Naruto: Maelstrom Of The Uzumaki

The soft grass swayed in the morning breeze, and a gentle river trickled nearby. The sun's rays glinted off the wet stones by the riverbank, creating a serene yet deceptive calm. Raiden sat shirtless on a large rock, his back exposed as a shadow clone meticulously cleaned the wounds running across it with hot water.

At his feet, a small pot of boiling water turned crimson with his blood.

"Hiss—" Raiden winced as the pain sharpened his focus. It had been two days since the attack, and the untreated wounds on his back were showing signs of infection. His body felt heavy, a faint fever leaving him slightly dazed, but his Uzumaki constitution kept him on his feet.

"There's not much distance left to the destination," he muttered, his voice low. "If I push myself, I can make it in a day… but I can't risk an ambush so close to the end. Better to rest and move tomorrow."

The shadow clone continued tending to his injuries, while Raiden gazed at the river, lost in thought. The events of the past few days replayed in his mind. The cruelty he had witnessed was far worse than anything depicted in manga or anime. Experiencing it firsthand gave him a chilling understanding of the harsh reality of the ninja world.

He recalled the massacres, the bodies of children and their guardians, and the unrelenting violence. For the first time, he understood why Kakashi's young heart turned cold, and why Itachi was driven to the extremes he chose. Their actions, shaped by the battlefield, seemed less incomprehensible now.

"The jutsu I've mastered so far aren't effective against powerful opponents," Raiden admitted to himself, frustration evident in his tone. "If I make it out of this alive, I need to expand my arsenal."

The fight against Tu had exposed glaring gaps in his skillset. His lack of offensive ninjutsu, poor accuracy with shuriken, and reliance on his young body's limited physical capabilities made him vulnerable. Despite his vast chakra reserves and high-level techniques like the Yin Seal and super strength, his age and inexperience limited their effectiveness.

He felt like a soldier with endless ammunition but no weapon to fire it.

"I can't rely on just high-level techniques," he thought bitterly. "I need practical skills. Otherwise, I'll never survive long enough to see the future."

"Pop!"

The shadow clone behind him dissipated, signaling that the wound treatment was complete. The feedback from the clone sent a twinge of pain through Raiden, but it was manageable. He resolved to rest for the remainder of the day, saving his strength for the journey ahead.

Raiden released additional hidden clones to extend the range of his Kagura's Mind Eye for better surveillance. He also set up barriers around his resting spot to ensure his safety. Exhaustion from days of traveling weighed heavily on him, and he soon drifted into a much-needed sleep.

By the time the sun set, Raiden was ready. After consuming a soldier pill, he began his journey under the cover of darkness. His heightened senses allowed him to navigate the terrain with ease, even in the dead of night. For once, the night proved to be an ally, shielding him from potential dangers.

When dawn broke, Raiden finally arrived at his destination: Wanming Temple, the final point of the assessment.

The temple loomed before him, its gates firmly shut. It felt eerily quiet, with no signs of guards or other participants. Raiden's unease grew. After several days, news of the attacks should have reached Konoha, and precautions should have been in place at the temple. Yet, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"There's no one within range of my perception," he noted, frowning. "Should I go in?"

Raiden hesitated. He had risked everything to reach the temple, but every instinct screamed that something was wrong. Leaving without investigating wasn't an option either.

"I'll prepare a seal and send in a shadow clone. If anything goes wrong, I can retreat immediately," he decided.

Hiding in a bush, Raiden pulled out a blank scroll from his pouch. Biting his finger, he began inscribing runes with his blood, the strokes precise and swift.

"Reverse Tetragram Seal!" he whispered.

The Reverse Tetragram Seal was a stationary sealing technique, designed to trap everything within a set radius upon activation. Unlike the Four Tetragram Seal, which could actively seek out targets, the Reverse variant required a fixed object as its center. Though slower and less versatile, it was ideal for Raiden's current needs.

After completing the seal, Raiden infused it with chakra, darkening the blood-red runes to a deep black. He handed the scroll to a shadow clone, which immediately darted toward the temple. Instead of using the front gate, the clone scaled the high wall on the side.

"Something's wrong…" Raiden murmured. He had lost his connection to the clone the moment it crossed the wall. "It didn't go out of range that quickly. Did it get dispelled?"

A sinking feeling settled in his chest. A barrier. That had to be the reason for the sudden loss of perception.

"This explains why I couldn't sense anything inside the temple. It's well-hidden. My sealing techniques still have a long way to go," he admitted.

Realizing the danger, Raiden crouched low and retreated further into the forest. If his clone had been discovered, it wouldn't be long before enemies came looking for him.

Inside the temple, the shadow clone had just landed. Its senses were immediately overwhelmed by the presence of numerous chakras, many of them overwhelmingly powerful. Even without direct confrontation, the oppressive aura left no doubt—several elite-level ninjas were inside.

(End of Chapter)

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