-Shinra Tensei!
Lightning came from every direction, only to be scattered by an overwhelming repulsive force. It tore up the ground and sent the Kumogakure ninja who had cast the jutsu flying along with it!
"Aaargh!!"
"He repelled Earth Flow? How did he do that?!"
-Shinra Tensei!
Whoosh!
Five seconds later, a second wave of repulsive force followed, blasting them even farther away and leaving them completely unable to fight...
With repeated use, Naruto had gotten a feel for Shinra Tensei's power. Under normal circumstances, one hit would leave a Jōnin aching as though every bone in their body had been knocked apart. Two would bring them down and leave them unable to fight, though it would not kill them.
Beneath the cracked walls of the Raikage's residence, Dodai had used Lava Release to create an elastic Rubber Jade before the second Shinra Tensei struck, protecting himself!
He was bewildered. "What just happened? With him at the center, he repelled both the ninjutsu coming at him and the people who cast it. Does that mean neither physical attacks nor ninjutsu work on him?"
Through a gap opened by Humo, he saw Kumogakure Jōnin lying immobile all over the ground.
"There was a brief gap between his two attacks. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had time to create this Rubber Jade. It seems that ability isn't entirely without weaknesses..."
Naruto swept his gaze around, flicked his Fire Cloud Robe aside, and strode toward the residence's main entrance.
Dodai's eyes flickered. "I miscalculated. I thought an enemy who needed a diversion to sneak up on us would have relatively limited strength, so I assigned our main fighting force to deal with the companions creating that diversion. But that clearly isn't the case..."
"If that repulsion jutsu has a weakness in the interval between uses, my jutsu should give me an opening..."
After a brief but careful analysis, Dodai opened the Rubber Jade farther and extended his hand.
Naruto glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Stop, Humo, old man. Your jutsu won't protect you a second time..."
Snap!
Dodai's outstretched hand froze, and cold sweat ran down his face.
He had seen right through him. They were nowhere near the same level. Just who was this man?
Rustle!
Dodai dispelled the Rubber Jade and ventured, "Lord Raikage is not in the village right now."
"Of course I know that," Naruto said.
Dodai's gaze sharpened. "What do you want?"
Instead, Naruto smiled and asked, "Why? Can you give it to me?"
Dodai's eyes flickered. "You could try telling me. Perhaps we can negotiate."
"We're both ninja. Let's not joke around..."
Naruto looked away. Whoosh!
Air swirled beneath his feet, and his body defied gravity, floating into the sky!
Dodai's gaze rose with him. He isn't using the kind of jutsu Tsuchikage Ōnoki uses to make his body light as a feather, nor a flying platform made from something like Gold Dust, as the former Kazekage Rasa did. Yet he can fly?! Wait... that ability to repel ninjutsu earlier-could its true nature be the manipulation of force fields?!
Naruto's control over the Rinnegan was growing steadily more refined. He could now manipulate force fields to overcome gravity and fly, something he had only been able to do in his previous life after obtaining Six Paths Power!
Hovering in the air, Naruto flicked both sleeves.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Four Black Receivers struck precise points around the Raikage's residence.
Swish!
Naruto raised two fingers before his chest in a hand seal.
-Four Violet Flames Formation: Modified!
Whoom! Whoom! Whoom! Whoom!
Violet flames ignited on the Black Receivers and rapidly swelled into a vast barrier of fire, sealing the Raikage's residence off from the outside world!
Outside the barrier, Dodai cried out, "You cast an enhanced Four Violet Flames Formation all by yourself?! Are you a rogue ninja from Konoha who joined the Akatsuki?!"
"Not the Akatsuki. The Bright Akatsuki... That distinction matters, so I hope you'll keep it clear."
Inside the barrier, Naruto calmly spoke over his shoulder, then said nothing more. He swept his hand!
Boom! The roof beams of the Raikage's residence collapsed, and Naruto dropped inside!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Smoke rose across Kumogakure.
Jugo, Suigetsu, Konan, Kisame, Orochimaru... each unleashed their signature ninjutsu and battled Kumogakure's elite, buying Naruto time!
Under the cover of night, in a forest on the border between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Waves.
The Raikage, Killer B, and their group were taking a rest.
"B, you only escaped death this time because they wanted to capture the Jinchūriki alive. If I'd arrived any later, the consequences would have been unthinkable."
"They've been operating in the shadows all these years. The Jinchūriki of Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure have fallen victim one after another. Konoha's Jinchūriki deserted the village, and his whereabouts are unknown. It goes without saying that they'll come after you again. From now on, stay put in the village!"
"Stay-put fool~~ idiot fool, bastard fool~~!" Killer B bobbed his head, utterly unconcerned.
The Raikage rolled his eyes in fury. "Hey, damn it, B! I'm trying to have a serious conversation here!!!"
Clang!!
One iron-fisted punch from the Raikage made Killer B behave much better.
"Sigh." The Raikage sighed helplessly. "How about this? As long as you stay in the village and behave, I'll have Samui keep you company around the clock..."
Killer B's eyes lit up behind his sunglasses. He even stopped humming. "Around the clock? Including at night???"
The Raikage shook his head with a smile. "Hmph, that depends on what you're capable of! Both sides have to be willing in these matters. Don't do anything that disgraces a ninja!"
Crackle!
A sudden streak of lightning flashed through the sky above the Raikage.
He looked up and caught it with his bare hand.
"Thunderclap Transmission. Did something happen in the village?"
The lightning vanished, and an urgently frantic voice rang out inside the Raikage's mind.
"The village is under attack. Return immediately!"
Whoosh!
The Raikage shot to his feet.
Killer B said, "Big brother..."
The Raikage called over his shoulder, "Mabui, prepare the Heavenly Transfer Technique!"
Mabui stood up. "What happened?"
"The village has been attacked!" the Raikage said.
"What? Who did it?!" the ninja cried.
The Raikage said coldly, "No one in the Shinobi World today has the nerve except the Akatsuki! The village comes under attack right after B is rescued. Who else could it be?!"
"..." Tension swept through the Kumogakure ninja present. They had all heard about the devastation in Konoha after the Akatsuki's attack. Every ninja regarded the Akatsuki as a grave threat to the Shinobi World!
"B, I have to return to the village immediately..." the Raikage told him.
With the village's safety at stake, how could Killer B fail to recognize what mattered? He said solemnly, "Big brother, don't worry. I won't sneak off to have fun this time. Just head back to the village and take out the enemy!"
The Raikage smiled in relief. "Good. Once I've crushed those Akatsuki bastards, I'll be waiting for you in the village!"
The AB Brothers grinned and bumped fists.
"Lord Raikage, please step into the formula!"
Mabui had finished preparing the Heavenly Transfer Technique.
Crackle!
Clad in Lightning Armor, the Raikage stepped into the formula. It was necessary to receive the Heavenly Transfer Technique; otherwise, his body would be torn apart during the light-speed transfer!
Mabui closed her eyes and formed hand seals.
-Ninja art: Heavenly Transfer Technique!
Flash!!
Amid the light of the transfer, the Raikage vanished.
Darui sighed. "The Shinobi World really is going through troubled times. Let's hurry back too..."
Whoosh!
Just then, an ominous black vortex twisted through space-time, accompanied by a chilling greeting.
"Yo. At last, we meet, Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer B."
The Sharingan beneath Obito's mask coldly surveyed the wary ninja before him.
"The Raikage isn't here? That saves me quite a bit of trouble..."
Before you continue