It had already been three months since the "beloved Fifth Hokage-sama" was put on medical leave.
During this time, Naruto, while under the effects of the Earth Release: Added-Weight Rock Technique, finally managed to catch up to the speed of the Third Raikage.
That marked the completion of the first stage of his training.
Now, the second stage was about to begin.
"Impure World Reincarnation!" Naruto once again performed the forbidden technique, naturally using White Zetsu as the sacrifice. This time, in addition to Mū and the Third Raikage, he summoned a third body.
If the first stage of training had been purely about physical conditioning, then the second stage was its advanced form—actual combat.
"Lightning Release: Chakra Mode — Full Power!"
Blue lightning and chakra surged across the Raikage's entire body, his mane of hair standing rigid. His vitality exploded to its utmost limit, forming a barrier that was both chakra and thunder.
This was his trademark technique—the so-called "absolute defense": Lightning Release: Lightning Armor!
Another absolute defense revealed, following in the line of Kaiten, the Sand Armor, and Susanoo.
In this state, the Third Raikage's speed and defense both reached their peak. Even more outrageous, he could withstand—or outright nullify—nearly all attacks in the shinobi world. For ordinary opponents, it wasn't just about failing to hurt him—breaking his defense at all was a problem.
"Earth Release: Added-Weight Rock Technique!" Mū activated his familiar gravity technique once again, pressing down on the field.
"Brat, don't think that just because you barely managed to keep up with my speed, you can stop my attacks," the Raikage warned, unaware that Naruto had once beaten his son half to death.
"You sure you want to face me in this state—while even needing a third man to help you?"
As he spoke, a searing fist cleaved the air, heat rolling off it as though it might ignite the atmosphere itself. A blow filled with the breath of destruction came barreling toward Naruto.
"Of course." Naruto's voice was calm as his arm muscles bulged, bracing firmly to catch the Raikage's fist.
The two remained locked in place, contesting pure strength.
But despite the Raikage's feat of cutting off the Eight-Tails' horn, his power was still within human limits. Even bolstered by Lightning Armor, he was no match for Naruto.
With one motion, Naruto hurled him away.
"No matter how many times I see it, it's astonishing," the Raikage laughed, climbing back to his feet. "Other than my son and the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki, I never thought someone else could rival me in sheer physical toughness. Hahaha!"
"But don't underestimate a Kage."
Naruto's gaze was steady. "I've never underestimated any Kage."
"Then I won't hold back either!" The Raikage grinned, raising his right hand and silently folding down one finger.
"Hell Stab: Four-Finger Thrust!"
His ultimate technique—concentrating lightning nature chakra into a piercing strike. The fewer the fingers, the greater the power, earning it the name Strongest Spear. At one finger, it was his deadliest attack, said to pierce anything in existence.
"Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique."
At the same time, the third summon made his move. Unlike the taciturn Mū or the hearty Raikage, this man was a true schemer—striking only at the most critical moment.
The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
Though once sealed away by the Third with the Reaper Death Seal, undoing the bindings was child's play now that the Land of Whirlpools was under Uchiha control. When Naruto had "smuggled" the Fourth Hokage back, he had also taken the liberty of freeing both the First and Second Hokage's souls.
Darkness swallowed Naruto's vision whole. No light remained—an endless void as though the world itself had been stolen away.
This was Tobirama's anti-Uchiha genjutsu, crafted specifically to cripple Sharingan users. Of course, it worked well on others too.
But though surrounded by pitch-black, Naruto remained utterly calm. He simply closed his eyes—sight or no sight, it made little difference to him.
At the very moment the Raikage's spearhand was about to touch him, Naruto shifted slightly left, narrowly slipping past the deadly strike.
A sharp elbow then drove into the Raikage's gut. Only the astonishing durability of the Lightning Armor allowed him to endure it.
But Naruto didn't hit just once. He struck three times in succession.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Each blow sent violent shockwaves rippling through the Raikage's chakra, nearly shattering the armor.
The Raikage immediately used Lightning Body Flicker Technique to retreat.
"Kid, you're strong—stronger than anyone else your age. Even my son wasn't this powerful when he was young." The Raikage folded down another finger. Only three remained.
"Hell Stab: Three-Finger Thrust!"
His speed doubled.
Yet Naruto still evaded with ease. With the ability to sense his opponent's movements through ki, close-range battle was practically unfair.
"Water Release: Water Trumpet Technique!"
Tobirama unleashed a high-speed blast of water like a blaring horn, fierce and unrelenting.
"Water Release: Severing Wave!"
He followed with a thin, razor-like jet under extreme pressure. Both water techniques combined with the Raikage's thrust, converging on Naruto.
Naruto sidestepped the Water Trumpet, then his body seemed to ignite with a white aura. In that explosive state, a single palm shattered Tobirama's Severing Wave, and his follow-up punch slammed into the Raikage. The Lightning Armor cracked apart, half of the Raikage's body blasted away.
Were it not for the immortality of Impure World Reincarnation, he would have been killed outright.
So much for the "absolute defense." Against Naruto, it was little more than paper.
"Not enough!"
With the energy of ki coursing through him, Naruto's physical resilience had risen to the realm of the absurd.
And it wasn't only against physical attacks—he had gained resistance to elemental techniques as well.
Like when Nappa appeared at the start of Dragon Ball Z—his gathering energy alone summoned lightning from the heavens. Yet not only did those thunderbolts fail to harm him, they only boosted his presence all the more.
"Hell Stab: Two-Finger Thrust!"
Seeing Naruto's true strength, the Raikage grew serious. This was his second-strongest attack.
"Water Release: Heavenly Weep!"
Tobirama spat forth countless needle-like water bullets, each piercingly sharp and densely packed.
Naruto simply released another burst of ki, scattering the barrage before meeting the Raikage's two-finger thrust head-on.
The so-called strongest spear collapsed, along with half the Raikage's body once again.
Naruto's fists had already surpassed the limits of shinobi.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Biting Explosion!"
"Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!"
Two massive water techniques surged toward Naruto in tandem.
"Hell Stab: One-Finger Thrust!"
Only one finger remained.
The ultimate spear revealed itself—like an arrow loosed, straight at Naruto.
At the same time, Tobirama conjured a swirling vortex of water in his hand, condensing it into a spear spinning at incredible speed like a drill.
"Water Release: Hard Whirlpool Water Blade!"
"Flying Thunder God: Second Step!"
In the blink of an eye, Tobirama appeared behind Naruto, while the Raikage charged from the front.
The two closed in simultaneously—one before, one behind.
A perfect pincer.