At that moment, Tsuchikage Ōnoki stood firm, facing one of Naruto's shadow clones. He pressed his hands together in front of him.
Between his palms—
A transparent cube began to form.
"Dust Release—"
"Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
Ōnoki roared as the glowing cube rapidly expanded, engulfing Naruto's clone in an instant.
The terrifying power of Dust Release—capable of disintegrating matter down to atoms—flared outwards.
The cube detonated in a brilliant flash, obliterating everything within.
But when the smoke cleared…
A void-shaped crater remained—but no trace of the clone.
Because just before the technique struck, Naruto's shadow clone had vanished using Flying Thunder God.
"Dust Release, huh?" the clone remarked as he reappeared behind Ōnoki, smiling faintly. "Pretty impressive technique."
With just a glance, Naruto had analyzed it. His deep intuition and battle experience let him grasp its nature instantly.
A kekkei tōta formed by the fusion of wind, earth, and fire chakra—far beyond ordinary bloodline limits.
Just then, Ōnoki heard a voice behind him. The voice of the Fifth Hokage—Uzumaki Naruto.
He froze.
"So fast…!"
The Tsuchikage was stunned.
Despite all his years and chakra sensing skills, he hadn't even noticed Naruto move.
If the Fifth Hokage had chosen to strike instead of speak…
Ōnoki wouldn't have been able to react at all.
In that moment, he realized—Naruto's strength was truly terrifying.
On another battlefield, Raikage A stood facing another of Naruto's shadow clones.
Without hesitation, and true to his explosive nature, A activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
BOOM!
Thunder erupted around him. His entire body crackled with lightning, transforming him into a living storm.
Crack—! Zzzzt!—CRACK!
The air sizzled with power.
In this form, every fiber of Raikage A's being was amplified by lightning.
His speed surpassed even the limits of standard teleportation techniques.
His reflexes, strength, and durability—all enhanced to inhuman levels.
In the blink of an eye—
A streak of blue lightning cut through the air.
"SWISH!"
Raikage A closed the distance to Naruto's shadow clone instantly.
"Die, brat!!" he roared, swinging his massive lightning-coated fist—each one like a battering ram.
A single blow like this could crush boulders, level buildings.
But Naruto's clone didn't flinch.
In that split second—
He met Raikage A's fist head-on.
There was no wasted movement. No grand technique.
Just a simple gesture.
He raised his hand.
And caught it.
BOOM!!!
The ground quaked. Lightning exploded outward. But all of it—raw power, thunderous might—was absorbed and dispersed by the clone's open palm.
He didn't budge an inch.
Naruto's clone had stopped a mountain-shattering punch with one hand.
Raikage A stared in disbelief, eyes wide.
He wasn't alone.
Everyone watching—whether it was the First and Second Hokage, Orochimaru and Jiraiya, or even Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame—
They all saw it clearly.
The power behind Raikage A's punch—
Even the onlookers didn't dare underestimate it.
But for Naruto… no, even for just his shadow clone, that earth-shattering blow—
It was easily caught.
That fact alone…
Was enough to shake anyone watching.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield—
Mizukage Terumī Mei faced off against another of Naruto's shadow clones.
With a graceful, deadly poise, her red lips parted—
She expelled a torrent of viscous, steaming-hot, highly corrosive mist from her mouth.
"Boil Release—
Vapour Style: Acid Mist!!"
In the blink of an eye, the seething acid flooded forward like a tidal wave, engulfing everything in its path, sizzling and hissing ominously.
But Naruto's clone remained still.
Calm.
Completely unfazed.
He didn't dodge.
He didn't raise a hand.
He simply muttered a few words under his breath:
"Binding Spell No. 81—Danku."
With those words, a transparent barrier of pure energy sprang into existence—massive, towering, immovable.
The corrosive acid mist slammed into the barrier with a violent hiss and explosion—
"BOOM!!!"
But it didn't pass through.
The acidic tide evaporated against the barrier, unable to advance a single inch.
Terumī Mei's eyes widened in disbelief.
Those elegant, seductive eyes now brimmed with genuine shock.
This had never happened before.
Ever since mastering her Boil Release—one of the rarest Kekkei Genkai in the world—there had been nothing she couldn't melt.
Even in the original war, her acid was powerful enough to dissolve Madara's Susanoo.
That's right—
Susanoo.
One of the most durable chakra constructs in the shinobi world.
And yet now—
This unknown barrier, conjured by a mere shadow clone…
Had neutralized it completely.
Naturally, Terumī Mei's Boil Release could corrode through most defensive jutsu and barriers with ease.
But this time—
What had once been unstoppable…
Failed to even scratch the surface of Naruto's Danku barrier.
Not a ripple. Not a dent.
It didn't cause the slightest impact.
How could Mizukage Terumī Mei not be astonished?
Right now—
Tsuchikage Ōnoki,
Mizukage Terumī Mei,
Raikage A—
Three of the Five Kage. Each reigning over one of the great shinobi villages.
The most powerful leaders of their time.
And yet—
All three of them were held at bay by the shadow clones of the Fifth Hokage: Uzumaki Naruto.
Their path was completely blocked.
This sight left not only the enemy stunned—
But also caused many of the onlooking Konoha villagers and shinobi to gasp in awe.
Their Hokage… was far beyond their expectations.
The sheer scale of his power—
Left even the Kage speechless.
And in the shadows…
Two other figures were watching with grave expressions.
Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame—the rogue Akatsuki pair—had infiltrated Konoha.
But they hadn't expected this.
Under the leadership of Uzumaki Naruto…
Konoha was no longer the village they once knew.
What's more—
The bold posture of the Fifth Hokage, daring to stand against the combined might of three Kage, hinted at something deeper.
A plan. A vision.
A potential ambition to unify—or conquer—the entire shinobi world.
That possibility alone sent chills down their spines.
"Hey, Itachi-san," Kisame muttered, his usually playful tone gone, replaced with a rare seriousness. "This... we need to report this immediately."
Because the truth was unavoidable—
Konoha today was no longer the Konoha of old.
Itachi remained silent, his eyes fixed on the Hokage's shadow clones holding their ground.
A heavy weight stirred in his chest.
Conflicted.
Troubled.
The village he once gave up everything for… had changed.
And this new Hokage—
With eyes set on war, and power enough to bring it to every corner of the world—
Might lead Konoha not to glory, but to ruin.
And that—
Itachi couldn't ignore.
...
TN:
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