's chest, momentarily stopping his breathing.
Just as Killer B attempted to counter, Uzumaki Raiden grabbed his neck, completely restraining him.
"Ugh!"
Killer B let out a muffled grunt as Uzumaki Raiden lifted him by the throat.
"Raikage, do you not care about your brother?"
Uzumaki Raiden turned to Raikage Ai, smiling as he tightened his grip.
"Damn it, you bastard!"
Raikage Ai frowned, his anger surging as he watched Kirabi captured by Uzumaki Raiden.
"Raikage, you're so weak. Do you really think you can turn the tables?"
"Flipping the table requires strength! Right now, you can't even protect your own brother, let alone your subordinates in the Cloud Village."
"You want to go to war with Konoha? Do you Cloud Shinobi really have the power for that?"
As Uzumaki Raiden spoke, curse marks spread across Kirabi's skin. Kirabi, who had originally planned to summon the power of the Eight-Tails, suddenly realized that his connection with Gyūki had been severed.
The only person capable of such a feat stood right in front of him.
"You..."
Kirabi struggled to speak, his eyes filled with disbelief. He was a perfect Jinchūriki—yet someone had managed to cut off his connection to the Eight-Tails from within.
"Hokage, your strength is indeed formidable, but if war truly breaks out, Konoha will suffer heavy losses."
"Even you can't protect every ninja in Konoha!"
Raikage Ai shouted angrily, a trace of worry in his expression. He feared for Kirabi's life. Others might hesitate due to Kirabi's status as a Jinchūriki, but he knew Uzumaki Raiden would not.
Many Jinchūriki had already perished at Uzumaki Raiden's hands, and the best witness to this stood nearby—Ōnoki.
"You overestimate yourselves. If I wanted to, I could wipe out the Cloud Village with ease."
"This war... was over before it even started."
As Uzumaki Raiden spoke, golden chakra cloaked his body. Standing closest to him, Kirabi could clearly feel the suffocating sense of oppression emanating from him.
Ōnoki, who had remained passive throughout the battle, looked serious. After a moment of silence, he sighed softly and spoke loudly:
"Enough. Fourth Hokage, I fully understand your strength."
"Regarding the issue with Taki Village, Iwa Shinobi will no longer have any objections."
"Now, can you release the Cloud Shinobi in your grasp?"
Ōnoki had long known that Kirabi was Cloud's Jinchūriki, and it was precisely because of this that he spoke so persuasively. He understood that with Kirabi captured, Cloud Shinobi had no chance of continuing the fight against Uzumaki Raiden.
"Oh? You've been holding back for so long, and now you want to interfere, Tsuchikage?"
"I know exactly what you're thinking. So, do you want to try?"
Uzumaki Raiden casually tossed Kirabi aside, sealing his chakra as he did so. Then, he hooked his fingers toward Ōnoki.
Ōnoki lowered his head slightly, floated over to Raikage Ai, and whispered something in his ear. Then, he positioned himself on Raikage Ai's back, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Super Light-Weight Rock Technique!"
Ōnoki performed the jutsu on Raikage Ai, and in an instant, Raikage Ai felt his body become significantly lighter. Surprised but understanding, he nodded and then vanished, leaving only an afterimage.
"Raikage's speed increased! He's much faster than before!"
"Is this Tsuchikage's technique?"
Minato observed the sudden change in Raikage Ai, whispering in surprise, concern flashing in his eyes as he glanced at Uzumaki Raiden. He wasn't sure if even Uzumaki Raiden could handle Raikage Ai at this enhanced speed.
Raikage Ai's movements were now so fast that only a few watching the battle could track him.
In a flash of blue lightning, Raikage Ai appeared above Uzumaki Raiden's head.
"Super-Weighted Rock Technique!"
As Raikage Ai swung his fist down toward Uzumaki Raiden, Ōnoki slightly lifted off his back, pressing a hand onto his arm.
Raikage Ai's attack, already coming from above, now had its weight increased drastically. His body, now exponentially heavier, descended with terrifying force. At the same time, his punching speed accelerated.
"Huh?!"
Uzumaki Raiden lifted his head slightly, surprised, before gathering his chakra and punching upward to meet Raikage Ai's attack.
This punch was backed not only by his Tailed Beast Cloak but also by his Super Strength technique. However, when his fist clashed with Raikage Ai's, Uzumaki Raiden was unable to knock him away with a single blow.
"BOOM!!!!"
A deafening shockwave erupted as the two fists collided, sending a violent hurricane sweeping across the battlefield.
The ground beneath Uzumaki Raiden's feet cracked rapidly, and under the pressure of Raikage Ai's enhanced strike, his calves sank slightly into the earth.
"Impressive! If you were just a little stronger, I might not have been able to stop that!"
Uzumaki Raiden looked up, grinning as if completely unfazed.
Seeing his relaxed expression, Raikage Ai and Ōnoki realized that their combination attack had ultimately failed to pose a real threat.
Still on Raikage Ai's back, Ōnoki folded his hands together, a transparent cube of light quickly forming between them.
"Hey, hey! This is Konoha Village! That technique is too dangerous, Tsuchikage!"
Uzumaki Raiden swiftly retracted his fist and grabbed Raikage Ai's wrist.
At this moment, Raikage Ai was not in his normal state. His exaggerated weight made it difficult to control his movements. Now, being restrained by Uzumaki Raiden, he completely lost his balance and crashed into the ground.
Ōnoki, who had been perched on Raikage Ai's back, hadn't expected this turn of events. Off-balance, his Dust Release attack misfired, shooting into the sky instead.
The transparent cube of energy ascended, and a massive portion of the clouds above the Hokage Building vanished instantly, erased from existence.
It was as if those clouds had never been there in the first place.
"Dust Release's power is absurd... In terms of sheer devastation, it's comparable to Kaguya's Ash-Killing Bones."
"Even the clouds were wiped out."
"Even if I can shift into a spiritual form, that attack might still harm me."
Uzumaki Raiden remained vigilant. In the next instant, his figure flickered, appearing directly behind Ōnoki. With his right hand shaped like a blade, he pressed his fingertips against Ōnoki's back.
"A powerful technique indeed, but if it doesn't land, it's meaningless."
Uzumaki Raiden whispered behind Ōnoki.
It was only at this moment that Ōnoki realized Uzumaki Raiden had appeared behind him. Feeling the sharp killing intent radiating from behind, Ōnoki lowered his head slightly and sighed.
"I really am getting old..."
(End of Chapter)