Uzumaki Sage Body's Dominance, Forcing Open the Defense Line
Lightning Cloud Gorge, as its name suggests.
The dark red cliffs on both sides looked as if they had been cleaved by a sharp axe, piercing straight into the clouds. Constantly eroded by the magnetic field of lightning, the surface of the rock strata has formed a hard, glass-like shell. When you step on the gravel with your boots, fine blue static electricity occasionally rises, producing a piercing crackling sound.
Naruto walked at the front, his dark blue robe fluttering in the cold wind blowing in from the canyon. He made no attempt to conceal his presence, his footsteps heavy.
Sasuke, with one hand on the hilt of his sword, lagged half a body length behind, acting as the left flank. His Sharingan was activated, its crimson vision constantly scanning the Chakra remnants on the rock walls on both sides. Kakashi and Sakura protected Karin in the center of the formation, forming a standard assault vanguard.
Ahead lay a narrow, funnel-shaped pass; the wind had changed.
More than thirty figures wearing Hidden Cloud Forehead Protector appeared simultaneously from behind the rocks and on the high slope. Without any unnecessary movements, a semi-circular encirclement was immediately formed, blocking the way. The Hidden Cloud on the high ground held detonation discs with Lightning Explosion Tag attached in their hands, and their positions were extremely careful, all of them in high, commanding blind spots.
The woman leading the group wore a light-colored combat uniform and had an extremely alluring figure, yet she possessed a face that seemed to have been immersed in ice water for years. She stepped forward, her right thumb pressing against the hilt of the short sword at her waist, her gaze piercing Naruto.
"Hand over the people you captured," Samui said in an extremely calm voice, "And the sealing diagrams you have."
Naruto stopped, put his hands in his pockets, raised his chin slightly, and looked past Samui's shoulder towards the rear of the Hidden Cloud Village team.
"You people from Hidden Cloud blew up my gate, stole my blueprints, and now you've blocked the road with your men, demanding I hand over the hostage?" Naruto's lips twitched. "That's quite a shameless opening line."
As soon as he finished speaking, a red-haired female ninja to Samui's right drew her long sword.
"Enough nonsense, Hidden Leaf brats!" Karui, with a fiery temper, pointed her blade directly at Naruto's nose. "This is the border of the Land of Lightning. You crossed the border with weapons, and we have the right to kill you on the spot! Leave your things and your people behind, and get back to the Land of Fire!"
Naruto didn't even lift an eyelid.
The black boy standing next to Karui was biting a lollipop and also holding a knife, but he wasn't pointing it at the Hidden Leaf people. Instead, he was nervously looking around and muttering to himself.
"Karui, keep your voice down. These guys dare to charge straight into Lightning Cloud Gorge. What if they're monsters? What if a battle breaks out here and the Lightning Release causes a landslide that buries us all? What if I don't make it back today and my treasured limited-edition ninja tool maintenance oil gets stolen by that idiot next door..." Omoi's brows furrowed more and more as he spoke, and he even took a half-step back.
Naruto laughed.
He pulled his right hand out of his pocket, pointed at Omoi, and said to Karui, "This kid's smarter than you; I suggest you listen to him more."
Karui's forehead veins bulged, Chakra surged into the blade, a blue light dancing on its edge. "You're asking for death!"
"Step back." Samui raised his hand.
Karui gritted his teeth, forcibly cut off the Chakra supply, and retreated back to the group.
Samui pulled out an official letter from his ninja tool pouch, stamped with the Raikage's red clay seal, unfolded it with one hand, and showed it to the Hidden Leaf members.
"This is Lord Raikage's personal order. The people who infiltrated your base last night were missing-nin from Hidden Cloud," Samui said in a businesslike tone. "They not only stole Hidden Leaf's secrets but also took away important supplies from Hidden Cloud. We are ordered to hunt down these missing-nin and clean house. According to the village's negotiation regulations, they are wanted criminals of Hidden Cloud and must be handed over to us to be brought back to the village for trial."
The diplomatic rhetoric was impeccable.
