Naruto: Maelstrom Of The Uzumaki

"The chasing forces are relentless!"

Raiden moved swiftly through the dense woods, casually popping a soldier pill into his mouth, crushing it, and swallowing. Ever since encountering Sand Shinobi outside Turbulent Town and eliminating over a dozen ninjas, the Sand Shinobi forces had pursued him with unyielding determination. This was already the third day.

Over these days, Raiden had barely slept more than two hours at a time, taking brief and intermittent rests. Any time the enemy discovered his hiding spot, he was forced into battle.

Unable to track Raiden's exact location, Sand Shinobi employed the simplest yet most exhaustive method—a carpet search. Teams of five or six scoured the area. As a result, Raiden often encountered small, scattered groups of enemies he could swiftly eliminate before continuing his flight toward Konoha. Occasionally, however, he faced more formidable squads that demanded greater effort.

At this moment, Raiden sensed another team approaching rapidly through his perception field.

His appearance was disheveled: bare-chested, his torn pants exposing his muscular calves, and his shoes long gone. His body was stained with blood, and his matted hair clumped together. Despite having no visible injuries, his sleep-deprived state was evident. A few days earlier, a tenacious ninja team had delayed him for nearly an hour, almost leading to his encirclement by Karura's large group of Sand Shinobi.

Fortunately, Rasa and Chiyo hadn't arrived in time. Otherwise, Raiden might have been forced to retreat to Mount Myoboku or risk complete capture.

"Finally, I've caught up to you, boy!"

Suddenly, the surrounding trees toppled as ten puppets converged on Raiden from all directions. Lightning flashed around him as dozens of thunderballs materialized, streaking toward the incoming puppets at high speed.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Explosions erupted, filling the area with smoke and dust. Raiden wasted no time, attempting to escape while blocking the attack.

The puppets were part of Chiyo's Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets. Raiden was reluctant to face such a formidable puppet master—not due to fear of her techniques but because of her unknown poisons. Unlike Tsunade, Raiden lacked expertise in detoxifying such poisons. While his strength gave him confidence, being poisoned would still put him at a significant disadvantage.

"You won't escape!"

As Raiden tried to flee, gold dust surged from the ground in front of him, blocking his path. Simultaneously, Chiyo's puppets, now coated in Rasa's gold dust, attacked from behind. The combination of enhanced puppet defense and Raiden's thunderballs proving ineffective made the situation increasingly dire.

Surrounded on all sides, Raiden parried the puppets' attacks with his blade, retreating to the ground to seek an opening.

As the smoke cleared, Raiden's figure became visible, encircled by hundreds of Sand Shinobi. They stood with weapons drawn, glaring at him coldly.

"Raiden, you've killed over 100 of our Sand Shinobi. You won't escape today."

"Stop wasting words—kill him!"

Chiyo commanded, sending her puppets flying toward Raiden. At the same time, Sand Shinobi launched a barrage of shuriken and kunai, while Rasa manipulated his gold dust into waves and spears to submerge Raiden in their combined assault.

"In that case, I'll take my leave!"

Raiden remained calm, even smiling slightly as he quickly formed seals for reverse summoning. But as he activated the technique, nothing happened. The expected sensation of spatial teleportation never arrived.

"What's going on?" Raiden muttered in shock, overwhelmed by the Sand Shinobi's massive attack. Explosions thundered across the battlefield.

"You won't escape with that trick again, not under my watch," Rasa said quietly, his hands continuing to weave movements. His gold dust blanketed the area, confirming Raiden was still alive.

Suddenly, a burst of thunder erupted, ejecting ninja tools back at the attackers. Rasa quickly raised a golden wall, shielding his forces.

As the smoke cleared, Raiden's figure emerged, encased in lightning. Though physically unscathed, a rare flicker of panic crossed his eyes.

"A sealed barrier… so this is how Sand Shinobi destroyed Uzushio Village back then!"

The sudden appearance of a sealing barrier caught Raiden off guard, far exceeding his expectations.

"Karura succeeded," Chiyo remarked with satisfaction. She immediately directed her puppets to attack Raiden, while Rasa's gold dust surged forward, forming a spear aimed at Raiden's chest.

"If you insist on forcing me to the brink, then so be it!"

Raiden's expression hardened. He stopped conserving chakra, activating his full strength. Lightning armor enveloped his body, allowing him to dart toward Chiyo at impossible speeds. Puppet masters, with their reliance on long-range techniques, were vulnerable at close range—and Chiyo, a master poisoner, was his priority target.

Raiden's speed was overwhelming, leaving middle and lower-tier Sand Shinobi unable to react. Despite the chakra drain of his lightning armor, the boost in agility was invaluable.

"His abilities resemble the Third Raikage's… though he isn't from that clan, he's mastered such high-level Lightning Style techniques," Chiyo observed. "But we can crack his defense!"

Chiyo made rapid hand signs, and her abdomen swelled slightly. In that moment, Raiden appeared before her, his blade descending swiftly.

Blood sprayed as an arm was severed, Chiyo barely raising her hand in time to block the attack. At that moment, she exhaled a cloud of purple smoke, enveloping Raiden in poison.

Raiden leaped out of the toxic mist, glaring coldly at Chiyo. She clutched her severed arm, blood dripping from the wound, her face contorted in pain and fury.

"This wretched old woman!"

Raiden felt a wave of dizziness similar to the time he had been poisoned by Orochimaru. His vision blurred, and his body swayed. Leaning on his blade, he steadied himself.

Realizing the gravity of his situation, Raiden bit his tongue to regain focus. Channeling chakra, he formed dozens of lightning arrows aimed at Chiyo and her allies.

Sand Shinobi, seeing Raiden's condition, grew bolder. However, Chiyo's injury shifted their focus to protecting her.

"Then you'll all die!" Raiden roared. His Yin Seal unleashed its stored chakra, momentarily clearing his dizziness. With a sweep of his hand, the lightning arrows surged toward Chiyo and the Sand Shinobi.

(End of this chapter)