5:02 a.m.
The "all-day rain" over Tianmen Mountain in the Land of Lightning showed no sign of stopping.
Naruto sat on the wooden corridor outside the house, half of his bento box placed beside him.
In front of the locust forest, a shadow sprinted through the rain.
Stepping across puddles, Sasuke landed in front of Naruto. With one arm, he shook the rainwater from his black cloak.
"How was it?"
"I've ruled out the possibility that Darui is being controlled by genjutsu."
Naruto let out a long breath.
If even the Raikage of one of the Five Great Nations had been manipulated, the implications would have been terrifying.
When was he controlled? What major policies had he participated in afterward? What decisions had he issued? Were the other Kage also affected?
If investigated one by one, it would trigger an earthquake across all five nations.
Now, at least, the problem was still between Konoha and Akira.
With him and Sasuke involved, it could be settled with a fight—just like how they dealt with Uchiha Shin yesterday.
"However, I found some new information about Akira," Sasuke continued. "He had a younger brother, didn't he?"
"Yeah," Naruto nodded. "Shikamaru mentioned him. His name was Jin."
"Darui said Jin was married to a former Kumogakure ninja named Samui. They even had children."
"Huh? Seriously?" Naruto's mouth fell open in surprise.
An image of Samui's overwhelming figure—far surpassing even Hinata, or even Tsunade—flashed through his mind.
Sasuke went on, "After Jin died, Samui applied to become a civilian. She left Kumogakure with her brother Atsui and her two children. After that, no one knows where they went."
"That… doesn't sound related to Akira, does it?"
Sasuke shook his head.
"I don't know Samui personally, but she was a veteran who fought in the Fourth Great Ninja War."
"It's hard to imagine someone like her leaving the village that raised her, especially with two children. Staying in Kumo would've given them the best protection."
Naruto rubbed his chin and nodded thoughtfully.
"Yeah… that makes sense."
Sasuke flipped his cloak aside and sat down next to Naruto.
"So I've been thinking. Could Akira have been involved in her unusual decision?"
"According to Shikamaru's intel, Akira amassed enormous wealth. But his house is quite ordinary."
"If he's not spending it on luxury, where is all that money going?"
"That's worth thinking about."
"In short," Sasuke concluded, "Akira's background may be far more complicated than we imagined."
"It's fine," Naruto said with a smile, handing the bento to Sasuke.
"After tonight, we'll knock him down, drag him back to Konoha, and let Ibiki interrogate him."
Compared to Akira's case, making sure Sasuke ate seemed more important.
Sasuke accepted the bento and placed it on his lap, picking up his chopsticks with one hand.
"I don't think Ibiki can handle Akira. I'll do it myself."
"I'll use the Rinnegan to make him reveal everything—his wealth, its flow, and why he stole Madara's body. Then we'll decide what to do with him."
He lowered his head to eat.
But just as a piece of tamagoyaki reached his mouth, he froze.
Both he and Naruto raised their heads toward the end of the locust forest, shrouded in rain.
Whoosh!
A black vortex settled.
Akira appeared.
He glanced at his watch.
5:07:43 a.m.
He spoke softly to the air behind him.
"You two, please stay as far away from me as possible."
Madara and Obito, whose presence had been erased by Bo'eriya-su, exchanged a glance and vanished.
Akira slowly lifted his face.
At that moment, lightning split the sky, illuminating a pair of breathtaking Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Then… next—"
Boom!!
Naruto leaped into the pouring rain before the house.
Brilliant golden light ignited around him, forming the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode cloak.
A storm of chakra spread outward, even slowing the falling rain.
"Sasuke, finish your bento first! I'll go deal with this troublesome guy!"
"I'm coming too!" Sasuke set the bento down.
"No!" Naruto shouted. "That's Sakura's love bento! Don't waste it!"
"But he has Mangekyō techniques!"
Naruto's eyes burned.
"I know! But the only thing that can't be countered in this world is overwhelming speed!"
"After getting stabbed by Shin yesterday, I feel like my reflexes are back!"
"I'll use speed beyond his visual reaction to knock him down instantly!"
With that, Naruto turned into a golden streak and charged through the forest.
"Let's go, Kurama!"
"Don't be careless! His chakra is insanely strong!"
"Relax! I've got this!"
Akira's face entered Naruto's sight.
Anger surged in Naruto's eyes.
"Where did you take Uchiha Madara's body?! Tell me now!"
Whoosh!
The glowing golden fist suddenly slowed when it was less than a foot from Akira.
"Sorry. Within one foot… this is my domain."
Akira swayed lightly and slipped past.
From above, Madara chuckled.
Heh. Akira can dodge Limbo. Of course he can dodge your body flicker, Naruto.
If it were you fifteen years ago… maybe you'd have had a chance.
Boom!
The golden light smashed into a massive boulder, shattering it.
Naruto crouched amid the rubble, shocked.
"What was that… that feeling of delay?"
Akira turned his head and murmured,
"As expected of the most unpredictable ninja, Naruto. You gave me a very pleasant opening."
As long as you don't use Baryon Mode, you're just a stat monster in my eyes.
Like Obito's Kamui, my abilities naturally counter stat monsters.
Sasuke's Rinnegan is the only thing that's somewhat troublesome.
Bzz!
Akira's right eye focused on Naruto, glowing crimson.
—Toyomiketsu-no-Mikoto!
Crack!
A skeletal hand burning with dark silver aura burst out behind Naruto and seized him tightly.
Naruto stared in horror at the skeletal Susanoo that had appeared behind him out of nowhere.
"Susanoo?! How did it appear behind me instantly?!"
Toyomiketsu-no-Mikoto was the third ocular technique of Akira's right eye.
Like Midoba-no, it was inherited from his brother Jin.
This technique had two core properties:
It could store chakra or jutsu within the eye.
And it could release the stored technique directly at the point of focus through ocular power.
With Toyomiketsu-no-Mikoto, Akira could preload techniques in his right eye and release them freely in battle.
What it consumed was ocular power, not current chakra.
Susanoo.
Five-element ninjutsu.
Secret techniques.
As long as it was constructed from chakra, it could be stored.
Including… senjutsu chakra.
"Next, I'll be overusing my ocular techniques."
"This mode is necessary."
Bzz!
The sclera of Akira's eyes turned dark gray.
Mithril-like markings formed around his eyes and nose.
His chakra and presence became unfathomably deep.
"Akira… so you've mastered it too…" Madara murmured.
—Shikkotsu Forest Sage Mode!
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