Facing Kurosuki Raiga's boastful words, all four fell silent.
Even the normally talkative Naruto Uzumaki was composed in battle.
This was due to the influence of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki within him.
Sasuke Uchiha, on the other hand, acted more directly—his hands formed seals rapidly.
[Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!]
A burst of scorching flame instantly transformed into a massive fireball.
As raindrops fell and made contact, they evaporated into steam, creating a faint mist.
"Raiga."
Ranmaru, standing behind Raiga, warned, "He's behind us."
"You mean there's another person?"
Hinata Hyuga's expression turned surprised.
Because she hadn't detected Ranmaru at all just now.
Or more accurately, her Byakugan had detected no trace of his chakra.
"Oh?"
Raiga raised an eyebrow, chuckling. "Hmm, interesting."
He drew his twin swords and crossed them before his chest.
His chakra surged like lightning coiling around the blades before shooting into the sky.
The natural thunder responded, a bolt crashing down and piercing through the giant fireball.
His swords' full name was [Fangs of Lightning], one of the seven legendary ninja blades from Kirigakure, perfectly suited for Lightning Release techniques.
To put it simply, they functioned like oversized lightning rods.
They harnessed existing lightning in the air to amplify the power of his Lightning Release.
As the fireball erupted, sparks flew and the mist grew denser.
Suddenly, thunder rumbled again and again.
Sasuke Uchiha, now with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated, charged forward holding a crackling Lightning Cutter.
"Sharingan?"
Kurosuki Raiga wasn't fazed—in fact, he grinned. "So you're from the Uchiha clan. This means I'll have to hold a funeral for you now."
[Lightning Blade Technique: Thunder Gate!]
He crouched low, slamming both swords into the ground as arcs of lightning spread outward.
In an instant, countless bolts rained down directly in front of him, resembling a swarm of writhing snakes, surrounding Sasuke Uchiha completely.
"Kid," Raiga sneered arrogantly. "Playing with lightning in front of me? You're still too green."
Clearly, Raiga didn't take seriously a ten-year-old Genin.
"Stay safe!"
A youthful, anxious voice rang out—Ranmaru.
Raiga paused briefly.
But Sasuke had already emerged unscathed from the storm of lightning, appearing right in front of him.
The glow of electricity from his right hand reflected clearly in Raiga's eyes.
Raiga's expression changed drastically—but his experience saved him. As he stepped back, he yanked his swords free and blocked immediately.
[CRASH!]
The Lightning Cutter struck both blades head-on.
A powerful force surged through Raiga's arms.
He staggered back several meters before regaining his footing.
Sasuke Uchiha frowned slightly.
He had been momentarily affected by some sort of genjutsu interference—from Ranmaru behind him.
Still composed, Sasuke instantly used flash movement to reappear in front of Raiga.
Taking advantage of Raiga's instability, he reached straight for Ranmaru.
But Raiga wouldn't allow that—he left behind a wooden decoy where he stood.
[Lightning Release: Thunder Dragon Tornado!]
Appearing not far from Sasuke, Raiga slashed downward with both swords.
Electricity erupted and spiraled before him.
A brilliant blue lightning dragon formed into a tornado and shot forward fiercely.
"Haha! Die already!"
Raiga Kurosuki glared intensely at Sasuke Uchiha, then laughed arrogantly again. "I'll definitely hold a magnificent funeral for you!"
"Has anyone ever told you not to look into my eyes?"
Sasuke Uchiha's Sharingan eyes suddenly flared.
[Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique]!
Raiga momentarily saw stars, instantly feeling as though his limbs had been pinned by phantom stakes, immobilizing him.
But the genjutsu only lasted briefly before it was dispelled.
"Good job, Ranmaru!"
Raiga's smile never wavered.
He naturally knew better than to look into the eyes of someone from the Uchiha clan.
But he had Ranmaru.
He wasn't fighting alone—he had Ranmaru by his side.
"Stay safe!"
Ranmaru urgently warned.
From within the howling whirlwind of lightning, Sasuke Uchiha charged forward, his body crackling with electricity.
[Chidori Current]!
