Naruto: The Otsutsuki Naruto

~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones

~ Every 400 PS = Bonus Chapter!

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"Huff, huff, huff…" Hinata stopped in her tracks, sweat streaming down her exhausted face, freezing into icicles in the wind and snow.

Ahead, a crowd had gathered, but in her Byakugan, all she could see was Naruto.

Naruto's eyes trembled violently, his heart aching with pity: How far did you run to get here?

After so many years, seeing each other again should have been a joyous reunion, but the shadows of past events cast a somber tone over the moment.

Before him was the anxious girl he cared for deeply; behind him were the watchful and hostile Raikage and his men.

Please, don't come any closer… Naruto silently pleaded in his heart.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata couldn't contain her urgency and was about to step forward.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a shadow extended from behind, connecting to Hinata's feet.

*Shadow Imitation Jutsu!*

In the sky above, ink-formed birds flew by. Shikamaru, whose leg had been broken during Pain's attack on the village, sat atop one of the birds, forming hand seals. "Hinata, I understand how you feel, but now isn't the time. Look at the situation on the field—if you go now, you'll only distract Naruto!"

"…" Hinata bit her lip, suppressing her overwhelming emotions.

Naruto felt a surge of gratitude in his heart: Shikamaru, thank you…

C, one of the Raikage's guards, observed the scene and commented, "Konoha's people. Judging by their age, they must be his peers. Two from the Hyūga clan, no less?"

The long-standing tension between Kumogakure and the Hyūga clan made the Byakugan a particular focus of attention.

Darui's gaze fixed on Neji. "Hmm… I've seen this kid during a mission. Neji Hyūga, one of Konoha's youngest and most capable Jonin. It's a pity he's from the branch family, destined to be a caged bird."

"Sending such a green and inexperienced team to deal with their rogue ninja—Konoha is as pretentious as ever! Let me beat Uzumaki Naruto half to death, drag him back to the Kumogakure prison, and interrogate him for Sasuke's whereabouts!!"

Crack! Crack!

The Raikage cracked his neck, lightning surging around his body, and charged at Naruto with blinding speed!

Too fast. Even Konan and Orochimaru, standing beside Naruto, couldn't react in time. All they saw was a flash of lightning before Naruto was sent flying!

Whoosh!!!

Naruto braced himself with a katana against the Raikage's punch, sliding across the snowy ground!

"Hmph!" The Raikage snorted, increasing the force of his punch. Crack! Naruto's katana shattered under the pressure!

Thanks to the sensory abilities of Sage Mode, Naruto managed to sidestep the punch at the last moment!

But the Raikage turned his fist into a hand blade, slashing horizontally at Naruto's right shoulder!

Crack!

The sound of a dislocated joint echoed as pain flashed across Naruto's face. He activated the power of his left eye.

—*Preta Path!*

Zap!!

The lightning armor surrounding the Raikage dissipated, transforming into pure chakra that was absorbed by Naruto.

"Huh!?" The Raikage's expression showed his surprise.

Crash…!

At that moment, Konan sent paper infused with explosive tags flying toward the Raikage's back…!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The explosion erupted at point-blank range!

Naruto took the opportunity to retreat, grabbing his right shoulder with his left hand. With a forceful push… Crack! His dislocated shoulder was reset!

He thought to himself, That was close. If I hadn't absorbed that troublesome lightning chakra in time, it wouldn't have been just a dislocation…

C watched the explosion site nervously. "Hey… is the boss okay?"

Darui remained calm. "Even without the protection of the Lightning Chakra Mode, that level of explosion won't hurt the boss."

Sure enough, the Raikage emerged unscathed, his eyes wide with fury. "Hmph, it seems you've obtained quite the eye. You used its power earlier at the summit to counter Onoki's Dust Release, didn't you? But unfortunately, there's a brief delay between being hit and activating the absorption. That tiny delay is enough for me to kill you three times over!"

Zap!!!!!

An even more intense surge of lightning enveloped the Raikage, his hair standing on end like sharp spikes.

Darui remarked, "Oh? To deal with the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, the boss has cranked that move up to maximum power."

