Naruto : Cruel Rebirth

"Hu, hu, hu..." Hinata stopped, sweat dripped down her tired face and condensed into ice by the wind and snow.

In the crowd ahead, her Byakugan saw only Naruto. 

Naruto's gaze trembled as his heart ached. 

"How far did you run to get here?" 

After so many years apart, meeting again should have been a joyful reunion. But the shadow of their past dimmed the moment. 

Ahead was the person he cared about most, full of worry for him. Behind him were Raikage and others, ready to strike at any moment. 

"Please... don't come closer," Naruto silently pleaded. 

"N-Naruto-kun..." Hinata, unable to suppress her worry, started to step forward. 

Whoosh! 

Suddenly, a shadow extended from behind and connected to her feet. 

Shadow Imitation Jutsu! 

In the sky, riding a bird made of ink, Shikamaru, who still had a broken leg from Pain's assault on the village, sat calmly while maintaining his jutsu. 

"Hinata, I understand how you feel, but now isn't the time. Look at the situation—if you go now, you'll only distract Naruto!" 

Hinata bit her lip hard, ultimately holding back her urgent feelings. 

Naruto, from the bottom of his heart, thought: 

"Shikamaru, thanks..." 

The Raikage's bodyguard "C", observed and said, "It's someone from Konohagakure. Looking at their age, they're from the same generation as that guy. There are even two members from the Hyuga clan?"

Kumogakure has a long history with the Hyuga clan, so their Byakugan eyes are naturally a key focus.

Darui's gaze fixed on Neji. "Hmm... I've seen this kid before on a mission. Hyuga Neji, a fairly young Jonin from Konohagakure. It's a pity he's from a branch family; he's destined for a life of being confined."

"They send a bunch of inexperienced kids to deal with their own rogue ninjas? Konohagakure is as fake as ever! Let me just beat Uzumaki Naruto half to death and take him back to Kumogakure's prison. I'll make him reveal Sasuke's whereabouts!" 

*Crunch! Crunch!*

Raikage twisted his neck, covered in lightning, and launched a quick strike at Naruto! It was so fast that Konan and Orochimaru, who were beside Naruto, didn't even have time to react. With a flash of lightning, Naruto was sent flying! 

Whoosh! Naruto blocked Raikage's punch with a katana, sliding on the snow with his feet!

"Hmph!" Raikage snorted coldly, putting more force into his punch. *Crunch!* Naruto's katana snapped in half.

Even in Sage Mode, Naruto's perception was top-notch. He quickly dodged the punch by moving sideways.

But Raikage turned his punch into a knife-hand strike, slashing across Naruto's right shoulder! *Crunch!*

The sound of dislocation echoed. Naruto's face twisted in pain as he activated the power of his left eye.

— Hungry Ghost Path!

*Crackling!* The lightning cloak surrounding Raikage dissolved, transforming into pure chakra, which Naruto absorbed.

"Huh?" Raikage looked surprised.

Suddenly, Konan, using her paper and Explosive Tags, launched them at Raikage's back… 

Boom! 

An explosion at point-blank range!

Naruto seized the chance to retreat, grabbing his dislocated shoulder and pressing it back into place with a snap.

He thought: That was close. If I hadn't absorbed that tricky lightning chakra in time, it wouldn't have just been a dislocated shoulder…

"C", watching the explosion, asked, "Hey... is the boss okay?"

Darui calmly replied, "Even without his lightning armor, that explosion wasn't enough to harm the boss!"

Sure enough, Raikage emerged unharmed, his eyes wide with fury. "Hmph. Looks like you've got yourself a nice eye. During the meeting, you used it to stop Oonoki's Dust Release, right? But it's a shame, even though you absorbed it, there's a slight delay. That small delay is enough for me to kill you three times over!"

*Crackling!* More intense lightning covered Raikage, his hair even standing on end like sharp spikes.