The lightning could serve both defensive and offensive purposes.
In mid-air, countless bolts rained down from above with Sasuke at the center.
[Lightning Release: Thunderclad Armor]!
Raiga reacted quickly.
Electricity coated his body.
Meanwhile, Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga easily defeated the remaining four Kurosuki Family ninja.
Since Sasuke had explained beforehand, neither of them made further moves.
Hinata didn't seem particularly affected, but Naruto Uzumaki watched the battle with obvious envy.
"Separate Raiga and Ranmaru."
Natsume observed for a moment before speaking.
Though the situation appeared evenly matched, Sasuke Uchiha was actually at a disadvantage.
With Ranmaru's presence, many of his techniques were nullified.
Upon hearing this, Hinata Hyuga lifted her Banishing Bow.
Three arrows shot forward.
Naruto Uzumaki also dashed forward, enveloped in howling winds that boosted his speed dramatically.
"Raiga!"
Ranmaru shouted anxiously.
Sasuke Uchiha noticed his teammates' movements even earlier.
Although slightly displeased, he still chose to cooperate.
Lightning appeared in his right hand, resembling a blade, and slashed toward Raiga.
At the critical moment,
Raiga raised his twin swords to block the Lightning Cutter.
The sheer force sent him reeling backward.
Taking advantage of the situation, he dodged the three arrows.
But the next instant, the arrows reversed course.
A searing pain lanced across his back.
"Ranmaru!"
This chapter isn't over yet—more excitement coming!
Ignoring his injuries, Raiga leapt forward, trying to grab Ranmaru who had rolled away.
But Naruto Uzumaki beat him to it.
As Raiga nearly burst with rage, he watched Naruto scoop up Ranmaru and flee.
"Give me back my Ranmaru!"
Instinctively, Raiga rushed after Naruto Uzumaki.
Without hesitation, Sasuke Uchiha launched a flying kick.
[Leaf Whirlwind]!
Since Naruto trained frequently with Rock Lee,
he had also picked up some basic taijutsu techniques too.
Raiga, blinded by fury, failed to notice Sasuke Uchiha entirely.
He took a direct hit, crashing heavily to the ground, his entire body trembling as if it might shatter.
"Ranmaru!"
Howling in fury, Raiga sprang to his feet instantly, raising his twin swords high above his head.
[Lightning Release: Heaven-Cleaving Thunder Serpent]!
Brilliant lightning twisted into countless serpentine arcs, coiling and crackling around him.
His twin swords felt like an extension of his very body.
Sasuke Uchiha's eyes narrowed as a storm of lightning surged toward him.
[Fire Release: Great Dragon Flame Jutsu!]
A surge of chakra erupted from him, rapidly condensing into three colossal dragons before him.
The moment the fire dragons plunged into the lightning storm, a violent chain reaction erupted.
In a flash, Sasuke shot forward.
Guided by his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he danced across the battlefield like a shadow, evading the writhing lightning serpents with effortless grace.
"Die! Die! Die!"
Roaring furiously, Raiga Kurosuki poured even more chakra into his technique with reckless abandon.
The three fire dragons were quickly consumed by the onslaught.
Still, they couldn't land a single hit on Sasuke.
On the contrary, it gave him the perfect opening to close the gap.
[Lightning Cutter!]
Sasuke came hurtling down from above, a piercing screech like a thousand birds tearing through the air.
Raiga Kurosuki felt an intense sense of danger. Just as he prepared to cancel his [Lightning Release: Heaven-Cleaving Thunder Serpent], his vision turned completely crimson.
He'd forgotten—Ranmaru was gone now.
[Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu!]
His body froze for a moment, then was instantly sliced clean in half by the lightning.
Sasuke remained expressionless, stepping back a few paces to avoid the spraying blood.
Letting out a breath, he suddenly smiled.
So this was one of the Seven Swords of the Mist—nothing special after all!
He crouched down and retrieved Raiga Kurosuki's twin blades.
Truthfully, he had wanted these two for quite some time.
They significantly boosted the power of Lightning Release jutsu.
But fighting with two blades wasn't quite his thing.
