Naruto: Reincarnated as a Demon King

----

A deafening boom shook the sky as a blinding streak of lightning split the darkness.

Suddenly, the wind howled violently thunder and rain loomed overhead.

Raiden wasn't just dreaming about a storm. The sound of thunder, the cool raindrops hitting his face his half-asleep mind mistook it for a dream.

CRACK!

A bright bolt of lightning tore the black clouds apart! Another boom followed immediately!

By sheer misfortune, this sky-splitting thunderbolt struck the tallest tree in the riverside forest and guess who was sleeping under it?

BOOM!

Flames instantly erupted, engulfing the tree. Most of the lightning's force struck the tree, but a small portion of the bolt hit the sleeping Raiden dead-on.

The sensation was… indescribable.

A mix of tingling, numbness, and an electrifying jolt that shook his entire body.

Sizzle! Crackle!

Electric arcs danced across his body.

Then—

BOOM!

A small explosion followed.

A thin stream of black smoke curled into the air from Raiden's body.

Raiden gasped, eyes snapping open.

"What the hell just happened…?"

Was he just… struck by lightning?!

At that moment, Raiden learned a valuable lesson: Never sleep under a tree during a thunderstorm.

Especially not the tallest one.

"Whoever said 'it's nice and cool under a tree'… Come here and let me slap you!"

Despite having tough skin and a resilient body, Raiden rubbed the back of his head, still feeling the aftershock.

Even though he only took a fraction of the lightning's power, it still left him fried inside and out.

"If it weren't for my Zoan-type Devil Fruit abilities… plus a year of hellish training, I'd be dead right now!"

He clenched his fists.

"Damn you, Hagoromo! Do you have something against me?!"

"Just when I'm about to take off, you throw a lightning bolt at me?!"

"Are you in a hurry to send me to the afterlife?!"

Furious, Raiden sat in the rain, cursing the sky.

Just then—

CRACK! BOOM!

A second lightning bolt struck directly at his feet!

Raiden: "..."

'Alright. You win'

'I am inviting trouble' Raiden immediately shut up, giving the stormy sky a side-eye. Thunder continued rumbling. Rain poured heavily.

"Wait… What time is it? Did I miss dinner?" Even after being struck by lightning, Raiden's biggest concern was food.

No matter what, he'd never forget to eat!

Surprisingly, that nap left him refreshed and as he lay there, Raiden finally understood something crucial.

"Play to your strengths. Minimize your weaknesses."

"This is the golden rule of survival."

His chakra was far too wild, making precise control impossible.

Why?

Because of the Zoan-type Devil Fruit, he had consumed. Since it carried the title of "Demon King", its attributes were naturally brutal and aggressive.

Ever since eating it, his body underwent a complete transformation.

His stamina skyrocketed, allowing him to endure inhuman training.

His physical strength grew exponentially.

And most noticeably—

His chakra reserves exploded, quickly surpassing his peers, then far exceeding them.

At just six years old, only three months into the academy, his chakra levels were already approaching that of a Genin.

If this continued, he'd reach Genin-level chakra in just three more months.

For a six-year-old to have Genin-level chakra reserves?!

A blessing and a curse.

The blessing: His chakra was far greater than his peers.

The curse: His chakra was too wild, making control nearly impossible.

"Since my chakra reserves aren't the problem…"

"Then wasting some shouldn't matter!"

A new determination flashed in Raiden's eyes. He flipped upright, forming hand seals. He was going to try the Shadow Clone Jutsu again!

Shadow Clone Jutsu:

A technique that creates solid clones, which can fight and think independently.

Most importantly, The user's chakra is split evenly among all clones.

This time, Raiden wouldn't hold back. No more careful, precise chakra control. Instead, he dumped over half of his chakra into the jutsu.

BOOM!

A cloud of smoke erupted and when it cleared, a perfect clone stood beside him.

"All this time, I was obsessing over precision, trying not to waste a single bit of chakra… and in doing so, I wasted an entire day without success."

"But the moment I stopped caring about waste, I succeeded instantly!"

The two Raiden's exchanged silent looks.

Life sure was ironic.

Had he not realized this, he might never have mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Raiden was the type to pursue perfection. Maybe because his chakra had always been limited in the past, he developed a habit of trying to maximize efficiency.

But in reality…

His control sucked.

And that constant failure led to a brutal realization—

Chakra control is like energy transfer it always loses some in the process.

Even the most advanced ninja couldn't achieve zero energy loss and yet, Raiden kept trying to eliminate all waste.

It was impossible!

A three-meter-tall muscle-bound warrior swinging a massive blade fights best with brute force. Yet Raiden was trying to sew delicate embroidery with his massive hands.

It just wasn't meant to be!

"There is no ultimate fighting style only the style that suits you best." Raiden clenched his fists, feeling more determined than ever.

"If I can't master control, then I'll focus on raw power!"

He gathered chakra into his feet and leapt onto the rushing river, testing his balance.

Maintaining stability was his goal.

As for chakra waste?

Who cares?

His wild chakra surged, supporting his body.

The raging water below bubbled violently, looking boiling hot from his excess energy.

With his growing strength, his chakra reserves would only become more explosive.

Good or bad?

Maybe both.

---

In the Thunderstorm…

Three identical figures stood on the river's surface.

Practicing punches and kicks relentlessly.

This was Raiden's newly discovered optimal training method. Using Shadow Clones to train alongside him.

Once dispelled, their experience and exhaustion would transfer back to him, and since his body was insanely durable, he could handle several clones at once. But even he knew that too much of anything was bad.

The key was balance.

"Kick Uchiha Madara! Punch Kaguya Ōtsutsuki!"

"One, two, three, four!"

"Kick Uchiha Madara! Punch Kaguya Ōtsutsuki!"

"Two, two, three, four!"

"Kick Uchiha Madara! Punch Kaguya Ōtsutsuki!"

"Three, two, three, four!"

The three Raidens shouted their training chants in unison.

"My clones are weird," Raiden scratched his head.

…Of course, the "Kick Madara, Punch Kaguya" part was just something Raiden's clones screamed in their heart.

----

Don't forget to drop some PowerStones!💎💎💎

For early access to advanced chapters on p@treon.

P@treon/iamxeno

Thank you so much for your support and for reading!