Naruto: Maelstrom Of The Uzumaki

"Who is this person? The Third Raikage!!"

Hatake Sakumo immediately recognized the imposing figure before him. The massive build, the dark blue chakra enveloping his body, and the overwhelming aura confirmed his identity. This was no impostor.

"How did he get here?"

Sakumo's body tensed, his every muscle ready to react. The pressure from the Third Raikage was unlike anything he had ever experienced.

"Space ninjutsu. I can sense it clearly," Namikaze Minato murmured, his expression serious.

"It's the Heavenly Transfer Technique," Raiden Uzumaki stated after a moment of thought, piecing together how the Third Raikage had been transported to the battlefield. His words prompted a curious look from the Raikage himself, who turned his attention to Raiden.

"You're well-informed about Cloud Ninja, kid. And your body-strengthening ninjutsu is strikingly similar to the secret techniques of my clan," the Third Raikage said, his deep voice filled with curiosity.

"Boy, come to Cloud Village. Be my son! Whatever Konoha offers you, we can match!"

He then shifted his gaze to Sakumo and Minato, recognition lighting his face. "And you two must be Konoha's Hatake Sakumo and Namikaze Minato."

The mention of their names put Sakumo and Minato on high alert. They instinctively moved to shield Raiden, their bodies tensed for battle.

Raiden smirked at the Raikage's offer. "Son? Well, I suppose the beard matches the role. But sorry, I'm not leaving Konoha."

"That's unfortunate," the Third Raikage replied with a slight sigh. "In that case, I'll handle you myself, Konoha's Thunder."

Sakumo leaned closer to Raiden, speaking quietly. "Raiden, you need to retreat. This is the Third Raikage. Minato and I will hold him off. Even if we die, Konoha can't afford to lose you."

Raiden placed a firm hand on Sakumo's shoulder, his expression unwavering. "Sorry, but I'm not going anywhere."

Before Sakumo could argue, he sprang into action. Several shuriken flew from his hand, targeting the Raikage at high speed.

"Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang of Konoha?" the Third Raikage mused as the shuriken approached. "Such naivety."

Without flinching, he let the projectiles strike his lightning armor. They bounced off harmlessly, clattering to the ground.

Sakumo took advantage of the distraction to close the distance, his dagger slashing toward the Raikage's head.

Hmph!

Before the blade could land, the Third Raikage grabbed Sakumo by the neck with shocking speed. "This is all you've got?" he growled, his grip tightening.

But as his fingers closed, Sakumo's form burst into a crackling explosion of lightning.

"A lightning clone? When did you..." the Raikage muttered, his eyes narrowing as he dispelled the residual energy with a wave of his hand.

The ground beneath him shattered as Sakumo emerged, dagger aimed at his chest. "This time, I've got you!"

The blade connected, but the sound of steel meeting armor echoed instead of flesh. The lightning-enhanced dagger couldn't penetrate the Raikage's thunder armor.

"You're still far too weak," the Raikage said with a grin. He retaliated with blinding speed, his fist surging toward Sakumo.

Before the blow could land, Minato appeared beside Sakumo, teleporting him to safety. At the same time, Raiden's purple lightning-clad form intercepted the Raikage's strike, his Sakegari no Tachi deflecting the attack.

The resulting collision of chakra created a shockwave, cracks forming beneath their feet. Both fighters pushed their strength to the limit, neither willing to yield.

"Interesting," the Raikage muttered, converting his palm into a fist and increasing his power. Despite the strain, Raiden held his ground.

The standoff ended abruptly when Raikage Ai appeared at Raiden's side, his fist hurtling toward Raiden's face.

"Dammit!" Raiden cursed, summoning golden chakra chains from his back to form a shield. The chains intercepted Ai's punch, but the impact sent Raiden crashing into the ground with a resounding boom.

The Third Raikage's eyes narrowed as he studied his hand, noticing faint scratches on his fingers. "He pierced my lightning armor?"

Despite the shallow wound, it was an incredible feat—something that hadn't occurred even when he faced the Tailed Beast.

