One year had passed since Raiden, Hashirama, and Madara formed their pact. The Senju and Uchiha clans continued to clash, with the Uzumaki now joining the conflict. Through it all, Raiden had grown stronger—not just in mind, but also in body. His lean, toned frame and sharp eyes now reflected the experiences of battle. His red hair, now longer and tied back, fell over his scarred Uzumaki armor as he trained daily with Hashirama and sometimes Madara. In his downtime, Raiden continued perfecting his seals, particularly his prototype of the Hundred Strength Seal.
Raiden's first battle had come not long after. Positioned with a group of Uzumaki shinobi, he encountered a young Uchiha—a shinobi perhaps two or three years older, but still inexperienced compared to the elite of his clan. The battlefield was chaotic, but Raiden found a strange sense of calm as the fight began. His months of training alongside Hashirama and Madara had honed his instincts to razor-sharp precision.
"An Uzumaki?" the Uchiha sneered, his one tomoe Sharingan spinning to life as he took in Raiden's appearance. "You're just a clan of glorified seal-makers. Let's see what you can do against an Uchiha."
Raiden's smile didn't falter. "We're not all just about seals," he replied smoothly. "But you'll find out soon enough."
The Uchiha charged, fast and confident, his kunai glinting as he aimed for Raiden's neck. But Raiden's body was faster—enhanced by his prototype Hundred Strength Seal and the training with Madara and Hashirama, his speed and reflexes far beyond that of an ordinary shinobi. With a graceful sidestep, Raiden avoided the attack with ease, planting a firm kick into the Uchiha's ribs that sent him crashing into the dirt.
The Uchiha rolled back onto his feet, glaring at Raiden. "You've got some speed, Uzumaki. But let's see how you handle this!" His hands blurred through seals, and a fireball jutsu erupted from his mouth, soaring toward Raiden in a fiery arc.
Raiden stood his ground, his hands forming seals of his own. With a burst of chakra, he unleashed a sealing barrier, absorbing the fireball into the ground with a dull hiss. The Uchiha's eyes widened in shock. Raiden seized the moment, darting forward with blinding speed, his hands crackling with energy.
Before the Uchiha could react, Raiden delivered a powerful blow to his chest, sending the shinobi skidding backward. The Hundred Strength Seal on Raiden's forehead pulsed with red energy, enhancing his strikes and making each blow feel like a sledgehammer. The Uchiha struggled to stand, panting heavily as blood dripped from his mouth.
"You're no match for me," Raiden said, his voice calm but carrying an edge of finality. "Retreat, or this ends here."
The Uchiha's eyes flickered with defiance, but the pain was evident. "This isn't over, Uzumaki. My clan... we don't forget humiliation."
Raiden's smile returned, though it was colder this time. "You should be thanking me for leaving you alive."
With a strained growl, the Uchiha turned and fled, his retreat covered by a few stray fireballs. Raiden didn't chase—his task had been to defend, not to kill. As the battlefield cleared,
Back at the Senju compound, Raiden's training resumed. Nature chakra continued to evade him, despite endless attempts to harness it. After 3 months with no progress to show for Raiden finally thought of the Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest—the three sacred places where shinobi could master Sage Mode. Without a summoning scroll, though, Raiden knew he couldn't reach these places. When he asked Hashirama if the Senju had the Slug scroll, Hashirama had simply shaken his head.
"The Senju don't have it," Hashirama had explained. "It belongs to another clan."
"Do you think the Senju clan can obtain it?"
"I doubt it, the clan is well respected in the land of fire as they heal anybody that seeks aid, so a lot of clans are indebted to them"
'So no Sage mode yet' thought Raiden.
Frustrated by this revelation but undeterred, Raiden turned his focus to yang chakra. By infusing his muscles with yang energy, he could enhance his physical abilities beyond natural limits though temporarily. This method gave him incredible bursts of speed and strength in battle, though the strain on his body was considerable. His training now alternated between perfecting his seals, particularly the Hundred Strength Seal, and pushing his physical limits with yang chakra.
But that is not all, Raiden got a lot of inspiration from Hashirama and Madara.
Madara gave Raiden the idea, to make armor out of the chakra, that is stored inside the seal, this idea made Raiden go down the rabbit hole since there is no preset limit to the amount that can be stored, this might be feasible, but armor might be a stretch, 'what about something like the lighting chakra release mode from the third and fourth raikage ', this might allow Raiden to get another weapon into his arsenal.
Hashirama, on the other hand, gave Raiden the idea to inscribe seals into his gear, Hashirama saw Raiden write seals on a piece of paper one day and asked why he did not do the same to his gear, this gave Raiden the idea to place seals on his clothes that store pieces of his armor, that way al he had to do was infuse chakra into the seal and then his armor would appear, of course, his armor had to be refitted to allow this to happen, the armor had to be able to come together as soon as it appears.
'It is possible with some creativity, teacher might know something, I will have to ask him when I go back to the clan.'
In their downtime, Raiden, Hashirama, and Madara continued discussing their smoke screen tactic. The ongoing battles between the Senju and Uchiha provided the perfect cover for their secret alliance. Together, they were laying the foundation for a new future.
Their next target would be the Land of Water—a region Raiden believed would be key in protecting their rear flank.