Once back home, he planned to have them reforged into a proper katana.
Naruto Uzumaki stepped forward, his face pale.
He hadn't quite gotten used to seeing someone die so violently.
Still, he understood that killing was common among ninja.
As for Sasuke, having witnessed the night of his clan's massacre, he clearly wasn't affected at all.
"Too bad."
Naruto soon regained his usual composure and spoke.
On this mission, he had only defeated four low-ranking henchmen—hardly satisfying.
Sasuke, however, was quite pleased.
Although Raiga Kurosuki had been greatly weakened by losing Ranmaru, he was still one of the Seven Swords.
In other words, Sasuke had reached the level of a Jonin.
Once he awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, he'd finally have the power to take revenge on that man!
Natsume wasn't surprised that Sasuke had defeated Raiga Kurosuki.
After all, in the original story, Raiga had been beaten by four Genin: Naruto Uzumaki, Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten.
The Seven Swords carried great fame, but in Natsume's opinion, only Kisame Hoshigaki could truly be considered top-tier.
The rest were barely stronger than average Jonin.
With the battle over, it was time to handle the aftermath.
The Fangs of Lightning had already been collected by Sasuke.
From his expression, it was clear he truly liked the weapon.
Well, given how much it amplified Lightning Release techniques, it made sense.
However, Natsume himself didn't particularly care for it—he might just give it to his apprentice.
Technically speaking, they should report it and hand it over to Konoha Village.
But being the Hokage gave him leeway—nobody would dare question how he handled a single weapon.
The Seven Swords were symbolic to Kirigakure.
Under normal circumstances, they'd try to negotiate its return in exchange for political concessions.
Fortunately, Natsume had good relations with Mei Terumī, so there wouldn't be any rash actions taken by the Hidden Mist Village over just one blade.
In any case, Sasuke Uchiha was now in their possession.
The more complicated issue was what to do with Ranmaru.
In the original story, he had been moved by Naruto Uzumaki and, after losing Raiga Kurosuki, ended up working at Curry of Life until the end of his days.
But that process no longer existed now.
And his relationship with Raiga Kurosuki was similar to that between Zabuza Momochi and Haku.
Natsume had good reason to believe that once he woke up, he'd commit suicide.
If so, better erase his memories.
Primarily because his red eyes were intriguing.
Take him back to Konoha Village—perhaps he could form the basis of a new ninja clan.
Additionally, those red eyes were a natural counter to the Byakugan.
Quite useful indeed.
"Naruto, tie Ranmaru up."
Natsume issued the order after reaching this conclusion.
Although Ranmaru looked cute, he was still a boy.
Natsume had no interest in him.
Naruto Uzumaki didn't seem to grasp his reasoning but followed the order and bound him anyway.
The group of four, plus their prisoner, entered the mine together.
There were still many remaining members of the Kurosuki Family.
All of them were handed over to Naruto Uzumaki.
Natsume and the other two proceeded directly to the room where Raiga Kurosuki was located.
Besides jade stones and gold, it mainly contained his Lightning Release techniques.
His Lightning Release techniques were almost always used in conjunction with his weapon, the Fangs of Lightning.
So naturally, Sasuke Uchiha claimed them without hesitation.
Natsume swept the room with his gaze. He couldn't help but admit that Raiga Kurosuki had lived a pretty miserable life.
There wasn't much of real value here.
The Fangs of Lightning was practically their family treasure.
Natsume made a trip to Konoha Village and asked Izumi Uchiha to take control of the Kogane Mine.
Since she was also a member of the Providence Organization, she was the best choice to handle it—and could coordinate with Ena Uzumaki anytime.
Sansho Granny's grandson, Rokusuke, was also located.
He had joined the Kurosuki Family because he believed running a curry shop had no future.
In the original story, he too was convinced by Naruto Uzumaki's Talk No Jutsu.
But Natsume didn't have time for persuasion—he dealt with him by force instead.
Three thousand words. For those interested, check out a Douluo Alternate Universe fanfic titled "Seedling," written by a friend from Naruto's Discord server.
[End of Chapter]
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