The Third Raikage's expression grew grim as Raiden Uzumaki emerged from the massive crater. Except for some creases in his clothing, Raikage Ai's earlier attack had caused no visible damage to Raiden.

"Trash-tier power can't touch me,

Weaklings like you can't face me directly.

No strength, no guts, all bluster you see.

What a joke you turned out to be!"

Raiden muttered mockingly, his tone laced with disdain. He then raised his long blade, a smirk on his face, and declared:

"All of you—stay out of my way!"

His chakra surged violently.

"The Third Raikage's defense is absurd. Even the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken from KCM1 Naruto couldn't scratch him. But my earlier slash left a wound. If I combine my super strength with the lightning armor and Nine-Tails Chakra, I'll break through his shell!"

Raiden's thoughts raced as his body underwent a drastic transformation. Crimson chakra erupted from him, and the purple lightning surrounding his body turned blood-red. Golden chakra chains floating behind him also turned red, and three chakra tails sprouted from his back.

Fully unleashing the Nine-Tails Chakra, Raiden pulled out a scroll from his robes and released its seal. Twin plumes of white mist appeared briefly before vanishing. Only perceptive ninjas sensed a figure momentarily materializing beside Raiden before disappearing.

However, just as Raiden entered Sage Mode, a sudden surge of natural energy overwhelmed him. The uncontrolled force surged into his body, disrupting the balance of his chakra. To his horror, his body began transforming—his hands becoming webbed, and his features starting to resemble a toad.

"What is that? Has his power gone berserk?" The Third Raikage's face darkened as he observed Raiden's strange transformation. Though he felt the immense power Raiden wielded, he couldn't ignore the visible instability in his form.

"Do I attack now or retreat?" The Raikage hesitated. A ninja's instinct was to capitalize on an opponent's weakness, but the unpredictability of Raiden's state made caution imperative.

"Natural energy gone berserk? But Jiraiya told me Raiden had mastered a perfect Sage Mode. Why is this happening?!" Namikaze Minato was visibly alarmed.

Raiden himself was stunned. "What's going on?! Why is natural energy spiraling out of control? Why can't I stop it?!"

As his body absorbed more natural energy, the transformation progressed. Glancing at his webbed hand, Raiden realized he needed a solution immediately.

"Dammit!" he muttered, releasing the Yin Seal on his forehead. A torrent of chakra flooded his system, diluting the rampant natural energy and reversing the frog-like transformation.

Slowly, the influx of natural energy ebbed, as though Raiden had absorbed all available energy in the vicinity. His body stabilized, and he let out a relieved sigh.

"Once this battle is over, I need to visit Mount Myōboku. Something's wrong with my Sage Mode," Raiden thought. He steadied his breath as the frog transformation fully subsided. Golden markings outlined his eyes, blending with the black Yin Seal curse mark.

"Let's finish this."

Raiden raised his blade toward the sky.

Buzz!

A surge of chakra erupted from his body, and a crackling thunder echoed across the battlefield. Countless lightning arrows materialized in the sky and rained down on the Cloud Ninja forces, annihilating a large number of them in an instant.

The sudden attack caught everyone off guard, including the Third Raikage, who immediately launched himself toward Raiden, refusing to let him continue the onslaught.

Raiden, still assessing the chakra he had just expended, muttered to himself. "Such a massive lightning jutsu... and it used less than one percent of my chakra? I've stopped counting how much I have at this point."

The Third Raikage closed the distance with astonishing speed, aiming a punch at Raiden's face.

Clang!

Raiden didn't dodge. Instead, he countered with a backhand slash of his Sakegari no Tachi, striking the Raikage's chest. Blood splattered as the blade pierced the Raikage's lightning armor, vaporizing his chakra cloak in the process.

"Huh?" The Raikage staggered back, his chest stinging from the blow. Though the wound wasn't deep, the fact that Raiden's blade penetrated his armor left him wary.

"Did you evade at the last second?" Raiden asked, glancing at the shallow cut on the Raikage's chest, a trace of disappointment in his voice.

The Third Raikage, now fully alert, stared at Raiden with a mix of respect and vigilance.

"This kid..."

(End of Chapter)

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