"They're here, after all."
Inside a luxurious compound nestled among the snowy mountains, surrounded by breathtaking scenery, stood a well-equipped estate complete with a small training ground and even a gravity chamber.
This was Naruto's base of operations.
At this moment, Naruto sat quietly, examining the latest intelligence report. As expected, the Raikage had arrived two days after the initial sighting.
"But that guy's really underestimating us—only a hundred men?"
Shisui snorted, clearly irritated by the Raikage's arrogance.
Still, part of him was relieved. If the Raikage had brought a full army, their years of careful preparation would've been undone in a single stroke.
However, the Raikage wasn't a fool. Bringing too many troops would cripple the Hidden Cloud's overall strength even if they won. Instead, by leading a smaller force himself, he was betting on the principle of 'take down the head, the body will fall.' If he could eliminate Umbrella's upper echelon, victory and glory would naturally follow.
"The Raikage might look like a brute, but he's far from stupid," Naruto said calmly. "Those hundred shinobi are all elites. And he brought the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki—Killer Bee."
Shisui frowned. "Those two aren't easy opponents. Killer Bee's a perfect Jinchūriki. On the battlefield, that's like bringing a walking natural disaster."
"The power of a Tailed Beast isn't something ordinary shinobi can resist," Naruto replied with a faint, knowing smile.
He already had a plan to deal with the Raikage. If he used the Nine-Tails' chakra sparingly, it wouldn't draw too much attention—or alert Black Zetsu.
Meanwhile, the Raikage's forces had crossed the Snow Country border and were advancing steadily toward Umbrella's hidden base.
To locate Naruto and his people, the Raikage had brought several sensory-nin, but the barrier protecting Umbrella made detection difficult. Still, he was confident that persistence would lead him to their position—though he doubted Umbrella would let him advance unchallenged.
Naruto had already anticipated this. Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he transported himself and his fellow shinobi to a small plain—directly in the Raikage's path.
"Don't get careless, Naruto," Minato Namikaze's voice echoed from within. "The Raikage and Killer Bee are likely stronger than before."
"Hmph! As long as Naruto borrows my power, what's that ox-brained fool going to do?"
Kurama's deep, disdainful voice rumbled. Naruto chuckled softly—Kurama truly looked down on the other Tailed Beasts.
Well, he had every right to. The Sage of Six Paths hadn't divided power equally back then.
A cool breeze brushed against Naruto's face as he stood atop a small hill overlooking the vast plain below.
"This is a good spot," he murmured. "Everyone, get ready. They're coming!"
His clothes fluttered in the wind. Through his sensory perception, Naruto felt three enormous chakra signatures approaching rapidly—two from the Raikage and Killer Bee, and a third from the Eight-Tails itself.
In the distance, a sensor-nin suddenly appeared beside the Raikage.
"Raikage-sama! A group of shinobi ahead—fifty-six chakra signatures detected!"
In truth, Naruto's side had fifty-eight. Both Naruto and Shisui had used sealing techniques to suppress their chakra, making them undetectable to ordinary sensors.
"Did you find the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki?" the Raikage asked in a deep voice.
"No, sir!"
"Good. Advance!"
The Cloud shinobi surged forward. Having rested before entering the Snow Country, they were now in peak condition. If the Raikage had gone alone, he could have reached the area in half a day.
After crossing a narrow mountain pass, the Raikage finally saw them—dozens of figures waiting calmly in the snow.
"So, you're here after all… brat," he growled, lightning sparking faintly around him. "Didn't think you'd show up yourself!"
Not far away, Naruto stood tall, his presence unmistakable. The Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki—once the pride of Konoha, now its shame—was a name whispered across every village.
A Jinchūriki defecting from his own village had turned Konoha into the laughingstock of the shinobi world. Yet they could do nothing about him.
The Cloud's sensory team hadn't detected Naruto earlier, likely due to some unique sealing method, but that no longer mattered.
Capturing him would mean crippling Umbrella and gaining leverage over both Snow Country and Konoha.
In the Raikage's eyes, Tsunade must've struck some sort of deal with Umbrella—there was no way the Hokage had joined them. After all, when had a Kage ever joined a private organization?
Still, in the world of shinobi, everything revolved around profit.
Without another word, the Raikage's entire body erupted in blue-white arcs of lightning as a thick armor of chakra enveloped him.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
The Raikage charged forward like a thunderbolt, and the Cloud shinobi behind him followed without hesitation. In an instant, the battlefield exploded into motion—dust and snow whipping violently into the air.
Across the plain, Shisui—his face hidden behind a mask—met Killer Bee head-on.
Meanwhile, Sasuke and the other Umbrella operatives engaged the elite Cloud shinobi that accompanied their Kage.
Under the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, every punch and kick from the Raikage carried staggering destructive power.
Boom!
The ground beneath him shattered with a deafening crash, sending shockwaves across the field.
Naruto's eyes gleamed with interest. For a shinobi who had only refined his body through taijutsu and chakra control, the Raikage's mastery was remarkable.
The Lightning Release Chakra Mode, also known as Lightning Armor, was technically a B-rank secret technique—but in the Raikage's hands, it had been honed into something far greater.
What a pity he never studied real martial arts, Naruto thought. With a body like that, his life energy could've reached an unbelievable level.
In pure taijutsu talent, Naruto felt the Raikage even surpassed Might Guy.
The Raikage became a streak of blue light, vanishing from sight. In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Naruto.
Naruto's lips curled into a faint smile. He met the charge head-on, throwing his own punch.
Boom!!!
The ground around them cracked like glass, deep fissures spreading outward as their fists collided.
A flicker of disbelief crossed the Raikage's eyes.
This brat's taijutsu… is this really human?
"Lightning Release: Lariat!!!"
The Raikage roared, lightning crackling around his arm as his chakra surged. His hand cut through the air like a blade, lightning howling as it descended toward Naruto.
It was the same devastating technique that once tore through Sasuke's Susanoo.
"Kurama," Naruto called softly within his mind.
He didn't want to reveal the power of his martial arts—at least not yet, not to the shinobi world.
Kurama's deep, resonant voice rumbled in response. Golden chakra erupted from Naruto's body, forming the majestic cloak of the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. A radiant aura blazed around him, golden and fierce.
"Rasengan!!!"
Naruto's spinning sphere of chakra clashed against the Raikage's lightning blade. The impact shook the ground and split the air with a thunderous roar.
When the light cleared, the Raikage was sent hurtling backward, carving a deep trench across the frozen earth.
"Brother!!!" Killer Bee shouted in alarm.
His eyes widened as he caught a clear glimpse of Naruto's golden form.
As a perfect Jinchūriki himself, he understood immediately what he was seeing.
That chakra… That control…
Naruto Uzumaki was also a perfect Jinchūriki.
...
TN:
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