Naruto: I am the Hokage

"You're right." Namikaze Minato nodded lightly. Even the Wind Style: Rasengan could only temporarily break through the defense and couldn't cause substantial damage. He had no better method. Unless he released the Tailed Beast chakra from the scroll or entered Sage Mode. That would require time.

However, it wasn't just the Third Raikage and A who had help; he had help too. Kyohiko had long anticipated that the Third Raikage's abilities would be difficult to deal with and had stated he would enter Sage Mode before coming over. Counting the time… he should be here soon!

On the other side, A used a large-scale Lightning Release to destroy a patch of defending Flying Thunder God kunai tags, then smiled. "Minato, you were careless about one thing."

"Please, do tell." Minato was very polite.

A sneered. "We are waiting for our own people and accumulating strength. What are you waiting for? For Ryoho Kyohiko to run over from dozens of kilometers away? Or do you think he can also use the Flying Thunder God to get here?"

The Third Raikage sneered softly. His and A's positioning had already contained the few remaining Flying Thunder God kunai Minato had, and they were slowly closing in.

"But, I have mastered the Flying Thunder God and can leave at any time. What can you do to me?" A slight smile touched Minato's lips. He could already feel a faint spatial fluctuation coming from the previously constructed spatial channel. Because a space stabilization barrier was prepared in advance, the fluctuation was very small and almost imperceptible. But—that didn't include Namikaze Minato, the user of the technique.

He gripped his kunai. The next moment, a massive amount of chakra erupted from the Third Raikage. The powerful chakra almost became tangible, and then, at his shoulder, black lightning turned into dark clouds and swept towards the surroundings, covering the entire sky. The Third Raikage sneered, his arm like a silver-white spear, accompanied by streaks of lightning, closing in on Minato.

Boom! Black lightning raged. The entire space seemed to be locked, filled with turmoil and terror. This was an attack the Third Raikage had been accumulating for a long time. In an instant, he had approached Minato. At this moment, Minato could see clearly that the other's fingers had become one. On the other side, A's arm, like a knife, swung down. Liger Bomb and One-Fingered Thrust. A pincer attack from both sides, leaving no room to breathe.

But just as their attacks were about to hit him, Minato instantly disappeared and then reappeared beside A. It wasn't a space-time ninjutsu, but a simple Body Flicker Technique. Then—Swish!

The Third Raikage suddenly accelerated, punching the formed Rasengan.

Boom!

The chakras collided and exploded, creating a small shockwave. But at that very moment—

Bang!

Before A could understand what was happening, a huge cloud of dust erupted, followed by a vast presence rising. Then, he saw clearly. Above the forest, a figure was sent flying like a phantom. Immediately after, another person arrived with a body flicker. Leaf Shadow Dance! The difference was, in Sage Mode, Kyohiko didn't need to use the "Gate of Opening" from the Eight Gates; he could do it just with his own ability and speed.

The Third Raikage's cheeks trembled. Such force! Using his Lightning Release Armor combined with his own physique, even the Eight-Tails couldn't break his defense. But the attacker just now… who was he? Jiraiya? Impossible! Jiraiya should be in the Land of Hot Water!

The Third Raikage's mind went blank. He maintained the release of his chakra, keeping his Lightning Release Armor in its strongest state. But—another punch!

Bang, bang, bang!

A series of punches, yet the intense pain paradoxically made him even more excited. It had been a long… a very long time since anyone had made him feel such pain!

The Third Raikage gritted his teeth and held on. As he was hit by another punch, his shoulder shook, and his other hand struck at the opponent. At the same time, the black lightning on his arm erupted again.

Lightning Release: Black Panther!

The two moves combined, aiming to kill the person behind him. Tch! He felt his finger hit the opponent. A hit!

However, Bang! With one punch, his Black Panther was directly shattered. And his own strike seemed not to have harmed the opponent at all. The Third Raikage was secretly astonished. Such an ability was rare in the entire shinobi world. He realized who the opponent was. Ryoho Kyohiko! Jiraiya didn't have this kind of skill; only this mysterious genius had such an ability.

