After three days of trekking, Naruto and his group reached the border of the Land of Lightning. After crossing several steep mountains, they finally arrived at Mount Tenrai on the third night.
Mount Tenrai stretched high into the clouds, shrouded in mist and echoing with deafening thunder.
At the summit, the mountain dipped into a vast basin—within it sat the hidden village of Kumogakure.
From a high ridge, Naruto and the others gazed down at the impressive village nestled in the clouds.
"This is Kumogakure, one of the strongest ninja villages in both military and economic power among the Five Great Shinobi Nations," Naruto muttered.
He activated the Rinnegan's observation mode and saw a layer of faint blue light, shaped like an upside-down bowl, covering the entire basin.
"Oh? That barrier is impressive."
Although Konan couldn't see the barrier herself, she understood it well.
"That's likely the Sky Punishment Barrier, a technique Kumogakure uses to protect the village. Anyone who enters it without permission is immediately detected and struck by lightning until they're eliminated. It's nearly impossible to break through by force."
Naruto asked, "Orochimaru, you once infiltrated Kumogakure and attacked the previous Eight Tails jinchūriki, Blue B. How did you get through their defenses back then?"
Orochimaru didn't ask how Naruto knew that. He simply replied,
"That was years ago. Back then, their barrier was a simple detection system, like Konoha's. It worked by using codes. If you had the right one, you could avoid detection. I did some reconnaissance, stole the code… and slipped in."
"Since that incident, Kumogakure replaced their old barrier with the Sky Punishment Barrier," Orochimaru explained.
"It no longer uses secret codes. Instead, every shinobi from the village is marked with a unique identifier. Anyone without that mark will trigger the lightning strikes."
Naruto frowned. "That makes it a lot harder to sneak in."
Orochimaru nodded. "Yes, I wouldn't be able to infiltrate it the same way again. The Sky Punishment Barrier was originally designed by the First Raikage. It's powerful, but still incomplete. It has some flaws—rarely, it can activate by mistake. Even villagers with the authentication mark have been struck by accident."
He smirked slightly. "There are cases of accidental deaths in Kumogakure every year. But naturally, the village keeps such incidents secret. Of course, the Raikage himself doesn't need to worry. His lightning armor is strong enough to withstand even the punishment from the heavens."
"I didn't know that," Naruto said, nodding thoughtfully.
Orochimaru asked, "So, what's the plan, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto raised his hand and formed a seal. "It's difficult—but not impossible."
Bang!
A Shadow Clone appeared beside him, holding a Flying Thunder God kunai in its mouth.
Naruto turned and said, "Kisame, use your strength and Samehada to assist my Shadow Clone."
"Heh, got it, got it," Kisame grinned, gripping Samehada tightly.
Ding!
Naruto's Shadow Clone jumped onto the back of Samehada's massive blade.
"Ahhh...!!" Kisame shouted as he swung the sword with all his strength!
Whoosh!
Using the momentum, Naruto's Shadow Clone shot upward, piercing through the clouds and entering the barrier.
Crack!
A thundercloud instantly gathered, and a bolt of lightning struck down. The Shadow Clone vanished in a flash of smoke, leaving a scorched crater below.
Naruto chuckled. "That was fast. He didn't even have time to dispel the clone. Sneaking in quietly really is impossible."
Whoosh!
He vanished, reappearing mid-air where the kunai had fallen, catching it with one hand. His cloak billowed as he landed steadily in the basin below.
The Rinnegan in his left eye glowed faintly.
"Well then... time for the next step."
He formed hand seals and pressed his palm to the ground.
—Summoning Technique!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Five bursts of white smoke appeared, revealing Konan, Orochimaru, Kisame, Suigetsu, and Jūgo standing beside Naruto.
Suigetsu looked stunned. "He actually did it…?"
Naruto stood up and said firmly, "Stick to the plan, create chaos in different areas and draw their attention. But remember: no killing."
Everyone replied, "Understood!"
Naruto waved his arm. "Scatter!"