By labeling the burglar a "missing-nin ninja," the Raikage could immediately absolve himself of all responsibility. Now that they've come with an official warrant demanding his release, if Hidden Leaf refuses to hand him over, it would be interfering in Hidden Cloud's internal affairs.
Kakashi took two steps forward, glanced at the seal on the scroll, and turned to look at Naruto. His meaning was clear: the official procedures were complete, and forcing the issue would give others cause for criticism.
Naruto ignored the tattered piece of paper.
He turned his head and glanced at the scarred leader, who was bound like a dumpling and dragged behind him like a dead dog by Sasuke with Chakra ropes.
Naruto walked over, stepped on the scarred man's chest, bent down, grabbed the man's tattered coat, and ripped it off forcefully.
The fabric ripped. On the scarred man's chest, a complex, thundercloud-shaped inscription, deeply branded into his flesh, was exposed to the air.
"missing-nin?" Naruto pointed at the jutsu, mercilessly exposing the other's trick. "The wall of your heart is engraved with the 'Self-Destruct Lightning Seal,' a special jutsu provided by the active-duty regular army of Hidden Cloud. You call this missing-nin?"
Samui's expression remained unchanged, and his hand holding the knife did not loosen its grip in the slightest.
"I'm only responsible for carrying out Lord Raikage's orders." She stared at Naruto. "The loss of classified defense supplies is one piece of evidence of their defection. I must take him with me today. The sealing blueprints will be returned to Hidden Leaf Hidden Cloud official channels afterward."
"They set up a roadblock on this lousy road, thinking they can snatch meat from my hands?" Naruto withdrew his foot, and his extremely yang and powerful Chakra flowed through his calf muscles. The rubble on the ground could not withstand this terrifying Life Field and crumbled into powder.
He stared directly into Samui's eyes, unleashing an arrogant and oppressive aura without restraint.
"I arrested him. I retrieved the blueprints. I don't care if he's active duty or a defector. If he touched my people or took my things, no one can stop him." Naruto's voice was extremely steady, carrying a chilling ferocity. "The Raikage wants him. Tell him to bring enough compensation and come to Hidden Leaf to talk to me."
Sasuke twisted his right hand, and the thunderous sound of Chidori exploded in his palm. Kakashi pulled down his mask, and his left Sharingan locked onto the explosive array plate high above. Sakura gathered Chakra in her hands, ready to provide medical support at any moment.
Thirty Hidden Cloud ninjas simultaneously raised their weapons, their Lightning Release Chakra weaving into a massive web of killing intent within the canyon.
Just as the two sides were about to collide.
Boom--!
From the deepest part of the canyon came a deafening roar.
Immediately afterwards, a blindingly dark blue bolt of lightning pierced through the dark red rock wall and shot straight into the sky. A violent shockwave, mixed with debris, surged out from the depths of the passage, stinging people's cheeks.
Karin suddenly opened her eyes, her hands quickly Hand Seals, and Mind's Eye of the Kagura expanded at full speed.
"Naruto!" Karin's voice was urgent. "The people who escaped from the broken bridge are still inside with the other half of the sealing map. Their Chakra is fluctuating violently, and two completely unfamiliar Chakra have intervened. One of them... is extremely powerful and frenzied!"
Kakashi's expression darkened. "The black market buyers... these Hidden Cloud of the Cloud Village are planning to detonate the deal ahead of schedule."
Naruto glanced at the still-burning lightning pillar in the sky, a fierce fighting spirit surging in his eyes.
He turned around, his gaze passing directly over Samui and the others.
"Hidden Cloud wants to put on a show, then you can keep acting here." Naruto cracked his neck, his knuckles popping. "Hey, they're dividing up my assets inside. I need to go collect the debts."
"Stop!" Karui swung his sword horizontally, the blade's energy tearing through the air, aiming straight for Naruto's back.
Naruto didn't turn around. His Perfect Uzumaki Sage Body erupted, causing a large area of the rock beneath his feet to collapse. He was like a golden cannonball, smashing through the Hidden Cloud's defensive formation and plunging Team 7 into the thundercloud storm deep within the canyon.
What kind of monster stands atop the deepest Black Market Altar, daring to take over the Uzumaki Clan's trump card?