A cautiously watched Naruto while surveying the battlefield with his peripheral vision.
The Two-Tails had already been subdued.
The Eight-Tails was fighting the Nine-Tails but was clearly outmatched, and its defeat was inevitable.
C had been killed right in front of him.
Dodai was pinned to a tree, dead.
As for the others, most had already perished, crushed by the sheer force of the battle between the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails.
Nearly the entire force had been wiped out.
Only a few, insignificant in Naruto's eyes, like "ants," had the good fortune to cling to life under the rubble and broken trees.
But how long had it been? This squad had left the Cloud Village not even an hour ago.
Naruto stood up and looked down at A: "You're angry."
"But why are you angry? Because I killed them?"
"How ridiculous."
"To challenge someone stronger—"
"And yet not be prepared for the possibility of being crushed to death."
A gritted his teeth: "Then you should prepare to be killed by me."
He slightly bent his body and disappeared in an instant.
In the next moment, he appeared on the Two-Tails' head.
Lightning Release shone even brighter.
"Lightning Release: Liger Bomb."
A raised his fist and struck down at Naruto's golden-haired head.
Naruto raised his hand to block.
A's pupils dilated.
This golden-haired boy had actually reacted at this speed.
And just by shifting his weight downward, he absorbed A's attack. His body wasn't forced to move, and purely in terms of strength, A couldn't overwhelm him.
So young, and his body is already honed to this level?
"Is this your true speed?" Naruto flipped his hand, grabbing A's wrist, his tone disappointed. "It's impressive for a ninja to reach this level."
"But it still doesn't compare to before."
Naruto grasped the hilt of his sword with his other hand.
Drawing "Ashura," he slashed horizontally at A's arm.
A raised his other hand.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop."
Electric currents surged in his palm, like protruding horns.
It was a hand chop, slicing horizontally towards Naruto's neck.
Even without Lightning Release, the force of this "hand chop" created a whistling wind.
It was a lethal attack.
Naruto did not dodge.
Abandoning incantations,
"Bakudō #8. Seki (斥, Repulse)."
A small ball of chakra, about the size of a fist, floated up to guard his neck.
The hand chop came down!
With a crack, the point of impact on the chakra ball fractured, the cracks spreading outward, but it did not shatter.
A's expression was one of shock.
What kind of technique is this?
Even with his full strength, he couldn't break it.
But soon, the shock on his face twisted into pain.
The golden blade descended.
Without resistance, it severed his right arm.
In a sense, this was also a form of escape.
A lightly stepped back, leaping to the other side of the Two-Tails' head, cautious and wary.
Naruto picked up the arm and looked at the severed end.
The flesh was red and moist, with little blood loss.
A significant amount of Lightning Release chakra remained, visibly causing the flesh to twitch under its stimulation. Although there was no significant increase in vitality, it was unusually active.
"Stimulating body cells with Lightning Release chakra?" Naruto understood at a glance. "So that's how you increase your speed."
Very interesting.
A's expression grew heavy, and he took a deep breath.
Strength, speed, reaction time...
They were all above his own.
This was one of the most powerful enemies he had ever encountered.
The last person to give him this sense of pressure was the "Fourth Hokage."
"Not planning to use that technique?" Naruto sealed the arm and looked up at him.
A asked, "Which one?"
"That technique you used to rush here so quickly," Naruto tilted his head, glancing in the direction of the Cloud Village. "Almost like light."
"I'm very curious about it."
"If you have any ability that could threaten me."
"That would be the only one."
A's expression grew darker.
The Heavenly Transfer Technique?
In his eyes, only that speed could threaten him?
"Nine-Tails brat, don't be so arrogant!" A shouted in anger. "My abilities are not limited to that."
"My speed is no less than your father's."
"I am the Cloud's—"
"Raikage!"
As his words fell,
The Lightning Release chakra coiled around his body became even more intense, like the difference between "Three-Tails Mode" and "Four-Tails Mode."
The once ephemeral aura grew more solid.
The hair close to his head stood up strand by strand, crackling with lightning that wrapped around his body.
He moved instantly, even faster than before!
Invisible to the naked eye.
The sound of the wind tearing apart, A appeared behind Naruto, his leg whipping down, the lightning intensifying.
"Lightning Release: Guillotine Drop."
This was his proudest taijutsu!
Naruto, almost at the same moment A appeared, turned his head: "a bit faster."
"But you still haven't used that technique."
"Can't do it alone, can you?"
The leg swung down.
Naruto caught it.
The immense power caused the Two-Tails' head to sink slightly, pressing more firmly into the ground.
It also made Naruto's arm muscles twist under the strain.
But A's expression grew increasingly grim.
Still, it didn't cause any harm.
"Then there's no need to continue playing with you," Naruto said, tightening his grip on A's ankle.
A's face twisted in agony.
He felt as though his bones were cracking.
Naruto adjusted his chakra slightly.
He didn't use full force—less than half his strength—and skipped the incantation.
