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The Raikage was secretly surprised—this Naruto was far more powerful than Sasuke.
He recalled the events of the Five Kage Summit. Back then, when he fought Sasuke, he had only used two major moves before the Uchiha was already half-dead. In the end, Gaara intervened to save Sasuke, preventing the Raikage from finishing him off.
But now, looking at the Naruto standing before him, it was a completely different story. Naruto was bearing the brunt of everything himself. He was treating this battle like a personal trial—as if he were using the Raikage as a whetstone to sharpen his strength.
The Raikage clenched his fists in anger, veins bulging from his arms. His blood boiled with battle intent as he prepared to challenge this upstart head-on.
Naruto let out a sharp yell. The Nine-Tails' chakra surged around him, forming four massive fox-shaped chakra arms that lunged toward the Raikage!
Whoosh! Whoosh! One grab, then another—the Raikage darted around, dodging each one with remarkable speed. He sneered, "Brat! You think you can catch me with that speed?"
But Naruto only smiled, grabbed two of the Nine-Tails chakra arms, and slammed them into the ground with immense force. He then yanked them backward, launching himself forward like a slingshot.
Soaring into the air, Naruto used the other two chakra arms to brace himself mid-flight. He formed a fist and then drove it forward like lightning—right at the Raikage.
BOOM!
The Raikage was blasted away, flying through the air like a shuttlecock swatted by a racket. He shot across the sky like a missile and crashed straight into the waters of the Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
KA-SPLASH!
A massive wave erupted from the lake, showering the surroundings.
"No way—Raikage-sama was blown away!" Nozomi shouted in shock.
Darui's brow furrowed. "This is bad."
Naruto, now crouching on his chakra-formed fox claws, suddenly leaped into the sky again. His hands blurred through hand seals. In the next moment, the sound of a high-speed rotating jutsu—the infamous chirping howl of condensed wind chakra—echoed throughout the gorge.
Dodai squinted up at the forming jutsu. "Is that... something similar to a Tailed Beast Bomb?"
C's face turned pale. "No! That's Wind Release and spiral like shuriken—a jutsu that counters Lightning Style!"
Darui looked down at the lake, where the Raikage had yet to resurface, and yelled, "Boss! Watch out!"
Omoi was about to dash forward, but Karui grabbed his arm.
"What the hell are you doing? You want to die?"
"We can't just stand by while Raikage-sama is being attacked!"
Samui interjected, "Enough. Raikage-sama gave strict orders—this is a duel. No one interferes."
Omoi, frustrated, punched the ground in rage.
Beneath the lake, the Raikage suddenly erupted from the depths.
The pressure of his raw Lightning Release chakra pushed back the water itself, blasting open a circular space in the middle of the lake. He stood tall, drenched and furious.
"RAAAAAH! NARUTO—YOU DAMN BRAT! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!!"
Before the echo of his roar faded, a deafening buzz sounded from above.
"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!" Naruto declared.
The Rasenshuriken, infused into a chakra arm, spun toward the Raikage with terrifying speed.
Tutai frowned. "Can't he avoid a Wind Release technique like that?"
C replied quickly, "It's possible, but I think Naruto's making sure there's no chance of escape."
The Raikage eyed the oncoming Rasenshuriken. He narrowed his eyes. When the jutsu was about to connect, he suddenly dodged sideways, then channeled Lightning Release chakra through his entire body, activating his Lightning Release Armor. He launched upward at breakneck speed—right toward Naruto!
"Kid, with speed like yours, come back and challenge me after training for another two and a half years!"
Naruto's smile widened. "Yeah, I know... Uncle Raikage is fast."
As he spoke, the Nine-Tails chakra arm that had thrown the Rasenshuriken twisted mid-air, reversing its trajectory and redirecting it toward the Raikage again!
Dodai's jaw dropped. "He predicted Raikage-sama's speed! This was his plan from the beginning!"
C growled, "What a cunning kid!"
Darui's expression darkened. "This guy... he's seriously sharp in combat analysis."
The Raikage, still mid-air, felt the Rasenshuriken homing in on him again. Calmly, he adjusted his stance and began to rotate both hands at high speed. Friction sparked as he concentrated chakra between his palms.
Then—BOOM!
He clapped his hands together, creating a pressure-based air cannon that rocketed him sideways, narrowly evading the Rasenshuriken again.
Omoi cheered, "Yes! That's it, Raikage-sama! Ha! Now let's see Naruto take himself out!"
Karui was impressed too. "Amazing. He used Lightning Chakra to build up friction and fire a pressure blast to change direction mid-air..."
Darui smirked. "Don't forget, the boss is one of the top taijutsu users in the entire shinobi world."
Hovering mid-air, the Raikage looked down at Naruto with a confident smirk.
Now what, kid?
But before he could gloat further, Naruto had already completed another hand seal.
Poof!
Two shadow clones appeared beside him. Together, they seized the Nine-Tails chakra arms and flung Naruto forward with full force.
Naruto surged ahead, catching the spinning Rasenshuriken in his chakra-arm-infused right hand.
His expression turned dangerous. "This close, Raikage-sama... you're not getting away!"
He hurled the Rasenshuriken with devastating force.
Now only five or six meters away, the Raikage had no time to dodge. The Rasenshuriken hit him squarely.
ZZZZZZZZZ-ZZZZZZZZUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!
The explosion was cataclysmic.
A monstrous Wind Release vortex erupted. Violent winds howled through the valley. Each blade of chakra wind tore through the landscape like thousands of invisible scythes, splitting the earth and sending water flying into the sky.
Darui's eyes widened. "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
He slammed his hands down and created a defensive wall in front of the spectators. But even as the stone rose, it was shredded.
Darui gasped. "What the hell kind of Wind Release power is this?!"
Nozomi looked panicked. "Raikage-sama...!"
Tutai stepped forward and used Lava Release: Rubber Wall. He expelled a flexible, chakra-enforced barrier from his mouth, reinforcing Darui's Earth Wall.
He turned back. "Don't worry. Raikage-sama's body isn't that fragile. He can take a hit."
When the wind finally died down, everyone cautiously peered out from behind the barriers.
The lake water bubbled ominously. Then, the Raikage surfaced—soaked, breathing heavily, crouched atop the water. His powerful frame was covered in a dozen deep cuts, his breathing ragged.
Wind Release countered Lightning Release. Everyone knew that.
And despite his immense physical resilience, even the Raikage had clearly taken some real damage. More than that, his pride had been bruised.
Naruto landed softly on the water, more than ten meters from the Raikage. He looked at him with calm eyes and a confident smile.
"So, what do you think, Lord Raikage?"
Raikage Ai rose to his full height and met Naruto's gaze.
"...Naruto. You really are strong."
For someone as prideful as the Raikage, that praise was worth more than any trophy.
Naruto bowed his head slightly. "Thank you for the compliment."
The Raikage grunted. "Tch. It's a shame my brother isn't here. Otherwise, you'd be nothing without that Nine-Tails chakra of yours."
But in truth, Ai was uneasy.
That Rasenshuriken had required an immense amount of chakra—but Naruto still looked barely winded. His recovery was fast, his stamina absurd.
The Raikage's heart sank.
He could take the hits, sure—but Naruto could keep dishing them out forever.
How was he supposed to win?
Resisting Naruto was one thing. Outlasting him? That might be impossible.
A bitter thought crept into the Raikage's mind—
If this keeps going... I'm going to lose.
And just like that, the first hints of desperation began to form in the Raikage's eyes.
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