"Impure World Reincarnation!" Naruto pressed his palms together, slamming them onto the ground. Two wooden coffins slowly rose from the earth.
As the heavy lids slid open, two reincarnated bodies emerged into the light.
"It's you again, you brat. This is the third time this week," the tall, powerfully built man snapped. "Are you ever going to stop?"
It was Fourth Raikage's father, Third Raikage, Ay.
"Enough with the useless chatter." Naruto ignored him, turning his attention to the second reincarnated body. "Come on, same as usual."
"You are the first person to use this method for training." The speaker was completely wrapped in bandages, his true expression impossible to discern.
The Second Tsuchikage, Mu.
Both were spoils Naruto had obtained from raiding the graves of the Kumogakure and Iwagakure ninjas. Naruto summoned them for a completely different purpose than Kabuto, not to wage war or bolster an army, but for one simple reason: training.
Naruto was already virtually unmatched in the shinobi world. To put it bluntly, the Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Villages were a motley crew before him. Even fighting multiple Tailed Beasts at once only pressured him slightly.
But was Naruto truly invincible now?
Unfortunately, no.
Those who stood at the absolute pinnacle of the shinobi world had yet to appear. They were the true powerhouses. Compared to them, the current Kage were as fragile as infants.
Just as in Saint Seiya, the truly formidable warriors weren't Silver Saints, but Gold Saints. The shinobi world was the same, the Five Kage were merely the prominent fighters.
To face those true powerhouses lurking in the shadows, Naruto had to train even harder. What could make better sparring partners than past Kage?
If he could find Madara's remains, Naruto would have loved to summon him for practice. After all, Madara was one of the two strongest gatekeepers right below the Six Paths level. Madara was the perfect benchmark for measuring one's own strength.
As for Hashirama, Naruto refrained from reincarnating him just yet. Taking too big a step too quickly could lead to painful consequences.
Mu extended both hands, pushing them toward Naruto.
"Earth Release: Weighted Boulder Jutsu!"
Naruto immediately felt his body become exceptionally heavy. Every step he took left a deep, clear footprint in the dirt. He clenched his fists and rolled his shoulders. Compared to his normal state, his body felt sluggish and his movements were significantly delayed.
Weighted Boulder Jutsu was a technique that could either petrify enemies or multiply their gravity to hinder movement. It could also be used to increase the gravity on oneself or allies to amplify physical attack power. When combined with Lightened Boulder Jutsu, which reduced gravity, it granted a degree of true gravity control.
It was one of the Third Tsuchikage's ultimate moves. However, Mu, as the Second Tsuchikage, also knew the technique.
Naruto didn't need the petrification effect, he needed the amplified gravity. Gravity manipulation was far superior to strapping on heavy weights. While others in the shinobi world saw Weighted Boulder Jutsu as a devastating attack, Naruto saw it as a perfect training tool.
What Naruto was attempting was a foundational training method from the early Dragon Ball Z storyline, gravity training, just like Goku had undergone on King Kai's Planet.
Unfortunately, even with Mu exerting his full power, Weighted Boulder Jutsu couldn't simulate ten times normal gravity, it capped out at roughly three times. After all, Naruto wasn't a Saiyan. He didn't possess that terrifying innate physique. Even though his recovery and physical development far exceeded ordinary people, he couldn't just withstand ten times gravity without serious preparation.
One had to progress gradually anyway, three times gravity was actually an ideal starting point. After all, ten times gravity was still far too extreme for the shinobi world, just as it had been for Planet Vegeta or King Kai's Planet.
Furthermore, Weighted Boulder Jutsu was an incredibly taxing technique. Without relying on the infinite chakra characteristic of Impure World Reincarnation, even Mu wouldn't be able to maintain it on Naruto for an extended period.
There was a more advanced technique beyond Weighted Boulder Jutsu, Super Weighted Boulder Jutsu. But with that massive debuff active, Naruto wouldn't be able to move enough to proceed with further training. Incidentally, Super Weighted Boulder Jutsu could amplify gravity up to ten times normal.
After some warm-ups, spinning with his eyes closed, jumping, performing several midair 360-degree Thomas flares ( it is an acrobatic move in which the performer alternates balancing the torso between either arm while swinging the legs beneath in continuous circles.), and a few rounds of aerobic workouts to awaken his muscles and fully activate his body, Naruto was ready to begin the first stage of his training regimen.
"Lightning Release: Chakra Mode!" Blue lightning and dense chakra surged across Third Raikage's body as he activated the exact same technique as his son. By stimulating his cells with Lightning Release, their activity skyrocketed, pushing the Raikage's speed to its absolute physical limit. Calling Third Raikage's speed "fast as lightning" was no exaggeration. He surpassed Minato Raikage in both speed and raw strength.
"Kid." Third Raikage's gaze settled heavily on Naruto, his voice measured. "Even without Weighted Boulder Jutsu weighing you down, you couldn't keep up. My speed is beyond anything you can imagine."
Naruto ignored the boast and said flatly, "Run."
Whether Third Raikage agreed or not, the next moment his body moved against his will, shooting off and vanishing from the spot. Controlled by Impure World Reincarnation, Third Raikage had absolutely no power to refuse the order.
"Bastard!" The curse echoed back only after he had already disappeared into the distance.
The Z Fighters had once conducted another form of training on King Kai's Planet alongside their gravity conditioning. King Kai kept a pet named 'Bubbles' on his planet, a remarkably agile gorilla that moved with total ease even under ten times normal gravity. Once Goku and the others had adapted to the crushing weight, King Kai's second stage of training required them to catch this gorilla. Since Naruto was already imitating the training, he figured he might as well do it thoroughly. This was the first stage of his regimen: catching 'Bubbles' under extreme gravity.
The ninja world obviously didn't have anything quite like 'Bubbles', but Naruto could substitute something else, something blindingly fast and incredibly agile. Unfortunately for Third Raikage, he had been selected as that substitute 'Bubbles'. If Third Raikage knew Naruto was treating him as a stand-in for a pet monkey, he would have erupted in anger.
The instant Third Raikage moved, Naruto bolted after him. He drove his foot down with explosive force, caving in the ground beneath him and leaving a cratered footprint embedded in the earth. Even under multiple times normal gravity, his speed remained impressive.
However, compared to Third Raikage, he was still lagging far behind. Third Raikage's speed might not be the absolute fastest in the ninja world, but very few could surpass it. Catching him while weighed down by intense gravity would be incredibly difficult for Naruto. Which made perfect sense, if the training were easy, it wouldn't be training at all.
The rigorous training officially began.
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