Led by the Fourth Raikage, hundreds of Kumogakure shinobi climbed the towering Susanoo like ants scaling a tree, aiming for the head.
The Fourth Raikage, blazing with Lightning Release Chakra Mode, lived up to his title as the Blue Beast of the Hidden Cloud.
"Uzumaki Naruto! You dare offend Kumogakure?! I'll skin you alive even if it kills me!!"
He had already reached Susanoo's waist, his eyes burning with fury as he glared up at Naruto.
At that moment, Naruto's Tenseigan gleamed faintly again.
He stepped out of Susanoo's armored shell, his body floating freely above its head.
To the Hidden Cloud shinobi, he looked like a god descending—his arms slowly spreading wide.
This confused the Fourth Raikage.
'What is he doing? This is our chance! Without the giant's protection, we can take him down!'
"Just a little closer! Almost there!"
The Raikage roared, pushing upward with all his might.
But just as he neared Susanoo's shoulder, he heard a whisper.
"This village shall know pain."
"Ultra Shinra Tensei."
The Fourth Raikage didn't even have time to process the words.
An unimaginable repulsive force suddenly erupted from Naruto's floating form!
It was like being at the epicenter of a nuclear blast.
All the shinobi climbing upward—nearly a thousand in total—were instantly engulfed in the omnidirectional wave of force.
From above to below, the force ripped through the sky.
Even the elite Jōnin among them couldn't withstand it.
They fell like rain.
Crashing to the ground, every single one exploded like watermelons on impact.
The Fourth Raikage, with his unmatched physical strength and Lightning Armor, was the only one whose body didn't burst…
But he'd climbed the highest.
He took the brunt of the blow.
His bones shattered.
His blood vessels ruptured.
Even his internal organs were obliterated.
He crashed into the earth, forming a massive crater.
Lying there, flat on his back, he coughed up a mist of blood.
He couldn't move—not even a finger.
He could feel his life slipping away.
His eyelids weighed a thousand pounds, and his vision blurred.
In his final moments, he saw the figure floating high above, arms outstretched like a god.
"Why…? Why… us…?"
Even in death, the Fourth Raikage couldn't understand—
Why had Naruto done this to Kumogakure?
Naruto had released the Ultra Shinra Tensei primarily downward.
He deliberately weakened the force on Hinata's side to avoid harming her.
Even so, the center of Kumogakure was leveled into a massive crater.
Only then did Jiraiya finally arrive.
He caught sight of the towering Susanoo—its wielder floating above—and his eyes went wide.
"That's… Naruto?!"
Stunned, Jiraiya could hardly believe it.
'But Master Hiruzen said Susanoo was the Uchiha Clan's ultimate power…
How is Naruto using it?'
Had Naruto not looked so clearly like Minato's son, Jiraiya would've suspected Kushina had cheated.
He stared in silence, murmuring:
"Naruto… please, let you be the Child of Prophecy…
If not you, then who could possibly defeat you?"
With the battle done, Naruto dismissed Susanoo.
He followed the signal from Kagura's Mind Eye toward Hinata's location.
Boom!
A single punch shattered the prison wall.
As he entered the cell, a soft figure slammed into his chest like a startled fawn.
Hands still bound, Hinata buried her face into his chest.
Listening to his strong heartbeat, she felt completely safe—warm and calm.
So much so that she forgot to be shy.
She just wanted to hold on, to finally feel peace after all the fear.
Hinata's body had already begun to mature.
The soft pressure against Naruto's chest was impossible not to notice.
He gently wiped the dust from her face and said softly:
"Sorry. I'm late."
Hinata shook her head repeatedly.
"N-No… Naruto-kun… I'm just glad you came."
She knew exactly what fate awaited her in Kumogakure.
To become a breeding tool—
That was a future she would rather die than accept.
She had kept her composure in captivity.
But she had been terrified.
Now, in Naruto's arms, there was nothing left to fear.
—
Behind them, Kurenai, Kiba, and Shino stood silently.
Kurenai gazed at the boy who had just obliterated Kumogakure—
Yet was now holding Hinata with such tenderness.
The contrast was jarring.
And in her eyes, it stirred a strange, unnameable feeling.
Naruto undid Hinata's restraints.
Then turned to the others.
Kiba narrowed his eyes.
"Naruto, be honest with me… You're not human, are you?
There's no way a person can be that strong!"
"Kiba, don't be rude!"
Kurenai snapped.
She stepped forward and bowed.
"Naruto, thank you. Truly.
This wouldn't have happened if I had been strong enough to protect them."
"Yeah, you really are pretty weak."
Kurenai was momentarily speechless.
'Is this… how you speak to a grateful person?'
Naruto added:
"You can come to me sometime. I'll train you.
At least get you up to Kage-level or so."
"Huh? Training with you?"
Before she could respond, Naruto activated Flying Thunder God and brought them all back to Konoha.
And just like that…
The Fourth Raikage
The Two-Tails and Eight-Tails
Over 80% of Kumogakure's elites
—were annihilated.
Their top-tier power was wiped out.
From this day forward, Kumogakure would no longer be considered one of the Five Great Nations.
And it was all done…
By a single man.
The news exploded across the Shinobi World.
Uzumaki Naruto, the Jinchūriki of Konoha, had single-handedly destroyed Kumogakure.
The terrifying power of Susanoo—
Crushing two Tailed Beasts in his hand
One-shotting the Fourth Raikage
Annihilating nearly a thousand elite shinobi
The entire ninja world was shaken.
The Tsuchikage Ōnoki went pale when he heard the word "Susanoo."
The Sand Village fell into panic.
Only Mei Terumī of Kirigakure smiled faintly when she heard it was Naruto.
Even Tsunade was shocked.
She had expected Naruto to rescue Hinata.
But to do it alone—
And nearly destroy an entire village in the process?
If Naruto could do that to Kumogakure…
Then what could he do to Konoha?
The massive crater in the center of the Hidden Cloud proved every word of the rumors.
But the most terrified…
Were the people of Konoha.
They already feared Naruto after the Uzumaki Island incident.
Some still secretly resented him for imprisoning their relatives.
But now?
Not a single whisper of dissent remained.
They were so terrified, they were having nightmares about him.
One day later —
Land of Rain, a small country shrouded in eternal rainfall.
At the top of the tallest spire in Amegakure, a young man with spiky orange hair stood alone in the rain.
He wore the signature black cloak with red clouds.
Rain poured down his face, yet he didn't blink.
His handsome features were pierced with strange black rods, and he wore no expression.
Suddenly, a spiral-shaped vortex formed beside him.
Another figure appeared—
Clad in the same black-and-red cloak,
Wearing a swirling mask.