He suddenly turned in mid-air, his hand swinging back like a blade. The air was almost cut. However, what he hit was just an afterimage. Flying Thunder God. The Third Raikage understood everything. Not only Namikaze Minato had mastered the Flying Thunder God; Kyohiko had also mastered this ninjutsu. But he realized it a little too late.

The next second, the Third Raikage felt the attack was different.

Wind Style: Rasengan!

The one attacking him was Namikaze Minato. Then… He immediately sensed something was wrong. Sure enough, the Wind Style: Rasengan descended. Although the Third Raikage immediately countered with his shoulder, hitting Minato's hand, he himself took a solid hit.

The next second, a powerful attack followed. One finger! Chakra with infused Wind Release nature transformation took on a needle-like state and pierced into his body along with the finger. Tch! The destructive power of Wind Release, even the Lightning Release Armor couldn't block it. And Kyohiko's sage chakra was something the Third Raikage's body could not withstand. At this moment, the Third Raikage finally felt a more intense pain. Fortunately, he had dodged in time and wasn't hit directly. The Third Raikage immediately swept his hand horizontally, forcing Kyohiko back as well.

In an instant, he and his shadow clone, working together, had landed from the air. However, the Third Raikage didn't have long to be happy before he felt something was wrong. A strange chakra was growing inside him, seemingly absorbing and devouring his power, then giving birth to new chakra. The Raikage looked down, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. At his wound, a touch of green was quietly growing, disrupting his body's balance.

This was… a Wood Style ninjutsu!

I can't let this go on! Otherwise, we'll both die here. He coughed up a large mouthful of blood. The two opponents were fast; even without the Flying Thunder God, they could almost keep up with their speed. And A… he was fine for now, but if they targeted him, his defeat and even death were only a matter of time. The terror of the Flying Thunder God… he truly felt it this time. Especially when the Flying Thunder God was combined with Kyohiko's power. This was simply a combination of Senju Tobirama and Senju Hashirama.

How can they be so powerful when neither is a pure-blooded Senju descendant?

He didn't dare to be complacent. He clapped his hands, and his main body and shadow clone simultaneously released black lightning.

"Father!"

A flickered over, then was horrified. In his mind, his father's armor was an indestructible absolute defense, but at this moment, it was severely damaged. This… how is this possible?

The Third Raikage wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Go quickly! If we get entangled, it won't do us any good!"

"Yes!" A threw a punch, and a patch of trees behind him collapsed, creating chaos and propelling him backward. The trees and lightning, combined with the double Black Panther, wove an electric net, cutting off Kyohiko and Minato's pursuit.

However, the next moment, two figures simultaneously appeared beside them. Then… Swoosh! A and Namikaze Minato disappeared at the same time.

"A!" the Third Raikage was furious, and he swept a blow at Kyohiko. One-Fingered Thrust… just a slight graze, before it even touched, a cut appeared on Kyohiko's arm. And this was while Kyohiko was in Sage Mode. If he weren't in Sage Mode, Kyohiko really wouldn't have had an easy time fighting the Raikage. This guy was truly terrifying! So, he chose to "kidnap" the easier future Fourth Raikage, A, instead of this Third Raikage.

Kyohiko took a step back, and the wound on his arm quickly healed under the effect of the Creation Rebirth technique. The Third Raikage's eyes narrowed. This guy… proficient in taijutsu, ninjutsu, and medical ninjutsu. And he even masters this strange power, and the legendary Wood Style! Is there anything he can't do?

Furthermore, his mind quickly thought about how the opponent had used Flying Thunder God to appear beside them just now. It probably wasn't from A. More likely… him! The Third Raikage looked at his chest. A seedling was growing there, chakra spreading, drawing the shape of a Flying Thunder God formula. As expected. He looked up at Ryoho Kyohiko.

"You and Namikaze Minato working together are terrifyingly strong."

Individually, Namikaze Minato and Ryoho Kyohiko were also very strong. But in the Third Raikage's view, dealing with either one of them alone was still relatively manageable. Working together… even he had a very difficult time dealing with them. Unless he could find a way to prohibit the Flying Thunder God. Otherwise—even if the opponent was in a disadvantageous situation, they could just use Flying Thunder God to leave like before. Defeating the two of them together was almost a fantasy.