The Raikage roared, "This Level 2 Lightning Release Chakra Mode was honed specifically to counter the Yellow Flash of Konoha. Too bad the Yellow Flash is already dead. So I'll settle for finishing off his son right here…!"

Naruto's mind raced: The Lightning Release Chakra Mode, a powerful taijutsu technique passed down through generations of Raikage. Each user has their own unique strengths. The Fourth Raikage's defense isn't as strong as his father's, but his speed surpasses it. Even though I've learned the Flying Raijin, without Kurama's chakra, my reflexes still can't match my father's…

Darui called out, "Boss, weren't we supposed to capture him alive to interrogate him about Sasuke's whereabouts?"

The Raikage replied, "Doesn't matter! As long as that brat keeps causing trouble, finding him will only be a matter of time!!!"

Boom!!!

As he spoke, the Raikage charged at Naruto with unstoppable force, his speed so great that even a single Rinnegan struggled to keep up!

Fortunately… Sage Mode could still sense the impending danger!

—*Shinra Tensei!*

Boom!!!

An omnidirectional force field exploded outward!

Thud!!!

The Raikage's charging form came to an abrupt halt right in front of Naruto, his lightning-clad fist mere inches from Naruto's face!

"Damn it…!!" The Raikage planted his feet firmly, trying to push his fist forward another half-inch, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't close the gap…!!

After a tense moment, with a muffled bang, the Raikage was blasted backward, landing in front of Darui and C.

Swish! Swish!

Orochimaru and Konan once again moved to shield Naruto.

This time, Konan scattered a large number of paper sheets, while Orochimaru summoned several large serpents.

Naruto covered his left eye, his heart still racing. "The Raikage, when he gets serious, is truly terrifying. Just now, he almost resisted *Shinra Tensei*…"

Orochimaru commented, "The Raikage's combat style makes him a natural counter to you in your current state. His overwhelming power combined with absolute speed—anyone who lets their guard down for a moment could lose their life."

Konan added, "But if you had both Rinnegan, you'd be able to track his movements precisely, and the Deva Path's techniques wouldn't reach their limits so easily."

Naruto reflected: Ultimately, my chakra at this stage isn't strong enough. I've relied too much on Kurama's power in the past. Even the sustainability of Sage Mode required Kurama's cooperation. The gap between me and the First Hokage is immense…

And thinking back, if not for the Sage of Six Paths granting me power midway, how could we have defeated Madara or even Kaguya?

The road ahead is still long. This time, I'll find a different way to achieve true strength!

Darui remarked, "Boss, the enemy's eyes are troublesome, and he has two strong allies. It'll be hard to take him down quickly…"

The Raikage turned to the others behind him. "Are you all just going to stand there and watch?!"

Mifune replied politely, "Raikage-sama, the two subordinates they impersonated earlier have been found unharmed. Since this is a matter between ninja, we samurai won't interfere for now…"

"My back is killing me. I'll leave this to you young folks…" Onoki clutched his lower back, glancing at Gaara out of the corner of his eye. He thought to himself: Since earlier, the Kazekage has been glaring daggers at me…

Mei Terumi said, "This is the Land of Iron. If we ninja act recklessly, it might seem disrespectful to our hosts…"

Gaara reiterated, "I'll say it again: I trust Naruto. He wouldn't do anything to harm the interests of the ninja world…"

"What a bunch of spineless fools!!"

Seeing that none of the other Kage intended to act, the Raikage gritted his teeth and shouted at Naruto again, "Uzumaki Naruto, I know Uchiha Sasuke was just here!!! Where did he go? Tell me now—this is your last chance!!!"

"Sasuke… was just here…?!" Hearing this, Sakura, standing behind Hinata, looked shocked.

Naruto, however, smiled and said, "Raikage, why do you insist on making things difficult for Sasuke?"

The Raikage roared, "Damn it, he killed my brother!!"

Naruto replied, "Your brother, Killer Bee, is still alive. But he's already been targeted by the Akatsuki. If you act quickly, you might still make it in time…"

The Raikage froze in shock. "What did you say…?!"