The Lateral Bolt of Pain struck fiercely against the Four Red Yang Formation, but the barrier remained unshaken!
Yet, Raikage showed no signs of giving up. His hand chops moved so fast they left afterimages, each accompanied by a resounding shout.
"Lateral Bolt of Pain – Thousand Generations Dance!"
"Lateral Bolt of Pain – Thousand Generations Dance!!"
"Lateral Bolt of Pain – Thousand Generations Dance!!!"
Gradually, however, his voice grew hoarse, and his energy began to wane.
"Hah!!"
"Hah!!!"
"Hah!!!!"
"Hah!!!"
From a distance, the Kumogakure ninjas stood helpless. "Shouldn't we stop the boss, Lord Dodai?" one of them asked.
Dodai gazed at the Raikage, whose sweat-drenched figure continued to attack relentlessly. His expression was a mix of resignation and foresight. "You lot, go to the market in the Land of Rain and buy some ingredients."
"Ingredients? Why not just buy ready-made food?"
"That would be too expensive," Dodai replied. "We'll cook here ourselves."
"Wouldn't that be too conspicuous?"
"Hah!!"
"Hah!!"
"Hah!!!!"
"Hah!!!!!"
In the distance, the Raikage was still going strong with his relentless moves.
"Is there anything more conspicuous than that?" Dodai said, sitting on the ground. His tone was low and calm. "Besides, there's no place in the ninja world right now that's simultaneously safer and more dangerous than here."
"Understood, Lord Dodai!" A group of Kumogakure ninjas headed to the market in the Land of Rain to purchase ingredients.
Dodai turned to the remaining group. "The rest of you, set up the tents. We're camping here tonight."
"Yes, Lord Dodai!"
Dodai added thoughtfully, "Also, bring out the Raikage's portable toilet, and make sure to set up a curtain for privacy. After all, he's our Raikage, and he must maintain his dignity."
The group quickly got to work, unloading the steel-reinforced portable toilet from the Raikage's carriage and placing it on the empty ground behind him, ready for use once he exhausted himself.
With everything arranged, Dodai lay down to rest. The exhaustion from days of travel and sleepless nights had left him with dark circles under his eyes.
"Hah!"
"Hah!!"
"Hah!!!"
"Hah!!!!!"
The Raikage's shouts echoed in his ears as Dodai's eyelids grew heavy. He silently hoped, Maybe when I wake up, Lord Raikage will have calmed down.
The commotion outside reached those within the barrier.
At the base of the Rain Tower, a massive crystal ball displayed a live feed of the Raikage's antics as he hammered away at the Four Red Yang Formation.
"Second-in-command...???" Darui, who had been subdued by Naruto's Kotoamatsukami back on Paradise Island, stared blankly at the scene.
Darui's missing left arm had been replaced with a mechanical prosthetic.
"Lady Konan," said Violet, stepping forward, "that brute is so disrespectful. Allow me to deal with him!"
Konan, her voice calm and cold, replied, "There's no need. Let him be."
"But," Violet hesitated, "if he keeps this up and actually breaks the barrier, Lord Naruto's hundred-day plan—"
"Relax," Konan reassured her. "This barrier can withstand even the Tailed Beast Bomb from the Ten-Tails."
Violet blinked in confusion. "I've heard Lord Naruto and Lady Konan mention the Ten-Tails often. Is it really that powerful? More so than the Nine-Tails?"
After a moment's thought, Konan replied, "To put it in a somewhat crude analogy, if the Nine-Tails is like Sakura Haruno, then the Ten-Tails is like Samui."
With that, she turned and left, leaving Violet deep in thought.
Sakura Haruno is stronger than Samui, right? Does that mean the Ten-Tails isn't as strong as the Nine-Tails? If that's the case, then as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, Lord Naruto must truly be the strongest. Hehehe.
In the deepest part of the Hell Valley, a forbidden area within Amegakure, hundreds of White Zetsu were chained together and huddled in a corner.
Boom! Boom!
Outside the stone chamber, the thunderous sounds of the Heavenly Thunder Pillars suddenly ceased.
The White Zetsu froze, their hearts pounding in their chests.
That silence meant only one thing: He was done training for the day.
Tap. Tap.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor, and a suffocating pressure filled the air. The White Zetsu held their breaths, not daring to make a sound.
He's coming...
He's going to use that cursed Kotoamatsukami on us again!
Close your eyes! Don't meet his gaze!
Tap.
Two White Zetsu carrying candelabras led the way.
"Careful of the threshold, Lord Naruto," one of them said.
"Appreciated," Naruto replied.
Naruto placed a hand on the doorframe and stepped over the threshold.
Behind him, four White Zetsu carefully lifted the hem of his Fire Cloak, ensuring it didn't brush against the ground.
Naruto walked straight to the throne and closed his eyes to rest.
The two candelabra-bearing White Zetsu stood on either side of him, while the four who had carried his cloak began massaging his shoulders and back. Their technique was unrefined but earnest.
Naruto murmured, "Better than yesterday. You've improved."
The White Zetsu were overjoyed. "To receive Lord Naruto's praise is the greatest honor!"
After a moment, Naruto opened his eyes, resting his chin on his hand as he gazed at the trembling White Zetsu before him. His voice was low and ominous. "So, who will be today's lucky one?"
The White Zetsu kept their eyes tightly shut, the oppressive atmosphere suffocating them.
In the past three days, six White Zetsu had already been turned. Those remaining couldn't help but feel a sense of impending doom.
From beside Naruto, one of the candelabra-bearing White Zetsu spoke up. "Fellow comrades, stop resisting. Surrendering to Lord Naruto is our only path forward. I say this for your own good!"
"Shut up! You spineless coward!" one of the chained White Zetsu shouted. "Untie me! I'd rather bash my head against the wall than follow his orders!"
Two White Zetsu reacted with fierce defiance.
"Such courage," Naruto said, a faint smile on his lips. "I admire it. Very well, let's decide then."
Naruto stood and approached the two defiant White Zetsu.
"Stay... stay away!" they stammered, trembling like frightened deer.
Naruto reached out and forced one of them to open its eyes. Bloodshot from fear, its gaze locked with his.
Sizzle!
Naruto's eyes transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Kotoamatsukami!
In an instant, the White Zetsu's tense expression relaxed.
Clink!
The chains fell away as it stood, bowing respectfully. "Lord Naruto, thank you for waiting!"
"Hmm." Naruto nodded faintly and turned to the second White Zetsu.
"No! Someone stop this demon!" it cried out, its voice filled with despair.
Kotoamatsukami!
But with the activation of the technique, the second White Zetsu succumbed as well.
"Lord Naruto, please forgive my earlier rudeness. You are the angel sent to save us!"
"See you tomorrow, my harmless little companions," Naruto said, his Sharingan fading as he left the chamber.
The nightmare for the remaining White Zetsu continued.
Two months passed.
With frequent use of Kotoamatsukami, Naruto's vision had noticeably deteriorated. Blindness was now just around the corner.
One day, Darui came to the depths of Hell Valley to meet Naruto.
"Lord Naruto, Lady Konan has entrusted me with an important piece of intelligence to deliver to you!"
Naruto took the scroll from him.
It contained information gathered by the Sunagakure ANBU about the whereabouts of Kabuto Yakushi.
After reading it, Naruto's gaze sharpened. "It's time to acquire Shisui's left eye."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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