"Hadō # 32. Ōkasen (黄火閃, Yellow Fire Flash)."
A cherry blossom-colored shockwave erupted from Naruto's hand, completely engulfing and piercing through the Raikage, A.
Even though the "Lightning Release Chakra Mode" formed an armor on his body, the right leg, which bore the brunt of the impact, had its flesh entirely disintegrated.
Up to the hip bone, there was nothing but stark white bones, with only a few remnants of flesh clinging on.
A was not dead.
He maintained a hand seal with one hand.
The Lightning Release protected his upper body. Though heavily scarred and mangled, it was in better condition than his right leg.
"To restrain my strength so that an ant receives punishment but doesn't lose its life is quite difficult," Naruto said, dropping the Raikage to the ground. "Now, let's have a proper discussion."
"What compensation is Cloud Village prepared to offer?"
"To have my forgiveness."
The Raikage, A, gritted his teeth. The pain in his body and the destruction of his spirit and will, combined, left him speechless.
"The location of the Falls of Truth," Naruto spoke softly, "The information Cloud Village stole from the Land of Whirlpools, and the corresponding research results."
"And your Lightning Release Chakra Mode technique."
"The one that makes you move almost at the speed of light."
"These are the things I've thought of for now."
"Do you have anything to add?"
The Raikage, A, lifted his head and stared at Naruto. "Your demands are truly excessive."
"No wonder you're the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails."
Naruto smiled. "Compared to your village, these costs are almost insignificant."
The Raikage, A, fell silent.
Naruto turned back. "Someone's coming."
"With quite strong chakra."
The Raikage, A, followed his gaze.
From behind the mountain, two figures leapt out.
They were a vanguard squad, rushing non-stop to provide support.
One was a dark-skinned man with white hair.
The other was a blonde, fair-skinned female ninja, whose chest muscles were even more developed than Mei Terumi's.
"Release the Raikage-sama!" The white-haired man shouted, forming hand seals with both hands.
Chakra, different from the usual "Five Element Nature Transformations," gathered in front of him.
"Storm Release: Laser Circus."
Pale blue light flashed, and steam rose.
In an instant, several beams of lightning shot toward Naruto.
Naruto looked down at the Raikage, A, raising his hand. "A combination of lightning and water."
"A Kekkei Genkai."
"His chakra is also quite strong, almost on par with Mei Terumi of Mist Village."
As he spoke, Naruto activated a technique.
"Bakudō #39. Enkōsen (円閘扇, Round Lock Fan)."
Chakra surged.
A rapidly spinning shield formed, blocking all the incoming laser beams.
The dark-skinned man gritted his teeth.
What kind of technique was that?
No hand seals, and yet such powerful defensive capabilities.
Another unique Kekkei Genkai?
Naruto continued to speak softly to A: "If you were to die, then he would likely be one of the candidates for the next Raikage, wouldn't he?"
The Raikage, A, widened his eyes. "What do you intend to do to Darui?"
A bad premonition rose within him.
Naruto smiled without answering.
Golden chains flew out, aiming at the dark-skinned man.
Darui dodged, but the chains were numerous and dense.
The blonde female ninja wanted to help, slashing with her sword, but only managed to create some sparks without causing any damage.
After a few exchanges, Darui's leg was caught.
Once one point was breached, the chains wound up rapidly, wrapping him completely in an instant.
A chain pierced through.
It penetrated Darui's throat, completely running through him.
And the blonde female ninja beside him—her heart was also pierced, her life force slowly dissipating like the others.
The chains retracted.
The two bodies were discarded on the ground.
"No matter how many Raikage there are, I can kill them all," Naruto said, looking at the Raikage, A, his expression calm. "The only reason I've spared your life is because you're the current Raikage."
"And you've held the position for many years, so you have some prestige."
"If you cooperate, many things will be more convenient."
"If you don't, I don't mind. I'll just replace a few Raikage until I find one willing to cooperate."
The Raikage, A, gritted his teeth, clenching his left fist. "You might as well destroy Cloud Village."
"What a selfish response," Naruto's voice was soft, his gaze cold. "The lives of ninja aren't important."
"But what about the innocent civilians?"
"If you all perish, other nations might not be able to resist starting a war."
"Even someone like me, from the Land of Fire, is considering the civilians of the Land of Lightning."
"But you don't have them in your heart."
The Raikage, A, paused, looking at Naruto in disbelief.
His expression was even more shocked than when he realized Naruto's strength could completely crush him.
Civilians?
He's actually considering that?
"So, what's your answer?" Naruto raised his sword, aiming at A's throat. "Will you cooperate, or not?"
As he spoke, he turned his head, looking in Cloud Village's direction. "Someone else is coming, though slower than the previous two."
"But there are twelve Jonin in total."
"Cloud Village's strength is truly formidable. Counting those I've already killed, it's close to fifty now."
"Do you think one of these people could be a Raikage willing to cooperate with me?"
~~~
Thank you for reading—... Eh? Next Chapter is available???!! Go go!