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Aside from Konan, the other four, Orochimaru, Kisame, Suigetsu, and Jūgo rushed off in different directions: southeast, northwest, and northeast.
Konan warned, "There are many strong ninja in Kumo. Be careful."
Naruto nodded. "You too."
Swish…
Konan spread her arms as her body and clothes transformed into thousands of graceful paper butterflies, fluttering into the air.
Naruto looked toward the village and muttered, "If it were me, I'd keep the scroll with the secret technique in the safest place…"
He picked up his kunai and focused on a blue-roofed fortress at the center of the village the Raikage's residence.
…
At Kumo's Barrier Division
A hooded ninja said, "The barrier was triggered. Judging by the energy waves, the intruder had a clear goal and entered at high speed."
Another member glanced out the window at the calm sky. "The Heaven's Punishment lightning activates when an intruder is detected and keeps striking until they're dead. Since no second strike came, the intruder must've been eliminated."
The captain said, "We'll confirm after a field inspection. Just to be safe, dispatch a full combat unit to the Raikage's residence!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, loud explosions echoed from all directions.
"What's going on?!"
Swish!
A Kumo ninja rushed in. "We're under attack! Multiple strikes across the village at the same time!"
"Hm? So, there's more than one intruder—and one of them even managed to avoid the Sky Punishment Technique..."
The barrier team leader frowned. "This intruder is no amateur. Send support to the attack sites immediately. Also, use the Thunder Sound Transmission Technique to alert the Raikage and have him return to the village at once!"
"Understood!"
"No matter what, launching an attack on a powerful, organized ninja village like this is reckless. What could their goal be...?"
Gazing at the smoke rising outside the window, the leader murmured thoughtfully, "Could it be...?"
Meanwhile, a large number of Kumo Shinobi were mobilizing and rushing toward the areas under attack.
….
Disguised as a Kumo ninja using the Transformation Technique, Naruto quietly approached the Raikage's residence.
"This is going smoother than I expected…"
Suddenly—
"That's far enough, invader. Your clever tricks end here."
A voice cut through the silence. A calm, stern-looking ninja wearing a black eyepatch stood ahead, flanked by several Anbu.
Naruto's eyes widened slightly. Uncle Dodai?
He instantly recognized the man, Dodai, also known as "Earth Platform." During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Dodai had used his Lava Style to protect Naruto's Shadow Clones multiple times and had shown sharp judgment and high combat ability. Among ninja from other villages, he had left a lasting impression on Naruto.
Dodai spoke coldly, "Your plan has been exposed. You're stirring up chaos to distract us while targeting the Raikage's mansion directly."
Naruto stayed calm and replied, "Mr. Dodai, what are you talking about? I just got back to the village and was heading to report to Raikage-sama..."
Dodai's eyes scanned Naruto from head to toe. He spoke in a serious tone, "Drop the act. Your Transformation Technique as 'Samui' is impressive, but Samui left on an A-rank mission just three hours ago. There's no way she'd be back so soon."
"And besides, she never uses polite language with me, she always just calls me by name. Show your real face!"
Naruto glanced down at his disguise and sighed. "Really? I thought I nailed it. But I guess I walked right into a trap…"
Bang!
The Transformation Technique was released, and Naruto appeared in his fire-cloud cloak and mask—standing before the Kumo Shinobi in his true form.
Dodai's expression hardened. "That cloak… you're Akatsuki!"
Naruto said calmly, "Hikari Akatsuki. Remember that name, it'll be known across the entire ninja world."
Dodai replied coldly, "How arrogant. You and your allies won't make it out of Kumo alive. Attack!"
Crack!
In a flash of lightning, the Kumo Anbu surrounded Naruto using the Lightning Style: Body Flicker Technique.
Clang!
Their blades hit the ground in perfect sync. With one hand forming seals, they shouted in unison:
"Lightning Style: Lighting Strike!"
Naruto's left eye gleamed.
"Shinra Tensei!"
.
.
TO BE CONTINUED
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