The Third Hokage: First Move Send Danzō to Prison

A single high-speed slash.

On the surface, it looked like Uzumaki Naruto, a mere genin, couldn't react in time. Stunned, he was cut cleanly in two by the cold, expressionless Darui.

The golden staff in his hand fell from his slackened grip, plummeting to the ground. Without its summoner, the transformation would soon dispel.

It was done. Darui let out a breath of relief. Time to retreat.

"Extend, Power Pole!"

Naruto's bisected body suddenly burst into a puff of smoke.

A Shadow Clone!

And from the falling staff, the real Naruto transformed midair.

It had been a Transformation Jutsu!

Now, after long years of training under Jiraiya, Uzumaki Naruto officially entered the battle!

The staff in Naruto's hands lengthened in an instant, smashing straight into Darui's midsection. At the last second, Darui twisted his body and raised his blade to block. If it hadn't been a specially forged chakra weapon, he would've been smashed to pieces, blade and all.

But Naruto wasn't done yet.

The staff's tip suddenly morphed, transforming into the fierce true form of Enma the Monkey King. The beast's jaws opened wide, fangs flashing as it lunged for Darui's throat.

"Lightning Style: Instant Burst!"

Darui unleashed a powerful blast of chakra, damaging his own internal organs in the process. He narrowly escaped the crushing bite, thrown violently backwards by the shockwave. He tumbled through the air before landing on one knee, steadying himself.

But he was knocked from atop Gamabunta's head. Getting back up there wouldn't be so easy now.

This kid…

Wiping away the blood from his nose brought on by the earlier blow Darui stared up at the toad's head. The golden-haired boy rested the staff on his shoulder, arms draped casually across it, outlined dramatically against the light. The image was almost heroic.

And Naruto wasn't finished yet.

"Rasengan!"

Darui had just stabilized his footing when dozens of Naruto's clones surged toward him from every direction, each with a glowing Rasengan spinning in hand.

Forced to activate his Lightning Style chakra again, Darui dodged desperately. The Rasengan attacks gouged out craters from the earth around him.

And still more clones came, dragging giant chakra spheres with them as they charged.

"This is ridiculous… Getting pushed back by a single kid?"

Now on the defensive, Darui could only dodge and dismantle the Shadow Clones. A direct hit would mean losing half his life.

That one on top of the toad… might not even be the real one. Smart kid.

A flurry of laser beams tore through the surrounding clones, dispersing them in smoke. Darui narrowly dodged an aerial Rasengan from above.

To be this skilled at his age… Raikage-sama was right.

Though Darui had doubted the Raikage's concerns earlier, he now understood just how dangerous Naruto could become if allowed to grow.

On top of Gamabunta, Naruto grinned. "How was that, Grandpa Enma? Pretty clever, right?"

A single eye popped open from the staff, and the Monkey King praised him. "Brilliant strategy."

Gamabunta snorted, reluctant but acknowledging the boy's success.

Not far away, Shizune clutched her chest in relief from atop Katsuyu.

Then suddenly 

A flash of lightning tore through the air. It wasn't teleportation, just sheer speed.

Lightning Style: Liger Bomb Thunder Axe!

Time seemed to freeze.

Shizune's eyes widened in horror as she saw the Raikage appear above Naruto, too fast to warn him.

Gamabunta tried to leap back. Enma half-shifted from the staff, baring his teeth. Even the Monkey King roared at Naruto to defend himself.

"Don't underestimate the Hidden Cloud, you brat!"

Too late.

With his chakra armor at full output, the Raikage descended like a meteor.

Crack!

A sickening crack of bones. Naruto's spine was shattered under the Raikage's blow, his body contorting backwards in an unnatural arc. He was struck. This one didn't seem like a clone.

Naruto… was dead. His eyes still held a trace of confidence.

If the Raikage's original goal had been to take the Nine-Tails jinchuriki back to the Cloud, seeing how this mere child had forced Darui into a corner left him with no other choice.

A child like this, allowed to grow in such a chaotic world, would become a threat too great to ignore.

Carrying Naruto's limp body, the Raikage gave a cold snort. He sidestepped Enma's enraged attack, ducked under Gamabunta's blade, and leapt away from Katsuyu's acid spray. He was just about to issue the retreat command.

But a rain of laser beams blocked his escape route. Darui arrived at his side, glancing at Naruto's body with a conflicted expression.

"Raikage-sama. Is it done?"

The Raikage nodded, about to speak 

Poof!

Naruto's "corpse" vanished in a puff of smoke.

Again? A clone!

"Rasengan! Rasengan! Rasengan!"

More clones rained from above, descending with Rasengans for the signature "Hat Trick Slam" bombarding the Raikage and Darui.

The real Naruto climbed out of Gamabunta's mouth, jogged up to his head, and stood proudly with his arms crossed, laughing. "Fooled you again! That clone cost me a ton of chakra, by the way!"

The durability and resilience of Shadow Clones depended heavily on the user's skill. Most clones shattered like glass upon injury. But a skilled shinobi like the Third Hokage could keep them active even while coughing blood. His clones had even performed Reaper Death Seal while mortally wounded.

Naruto had always been a prodigy with Shadow Clones, and now, after being trained by both Jiraiya and the Third Hokage, he had reached a whole new level.

Enma, still in monkey form, praised him once more. "Naruto, your talent really is incredible."

He reverted back into the Power Pole, which flew into Naruto's hand. Naruto twirled it with flair.

At this point, Naruto might as well have been a respawning NPC.

A surge of lightning exploded, clearing the clones in a flash. The Raikage's expression turned pitch black.

He'd made the same mistake as Darui. A veteran like him, fooled by the same trick.

How could this yellow-haired brat spam such a dangerous technique like Shadow Clones as if it cost nothing? It was outrageous.

In that moment, the Raikage was brought back to the day he once clashed with Minato Namikaze. A bitter memory.

So he really is that man's son…

"If I can't tell which is the real one, I'll just kill them all. Start with this damn toad!"

Lightning burst around him like wildfire. The Raikage instantly switched tactics.

He charged Gamabunta.

The Cloud ninja shifted formation immediately. Darui and the rest launched long-range ninjutsu in coordination with the Raikage. Katsuyu's support was cut off. Her acid barrier evaporated against the intense heat of Lightning Release.

Under the leadership of their battle-hardened lion of a leader, the Cloud shinobi surged with renewed strength.

Just as ordinary shinobi could do nothing against the Sannin's summoned beasts, those same beasts had no good counter against true Kage-level opponents. In high-tier battles, summons often played supporting roles at best.

If Jiraiya had still been on Gamabunta's head, the toad wouldn't fear the Raikage. But it was Naruto up there now.

True, Naruto had taken advantage of his massive chakra pool, mastery of Transformation Jutsu, and his complete obliviousness to pain to run mental circles around the Raikage.

But in a head-on fight, Naruto didn't stand a chance.

The Raikage grabbed the Power Pole mid-swing, not even checking whether it was the real Naruto or another clone. He yanked the screaming boy into the air and smashed him like a hammer onto Gamabunta's skull.

The giant toad staggered under the blow, his enormous frame wobbling.

The Raikage had struck a major blow.

But even as he fought, anxiety crept in.

Where were the reinforcements?

What was happening on the rear flank?

…

Yamato slid his blade back into its sheath. The field around him was littered with the bodies of fallen Cloud shinobi.

"Kakashi-senpai, that was the last group."

The ANBU were finishing their sweep, collecting the bodies of fallen comrades.

Kakashi popped a soldier pill into his mouth and replied wearily, "Then it's time for the final step. Assassinate the Raikage."

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