"This is not the time for compliments. Danzo has already felt your compliments firsthand," Kyohiko said faintly. Sage chakra was powerful, but it was also consumed very quickly. Especially since he had just used a long-distance Flying Thunder God. But if the Raikage still wanted to fight, he had another wood clone he could release and merge with. So he was fearless, standing about ten steps away from the Third Raikage.

"Raikage-sama, if you don't want anything to happen to your son, it's best to send someone to Konoha to make things clear. Otherwise… I will have to assume that you collaborated with the Konoha rogue-nin Danzo, with ill intentions towards my Land of Fire! At that time, it's not impossible to declare war."

The confidence on Kyohiko's face made the Third Raikage very dissatisfied, but his son's situation also worried him. The Third Raikage took a deep breath. It had been a long time since he had been threatened like this, but he had to admit, the opponent's goal was very clear, making him have to admire and accept it.

From behind, figures rapidly approached. The first to arrive was naturally Killer Bee. "Raikage-sama, where's big bro?" Killer Bee looked around but didn't see A. Instead, he saw Konoha's Ryoho Kyohiko, and he immediately sensed something was wrong. Could it be that big bro…

Kyohiko smiled slightly and greeted very politely, "Killer Bee-senpai, Konoha also welcomes your arrival. I think there is room for a deal between us."

The Third Raikage understood. "You want the method to control a Jinchuriki?"

"Not control. You should know what we want," Kyohiko said faintly.

The Third Raikage took a deep breath. "Let A return, and we can talk about anything."

"A-senpai will be fine, provided… you should understand." After Kyohiko finished speaking, he bowed politely and then disappeared with the Flying Thunder God.

During their exchange, Killer Bee rarely spoke—he was worried that his every word and action would affect his big brother's safety and the future of the village. It wasn't until the other party left that he said in a low voice, "Raikage-sama, big bro he…"

"He will be fine." The Third Raikage closed his eyes, looking at the seedling on his chest that had formed words. He took a deep breath, and was about to pull it out directly…

"Raikage-sama, let us do it!" A young man quickly ran up. Behind him, the medical team hurried to catch up.

C. This name also carried the meaning of inheritance. The young man before him was the next "C" designated by the Third Raikage. He was silent for a long time, then nodded lightly. A few minutes later, the seedling was finally removed. It was rooted in his flesh, absorbing the Third Raikage's chakra. After being separated from the flesh, it immediately withered and dissipated. Looking at its pattern, the Third Raikage understood. His own carelessness and haste had harmed his son. If he hadn't been in a hurry and had removed the chakra from his chest first, A wouldn't have been kidnapped. But it was too late to say anything now.

However, all of this was because… he had been invincible for too long! Especially after fighting the Eight-Tails, he almost thought no one in the world could break his absolute defense, which was why he acted so recklessly. Today, he had finally stumbled. The Third Raikage sighed.

"This defeat was indeed due to my arrogance. Fortunately, it didn't cause too much loss…"

Invincible? Myself like this, it was truly laughable.

"Raikage-sama." The surrounding ninjas showed worry.

After a brief period of depression, the Third Raikage looked at everyone's concerned gazes and suddenly laughed heartily again. "Hahaha! It's nothing, everyone, don't worry. I will go and explain to Daimyo-sama, and this time was just trying our luck anyway." Then, he stood up. "The operation failed. Let's go, we'll return to the ship first."

"Big bro…" Killer Bee was still worried.

The Third Raikage patted his shoulder. "Let's go, your big brother will be fine." He walked very slowly, each step heavy, as if he had lost his former spiritedness and invincible demeanor.

Killer Bee closed his mouth, not daring to say anything more. He realized—compared to himself, the Third Raikage, as a father, was actually the one who cared most about A. It was just that Raikage-sama needed to hide his emotions… He followed silently behind.

The Raikage was reflecting. The reason Konoha's two could defeat him and A was because their speed could keep up with them, and they had both mastered powerful Wind Style ninjutsu. What about their Kumogakure? Taijutsu, kenjutsu, and Lightning Release. Although there were some scattered ninjas who mastered other types of ninjutsu, there weren't many. But… researching ninjutsu required funds, talent, and equipment.

If only they could have gotten Danzo! The Third Raikage sighed inwardly. This time, it was truly a case of trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice. A huge loss!