Darui remarked, "Oh? To deal with the threat of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, has the old General cranked it up to full power?"

Raikage growled, "This Lightning Release Chakra Mode II is something I've honed to finally finish off Konohagakure's yellow flash. It's a pity the yellow flash is already dead, so I guess I'll just end his son here!"

Naruto thought to himself: The Lightning Release Chakra Mode... an extremely powerful Taijutsu passed down through the Raikage family. Each generation has its own unique features. The fourth Raikage's defense wasn't as strong as his father's, the third Raikage, but his speed was unmatched. Right now, I've learned the Flying Thunder God, but without Kurama's chakra, my reflexes still can't match my father's…

Darui shouted, "Boss, weren't we supposed to capture and interrogate him for Sasuke's whereabouts?"

Raikage answered, "Doesn't matter! As long as that little punk Sasuke keeps acting all high and mighty, finding his whereabouts will be a piece of cake!"

Boom!!! As the sound echoed, Raikage charged toward Naruto with lightning speed, moving so fast that even the Rinnegan could barely track him!

Fortunately… Sage Mode still allowed him to sense the threat! — Shinra Tensei! Boom!!! The force field radiated outward in all directions!

Boom!!! Raikage's speeding form abruptly stopped right in front of Naruto, his electrified iron fist just a mere inch away from Naruto's face!

"Damn…!!" Raikage planted his feet on the ground and pushed his fist forward with all his might, but the last inch refused to budge…!!

After a brief standoff, with a thud, Raikage was sent flying backward and stopped in front of Darui and the others.

Swish! Swish! Orochimaru and Konan moved forward to protect Naruto once again.

This time, Konan spread out numerous sheets of paper, while Orochimaru summoned several giant snakes.

Naruto, covering his left eye, said with lingering fear, "Raikage is really terrifying when he goes all out. Just now, he almost resisted Shinra Tensei…"

Orochimaru said, "Raikage's fighting style makes him a great counter to your current form. His overwhelming destructive power combined with absolute speed could easily take down anyone who's careless."

Konan added, "But if it were the 'dual-eyed Rinnegan,' he could probably track his movements more precisely, and the Deva Path's techniques wouldn't be so easy to counter."

Naruto had his own thoughts on this: "Ultimately, at this point, my chakra isn't strong enough. In the past, I relied too much on Kurama's power. Even my Sage Mode's sustained strength only works because of Kurama's cooperation. The difference with the First Hokage is huge…"

And thinking back, if the Sage of Six Paths hadn't given us power along the way, how could we have possibly fought against Madara or even Kaguya? There's still a long road ahead. This time, I'll gain true strength in a different way!

Darui said, "Boss, the enemy's eyes are really tricky, and with two strong allies backing him, it'll be hard to defeat them in a short time…"

Raikage turned his head to look at the others, "Are you all just going to watch?!!"

Mifune, with courtesy, replied, "Raikage-sama, the two subordinates they disguised themselves as have been found, and they're unharmed. Since this is a dispute between ninjas, we samurai don't plan to intervene for now…"

"My back's killing me, so I'll leave it to you young ones…"

Oonoki, rubbing his sore back, glanced to the side and thought: Since just now, Kazekage has been sending me warning looks…

Terumi Mei said, "This is the Land of Iron. If we ninjas act recklessly, we'll overshadow the host…"

Gaara said, "I still believe in Naruto. He won't do anything to harm the interests of the ninjas…"

"They're all a bunch of rambling fools!!"

Seeing that the Kage didn't interfere, Raikage gritted his teeth and shouted at Naruto again, "Uzumaki Naruto, I know Uchiha Sasuke was here just now!!! Where did he go? Tell me, this is your last chance!!!"

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

Naruto, however, smiled and said, "Raikage, why are you making things difficult for Sasuke…"

Raikage yelled, "Damn, he killed my brother!!"

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

The Raikage was stunned: "What did you say...!?"

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